New Beginnings: A Stellaride Story

Breaking Point

"Kelly's not here at the moment; he's still on shift," Stella says, a little confused. "Oh, I didn't even think of that. I just thought I would surprise both of you," they said. "Oh sure, have you eaten?" Stella asks. "I was just about to order in," she continues. "Oh, I'm fine, thank you. It's been a long day of delayed flights. I think I'll just go take a shower and head to bed," they replied. "Sure, no worries. The guest bedroom is just down the hall to the left, and the bathroom is right across from it," says Stella. "Thank you. I'll see you in the morning," they say as they head down the hall.

Stella rushes over to the couch and grabs her phone, dialling Kelly. "Pick up, pick up," she says, as the phone rings. "Hey babe," Kelly says as he answers the phone. "I was just about to call you. How are you?" he asks. "Kelly, your mom is here," Stella says in a stressed tone. "Wait, what? She didn't tell me she was coming," Kelly says, confused. "Yeah, she just randomly showed up with a very large suitcase like she was looking to move in or something," her tone sounding more stressed the more she spoke. "I thought we made it very clear that we didn't want her to do this. You need to fix this, Kelly. I just don't think I can deal with it," she continues. "Okay, it will be okay. I'll talk to her after the shift and find out what's going on," Kelly replies. "Squad 3, Ambulance 61, person trapped, 500 block W Garfield Blvd." "That's me; I've gotta go. I will get this sorted. I love you," Kelly says as he gets himself ready for the call. "I love you too. Be safe," Stella says back. "I promise," Kelly says as he rushes out of his office to the app floor.

Unsure of the situation he was walking into, Kelly hesitates for a second before opening the front door. He walks into the house and sees his wife leaning on the kitchen counter. "Hey," Kelly says with a big smile on his face as he sees his wife. The smile quickly fades as Stella says, "Kelly, she has to go now. She hasn't even been here 24 hours, and she's already judging everything I do like I'm making all the wrong choices. I just can't do it, Kelly." "Okay, where is she?" Kelly questions. "She went out on a walk. She's been gone a while, so I think she might be back soon," Stella says as they hear the door open. "Hi Kelly," Jennifer says as she walks in the front door. "Mom, what are you doing here?" Kelly asks as he turns around to face the front door. "I just thought I'd come down and surprise the two of you," Jennifer replies. "No, that's not it," Kelly says, trying to get more information out of her. "What? I just can't come visit my son and daughter-in-law?" Jennifer says, trying not to expand on her answer. "Mom," Kelly says, not happy with her response. "Okay, fine. I know you said you didn't want my help, but I kept thinking about how it was when I was pregnant with you, and your father was on shift all the time, and how hard it was on me. I just thought that maybe Stella could use a little extra support," Jennifer says, finally giving the answer they were looking for. "You could have at least told us you were coming," Kelly says. "I wanted it to be a surprise," Jennifer says, trying to convince them of her actions. Still really annoyed at Jennifer, Stella says, "I'm doing just fine. I'll be fine." "You might think you're doing fine now, but you're only a few months into your pregnancy, and it's only going to get harder from here. I'm speaking from experience," Jennifer says, trying to justify them needing her help. Getting extremely frustrated, Stella says, "Kelly is not Benny. For as long as I've known you, you've always said that he is Benny. You need to stop comparing the two." "I'm not saying that Kelly is exactly his father, but he is his father's son. I've been through this situation before with Benny. I know what I'm talking about; you don't," Jennifer says. In complete utter disbelief and frustration, Stella says, "I can't do this," before walking off. "Come on, Mom. Stella's already going through a lot, and you're just making it worse," Kelly says, defending his wife. "She just needs space and time and to do things at her own pace. She doesn't need someone to tell her what to do and how it should be done. She's just trying to adjust to all the changes, and it's been a little harder than we both expected," Kelly continues. "I didn't mean to make things worse. All I wanted to do was help. I was planning on staying a while, but I'll cut my trip short and stay out of your hair until you say you would like me to come and help. I'll go home at the end of the week if that's alright. I can make myself busy until then and stay out of Stella's way," Jennifer says, trying to make things right. "Thank you for understanding. We appreciate you wanting to help. You're always welcome here. Like I said, Stella just needs a little time. I'm going to go check on her," Kelly says before leaving the kitchen.

Kelly heads upstairs into their bedroom where he sees Stella standing in front of the mirror, tracing her baby bump with her hands. "Hey, are you okay?" he asks as he walks up behind her, wrapping her in his arms and placing his hands on hers. "I feel bad. I know your mom just wants to help, but I..." Stella says before Kelly cuts her off, saying, "Hey, it's okay; she understands. She knows she overstepped. She's going to stay out of your way. It's okay." "I still feel bad," Stella says as she turns around and nestles into Kelly's chest. "Don't feel bad. It's all okay," Kelly says, pulling her in tight. "We don't have to go to the gala tonight if you don't feel like it," Kelly says, changing the conversation. "No, we can go. It's your night, Kelly. Nobody deserves this award more than you do. I am so proud of you," Stella says as she holds on tight to Kelly. Lost for words, Kelly just looks down at his wife and smiles.

"Wow, you look stunning," Kelly says as Stella walks out of the bathroom. "You don't look so bad yourself," she says as she walks over to Kelly and straightens his bow tie. "Ready to go?" Kelly asks. "I think so," Stella replies as they head down the stairs. "Have a fun night, you two," Jennifer says as they head out the front door. "It might be the last one you have for a very long time," she continues. Stella takes a deep breath, trying not to let her anger get the best of her and shoots Kelly a frustrated look. "We shouldn't be home too late," Kelly says as they head out the front door.

"Club soda?" Kelly asks as he and Stella make their way into the gala. "Yes, please," Stella replies as Kelly heads off to the bar. Stella heads further into the gala to mingle when she hears someone say, "Lieutenant Kidd." "Deputy Commissioner," Stella says as she turns around to face DC Hill. "I hear congratulations are in order. I heard you are expecting." "Ah, yes, thank you," Stella says as she feels Kelly's hand run along her back. "Deputy Commissioner, you remember my husband, Kelly," Stella says as he joins the two of them. "Ah, yes, Lieutenant Severide, good to see you," DC Hill says. "Likewise," Kelly replies. "Excuse me, Deputy Commissioner, you are needed," one of the workers says. "If you'll excuse me," DC Hill says as she follows the worker. As soon as she leaves, Kelly feels a hand on his shoulder as he hears an all too familiar voice say, "Kelly, it's been a while." "Commissioner," Kelly says as Grissom steps in front of him. "It's good to see you," Kelly says hesitantly. "You remember my wife, Stella," Kelly continues. "Good to see you again," Grissom says as he extends his hand to shake Stella's. "So, what is this I hear about you finally transferring to OFI?" Grissom asks. Stella takes a step back from Kelly, utterly shocked by what she just heard, and shoots him a look of "What the hell is he talking about?" "Well, uh, um," Kelly says as he starts to answer the Commissioner's question.