A/N: Okay, I lied. You get one more chapter after this one. Thanks for all the support! I hope you enjoy!
The next month and a half flew by. Toward the end of January, Kelly and Stella mentioned that they were looking for a house so they didn't have to worry about a newborn upsetting the neighbours, and they could have some privacy to raise their family. Matt and Sylvie had also been talking about that and offered to go check out some places with them.
After much searching, the couples had found two townhouses that were connected at their garages on the lower level. Each unit had a master bedroom with a connected bathroom upstairs. There were two smaller rooms on the second floor that could function as an office space or bedrooms that shared one wall with the neighboring townhouse as well as an additional bathroom. Downstairs, each unit had an open concept kitchen and dining area with a connected living room and half-bath. Finally, in the basement, there was a washer and dryer.
They hadn't been planning on living so close to each other, but when they discussed it, they decided it would be perfect. The kids would be sharing bedroom walls, but each couple would have their privacy. The four could easily go back and forth between their houses, so the parents-to-be could give each other breaks when their babies came along. They talked to their realtor and were told they could move in at the end of February.
Somehow, between packing, work, prenatal visits, Valentine's Day, a bachelorette party and actually - finally - moving, Sylvie had a chance to go dress shopping with Stella and Emily. This adventure was much needed among the stress, and the three had so much finding one that was just right.
A week before Matt and Sylvie's wedding, Stella had her 20 week visit. Kelly had gotten a relief lieutenant to cover him for a couple hours so he could go with her to the appointment and have lunch with her after. Dr. Cameron had told them last month at their 16 week appointment that they'd be able to learn the gender this week if they wanted to. They'd talked about it and decided they wanted to know so they could start planning names, how they were going to set up the nursery, and gathering supplies.
Stella lay on the bed and pulled her shirt up to expose her midsection. She sucked in a breath when Dr. Cameron rubbed the cold ultrasound gel on her skin. "Does a person ever get used to that?" she asked.
Dr. Cameron chuckled. "Not that I've seen. I had two kids of my own and, if anything, the gel only got colder."
"Great," Stella grumbled.
"It's so worth it, though. You'll see soon." Dr. Cameron smiled at her. "Let's just hope it's not too soon. Your little one still has plenty of growing to do. Speaking of little one," she said, moving the wand around Stella's abdomen, "do you two want to know what it is?" She raised her brows, waiting for an answer.
Stella and Kelly shared a quick glance before nodding.
"Okay," Dr. Cameron said, examining the picture closely. "Any guesses first or should I just tell you?"
Stella shrugged. "Girl, maybe?"
"It's definitely a girl," Kelly said.
Dr. Cameron chuckled at Kelly's confidence. She nodded at the couple. "She is a girl."
Kelly grabbed Stella's hand, a smile flooding his face.
"We're having a little girl!" Stella exclaimed, mirroring Kelly's smile.
Dr. Cameron gave the couple a second to celebrate, then she moved on to the rest of the examination before sending the happy couple on their way.
On the morning of the fifth of March 2022, despite not setting an alarm, Matt was still awake early. He had stayed the night on the Stellaride side of the townhouses. Sylvie had forbade him from after supper the night before until just before the wedding this afternoon. They may be doing things a little out of the traditional order, but Sylvie wanted a closer-to-traditional wedding, and Matt would be damned if he denied her that. The only reason they were having it at Molly's instead of a church is because they'd wanted to make sure the guest list stayed small. There was also less transportation to coordinate with the ceremony and reception in the same place.
Matt tossed and turned on Severide's couch, trying in vain to fall back asleep. After nearly an hour, he decided to get up and go for a run. The tshirt and shorts he'd slept in would have to suffice, since his normal work out clothes were at his house. He shoved his wallet, phone, and keys in a pocket and grabbed a water bottle on the way out the door.
Brisk March morning air met him as he started jogging down the street. At 5:30 on a Saturday, there was barely anyone out in their cozy neighborhood. He turned toward the park and ran a few laps around the pond. In the summer, he imagined there would be mosquitoes, but he would hopefully find a new route by then. Now, the pond was mostly iced over and snow still covered everything but the benches and sidewalks.
After his third circle, he spotted a bench on the far side of the park. His jog slowed to a walk as he approached it. He took a long drink from his bottle, pacing in front of the bench to cool down. Eventually, he sat down. He stared off into space. Today, he was getting married. A quick glance at his watch told him he had about five and a half hours. He would only need maybe half an hour of that to get through the shower and get dressed. Another half hour would usually get them to Molly's but he would be dealing with rush hour traffic, so he should probably allow a full hour. Sylvie would no doubt try to get there around one to give herself half an hour before the actual ceremony, and he wanted to arrive before her, so - he calculated - he should probably try to leave by 11:15, which meant he still had three and a half hours before he needed to get back to Severide's townhouse.
In the meantime, he decided he could really go for some coffee and a donut. He didn't know anywhere near this neighborhood, since they'd only lived here a week. A quick Google search showed him a number of options. He chose one and headed that way.
On the walk to the coffee shop, his phone began ringing. He answered, "What's up, Kelly?"
"Where the fuck are you, man?"
"On my way to get some breakfast. You want anything?"
"Are you walking?"
"Yeah - went out for a jog."
"Shit man, when I came out here and you were gone, I was afraid you were getting cold feet."
"Never," Matt chuckled. He had wanted this life for way too long. "So do you want anything or not?"
"Just tell me where you're going. I'll meet you there - with a car," Kelly responded, emphasizing the last part so Casey knew he was being made fun of.
Sylvie stepped out of the shower around eight the morning of her wedding. Stella and Emily had made her promise to let them do her hair and make-up, so she threw on a robe and stepped out to start some tea. Dr. Cameron, her and Stella's gynecologist, had recommended drinking Rooibos tea because it was rich in antioxidants. After initially making fun of them, Emily had tried some of Sylvie's (with the added milk and sugar, of course) and declared it to be the best thing since margaritas.
After the three each had a cupful, Emily and Sylvie went back upstairs to get everything they'd need for her wedding day look. While they were in there, the doorbell rang.
"Got it!" Stella called from the living room. She lowered her feet from where she'd propped them up on the coffee table and went to the door. She opened it to find her husband holding a box of assorted doughnuts in one hand and a drink carrier with what appeared to be three smoothies in the other.
"We went to check out a food joint this morning," he explained. "We're still pretty clueless on what pregnant women can drink that's not water, but the barista recommended these. She looked like she was about ready to pop, so we figured we could trust her."
Stella stepped aside to let Kelly in.
He crossed over the threshold and was moving toward the dining area when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Stella gasped and stopped dead in her tracks and a hand flew to her abdomen. Her eyes flew open and she was staring right at him.