New Beginnings: A Stellaride Story

Treasured Moments

Shift had just started, and even though he had already had two cups of coffee at home, Kelly still felt like a zombie. Stella was still having restless nights almost every night, which meant he was too. In hopes of feeling more alive, Kelly headed into the common room to grab himself a third cup of coffee.

Like most mornings, the common room was filled with the majority of the firehouse getting breakfast before their morning briefing. Stella walked into the common room and saw Kelly standing there, pouring himself a cup of coffee, still looking absolutely exhausted. "Two cups of coffee didn't work, huh?" she said as she walked up next to him. "Third one's always a charm," he joked, taking a sip. "So, Dr. Cooper just called. She has my test results back," Stella said, trying to be discreet. "And?" Kelly asked. "She says everything looks great but wants us to make an appointment to go over everything in a little more depth," Stella replied. "Okay. Have you made an appointment yet?" Kelly asked. "No, I wanted to check with you first. You don't have anything after shift, do you?" Stella asked. "No, I don't think so," Kelly replied. "Awesome, how about straight after shift tomorrow? Say 9am?" Stella asked. "That's perfect," Kelly said.

Chief Boden walked past the common room and into the briefing room, signalling it was time for their morning briefing. Kelly and Stella walked into the room, following everyone else, and stood along the back wall together like they always did. Just as Boden started talking, Stella leaned over and whispered in Kelly's ear, "Oh, and Dr. Cooper said we can also find out the sex if we want." A big smile appeared across Kelly's face as he attempted to contain his excitement.

Walking into Dr. Cooper's office after shift, both Kelly and Stella were full of nerves and excitement. The more things progressed, the more real everything started to feel. They both sat down across from Dr. Cooper, their nerves almost getting the better of them. "So, like I mentioned on the phone, I have your blood test results back," Dr. Cooper said. "Everything looks good, your baby is healthy, and everything seems to be progressing accordingly," she continued before diving further into the details of the test results.

"Now, tell me again, did you want to know the sex of your baby?" Dr. Cooper asked. Kelly and Stella both turned and looked at each other before simultaneously saying, "Yes." Dr. Cooper shuffled through her paperwork, looking for the right piece of paper. She quickly read over it before saying, "Okay, so it looks like you're having a girl. We will confirm this at your mid-pregnancy ultrasound appointment, but these blood tests are normally pretty accurate." Kelly reached over and grabbed Stella's hand, squeezing it tight. They both looked at each other with the biggest smiles on their faces, trying to contain their happiness and excitement.

"Hey babe, I'm heading to Molly's," Stella said as she grabbed her bag, ready to head out the door. Kelly walked into the room, and Stella looked over towards him, saying, "It's only inventory. I'm not working tonight, so I should be home around 6:30pm." "Cool. No worries. Love you," Kelly replied, leaning in and kissing her goodbye. "Love you too. Bye," Stella said, walking out the door and heading off to Molly's.

Stella walked back into the house, exhausted. Inventory at Molly's was always a beast, even on a regular day, but pregnancy tipped it over the edge. As she walked into the living room, Stella noticed the rose petals scattered all over the floor, and the lit candles that illuminated the room. "Kelly, what's all this?" she asked, a little confused. Walking in from the kitchen dressed in the navy suit that Stella loves, Kelly said, "Well, I know these last couple of weeks have been a little rough, so I thought I would try to take your mind off everything." "Mmm, and this is why you're my perfect man," Stella said, walking towards him. "Plus, you do look damn good in the suit." Kelly laughed before saying, "I ordered your favourite deep-dish pizza from Pizano's with extra cheese, just the way you like it. The freezer is also stocked with all the ice cream you can eat. I even made your absolute favourite, chocolate milkshakes that are way better than the ones at the Harlo Diner." Stella walked up to Kelly and wrapped him in her arms, saying, "Oh, you know me so well. How did I get so damn lucky, huh?"

As they snuggled up on the couch, watching the Blackhawks game, Stella was almost falling asleep. Kelly reached over and grabbed a paper bag that he had been hiding behind the couch. "So, a while ago I had this thing made. It's kinda cheesy, but, uh, anyway, here you go," Kelly said, handing Stella the bag. Stella pulled a navy blue baby onesie out of the bag and smiled. "You got our daughter a lieutenant's onesie," Stella said with a big smile. "Well, I mean, I got it before we knew we were having a girl, but now our daughter can be just like her strong, brave, and beautiful mom," Kelly replied, his voice full of emotion. "Oh, and there's also this," Kelly said as he pulled a box out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Stella. Stella opened the box, and her eyes started to fill with happy tears as she said, "Kelly, this necklace is beautiful. I love it, thank you. You really didn't have to do this." "I know. I just thought that when our baby girl gets here, we can add her initials on there alongside ours, so that no matter where we are, we will always be together," said Kelly. Trying not to cry, Stella looked over at Kelly and said, "I really don't know what I did to deserve you. I love you, Kelly." "I love you too," Kelly replied before pulling his wife towards him and lovingly kissing her.