✸ 2 months later ✸
The moment Kevin knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Madigan will forever stay in his mind.
It had been a normal workday at the precinct. A new case hadn't been taken up yet and they were all working on paperwork. Every single officer and detective behind their desks and Sergeant Hank Voight behind the desk in his office.
Whatever Kevin did, Madigan always stayed in his mind. Of course, when they were running after criminals, he focused on them to keep his fellow officers safe. But at the back of his mind was Madigan, reminding him to be as safe as possible, he didn't want to leave her alone, he would never want to do that. He also couldn't imagine being without her anymore.
And just as Kevin paused working, he heard footsteps coming up. Everyone looked towards the stairs and saw Trudy Platt coming up with someone else behind her.
"Look who I have here!" Platt said with a not often seen smile and stepped aside. As soon as everyone saw Madiagan they all jumped up and walked towards her.
Kevin just observed how happy all his coworkers, his family members, were to see her. Over the months they had been together, Madigan had truly become a part of their family.
He felt happy to see everyone hugging and welcoming her. Adam quickly took the Tupperware boxes from her hands and put them on his own table.
Kevin shook his head at Adam who already had a half-eaten cookie in his said and said with his mouth full: "Damn Mads, you make the best damn cookies in town!"
Kevin walked towards Madigan and said to Adam Ruzek, "I agree but damn, don't talk with your mouth full, dawg."
Kevin stopped next to Madigan and wrapped his arms around her shoulders tightly, "Hey, baby."
"Hey, Kev."
Kevin looked down at her and saw Madigan looking up with a big smile on her face and his heart filled with warmness. His heart was happy.
Madigan looked at Adam as he seemed frozen, he just stared at her for seconds without blinking.
"What's up?" she asked with a smile still on her face. She just felt so happy to see him that she couldn't wipe it off of her face
"I'm just happy to see you," Kevin smiled at her, "and leave me some of those damn cookies too, Ruz," Kevin quickly walked towards the cookies.
Madigan laughed and followed him. At that exact moment, Sergeant Voight walked out of his office.
"Hey, kiddo!" Hank greeted Madigan.
"Hey, Hank!" Madigan greeted him with a big smile and walked up to him to give him a hug. They hugged for a few seconds and after Madigan offered him a cookie and they fell into a completely comfortable conversation.
A few months ago all the people Kevin worked with, including Kevin himself, used to be completely bewildered by how those two got along. Hank quickly became a father figure for Madigan and Madigan became like a foster daughter for him. Madigan is one of the few people who can make Hank smile and laugh so much.
And that itself made Kevin so happy. He knew how much Madigan still hurt, and probably always will, because of losing her parents. And while they won't ever be the same, they, and Hank Voight, still can be someone she can count on forever.
And that moment, Kevin knew. He knew that he wanted to be with her forever. He couldn't have ever imagined that he would find someone who could fit with his family this way. His work is crazy and dangerous but Madigan knows that and is getting more and more comfortable with that. She knows that he will do whatever it takes to be home at the end of the day.
And he knows that he won't ever want to be without her.
He knows that Madigan is the woman he wishes to marry.
✸✸✸
And that realization happened two months ago.
Today everyone had gathered together at Molly's.
Everyone from The Intelligence. Everyone from Med. And everyone from Firehouse 51. They had all gathered together for a reason. A reason that was unbeknownst to Madigan.
The woman who was set to arrive in any time now.
Kevin stood almost right in the middle of Molly's when he felt a slap on his shoulder.
"You ready to do this, man?" Adam Ruzek asked from next to him.
"Absolutely, Ruz," he nodded.
Both of them saw the door to Molly's open and Hailey and Kim step in with Madigan coming in last.
"Showtime," Ruzek said and stepped away to the side.
Kevin greeted his girlfriend as he always does. With a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Madigan had become so well with crowds, especially at Molly's, most of it was because she felt so welcomed and loved by who were here, but she has still come such a long way. And anxiety is a hard thing to fight.
And Kevin was so proud of her. And hoped that the night would go as he wished in his dreams last night.
Kevin ordered Madigan his favourite soda and himself a beer and walked to the table everyone from Intelligence had gathered around.
Next, they heard a fork clanging against a class and they looked towards the bar where Herrmann stood.
"Let's start the Friday night off with a toast," he said and slightly raised his class towards Kevin.
Every single person at Molly's looked at Keving as he stood up straighter.
"First of all, I'm so glad that you all could be here today at this fine Friday evening. We all have had a long week of working but today could be the best day of my life and I wouldn't want any one of you, my family to miss this," Kevin started his toast and Madigan felt slightly confused. Is there something she's missing or forgot?
"Now, Madigan," Kevin said and turned to look at her and only her.
"Yes?" she asked with a smile. And everyone around them immediately smiled a little too.
"I love you, Mads. And a few months ago at the district, I realized something. It was the day you brought us cookies. Well one of them because you do that often," everyone let out a laugh at that, including Madigan, " I realized that I didn't want to, couldn't, live without your cookies anymore. Without seeing how happy you make everyone around you. Months ago you wrote a poem about how I was like a ray of sunshine in your life. But you are actually the one who is the sun. You've worked so hard on yourself and I'm so proud of how far you've come and how you shine like the sun. I love you, Madi. And I don't know what I would do without my sun." Kevin continued his toast and tears started coming down Madigan's face. Even Stella, Brett, Mouch, Kim and a few others were wiping their eyes.
"So, Madigan Blaine," Kevin got down on one knee and pulled out a box from his jeans pocket, "will you do me the absolute honour and marry me," he finished and opened the box.
What Madigan saw was the perfect ring she could've imagined. Just a few months ago they had talked about rings and Madigan had mentioned how she always wanted to remember her parents. Their favourite colour had been blue and she explained how her mother's engagement ring had looked like. The ring Kevin had chosen had so many similarities and it was beautiful. He remembered.
Madigan looked Kevin in the eyes, said 'yes' multiple times and wrapped her arms around Kevin's shoulders. Kevin hugged her back and Madigan heard him whisper 'thank god'.
They were broken out of their trance with cheers going on all around them. And as everyone rushed to hug and congratulate them, they knew.
They knew that this is their family.
They knew that they would be here for the rest of their life.
As long as they both shall live.