Chapter Text
A few years later...
"I did not volunteer to be your birthing partner." Trudy snapped as she helped Kim into a seat. Despite Sergeant Platt's sharp words, Kim could see the shake in her hand as she rang for an ambulance and then for Jay and then shouted down the stairs for someone to get over to Firehouse 51 already and give the ambulance a police escort. "Where the hell is Halstead when you need him?"
The baby was coming early.
Kim's waters had broken a few minutes previously and after freezing for a few seconds, being hit all over again by the fact that her baby was nearly there that she reached for the phone and rang down for Trudy to come to her as the rest of Intelligence were out.
"Okay, breathe in and out." Trudy instructed, her own breath more labored than Kim's.
Kim smiled at the Sergeant and rubbed her necklace between her thumb and forefinger for comfort. Something she had done many times since Jay had given it to her on their one year anniversary. A simple silver circle with an indent of the letter J for Jay on one side and a P for partner on the other.
The slim chain now held her engagement ring and wedding band as her fingers had slightly swollen in the last few weeks of pregnancy.
"Why aren't you breathing properly?" Trudy demanded, looking frazzled for the first time that Kim could ever remember.
"I'm breathing fine Sarge…" Kim argued back right before pain rippled through her abdomen and she reached blindly for Trudy's hand, wishing it was Jay's. "Ooh." She sighed as the pain passed.
Trudy squeezed her hand and put her other arm around Kim's shoulders, "It's okay. It'll be okay." Her voice had softened.
It was after the next contraction a few minutes later that Voight arrived back, rushing up the stairs, quickly followed by Kevin and Adam.
"Hey Kim, how are you doing?" Voight hunkered down in front of her, concern written all over his face.
"All good Sarge." She told him. Kevin and Adam looked almost comically alarmed that Kim was in labor in front of them, at a loss for what to do.
If she wasn't terrified herself, Kim would have found it hilarious that she was nearly the calmest person in the room. She just continued rubbing her bump in slow circles, just the way Jay had taken to doing when they were cuddled together over the last eight months.
Trudy had just started cursing about where the hell the ambulance was when Sylvie and Violet appeared. "Hey Mama to be," Sylvie greeted, "How is Mom and baby doing?"
The two paramedics put their gear bags and stretcher down and kneel down in front of Kim, "Any idea how far apart the contractions are?" Sylvie asked as another one hit.
"Eight minutes and forty five seconds since the last one." Trudy filled them in.
"Okay so…" Whatever Sylvie was about to say got cut off with a frantic call of Kim's name from downstairs.
Within seconds Kim nearly collapsed in relief as her husband appeared in her line of sight. He was by her side in an instant. Just where he had stayed for just over three years now. He pressed a kiss into her forehead, another on her temple and another on the back of her hand that he took in his hand.
"Are you okay?" Jay asked, somehow curling his entire body around her as if trying to protect her and the baby from the world. His tone somewhere between fear and excitement. He had been there when she had taken the positive pregnancy test and had shed happy tears just like she had as he had held her close to her for the rest of the night.
This was their baby.
After getting engaged and then spending a year happily married, they had both decided they had wanted to have a family. They just hadn't expected it to happen so soon after they had started trying.
And eight months later their baby was making an appearance.
"We're okay." She reassured him, brushing her face against Jay's chest to breathe him in. They were together. They could do anything.
The next contraction came quicker than expected, to the obvious surprise of the paramedics.
"I think it's time to get moving." Sylvie said in a calm tone and when no one moved, she sharpened her tone. "Now."
The Intelligence members and Trudy moved to action. Hailey ran to get Kim's second hospital bag that she was keeping in the District as a just in case measure. Voight shouted down the phone about clearing a way for the ambulance and Kevin and Adam helped to turn the gurney into a seat and Jay helped Kim into it.
Trudy still hadn't let go of Kim's other hand. Kim smiled despite the pain, it was just like at her wedding. Trudy had got emotional about losing Kim, though would deny it on pain of death, and Kim had been touched that Trudy cared that much. She had told her that she wasn't losing her, she was gaining Jay. Trudy had pretended to be annoyed at the fact, but Kim had come to believe that Trudy now loved Jay more than her.
Jay and Kevin double teamed to lift the gurney and Kim down the stairs and into the ambulance waiting for them outside.
"Hey, we'll all be right behind you." Kevin promised, "I can't wait to meet my little niece or nephew."
Jay jumped into the ambulance and sat beside Kim while Sylvie kept an eye on her from across the small space.
It didn't take long to get to Med, Kim could only imagine how many clearances Voight had to organize to get her there that fast but she appreciated it.
"You're more calm than Trudy is at this." Kim quipped at her husband whose hand she clenched when another contraction hit.
"Oh yeah?" He asked, tucking a stray lock of hair back behind her ear.
"Yeah you got this birthing partner thing down."
"Well you got this Mom thing down already." He smiled at her with the same tender expression he had when he saw her for the first time at their wedding as she walked down the aisle to him.
Kim wasn't even wheeled in the door of the hospital before Will appeared with Zoe in tow.
"Hey, how are we doing today?" Will grinned as he took over from the paramedics who wished Kim and Jay the best of luck and began wheeling her towards the elevator to the maternity floor.
"We're still not naming the baby Will, even if they are a boy." Jay quipped, never letting go of Kim's hand. Will had been nearly more excited about a new baby in the family than the expectant parents.
"I know the baby's a little early, but it shouldn't cause any complications." Zoe reassured her. Zoe, who had grown into a confident young woman who had just finished high school and was shadowing Will for the summer, her heart intent on becoming a doctor.
Christmas had come early for Will when Zoe said she wanted to follow in his footsteps.
By the time Kim was comfortable in her bed, the rest of the Intelligence had arrived and were waiting outside.
The doctor examined Kim and Sylvie's prediction was right, the baby was arriving imminently. The contractions came hard and fast and Kim fought with all her might. Jay held her as she pushed through the pain. The doctors and midwives barely had time to set up before the baby was coming.
"Okay, the baby is crowning, I see the head." The doctor said as Kim lagged against Jay. "I know this is fast but we're going to need one more push Kim."
"You got this." Jay whispered confidently into her ear. He had never not believed in her, not in all these years. "I love you."
Everything was happening so fast, the pain was blinding but Kim, feeling overwhelmed, gave one final push.
Kim had never heard anything so beautiful in her life until she heard the cries of her baby taking it's first breath in the world.
"You did it Kim, I'm so proud of you, I love you." Jay continued to whisper in her ear as Kim felt his tears falling on her face, mingling with her own.
"Hey Dad, you want to cut the cord?" One of the midwives asked and Jay looked at Kim for her okay to let go of her hand, to leave her side. She nodded wordlessly and he leaned in to peck her lips.
"It's a girl." The doctors ran some checks before handing the baby to Jay to bring to Kim.
They were both a mess as they said hello to their little girl.
After the doctors had finished up with Kim, Jay went to the waiting room to give everyone the good news.
Sylvie and Violet had put Ambulance 61 out of service to stick around for support and immediately rang back to the firehouse to deliver the news. Voight, Kevin and Vanessa had to go close up the case they were working on but Adam and Hailey took the chance to meet the newest member of their unit.
That was only after Trudy pulled Jay into what only could be described as a bear hug and told him how happy she was for them, then barged past him to see Kim.
Kim still couldn't tear her eyes away from the little baby nestled against her skin who had fallen asleep when Trudy appeared, with Jay trailing after her.
It would have to be something that neither Kim or Jay could repeat, that badass Sergeant Trudy Platt may have shed a few tears as she said hello to the baby.
"What's her name?"
Jay and Kim had had long conversations over it, and a hushed discussion a few minutes after she was born, but they both knew.
"Kate Trudy Halstead." Kim said, which just set 'big' Trudy off again. "Kate after Jay's Mom. And you because…" Kim felt herself losing her composure too, "because from the start I don't know if I could have lasted in Chicago without you and you've always looked out for me."
Trudy got a chance to hold Kate as Hailey and Adam came to say hello. "Hey, it's my new mini-partner." Hailey cooed.
"Yeah and you got a whole big family to look out for you." Adam chimed in, sharing a smile with Kim.
Kate was given back to Kim as Sylvie and Violet came in to say hello, reporting that Herrmann was going to give out a free round of drinks to everyone for the celebration, and that everyone couldn't wait to meet her.
The rest of the day was a blur of visitors, between Nicole, what seemed like the entire ED staff and half the 21st District, Kim was selfishly grateful when she got to be left alone with her baby and husband.
After the nurses had helped her to shower, she came back to the most perfect view in the world. There was nothing better than seeing Jay holding their baby to his bare chest for skin to skin contact while he murmured a sweet song to her.
Kim got back into bed, while Jay cradled their baby in the chair beside it.
"She has good timing." Jay told Kim as he stroked Kate's little face.
"Why's that?" Kim asked.
"Today's our anniversary."
Kim knew her brain was a little foggy from hormones but she couldn't be that off, "What are you talking about, our anniversary isn't for another six months."
"No, not that one." Jay clarified. "Today's the day that Voight partnered us up."
After the last doctor rounds, Kim and Jay settled in for the night, with Jay somehow managing to fit himself in at her side on the bed with Kate in her arms.
"You do know that hospital beds are usually for one person only?" Will asked with a smirk as he bid them goodnight, "It's been years and you still haven't learned that lesson."
Jay sent his brother a mock glare before placing a reverent kiss on Kim's temple where her scar had long since faded.
Kate was asleep and Kim could feel herself dozing off, with her head tucked into Jay's chest when a quiet knock came to the door.
Jay beckoned who ever it was in as Kim roused herself, only to find Voight coming in the door.
He was choked up seeing them and their baby, and Kim was glad he had stopped by. They had a lot to thank him for.
"She's going to be a great kid, and she's got the best people as her parents." Voight whispered.
"Hank," Jay said, "We wanted to thank you."
"What for?" Voight asked.
"If you hadn't partnered us up that day, our baby girl would never have been here."
Kim nodded in agreement as Voight bid them goodnight with a promise to call back the next day. Breathing Jay in as she fell asleep, thinking that she had gotten the best partner in the world