A/N: Here is chapter 11. For the next chapter, please read and review.
Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.
Elliot had been home a week and his legs were still felt like jelly and without realizing it, he was making his seven months pregnant fiancée exhausted. He remembered when Olivia told him about his legs, he had snapped at her accidentally.
Flashback
Seeing that Olivia was just waking up, Elliot decided to ask straight away. "Liv, what's wrong with my legs? They feel like jelly."
Sighing, Olivia caressed the back of his hand. "It's from the bullet, honey. It missed your spine but it still affected you," she told him softly.
"What?! Why?! So you can run around with my kids and I can't?!"
Olivia's eyes began to water and sob escaped from within her. "I'm sorry, okay?"
"Liv..."
"No! I couldn't protect you! It's my fault, okay? And I'm sorry, okay? I'm really so--"
Stopping her with his lips on hers, Elliot caressed her cheek. "No, baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's not your fault. You couldn't be there anyway. You and the kids are more important, okay?" he apologized softly, rubbing her bump.
Biting her bottom lip, Olivia nodded. "I'm still sorry."
Shaking his head, Elliot gently wiped away Olivia's tears. "There's nothing to apologize for, Olivia, but I'm sorry too."
End flashback
Four am, Olivia had just fallen back to sleep after another middle of the night bathroom trip, when Elliot woke her.
"Liv, wake up," he whispered, gently shaking her, "Liv, I need help to the bathroom." He hated that he had to ask for help to the bathroom but there was no way around it and Olivia kept insisting that's what couples do. They help each other.
Groaning and opening her eyes, Olivia slowly sat her heavy, pregnant body up. "Okay," she whispered, pushing herself up off the bed.
She walked around and helped him up off the bed. "Ready?"
"Yeah," Elliot replied as Olivia helped him in to the bathroom.
Once Elliot was finished, Olivia helped him back in to bed and was about to get back in herself when Ruby called out for her.
Groaning, Olivia managed to take just one step when she felt a painful contraction rip through her. "Ahhh! El!"
Hearing Olivia's cry, Elliot shot up in bed. "Olivia? You okay?"
Shaking her head, Olivia moaned. "Something's wrong, El. Something's wrong."
"Okay, baby, hang on," Elliot said, grabbing the cordless phone handset off the nightstand on his side of the bed. "I'm going to call a bus."
"Mommy!" Ruby called out again.
Rubbing her belly, Olivia finally called back, "Come here, Ruby."
She sat down on the bed and Ruby ran in.
Sensing that something was wrong, Ruby turned to her father. He was on the phone, talking to someone in a panic. Turning back to Olivia, she saw her mommy rubbing her big bump. "Mommy, 'kay?"
Taking deep breaths, Olivia shook her head. "No, baby. You need to get Seb up, okay? We might need to go out."
Ruby nodded and ran back toward the bedroom that she shared with her brother.
"El, call Casey," she told Elliot and laid back on to the bed, feet still planted on the floor.
Seeing Olivia still rubbing her belly and breathing heavily, Elliot quickly pressed speed dial one.
"Okay, Liv... Casey, sorry to wake you... We think Olivia's in pre-term labor, we need you to take the twins, please... Thanks, see you in ten," he said and hung up.
He then difficultly pushed himself down to the foot of the bed and rubbed Olivia's belly. "Okay, Liv?"
Shaking her head, Olivia continued to breath deeply and evenly. "I won't be till the doctor tells me that the baby is okay. And they stop the labor. I can't wait to meet this baby, El, but it's too early. I still have like seven weeks left," she whispered. The fear and anxiety clear in her voice.
"Mommy!" the twins called, running in to the room and jumped on to the bed.
"Careful of mommy, kids," Elliot warned them softly, still rubbing Olivia's stomach, offering as much comfort as possible.
A few minutes went by in silence before Olivia's face contorted in pain again and she cried out. "El!"
Caressing her belly and cheek, Elliot tried to comfort her. "Honey, it's okay. Casey and the paramedics will be here soon."
"It hurts, El. They need to stop the labor," she cried before the pain intensified and she moaned in pain.
Pushing some hair behind her ear, Elliot kissed her cheek. "I know, baby, and they will stop it."
A key in the front door's lock startled them but it could only be Casey, since they had given her a key a couple weeks before.
"Liv! El!" Casey called as she closed the door behind her.
"Upstairs, Casey!" Elliot called back, continuing to comfort Olivia.
"I have EMS with me," she alerted them, heading upstairs.
"Oh, thank God," Elliot murmured," They're here, Liv, it's going to be okay."
"I'm not freakin' deaf, Elliot, I can hear them, you know?" Olivia snapped before sighing, "I'm sorry, El."
"It's okay."
"Pre-term labor?" the nameless African- American female paramedic asked.
"Yes, she's had two strong contractions already," Elliot answered for Olivia as the other paramedic worked on Olivia.
"Okay," the paramedic said as the male EMT put an oxygen mask on Olivia. "Let's go to the hospital and try stop this labor."
"Ahh!" Olivia cried out, gritting her teeth together.
"Contraction?" the female EMT asked.
Olivia nodded, breathing heavily.
"Okay, let's go. Sir, help her up."
Elliot went to but Casey stopped him.
"He can't. He's injured. I'll help," she said as Elliot slowly got up, grabbing his cane.
Casey helped the paramedics get Olivia on to the gurney, which was at the bottom of the staircase before opening the door. She took each twin by a hand and they walked on each side of her as the paramedics wheeled Olivia in to the ambulance with Elliot close beside it.
Casey watched Elliot climb in and the male paramedic shut the doors, heading toward the driver's seat before speeding off toward the hospital with the lights and sirens going.
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Elliot held Olivia's hand during the entire rush to the nearest hospital and accepted the two more times that she squeezed his hand during contractions.
The ambulance come to a sudden halt and the door opened to reveal the male EMT, a doctor and two nurses.
"Let's get you straight up to OB," the young doctor said as they rushed Olivia inside.
"You've got to call my OB/GYN," Olivia said, frightened as they pushed her in to the elevator.
"They will, Livvy," Elliot told her, struggling to keep up.
When they finally settled Olivia in to a room and connected to a couple of monitors, one being a fetal monitor, which was strapped to her belly, the nurse finally asked, "What's your OB/GYN's name and number?"
"Dr. Joan McGraw..." She told the older nurse the name and number as they also connected her to a contraction monitor.
"Okay, Ms. Benson. We're going to start you on something to try stop the progress of labor, okay?" the doctor said as a nurse hooked up the IV bag.
"Please stop it, it's too early. My baby isn't ready," she cried.
"We'll try, okay?" The doctor connected Olivia to the IV and started it. "Mr. Stabler, could I please have a chat?"
Nodding, Elliot kissed the back of Olivia's hand. "I'll be right back, baby."
Closing her eyes, Olivia nodded. "Please don't be long."
"I won't. I'll be right back, Liv." He reluctantly let go of Olivia's hand and followed the doctor out.
Once the door shut behind them, the doctor spoke. "Ms. Benson's blood pressure was dangerously high. What's been happening lately?"
"I was in a coma for a few days... I shot in the back about a month ago. I've been needing help getting around. I didn't notice that I was stressing her out. She didn't complain once until this morning."
The doctor nodded. "To keep her and that baby healthy and happy, I suggest you get a home care nurse. I can help arrange that for you, if you need."
Nodding, Elliot said, "Thank you."
"Sure."
"El!" Olivia called out for him.
Elliot rushed back in to the room as quick as he could and took her hand again. "You okay, honey?"
"It's another contraction," the nurse informed Elliot, watching the monitor.
Tears were flowing from Olivia's eyes as she rubbed the bottom of her belly with her free hand. "It hurts so bad, Elliot. It's too early."
Putting his hand on hers, Elliot rubbed her belly with her. "I know, baby. Try to relax. Close your eyes," he said and waited for her to close her eyes before continuing, "And keep your breathing regular. Breath in with your nose and exhale with your mouth. Slowly" He was willing to try anything to relax her right now.
Continuing with the breathing, Olivia started to fall asleep, which was good. It meant that her body was relaxing and would hopefully work with the medication, to stop the pre-term labor.
The doctor and nurse had since left to check on other patients and Elliot watched her sleep, turned on her left side to provide more oxygen to the baby. Checking the contraction monitor regularly, he noticed that Olivia's contractions had slowed down and eventually stopped. Elliot sighed in relief, he was hoping it meant that the preterm labor had completely stopped.
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It had been three hours since they had arrived and Elliot had yet to call Casey to see how the twins were doing and to give her an update on Olivia.
He went to release Olivia's hand but her eyes shot open.
"It's okay, baby. I just need to call Casey. I'll be right back," he assured her.
Shaking her head, Olivia whispered, "Please don't leave, El."
Elliot kissed her forehead and whispered, "I'll be right back. Just going to check on the twins and give Casey an update on what's happening."
Yawning, Olivia sighed. "I don't want you to leave me though, El."
"Have your contractions stopped?" he asked, rubbing her belly.
Olivia placed her hand over Elliot's and rubbed her belly with him, both smiling when they felt the baby's foot kick at the palms of their hands. "I haven't felt any lately. I've only felt the baby kicking and doing somersaults in there. Baby's very active," she told Elliot.
"That's good then, Liv. I'll quickly go call Casey and I'll be right back, okay? I want to do it before the doctor comes back to check on you."
Sighing, Olivia nodded. "Okay, but please be quick, El. I need you here," she confessed. She hated to but she felt safe showing her vulnerable side to Elliot because she still found it hard to accept at times sometimes, thinking that it was too good to be true. To be engaged to the love of her life with three year old twins and a baby on the way. Olivia just wondered what was next other then welcoming the new baby in to the family, of course.
"Liv? Livvy?"
Shaking her head, Olivia snapped out of her deep thoughts. "Huh? Haven't you gone yet?" she asked, confused.
Sitting down on the bed by her waist, Elliot nodded, taking one of her hands in his. "Yeah, baby, been, gone and come back. You were in your own little world there, Liv. You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. How are Seb and Ruby?"
"They're good. Casey said that she's got them working on those educational things you always give them to do. They're working on the math ones."
"I want them learning before kindergarten, El. I want to help them to be the best that they can be," she said in defence.
Caressing Olivia's hand, Elliot kissed her cheek. "It's okay, Liv. No need to get all defensive. I'm all for it. I think it's a great idea."
Olivia smiled. "When's the doctor coming in?"
"Anyt..." Elliot started to say but the door opened, "Here she is now."
Approaching the bed and snapping on some gloves, Dr McGraw greeted her patient, "Hi, Olivia. The contractions stopped, honey?"
"Yeah."
Nodding Dr McGraw sat on the stool at the foot of the bed. "Put your legs in the stirrups, hon. I'll check your cervix to make sure it's stopped softening and dilating."
Olivia did as she was told and clutched Elliot's hand tightly as the doctor examined her.
"All done, honey. Everything's back on track. You can take your legs back down now."
Olivia took her legs out of the stirrups. "When can I go home?"
"Maybe tomorrow morning, if all goes well."
Olivia was about to protest but Elliot stopped her.
"Liv..."
She sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll stay. Stay with me, El."
"I wasn't planning on it, but I'm going to go home to see the twins and come back, baby, okay?"
"Okay, El. I love you."
Kissing her cheek, Elliot stood up. "I love you too, gorgeous. Be back soon. Get some more sleep."