Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, or I would be able to pay off my student loans.
Timeline: May, Alex is 8 months along
Song: Your Body is A Wonderland by John Mayer
A/N: Another quick update. Please review for the next chapter - and a new character addition ;) !
Chapter 14: Wonderland
"Ms. Cabot! Ms. Cabot!" a voice yelled at Alex, shoes clicking against the marble floor behind her down the hall of the courthouse. The attorney turned to see Georgina Freds, one of SVU's victims and her current case. The young woman looked absolutely wearied, which wasn't a surprise given the current situation. She had been assaulted by a man with a history of stalking and who, unfortunately, had been released on his own recognisance the previous day. In spite of the fact that a restraining order had been issued, Alex knew better than anyone the fear of being followed and understood Georgina's frantic disposition.
"Georgina," she greeted with concern, "Are you alright? Has Tucker tried anything?"
The woman shook head and explained nervously. "No, he hasn't. Not yet at least. But I'm not alright. Detective Stabler said you were leaving. That someone else was going to be taking over my case..."
Alex sighed. Though she had explained the situation to Georgina at the onset, she knew victims of trauma sometimes blocked out certain things. "Um, yes, Georgina. I'm sorry, I thought we were clear earlier. Today's my last day in the office. Mr. Nichols will be handling the trial from this point on..."
Georgina shook her head vehemently, her black hair moving wildly in front of her face. "N – no! Please, Ms. Cabot, I'm only comfortable with you!"
"I understand Georgina, but Mr. Nichols is extremely qualified to represent you. Everything will be..."
"No! No! I- I won't appear in court if you're not the one questioning me," she stuttered out with an attempt of resolve.
Alex massaged the bridge of her nose in frustration as she looked at the woman in front of her, green-eyes wide with unbridled anxiety. She didn't want to threaten holding Georgina in contempt to make her testify, knowing that would only exacerbate her fears in addition to re-victimize a victim. She sighed heavily, realizing what she had to do in order to achieve a successful statement, a crucial component of the evidence. "Okay," she breathed, mentally tabulating the trial's schedule, "I will handle the trial." It wasn't often that Alex gave into anyone, but she was quite frankly too tired to try to reason with Georgina at this point.
Georgina smiled widely. "Oh, thank you so much, Ms. Cabot," she said earnestly before heading back down the hall.
Later that evening over dinner, Alex informed Olivia of her decision.
"No," the detective had simply said in response.
"Liv, I can handle it. It's just another week and a half..."
"Alex, you're eight months pregnant. The doctor said not to stress yourself out more than necessary."
"It is necessary," Alex refuted. "Georgina refuses to testify unless I'm the one questioning her. We need that testimony, Liv. It's some of our most irrefutable evidence."
"Since when do you give in just because someone wants something?" Knowing the detective usually went above and beyond to make the victims comfortable through trial, Alex could tell from her reluctance that Olivia was very nervous.
Alex sighed. "Please Liv, I'll be fine. The girl is scared. I don't think she could handle the trial with Nichols. It's bad enough that the defense attorney is male. And all the trial prep is done for the most part. I can do this."
Olivia groaned, realizing how important this was. "Fine," she agreed, gently holding one of the blonde's hands. "But other than physically being in court you're staying home and resting. And if you get tired at all, you are giving up this case," she said sternly.
Alex nodded, happy to have gotten her way even though she wasn't thrilled about handling the case. A week and a half, she kept repeating to herself. Just a week and a half.
~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~
"Mr. Tucker, can you please tell me what this is?" Alex asked, gesturing to a piece of evidence.
"My laptop," the middle aged man grumbled, pulling uncomfortably at his tie.
Alex moved towards the jury, crossing paths with Tucker's eye line. Normally, her movements in court were intimidating to the defendant (as well as his or her attorney). Now, she imagined, her normally predatory saunter must look more like a comedic waddle. "Right, and as you live alone, is there anyone else other than you who has access to your personal computer?"
"No."
"Mr. Tucker, the detectives found several candid images of Georgina Freds saved on this computer. So if you are the only one with access to the laptop, would it be accurate to say that you are the one who put them there."
"Objection: speculation!"
"Sustained."
"I'll rephrase. Mr. Tucker, are you the one who took these pictures of the victim, Georgina Freds, and downloaded them onto your computer." The man was silent. "Mr. Tucker, I remind you that you are under oath."
"Yes but..."
"Mr. Tucker, what is the date on these photos."
"December 2."
"Right, and do you know when was Ms. Freds attacked?"
"December 3."
"So, can you please explain why you took over one hundred pictures of the victim, a woman you did not even know, the day before she was attacked?"
While the defendant was trying to give a lame excuse for the "coincidence," Alex felt a sharp sensation at in her abdomen and winced slightly. At first she attributed it to a sharp kick, but several seconds later felt it again. She tried to focus. "Mr. Tucker, is it also just a coincidence that your fingerprints were found at the crime scene?"
"It's a public park..."
"In the women's rest room –" Her words were cut off by another sharp pain. Shit.
~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~
Olivia fiddled her fingers nervously on the wooden courtroom bench until Elliot grabbed her hand and shot her a look.
"It's, Alex," Olivia explained softly, "Something is up."
"You sure? She seems to be handling everything fine. She's got Tucker cornered."
Olivia pursed her lips, watching as her wife rested her hand on her belly. She never did that in court, not wanting to draw any more attention than necessary to the fact that she is pregnant. "Something isn't right."
The detective was able to release a slight breath of relief when the judge called a recess for lunch. She watched carefully as Alex slowly returned to the prosecution table, taking note at a subtle wince that crossed the blondes face as she gathered her belongings. The brunette practically scurried over to the attorney as soon as she was close enough. "What's wrong?"
Alex glanced around quickly to make sure no one was in ear shot. "I don't know. I keep getting a sharp pain right here," she said gesturing to her lower abdomen.
"We're going to the hospital," Olivia said sternly, moving to lead the blonde out of the courtroom.
Alex hesitated. "Liv, Georgina hasn't testified yet. It would just be a couple more hours..."
"Alex, I know how important this is, but something could be wrong with you. You and the baby. Please," she practically begged.
Alex bit her lip as another sharp pain radiated through her belly. "Okay. Let me just tell Nichols."
~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~
"Braxon Hicks," Dr. Gil explained, looking up from examining Alex, "It's very common in the last term of pregnancy, especially if the mother is very active, dehydrated, stressed..." Olivia raised an accusing eyebrow towards Alex.
Alex ignored her. "So... I'm not in labor?"
Dr. Gil smiled, removing her gloves and grabbing an informative pamphlet off the counter, which she handed to Alex. "Nope, not yet! Hopefully not for a couple more weeks. Braxon Hicks are harmless but can be very painful. Because it's so late in your pregnancy, I'm not very concerned. You can go home, but I recommend you rest..."
"Oh don't worry," Olivia said, grabbing Alex's hand, "she will be doing just that."
Dr. Gil chuckled lightly, "Well Alex, I have no doubt that you're in good hands. I'll see you on Monday for your next appointment. If you have any problems before then, please don't hesitate to call."
The couple thanked the doctor and Olivia helped Alex to her feet and out into the car. Once they arrived home, Olivia settled Alex into bed, handing her a glass of water.
"I'm going to go make us some lunch. You stay put," the brunette ordered gently.
"Liv," Alex whined, "The doctor said to relax, not go on bed rest. I'm fine..."
Olivia held up a hand to stop her. "And I'm not taking any chances." She pecked Alex on the lips and headed out of the room. Alex sighed and grabbed her phone, dialing Gregory Nichol's number. "Yes, Greg. It's Alex. Yeah, no, I'm fine. I was just calling to see how the rest of the trial went. Okay, good. Tomorrow then? Okay, please call me immediately. Thanks. Bye."
Towards the end of the conversation, Olivia returned to the room with a mug of tea and a couple of sandwiches. She handed a plate to Alex and sat down next to her on the bed.
"Nichols?"
"Yes, court just finished up for the day. Jury's in deliberation and should be out tomorrow."
"And Georgina?"
"Reluctantly testified. Elliot talked to her."
"Good, good," Olivia said, taking a bite out of her sandwich. After a moment, she chuckled. Shaking her head, "I can't believe you went through a day of court while in labour."
"False labour!"
"You were still having contractions!"
"What else was I supposed to do, Liv? Just stop in the middle of questioning?" Alex asked defiantly.
"Yes!" the brunette exclaimed, as though the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh, perfect. And then Tucker gets another day to go over his case with Paxton and figure out a way to bull shit the jury when Nichols tries to get him to talk. No way in hell!"
Olivia rolled her eyes, wrapping her arm around the blonde. "You're insane," she said teasingly.
Alex smirked, resting her head on the detective's shoulder. "I prefer dedicated to the cause."
~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~AO~
The next two weeks were a living hell for Alex. Not only was she under Olivia-imposed bed rest – which included, due to the detective's doubts that Alex would adhere to rest and relaxation – almost constant supervision, but she also had Braxon Hicks pains almost constantly. She tried everything to relieve the uncomfortable pressure – laying in various recommended positions, yoga breathing, massages – but to no avail. With the pain and practical house arrest was making her miserable, Alex was counting down the days until her due date.
At present moment, Alex was in the midst of a particularly uncomfortable series of contractions, laying in fetal position on the couch. She was surprised to hear the doorknob turn and the sound of Olivia's footsteps given that it was early evening.
"Oh, sweetheart." Olivia placed a grocery bag down on the kitchen island and walked over to the couch, running her fingers through Alex's hair. "That bad?"
Alex managed a nod. "If this is so bad, I'm really afraid of actual labor," she said with a small chuckle, although Olivia could tell she was being serious.
"I'm sorry, baby. I got some stuff to try to make you feel better. You think you're up to moving a little bit?" Alex nodded. "Okay, give me a few minutes," she said, grabbing the bag and heading into the bedroom. Some time later, Olivia returned. "Here, Lex, let me help you up," she said, guiding the blonde off of the couch. She led her through the bedroom and into the master bath, where she had set up a warm bubble bath and lit a bunch of lavender scented candles. Some soft jazz music was playing and one of Alex's favorite books was sitting on a side table next to the tub. Alex began to tear up at the sight, much to Olivia's surprise.
"Ugh, sorry, hormones," Alex said with a laugh. "But Liv, thank you so much. This is so sweet."
"I just want you to feel better," Olivia said with a shy shrug. "Here, let's get you into the tub."
"Help me?" Alex asked, pulling her shirt over her head.
Olivia bit her lip, trying her hardest to maintain her arousal at the sight of the partially naked blonde. She knew Alex wasn't in the mood for that. Bending down, she slowly pulled the pajama pants down Alex's smooth, long legs, helping her keep her balance as she slipped them off, her panties in suit. She then helped Alex climb over the porcelain side of the tub and lower herself into the water.
"Mmm, this is perfect," Alex moaned, settling back. "Only one thing could make it better... you getting in here with me." Olivia quirked an eyebrow and Alex rolled her eye, splashing her with a bit of water. "Not like that. I just want to relax with you. Plus, now you're wet so you have to get it."
"Oh, is that how it is, Ms. Cabot?" Olivia teased. "I mean, I'm feeling pretty wet in more ways than one." That earned her a laugh and another splash.
"Oh you flatterer!"
"Seriously, Lex, you are so incredibly beautiful right now," Olivia said seriously, smiling at the blonde.
"Oh get in here, you sap," Alex grinned before watching intently as the brunette's olive skin came more and more into view. Scooting up, she made space for Olivia to sit behind her before settling back, smiling as she felt the detective's hands encircle her stomach and her lips against her neck. "Read to me?"
She felt Olivia chuckle against her skin. "Oh now who's the sap."
"Come on, I'm in pain," Alex said, turning slightly so Olivia could fully see her pout.
Olivia sighed dramatically but smiled as she reached over to dry her hands on a towel before picking on the book and opening to the first page. "When he was nearly thirteen my brother Jem got his arm badly broken by the elbow..."