DISCLAIMER: Everything belongs to Dick Wolf. I only own what isn't his...
A/N: Thank you guys for the name suggestions. Much appreciated. And thank you so much for all the reviews! And I actually lied... the actual name isn't picked out until next time. So if you still have an input, you're welcomed to say it. Or tell me which one's you like. (By the way - the last name will be Stabler. It will not be hyphenated.)
And to TheGoddessPixie: I am truly. Honestly. Sincerely. Sorry. I really am. I hope this makes up for... some of it...
He stood outside the nursery, looking in at the tubes and machines breathing for his son, whose skin was thin and purple. He couldn't help but smile. "My boy," he whispered to himself.
Just then, the nurse came out, smiling happily. "Congratulations, Mr. Stabler. You're the father of a healthy baby boy, nearly two pounds."
"Healthy?"
"As healthy as he can be for being as premature as he was." She nodded and smiled. "He'll be fine."
Elliot turned back to look at him. He put a hand to his mouth, to hide his quivering lip.
"Is there a name you would like me to put on the birth certificate?" she asked after a moment.
Elliot turned back to her. They had hardly even thought about names... "Uhh..." he replied.
She smiled and nodded. "You come up with one and tell me later," she said before leaving.
"Mr. Stabler?" the doctor said as he approached.
Elliot turned to face him. He drew his brown in out of confusion as he looked at the smile on the doctor's face.
"I have good news," he said, stopping in front of Elliot and folding his hands.
"Wh..." Elliot stuttered.
"You're fiancée made it through the surgery. She's stable." He paused, soaking in the pleasure of Elliot's expression. "You can go see her, if you'd like."
Elliot sighed in relief and bit his lip. Olivia...
He could hardly keep himself from sprinting to her room. He hurriedly pushed open the door and it nearly slammed into the wall.
Olivia was lying peacefully in the hospital bed, in her hospital nightgown, no tubes or oxygen mask covering her beautiful face. The machines strapped to her body made quiet, steady beeping noises as he looked on at her. But she didn't open her eyes...
"Olivia," he sighed happily, all the muscles in his body relaxing. He walked to her side, sitting in the chair next to her bed.
He took her hand in his, stroking it gently. His finger ran over the IV in her hand, and the pulse monitor on her finger.
A tear slid down his cheek and fell off his chin, onto Olivia's hand. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open slowly. She turned her gaze to Elliot, adjusting her eyes. They'd never sparkled so brilliantly before...
She smiled weakly after seeing him. "Hey, El," she said quietly.
Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and her hands flew to her stomach as her thoughts wandered to her baby. "Elliot, what -"
"He's fine, Olivia."
"What, what..." she stumbled on her words.
"They said they needed to deliver him if there was any chance for him to survive... Because they said you weren't going to survive..." His voice broke on the last word as the tears came back to his eyes. He dipped his head guiltily, tears rolling down his face.
"Elliot," she whispered tenderly.
"I thought I was going to loose you," he cried quietly. He shook his head, looking back up to her with sad, tear filled, blue eyes. "I couldn't loose you, Livvie… not again…"
Olivia's heart nearly broke as she looked at him. She gently touched a hand to his face, looking lovingly into his eyes. "You're not going to loose me, El," she assured him. "I'm here now, and I'm not leaving you. Not ever again."
He smiled, knowing it was the truth.
After a long minute, Olivia spoke again. "So, he's going to be okay?"
Elliot nodded. "The doctors say he's healthy for his premature age. They said he's going to be just fine."
Olivia smiled. "Good," she sighed, looking away as her thoughts wandered.
When she finally turned back to him, her brown eyes sparkled mysteriously. "What are we going to name him?"
Elliot grinned. He hadn't even thought about it since the nurse asked him, he was too concerned with Olivia… "What about Donald, or Donny… after Cragen?" he suggested.
Olivia nodded. "Or John, after Munch…"
Elliot chuckled. "Yeah, because Odafin doesn't suit him so much."
Olivia chuckled, too.
"Or we could even name him Alexander. After Alex, you know?"
Olivia nodded again, liking that idea. "What about Caleb?"
"Or Daniel."
"Or Michael."
"Or Joshua."
By now, the two were just rattling off names that they liked, none of them had any particular meaning.
"Or…" Elliot trailed off, a sudden idea popping into his head. "What about… Noah? Since he survived… and he brought you back to me…"
A/N: See? I told you it'd all be okay. I wouldn't kill Olivia... though I know I'm notoreous for making you guys think that... Because I leave cliff hangers with that... I'm sorry. It won't happen again in this story. But honestly, I don't think I could ever kill Olivia in any of my stories...
SO. You know the drill... Please R&R? Pretty, pretty please? I really do cherish each and every review, and I try to incorperate the suggestions into my story...
And. If you have a preferance for the name, feel free to tell me. And I realized when I was writting this... Aren't both Olivia's and Elliot's dad's named Joe (or Joseph)?
PS - I'm not religeous at all. But Elliot is... and I liked the names... and the ideas fit...