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"I'm so glad you're back."
"Of course."
Kelly didn’t move from the crook of Stella’s neck, hugging her for a little while.
“Ok, Kelly, you’re suffocating me.” Stella said laughing.
“Oh, sorry, sorry.”
He stood up again not letting go of Stella’s hand.
“I’m really glad you’re ok.”
“What? You thought I wasn’t going to be? I had to be ok or else I couldn’t rub it in your face that I was about to save you like the amazing firefighter that I am.”
“Key word: about. You were about to save me. I saved myself.”
“Oh yeah, by dangling on the outside of a building! What were you thinking!?”
“I had to get the kid out and that was the only way out.”
“There was a kid with you!?”
“Yeah.”
“Ok, ok so let me get this straight. You dangled from a building at a super high height, with a kid attached to you.”
“Um, yeah pretty much.”
“Kelly! You’re insane! But… I didn’t expect anything less from you.”
“Exactly. And I should be the one questioning what were you thinking!? Ignoring your low air warning! What’s up with that?”
“I didn’t think it was that low.”
“The alarm went off, Stella.”
“I know, I know. Look, you needed help, and Herrmann and I were the only ones who could’ve helped you. I couldn’t leave Herrmann all by himself.”
“You could’ve gone out and changed your air bottle then have gone back in.”
“Kelly, we both know there was no way I could’ve done that. That would’ve taken too long and you would have burnt like a roasted chicken and I couldn’t let that happen.”
“So, instead you thought it was a good idea to let yourself possibly burn like a roasted chicken and ignore that you were about to suffocate?”
“Well, when you put it like that, it sounds like a really bad decision. But it was not.”
“Yes, it was.”
“No, it wasn’t and I stand by it.”
“Listen, I don’t ever want you to put yourself in danger, at all. Let alone if it’s to come and rescue me. I’ll find a way out. I always do. And when I do find my way out, you need to be standing there, completely in the clear, waiting for me. Don’t put yourself in more danger.”
“Let me get this straight. You get to do all kinds of crazy shit, scare the crap out of me, have my heart race a million times per second and completely stressing. But when I put myself in a little bit more danger-.”
“A lot more danger.”
“A LITTLE BIT more danger and you’re going to freak out on me?”
“Stella, I don’t care about what happens to me. I care about what happens to you. I will freak out even if you have a little scratch on you.”
“Yeah, but Kelly I care about what happens to you. Just like you’re freaking out on me now and how you freaked out before, and don’t say you didn’t because April told me you punched the damn wall, which we’ll talk about after, I feel the same way when you’re in danger.”
“Oh. I never thought about it like that. I just want you to be safe”
“I want you to be safe too. Look, we both know that we’ll end up putting ourselves in danger to make sure that the other ones ok, we just gotta be more careful next time.”
“I’ll always be there to save you, Stella. No matter what.”
“So will I, Kelly.”
“But don’t ignore big threats that could end up killing you.”
“I won’t if you won’t.”
“I won’t.”
“Then I won’t either.”
“Okay.”
“Okay. Now, about you punching the wall. Would you care to explain?”
“There’s really not that much to explain.”
“Um. Clearly there is Kelly.”
Kelly rolled his eyes and tried to figure out how to explain it to Stella.
“I got mad at Herrmann.”
“What do you mean you got mad at Herrmann?”
“He was supposed to have your back and he didn’t!”
“Kelly.”
“He didn’t Stella. We always move in pairs so that if something happens the other one is there to help and he didn’t.”
“We were both preoccupied. Plus, I’m the one who didn’t tell him that my alarm went off. He wouldn’t have known.”
“Whatever. I was stressing and that turned into mild anger I guess, I don’t know. I was just worried that you weren’t going to be ok and I lashed out on him.”
“So, where does the wall come in? What did it ever do to you?”
“That was an accident. He told me you were trying to save me and I got mad at myself so I turned around to go somewhere else and the wall was right there.”
Stella starts laughing.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Cause I could just imagine you punching the wall then going “omg ouch that really hurt” and you trying to walk away without saying a word.”
“I’m glad you’re getting a good laugh out of my misery.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“No, I’m not.”
They both laugh together until they go silent for a couple of seconds.
“Look Kelly, please don’t blame yourself for any of this. I’m ok, now and everything will go back to normal really soon. Can you promise me that you’ll let all of this go?”
“I can’t. At least not right now but I’ll try.”
“Ok, that’s fine. Just know that I don’t blame you. Not one bit.”
“Thanks, Stella.”
“But there is one thing I will need you to do, that’s non negotiable.”
“Anything. What is it?”
“You need to apologize to Herrmann.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Kelly!”
“Stella, that’s embarrassing!”
“Hey! You were in the wrong and you should have never yelled at him.”
“But-.”
“Nope. I said it’s non negotiable. It’s either you apologize or I will start blaming you for all this.”
“Ok fine, fine, I’ll apologize.”
“Perfect. Now, can you get me a hamburger with fries please?”
“Of course. I’ll tell everyone they could come see you and I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you, Kelly.”
“Yeah, no problem.”
Stella pulls him in closer.
“No, really, thank you. They told me that you made sure that by the end of all this I would still be a firefighter so thank you.”
“I know how much firefighting means to you and I wasn’t going to let them take that away from you.”
Stella pulls him even closer and kisses him for the first time since the incident.
“Alright, get out. Go get me my food cause I’m starving and I’m getting hangry!”
“Yes ma’am!”
Kelly starts making his way to the door.
“Don’t call me ma’am!”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Kelly, stop it!!”
“Yes ma’am!”
“I hate you!”
“No, you don’t”
Kelly winks at her and rushes to get her food as Stella tries to hide her blush.