Chapter 8

The past three months passed by fast for Stella; she was now twenty weeks pregnant. And she had the most adorable baby bump. Being pregnant was becoming more of a reality for her; she could feel the baby's movements and draw smiles from passersby who saw her baby bump. Stella loved being pregnant; she missed being a firefighter, but she knows this is just temporary; she will be back fighting fires soon enough. She makes Kelly tell her about all the calls he goes out on so she can live vicariously through him. She misses the action the most.

She was still DC Hill's secretary after the supposedly two weeks. Stella agreed to the job until her maternity leave started. Giving Gloria enough time to find a good replacement. She never liked the office-type job; she's more of a get-her-hands-dirty type of woman. But working with someone she looks up to and idolizes was worth putting up with the boredom of the job. She and Gloria have been connecting and getting pretty close.

Things between Stella and Kelly were better than ever. The two weeks in Jamaica were indescribable for the couple. Stella loves the vibrant energy and laid-back charm of the island; it captivates her. She loved the warmth and spirit of the people there; they left an indelible mark on her heart. The vibrant cultural encounters and the breathtaking natural wonders were simply the best. The island is bursting with the warmest hospitality and largesse. There's always music playing and delicious food cooking. They went hiking and did water sports, food tours, golfing, shopping, sailing, and exploring the captivating island. It was a wonderful adventure for her and Kelly. It was a must-need relaxation and a romantic escape for the couple, they spent the days enjoying the island and their nights enjoying each other.

They didn't want to leave, but they knew they needed to get back to reality. They came home to a welcome-back party at Molly's and to the news that Casey was currently back in Chicago, which was the best news ever for the couple. He was back at 51 as their captain, and he is back in charge of truck 81 while Stella is out. He and Brett were still trying to figure out how to work together without any awkwardness. Brett was still seeing Dylan.

Carver was back at 51 now that his suspension was over. Stella was nervous at first, but knowing Casey was on shift with Severide made her feel better. She knew Casey would keep her husband out of trouble. Kelly wasn't too thrilled that Carver's transfer didn't go through. Boden said the other chief at the firehouse that he was supposed to transfer to said he didn't want a troublemaker. They wanted someone with a clean record. So, both Kelly and Carver promised Boden that they would act professionally on shift. And not let their personal business affect their jobs.

Capp was kind of adjusting to fatherhood; he still has a lot to learn, but thankfully Boden, Cruz, and Herrmann have been helping him with his daily struggles. Capp and Angie have even gotten a little closer.

Things were going well for everyone around them; life was perfect at least for now.

"Hey, Baby!" Stella exclaimed from the couch. Kelly was getting ready for work.

"Yes, babe," Kelly said as he walked to the coffee pot. He poured some coffee into his to-go cup.

"We are at the midpoint of our pregnancy, twenty weeks down, twenty weeks to go." She tells him excitedly with a huge grin planted on her face.

Kelly looks over at her, laying on the couch, reading her expecting baby book. She was glowing with happiness, and his eyes moved to her stomach. It looked like she was hiding a melon under her shirt. He swears his heart melts every time he looks at her stomach. Knowing she's carrying his baby is the most amazing feeling he's ever experienced. Watching her stomach expand and her body change was truly amazing. She feels little movements and gets so excited about them; her cravings were something else, though. She was obsessed with chocolate ice cream topped with microwave popcorn. And mustard on spaghetti. And pancakes with hot sauce. Which just turns Kelly's stomach.

"Our baby is the size of a sweet potato... That's so cool." Stella said, knocking her husband out of his thoughts. "Isn't it?"

"Yep, that's really cool." He tells her as he walks over to her. "I gotta go." He said this as he kneeled beside her. He pulls up her shirt, kisses her stomach, and whispers, "Daddy loves you."

Stella loved that he did this every morning; she can't wait to see him holding their baby in the coming months. She rubs the back of his neck. "Don't forget, my appointment is at two today."

"I'll be there, I promise." He tells her as he kisses her goodbye. "I love you."

"We love you too." She responded by rubbing her tummy. And giving him a loving look.

Kelly loved it when she did that. "Are you feeling, okay?" he asked as he caressed her cheek. He worries all the time about her. He won't tell her, but deep, really deep down, he's scared that something is going to happen and take their dream away from them. He hates having this feeling, and he pushes the negative thoughts out of his mind all the time. He wants to focus on the good and positive things about pregnancy. He remembers how crushed Casey and Dawson were after losing their baby. And he doesn't want to go through that pain, and he doesn't want Stella to go through it either. He couldn't take watching Stella go through the heartache of losing the baby.

"Yes, I've never felt better." She tells him as she touches his cheek. "We're good, I promise."

"Yes, we are." He replied as he went to stand up. "I'm going to be late; I will see you at two." He started to walk away.

"No, baby," Stella whines. "Mama needs another kiss before you leave me." She said it in a pouting voice sticking out her bottom lip.

Kelly closed his eyes as the word mama echoed through him. Damn, he can hardly believe his life; he's got the career he was born to have, a remarkably beautiful, supportive wife, who is carrying his baby. Life couldn't be any better. "Of course, beautiful." He said before kissing her softly, Stella wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him closer, and deepened the kiss. Kelly got lost in the feeling of kissing her soft, plump lips. In between kisses, he said, "Babe... I... Have... To... Go..." he smiled, into the kiss.

Stella smiled as she continued kissing him. "Do you have to?" she asked with her big, beautiful hazelnut eyes, pleading with him.

"I don't want to, believe me. But Boden will have my ass if I don't come in," he said, kissing her forehead. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for work too?"

Stella sighed. "I will; I just want to enjoy this moment. When it's just the three of us. I love moments like this," she tells him as she rubs her stomach. "Just our little family."

Kelly placed his hand over her hand that was rubbing her tummy. "I love those moments too." He said as he kissed her forehead again. "Since we are both off tomorrow, how about we spend all day together tomorrow, just the three of us? Right here, snuggling up on the couch, with no phones, and no interruptions, we can order some Mexican food, watch a movie, and eat some chocolate ice cream covered with microwave popcorn. Even though that's gross." he said, with a laugh.

Stella smiled and said, "Babe it's so good; the baby and I love it, you should try it."

Kelly shook his head. "I believe you, but no thank you." He pecked her lips.

Stella laughs, " Fine, and I think your plan for tomorrow sounds perfect. I can't wait." She cupped his face and kissed him tenderly. " Now go save lives."

"Yes, ma'am." He kissed her stomach one more time before standing up. Stella gave him a huge smile. "I will see you at two." He tells her as he grabbed his keys. "I love you both," he repeated as he opened the door, sending her a wink.

Stella watched him walk out the door; as soon as he was gone, her smile faded, and she rubbed her head. For the past month, Stella has been having headaches that will not go away. The past two weeks have been the worst. She wakes up with a headache and goes to bed with a headache. She has tried everything she could think of to get rid of the headaches, but nothing works.

She's starting to notice little things that don't make sense to her. Changes in her eyesight; her vision is blurry; she's seeing spots. The pain in the upper abdomen that she told Brett about months ago was still giving her trouble. She never took Brett's advice about telling her doctor about the pain she was experiencing. She thought she was over the nausea and vomiting stage since she was in her second trimester of pregnancy, but apparently not. She has been experiencing shortness of breath a lot lately too. Something was for sure off, and she was pretty scared about what all the signs could mean.

She read so many different things on Google about what her symptoms could be, and it made her scared to death. So, she quit googling things. She hasn't told a soul what she's been going through the past month, not even Kelly. Which sucks because she hates keeping things from him. But she knew he would go into a fully overprotective mode, which would lead them to argue and have disagreements about everything, so she thought it was best to keep her pain to herself. She has been pretending to be okay for two weeks now when in reality all she wants to do is curl up in a ball and cry.

She sighed as she got up off the couch. She called Gloria and apologized, saying she couldn't come in today. She felt bad abandoning her, but her head was killing her. And she felt so dizzy, and off balance, she didn't need to be driving, putting herself or someone else's life at risk.

She walked to the second bedroom, their nursery room. They started to fix it up, and it was coming along great. There is so much she wants to do to the room, but Kelly keeps telling her to wait, or it's too soon. She's not sure why he's acting that way lately. She's noticed he's been acting a little strange when she talks about buying or doing something for the baby. She thinks it's just nervousness about becoming a father for the first time. At least that's what Google said when she Googled it.

At the firehouse, Kelly walked into Boden's office and said, "Good morning." He said this to Boden, Casey, and Herrmann.

"Morning Lieutenant," Boden said as he sat down at his desk.

"So, Stella is halfway through the pregnancy now, I see," Casey said, looking at Severide. Giving him an amused look.

"Are you keeping count, like Stella?" Kelly asked with a curious grin. "That's so thoughtful of you."

Casey laughed. "No, I'm not. It was a conversation in the firehouse group chat this morning."

"Yeah, Stella, Brett, and Violet talking about her baby bump at six in the morning wasn't how I wanted to wake up," Herrmann added.

"You were involved with the chat to Herrmann; I saw some of your comments." Casey glared at Herrmann.

"That was my wife; Cindy always takes my phone and reads our group chat like the Sunday paper," Herrmann told him. "Believe me, I don't want to know if Stella threw up, if her feet are swollen, or if her breasts are sore. I don't need or want to know that crap."

The three other them shook their heads and laughed at Herrmann. Kelly sighed, "Sorry, she's excited; I'm surprised she didn't tell you the baby was the size of...

"A sweet potato," Boden said, interrupting him. "I enjoy those texts; reading how excited Stella is about being a mom brings a smile to my face every morning."

"Looking at her glowing face and her little melon bump makes me smile every morning," Kelly said, as he thinks about his wife and her round belly. "By the way, chief, I'm going to have Cruz cover...

"Squad at two," Boden said, interrupting him again. "Severide, you have been telling me about this appointment for the last few weeks. I might be old, but I'm not forgetful yet."

"What appointment?" Herrmann asked.

"Stella has a doctor's appointment at two today; we are going to find out the gender," Kelly tells him with a huge grin on his face.

"That's awesome," Herrman said. " What are you hoping for?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited about it; I don't care if it's a boy or girl, just that it's healthy and Stella is good. That's all I care about. " He tells them honestly. "But Chief, I was telling you I was going to have Cruz cover the squad at ten and two."

"Why at ten?"

Well," He started, then walked over and closed the office door. "I have an appointment at ten, but you guys can't tell anyone. I want it to be a surprise for Stella."

" What?" Casey asked as all eyes went on Severide.

"I brought a house." He tells them in a relieved tone. He's been holding it in for weeks. Dying to tell someone.

" What? Seriously?" Casey asked in a happy tone.

"That's awesome," Boden said.

"The one on my street, five houses down from me, right?" Herrmann said with a smile.

Kelly gave him a confused look. "How did you know?" Kelly asked shockingly, He hasn't said a word to anyone. Not even Casey and he tells Casey everything.

"I thought I saw your car there one-day last week, but Cindy told me to mind my business." He shrugs. "That woman loves to gossip but tells me to mind my business. Go figure."

They all laugh. "I saw the for-sale sign in the yard, before our vacation. And I wrote down the number and talked to the realtor a few weeks ago. It's beautiful; it has 5 bedrooms, 2 baths, a nice family room and a big kitchen, a dining room, an office, a two-car garage, and an amazing fenced-in backyard. It's kind of like the house Stella told me she wanted to raise our kids in years ago."

"5 bedrooms?" Boden said. "Are we planning a big family?"

Kelly smiled. "Stella and I want a big family; we both grew up without siblings, and we don't want our little one to be the only one. I want a full hockey team of kids, but Stella isn't on the same page as me. She feels that three or four is enough."

"One's enough for me," Boden said with a laugh.

"Trust me, you don't want no hockey team; I can barely handle five." Herrmann chimed in.

Casey smiled and said, "It's nice seeing you planning out your future."

"I'm excited about our future." He paused. "I signed the paperwork today and finish whatever else I have to do, then it's all mine. Well, my and Stella's, I'm going to surprise Stella after her appointment today."

"She's going to be surprised," Casey said. "Happiness looks good on you, Severide."

"I'm extremely happy. I consider myself to be very blessed. " He tells them as he thinks about Stella's reaction to his surprise. "Life is so good, and it gets better every day."

Stella got out of the shower feeling dizzy and weak. She put her robe on and went to her room. She felt strange, so she sat down on the bed. She closed her eyes. She wanted to call Kelly but didn't want to worry him. She took a very deep breath and forced herself to get up.

She slowly got dressed and put on her lotion. She decided to try to eat something. Thinking that was what was wrong. She made herself some toast, sat down at the table, and slowly ate it.

Her headache had gotten worse; she had already taken some Tylenol, but it didn't seem to help. She made a mental note to tell her doctor about the ongoing headaches. She stood up and picked up her glass of apple juice. As she walked to the sink, a sharp stabbing pain more painful than the other pains she'd had shot through her side causing her to drop her glass of apple juice, and the plate her toast was on they both shattered as they hit the floor. Another pain shot through her side, causing her knees to buckle. She fell to the floor, screaming in pain.

She lay there holding her stomach, praying the pain would subside. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. She did her breathing exercises, and the pain slowed down, but she knew something was wrong. She cautiously got up and reached for her phone on the table. Her vision was blurry, and she was getting beyond scared now. Something was definitely wrong. She called Brett.

Brett and Violet were in the locker room. "So, I've got to tell you something," Violet said.

Brett closed her locker. "Well, do tell." She said this as she crossed her arms.

"So umm..." Violet started as she rubbed the back of her neck. Not sure what her friend's reaction was going to be to her news.

"Are you going to spill or what?"

Violet bit her lip nervously. And looked around the room to make sure no one was around. "Okay, I kind of kissed..." She trailed off.

Brett's eyes widened. "Please tell me it wasn't Gallo. Ritter can't go down that road again." Brett said with a laugh, thinking about Ritter's reaction to Gallo and Violet hooking up again.

Violet rolled her eyes. "No, it wasn't Gallo. I told you Gallo and I work better as friends, just friends."

"So, who's the new guy?" Brett asked as she got closer to her. Clearly wanting gossip.

Violet took a deep breath. "It was...

Brett's phone rang, interrupting their talk. "It's probably just Dylan," she said as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Oh, it's Stella." She told her as she answered it. "Hey, girl...

"Brett, something is wrong?" Stella said in a low tone, she was having trouble breathing.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" Brett didn't like the way she sounded.

"The pain is really bad, and I'm having trouble seeing. Brett, I am so scared." Stella cried into the phone. " aaargh. " She screamed as another pain shot across her side.

"Stella, stay calm; I'm on my way," Brett tells her as tears fill her eyes. "Where are you?"

Stella's breathing was becoming shallow. "At home, but don't tell Kelly.'"

"Stella, we have to...

"I don't want him to worry, especially if it's nothing."

Brett sighed. "Okay, we are on our way." She tells her, knowing that whatever is going on with her is definitely not nothing.

"What is going on?" Violet asked as Brett pushed her out of the locker room.

"Something is wrong with Stella and the baby. We've got to get there fast."

As they were running out of the locker room, they bumped into Casey. "Where's the fire?" Casey asked, showing them down.

"Look, we've got an emergency. Will you let the chief know?" Brett said.

"And we should tell Severide," Violet said.

"No!" Brett exclaimed. "She doesn't want him to know."

Casey looked at them both and asked, "What is going on?"

"Look, we've got to go. All I can tell you is that it's Stella. I don't know what is going on yet. I will call once we know. But we've got to go now." Brett said as she and Violet ran down the hall.

Leaving Casey standing there confused and worried.

Stella lay on the floor, continuing to do her breathing exercises. The pain had subsided, but her headache was worse, and she felt like she was on fire. She was sweating, having arm pains, and having difficulty breathing. She closed her eyes, wondering what she had done to deserve this.

"Stella," Brett said as she and Violet walked into the loft. Seeing her lying on the floor crying, and breathing hard.

Stella opened her eyes. "The pain has subsided, but I feel numb like I can't move numb." She tells them. "And I feel like I can't catch my breath. "

"Okay, stay calm, I'm going to check your lungs. " Brett tells her, as Violet checked her blood pressure and pulse. Brett took notice that Stella was pale; she looked flustered.

"Brett, her blood pressure is extremely high and her pulse rate is off the chart," Violet said in a worried tone.

"What is it?" Stella asked.

"Hey, don't you worry about it; you just relax. We got this. " Violet tells her, giving Brett a concerned look.

"I don't like the sound of her lungs." Brett was very curious now and scared for her friend.

"What about the baby? Is it the baby?" Stella started to speak but her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Stella started to jerk and make halting noises deep in her throat. Her legs were shaking, with muscles contracting and spasming.

"She's having a seizure," Brett said, as she calls it in. "We've got to get her to the Med fast."

Kelly walked into Boden's office smiling and saying, "Well, I'm officially a homeowner."

Boden smiled. "Happy for you, Severide."

"Me too; I can't wait to see the look on Stella's face." He tells him. "She loves that house; every time we drive by it, she lights up talking about how beautiful it is. So when I saw it was for sale last month, I knew I had to act fast."

"You look really happy."

" Chief I am beyond happy; I can't wait to move into this house. I can't wait till my baby is born to paint the nursery, build a tree house, and buy a swing set."

Boden's eyes widened. "Severide, slow down; it's going to be a while before he or she will be able to play on a swing set or climb a tree."

"I know, I just have so many plans and things I can't wait to do with my kids and Stella. I'm going to be a better dad than Benny."

"I do not doubt that, Severide."

Casey walked into the office. "Sorry to interrupt."

Boden and Kelly looked at him, their smiles falling as they noticed Casey's face. "What's wrong?" Boden asked.

Casey looks at Severide. "Chief, we need to put 51 out of service so we can all go to Med."

" Why? What's going on, Casey?" Boden asked as he stood up.

Kelly watches his face closely, and he starts to get a bad vibe. "What is it, Casey?" Kelly asked as he started to get a knot in his stomach.

Casey took a deep breath. "Brett just called me; it's Stella; they are rushing her to Med; she had back-to-back seizures; after the second one, she was... " Casey was struggling with his words. He hates to give Severide this news. Especially after how happy he was this morning.

"Casey, she was what?" Kelly hollered

Casey swallowed hard. "She was unresponsive when they arrived at Med."

Kelly didn't even let what Casey said process before running out of Boden's office. Boden and Casey shared a sympathetic look. "Let's go tell the others," Boden said as he got ready to walk out of the office.

"Chief, I need a moment," Casey said as he held in his tears.

Boden nodded. "I understand." He said this before walking out of the office.

Casey waited till Boden was out of sight, then he punched the wall. " Why? Damnit? Why?" He repeatedly asked. Life can really fuck you up sometimes. "She is going to be fine; she has to be fine; the baby has to be fine; please God, let them be fine." Casey prayed as he wiped his tears.

Brett and Violet sat in the waiting room nervously. Both numb and worried. "This isn't fair," Violet said, breaking the silence. "Stella doesn't deserve this, and neither does Severide."

Brett wiped her tears away. "No, they don't; it's one of those why is this happening? moments with no answers."

"She's going to be fine; she has to be, and so is the baby," Violet said as she fought back tears.

"She is so excited about the baby; I've never seen Stella happier. Severide either." Brett said as she put her head in his hands.

Violet rubbed her back. "Severide just walked in." She tells her noticing Kelly at the nurse's desk.

Brett looked up; their hearts broke as he demanded to know what was going on and where his wife was. They watch as Maggie pulls him to the side and tries to calm him down. Brett took a deep breath and stood up. Violet walked behind her as they made their way to Kelly.

Kelly punches the wall as Maggie is called away. He sighs loudly, he turns and sees Brett and Violet. "What happened? She was fine when I left this morning. Laughing and smiling. I don't understand." His tears started to fall. "What the hell happened?" He yelled in a demanding tone.

"Stella called me and said she was having sharp stabbing pains, and she was having trouble seeing, and she said she was scared." She paused for a moment. "When we got there, she said the pain had subsided. She said she felt numb like she couldn't move. "

"Her blood pressure was extremely high, and her pulse rate was off the charts," Violet added.

"She was pale and hot like her skin was on fire. Next thing we knew, she was having a seizure."

The rest of the 51 walks in as Brett and Violet talk to Severide. "I called it in, and we got her into the ambulance. She was talking and very alert, and then about five minutes later she had another seizure. But this time, after the seizure was over, she was unresponsive."

"We don't know exactly what happened or what brought it on," Violet said. Even though she had a few ideas going through her mind, she didn't want to tell Kelly because she wasn't 100 percent sure.

Kelly couldn't believe he was standing here; just an hour ago, he was laughing and talking about their future plans and children. He was so damn happy and excited, and now he felt like his world was being ripped from him.

"What about the baby?" Herrmann asked.

Brett closed her eyes; she was hoping no one asked that question. She took a deep breath. And she opened her eyes, saying, "I honestly don't know; when I checked for a heartbeat in the ambulance, I... could... " She couldn't get the words out.

Kelly watched her as she struggled with her words. His heart breaks as he starts to put two and two together. "Is the baby okay or not? Please tell me something," he begged in a pleading tone.

Herrmann patted his back as Casey walked over to Brett and wrapped an arm around her, encouraging her to tell him whatever it was she was trying to say. She wiped her tears. "I couldn't find the baby's heartbeat; I tried to find it, but she went into another seizure. I don't know if the baby is okay; I couldn't hear the heartbeat." She cries. "I'm so sorry, Severide." She tells him in a shaking voice. Casey wrapped her in a hug, trying to calm her down.

Kelly's knees buckled, and he hit the floor hard. The whole 51 team circled him. As he cried. Herrmann, Cruz, and Boden kneel down beside him. There wasn't a dry eye in that circle as they all prayed for Stella and the baby and watched Kelly fall apart.