A/N: a special shoutout to my best girl - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAYA ELIZABETH SEVERIDE!
writing Maya's story has been my favorite journey

Here's part two to her birthday special. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Halfway through writing this part, I decided there needed to be a part three lol. Hopefully, it'll be up tomorrow but don't hold me to that.

and two became three

Things happened quickly after that.

Kelly drained the tub and helped Stella get cleaned up. They grabbed their go bag and thirty minutes later, Stella had been admitted to the hospital and was hooked up to the fetal monitors waiting to be checked by the doctor on call.

Once Stella's water broke, her contractions started coming closer together and were more intense. They weren't uncomfortable yet, but Stella was very aware of each one. Just as her most recent contraction ended, Stella's doctor entered the room.

"I guess we can cancel that induction in a few days, huh?" Dr. Sutton joked in lieu of a greeting. She moved over to the monitors and studied the readouts. "Your contractions look nice and steady and the baby's heart rate looks great. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good honestly. My back hurts a little but we're about…7 hours?" Stella started, looking to Kelly for confirmation. At his nod, she continued. "Into contractions and the contractions aren't bad at all right now. So far so good."

"I like your spirit. Keep that up." Dr. Sutton smiled. "Let's check you out and see where you are, ok?"

Stella nodded and Dr. Sutton moved from the monitors to the foot of Stella's bed, slipping on a glove. As she arranged the sheets and started her exam, she looked over at Kelly. "What about you, dad-to-be? How are you feeling?"

"Ready to meet this baby," Kelly answered, scooting his chair closer to Stella. "As long as Stella and the baby are good, I'm good."

Stella squeezed his hand, and Dr. Sutton smiled as she moved the sheets back and stood from the bed. She threw her glove away and grabbed some hand sanitizer before coming back to stand at the side of Stella's bed, opposite Kelly. "You've made some progress since your last appointment, but you still have a ways to go."

Stella expected that; she knew her contractions hadn't been close enough or strong enough to really do anything. It was wishful thinking though.

Dr. Sutton continued. "Try and get some rest while your contractions are still mild. I'll be back to check on you in a few hours."

Stella nodded and Kelly thanked the doctor as she left.

Stella decided to take her doctor's advice and try to get a little more sleep. Kelly helped her get comfortable in bed and then turned down the lights. He waited until Stella had dozed off before he tried to get more sleep himself. Kelly ignored the couch against the wall and chose to stay in the chair next to Stella's bed, wanting to be close if she woke up and needed him.

Kelly didn't sleep too long, waking up at every beep of the monitors or opening of the door, but Stella thankfully slept for a few hours. That was a good thing too, because in those few hours Stella's contractions had gotten stronger.

The contractions were starting to verge into painful territory, no longer just minor, uncomfortable cramps, and Stella couldn't get in a comfortable position on the bed with all the monitors. Kelly rubbed her back and legs as each contraction hit, trying to alleviate some of the pain. It helped some, but Stella wanted to get up and move around.

Dr. Sutton's arrival was the second most anticipated arrival for the Severides.

After another check, the OB told Stella that things were progressing well. "You're far enough along to where you can get an epidural if you want."

Stella shook her head. "I just want to get up and move around. Can I get out of bed?"

Dr. Sutton nodded and unhooked Stella from the equipment around her and adjusted the monitors so she could walk around.

The second Stella's feet hit the floor she felt better, more grounded. Kelly immediately moved to her side, ready to be there for whatever she needed, and Dr. Sutton let them be, stepping out to go check on other patients.

For the next few hours, Stella and Kelly walked around the room. Stella wanted nothing to do with the bed anymore and Kelly had been happy to oblige, walking every step with her. He was determined to help her in whatever way he could.

He rubbed her back, squeezed her hips, and supported her as she leaned on him during contractions. Once each contraction ended, Kelly would massage Stella's shoulders, feed her ice chips or offer her sips of water, and more than once, he redid the bun she'd thrown her hair into. Anything he could do to help he did, no matter how big or small the task was.

… … …

Stella hit the twelve-hour mark of her labor just as the tiniest amount of sunlight started to peak over the horizon, slowly filling their hospital room with the early morning light. Her contractions were strong, very strong, and while moving around helped with the pain, she was exhausted.

Despite being exhausted, the last place Stella wanted to be was back in bed. The few minutes she was in bed, long enough for Dr. Sutton to check her again, were awful. Not even the news of Stella being 7cm dilated was enough of a boost—she didn't care how much progress she had made, she just wanted to get up.

Thankfully, Dr. Sutton was good at her job and Stella was able to get off the bed after just a few minutes.

One of the nurses brought in a yoga ball for Stella to use. During contractions, she would gently rock on the ball and lean on the bed while Kelly would stand behind her and apply counter pressure on her hips and rub her back. In between surges, he'd whisper encouraging words and try to massage the tension from her shoulders and neck.

"Have you let anyone know the baby's coming?" Stella asked, her eyes closed as she leaned back against Kelly's chest.

"Not yet," Kelly answered as he kissed her temple and moved his hands from her back to her belly. "I'll text Boden and Casey in a minute and let them know."

Stella hummed. "And Brett."

"And Brett," Kelly confirmed with a chuckle. "They can handle telling everyone else. I'll let my mom and Katie know too."

Stella nodded and enjoyed a few more moments of peace before another contraction hit. She groaned and went back to rocking on the ball and when Kelly moved to help her, she waved him off. "I'm OK. Text everyone."

Kelly did as he was told, figuring the quicker he sent the text out the sooner he could get back to helping Stella. He put his mom and Katie in one group chat and texted them an update then he sent the same text to Boden, Casey, and Brett. They had a phone tree set up and would handle telling everyone else the news. Update sent, Kelly put his phone on silent and put it with Stella's in their go bag, not wanting the multiple texts to distract him from his wife and their baby.

There would be plenty of time to update everyone later.

… … …

The next five hours were rough.

Transition was brutal for Stella but with Kelly's unending support, she was able to power through the unrelenting contractions. Together they alternated between walking around the room, bouncing on the yoga ball, and Stella leaning on the bed with Kelly applying counter pressure on her back and hips.

Stella was exhausted. She knew labor, especially unmedicated labor, would be tough but she'd never been in this much pain before. Stella had nothing against epidurals, there were several times during the past several hours that she would've killed for one, but with so much already out of her control, she needed to be in control of something.

Kelly had been a godsend, keeping her grounded and calm despite everything going on. His constant physical, mental, and emotional support had been the only thing (apart from her own stubborn nature) getting her through.

As her most recent contraction ended, Stella turned around and wrapped her arms around Kelly's neck, burying her face in his chest.

He ran his hands up and down her back and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Our baby's almost here," he said quietly. "You're amazing."

Stella gave Kelly a small smile, but it quickly turned to a grimace at the start of another contraction. She groaned loudly as her contraction hit its peak, bringing with it a pain and pressure she hadn't felt before. "The baby's coming."

Dr. Sutton entered the room just as Stella muttered those words. Trusting the soon-to-be mother's instincts, the doctor called for the delivery team to start getting things set up.

As soon as Stella's contraction ended Kelly helped her back onto the bed. Dr. Sutton did a quick check, just to confirm everyone's suspicions, and looked at Stella and Kelly with a smile. "You two ready to become parents?"

"Really?" Stella asked, emotion and exhaustion creeping into her voice.

"Yep." Dr. Sutton confirmed. "It's baby time."

… … …

Stella Kidd is a freaking superhero. Kelly had no doubts about that.

He had always been impressed by her strength and determination, but he was in awe of what he'd witnessed over the last several hours.

After eighteen hours of unmedicated labor, she pushed for an hour and a half more.

Stella collapsed back against the bed after her most recent push. She faintly felt Kelly brush a few loose curls off her sweaty forehead. She looked at him as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm never doing this again."

Kelly grinned but nodded. He didn't think she meant it, but now was not the time to bring it up.

"The baby's right there Stella," Dr. Sutton informed. "A few more pushes and they'll be here."

Stella nodded and closed her eyes, trying to breathe and gather as much strength as possible.

Kelly leaned over and kissed her temple. "You got this, Stella Kidd." He whispered.

Encouraged by Dr. Sutton's update and emboldened by Kelly's words, Stella steeled herself as her next contraction started building. Two pushes later and, in the early afternoon of October 3rd, baby Severide entered the world kicking and screaming.

Stella, completely exhausted, flopped back against the pillows.

"Congratulations, you two," Dr. Sutton said with a wide smile. "It's a girl!"

Stella let out a tired laugh. From his spot at her side, where he'd dutifully stayed the entire time, Kelly smiled and leaned over to place a kiss on Stella's forehead. "You're amazing." He whispered proudly.

Stella smiled at him, still trying to catch her breath. After everything they'd been through, their baby was here. They had a daughter.

The doctor placed the wailing baby on Stella's chest. Tears immediately filled Stella's eyes as she gently moved her baby closer.

"We have a daughter" Stella exclaimed quietly, all memory of the pain of labor and the delivery gone as she stared through misty eyes at the screaming baby on her chest. She looked up at Kelly, who was just as teary as she was. "We have a daughter."

"She's perfect," Kelly breathed as he reached out a hand to touch his daughter. He smiled as the baby grabbed a tight hold on his finger. Kelly locked eyes with Stella and the new parents shared a look of love, relief, and pure happiness. He leaned impossibly closer and gave Stella a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

An indignant squawk from the baby on Stella's chest brought the new parents' attention back to the newborn. Not even two minutes old and the little girl already had both her mom and dad wrapped around her little fingers.

A few fresh tears ran down Stella's cheeks as she looked down at the baby on her chest. "Hi baby girl," she cooed quietly.

Stella and Kelly continued to stare lovingly at and speak softly to the newest member of the Severide family. A nurse adjusted the bed so Stella would be a little more comfortable and put a new, warm blanket over the baby. Kelly kept one hand on top of Stella's on the baby and draped his free arm above Stella on the bed so he could lean closer to his girls.

Dr. Sutton let Kelly cut the cord a few minutes later, then coached Stella through delivering the placenta.

After ensuring Stella and the baby were both perfectly healthy, Dr. Sutton and the nurses busied themselves around the room, letting the new family of three enjoy the golden hour together.

Eventually, the baby started rooting around on Stella's chest. With the help of one of the nurses, Stella got the baby latched on and nursing. It was a weird sensation, one she'd have to get used to, but something so incredibly special as well.

As the baby nursed, Stella ran a finger gingerly down one of her cheeks. "Ok, I take it back. We can totally do this again."

Kelly laughed quietly before giving Stella another kiss. He gently sat on the edge of Stella's bed, keeping a close eye on the two most important people in his life. This right here was everything he'd ever wanted—a family.