Title: Fight
Author:
tiny
Summary: Olivia collapses at work and Elliot drives her to
the hospital.
Disclaimer: not. mine.
CHAPTER 3
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2005
It had been another long night. Olivia didn't really remember much aside from staring into the toilet until she finally just fell asleep on the bathroom floor. She threw up until there was nothing left. Then she had the dry heaves. She couldn't decide which was worse. She hated throwing up but at least there was a little bit of reprieve when she was done. Even if it was just for a short time, at least she felt better.
She wanted to call Cragen and tell him that she wasn't coming in, but she knew that wasn't a possibility. It was rare for her to miss work. So if she started taking off, people were going to start to wonder what was going on. And Olivia desperately wanted to keep this situation quiet.
She tried to reassure herself that it would all be over soon. She had called earlier in the week and made an appointment for Monday at the clinic. She didn't feel good about the decision she was making, but she felt it was the only decision she could make. There were just too many reasons why she couldn't continue with the pregnancy.
It was not like this was planned or even expected. There was no relationship to create a family from, and she wasn't cut out to be a single mother. She may have been an independent woman, but raising a child was a completely different realm of life which she wasn't well-prepared for.
She wished she could make the choice to give the child up for adoption, but there were so many things holding her back. Olivia grew up never truly knowing where she came from. Half of who she was...was missing from her life. And what she did know of her genes, it didn't offer to ease her mind at all. It had taken her many years to come to terms with her identity and sense of self. She didn't want to put a child through that. And open adoption didn't seem much better. She imagined that would bring to light just as many questions.
And for selfish reasons, it was just out of the question. She'd have to disclose the name of the child's father, which could only be determined by a paternity test. There was no way she intended to step into that trap. Regardless of what kind of person that made her out to be, she wanted to stay as far away from that issue as possible.
Olivia breathed a heavy sigh. She didn't want to think about it anymore. She picked herself up off the floor and got into the shower. The hot water ran over her body and helped to soothe her nerves. She'd come to realize that, lately, showering was her favorite part of the day.
After the shower, she stared into the mirror above the sink. Her face looked pale and tired. She just didn't have the energy to take the time to hide it. She opted for some lip gloss and just threw her hair into a ponytail. It didn't matter what she did; it wasn't going to change how she felt anyway.
Once she arrived at the squad, everyone was already busy with work. She grabbed a glass of water and sat down at her desk. She knew she probably wouldn't drink it though. It seemed even water didn't sit well with her anymore.
She tried to concentrate as her fellow detectives briefed their captain on the Corrigan case. So far there wasn't much to tell. The case had turned into an ugly he-said-she-said battle. Even the detectives were unsure who to believe at this point. They all agreed that the guy was an asshole, but so far they didn't have a smoking gun to nail him for raping his girlfriend.
Olivia could feel her stomach churning again. If she left the room right now, everyone was going to notice. She knew she was going to have to wait it out a little while. But the more she sat there, the worse she felt. Her face was getting warm and she was beginning to feel dizzy. She was starting to panic, but she couldn't decide what she needed to do about it.
Elliot looked over at his partner. He noticed she wasn't paying attention and her breathing seemed a bit erratic. "Liv? You okay?"
She could only manage a slight nod. She decided to try to make it to the bathroom after all, but as she stood the room began to spin. Elliot managed to move just in time to catch her before she fell to the floor.
"Olivia, are you alright?" he asked again. As she regained consciousness, she pushed away from Elliot who backed off a bit to give her some space.
"I'm fine. I just don't feel very well."
"Do you want us to call a bus?" Cragen asked, already knowing the answer.
"No, really, I'll be fine."
Cragen glanced over at Elliot, who didn't seem convinced either. "Well, I would feel better if a doctor checked you over to make sure everything is fine."
"I'll even drive you," Elliot offered.
Reluctantly, she agreed. She'd never admit it to her coworkers, but she was a bit worried herself.
"You doing alright?" Elliot asked as he started the sedan. "You look like shit."
"Gee thanks, Elliot." She rolled her eyes. "I just don't feel well. I'm sure it's nothing."
"Yeah. Right."
"What is that supposed to mean?" she snapped back.
"What? Nothing! What'd I say?"
She stared at him for a moment. Perhaps he wasn't intending to be so condescending about it. "Nothing. Sorry. I'm just tired."
The rest of the drive was quiet. Once they got to the hospital the conversation in the car was already forgotten. Olivia filled out some paperwork, and a nurse came to get her shortly thereafter.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No!" she said, hurriedly. He gave her a puzzled look and she continued. "Elliot, I'm a big girl. I can do this by myself."
He smiled and gave her a shrug. "Alright. I'll just wait here then."
Olivia followed the nurse. She was glad to be away from Elliot for awhile. It was too unnerving to be around him, all things considered. There was no way she could tell him what was going on, so having him here with her made it even more uncomfortable.
"Well, you have a slight temperature, and your blood pressure is low. Have you been sick at all?"
"Umm. Well I'm pregnant. I've been pretty sick most of the time."
"Have you been able to keep much food or liquid down?" Olivia shook her head.
"Alright. Well, the doctor is going to want to run a urinalysis and complete blood count but you're probably dehydrated."
After the tests were completed, the nurse started Olivia's IV to put liquids back into her system. They also gave her a shot of Phenergan to help with the nausea. The doctor had even offered to write her a prescription for something she could take to keep the morning sickness at bay. She didn't tell him that she probably wouldn't need it much longer.
"Now, this will make you very sleepy. Is your husband still here to drive you home?"
"My what? Oh, he's not my husband. That's my partner. I'm a detective," she clarified after the initial shock.
"I apologize," the nurse said with a smile. "Here are your discharge papers. I'll get you a chair and let him know you're ready to go home."
The nurse was right. The medication did make her sleepy. The entire drive, she struggled to remain awake. She didn't even complain as Elliot held her arm and helped her up to her apartment. She was so worn out, it was all she could do to muster the strength to fall into bed. Elliot tucked her in and walked back to the kitchen table. He took her discharge papers and prescription out of his pocket and sat them down. However something on the paper caught his eye.
"Follow-up with your OB."
