A/N: If you don't follow Chicago PD part of this chapter might be confusing to you, Sorry about that.
Chapter 4
Kelly was up all night; he couldn't sleep. His mind kept replaying Stella's look of hurt and fear. He called her twenty-seven times, but they all went to voicemail. He texted her more times than he could count. He left her twenty voicemails. He figured she turned her phone off; he just wished she had responded to one text. Maybe he wouldn't be so worried about her if he knew she was okay.
He decided to call Brett; he knew it was six in the morning, but he needed to know if Stella was okay.
"Severide? Is everything okay?" Brett said, answering her phone. Kelly never calls her, so she knew something was up.
"Yeah, sorry for the early call, I just wanted to make sure Stella was okay. She didn't respond to any of my texts. So, I was worried."
Brett sat up. "Why are you asking me? She's your wife."
"Because she's with you, right?" He asked, in a worried tone.
"No, I haven't seen Stella."
Kelly stood up and said, "Stella didn't stay at your place last night." He was panicking now.
"No, Severide. Why didn't she stay at home with you?" Brett asked, clearly confused as to what was going on. "What is going on?"
Kelly closed his eyes. Where the hell could she be? "We had a disagreement; she didn't sleep here last night. I don't know where she is. I thought she was with you."
Brett's eyes widened. "No, I haven't talked to her since yesterday through a short text. Look, I'll call her, and if I hear anything, I'll let you know."
"Thanks, Brett." He hung up and stood there for a moment. Maybe she's at Herrmann's or Cruz and Chloe's. He started calling everyone he could think of.
About an hour later Cruz came to the loft to pick Kelly up. "No one has seen her?" He said this as he walked into the loft.
"No, I called everyone I could think of," Kelly told him as he put his shoes on.
"That's crazy, so Brett, Herrmann, Mouch, Ritter, Gallo, Violet, Tony, and Capp haven't seen her or talked to her?"
"Nope, well, I didn't call Capp; I don't think she was that desperate to go to Capp's, do you?"
"No one is that desperate." Cruz joked.
"Thanks for coming over and picking me up," Kelly said. As he grabbed his keys. "My car is at Carver; Boden brought me straight home after bailing me out last night." Kelly opened the door.
"Man, I don't want to upset you, but is there a chance she went to Carver's?" Cruz asked in an unsure tone. He really didn't want to piss him off.
Kelly stopped walking and looked at him. "Do you think she did?"
Cruz shrugged. "I don't know, she's your wife."
Kelly thought about it for a while. "I guess we will find out. Her Jeep will be there if she's there." He said this as he walked to Cruz's car. His mind is now worried about her staying at Carver's.
As they got into the car. "I can't believe you beat the hell out of Carver and I missed it."
"The chief isn't too happy about it, so you might be in charge of the squad for a few shifts. If he decides to suspend me." Kelly tells him as he buckles his seat belt.
"Damn, I've got your back, man," Cruz said as he started driving. "Carver should be suspended for putting his hands on his lieutenant."
"The chief said he would be held accountable for his actions. But I don't know how Stella is going to like it."
"Why is she defending him?"
"I don't know," Kelly said as he looked out the window. "That's what worries me the most."
Cruz just looked at him sadly. They pulled up to Carver's "I don't see her jeep, so that's a good sign." Kelly said as he got out of the car.
"True," Cruz said as he looked around for Stella's jeep. "Where else would she go?"
Kelly leaned up against the car. "Do you think she left me? Like out of town left me?"
Cruz saw the tears in his eyes. "No, she loves you too much to just up and leave, regardless of what happened. Stella wouldn't do that." Cruz assured him.
Kelly nods. "You didn't see the look in her eyes or on her face when I threw that lamp."
"You guys just need to talk. Severide, Communication is the key to any relationship."
"You sound like Boden." Kelly joked.
"Hey, Chief is a wise man," Cruz tells him. "Hey, is that Violet?" he asked, pointing across the street.
Kelly looked across the street. "Yep, why is she at Carver's?"
Cruz's shrugged. "I have no clue."
Stella awoke to the smell of coffee and slowly sat up. Feeling a little nauseous. "Morning, did you sleep well?"
Stella sighed. "Not really, but I appreciate you letting me stay."
"Anytime, sorry my couch isn't the most comfortable one, here you go." Handing Stella, a cup of coffee.
Stella took the cup. "It smells so good, but I promised Kelly I wouldn't drink coffee."
" Why?"
"Caffeine isn't good for the baby." She said as she sat the cup down.
" Baby?"
Stella smiled and said, "Oh, yeah, I didn't tell you I'm pregnant."
"Oh my gosh, congratulations, Stella! That's awesome."
"Yeah, we are so happy about the baby."
"I'm happy for you guys."
" Thanks."
"So, with all your firefighter friends, why did you show up at my door? Not that I mind. Just curious."
Stella sighed. "I know Kelly well, and he would try to come find me, so I needed to go somewhere he wouldn't think to check."
"Well, that makes me feel special."
Stella laughed. "Sorry," she said as she turned on her phone. "I knew I could count on you, and you would understand why I couldn't face Kelly last night."
They sat there, listening to her phone beep repeatedly. "Wow! forty-two missed calls, you're pretty popular."
Stella laughed. "Thirty-two of them are from my husband, two from Hermann, three from Chloe, two from Mouch, and three from Brett. Kelly must be trying to find me."
"Stella, I know you're upset with him, but he deserves to know you're okay. He's probably going crazy with worry."
"I know." She said this as she read his message.
"I would love to wake up to thirty-two missed calls for my husband. Hell, I'll settle for one."
Stella squeezed her hand, knowing how much she was missing her husband.
Kelly and Cruz called hotels and drove around town looking for Stella's Jeep. "Where could she be?" Kelly said, in an annoyed tone.
"She is good at hiding," Cruz said. "Damn good"
Kelly threw his head back against the seat and said, "I just need to know she's okay."
Cruz gave him a sympathetic smile. His phone beeped. He sighed. "It's Stella!" he exclaimed. "She said she's okay and not to worry about her."
"That's good," Cruz said. "Right?" He said this as he noticed the look on his face.
"Yeah, it is, but... She didn't say anything about coming home or where she's at. How can I make things right if she doesn't come home?"
Cruz squeezed his shoulder. "Man, she'll be home. I know it. Quit stressing."
"How are you so positive about all this?"
Cruz smiled and said, "Because you're Severide and Kidd, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Stella when she was stressed about you being gone and why you left. I've never seen two people more perfect for each other than you and Stella."
Stella comes out of the bathroom to find breakfast on the table. "You didn't have to cook me anything."
" Hey! "I don't get any company, and my husband has been gone, so I don't get to cook for anyone."
Stella smiled as she sat down. "I can't imagine what you're going through. Kelly was gone for two months, and I almost went crazy. I can't imagine being without him as long as you and Jay have been apart."
Haley smiled sadly. "I miss him so much, Stella, it's killing me. "
Stella's eyes teared up. "I know, honey." She said this as she squeezed her hand.
"I have been throwing myself into any cases or volunteering around the station just so I don't have to come home."
Stella nods. "I know that feeling; I hated going home to an empty loft every night. I felt so alone that I cried myself to sleep almost every night. On the nights I wasn't on shift, I would stay at Molly's till closing. Because I didn't want to go home."
"Yeah, it stinks when you get so used to having someone there all the time. Then, all of a sudden, they're gone. And you just have to continue on. "
"I slept in Kelly's shirt while he was gone."
"I do that; I'm afraid to wash his shirts because I'm afraid I'll forget what he smells like," Haley said as she played with her wedding band. "Stella, I know you're upset, and Kelly going after Carver was very immature, but it was kind of sweet too; he was protecting you. Because he loves you, don't let that change things between you guys."
"I know."
"I would give anything to have my husband back. Hell, I'll give anything to have him call me. Tell me he misses me; he loves me something; I feel so empty without him." Stella walked over to Haley and pulled her into a hug. " I'm so over pretending I'm okay, I'm not okay. "
"Oh, Haley, I hate this for you. Jay loves you; he'll be back. I know he will. And it's okay not to be okay. " Stella tells her as Haley cries on her shoulder.
Kelly walked into the loft and threw his keys down. He was relieved that Stella was okay, but he wanted her to come home. They needed to talk, and he needed to assure her he was not Grant. He laid down on the bed; he was exhausted from not sleeping last night. He was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.
A few hours later, Stella walked into the loft. She bit her bottom lip nervously as she noticed Kelly wasn't home. She wondered if he was still out looking for her. She stood by the kitchen island and thought about everything that Haley said. Her heart broke for Haley. She hated what she was going through. She wished Jay would get his head out of his ass and call his wife or come home. She didn't like seeing Haley so broken. Talking to Haley made her realize how lucky she was to have Kelly at home.
She sighed. She texted everyone to let them know she was okay. As she laid her phone down, she noticed Kelly's keys on the table. She arched her eyebrow and walked to their bedroom. Kelly was on his back in the middle of the bed, sleeping. She smiled as she sat down beside him. She frowned when she noticed the busted lip. She ran her thumb over it. She leans down and kisses his lip where the busted part was. She smiled as she felt his arms wrap around her. "That made it feel better." He said this as he opened his eyes. "I'm sorry." His voice is low and laced with guilt. "The old me had a tendency to lash out in anger and rage, becoming physically or verbally aggressive. But you change me; you are my peace; you are the heartbeat that calms the storm in me."
"You scared me." She tells him as she looks down at the bed.
He sat up and lifted her chin. "I know, and I'm so sorry, baby. I never want you to look at me that way again. Stella, I would never put my hands on you; I'm not Grant." He tells her as his eyes fill with tears.
"I know you won't ever hit Kelly, and you are far from being Grant. But Grant used to throw things at me." She tells him as her eyes fill with tears.
He closed his eyes for a second. "I didn't mean to throw that lamp; I was so upset, and I just wanted to punch Carver. When you said he was aggressive with you, it made me angry; all I saw was red. Stella, I know that Grant abused you, and I swear if I ever see that man again, I will choke him. I made a vow to never let another man put his hands on you, and then Carver put his hands on you, my wife. I did what I had to do. I don't want to upset you, but I'm not sorry for what I did, and I'm not apologizing even if the higher-ups say I have to. I'm not; they can suspend me, or do whatever. I'll do it again in a heartbeat; he had no right to put his hands on you or kiss you twice."
"The first kiss was a drunken mistake."
"I know, and I was going to let it slide, but the second kiss wasn't. Tell me about the second kiss."
Stella shook her head. "No, no, I'm not." She said this, getting up from the bed.
"Stella, I need to know." He said to follow her.
"Why so you can get upset again and go after him again?"
"I won't get upset, I promise." He tells her, even though he knows deep inside he will be upset. "I need to know."
Stella studied him for a moment. "Kelly, I know you, and I won't be able to keep you calm."
He walked to her, wrapping her up in his arms. "You are my calm; I promise I will listen, even if I don't like what I'm hearing. I will listen."
Stella swallowed. " Fine." She said this as she pushed him backward towards the couch. He sat, and she sat on him. "I love you with everything I've got; you're my world." She tells him.
"I love you more." He tells her this as he pulls her into a kiss. "You are my heart and soul."
She took a deep breath. "So, after I got out of Med, I went back to the firehouse, and Maggie told me to go home and rest up. I was in the locker room getting my stuff together. Mouch just came to check on me. Then Carver asked if I was okay. I said, Yeah, I was just feeling dizzy. I turned to shut my locker. And he leaned in like he was going to kiss me. I stepped back and said, What are you doing? He said I have to see something. I said I was going home. He said damnit, and he grabbed me by my shoulders and said he had to test something. He slammed me hard against the locker and kissed me. This one was a little longer than the first time. I kicked him. And then he let go, and I punched him. That...
Kelly was irritated but kept it under control. " What? That's what?" He asked.
"Don't get upset, please," she begged. "The other morning, when I was getting dressed, you saw that bruise on my back, and I said it was from a call...
"Carver did it." He said finishing her sentence. She nods as she bites her lip. He closed his eyes. He left a mark on her body, that son of a bitch. He threw his head back against the couch. He closed his eyes and sighed loudly. He was irritated and wanted to go repeat what he did to Carver yesterday.
"Kelly," Stella said after a few minutes of silence. She rubbed his chest, then cupped his face, making him look at her. Their eyes locked, and she could tell he was upset.
"I'm okay..." He lied. "I'm irritated, but I'm good, I promise." He assured her.
Stella studied him for a moment. "Boden is going to suspend him."
"He said so?" He asked her.
"Yeah, Boden called me to check on me earlier. And I told him what happened. He said Carver needs to be held accountable for his actions. And I agreed."
Kelly was relieved; he thought she was going to be upset if Carver got suspended.
"Are you okay?"
"No, not really, but I already beat his ass. I'm tempted to do it again now, but I won't."
Stella kissed his forehead. "He came here later that day."
Kelly gave her a confused look. "Who Carver?
"Yes, he wanted to apologize for everything he said; he couldn't go into details about why he had to kiss me again, but he didn't mean it, and he wasn't trying to come between us; he had to test something out and see something for himself."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"I honestly don't know, but I just told him it was fine and to never let it happen again and shut the door on him. I wasn't sure what to do or say about it. He's a great firefighter and a great part of my team. I wanted to talk to you first before I made a decision. But that didn't go as planned."
Kelly sighed. "Well, with you being at OFI for the next few months, you don't have to deal with him."
"But what about you?" She asked him. "Can you work with him without getting upset?"
"I'm hoping the son of a bitch transfers." He tells her honestly. "But I can be grown and play nice."
Stella smiled and said, "How about I make a deal with you; every day you play nice, I will reward you."
" Really? How?"
Stella leaned in and kissed his neck, then his ear. "I'm pretty sure we can figure something out." She whispered as she moved her hand to his cock.
A knock on the door interrupted them. "Damn," Stella said as she stood up. " Guess I'll finish later." She laughed as he groaned, and she walked over to the door. " Hey! What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk, the three of us," Seager said.
Stella raised her eyebrow. "Okay, come in."
Kelly looked at Stella as Seager walked into the loft. "Hey Severide"
"Hey, what's up?"
"Look first, I want to say congrats on the baby. You guys are going to be amazing parents."
"Thank you," Stella said as she sat down on the couch.
Seager took a deep breath. "So, I know you both are wondering why the hell I'm here. Well, I need to clear my mind. I heard about the altercation between Carver and Severide, and I have some insight into it."
Kelly looked down at Stella, who was giving Seager a confused look. "How did you hear about it?" Kelly asked.
"Carver told me because it was my fault."
"How was it your fault?"
"Well, I kind of told Carver to kiss you."
Stella stood up and asked, "Why would you do that?"
Seager sighed. "Look, Carver and I have been having casual hookups for the past couple of months. Which we both wanted—nothing serious. "
"Why do we need to know this?" Kelly asked. He didn't like to know about other people's sex life.
"Please just listen; it will all make sense soon. I promise. So, even though it's been casual with no strings attached, I was starting to get a tad bit jealous. I started noticing how Carver was very concerned about you." She said to Stella
"What do you mean?"
"He was constantly worried about you, saying you looked tired, run-down, and unhappy, and he would always watch you."
Stella wasn't sure where she was going with this. She doesn't recall Carver looking at her differently.
Kelly was pretty sure he knew where this story was going.
"I started making comments about how he was more concerned about you than me. And we started having little disagreements. I went out of town for two weeks, and when I came back, he wasn't even really interested in me anymore. I felt like something happened while I was gone. Even though we weren't a couple, I was curious to see what changed. We were at Molly's one night, the night Molly's was slammed, and he kept watching you, claiming that you looked exhausted, and then when Violet and Brett came in, all his attention was on you guys. And I was pissed. I can't explain why; maybe I was starting to like him. And I was jealous of you."
" Why?"
"Because he was always concerned about you, Violet, or Brett. It was bothering me."
"Because he's in love with Stella," Kelly said, clenching his fist.
Stella looked at him. "No, he's not."
"This is just like the whole Tyler situation; you're blind to Carver's feeling like you were with Tyler," Kelly told her, as he cracked his neck.
"Where is this coming from?" Stella asked, not understanding how this conversation got twisted around.
"Hey, I don't know exactly what you guys are talking about. But this is not the case. He never told me he had feelings for Stella. I accused him of having feelings for Stella. He always denied it. One night I told him to prove to me he didn't have feelings for Stella; I told him to kiss you."
Stella's eyes widen. "You did?
"Why would you do that?" Kelly asked, irritated.
Seager shook her head. "I don't know; I was jealous, and I honestly didn't think he would. He told me he kissed you, but he was drunk. I told him it didn't count if he was drunk. So he said he would do it sober to prove to me he didn't have feelings for you."
Stella couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"He told me about you saving him after that explosion. And he was grateful; he had never had anyone save him before. But he said it wasn't love; it was gratitude for what you did for him. I also found out he was starting to think he had feelings for someone else, so I told him to kiss both of you. A kiss always reveals true feelings."
Stella was at a loss for words. "I have to go lay down." She spoke. Holding her stomach.
"Baba, are you okay?" Kelly asked, noticing she was holding her stomach.
"Yeah, I'm just feeling a little dizzy." She tells him as she goes to lie down.
" Severide, I didn't mean to upset her."
"Maybe you should go."
"Okay, but he's not in love with her; he is seeing someone else. I don't know who, and I don't care. He has a lot of respect for Stella, both as a lieutenant and as a friend. He told me so. "
Kelly walked her to the door. "Thanks for telling us."
"I hope she's okay," Seager said as she walked out the door.
Stella lay on the bed, and the sharp pains were back. She did her breathing exercises and calmed herself down again. She's starting to wonder if this was a sign.
Kelly walked into the room, noticing the tears. "Stella, what is it?"
"Just lay with me; I think the stress is getting to me. The pain is slowing down."
Kelly lay down beside her. And caresses her cheek. As she continues her breathing exercises. She looked over at Kelly and smiled. "The baby doesn't like it when I get upset. I guess."
"I don't like it either," Kelly tells her. "So, how about we don't let anything upset you?"
"Well, are you going to lock me up in here and keep me away from everyone?" She joked. as she moved closer to him.
"Sounds like a plan to me." He tells her as he pulls her closer to him.
She smiled as she kissed him sweetly. Kelly deepened the kiss. They spend the rest of the night holding each other and making love.
The next morning, Stella came out of the shower wrapped in a towel. Kelly was making her some herbal tea. "My body is so sore," Stella said as she rubbed her shoulder. "I blame you."
Kelly arched his eyebrow. "Why me?"
"The way you were throwing me around in bed last night."
He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "You didn't complain last night when you were screaming my name." He said. As he moved her hair so he could kiss her neck.
She moved her hair to the side so he could have better access. He kissed her shoulder, then her back, as he kissed her back. He pulled back as he looked at the bruise. He touched it, and a sense of anger was rising within him.
"Kelly..." Stella said, knowing what he was looking at. She felt him kiss the bruise three times. She turned into his arms. "Are you okay? she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Kelly kissed her forehead. "Yes, I'm good."
" Promise"
He kissed her and said, "I'm good, babe, I promise."
"Well, are you going to be good on shift today, or do I need to worry?"
"You don't have to worry; chances are Boden will probably suspend me. Just to be fair,"
Stella sighed. "Well, we can spend the day in bed." She wiggles her eyebrows at him.
Kelly smiled. "Don't you report to OFI today?"
"I already texted Seager and told her I wasn't feeling well. I'm not ready to face her after yesterday. I'll go tomorrow."
"Well, let's hope I get suspended then. I would much rather make love to my wife all day than be stuck at the firehouse without you." He kissed her. "We better get dressed; Boden wants us in his office first thing."
They walked into Boden's office holding hands. "Morning Chief," Stella said.
"Morning lieutenants." He smiled, seeing them holding hands.
They both sat down. "Where's Carver?" Stella asked.
"Carver and I had a conversation yesterday; he has been suspended for two months. I had to report that he put his hands on you, Stella, so the higher-ups can hear your statement as soon as possible."
"Two months, really?" Stella asked. She kind of felt bad.
Boden sighed. "It wasn't my choice when I filed the report. They told me two months was the policy; they actually wanted three months. But I fought them on that. He did request a transfer, but I'm not sure how that will go since he will have a suspension in his file for putting his hands on his lieutenant."
Stella nodded. Kelly sighed. "So what's my suspension?"
"Well, Carver told the high-ups he was jumped but didn't know by who. And since he isn't pressing charges. According to Trudy. There's no need to suspend you. Your name was never brought up. And Trudy is making sure they never find out you were arrested."
"Why would he do that?" Kelly asked.
Boden shrugged. " He said the whole situation was a mistake. And he will take full responsibility for it. "
Kelly nods. Stella looks at him. "Are you okay?"
The bells go off for Truck 81 and Squad 3.
"I'm good. Love you." Kelly said as he gave her a quick kiss before running out of the office.
Stella was writing her statement in Boden's office. When Kylie came in "Lieutenant, there's a woman here looking for Lieutenant Severide. She said it was really important that she talk to him. "
Stella bit her lip. "I wonder who it is?" She said this as she walked out of the office. "Hey, I'm Lieutenant Kidd; can I help you?"
"Hey, I'm Angie; am I trying to find Squad 3 Lieutenant Kelly Severide?"
"They are out on a call right now. Can I give him a message?"
Angie reached into her bag and got a piece of paper and a pen. "Can you please tell him to call me? It's really important that I speak to him. It's been a while since we've talked, but there's something he needs to know."
Stella arched her eyebrow. "Okay, sure will." She said this as she took the woman's number.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Kidd," Angie said as she walked away. Stella stood there, watching her walk away.
"What did she want?" Herrmann asked.
"She is looking for Kelly; is she an ex?" She asked Herrmann.
Herrmann thought for a moment. "She doesn't look familiar. So, I don't think so."
Stella went back to finishing her statement. She gave it to Boden and talked with Kylie for a bit.
"Are you still here?" Kelly said as he walked over to her.
"I was waiting on you." She tells him as she kisses him. "Do you know anyone named Angie?"
Kelly pulled back. "No, I don't think so. Why?"
"She was here looking for you; left her number." She tells him as she hands him the paper. " She said it was very important that she talk to you. She said it's been a while since you two have talked."
Kelly stared at the paper. "Angie doesn't ring a bell."
"Well, she said there is something you need to know."
"Like what?" He questioned Stella.
Stella shrugs. "I don't know; call her and find out."
Kelly called the number but got a voicemail. He left a message. "This is going to bother me. I don't remember that name."
"Hopefully it's nothing. I'm going to go now. Call me if she calls you back. I love you; be safe." She tells him.
"I love you more." He kisses her gently. "No stressing today." He warns her.
"I won't, I promise." They shared a few more short kisses before she walked away. She was stressing a little bit over who Angie was; she had a bad feeling. But didn't want to tell Kelly.
The next morning, Stella was standing in the kitchen when Kelly walked in. "Good morning, babe," she said as she made coffee. "I brought a coffee pot yesterday since you broke the other one."
"I thought you weren't going to drink coffee." He said this as he stood in front of her.
"I was making it for you; see, I'm drinking decaffeinated coffee." She tells him. "And you know what? It's nasty."
Kelly laughed a little. "Stella, we have to talk."
Stella stopped what she was doing. "What's wrong?"
Kelly put his head in his hands. "I talked to that Angie woman."
Stella is starting to feel uncomfortable now. "What did she want?"
Kelly looked up at her. "She wanted to tell me that... She wanted to tell me that." He trailed off. This was harder than he thought it would be.
"Kelly, what did she want?" Stella asked in a furious tone. His face and the tears in his eyes told her she wasn't going to like what he was about to say.
Kelly took a deep breath. "She wanted to let me know that I have a son; she wants me to meet him."
