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Stella tended to ignore certain aspects of Kelly’s past. Don’t get her wrong, she loved her boyfriend, but the burnette tended to blur out the string of ex-girlfriends Kelly had racked up over the years. Maybe it was her own insecurities, or the fact that everything was going great for them right now, and she was doing everything in her power for it not to crash and burn like her relationships usually did.
Despite her penchant for ignoring Kelly’s past partners, Stella held respect for the majority of them. Given the reason ,she would be cordial and for the most part politically correct. However, there was one person whose misdeeds just couldn’t fly below Stella’s radar. Renee Royce.
That woman had lied to Kelly, she had turned his world upside down, and when he’d finally fallen in love and made peace with the reality of having a child she left. Renee left, and Stella knew- although Kelly never said anything, that her departure had broken the lieutenant's heart.
— — — —
They had all been watching TV, crowded around Mouch’s spot, staring intently at the news report of a fire at a school a few districts from 51. Cruz, and Cap were inhaling their food as if it were their last supper. Casey and Brett were whispering over some coffee.
Stella honestly couldn’t wait for them to finally get together.
Her and Kelly sat at the table behind the couch, laptop open, searching for a nice AriBnb to rent as a getaway the next month.
They’d been looking at a secluded cabin near wisconsin when Kelly’s phone rang. A look of confusion crossed over his face looking at the caller ID for a bit longer than normal before he picked up the call.
Whoever was on the other end of the phone sounded distressed, and immediately Kelly straightened up, ripping his arm from around Stella’s shoulders.
“Of course,” he said strain in his voice, “I’ll come as soon as shift is over. Yes, don’t worry I’ve got it covered.”
“Everything okay babe?” Stella asked as tension seeped into the man’s body.
“Ye, ye everything's good. I have to… uh- go finish a report,” he absentmindedly gave her a kiss and rushed out of the common room, leaving a perplexed Stella behind.
She really would’ve pondered further into Kelly’s behaviour, but right at that moment the bells rang, and kept ringing until the end of shift. As she quickly packed her bag she saw Kelly slam his locker closed in a hurry,
“Hey Kel’ what do you want for dinner?” The lieutenant barely glanced at her as he quickly mumbled how he didn’t mind, and rushed out the door without even a smile, “Wait Kelly! You said you were going to-“ She saw him jump into the car and speed down the street, “Take me to the testing center…” she finished, a frown on her face, and her gaze set on the empty street.
“C’mon Severide! Today is not a day for a gloomsday spiel of yours!” She screamed at the sky. She pinched the bridge of her nose and heard a twinkling laugh behind her.
“You need a drive?” Brett asked, smile on her face,
“Yes please!” She replied, smiling in gratitude, “My wonderful, loving, and doting boyfriend decided to back out on driving me. Last minute… and without telling me.”
“Oh you poor thing,” Brett laughed at Stella’s sulking, “C’mon girl I’ll take you. Fill in as interim-boyfriend”
—- — —
“Hey I’m home!” She called as she walked through the door, but no one answered. She fished out her phone and texted kelly:
(18:30)Hey where r u?
(18:31)Test group was shit…
The safety test was something all firefighters had to take every couple of years. A way to ensure every Chicago firefighter was up to date in safety precautions, and usually it was fine. However, Stella Kidd must have had the worst luck imaginable, and landed herself a bunch of dumbass testosterone high baboons as her testing group.
By the time she walked out of the building, soot in her hair and exhausted, all she wanted was to vent to her boyfriend and drink a cocktail. Life however, wasn’t being kind to her that day, which is what found her pacing around her living room, beer in hand, wondering where the hell her boyfriend was?!
(19:20)Everything good?
She heard her cellphone buzz and rushed to pick it up, “I swear he better have a good excuse,” However, the name on her phone wasn’t that of her stubborn boyfriend, but Natalie Manning.
(19:50) hey is everything ok at 51?
(19:50) dr.charles was in the waiting room upstairs and saw kelly
(19:50) said he looked off
(19:51) i texted him a while ago
(19:51) to check in
(19:51) but he isnt responding…
(19:51) i just wanted to check in.
Her brow furrowed in confusion, “What the hell are you doing at med Kelly?” She mumbled under her breath. His behaviour did seem to make more sense though. There was no use denying that he forgot to communicate with her many times during personal emergencies. Especially those regarding family; by blood or choice.
She grabbed her car key’s and rushed out the door, praying to anyone who was listening that Kelly hadn’t done anything stupid in an attempt to avenge a loved one.
— — — —
Stella always dreaded coming to med. While she loved the doctors and nurses who worked there, she much prefered catching up to them over a pint rather than the waiting room. She’d texted Natalie on the way there what floor Kelly was at, and quickly made her way there, hoping to get answers as soon as possible.
As she reached the waiting room, though, something made her stop in her tracks. She’d been expecting to see Kelly in need of assistance, reassurance, comfort, anything really. Instead she found a woman, a woman Stella despised with all her heart being comforted by a stressed out looking Kelly.
Stella saw red.
She knew, deep down, that there was a logical explanation as to why her boyfriend was hugging, but the fact that he’d ignored her. That he’d let her stress over if he was hurting, if he was in trouble, to then realize he’d once again been too consumed by fucking Renee Royce life to even text her, made her want to punch something.
Turning around the moment Kelly’s eyes locked with her’s she stormed out of Chicago Med, phone in hand and her best friend’s number dialed.
“Brett can I come over?”
————
Kelly knew he sucked at communication. To be honest that was probably why half of his relationships fell to pieces, but this time he’d fucked up royally. He’d done crazier stuff, sure, but he knew Stella hated it when he didn’t attempt to lean on her. Add the fact that he caught him comforting Renee and he knew for a fact that he was in the dog house.
When Renee called him in a frenzy, asking him if her could come to Med cause something was wrong with Nicholas he hadn’t thought twice.
He knew that they had decided to not really interact again, and he knew that he iced stella out, but he also missed the kid. Even if he wasn’t his biological son, some part of him longed to protect the kid. And, being totally honest he sort of missed Renee too. Even if it was just because of the rage she influxed into Stella (the sex that came afterwards was great).
He’d left the Med the moment Nicholas was stable and out of surgery, promising Renee to come back the next morning. In a way it had worked in his favor, giving stella a few hours to cool down…. Or maybe get more pissed off… he wasn’t sure.
Anyways, he silently rode his car to Brett’s house, cause that’s where you could always find Stella after a fight, and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.
It took a few minutes, but eventually a annoyed looking blonde paramedic opened the door, “She doesn’t want to see you”
“C’mon Brett, let me explain myself. It-“ Kelly began,
“Let me cut you off right there.” The blonde said frustration lacing her voice, “I don’t care what you did. I don’t care what noble, loyal reason you had to do it, you hurt her. You iced her out - again and we are in this position one more time. You begging at my door to be able to talk to your sulking and raging girlfriend.”
Kelly was sort of speechless… but Brett didn’t seem to mind.
“Now you are going to go to the terrace, and sit down and APOLOGISE, and then you will both leave and have some great sex or something because we both know you can’t stay mad at each other.” With a huff the blue eyed woman ended her rant by grabbing her purse from the kitchen counter, “Now if you don’t mind I’m meeting Casey at Molly’s.”
Kelly lowered his head in what looked like an apologetic position, but was really a way to hide the smirk at Brett’s obvious impatience to get to her date with a certain captain.
Once the door closed, however, the smirk disappeared from his face as he realized what came next.
— — — —
Stella was curled in Brett’s terrace chair, looking down at the city as if hoping the noise could drown her jealousy.
She knew the moment Kelly walked up beside her, and made a distinct point to not look over her shoulder at him.
The man in question cleared her throat, “I’m sorry”
Stella scoffed, it was a good start, but he had to do better than that.
“I’m sorry I iced you out, and that I didn’t tell you about Renee. I know I said I’d take you to the test and I didn’t, and that I worried you and-“
“Why didn’t you tell me it was her?” Stella whispered, “Anyone but her,”
“It wasn’t like that. She just needed my help, and I couldn’t deny her that!” Kelly exclaimed.
“Then help her and leave it to the professionals. Or at least let me know you are going to be at her beck and call, and kiss all her boo boo’s!” Stella screamed the rage she had been feeling over the whole day bubbling to the surface, “But the thing is you didn’t want to tell me because you still have feelings for her! Maybe it's not as over as you always promise it is!”
“Maybe I do so what?!” Kelly replied voice risen and arms spread wide,
“So what?! So everything!” Stella looked at the man infront of her incredubly, “Kelly she hurt you. She betrayed you! And yet when she needed you she surpassed my needs! Not even that buy you didn’t have the decency to let me know!”
A look of confusion crossed over Kelly’s face, “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about how maybe, today, after every fucking testostorone ridden figherfighter at the test stared at me like I was meat I wanted my boyfriend to comfort me! Or go kick their asses! Or tell me it wasn’t my fucking fault, and that I wasn’t sending mixed signals, because I’m not even sure at this point!” Stella had tears shinning in her eyes, and it broke Kelly’s heart to see her broken. To see her break in a way her rarely witnessed, “Maybe, Kelly, what I wanted was to be sitting at home drinking a beer with my boyfriend and not him running around to comfort a woman who conned him.”
Kelly looked speechless, “Stella, baby…” He paused and, walked towards the burnette eyes straing deep into her soul, “Stell’ my relationship with Renee is complicated. I spent months thinking I was going to have her child, and I can’t lie that I was very happy those months, so yeah - her and me there are a lot of unresolved feelings to go around.” Stella turned her head to look at the city,
“So why did you rush to the hospital?” Stella asked, strained voice, “Why didn’t you even tell me, and then not come home?”
“Nicholas”, Stella’s head whipped back at the name, “It was Nicholas who was hurt, so yes I went to comfort Renee”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we agreed to communicate, to talk about this kind of stuff. You dropped everything, ignored me completely for her!” Confusion and slight anger lacing the woman’s voice,
“You...” a look of realization crossed Kelly’s face, “You were jealous because you thought I put her first… I didn’t put her first. I put Nick first.”
Stella looked away once more. Kelly sighed, “Stell’... I still love that kid. I know he ain’t mine but I still love him. And while Renee and I may no longer be together, and it might have ended horribly, she is still part of my life, and she and I will always have a bond”
Kelly heard a sniffle from his girlfriend and sat down gently on the couch besides her, “They may be part of my life, and I will always have a place in my heart for them, but it's tiny and minuscule compared to yours.”
Stella looked at him from the side of her eye,
“I am so sorry I wasn’t there for you babe,” Kally said, “And believe me I’m gonna kill the other participants, I’ll storm their firehouses and-“ Stella’s hand wrapped around his wrist and stopped him mid-sentence.
“Shhh...Can we just stay here for a bit. Deal with the world later?”
Kelly’s gaze softened, “Yes, of course. And babe, I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay… we’ll be okay”, and yes, maybe it took a while and there was still roads and bridges to cross, but if Stella kid knew one thing, it that you have to appriciate the small moments. Especially those good one born out of shitty days.
“Now shut up and kiss me.” Kelly did say the makeup sex was always great.