This chapter we get to find out the sex of the babies. We also get to see how they spend Christmas. There is also a hint at the season 10 episode PTSD.
Chapter 11
Casey lay in their bed watching the snow fall outside, while sipping hot chocolate. It was two days before Christmas and she and Olivia had a doctor's appointment that day, she was just waiting for Olivia to come home and take her. She was passing the time by halfway watching a Christmas movie on tv and making a list of everything they needed to do that afternoon. That evening they were to drive up to Casey's parents' house to stay the night and spend Christmas Eve together. They would drive back home that evening so Olivia could work her normal Christmas shift so an officer with children didn't have too. Granted Casey wanted Olivia with her on Christmas, but Olivia was only working until four, they would have the rest of Christmas day to spend together. Up until they met Olivia would pull a double on Christmas, but after she and Casey got together she no longer did that. Casey had wondered how they would spend Christmas once their babies were born. Olivia was the first to mention the subject and said that she had pulled her fair share of holidays, beginning next year she was going to be one of those officers with children who took the day off. Casey was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Olivia making her way through the apartment. She smiled as Olivia entered the bedroom "Hey"
"Hey yourself" Olivia said as she leaned in for a kiss. She then leaned down to kiss Casey's ever growing belly and say hello to her children. It was a habit she had developed and Casey absolutely loved it. "We need to leave soon for your appointment. The weather is fairly nasty out there and for some reason it's caused more traffic, so if we want to be on time we should leave soon. Is there anything you need me to do?"
"No I just need to go to the bathroom and change clothes. If you don't mind could you double check our bags to make sure we have everything to take to Mom's?" Casey said as she struggled to get up out of bed.
Olivia grinned as she helped Casey out of bed and made sure she was steady on her feet before letting go of her. After Casey had made it to the bathroom Olivia quickly changed her clothes and then began double checking their bags. She looked up when Casey walked out of the bathroom and she felt her mouth drop open. Casey had walked out wearing nothing but a pair of gray panties. Olivia had always thought Casey had a beautiful body, but she felt it has become even more beautiful since she was pregnant. She couldn't take her eyes off of her wife as she made her way across their bedroom toward the closet to get dressed.
"What are you starring at?" Casey asked with a slight grin as she began looking for something to wear.
Olivia walked over and wrapped her arms around Casey from behind and rested her hands on her belly. "You. Just when I think you can't get any more beautiful you go and surprise me again" she said as she began kissing Casey's neck and shoulder.
Casey turned in her arms and pulled her in for a kiss. She smiled when she pulled away "Okay detective you're the one who said we needed to leave. So as much as you hate it I have to get dressed" Olivia gave a small pout, but then smiled and went back to checking their bags. "Ugh" Casey groaned out.
"What's the matter?"
"I'm going to have to buy some more bras, these are getting small. I just bought them two weeks ago!" Casey said as she began trying to adjust herself so she wouldn't feel so uncomfortable.
"I happen to rather enjoy it" Olivia said with a grin as she gently cupped Casey's breasts. Olivia had noticed that they appeared to be growing as fast, if not faster than Casey's belly. And she was more than happy to admit that she enjoyed how big they had become.
"You wouldn't enjoy it if it was you who had gone a cup size in two weeks!"
Olivia laughed "Probably not, but you would"
Casey blushed slightly, that alone gave away the fact that yes she would definitely enjoy it if the situation was reversed. "Come on we gotta go" Casey said as she finished pulling on her shirt and headed out the bedroom door.
Olivia had just crouched down to help Casey with her boots when she heard Casey gasp and grab the side of her belly. "What's wrong?" Olivia said in a slightly panicked voice. Casey pushed on her belly again and looked at Olivia with a shocked expression "Case? Sweetheart what's wrong?" Olivia was becoming more worried with each second that Casey didn't answer her. Casey reached out and took Olivia's hand and placed it on the side of her belly and pressed down. Olivia looked worried for a moment, and then she felt it. At first it felt like a slight brush against her hand, and then she felt it again. This time it was a solid kick. She looked up with tears in her eyes and smiling like Casey had never seen "Was that… did it…it kicked didn't it?" Olivia finally stuttered out.
Casey nodded while laughing "Yeah it did" she quickly moved her other hand to the other side of her belly and could feel movement there as well too. She as well as Olivia had both of their hands on Casey's belly feeling for any more kicks or movement. "I think they're having a full blown party in there. Well that or they're fighting"
Olivia laughed "Our kids, fighting? Surely not" They sat there for a few more minutes seeing if their babies would move anymore before finally leaving for their appointment.
Olivia sat nervously bouncing her leg in the doctor's office. She was always a little anxious when they had a doctor's appointment, but she was even more anxious today. She stilled her leg when she felt Casey's hand on her knee. She looked over and smiled "Sorry"
"For what? I'm excited too"
Olivia squeezed Casey's hand "I just can't believe we might find out what we're having today. I mean do you still want to find out?"
Casey smiled "Absolutely! I just hope we're able to see what they are"
"Casey Benson?" the nurse called from the door. Casey stood, with Olivia's help, and headed back to the exam room. She thought how she would never get tired of being called a Benson. After they married she legally changed her name to Novak-Benson, but had continued to use Novak at work. It was just easier that way. However she preferred when people dropped the Novak and simply called her Benson. She sat through all the normal tests; getting her vitals taken and checking her weight. It had only been two weeks since her last visit and she couldn't believe she had gained more weight. "Well I guess you know this is all your fault" she said looking at Olivia and pointing at the scale, trying and failing to hide her grin.
Olivia feigned shock "My fault? I can't cook, so how could this be my fault?"
"No you don't cook, but who brings home Christmas candy and cookies every day and then leaves them with me. What else am I supposed to do but eat them? I mean you know how these babies are, when they want something I have no choice but to eat whatever it is they want" they both began laughing as they made their way into the exam room.
"Hello ladies" Dr. Jones said as she walked into the room. "How have things been in the last couple weeks?"
"Pretty good, except for the fact that I bought new bras two weeks ago and found out today that they are now almost to small" Casey said with a huff.
Dr. Jones smiled "Well this is normal Casey. Your body is trying to prepare for these babies, and since you're carrying more than one your body has extra work to do. Don't be surprised if you go up at least another cup size, possibly two" she chuckled as Casey rolled her eyes, and she noticed the smile on Olivia's face. "Well Casey you may not like it but I'm sure Olivia doesn't mind it" this caused her to laugh when she noticed the blush cross Olivia's face.
"Oh, and we felt them move just before we left home" Casey said with a smile.
"Well it sounds like these little ones are right on schedule. So get ready because now that you've felt them move you're going to notice it more and more. Okay ladies this is the big day. Do you still want to know what you're having?"
Olivia and Casey looked at each other and nodded "Yeah, we're sure" Olivia replied.
"Alright then let's get this show on the road" Casey pulled her shirt up to just under her bra and pulled her pants down to just below her pubic bone. Dr. Jones did her normal exam of Casey's belly; pushing on it and taking measurements. She pulled the ultrasound machine over and squirt some gel on Casey's belly. Casey and Olivia looked into each other's eyes while the doctor checked the babies on the monitor. "Okay it looks like they knew you were coming here today, I've got a good shot on all three. One last chance to back out" she said with a smile.
"No backing out, we want to know" Olivia said.
Dr. Jones turned the monitor so they could see the babies.
"Oh wow, look at them Liv! They actually look like real babies now" Casey said as she was trying to keep her tears at bay.
Olivia had tears in her eyes as well "They do. They are so cute!"
"Okay here's baby A and it's a girl" she looked over and saw both ladies begin to cry "and here's baby B, and it's a girl also. Well it looks like you'll be two for three because baby C is a boy" she looked over and smiled at the ladies who were openly crying.
"Did you hear that Liv? We've got two daughters and a son. Poor little guy's going to be outnumbered"
Olivia laughed while wiping her eyes "Oh no, the girls and us are going to have to watch out. I mean he hid for a couple months, he's gonna be sneaky"
Dr. Jones ran off a few pictures for them while Olivia wiped Casey's belly off for her and helped her up. "Here you go ladies. Since I won't see you till after the first of the year I hope you have a wonderful holiday. Enjoy it it'll be the last quiet Christmas you ever have"
"I can't wait" Olivia said as they walked out of the exam room.
Casey leaned against the bedroom door and watched Olivia as she took a quick nap before they left for her parents. She was so glad to see Olivia relaxed. She knew a case several weeks ago had hit her especially hard but she refused to tell Casey why, that was until Casey found her on the bathroom floor crying one night, and she had been vomiting. She asked what had happened and Olivia said a nightmare, but she knew better. Olivia relented and told her about their case. She had been told about a Marine who had went AWOL, she was also pregnant and a rape victim. Casey could understand why it would bother Olivia the way it did. Then she found out what really caused Olivia's nightmare, she had found the girl dead in the trunk of a car and her baby had been cut out of her. Olivia said she had dreamt that it was Casey in that trunk and the babies had been cut out of her. Casey quickly took Olivia's hand and placed it on her belly telling her she was fine and their babies were fine. Luckily after Thanksgiving Olivia had seemed to be doing better. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed leaning in and kissing Olivia awake.
"Mmm, best way in the world to wake up" Olivia said as she opened her eyes.
Casey smiled "I know. Now come on we have to get going before it gets any later. I've already took all the bags down to the car"
"What?!" Olivia said as she jumped up from the bed.
Casey was laughing "I'm kiddin Liv. Their all still by the door where you left them. Now let's hit the road"
Thanks to traffic and the snow they finally pulled into the Novak's driveway almost two hours later. Olivia took Casey's hand and helped her to the door; Mr. Novak opened the door and ushered them in "Well you finally made it. Go in and have a seat, I'll go get your bags" and he was out the door before Olivia could object.
"There are my girls" Casey's mother exclaimed as she came down the stairs. She walked over and hugged Olivia and then Casey. "My God Casey it's only been three weeks since I last saw you and look how much you've grown!"
"Well thanks for pointing out how fat I am Mom" Casey said sarcastically. She and Olivia went over and took a seat on the couch, while her mother took a seat in a chair. "So I had a doctor's appointment today" Casey said while reaching out for Olivia's hand "we found out what we're having"
"So what are we getting?" Mrs. Novak said with a smile.
"I'll tell you as soon as Dad comes back in" Casey and Olivia both burst out laughing as her mother jumped up and ran to the door pulling it open and yelling for her husband
"Michael hurry up and get in here! Casey and Olivia found out the sex of the babies and they won't tell me until you come back in"
"Well Jayne in case there was anyone in this neighborhood who didn't know Casey was pregnant they know now" He walked by Olivia and pat her on the shoulder "See what you have to look forward to"
"So what are we getting grandsons or granddaughters" Michael asked.
Casey pulled out the ultrasound from that day and begin pointing at them "Well baby A is a girl, and baby B is a girl, and baby C is a boy"
Casey's mother squealed with delight "Two girls and a boy, that's wonderful!" she said as she walked over to hug the two ladies.
They spent the rest of the evening doing all the normal family Christmas activities, and Olivia loved every minute of it. She was doing all of the things she never had the opportunity to do as a child. Casey's mother insisted they help her with the cookies she was baking and decorating. Olivia discovered she was actually pretty good at baking cookies and she began to imagine baking cookies with her own children. Late that evening they went out with Casey's parents and rode around town looking at the Christmas lights. This was one of Casey's favorite things to do as a kid and Olivia found out she loved it as well. They lay in bed that night after Olivia had talked to the babies; Casey on her side and Olivia curled up behind her with her arm draped as far over Casey's belly as it would go. Casey thought Olivia had already gone to sleep so she was surprised when Olivia spoke "Can you imagine it?"
"Imagine what?" Casey asked as she turned her head back to look at Olivia.
Olivia rose up so she could see Casey better "What we did today, in a few years we'll be doing it with our kids. I mean I was as shocked as you to find out I'm pretty good at baking, so can't you just see us baking Christmas cookies with our kids? Going out to look at decorations, trips to Macy's to see Santa, and the tree at Rockefeller Center?"
Casey grinned at the excitement on Olivia's face. She too couldn't wait until they could do these things with their kids. "Babe, our kids will only be about nine months old next Christmas, they won't be able to do all those things till at least the next year. They won't be able to bake cookies or understand the lights, but I can't wait either"
"Okay they may not be able to bake, but we can bake cookies and have them in the kitchen with us, and babies like lights we'll have to take them to see some. And you can't tell me that you don't want a picture of them with Santa. It's just you had the normal family Christmas, and that's what I want our kids to have. I want them to have everything I never did. I mean we had a few good holidays and birthdays when I was growing up, it just depended on how close Mom got to the vodka bottle" Olivia sighed before continuing "I just don't want my kids to be my age and look back and say 'We had a few good holidays and birthdays'. I want them to look back and say 'We had the best holidays and birthdays'."
Casey noticed the tears in her wife's eyes and felt them in her own. She pulled Olivia down for a kiss, smiling into it. "We will have the best holidays and birthdays. I promise you that"
The next day Casey's sister and her fiancé drove up from their home in New Jersey and her older brother David, who was home from his tour overseas, and his wife and one year old son would be there also. Her younger brother was spending Christmas with his girlfriend and her family. Casey sat at the kitchen table doing her best to help with dinner while her mother, sister, sister in law and Olivia did the rest of the cooking. She loved watching her mother and Olivia interact; she could see how much her mother cared about Olivia and how much Olivia cared about her. "Mom, you've got your work cut out for you. I've been trying to teach her how to cook for a couple of years now and she's not made a whole lot of progress"
"Hey I think I did pretty well with those cookies yesterday, and apparently you thought so too as many of them as you've ate" Olivia said with a pointed look.
"I think she's doing very well, maybe you're just not that good of a teacher" Casey's mother said with a smile, as the rest of the women began to laugh. They were having dinner earlier than usual so Olivia and Casey wouldn't be traveling back to the city too late. Over dinner the talk mostly revolved around the babies, as well as Casey's sister's wedding that was coming up that summer. Casey's mother finally brought up their baby shower. "Casey I heard from your cousin Melissa, she won't be able to make it to the shower"
"Thank God" Casey and her sister said at the same time.
"Girls that is no way to talk about her"
"It is if you don't like her" Amy, Casey's sister, said.
Casey gave her sister a look that basically said to drop it, and quickly changed the subject back to Amy's wedding plans. Olivia caught a flicker of something in Casey's eyes at the mention of her cousin; she didn't want to bring it up then but made a mental note to do so later.
That night as they lay in bed Olivia brought up the conversation from dinner, "So how come you and Amy don't like your cousin?"
Casey sighed "We just never got along"
"I think there's more to it than that"
"There is but I would rather not discuss it. It has been a wonderful day and I don't want to ruin it by talking about her"
"Okay" Olivia leaned over and kissed Casey goodnight.
The next day Casey spent most of the day in bed while Olivia was at work. They had decided that since Olivia would be off early they would celebrate and open their gifts that evening. Casey was reheating some leftovers they had brought home from her parents when Olivia walked through the door. "Hey baby"
"Hey" Olivia said walking over and kissing Casey. She then leaned down and kissed her belly "Hi babies. Wow they are really moving around this evening aren't they?" Olivia said as she pulled back from Casey's belly.
"You know they have been pretty calm until just now. They must be as excited as I am that you are home"
"Well I'm happy to be home. Just let me get a quick shower and change and I'll be right back"
After dinner they went in to open their gifts. Casey walked into the living room and saw that Olivia had dimmed the lights a bit and turned the Christmas tree lights on. The sight of Olivia standing by the tree took Casey's breath away. She walked over and kissed Olivia "Merry Christmas love"
"Merry Christmas baby and Merry Christmas babies" Olivia said as she leaned down and whispered to Casey's belly. They had agreed that they would only buy one gift each since they were trying to set money aside for the babies. Olivia picked up two envelopes from under the tree, one was her gift for Casey and the other had her name on it. She handed Casey's gift to her "I hope we didn't copy each other"
Casey laughed "Me neither" She opened the envelope and gasped when she read the card inside. Olivia had gotten her a trip to a spa for a facial as well as a manicure and pedicure. "Liv, this is great. Thank you" she said as she leaned over and hugged Olivia.
"It's actually a special package for pregnant mothers; it even includes a special pregnant mother's massage. I just thought it would be a good way for you to relax" Olivia said as she rubbed Casey's belly.
"Well go ahead, open yours" Casey said with a smile.
Olivia tore her envelope open and began to laugh when she saw what Casey got for her "You got me a gift certificate for a massage at the same spa I got yours"
"I guess the sayings true, great minds think alike" Casey said laughingly. "I think we should go together, it says when can schedule them whenever we like"
"That sounds great. A relaxing massage with you sounds perfect, but I have to know what made you pick this for me?"
"I was talking to Alex one day and she mentioned going for a massage and hoping she could relax a little bit. I wanted to treat you for a little while. You have been working so hard helping me and taking care of me, never mind what you do when you're at work. I just wanted you to have some time where you could relax" Casey knew it was the perfect gift when she thought of it. Olivia had been taking such good care of her and she wanted to return the favor. "Now, how did you come up with this idea for me? And you better not say Alex"
Olivia laughed "No I didn't get the idea from Alex. A couple weeks ago Elliot and I were following up with a victim and on our way back we passed a maternity store, the one where I got that coat for you. Anyway at the counter they had cards for this spa advertising an expecting mother's package. So I called them and got information and I knew I had to get it for you. I figured you would enjoy being able to relax because soon neither one of us will know what the word relax means" They both laughed at the thought. They spent their last Christmas as just the two of them on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and Christmas movies.
Olivia and Casey found their apartment to be very crowded the weekend after New Year's. Casey's dad and brothers as well as Elliot and Fin were there to help get the nursery ready. Elliot and Fin came over on Saturday to help paint the nursery and on Sunday Casey's dad and brothers delivered the furniture and put it together. That night they stood in the nursery, Olivia with her arms wrapped around Casey. They still had a few minor touches to add such as curtains and the bedding, but the painting and furniture was complete. They had picked out white cribs and a white changing table. They also had a white three drawer dresser which Olivia stenciled on pink and blue designs, a drawer for each baby. Olivia had also installed closet dividers so each baby would have their own section of the closet. They had painted two walls light blue and white stripes and the other two walls light pink and white stripes, they placed the girl's cribs by the pink wall and the boy's crib by one blue wall. "I love this room" Olivia sighed as she rubbed Casey's belly.
"Me too. I think I could stay in here all day" Casey said as she looked around the room and imagined what it would be like when her babies were in here. She turned and began kissing Olivia with everything she had.
Olivia finally pulled back when the need for air was to great "Wow! What…what was that for?"
"Because I love you" she looked around the room again "This is really happening isn't it? It's all becoming real"
"Yeah, it's really happening" Olivia said leaning in for another kiss. It wasn't long before Olivia felt Casey's hands slipping under her shirt. "Mmm, Case…Case? Are you sure you're up for this?"
"Oh yeah" Casey said as she began pushing Olivia backwards out of the nursery and towards their bedroom.
Olivia was more than okay with where thing were headed but she worried about Casey and the babies. In the last month Casey's hormones had kicked into overdrive and there were times that Olivia struggled to keep up with her. Before she knew it Casey had stripped them both and was pushing Olivia back on the bed "Casey are you sure this is okay? It's not going to hurt you?"
Casey smiled down at Olivia "The doctor said it was fine remember? And no it doesn't hurt me besides" Casey said as she leaned in to kiss Olivia "I think we were able to get pretty creative the last time. And I've been doing some research and I've found a couple new positions to try"
Olivia felt her stomach drop as Casey's lips touched hers, oh yeah she was going to be sleeping on her feet tomorrow but it would definitely be worth it.
