Malia Ryland has just arrived in Chicago and is starting her first shift as a nurse at the Chicago Medical Center while waiting for a vacancy in one of Chicago's firehouses as a paramedic.
Warning : some chapters contain scenes with sexual content.
...
On the next shift, Kelly picks me up at my apartment with his car. "So her child was at her babysitter's all the time and she was worried out of her mind" I start talking about Renee. "From what I understand, the babysitter made her a plate of spaghetti, they ate in front of the TV and fell asleep" Kel tells me. "Her reaction is a bit disproportionate" I add. "What did you want her to do? Her babysitter didn't answer. Anyone would have been worried. We don't have kids, so I don't think we can understand this situation," Kelly says. "For sure..." I say, putting my hand on my stomach.
I'm with Kelly at the rescue table when Renee arrives with a box. "Excuse me, can I steal him for a second?" she says. She doesn't even wait for me to answer and puts her box on the table.
She says to Kelly, "Hi". Oh oh I'm here my cocotte, she thought she was all alone this woman. And of course, it is necessary that Kelly returns in her little game and continues the conversation with her. They all forgot that I exist, it is not possible. I'm helplessly watching their conversation about their refinery business and now she wants to work with him in a conference room now. But go ahead and make yourself at home while you're at it. I'm starting to boil in my head and I think the hormones must not be helping the case.
As they both leave, I grab Kelly by the arm, "We really need to talk. I have something serious to tell you and it can't wait too long". Kel kisses me "no worries, we'll talk about it at the end of the shift", before leaving with Renee.
I'm in the common room with the firefighters from the truck and the pumping machine, "ambulance 61, a man has had a fall, cause unknown". I run to the ambulance with Sylvie and Gabby, I get in the back. We go up to a residence. Gabby knocks at the apartment but it takes time to open up. It's a young man who opens the door and he's in bad shape. He is completely drugged. The first team forgot to redo the stocks so Gabby goes down to the ambulance to look for gauze strips. I discreetly signal to Sylvie to go and report the guy because he seems extremely suspicious.
I find myself alone with the guy. He tells me about his neighbor who has a problem. He is not very clear. I follow him to a room where I discover with horror a woman with a kitchen knife stuck in her chest. I hurry to alert the girls by radio as well as the central office. I try to help the woman as much as I can with what I have on hand.
Unfortunately, she died a few seconds later, after telling me about her daughters, and there was little I could do about it. After that I am completely turned upside down. I don't even follow what happens when the police arrive and the girls give their statements to a policeman. I'm standing on one side of the ambulance, staring into the void in front of me.
The girls come up to me and say, "Are you okay, Malia? How are you holding up?". I don't know what to say to them. After a few seconds, I let "I'm pregnant" slip out. Then I collapse and they take me in their arms.
After I calm down, I get into the ambulance on the passenger side and we go back to the station. On the way home I tell them that I haven't told Kelly yet, so it would be nice not to say a word about it. They reassure me and tell me that everything is going to be okay.
Once back at the barracks, all I want to do is get under my comforter. "Hey! We've been warned it's okay?" Cruz asks. I don't even answer, I don't see Kelly outside so I go straight inside. I go to his office and he is not there but I decide to lie down in his bed waiting for him.
I must have fallen asleep because I wake up hearing people talking. I open my eyes and I see Kelly talking with the girls in front of her desk. They must have noticed that I woke up because they are waving at Kelly in my direction.
He walks into his office and sits down next to me, "the shift is over so you and I are going to go back to my apartment quietly and it's not up for discussion".
We are at Kelly's apartment sitting on his couch. We've been sitting there together for ten minutes already, I'm comfortably settled in his arms but I still don't know how to break the news to him. "When you're ready to talk, Lia, whatever you want to tell me, whether it's about the intervention or anything else, I'll be there, Malia. I'll always be here" Kelly tells me. I decide it's time to tell him. It doesn't matter if it's not the way I would have liked to tell him.
"There's something I need to tell you. I keep pushing it away, but it can't go on like this" I say, readjusting my position to look at him. "Monday while waiting for you at my apartment, I realized something that will turn our lives upside down. I don't know if you will be ready. Personally, I've just really registered the news" I tell him, looking him in the eye.
"What is it, Lia? You're starting to worry me, you know" Kelly replies. A tear escapes me, I grab his hand, put it on my belly and tell him "I'm pregnant".
For a few moments, he doesn't react. Then he starts asking me a billion questions at the same time. Then he starts kissing me all over my face. I take his hands in mine and start explaining to him how I found out and tell him that I have an appointment at the maternity ward of the hospital where I work on Wednesday after the shift.
We spend the rest of our days off talking about our unborn baby. It's one of the only times since Renee has been back that we've really been spending time just with each other without interruptions. And he needed it as much as I did.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
