two can keep a secret
"Hey Gallo, what can I get ya?"
"Three more beers please?" Gallo asked, leaning on the bar. It was his turn to get refills for his table, Violet and Ritter each having gotten a round for the table already.
"Coming right up," Stella said before stepping away to grab the bottles.
She was back in seconds, putting the bottles on the bar in front of Gallo. He smiled and thanked her, but Stella didn't reply like she normally would. When Gallo glanced up from the bottles he was grabbing, he was shocked to see Stella gripping the edge of the bar, paler than he had ever seen her. "Whoa, Stella! Are you OK?"
Gallo's exclamation caught the attention of Herrmann and Mouch, who were just down the bar, and Ritter and Violet. They all saw what Gallo saw and instantly knew something was wrong.
As they hurried over, Stella finally spoke. "I need to sit down."
She'd felt this way before, she recognized the signs; from the nausea and lightheadedness to the way her vision was starting to tunnel, Stella knew she needed to sit down before she passed out.
She was vaguely aware of someone grabbing her arm and maneuvering her towards the end of the bar, but Stella's only focus was staying conscious.
By the time she was moved to a bar stool, she practically collapsed onto it.
… … …
It was nearing midnight when Severide arrived at Molly's. While he typically hung out at Molly's the nights his wife worked, he had joined Boden after shift for a few errands that had lasted well into the evening. He wasn't even planning on going to the bar tonight, that was until he got a panicked call from Hermann that Stella had fainted.
As Severide entered the bar, he immediately found his wife sitting on one of the stools next to the counter, glass of water nearby. Mouch, Hermann, Violet, Gallo, and Ritter were surrounding her. They each looked worried whereas Stella just looked annoyed. When she saw Severide, that annoyance turned to anger.
Stella turned to glare at Herrmann. "You called Kelly?!"
"What was I supposed to do? You wouldn't let me call 911 so you get Severide."
Stella rolled her eyes at Herrmann's dramatics.
Severide, used to Herrmann's dramatic flair, chose to focus on Stella. "You OK? Herrmann said you fainted."
"I did not faint. I just got a little lightheaded."
"You were white as a sheet! I could've knocked you over with a napkin!" Herrmann exclaimed, leaning on the bar top. He turned his attention to Severide. "Take her home."
"I don't need to go home Herrmann," Stella groaned. "I feel fine now. I can finish the rest of my shift."
"You fainted. If you're not going to go to the hospital, you're going home."
Stella sighed. She knew Herrmann well, and she knew there was no point in arguing with him when he was like this. "Fine, I'll go home. But I'm telling you, I'm fine."
She wasn't lying; she felt fine now. The lightheadedness had come and gone quickly, as did the tunnel vision and nausea. Unfortunately, it didn't pass quick enough to go unnoticed by her friends and co-workers.
"Uh huh," Herrmann replied, unconvinced. "Go home and take it easy. If this is still happening tomorrow, go see a doctor."
Stella waved a hand at him. She appreciated his concern, but she was annoyed.
She stood from her stool and Severide put an arm around her shoulders and began to steer her towards the door. "Thanks Herrmann," he called over his shoulder.
The couple walked in silence until they were seated in Severide's car.
He turned to look at Stella. "Are you sure you're OK?"
"I'm fine, Kelly, I promise." Stella said emphatically. Then, a small smile graced her face as she stared at her husband. "We both know I'm not sick."
"I know, I know." Severide confirmed. He did know she wasn't sick. He also knew that while fainting and lightheadedness weren't textbook symptoms, they were common enough that Stella's doctor wasn't overly concerned. It still scared the hell out of him. "This isn't the first time it's happened though, and it doesn't get any less scary."
"I'm sorry I scared you," Stella apologized as she reached across the center console and placed a comforting hand on the side of Severide's face.
"I just don't want anything to happen to you," Severide said softly.
Stella smiled. "I know."
She leaned over to kiss him, and Severide met her halfway.
After breaking apart from the kiss, Stella sat back in her seat and put her seatbelt on. "Now, I know Herrmann told you to take me home, but can we get food first? I'm starving and I'm pretty sure low blood sugar caused this whole thing."
Severide laughed, buckled his seatbelt, and started the car. "Your wish is my command."
… … …
Forty-five minutes later, they're eating takeout on the couch while one of the late-night talk shows played quietly on the TV.
"Do you think any of them suspect anything?" Severide asked, depositing the empty food carton on the coffee table. He sat back and grabbed Stella's legs, draping them over his lap.
"Herrmann and Violet maybe," Stella pondered, finishing her own food. "Thank God Brett wasn't there tonight. She would definitely know something was up."
Stella mimicked Severide's actions from earlier and put her empty food carton on the coffee table. Now that she no longer had any food, Severide gently tugged her closer to him on the couch. Stella was so close, she was practically in his lap.
"When are we going to tell them?" He asked, casually playing with a few of Stella's curls.
"We need to tell your mom and Katie first and get everything squared away with Boden and HQ. Then we can tell them." Stella said decisively.
Severide nodded and moved his free hand to Stella's stomach. Her hands immediately found his.
"I still can't believe you're pregnant," he said, his voice taking on a hint of wonder.
Stella scoffed playfully. "Why not? It's your fault."
"I remember that night well. I'm pretty sure we're both played equal parts."
Stella hummed and shrugged her shoulders, almost as if to say if you say so before she smiled and started laughing. Severide joined in, laughing along with his wife. He used the hand that had been playing with Stella's curls to cup her head and bring her in for a kiss.
"You're going to be an amazing mom, Stella Kidd."
"And you're going to be a fantastic dad, Kelly Severide."
A/N: if you've read 'we could be the greatest team the world has ever seen', this might sound familiar to you. In an attempt to have all Maya-related one-shots in one place, so I can eventually put them in chronological order, I'm reposting (and editing them because YIKES the typos) them here!