So, apparently, I lied. What can I say? My fingers just kept on typing. I think this fic will be a series of snapshots of important moments in Sylvie's pregnancy, and after the birth rather than a continuous story. I also can't promise how often I'll update. I really should learn to finish one fic before embarking on another. I'll just be off trying to write some more Bruzek…

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Chapter 2

The ambulance went over another speed bump and Sylvie put her hand over her mouth.

"Do you get car sick too?" Seven year old Luisa, with her arm in a sling after falling off a climbing frame, looked at the paramedic with concern. She was lying on the gurney in the back of the ambulance with Sylvie and her mother sat opposite. The girl had been very brave, hardly crying at all. Her mother on the other hand looked worried enough for both of them.

Sylvie took in a deep breath and tried to smile. "No, not usually."

From the driver's seat, Gabby stopped at a traffic light and looked over her shoulder. "Brett, are you ok back there?"

"I'm fine" Sylvie called, but leant forward and closed her eyes when the lurching motion as Gabby pulled away caused her stomach to do another flip. "It's 1pm" she muttered under her breath, "I thought it was called 'morning sickness' for a reason."

Luisa's mother, her name was Claire, smiled knowingly. "You're pregnant" she said. Sylvie nodded confirmation. "Congratulations."

Sylvie smiled back, sheepishly. "Thanks. Please tell me this doesn't last long."

Claire looked at her daughter. "With this one it was a piece of cake, I barely had any symptoms at all. Her brother on the other hand… It lasted for months."

"Andrew's always been a pain in the butt" said Luisa with a smirk, and earned a reproachful look from her mother, which was betrayed by a wink. Luisa giggled.

"Don't tell me that" Sylvie said, recovering herself and sitting upright again.

"How far along are you?"

"About 12 weeks" she replied. "I actually have my first scan this afternoon." Why Sylvie was being so open with this complete stranger she didn't know, she hadn't even told her colleagues yet. The only people who knew were Gabby and Casey, April Sexton, and Chief Boden. She was reluctant to share the news any further until she knew all was ok. She'd also made Antonio promise not to share with anyone, and Gabby assured her he had kept his word.

Tomorrow they would share the news, all being well. 'Prepare yourself' Gabby had warned her earlier in the day when Sylvie shared their plans, 'my mother is hard work.' Sylvie considered asking Antonio to just not tell his mother until the kid was at least 5 but he'd just laughed and told her that he could handle his mother and he'd make sure she backed off.

Sylvie was getting ahead of herself. First, they would find out what the OB had to say.

They reached the hospital and parked in the ambulance bay. "I can walk" Luisa said. Her mother climbed out of the rig first, and Brett helped the little girl down. They were greeted at the front doors by Maggie.

"Hey, what happened here?" the nurse bent down and addressed Luisa.

"Fractured wrist" Gabby interjected.

"I fell off the climbing frame" Luisa said. "My wrist hurts."

"She's been so brave" Sylvie said, urging Luisa forward. The girl smiled up at her.

"I can take her from here" Maggie said, taking hold of Luisa's good hand. "Come on Mom" she added, and motioned for Claire to follow.

Claire turned back to Gabby and Sylvie. "Thank you both so much for your help" she said, and turned to follow daughter into the emergency room, but then took one more look towards Sylvie. "Good luck this afternoon" she grinned, and walked out of sight.

"How are you feeling?" Gabby asked when they had gone.

"Crappy. I feel like I want to vomit 24/7."

"If you're going to get sick every time we go for a drive, perhaps you should talk to Boden about transferring to dispatch sooner."

The Chief had been happy for Sylvie when she told him her news. She had been nervous about what it would mean for her job, but he assured her she could work for as long as she wanted, and they would find something for her to do when she was no longer able to work in the field. Sylvie had hoped that wouldn't be an issue for a couple more months at least but it looked like she'd be wrong.

"Do we have to drive back to the firehouse yet?" she asked, pleadingly. "I can't face it."

"We can hang here" Gabby said, "but if we get a call…"

"I know" Sylvie said. "I'm going outside for some fresh air."

A couple of minutes later, Gabby joined Sylvie sitting on a bench out front and handed her a cup of water. Sylvie smiled gratefully. "Thank you. I'm feeling much better now, we can go back to the firehouse if you want."

"Nah" Gabby said, "We can hide hear for a bit." Gabby went quiet, watching the pedestrians walk by with their cups of coffee and lunch bags. "It was pretty bad for me too" she said eventually. "It's the hormones."

Sylvie stopped mid-sip and looked over at Gabby, horrified. "I'm such an idiot" she said, looking distressed. "You must think I'm so insensitive, going on about how bad I'm feeling. I'm sorry Gabby, I never meant to bring all that back up for you."

Gabby smiled sadly. "It's not your fault. I get it, you've had a lot to think about. It's been hard remembering when I lost the baby but that doesn't mean I don't want to be here for you. Honestly. You're allowed to be excited."

Sylvie put down her cup and hugged Gabby. "You should have told me to shut up though" she said. "I mean it. You must hate me."

"Never" Gabby said. "Especially not when you're growing my niece or nephew in there."

The radio on Dawson's shoulder crackled to life.

"Ambulance 61, are you free?" The dispatcher's voice said. The two women looked at each other.

"Go ahead dispatch, we're ready."

"I hate that I'm missing this" Antonio said. Even over the phone, Sylvie could hear the regret in his voice. "I'm completely snowed under at work, I've got about a hundred files to read before I testify tomorrow."

"It's ok" Sylvie said. "Do you want me to reschedule?"

"No. You should go. Tell me all about it." Antonio sighed. He had promised to be there for Sylvie and he was failing at the first hurdle. Since that first night when she had told him she was pregnant, they had not talked about their feelings at all. They had talked logistics a bit, how to break the news to both their parents and their colleagues and friends, but their relationship or lack thereof was off limits by an unspoken agreement. They had been getting along as friends quite comfortably and happily as they navigated this new chapter of their lives together. Together, at least, until now.

"Antonio, I don't mind. I know you want to be there."

"I know how excited you are about this. Call me straight after and fill me in." Antonio sighed. "Sylvie, I'm really sorry."

"Don't be, I understand. I promise I'll call you after."

Sylvie hung up. Was she disappointed Antonio couldn't make the ultrasound? She couldn't work it out. She was more disappointed for him more than anything. He already had kids, he'd done this before, but he had shared with her how special it was to see your child for the first time, and even if it was your second or third child, it didn't get any less special. Antonio would get the chance to see the baby at her next appointment, Sylvie told herself. That could be his first time. Anyway, she would have to get used to doing at least some of the parenting stuff by herself, she may as well start now.

She thought about asking Gabby and Matt to come with her instead, the baby was their family too after all, but after Gabby's admission earlier, she didn't want to cause any more painful memories for them. There were only two other people who knew at this point. April was out of town, and the thought of having Boden there instead made her laugh out loud.

No, she'd do this by herself. Sylvie felt ok about that. It would be one of the most special moments in her life to date whether someone was there to hold her hand or not.

"Are you ready?" Dr Marks entered the examination room and greeted Sylvie who was already lying down on the bed.

Sylvie nodded. "Antonio couldn't make it, he got stuck at work" she said. She realised that despite what she had said, she did want to share this moment with him. But there was nothing she could do about that now. Her excitement was greater than her disappointment and she couldn't wait a second longer to see her child. She had only worked a half shift today so she could make this appointment, rescheduling was not an option.

"Alright" Dr Marks said. "Do you have any questions before we get started?"

"Yes actually. Is morning sickness supposed to last all day and night?"

The doctor smiled. "You're suffering bad huh? I'm sorry about that. There are many reasons for that, it's nothing to be worried about, but I'll keep it in mind while I look at your scan and run my tests." She squeezed Sylvie's arm. "Try not to worry."

Dr Marks sat down on the stool next to the bed and pulled the machine a little closer, tilting the screen so she would have a better look. Sylvie lifted her shirt and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to prepare herself. "I'm just squeezing the gel on" she heard the doctor say. "It'll be a little cold." Sylvie flinched when the gel touched her belly but didn't open her eyes. Her head was spinning, from the nausea and the excitement, but also nerves. She couldn't help remembering her earlier conversation with Gabby. What if something was wrong? As excited as she was, if it was bad news she wouldn't mind waiting to hear it.

Dr Marks seemed to sense her worry. "This is your first pregnancy?" Sylvie nodded and opened her eyes. "It's alright to be nervous. Just try to relax."

Easier said than done, Sylvie thought. Until she heard the baby's heartbeat and saw the image on the computer screen, she was going to worry.

"Here we go" the doctor said, and Sylvie felt the probe on her belly. She turned her head but couldn't see the screen, Dr Marks had it angled away while she got a good picture.

A second later Sylvie heard the sound of a heartbeat and her face lit up. "Is that…?"

"It sure is" Dr Marks replied, but was still looking studiously at the screen. "Will you look at that" she said, more to herself than Sylvie.

"What is it?" Sylvie asked, alarmed, but the doctor didn't seem concerned which only confused her. In fact, the doctor was smiling.

"Well, I think I've found an explanation for your increased morning sickness" she said, turning the screen so Sylvie could see it. Sylvie looked at the black and white image but struggled to see what she was looking at. She'd seen an ultrasound before but was no expert in reading them. She looked at the doctor, who continued. "Morning sickness is caused by increased levels of the HCG hormone, perfectly normal during pregnancy, but yours are likely higher than we would usually expect to see at this stage of a pregnancy."

"How do you know that?" Sylvie asked, not understanding. They hadn't done a blood test.

"I'm sorry, I'm teasing" the doctor said. "Forgive me, I love this part of my job." She pressed a button to freeze the picture and put down the probe. She turned to Sylvie, pointing to the screen. "Here is baby one", she indicated a shape on the left of the picture, "and here is baby two."

Sylvie felt like the air had been knocked out of her. She hadn't felt shock like this since she had first found out she was pregnant. If anything, the shock was greater. "Twins?" she asked, disbelievingly, but she already knew the answer.

The doctor nodded. "Twins."

Sylvie stood on the steps of the District Attorney's office getting major déjà vu from the day she had stood outside Antonio's gym preparing to tell him she was having his child. She never thought she'd have to do this again. It was all too surreal.

She pushed open the glass doors and approached the receptionist's desk. A young man with dusty blonde hair and glasses looked up from his computer screen. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Antonio Dawson" she said, "I need to speak to him."

"Is it about a case?"

"No" Sylvie said, her voice wavering slightly. "It's personal."

"I'll call upstairs and see if he's free" the man said. "You can take a seat."

He gestured to a few padded chairs off to the side and Sylvie sat down. But 30 seconds later she was back on her feet again and pacing nervously, unable to stay still. What was she nervous about? She knew Antonio would be thrilled, so what was the problem. Perhaps her nerves had more to do with her own feelings rather than Antonio's. She had only just got used to the idea of one baby, and now there were two. It would take a while to process for sure.

"Sylvie." When Antonio walked into the lobby through the internal doors he looked worried. "I thought you were going to call me, I've been going crazy." He put his arm lightly around her waist and kissed her on the forehead. "Is something wrong?"

"No" Sylvie said, shaking her head. She couldn't keep the grin off her face and put her hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh. "I didn't want to tell you this over the phone."

"What?" Antonio asked, searching her face for any clue as to what was so important that she had to tell him in person.

Sylvie pulled the ultrasound picture from her pocket and handed it to him, giving him a moment to look. The doctor had had some fun telling her, she was going to have some fun telling Antonio. "There are our babies" she said, then tried not to giggle as she waited for the penny to drop.

A split second later, his head snapped up. "Wait. What?" Sylvie couldn't help it, she started laughing. "Babies?"

"Shh" Sylvie warned, looking around. She didn't know Antonio's colleagues at all, she didn't want them to know before those closest to them.

"Babies?!" Antonio said again, quieter this time but no less shocked.

Sylvie nodded. "It's twins" she said, and was so happy when a smile mirroring her own spread across Antonio's face. The next thing she knew, Antonio had picked her up and was spinning her around.

"Put me down" she told him, laughing, and he obliged.

"Twins" he repeated, looking at the photograph. "This is unbelievable."

"I know" Sylvie said. She felt giddy.

Antonio looked up at her and pulled her into the biggest hug. "And everything is ok?" he asked, his voice muffled slightly by her hair.

"Everything's fine" Sylvie replied.

Antonio released her. "Let's tell everyone" he said, resolutely. "Right now."

"What about your case?" Sylvie asked.

"It can wait. I won't be able to concentrate now anyway. Will everyone still be at the firehouse?"

Sylvie looked at her watch. "Yes, if we hurry."

Antonio pulled her into another hug, overcome with emotion. "I can't believe it."

Sylvie walked into the recreation room of the firehouse she had left only an hour and a half earlier, to find Stella and the guys from truck and squad lounging around, watching TV or reading.

"Hey" Herman said, noticing her walk through the door. "What are you doing back here?"

"Did you just miss us too much?" Cruz asked sarcastically.

A second later Antonio walked in and Herman raised his eyebrow. "What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.

"Where are the others?" Sylvie asked.

That moment, Gabby and Casey, as well as Chief Boden entered the room. The Chief looked ready to speak, but seeing Sylvie and Antonio standing in the room he shut his mouth, guessing why they were there. Gabby and Matt saw them too, and grinned, waiting.

Sylvie looked at Antonio, and saw the playful look in his eye. Although the pregnancy would be news to most of the guys in the room, it was the revelation they were having twins that they were both most looking forward to sharing. Antonio couldn't wait to see the look on his sister's face.

"Are you two back together?" Severide asked, putting down his magazine and sitting up straight.

"Not exactly" Sylvie said, awkwardly. She looked at Antonio and he nodded. She turned back to the room. "I'm pregnant."

"What?!" Stella dropped the TV remote on the couch and ran to Sylvie, her arms outstretched for a hug. The guys had all stood up, smiles on their faces and began dispensing their congratulations, hugging Sylvie and shaking Antonio's hand. All the while, Boden stood leaning on the kitchen counter with his arms folded and a smile on his face, and Casey and Gabby, their arms around each other, looked on proudly.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Antonio said, raising his hands to hold off the advance. There was a huge smile on his face too. He looked at Sylvie, she looked a little flustered having just been released from a bear hug by Mouch, but she was beaming too.

"There's more" Sylvie said, and she looked straight at Gabby. "We're having twins."

The look on Gabby's face was gold. She ran straight to Antonio for a hug, and wrapped an arm around Sylvie too.

"Why are you crying you dork?" Antonio asked with a laugh, looking at the tears in his sister's eyes. "C'mon!"

"Shut up!" Gabby said. "You guys!"

Pretty soon Matt was hugging Sylvie too, and there was a chorus of congratulations ringing in the air. Sylvie felt a swell of emotion rise in her, but it was a happiness, instead of doubt. She was surrounded by family and knew she had their support, no matter what.

Sylvie sat on her couch, the lights dimmed and the sound of the TV turned down low, drinking green tea from her favourite mug. She was enjoying the calm. The afternoon had been a whirlwind and she was exhausted. She stared at the bundle of leaflets on the coffee table that the doctor had given her. It honestly felt like all this was happening to someone else.

Everyone's reactions had been amazing and had really warmed Sylvie's heart. After announcing their news to the firehouse, she and Antonio had gone to see Antonio's old colleagues in intelligence who turned out to be even more surprised. Sylvie didn't know them well at all, but they too had hugged her and shown their support and made her feel like everything would work out.

There was a knock at the door and Sylvie reluctantly stood up. She opened the door to find Antonio standing on the threshold. She wasn't surprised to see him, but she was apprehensive about why he was here.

"Hey" he said, timidly. "I hope it's OK that I came around."

Sylvie leant on the door frame. "Antonio, we talked about this. This situation is already complicated enough, without…"

"That's not why I'm here" Antonio cut her off. "Can I come in?"

Sylvie nodded reluctantly. She was thankful that Antonio had promised to be there for her, but she also needed space to process by herself. Her whole life she thought she would meet someone, get married and then have kids, and here she was skipping the middle step and having two at once. Her feelings for Antonio, whatever they may be, had been pushed to one side.

Antonio stepped past her and into the room. "I wanted to give you something" he said, and took a box out of his jacket pocket. Sylvie took it, unsure what to make of it. She opened the lid, and inside was a tiny silver bracelet. She picked it up carefully and read the inscription around the edge.

I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart - Jeremiah 1:5

"Wow, Antonio." Sylvie was speechless.

"It was mine" Antonio said. "My father gave it to me when I was born. Eva wore it, and Diego, and now I want you to keep it." Sylvie looked up and met his gaze. "I wanted to show you how serious I am about being a father." He paused. "Of course, they'll have to share…"

Sylvie laughed, and wiped a tear from her cheek. She'd been doing a lot of crying lately and she didn't think she could blame it all on hormones. "It's beautiful."

Sylvie walked to the couch and sat down, still holding the bracelet in her hands. Antonio sat down beside her. After a minute, Sylvie spoke. "Did I ever tell you I was adopted?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Yeah, when I was only a couple of days old." She turned to Antonio. Sharing this was important to her, she was so touched by his gesture that she wanted him to know just how much it meant to her. "I don't know why my birth parents didn't want me. My Mom and Dad are wonderful, I couldn't ask for better parents, but part of me has always wondered. I want my children to know they're loved from the very beginning."

"They are" Antonio said, taking Sylvie's hand. "Believe me." Sylvie felt Antonio's gaze on her belly and smiled. "May I?" he asked, his hand hovering over her middle.

Sylvie smiled. "I'm not showing yet" she said with a smile.

"I don't care."

Sylvie lay back and closed her eyes as Antonio placed his palm on her belly. Something about it felt right. She never imagined in her wildest dreams that everything would be working out so perfectly. There had been no talk of love between them, no worrying about what might or might not happen between them romantically, but her bond with Antonio was strong, she could feel it. A love for their children and a desire to be the best parents they could possibly be was what connected them and for now, that was more than enough.