Stella paced back and forth, slowly getting more irritated by the minute. It's been three hours—three long hours—since Kelly walked out of the house without saying a word. She knows he is angry, hurt, and devastated, feeling completely gutted. And she understands; she does. Madison is his world; he has been by her side since the day she was born. One of the happiest moments of his life was watching his baby come into the world. He loved being a father, and even though he lost his way after Christina decided she didn't want to be a mom or wife, he let his heartbreak take over his responsibility for his daughter. But when she got sick, he was snapped back into reality. With the thought of losing his daughter, he knew he had to step up and be the dad she needed him to be. He slept at the hospital the whole time she was in there; he made a deal with God to love and be there for his daughter in every way if he let her be okay. And by the grace of God, she was okay. And Kelly kept his word; he has made Madison his top and only priority.

He put his life on hold to make sure he gave his daughter what she needed and wanted. He saved every paycheck so he could one day buy a home for them. Everything he did was for Madison; he has always been there. Her first step, her first word, her first day of kindergarten—when she broke her arm falling off the monkey bars, he panicked all the way to the hospital. He let her have ice cream for dinner that night because he felt so bad that she was in pain. They built a wonderful father-daughter bond. She was his little best friend.

And now, after seven years of raising her into the remarkable little girl she is today, there is a slight chance she isn't his daughter; Stella couldn't even grasp how truly heartbroken he is. Her heart breaks for him and Madison because this news doesn't just affect Kelly; it's also going to change Madison's world. She is only seven, and in her eyes, Kelly is her daddy; she loves him, she adores him, and he is her hero. Her little heart will be broken too. This just doesn't seem fair; nothing about this situation seems fair.

She stops pacing as a wave of nausea hits her. She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. Her mind is still on Kelly and Madison; she hates that they are going through this, and she wishes she could make it all disappear. She knows in her heart that if, by some horrible twist of fate, Madison isn't Kelly's, he would still be there for her; he would still love and care for her; it's the man that he is; he won't turn his back on her just because he's not her biological father. He would probably lose her to Christina, whether she was his biological daughter or not, which would kill him.

She leans up against the wall and rests. Her head is spinning and pounding, her stomach is doing flip-flops, and she feels like she's going to be sick. Her tears are falling like crazy as she gets more emotional thinking about Kelly and Madison. She just wants to be happy—no more drama, just happy stuff.

Why can't her life be simple? She finally let go of her past and fell in love again. She has this image in her head of being married to Kelly and raising their daughters and their son. She believes their unborn baby is a boy; at least she is hoping it is. Even if it's a girl, she will be happy because he or she will complete their family. She finally got a family—two beautiful daughters, a man who loves her and supports her—and he loves her daughter, and she knows he will never lay a hand on her. But as her life was coming together, Kelly's life was falling apart. It just didn't seem right; they deserved to be happy, didn't they?

She looks at the clock. It's now ten o'clock, making it four hours since Kelly's been gone. He left his phone, so she can't call him, and he can't call her. He's not at his mom's because she is out driving around looking for him. She's the one who gave her son the terrible news, and she feels responsible for breaking his heart. Stella told her it wasn't her fault; she didn't do anything wrong but be honest with her son. Benny and Christina are at fault both in different ways. Christina should have told him years ago that she was sleeping with other people and there was a chance he wasn't the father. Benny should have been upfront with his son from the beginning; she doesn't understand the whole situation when it comes to Benny paying her; why did he pay her? What was he paying for? How much did he pay her? These were all the questions that needed to be answered, but they would probably never be answered because Benny only told people what he wanted them to know.

The light knocking on the door knocked her for her overwhelming thoughts. She walks over to the door but feels a little dizzy, so she holds on to the wall for a second. She took a deep breath before starting to walk again.

"Did he come back yet?" Matt asked as she opened the door.

" Nope." Stella's simple reply was low.

Gabby pulled her into a hug. "He is fine; I know he is."

They walk inside. "Jennifer is still out looking for him. I had to lie to Madison when I put the girls to bed. I told her Kelly was with you, helping you with a project." She sighs. "I didn't know what to say; I hate lying to her. But I honestly thought he would be back by now, and he was so upset when he left that he left his phone."

Gabby rubbed her back. "I know, honey."

"I just can't believe this is happening; Madison is Kelly's world. And to be told that there's this slight chance she isn't his has to be truly devastating." Gabby said as she rubbed her belly.

"After Jennifer said it, he looked like someone just punched him in the face. I thought he was going to deny it; you know, say it's a lie. But he just stood there, like he was processing what she said. I walked over to him, and he was like, I need a moment. He then walked out the front door. I went to the door, begging him to stop, but he got in the car and left. She dropped her head as another dizzy spell crept in.

"Woah!" Matt said as he grabbed her by the waist.

"Stella, sit down!" Gabby insisted. "What just happened?"

Matt walked her over to the couch. "I'm fine." She tells them as she sits.

"You looked like you were about to pass out; that's not fine." Gabby grabbed her wrist. "Your pulse is really low. Stella, I'm concerned."

"Gabby, I'm fine, just a few dizzy spells."

"Just a few dizzy spells; you mean you have been feeling dizzy for a while? How long?"

She shrugs. "It just started the last few hours."

"What other symptoms do you have?"

"Headache, nausea, no pain... But I haven't eaten today but a banana."

"Matt, make her a sandwich now," Gabby demanded. "And a glass of juice."

" Gabby I'm fine; don't stress."

"Stella, you are seven weeks pregnant, and you're stressing yourself out with what's going on with Kelly. Stress is not good for the baby."

"I know, but I'm just so worried about everything."

"Honey, I know you are, but you have to take care of yourself, and going all day without eating is not a good choice. Especially when you're pregnant."

Matt came back in with the sandwich and juice. "Thank you." She said this as she took the plate and glass from him. Her hands were trembling.

"Let me help you." Gabby took the glass and held it to her lips so Stella could take a sip. Then she sat it down and helped her eat the sandwich.

"Why is she shaking so much?" Matt asked as he watched Stella, who seemed to be getting fragile by the minute.

"Her blood sugar could be low; I'm not sure. But I'm worried."

After her second bite, "I don't feel right." She tells them.

"Call 911, Matt," Gabby said as she held her friend closely. "Just breathe, Stella; everything will be fine."

Kelly pulled back into his driveway a little after midnight. He sat in the car for a moment, thinking about everything. He just spent the past few hours sitting at the park where he used to take Madison when she was just starting to walk. His memories of her running around with the other kids, laughing, and playing brought a smile to his face.

His heart was shattered with the realization that Madison might not be his, it felt like a nightmare like someone was playing a trick on him—a mean one at that. He looks up at his house and sighs. He slowly gets out of the car, and as he shuts the door, he hears, "Daddy!"

He turns around to see Haley running to him. Her calling him Daddy brought another smile to his face, but his smile quickly disappeared when he saw her tears. "They took my mama," she cried as she leaped into Kelly's arms.

"Who took Mama?"

"The E car people, Daddy, took Stella," Madison said as she ran up to him. "Uncle Matt is here." She said like she knew what his next question was going to be.

"Casey, what is going on?" He asked as he continued to hold Haley close to him.

"She was having dizzy spells and shaking like crazy; she looked so fragile, so we called 911. It was about an hour ago. Gabby is with her, but she is fine, and so is the baby. The sirens woke the girls up." Kelly closed his eyes. "Gabby said that her not eating properly triggered a blood sugar crash, which, in turn, can make you feel weak or wobbly. And she's dehydrated too, so they are going to keep her overnight."

Kelly nods. "Come on, Madison, let's get you girls inside."

"Can we go see Stella?"

"No, baby, not tonight; it's pretty late."

"I need to see my mama."

Kelly wiped her tears away. "How about you stay here with Uncle Matt, and I'll go check on Mama and call you so you can see her and know she is, okay?"

"Okay, I can do that, Daddy."

Kelly loved hearing her call him that. He kissed her forehead and sat her down on the couch. He then picked Madison up and hugged her tightly. "Always remember that Daddy loves you more than anything in this world."

Madison pulled back. "I know Daddy and I love you too; you are the best Daddy ever."

Matt was getting a little teary-eyed.

Kelly kissed her forehead and sat her beside Haley. "I love you too; you both are my world."

"I love you too, Daddy," Haley replied. "Tell Mama I love her."

"I will." He kisses the top of each of their heads. He stands up. "Thanks for being here; I'm glad Stella had someone checking in on her."

"Anytime, man."

Kelly walked into Stella's hospital room, his heart aching seeing her lying in the hospital bed. She was pale and looked exhausted. He noticed Gabby sitting by the bed. "Gabby," he said as he shook her awake.

She opened her eyes. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I'm sorry..."

" Kelly, I know you are dealing with a lot, but you can't just up and leave without letting someone know you're okay, especially your pregnant girlfriend."

Kelly looked over at Stella, who looked so peaceful sleeping. "I know." He caresses her cheek softly. "I wasn't thinking Gabby; my mind was clouded with my mom's words and the thoughts of losing Madison."

"I know." She touched his arm. She wasn't sure what to say to him; nothing she said was going to ease his pain.

"Here, take my car and go home." He tells her, giving her the keys.

" No...

" Yes!" He insisted. "Gabby, you're seven months pregnant; you don't need to be sleeping in these uncomfortable chairs."

" Fine." She takes the keys. "Tell her I love her when she wakes up."

"I will."

She pulls him into a hug. "Everything is going to be okay, Severide; we just have to have a little faith."

"Thank you." He kisses her cheek. Once she was gone, he picked up Stella's hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry, baby." He bends down and kisses the side of her head. He places his hand on her stomach and rubs it tenderly. He looks up to the ceiling. "Lord, please take care of them. I need them. I promise I won't stress her out anymore. I need my whole family. Thank you for bringing Stella into my life and helping me love again. And blessing us with a baby that we will cherish and love. And for blessing me with two daughters, whom I promise to always protect and love, Lord, please let Madison be mine; she's my little girl. I can't lose her; I can't lose any of my girls."

"You won't."

He looks down and smiles. "I didn't mean to wake you. How are you feeling?"

" Weak and sleepy."

"I'm sorry I left like that."

"Don't apologize; I can't even imagine what you're going through right now. But I'm here for you." She sits up a bit. "Come here." She cupped his face. "Don't push me away, or try to deal with this on your own. Kelly, lean on me and let me help you through this. That's what people do when they love each other. You were by my side with all my drama with Jessica; let me be there for you. I love you."

He kisses her softly. "I will, and I love you too," he says, pulling out his phone. "I promised Haley, I would call her so she could see for herself that you were okay."

"Hey, Daddy!" Haley said as her face appeared on the screen.

Stella's eyes tear up. Hearing Haley call Kelly's Dad fills her heart with so much happiness.

"Hey baby, see, I told you Mama was okay." Kelly then turns the phone so Haley can see Stella.

"Mama, are you okay?"

"Yes, baby, I'm okay."

"Are you coming home?"

"Not tonight, baby; hopefully tomorrow. They want Mama to get a good night's sleep before I can come home."

"Oh, is Daddy going to stay with you?"

"Yes, I don't want Mama to be alone."

"Good, I don't want her alone either."

"Where is Madison?"

Haley turns the phone toward Madison. "She fell asleep on Uncle Matt."

Kelly smiled. "Well, go to sleep now, and Mama and I will see you tomorrow."

"Okay, I love you, Mama." She tells her as she blows her a kiss.

"I love you too, baby."

"I love you, Daddy." She also blows Kelly a kiss.

"I love you too, princess." Kelly hangs up the phone.

Stella moves over. "Take your shoes over and lay down beside me." She pulls the blanket back as Kelly gets into the bed and wraps his arms around her. "I sleep better in your arms."

They lay there for a few moments, quietly. "She's my daughter, Stella. I know it in my heart; I love her. I don't know why my dad told that lie to my mom. It's a lie, Stella; it has to be."

Stella bit her lip as she lay there, listening to him.

"She looks like me, right?"

"Yes, she does." She looks up at him. "She has your soulful baby blue eyes and your cute little nose. She is your daughter. I hope our son has your eyes. I love your eyes."

He arches his eyebrow. " Son?"

"I have a feeling it's a boy; either way, I'll be happy. But I want a boy."

"A boy would be nice; otherwise, I'm in a house full of girls. Oh my..." He laughed. "I hope our baby boy or girl has your heart and your smile," he says, kissing her.

"Are you going to confront your dad?"

"If I know my mom, she already told him she told me, so I look for him to make a surprise visit soon. I'm going to get answers, one way or another."

"I found it odd that at the girl's birthday party, Benny and Christina couldn't be in the same room. You could feel the tension when they were near each other, constantly looking at each other with a heated glare. There was something that was just completely off with them two. Then, a month into spending time with Madison, she tells you she wants full permanent custody, and then you guys had a heated disagreement, and you both were saying all kinds of stuff to each other, both accusing each other of neglect and lies. If Madison wasn't yours, why didn't she throw that in your face that night?"

"I don't know; I was thinking the same thing."

"She takes Madison out for breakfast, buys her all this unnecessary stuff, and tells her a bunch of lies about us both, but nothing about you not being her dad. It doesn't make sense to me; your dad decided it was time to tell your mom because he's afraid you will lose Madison, once the judge finds out that Madison isn't yours. It's like he's certain she isn't; nothing about this whole situation is making sense."

He kisses the top of her head. "No, it doesn't, but I will get to the bottom of it. But I'm telling you now that Madison is my daughter, blood or not. I'll get a DNA test done for peace of mind. But I don't give a damn what the test results say; she's mine, and I'm not giving her up without a hell of a fight."

"We're not giving her up without a hell of a fight. We fight them together." She tells him as she interlocks their fingers together.

Kelly kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too." She closed her eyes as he rubbed her back smoothly. He thinks about what his next step will be.

A week later, Stella was in the kitchen cleaning up the breakfast dishes. She yawned as she made herself a cup of tea. Her eyes felt so heavy like she hadn't had any sleep. "Good morning, beautiful," Kelly said as he entered the kitchen.

"Morning." She replied without looking at him.

"What's wrong?" She wasn't her chipper self.

She takes a sip of her tea, glaring at him. "For someone so concerned about keeping my stress level down, you could have given me a heads up."

"What are you talking about?"

"You got a restraining order against Christina and Mike and didn't inform me."

He closed his eyes. "Baby, I'm sorry...

"Don't baby me." She interrupted him. "I can't believe you. Do you like it when Madison takes her anger out on me? I get blamed for stuff that I don't even know about because my boyfriend doesn't think it's my business." She was angry and crying. "Christina sent a text to Madison's phone telling her that Daddy and his whore—yes, she called me a whore—Madison showed me the message. Christina thinks I put that idea in your head, but I was just as shocked as they were. She told Madison that we blocked her from coming and seeing her, that she couldn't call her anymore, and that we were trying to keep them apart. Of course, Madison took her anger out on me because you were on shift."

Kelly walked towards her and said, "I'm sorry, I was going to tell you; I honestly didn't think Christina would text her. Technically, she broke the restraining order, so...

"Kelly, that is so beyond the point right now. You should have told me, so I could have been a little prepared for her meltdown."

"I know; I'm sorry. Was it bad?"

"Just her screaming and crying that she hates me and I hate her mom, I think I was more emotional due to my hormones. Seriously, a restraining order? What's that going to do?"

Kelly shrugs. "The lawyer said if Christina didn't have any rights to Madison, I could use a restraining order for now, till we go to court; that way she quits putting things in Madison's head, and I had to do something."

"I understand that, but if we are supposed to be a team, we need to be on the same page, Kelly. I don't like being blindsided."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry. I promise to always be upfront with you and tell you everything."

"I took her phone from her for screaming at me. She's mad, she wouldn't even look at me this morning, she got out of the car and slammed the door."

"She'll get over it."

"I feel like the evil stepmom..." She says this as she lays her head on his shoulder.

"You are definitely not evil; Madison will get over it. We are...

" Kelly!" Benny's voice yells from the front door.

"What the hell?" Kelly groans.

Benny walks into the kitchen. "Son, we need to talk."

"I know, but I was hoping to get a heads-up before you came. I need to have a few strong drinks in me to deal with you."

"Well, I'll start drinking now. Cause Christina is on her way here."

" Why?"

"I asked her to come; your mom is right time to let everything out in the open. The girls are in school, so it seems like the right time."

Stella was a little surprised by Benny's suggestion. But she agrees with him."I agree."

"You do?"

" Kelly It's best to get everything out before you guys go to court. No more surprises."

"I got a restraining order against her dad, so she can't come here."

"She told me, but Kelly, you did it to protect Madison; well, Madison isn't here. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

Kelly didn't like teaming up with his dad; his dad was not to be trusted. "Trust you, that's a joke, right?"

Benny laughed and walked out of the room. "Do you think this is a good idea?"

Stella shrugs. "I don't know, but I want to be hopeful." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I just want all the secrets out and everything to go back to normal, you, me, and the girls just being happy."

Kelly pulled her closer. "Me too, baby."

"The test results should be back any day."

"Yeah, but like I told you, blood or not, she's, my daughter."

"It would be nice if life were actually like one of those sitcoms where everything is unraveled and worked out in 30 minutes. Misunderstandings are corrected, apologies are accepted, and decisions are clear-cut and easy. There are a few troubles and a little bit of pain, but in the end, everything turns out okay, and everyone is happy."

Kelly laughs. "Yeah, it would, but sweetheart, life isn't an episode of Full House." He jokes.

"Shut up!" She playfully slaps him. The doorbell rang. "Are you ready for this?"

"No, not really. But as long as I have you beside me, I can handle anything."

They walked into the living room. "You're a bastard," Christina said as soon as Kelly entered the room.

"I was only protecting my daughter."

"She's my daughter, Kelly."

"Technically, you signed your rights over to me seven years ago. You don't even have a right to see her, but we." He motioned between him and Stella. "We wanted Madison to get to know you; we wanted you to have a relationship with her, but you decided to take our kind gesture and stab us in the back."

"How did I stab you in the back?"

Stella held Kelly's hand tightly, trying to keep him calm. "We invited you into our home so you could get to know your daughter, the daughter you abandoned. Within a month, you decided to move to Chicago, which I honestly didn't have an issue with. I even told Stella I would be okay with Madison staying over at your house on the weekends, but then you came here and threatened to take me to court for permanent custody. And top it off, you decide to buy our daughter a bunch of stuff to buy her love and make her pick you over me."

Stella bit her lip, trying to stay out of the conversation, but she had to ask. "If you knew there was a chance Madison wasn't Kelly's, why didn't you tell him the night you said you wanted custody? Were you waiting till court so you could blindside us with that news?"

Christina looked at Benny, who was sitting in the recliner, smiling. " Umm..."

Kelly and Stella watched as the shock washed over her.

"What are they talking about? You never told me Kelly wasn't her real father." Mike spoke up.

"Lookie, lookie, secrets are coming out," Benny said as he opened a beer. "I should have made some popcorn; this is interesting."

"Babe, what is going on?" Mike was as confused as Kelly and Stella were.

Christina plopped down on the couch. "I give up."

"I figured you would," Benny said, still smiling.

"You are not innocent jackass." Christina said bitterly.

"Nope, but you're not getting any more money, sweetheart." Benny winked at her.

Kelly looked back and forth between the two. "What is going on? Is there a chance Madison isn't mine or what?"

Christina closed her eyes. "I was sleeping with someone else when we were together. Kevin Rush is her father, but I didn't want him raising her, so I told you she was yours. I didn't want to have a baby with him; he was a bum; he had no life goals; he couldn't give her a good life. You could, you have."

Kelly felt his heart shatter at her words, and Stella was breaking too. "She's not mine; you knew this and never told me." Stella wrapped her arms around him as his tears started falling.

"I should have, but I just took the money and left."

"What money?"

Benny sighed. "I paid her 100,000 dollars to leave Chicago, signing her rights over to you, and never returned to Chicago again."

"Of course, you did," Kelly said in disbelief.

"You knew Kelly wasn't the father?" Stella asked, trying to put the pieces together.

"He did the DNA test and showed me the results; he said he would never say anything if I left Chicago."

"You did a DNA test on my daughter without telling me...

"No, I paid someone to do a false one," Benny said, interrupting him.

Stella's head was hurting from all the information they were getting. "I need to sit down," she said as she walked to the loveseat.

Kelly immediately went to her. "Are you okay? Is it the baby?" he asked as he kneeled in front of her.

"I'm fine; a lot is going on, and it's confusing as hell. I'm starting to get a headache."

"You're pregnant?" Benny asked, shocked by the discovery.

"Yeah, seven weeks," Stella answered.

"It's yours?" He asked Kelly.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You are a fu...

"Yes, it is. And I don't appreciate the accusation." Stella said, cutting Kelly off and giving Benny an evil look.

"Sorry," Benny said as he continued to stare at her.

Kelly wrapped his arm around her and held her close to him. Stella was more concerned about what Kelly was feeling and thinking after hearing them say Madison wasn't his. She didn't know what to say; nothing she said was going to ease his pain. So, she went with "I love you."

He looks over at her, his eyes still watery and cloudy with sadness. "I love you too."

"Well, this works out for us," Mike said, interrupting the silence. All eyes went to him. "Madison isn't your biological daughter, so getting custody of her will be a piece of cake."

"Like hell, it will." Kelly's stern look and deadpan tone "Blood or not, she's my daughter, and Stella and I will fight you with everything we have."

"Courts usually side with the biological parent, so...

" Wait..." Stella looked at Benny. "You said you did a false paternity test."

"I did; I knew it could take days for a real one, so I had someone do a false one to get her the hell out of Chicago fast."

"So technically, Kelly could be the father," Stella said, looking over at Kelly. "There wasn't an actual test done, just her word that you weren't the father. And a fake test."

"Trust me, he is not the father; I had sex with Kevin more than Kelly."

"That doesn't matter, and you can have sex with someone 20 times and only have sex with someone else once, and there's still a chance that either one of them could be the father; it's a percentage thing," Stella told her with a smile. "Trust me, Kelly has strong swimmers; I should know."

Kelly smiled. "I guess the truth will be revealed today or tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked

"I went last week and had a paternity test done; we should get the results anytime."

The room fell silent as they all just sat there looking at each other. Stella felt there was more going on than they were saying. "Benny, you said it was time to lay it all out; no more secrets. So, spill, tell us what we're missing, because something seems suspicious to me."

Benny and Christina looked at each other for a moment. "We can make this all go away," Mike spoke up. "Benny knows what he has to do; if he does it, then you guys will never hear from us again."

Kelly leaned forward. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm not giving in; your conniving lying asses aren't getting a dime from me. I know more than you think I know. Benny smirks. "You would think by now you would know how I work, Christina. I always keep a backup plan in my back pocket."

Christina felt uncomfortable under his hot glaze. "We're not... Lying, so I have no idea... What are you talking about?" She stuttered nervously.

"This whole thing is a scheme; they set it up to get money from me. If I pay them what they want, they say that they will go away and never have any contact with Madison again."