Stella paced back and forth in her hospital room. She knew every detail of this room now; there were sixty-nine lines on the floor. There are twenty-four square tiles on the bathroom floor. There was a slight crack in the ceiling on the right side of the room. The housekeeper comes in three times a day, and Stella knows everything about this woman's family. The paintings on the wall were all done by the same artist. A red bird comes to the window every morning around six, which had made Stella curious about what a red bird's sighting means. She wondered if that was a sign of good luck or bad luck, and of course, her curiosity got the best of her, so she googled red birds and came across an article that said red birds are seen as symbols of strength, power, and also vitality. They are seen as messengers from Heaven who deliver words of love and comfort during difficult times. If you see a bright red cardinal, it means that you are being blessed with good luck and fortune. After learning that little fact, she and Kelly named the red bird Otis, she believes Otis is looking over them and giving her signs that everything will be okay.

It's been two months and two weeks since she's been here, and she thinks she's going crazy. The boredom, the loneliness, and the isolation were driving her mad. She missed being outside enjoying the weather; she missed being home alone with Kelly; she missed the craziness of the firehouse; and she missed Herrmann complaining about everything and everyone at Molly's. The bottom line is she misses her life before it got complicated.

Stella savored her few hours of freedom and solitude. But now she thinks she's had too much solitude if that's possible. She is surrounded by doctors and nurses, and her firehouse family stops by all the time. Yes, it was her idea for Kelly to go back to work. There was no reason both of them should be missing work, plus his over-worriedness was making her go insane. But now, on days like today, when she's feeling lonely and the what-ifs overload her mind, she's wishing Kelly was here to distract her.

"Knock, knock."

Stella stopped pacing and smiled. "Hey, Haley!" She said it in an extremely happy tone.

"Hey, you've gotten big," Haley tells her as she stares at her belly.

Stella smiled. "I feel big... What are you doing here?"

" Adam and I had to stop in and talk to a victim. I thought I would swing by and check on you." Haley said as she walked over to her. "Can I?" She asked, pointing to her belly.

"Of course."

Haley smiled as she touched Stella's belly. "How are you doing?"

Stella shrugs. "I've been stuck in this room for over two months; I'm bored out of my mind. My firehouse family is driving me nuts, and my husband... I love that man, God, I do, but I'm glad he listened to me and went back to work; he was driving me nutty as a fruitcake." She laughed. "He was constantly concerned about everything I did, or if I moved, or if I wasn't hungry, all he wanted me to do was stay in bed, he carries me to the bathroom, even though I can walk. " She shakes her head. " That man would freak out if he came in here right now."

" Why?"

"Because I'm standing up."

"Are you not supposed to be standing up?"

" When I was first admitted, Dr. Asher didn't want me standing for a long period, or walking unless it was to the bathroom. But I'm doing so much better now. She said I can walk around for ten to twenty minutes a day, as long as I don't have any pain or get dizzy. I'm fine; I am. I feel better today than I have in months."

Haley nods. "I'm happy to hear that. Are the babies doing, okay?"

Stella sighed. "Dr. Asher is concerned about the second baby; she doesn't think he or she is growing like the first one. He or she doesn't move as much as the other one. "

Haley gave her a sympathetic look. "Are you scared about the delivery?" She asked, knowing that Stella could lose her life in the delivery room.

Stella looks at her. "I am, especially since it can happen anytime." She tells her honestly. "There are too many what-ifs on my mind lately."

"I bet."

"On, a good note I made it to thirty weeks without having to be induced. Dr. Asher thought I would go into labor early. Most women in my therapy group went into labor between twenty-four and twenty-eight weeks. But I'm holding strong." She said, with a huge grin. " Kelly said it's because I'm a fighter, and so are our babies."

" He is right." Haley tells her, "If you go into labor today, will the babies be, okay?" She watches as anxiety fills her eyes.

Stella walked over to the window. " According to Maggie, delivering a baby at thirty weeks can be an overwhelming experience. It would be premature labor, and that scares me, according to Google. Premature delivery can result in negative health consequences such as low birth weight, vision or breathing difficulties, improper organ development, and learning disabilities." She paused as she wiped her tears away. Haley squeezed her shoulder. "If I could make it to at least thirty-two weeks, they have a better chance of no complications; at least one of them does." The second baby is stubborn, and Dr. Asher can't get a clear reading on that one. "

"I'm sorry, Stella," Haley replied, not knowing what to say.

Stella turned to face her. "I'm choosing to stay positive. You must feed your mind with positive thoughts in order to receive positive energy back." She smiles. "I've been reading about positive vibes, thoughts, and energy a lot lately. Some people think I'm crazy, but it helps me a lot."

"You stay positive, and I'll send up some positive vibes for you all too."

"Thank you." Stella bit her lip; she needed to change the subject. "Have you talked to Jay?"

A smile graced her face, unlike any Stella had ever seen before. "Yes, he's coming home in three days." She tells her happily.

Stella's eyes widen in surprise. "Haley, that's amazing," she hollered. So happy for her friend.

Haley sighed. "It is, but..." she trailed off.

"But what?"

"I'm a little skeptical," Haley admitted out loud for the first time since hearing he was coming home.

"What do you mean?" Stella asked, not understanding her doubts.

"It seems like every time he's close to coming home, something happens. And I guess...

"You're not going to believe it till he's actually home." Stella finished for her; she knew exactly how she felt.

Haley nods. "Pretty much."

Stella grabbed her by the shoulders. "Be positive... Trust me, positive thinking goes a long way."

Haley gave her an unconvinced look. "I will try to be positive just for you."

Stella smiled, "I.

"Why are you up?" Kelly's loud tone interrupted what Stella was going to say.

Stella rolled her eyes. "See, I told you." She tells Haley before looking over at her husband. " Maggie knows I'm walking around; she's okay with it. Why are you here? You should be on shift."

"I'm not okay with you walking around." He tells her as he lifts her and carries her back to the bed. "And I am on shift; we just got back from a call; I told Tony to swing in here so I can just check on you. I should have known you would be doing something you shouldn't be doing."

"You get on my nerves," Stella tells him as he sits her down on the bed.

"You love me." He tells her as he covers her up.

"You bug me." She replied in a pouting voice.

He cupped her face. "And I will bug you for the rest of my life." He tells her before kissing her softly.

Haley smiled as she watched the couple's interaction. "I should get going. Adam is probably wondering where I am."

"Okay, thanks for checking in on me," Stella tells her as Haley hugs her.

"Of course, you're my favorite firefighter." she teased.

"I would be offended, but she's my favorite firefighter too," Kelly said, winking at his wife.

Stella blushed. "Stay positive, Haley; he will be home."

"I will try; you continue to be positive too," Haley told her before walking toward the door.

"Haley!" Stella said. Haley opened the door and turned around, looking at Stella. "Once I'm free from this prison," she said. She joked. "The four of us need to go out."

Haley smiled. "You got it." She tells her before walking out the door.

"Did you eat?" Kelly asked as he rubbed her belly.

She rolls her eyes. "Yes, and yes, I feel fine," she said, knowing what his next question would be.

"I thought you had therapy at eleven." He says this as he looks at his watch.

"They canceled it..." She tells him, looking down at his hand on her belly.

"What's wrong?" He knew something was bothering her. "Why did they cancel it?"

"Megan went into labor last night. Maggie said there were some complications. I don't know the details, but Maggie said she would let me know once she knew. "

Kelly closed his eyes as he thought about Megan and her husband, Kevin. He hopes everything is okay with them. His mind drifts to Stella and his babies. Most guys in his position can't wait for their wives to go into labor, but he's scared to death of that day.

Stella touched his cheek, causing him to open his eyes. "Baby, we are good." She tells him. She knew what he was thinking. He smiled at her. "And by the way, you're my favorite firefighter; you're my hero."

"I love being your hero." He tells her as they share a few kisses.

"I miss this." She tells him in between kisses.

" What?" He asked confusedly. " We kiss a lot" he jokes.

"I miss being with you, cuddling with you, and sleeping in our bed in your arms. I miss showering with you and making love to you. Our date nights, This sucks." She tells him as she pulls him as close as the hospital bed allows her to.

Kelly rests his forehead on hers. "Trust me, babe, I miss all that too. I can't wait to get you home and make love to you all over our new house. " He kisses her gently; his tongue grazes her lips, begging entrance into her mouth. She eagerly accepts, and his tongue shoots out to meet hers as they deepen their kiss, not able to get enough of each other. Both fighting the urge to tear each other's clothes off and make love; it's been ten weeks since they've had any sexual encounter, and the desire to finally be one again is slowly torturing them.

"Lieutenant, we've got to go." Cruz's voice echoes through the radio.

" Damn," Kelly said as he was pulling back. He rested his forehead against hers. "I've got to go."

She smiles. "I know." She whispered. "I love you... Be safe."

"I love you too." He kisses her quickly and walks out.

Stella closed her eyes as negative thoughts entered her mind. Her eyes tear up. What if that was their last kiss? What if she never gets to make love to him again? What if she never gets to wake up in his arms again? What if she never gets to see the lives they created? It's not fair; why is this happening to them? This wasn't what they thought bringing a baby into the world would be like. They don't deserve this; Kelly doesn't deserve this; he's such an amazing man. She starts crying uncontrollably. The damn what-ifs are back, plunging her mind with doubts and negative thoughts she hates this part.

Maggie walked in with a huge smile on her face, but her smile flattened at the sight of Stella crying and shaking. " Stella? Honey, what's wrong?" Maggie looked at the screens, trying to indicate the problem. "Are you in labor? Are you bleeding? Honey, what hurts?"

Stella shook her head. "I... I'm... Fine..." She managed to say it a few minutes later.

"You don't look fine; you're shaking and crying, honey. That's not fine," Maggie says in a concerned voice. "Talk to me, Stella."

Stella took a few deep breaths. "I allowed some negativity to enter my mind and had a little breakdown." She admitted quietly.

Maggie sighed in relief. "What did I tell you? Negativity is not allowed in this room. Remember, this is a positive vibe room; this room is filled with positive energy only."

Stella wiped her eyes as Maggie held her hand. "I know. Sometimes those what-if moments get to me." She says it in a bitter tone.

Maggie stroked her hair. "Well, I'm here now, so all those negative thoughts and what-ifs need to exit this room. Because we don't have time for them. We are too busy being positive and happy, right?"

Stella gave her an appreciative smile. "Right. Bye-bye, negativity." She says this as she sits up straight. "Can we check on the babies? It will help me kick out a lot of these negative thoughts."

"Of course," Maggie tells her.

Stella pulls up her gown as Maggie gets everything ready. "Is Everything okay?" Dr. Asher asked, walking into the room and seeing Maggie getting ready to do an ultrasound.

"Yes, Stella just wanted to see her babies," Maggie tells her.

" Okay." Dr. Asher said, "Stella, are you feeling any pain, contractions, bleeding, discharge, anything."

"No, I actually feel really good, but I did notice something."

"What was that?"

"You might think I'm crazy, or maybe I'm imagining things." She paused. "When I was walking around the room this morning, I noticed the babies were really moving around. I've never felt so much movement before. I mean, the normal movements and kicking, but I felt like both babies were moving and kicking; it all felt different." She tells them, with a concerned look.

Dr. Asher's eyes widened. "Where did you feel it the most?"

"Actually, all over, like they were wrestling." She joked. "It was like a tumbling sensation, with tiny kicks all over. I never felt this before."

"Okay, let's see what the ultrasound picks up." Dr. Asher said as Maggie started to move the wand around Stella's belly. Stella watches Maggie and Dr. Asher's faces; she has spent so much time with them that she knows their facial expressions.

After what seemed like forever to Stella. "Wow!" Maggie said. Cause Stella and Dr. Asher to look at her.

"What is it?" Stella questioned, as she tried to look at the screen.

Dr. Asher got closer. "What do you see, Maggie?"

Maggie looks at Dr. Asher and then back at the screen. "Maybe a miracle."

"What do you mean?" Dr. Asher asked. She looks closely at the screen. " Wow!"

Stella was getting nervous now and secretly wanted Kelly beside her. "Please tell me what you see, please." She begged.

Maggie looked over at her. "The other baby moved,"

"I guess what you were feeling earlier was the babies both moving and kicking; we can see both babies clearly now."

Stella looked at the screen where Maggie was pointing. "Is that a good thing?"

"Yes, a very good thing," Maggie tells her. "And from the looks of it, this one is a boy."

Stella's face lit up. "You can see its gender now?"

"Yep, you see this one here," Maggie said, pointing to the left side of the screen. "It's a boy, and this one on the right bottom is your girl."

" Wow!" Stella said in an astounded tone.

"The babies look good." Dr. Asher tells her "I will admit that maybe, just maybe, your positivity energy and all this positive talk you've been doing are working."

Stella laughed. "See, positive thinking goes a long way."

"In your case, I will agree with you." Dr. Asher said "You have come a long way, the fact that you made it to thirty weeks without going into labor or having to be induced. And even though your blood pressure has been going up and down the last few days, which I'm concerned about, I have high hopes that you might get to carry these babies to full term."

"I hope so," Stella said as she rubbed her belly.

"I need to go make my rounds; Maggie is going to take some blood from you. And I will see you later." Dr. Asher said before walking out the door.

"There is my favorite patient," Violet said as she and Brett walked into the room.

"How are you feeling?" Brett asked.

"Great, what are you guys doing here?"

" We just brought in a woman who was injured in a car accident. And we thought we would stop in for a moment to check on you." Violet said.

Maggie took her gloves off. "All done, I will let you girls talk, and I'll check on you later." She tells Stella before walking out of the room.

Stella nods, "Busy day at the firehouse?"

"Not really." Violet shrugged.

"So, how is the painting going at my house?" Stella asked. Brett and Violet were painting the baby's room at the new house for Stella. The rest of the firehouse helped Kelly move everything a few weeks ago.

The Baby girl's room is a very pretty violet purple; we painted some hearts on the wall and a rainbow." Brett tells her as she shows her the picture.

"That's beautiful," Stella tells her. "What color did you paint the other baby's room?

"Well, since we didn't know if it was going to be a girl or a boy, we went with hunter green. I was thinking of a jungle idea. I think jungle could be for a boy or girl." Violet said as she showed her a picture.

"That is perfect for my son," Stella said, watching their reactions.

"Son?" Brett questioned.

Stella smiled. "The other baby is moving, and Maggie said it was a boy."

"Oh, my God?" Violet said. Jumping up and down. "I knew it."

" Wow! A girl and a boy." Brett said as she hugged her.

"Don't tell Kelly; I want to tell him," Stella warned them.

"Our lips are sealed," Brett said.

"Did the baby furniture come?"

"Yes, Mouch and Herrmann got the cribs together, and Cruz, Tony, and Capp put together the dressers and bookshelves, and your new living room set got delivered yesterday. But we should warn you."

" What?"

"Cindy took over decorating your kitchen, your living room, your dining room... In pretty much every room, she's the boss, and we just follow her orders." Violet said in an unsure tone. She wasn't sure how Stella was going to react.

Stella laughed. "I'm okay with that. I mean, I would have loved to decorate my own home and get it ready for my babies to come home, but thank God for online shopping, I was able to pick out all my furniture and stuff. I appreciate everything you guys have done to help Kelly and me prepare for the babies."

"You don't have to thank us, Stella; that's what friends are for," Brett tells her.

Stella let out a little yawn. "We should get back to the firehouse; Before Boden wonders where we are," Violet said.

"And you should take a nap," Brett tells her before kissing her cheek.

"I definitely will be," Stella tells them. She smiles as she watches them walk out the door. She's not sure why, but she suddenly got a cold chill mixed with a bad feeling. She decided to knock it from her thoughts. She closed her eyes and drifted off.

Later that evening, Kelly walked into Stella's hospital room carrying a pizza. She looked up and smiled. "You don't have to keep checking on me, Kelly. I'm fine, and you are shift."

"I will always check on you, and I know you're fine; you're very fine." Giving her a sexy smirk. She blushed. "And freaking sexy when you blush." He tells her as he kisses her tenderly. "And I'm off shift."

"What it's only after seven, shifts not over till tomorrow."

"I put Cruz in charge and told him I needed to come kiss my wife for a while."

"You're crazy."

"When it comes to you, yes, yes I am." He whispered against her lips; He kissed her again.

"I'm glad you're here." She tells him as the kiss breaks.

"Because I brought pizza?" He teased.

"Of course," she laughs. "This might shock you, but I love you more than pizza."

"That definitely shocks me." He jokes. He kisses her again and moves his lips to her neck, and leaves soft butterfly kisses all over. Stella closed her eyes as she enjoyed his lips on her skin.

"Kelly... " She moans as his hand massages her breast through her hospital gown. "Baby, we can't do this." She said it in a regretful tone. " You can't be filling me up in a hospital bed."

He lays his head on her chest. "Sorry, I got carried away."

She cradled his head to her chest with one hand and stroked his cheek with the other. "So, I have some exciting news to share."

He stands up and then sits on the side of the bed. "What's that?" He asked as he played with her wedding ring.

"When they did the ultrasound today, we got a little surprise."

Kelly's eyes furrowed up. "Please don't tell me it's triplets." He gave her a curious look. He's worried about handling two; three would probably kill him.

Stella laughed. "No, it's not triplets. Thank God," she joked. Twins were enough for her; she definitely couldn't handle triplets.

Kelly sighed in relief. "So, what was the surprise? It's a good surprise, right?"

"Very good news." She touched his cheek. "The second baby decided to move around today; actually, they've been moving around all day like summer salts and flip-flops and all kinds of stuff they've been doing inside my belly."

"That's wonderful, right?"

"Dr. Asher and Maggie are very happy about it; she even said there's a chance that I could carry our daughter and son to full term." She said, looking at him, waiting to see how long it would take for him to pick up what she said.

"Stella, that's amazing." He said it excitedly. "Carrying them to full terms is a better chance for you three to be okay, right?" He spoke to her in a hopeful tone.

"The odds are better, but remember anything can happen in the delivery room; even carrying the baby's full-term complications could still happen. We've got to stay positive, knowing that our son, our daughter, and I will be fine."

Kelly sighed. "I am positive, but I... He trailed off. "Wait... Why do you keep saying, son? I thought you were convinced we were having twin girls. "

"I was, but that changed now."

" Why?"

"Because our second baby was the one that they were concerned about because it wasn't moving as much as the other one." She smiled. "Well, he did move, and we have a clear view that baby number two is a boy," she tells him excitedly. "Am I hoping he has your smirk and your beautiful soulful eyes, which I love so much?"

His smile widened. "A boy... Wow!" As he let it sink in. "I'm going to have a son... And a daughter, who is going to be the spitting image of her gorgeous mother. That little girl is going to have me wrapped around her finger, just like you do."

Stella pulled his face down to hers and kissed him softly. "I love you; now give me a slice of pizza."

Kelly laughed as he pecked her lips. "How about we eat on the couch over by the window?"

Stella lit up. "I would love that."

"I knew you would." He tells her as he helps her out of bed and walks her to the couch, where he helps her sit.

"So did anything interesting happen at the firehouse?" She asked as he handed her a slice of pizza.

"Not really." He said this as he sat down beside her. "Besides Capp, he is thinking about asking Angie to marry him."

" Wow! That's fast."

"Apparently they are getting along pretty well."

"Well, it's good for Michael. I'm happy for Capp." She bit her lip. " Capp as a married man and father, never pictured that." she laughed.

Kelly laughs too, " Me either. but he needed a woman in his life." Kelly said as he grabbed another slice of pizza. "I also heard Brett and Dylan broke up."

" What? When? " Stella was shocked. "Brett was here today and didn't say a word."

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know the details; I just overheard Gallo telling Ritter."
Stella took a bite of her pizza. " Hmm. I wonder if Casey knows."

Kelly laughed. "The whole firehouse knows, so yeah, Casey knows."

"It's so nice to gossip with you; I know how much you hate gossip. So, thank you."

He kissed her. "I'm not a fan of firehouse gossip, but I know how much you miss it. And I'll do anything to make you happy."

"You are too good to me."

"And I always will be," Kelly told her as he wrapped his arms around her. "I can't wait till we are finally free of this place."

"Me too..." She lays her head on his shoulder. "You guys did an amazing job on the house, I heard."

"I've got pictures." He tells her as he grabs his phone.

"Let me see." She sounded like a toddler. He gives her his phone. " Wow! Cindy is doing a fantastic job. "

"She is right; it's turning out better than I thought it would. And the car seats came today, and our kids are going to have enough clothes, thanks to Cindy, Chloe, Violet, and Brett... "

Stella smiled. "So, we've got everything now for the babies, right?" She asked. As a sharp pain stabbed through her back. She ignored it, and it happened again.

"I believe so," Kelly said. "We are all ready for our babies."

"That's good." She tells him. "I love you." She's not sure why, but something told her to tell him that.

Kelly leaned over "I love you too." He whispered against her lips before kissing her.

Stella started to feel a little discomfort and increased pressure in her pelvic area. If she feels like she had to pee, "I hate to ruin our moment, babe." She said as she broke the kiss, "But your babies are on my bladder again." She jokes. The pressure was persistent; something was happening; she just wasn't sure what. She felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Kelly stood up and helped her stand up. "Are You okay?" He asked, noticing the look of worry on her face.

"Yeah... I... " She started, but her mind went blank as she spotted the blood on the floor. "Oh, my God!"

Kelly arched an eyebrow at her. "Babe, what is it?" he questioned in a concerned voice. He looked down. "What the hell?" He was staring at the floor. "You're bleeding... "

Stella grabbed a hold of his shoulders and said, "Something wrong... Get Magg...

"Stella!" Kelly yelled as she collapsed in his arms. " Help!" He screamed as he held Stella's lifeless body in his arms. "Someone help!" He continued to scream. "Baby, hold up..." He cried as he kissed her forehead. "Don't you dare leave me..."