*authors note: people had been asking for this, so let's go! Also, yes, i said happy story, but i guess that wasn't completely true.
The ride to the hospital was relatively smooth. Brett and Foster had dropped them off and before they knew it Stella was in a hospital bed. A bed in the emergency department that was, not the maternity ward. The maternity ward had been overcrowded and short-staffed when they arrived, so they had been placed at emergency instead. Stella didn't seem to mind. She knew the people there, so that was a calming thought in this otherwise stressful situation.
But, that didn't mean that Severide had stopping worrying. Ever since reaching the hospital, Stella seemed to get paler by the second. Not only that, she didn't really seem to respond all that well to him. She only had been giving him very short answers or she just nodded her head to whatever he was saying. And her breathing only seemed to get heavier and heavier
"Hey, Stella. Tell me how you're feeling? Don't try to be brave, okay? " He asked while softly stroking her hand.
"I...don't...know. Hard...to...breathe". She said between breaths.
"Sssh, it's okay. Let me get Will" He said after which he placed a kiss on her forehead and walked out of the room looking for the doctor.
"Hey Maggy, have you seen Will? It's not going all too well with Stella. She is having trouble breathing."
"He is with a patient now, Kelly. As soon as I have someone available, I'll send them to you."
"But Maggy..." he pleaded.
"I'm sorry; we are really short-staffed today. I'll have someone for you in just a couple of minutes."
"Yeah, okay" he let out a frustrated breath and walked back to the room.
But once he got back into the room, he immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Her breathing was very heavy now. She was unresponsive and before he knew it alarm bells started going off.
In an instant, the tiny hospital room started to flood with doctors and nurses, with doctor Hallstead being the first one to arrive.
"She is going into cardiac arrest. Get me the Defib and call doctor Bush, please". Will said with a raised voice. "We are going to have to do an Emergency C-section."
"Will, what's going on" Kelly tried to get his voice heard among the commotion.
"Lieutenant, I'm going to have to ask to you step out of the room."
"No, Will. Come on, let me be with her"
"Severide, I need you to wait in the waiting room, okay?" Doctor Hallstead said sternly as he worked on Stella. "April, can you please take him there" He continued.
"Yes, come on Kelly"
Defeated he led April guide him to the waiting room, tears pricking behind his eyes.
He didn't want to be in this waiting room. He needed to be with Stella. He needed to be with his son or daughter. Instead he had been in this silent waiting room for over an hour now. There hadn't been any updates. They hadn't even told him if he still had a girlfriend or child.
The rest of 51 had come in about 30 minutes ago, but he hadn't really talked to them yet. He hadn't been able to do that. This was just too overwhelming. The birth of this child should have been a happy day, not like this.
"I'm looking for a Lieutenant Severide" came the voice of an older nurse.
"Yes, that's me" Kelly shot up out of the chair he had been occupying for the last hour and a half.
"Okay, Lieutenant. We have your daughter in the NICU. She is doing relatively well considering the complications of her birth. However, your wife's condition is extremely critical at the moment. We are currently still working on her." The nurse paused, contemplating her next words. "I'm going to be honest in saying that there might come a time this evening when we are going to ask you to say goodbye to her. I'm sorry"
Kelly could feel the blood drain from his face. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't lose her.
"I know this is a difficult time" The nurse continued. "But for now let's focus on your daughter. I'll let you gather your thoughts and then a nurse will take you to your baby." And with that the nurse was gone.
He slumped back in the hard waiting room chair. The tears that he had been trying to suppress over the last hours where now slowly running over his face. He could not do this without her. Having a child, a little baby girl, without Stella by his side... She had been so happy about being pregnant. He had caught her numerous times softly talking to her belly about all the adventures they were going to go on once their little one was born. Now there might never be such time.
"Do you want someone to go with you" It was Casey who broke Severide's train of thought.
Kelly looked over to the captain with red eyes and managed to whisper a soft "yeah".
"Okay, let's go then. Let's meet your daughter". Casey led him over to a nurse who had been waiting patiently next to the door of the waiting room.