A\N – A little Thank You line to all of you who's reading the story and doesn't forget to review! My mood just goes rocket high every time I read your opinions and thoughts! Thank you for reading and…enjoy the next chapter!

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Two weeks after Kelly's release from the hospital the things got pretty much back to normal. Besides the fact that Mr. Severide seemed to think that he knew better than any doctor what was good for him and when he's fully healed. Kelly though going to physical therapy unquestionably and on schedule decided that it was time for him to go back to work. He had to change his mind after a long talk with his doctor, physician, Chief Boden, Andy and Leslie. And me. The similarity in opinions of everyone who had a vote in the matter must have cooled him down because he chilled the fever and his attention jumped the other direction, for example meeting me after my classes - that involved him coming up to the studio, smirking at Nora shamelessly flirting with him and very publically kissing me 'hello' in front of Jonathan and the other dancers basically marking his territory. Andy and Matt were frequent guests at our place, the Chief stepped by couple times.

Taken as a whole Kelly wasn't the best patient but I didn't exactly expect more from him in that department. Jen mentioned something along the lines of and I quote: "The man seriously doesn't know how to be ill! There are just so many possibilities! Come to think about it, he could make you dress up a slutty nurse. Or cook him all his favorite food…in a slutty cook outfit! Or…" I ordered her not to put the ideas in the head where they didn't belong. Though I did like the dressing up idea…for some other time.

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It was Tuesday in the mid of April when Kelly with me under his good shoulder entered the Firehouse 51.

"So…Is it true that you're being lazy dogs while I'm on vacation!" Kelly roared, epicenter-ing the attention of Capp and Hadley.

His two comrades turned to face us and took their time to put two and two together before they finally rushed to their Lieutenant to give him a hug, giving me a squeeze on the shoulder on the way. The room started piling up with the firefighters: Squad 3, Truck 81, their Chief and the paramedics. Leslie gave her friend and extra-hug and Andy enfolded ma in a bear hug.

For someone who's never exactly had a family I found myself a part of one where the members of a said family looked after each other and, though sometimes it was veiled, loved and respected each other greatly.

I clung to Andy a little more, watching Kelly and the rest of the guys, and tried not to let my thoughts affect the smile on my face.

Ten minutes later when the greetings and shouts and hugs mostly died down and the guys dragged Kelly to the kitchen where Matt played the cook I stayed behind with Gaby.

"You ok? You seem distracted." She said, taking a place beside me on the bench.

I looked at her and then let my eyes travel the perimeter of the firehouse. I wasn't searching for anything, I was just looking at things. All the things that were in the visible space: the trucks, equipment, gears…

"I'm late."

From the corner of my eye I saw Gabriela take the information in, her face still calm with a simple small smile.

"Well, that doesn't mean anything…"

"A month."

"Oh."

"Yeah, a month late." I confirmed, clasping my hands together and finally looking back at my friend.

"Did you do the test?" She was as calm as she was before I told her.

I shook my head 'no'.

"Are you…are you sure this is not because of your eating disorder?" Her words rang and I think if I was standing I'd stumbled then and there.

I looked shocked at Gaby.

"What?" She retorted. "We've been friends for at least half a year now and I haven't seen you actually eat normal. While you keep telling everyone who asks that you had a full lunch which is a bull every time. Look, I'm a medic and I do know a thing or two about eating disorders, just don't try to deny that you have one."

There was a pregnant pause.

"I don't." I said at last. "I've had it for years. Since my dancing days. Started off as a diet but…couldn't stop and it became anorexia with all the good stuff: not being able to hold the food down, hunger pains, chronic tiredness. It really did become better…I don't…you know, anymore…I just eat very little and mostly food like fruits, yogurts, vegetables, soups…usually don't eat with somebody else…only when I'm alone."

"I'm trying not to pry." She sighed. "Because you're my friend. And you know how hard for me this not-prying part is. But you have to do something about it. It's definitely not healthy."

I just nodded. I already knew that. But this is something where I was an addict and I'm aware of how small control of a situation I actually have. And if there was any progress at all it was tiny.

"Will you tell Kelly?"

"What exactly?" I huffed. "You know, I might be pregnant which is hilarious because we haven't talked about children, family and all that stuff, and neither of us does have an experience in that field. I don't even know if he wants to have children at all! OR I might just say: My period might just be late because my body functions are screaming at me to start eating like a normal person!"

"Flip a coin?"

I chuckled and nudged her slightly in the ribs. Gaby smirked and we stood up to catch up with the boys in the kitchen.

"Or you could really start eating like a normal person."

Gaby suggested off-handedly, trying the 'not-prying thing' once again. She really wasn't very good at it, I mused. I huffed and she didn't push anymore. The fact that I could still be very much pregnant loomed over our mood.

Casey's food smelled even better than the last time. I wasn't exactly intending to eat that kind of meat but the smell nevertheless caressed my senses.

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I did the test in the evening.

When I exited the bathroom Kelly was laying on the bed reading something on the laptop on his knees. He was unconsciously pulling on his hurt shoulder and I wondered just how much it really still hurt. Though he did try to convince everyone around him that he was almost completely fine I saw the small hints that it wasn't true: when he winced as a result of what seemed like simple actions, when he tried to use the other arm given the opportunity. I only hoped that it was the aftermaths of trauma and were soon to be replaced with the full healing.

I tied my hair in a massy bun and crawled the bed to the side Kelly was sitting on, his legs starched in front of him, back to the headboard, focused on whatever he was reading.

I lay down by his side, carefully snaking his right hand around me and hugging his midsection. I could hear his even breathing and stable heartbeat with my ear firmly pressed to his chest.

"Hey, you." I felt Kelly starting a sequence of circles on my shoulder with his enormous hand.

"Hey you." Came my muffled reply.

Kelly closed the laptop and pushed it off his lap so he could share his full attention with me:

"You ok?"

"Yes. Absolutely." My head moved slightly and found its place in the crook of his neck. "It's just with all that happened this month I can't help but think that you're the first and one man in my life that…that I wanna be with. There's just no one else…you and I just seem to, you know, click together…"

I felt him kiss the top of my head slightly.

"We do click, don't we?" Kelly snickered. "You are my next to kin actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we had to fill the standard papers at work. We do that every year in case anything changes. I guess, I just didn't even give it much thought – it was just completely natural to put your name there. That's if you're ok with it.."

"I'm more than ok with it." I creped a little bit upwards and titled my head so I could see his face. "You're my man. You're my family."

"And you're the woman I never thought I wanted. You're the only one I need. You're the mother of my future children. And my closest friend."

His voice was firm and calm. My eyes watered and I gulped. A small smile crept on my lips as I felt my face getting hotter. I reached and kissed right side of his jaw longingly. Kelly looked at me and as our eyes met, he downed his lips on mine. I closed my eyes and let myself devour in the feeling. I was so protected, cared for and loved that I wished I'd stay that way forever.

"You're the most amazing thing in the universe. At least for me." Kelly's soft voice said.

"Am I really?" I whispered.

"By far."

With his words said at the exact time I needed to hear them Kelly without even knowing what he did wiped away all my fears and insecurities. And I was once again wrapped carefully in a bliss that was him and me.

The pregnancy test was thrown away and lay forgotten in the trash bin. It was negative. But that wasn't the case anymore.