Questions And Answers...

Happy New Year, Babe.

So..  It's a new year for everyone... Enjoy.

♡♡♡♡♡

Did anyone ever say that having a newborn baby was easy? No? So why did Stella think it would be? As she hurried into the nursery, she caught a reflection of herself in the passageway mirror. Was that leaking breasts milk on her T? Or baby regurgitated milk? Actually, was there much of a difference? Her hair was pulled into a pony tail, dark shadows framed her brown eyes, giving them a sunken appearance, and her skin looked sallow. Oh god.. she looked like shit.

A few minutes later, Kelly came into the room, where once Stella and then Casey had roomed but it now belonged to Mia, Elizabeth Severide, decorated in soft whites and grays, standing in the doorway watching his daughter nurse at her momma's breast. If a heart could be described as being full, he would say his definitely was. It would be New Year's day in five minutes, and he had shift in the morning, but nothing was going to stop him seeing this day in with his two girls.

Stella was sitting in the rocker by the window, bathed in the lights from the city's night, and her daughter cradled to her chest.

"Hey."

Kelly knelt down by the rocker, laying his  head on the other side of Stella's chest so his face was next to Mia's, letting her curl her fingers around his thumb as she fed. The feeling that fluttered in his stomach, whenever she did that, never failed to shake him up.

The moment was as near perfect as anything could be. They both kissed the top of their daughter's head, breathing in her baby smell, nuzzling the soft tuft of dark hair that could have been inherited from either of them, and then brushed each other lips.

It was one of those moments Stella wished she could encapsulate forever, looking at him over their baby's head, everything they felt for each other, and their daughter mirrored in each other's faces.

The cloud and raindrops wall clock moved the hands together to meet at the number 12 and outside the sky lit up with shooting stars, and the sound of fireworks crackled. Chicago welcomed in another new year.
The night sky outside the window glowed with jewelled colors, as Kelly dropped a kiss across his wife's mouth.

"Happy New Year, babe." His face was tender, his voice husky.

They'd seen a few new years in together, some drunk and incoherent at Molly's, some during calls so not even registered and one at the firehouse where they lay in his bunk with the blinds down, and everyone had left them alone. But this one, neither would trade for anything.

"Happy New Year, baby." Stella's smile was tired but happy, her hand stroking his cheek. And then while still holding his cheek. "Happy New Year baby girl."
They both looked down at their daughter, her mouth working at her mom's breast, blissfully unaware of the celebrations going on across the world.

Mia, Elizabeth had arrived two days past her due date on August 19th, on a baking hot day when Stella had feet swollen to the size of an elephant in the 95 degree heat and had taken to sticking them in a can full of ice, for some respite. In fact, that's what she had been doing when bored senseless, she had driven to the firehouse to visit shift 2, when her waters had suddenly broken sitting at the Squad table with truck and Engine on the apparatus floor, with her feet buried into a pail. Mouch and Carver had gone pale when Stella had mumbled, wide-eyed.

"Could someone call Severide.....The baby's coming.

Seasoned dad, Hermann had taken immediate control, helping Stella into the Chief's wagon, while Ritter radio'd Lieutenant Severide who was just wrapping up at a small hazmat leak, to tell him that his wife was on her way to Med.