Title: Plan C
Chapter 30 – A Welcomed Surprise?
"Yes I heard," she is able to answer in truth. Since it was Antonio who had taken the final kill shot, she didn't have to chastise herself on lying to an already fragile and distraught young girl. "I hope your mother is okay."
With that she offers a tight lipped smile and then heads outside, pushing past Kelly and disappearing from the young girl's view; her core starting to heat faster than expected.
"Erin," Kelly calls out as his wife picks up the pace; Kelly hurrying after her and then turning her to face him. "Slow down a sec."
He looks at her flushed face and gently guides her toward a nearby set of empty chairs; easing himself down beside her and looking at her in concern.
"I hear Aurora screaming…I hear them all," Erin huffs as she leans back and closes her eyes. Her hand rests on her belly as she feels a small twinge that resembles indigestion. "If that nurse hadn't come in…" her words catch in her throat as she opens her eyes and looks at the closed curtain. "Think her sister found out about their father and threatened to tell on him and that's why he killed her?"
She hears silence and then looks up to see Kelly's brows slightly knit.
"You have to ask before you go," he states simply. "That's what you came to find out and you know you'll just sit and stew about it and drive me and Voight and Jay and everyone else crazy until you do. It could be no but…what if it's yes?"
Erin looks back at the curtain, watching the nurse exit and hearing Voight's voice asking her to interrogate the girl – what does she know about her sister's death and her father's secret and are they connected?
With a small nod she pushes herself up from the bench of chairs and takes a few nervous steps toward the curtain, her mind telling her body to calm in their jitters so that she can do her job and then take her leave. She steps back into the hospital room and disappears from view.
Kelly watches the curtain, slowly standing up and pacing as he wonders if his wife's anxiety will put her and the baby in distress and if she'll blame herself or not. But a few minutes later, he watches her reemerge with an almost relieved expression and heads toward her.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. She suspects her father and is…terrified of him," she explains in a hushed tone as they head toward the exit doors.
"Erin…."
"Kelly I'm fine," she insists as he pulls back a few more feet. They head toward the car, Erin telling Kelly what the young girl told her and then how it would all piece together with the arson and forensic evidence. "Now…we just need the father."
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"Okay I'll see you later," Erin tells Kelly as she gives him a kiss on the cheek; the two of them pulling apart as Platt approaches.
"Always feel like I'm doing something wrong when she catches us making out," Kelly snickers as Platt looks at him.
"I heard that," Platt retorts as Kelly and Erin trade a few laughs.
He watches her head for the stairs and go up; Kelly giving her a small wave before he takes his leave and heads for the front door. As much as he wanted to remind her that she was supposed to be resting another day, he knows that she also needs to still feel valuable at work and work to change her schedule – on her terms.
"Kelly is that you?"
"Yeah!" Kelly answers Matt as he slings his coat on the hook and then heads into the kitchen. "Thought you were on a job?"
"Just heading out," Matt tells him as he enters the kitchen and hands Kelly a small baggie with two cookies in it.
"Andrea?" Kelly asks as Matt nods. "Need some help…these are good."
"Where's Erin? She's a great cook," Matt replies with a broad smile.
"Working. I'm trying not to be the over protective husband but she uh…remember that House where the father left his daughter."
"Yeah?"
"Our hunch on the familiarity of the last name was right. Gordie Johnson's father is missing and Erin had to talk to his youngest sister Gracie…the one who survived the fire."
"Oh damn…" Matt curses in an undertone as Kelly nods. "Did she ask…about her brother?"
"Asked Erin if she knew what happened to her brother. Erin handled it really well but…but I worry that this case is gonna get really personal and affect her, but in the worst possible way. And of course…I feel stuck so…yeah I need something to do."
"I have some non-hammering work for you to do."
"Ha ha, very funny," Kelly dead pans as he closes the door behind them.
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By the end of the day, Erin slowly trudges through the door to their apartment, smelling something rather aromatic and being thankful that her stomach isn't lurching like it did when she and Jay stopped by a small curry bistro.
"Smells good in here!"
"We're making a mess!" Aurora calls back with a giggle as Erin walks toward the kitchen area, rounding the corner and then stopping and staring in shock.
"Surp…rise," Kelly offers weakly as he tries to brush away some flour from his nose and cheeks. "It was Aurora's idea," he teases as his daughter playfully swats his arm.
"It was daddy's!" Aurora tosses back with a giggle as Erin enters the baking-disaster kitchen.
"So…what brought this on?" She inquires as she pulls back from a kiss and then taps his flour dusted nose before planting a kiss on Aurora's head.
"We're making cookies," Kelly confesses as he pulls a tray from the oven. "Hey it was in that cookbook."
"They look…maybe cut off the burnt parts," Erin suggests with a shrug.
"Yeah…" Kelly agrees in haste as Aurora reaches for one of the well done cookies, not caring about the burnt bits.
"Mmm tasty daddy," Aurora gives him the thumbs up; Erin and Kelly trading amused glances and then laughing. She sits down in a nearby chair, watching them starting to clean up and telling them a bit about her day but mostly interested in what Aurora's day consisted of. "Where's the baby?" Aurora asks after she hears the adults talking about the pregnancy.
"The baby…is in here," Erin pats her slightly swollen belly.
"What's it doing in there?" Aurora wonders.
"It's growing," Erin answers with a kind smile as Aurora puts her ear to Erin's belly to listen.
"I can't hear it growing," Aurora looks up with a frown; Erin's love for the darling little girl's curiosity swelling even more. After the cookie mess is cleaned up, the two of them work to make dinner, Aurora helping out where she can and then setting the table.
"So he still doesn't trust you with a hammer, huh."
"That was one time," Kelly groans as Erin offers back a laugh.
The three of them enjoy a light meal before retiring to the living room where they read with Aurora and just spend time as a family. By the time she's going to bed, Erin's mind delights in the fact that all her tension has evaporated. But…that was about to change in a few hours.
"Erin?" Kelly asks with in a sleepy tone a few hours later as he feels his wife awaken from her sleep with a startled gasp.
"Yeah…I'm…fine," she slightly gasps as he turns on the light and she flops back down onto her pillow and then looks up at his concerned expression. "That girl…I wanted to hate her whole family but now…now I feel sorry for her. I still hear the shooting…the screaming. Aurora, myself…Preeti."
She rolls onto her side at her husband's urging and feeling some relief as his hand starts to tenderly stroke her back.
"The father is still in the wind…the mother in a coma and she has no one."
"At all?"
"Aunt is coming in tomorrow," Erin replies with a heavy sigh. "I…it just brought up so many memories of growing up in a tormented household. And then I think of me being a mother and…"
"Hey now," Kelly whispers as he pulls her back into his grasp and holds her close. "We'll never let that happen."
Erin closes her eyes, delighting in the feel of her husband holding her close and feeling her anxiety starting to dissipate. She tells him a bit more about the tormented images in her mind and then they change the subject, talking about the wedding in a few days and how fun it would be to get away for a night – just the two of them, like on their honeymoon.
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"What did you buy them as a gift?" Erin asks early Saturday morning.
"Me? Wait…I thought…." Kelly stammers as he turns to see Erin looking at him with a quizzical glance. "You're joking right?"
"Actually no. Can we get a gift card? That's okay right?"
"Sure," Kelly shrugs as he watches her pull on a navy blue dress. "Wow…"
"Pregnancy boobs," she comments as he playfully wags his brows.
"Like pregnancy boobs."
"You just like boobs," she retorts dryly; her husband offering her a chuckle in agreement. "We'll stop by…somewhere and get a gift card and bottle of…something. Do they like wine or the hard stuff?"
"Whisky, the good stuff," Kelly replies as he approaches his wife with a broad smile.
Aurora comes bounding into the room, hopping on the bed, picking up Erin's purse and looking at the contents in wonder. She pulls Erin's phone and tries to unlock it.
"Here's your phone sweetie," Erin quickly switches her phone for the play one she keeps around for moments such as these.
The three of them linger in the bedroom a bit longer, Kelly taking a few pictures of Erin getting ready and then a few of Aurora playing with Erin's stuff; Erin returning the favor, always delighting to take some candid's of Kelly and his daughter. About half hour later Pauline and Don show up, taking Aurora with them to the Park and then over to their place, Matt and Andrea already on their way out of town to enjoy a weekend getaway and taking in a wedding show. After they pick up their last minute gift they head toward the hotel where the minister would officiate the ceremony and then they'd enjoy the surrounding area before attending the dinner and reception.
During the ceremony, Kelly takes his wife's hand; Erin looking at him with a loving smile, her fingers tightening around his. As they sit during the brief ceremony, her mind starts to find some inner peace and contentment and after the very trying week, this is beyond a welcome reprieve.
After the ceremony is over, the two of them pull away from the crowd and start to walk hand in hand toward the rose garden.
"Any regrets over having our wedding at 51 instead of place like this?"
"None at all. This place is beautiful but…51 is us. We both spend a considerable amount of time there. Trust me, Trudy wanted it at the precinct."
"I can just imagine," Kelly replies with a laugh as they reach a bench. "Smell good," he mumbles as she sits beside him, his lips nuzzling the soft skin around her ear.
"It's the roses," she retorts with a husky tone. "Save that for later Lieutenant."
"Like that," he grins as they sit awhile longer. They talk about the venue, the ceremony, the various members of the small bridal party and their future House-hunting adventure. After that they get up and slowly head back, walking hand in hand and just enjoying the company of the other.
Once inside they each take a drink and then start to mingle with a few of the other couples; enjoying a few appetizers about ten minutes later and for the next almost hour until the bridal party comes back and it's time for dinner.
"What? I'm….hungry," Erin replies with a playful hiss as she gets up to go back for seconds. On the way there she stops to talk to Shawna, giving her friend a happy hug and thanking her for including them on their special day. "Everything is just…perfect."
"I'm so glad you guys came. Now that all the wedding planning madness is over we can finally have you over for a couple's night."
"We'd like that," Erin answers with a smile. They talk a bit longer until Erin politely excuses herself, not wanting to hog the bride from the other invited guests. She gets a bit more food and then heads back to the table; Kelly finishing his current conversation and then looking at his wife as she sits back down. "I am addicted to this corn and these…short ribs. Can we make this?"
"Maybe after a lifetime of Matt's cooking classes."
"Funny," she mocks dryly as he chuckles and reaches for a stuffed olive.
"These…are spicy."
"Nice try," he grins as he pops the edible item into his mouth; his wife narrowing her eyes at him in mocking contempt.
They enjoy the rest of their meal and then Erin goes to get them some coffee's while Kelly heads for the dessert table; making almost the same detour as his wife had before him – only this time talking to Nick.
"Great wedding."
"Thanks for coming," Nick tells Kelly after they pull back from a brief hug. "I finally get to enjoy the party I am paying for," he chuckles. "Glad to see you two back on track and just…happy. You both look happy and content and that's great to see."
"Thanks man…appreciate it. So…honeymoon. Where are you going again?"
After he's finished talking to Nick, Kelly heads back to the table with a large plate of dessert offerings they would share; Erin already waiting with the coffees. They sit back and while they slowly enjoy the ending to their meal, the speeches are offered and then the cutting of the cake. Finally some time to dance.
"What's going on?" Erin inquires as she notices her husband pause halfway through their dancing.
"Waiting for a call to come over the wire," he snickers as he returns to his previous task – finishing their slow waltz. "Feels good to just hold you like this and not be interrupted."
"And you'll be saying that for the faster dancing too right?"
"Uh…sure," he stammers as she laughs. But despite his insistence that he's not a great dancer by any means, when a song with a faster tempo comes on next, he stays on the dance floor and the two of them continue to enjoy their fun evening.
Just before midnight, they both say goodnight to the bride and groom and head for the elevators, arm in arm, wanting to go up to their room and finish their romantic evening with a personal interlude.
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"You look beautiful," Kelly whispers in his wife's ear as her dress slowly slides to the floor, pooling at her feet; her hands tossing his black dress shirt away.
"Mmm you too," she whispers in a husky tone as his lips start to nip at her neck, his hand slowly siding down her sides, resting on her hips. "Smell good too," she adds as her lips star to devour his jaw and then silence his next few words with a hungry kiss.
He lifts her up and carries her to the bed, gently easing her down as his fingers slide over the satin of her bra and continue lower. They rest on her belly and the action stops; their eyes locking.
"Baby…mommy and daddy are going to have sex now…" he blurts out and then snickers; Erin's body slightly arching as she too laughs. "Where the hell did that come from," he groans as his fingers push a few stray curls away from her face.
"It's good to talk to the baby…just not right now," she utters with a come hither smile as her hand wraps around the back of his neck and pulls his lips back down to hers. "I want you to talk to me."
"I can definitely do that," he playfully growls as his lips start to playfully nip at her jaw and move lower, her body arching upward into his grasp. His hands pull at her navy satin bra, removing it and then tossing it aside as her hands claw at his back and move lower.
"Need you…so much," she pants as her body starts to warm; both heart rates starting to gain momentum. She closes her eyes in bliss, allowing her body to succumb to her husband's touch. "Oh I missed you."
"That was wonderful," Erin tells Kelly in loving truth some time later as they lay together, side by side, skin on skin, under the satin sheets basking in the afterglow of their loving union. His hand rests on her side, every so often sneaking up to her stomach, teasing her belly button and then slipping back down. "So…we should talk about names."
"Names…okay boy."
"Why boy first?"
"Because we need to come up with a good answer to give back to my father why our son can't have his first name as it's middle name or worse…first name."
"Kelly…"
"No way…one Benedict Severide is enough."
"Benedict?" She arches her brows as he nods. "Hank Benedict Severide. Okay…things will be easier with a girl," she giggles as he makes a funny face. "Baby…daddy is making silly faces right now. You know…for a boy we could always settle that by having your name as the middle name."
"That…could work," he agrees as he plants a kiss on her belly. "Baby Severide," he states lovingly as her fingers start to play with his slightly damp hair. She listens to him talking to their unborn child about their hotel room and feels her love for him swell in ways she never imagined. When they had first met…of course it was the natural physical attraction – the way it is for two people who like the physical looks of another person. But as she had gotten to know him, her attraction for him changed, matured. When he became a father, it was another level of attraction that he exuded and now…her husband and soon to be father of their child…it was almost indescribable.
"Course we could always name our baby after a favorite musician?" Kelly suggests.
"Lady Gaga Severide?" She retorts as he chuckles.
"Bruno Mars Severide?" He shoots back as she laughs. "For the longest time I thought my dad's name was Arnold."
"Benedict Arnold Severide?" Erin deadpans as he laughs.
"Okay, we'll do what Shay and I did…make a list of our top five normal names for each sex and then see if we can agree."
"Deal."
They talk a bit longer before it's time to turn off the lights, each of them telling the other they love them before they fall asleep in each other's arms. The day a complete success.
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"Can I join you?" Kelly asks his wife in a husky tone the next morning as he enters the steamy bathroom and slowly pulls the door open; hungrily devouring his wife's naked frame.
"Now that you're up…"
"Literally," he winks as he closes the steamy door behind him.
"Mmm you smell good," Kelly whispers as he plants a soft kiss on his wife's aromatic neck as he holds the chair for her to slide in; the two of them now sitting down to a leisurely in-suite breakfast. Not having anything spicy the night before had served Erin well as she hadn't felt the urge to throw up and was happy that the feelings of morning sickness hadn't surfaced.
Still clad in their plush bathrobes, the two of them casually enjoy their meal, talking about what area they'd like to move into, what amenities they wanted nearby and if it would also work for Matt and Andrea. After that another lively discussion ensues about names starting with more normal and ending with a Seinfeld reference 'Rasputin'.
"Yeah Rasputin Severide…" Kelly had groaned. "Or we could have twins. Rasputin and Sunshine."
Taking advantage of having total privacy, the two of them enjoy one more romantic union before they finally get dressed, check out and then head outside into the late warm afternoon spring air and enjoy lunch at a nearby café. The two of them laugh and talk, enjoy the food and each other's company; feeling their love for each other grow more and more. After lunch they do some shopping at a few nearby stores, picking up a gift for Aurora and a thank you gift for Pauline and Don.
Once they arrive at the Shay's, they are invited to stay for dinner and the five of them end the weekend with some more laughing, talking, eating and bonding. Aurora delightfully plays with her new dolly as she sits on her father's lap; Pauline and Don prying them for details about the wedding and Erin happily sharing her photo's while each of them share stories and anecdotes. Then they ask Aurora about what she did and end the evening by sharing some after dinner coffee's, Erin's of course alcohol free.
"Thanks again for helping out," Erin thanks Pauline as she gives her a tender hug and pulls back with a smile.
"It's always such a delight for us and we won't mind having another in the near future," Pauline smiles in return.
By the time they get home, Aurora is fast asleep in her father's strong arms; the two of them talking in hushed tones as they enter their quiet apartment; Matt spending the night at Andrea's. Kelly puts Aurora to bed and then joins his wife in their bedroom. The two of them falling asleep much the same way they did the night before, tucked in each other's arms with contented smiles on their faces.
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"It's not the sex ultrasound…it's just a checkup. That one comes in a month," Erin reminds Kelly the next morning. "You'll be there for that one, I promise."
He looks at her in concern and her lips purse. "I worry. The last one…"
"Was just after the accident but it was okay and I'm fine. But because of the accident they just want to make sure everything is fine. Okay you're freaking me out now."
"Sorry," Kelly nods as he leans in closer. "Love you."
"Love you too," she replies as she grabs her jacket and heads for her car. "I'll text you as soon as I'm done."
He watches her until she's disappeared from view and then gets into his and heads for Firehouse 51, knowing he won't be worth a damn to Boden until he knows his unborn child is fine.
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Erin nears the clinic where her doctor is and feels her anxiety starting to rise. She stops and takes a few breaths before proceeding into the building, her mind begging her heart rate to calm for the sake of their child.
She nears the heavy wooden office door…the office shared by two female OBGYN's; no other medical professionals sharing the space. But just as her hand rests on the handle to pull the door open, someone on the other side starts to push it open and she pulls back to let them pass.
Her mind at first is distracted. But when she hears her name…spoken by a familiar voice she looks up. Her breath catches. She looks at the sign on the door and then at the surprised face staring back at her – probably wondering the same thing she is.
You're expecting?
"Erin."
The voice is soft and surprised…but almost relieved surprised.
"Preeti."
Her eyes well and she can't help but smile. The woman looking back – her eyes well also and without saying a word she pulls Erin into her arms and holds her tightly; Erin returning the favor. A soft sob is heard as the two of them cling to each other.
Then both of them at the same time say the same thing, "I'm sorry."
A/N: So I was actually going to leave it here and then come back with a time jump but I want to add a bit more and hope that's okay and you're all still on board. B/c when we ramp up – look out! Lol danger (a new enemy surfaces of course! *evil grin*) and tension will be back on the menu full force…but don't worry you know I'm gonna toss in as many laughs, family moments, broments, couple time (romance) as I can to keep a good mix going. So I hope you are all still with me and please do review before you go and thanks so much!