Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 12 “Relief,” picks back up on the family conversation between Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) after her close call in the One Chicago crossover. The last fans saw of Stella, she was taking a long hard look at her decision to put off starting a family. But where does she stand now?
As of now, Severide and Kidd haven’t completely given up on the idea of having a family. Instead, after the episode saw her welcome her cousin Cole (who she hasn’t seen in over a decade), Stella talks to Kelly and tells him she’s decided not to keep putting off things. She wants a family with him.
Of course, just because Stella has decided to face her fears about having a family, that doesn’t mean the decision she’s making is all that easy. Getting pregnant would still mean having to pause her career for a significant period of time when she just made Lieutenant, and that would significantly affect her. Stella is proud of her job and proud of what she has accomplished, so it’s understandable that she didn’t want to do that. But when she starts the conversation with Kelly about having a family, for a second there, it feels like maybe she’s changed her mind and we’ll get a Stellaride baby.
But Chicago Fire has one last twist for us: Stella tells Kelly that she doesn’t think she wants to get pregnant, though she does want a family. She wants to adopt. The show takes a beat as Kelly thinks about it, but it’s not even that long before he enthusiastically agrees. And honestly, it feels like a very good storyline for a couple that has already proven they can do things their way and be successful time and time again.
Adoption would allow the two to start a family without Stella having to take significant time off. It would also allow them to really divide up the responsibilities of parenthood. And though they didn’t talk about the details of adoption — whether they want to try to adopt a baby or an older kid — it feels like they would be really good parents regardless.
Of course, this can bring up other issues. Stella lost her mom and dad when she was young, while Kelly didn’t really have good role models in the parenthood department. Making the decision is a great step forward, but it’s just the beginning. Other issues will surely come up as the two actually start getting the ball rolling with starting a family. And wanting to adopt doesn’t mean they’re going to get a kid right away. It’s not as simple as that.
However, the fact that Chicago Fire is going there is a really good sign of their commitment to Stellaride. For a while, these two have been the backbone of Chicago Fire and this storyline will allow the show to continue telling stories about them that don’t feel stale. This is what happens in real life and what happens with couples. They grow, they change, and they make decisions together. And that at least means that whatever obstacles Chicago Fire throws at them will feel realistic.
