Author's Note: I was up until well after midnight writing this update because I wanted to get it all out before I forgot it. (And had to be back up for work at 5 am!) LOL. So it is full of typos, I am sorry in advance. I keep trying to fix them as I find them and more keep appearing. Anyway, here is the chapter you have all been waiting so patiently for. The birth of Elliot and Olivia's baby girl! Hope you like it! Please remember to review!
~ Detective Olivia Stabler ~
Beautifully Broken
(Chapter Thirty Eight: Ten Tiny Toes)
Over the next couple of days Courtney helped Olivia unpack the house while Elliot worked. It wasn't long before they had the new house looking and feeling like home and this gave them some catch up time for girl talk.
"So how much longer until Mia comes?" Courtney asked as they folded tiny pink baby clothes and put them away.
"My doctor will let me go up to ten more days before he induces me."
"That sounds like fun. But you had Jacob a little early. That could happen again, right?"
"I hope, I am ready to be un-pregnant again."
Courtney laughed.
"De-pregnated?"
"Exactly," Olivia sighed as her daughter kicked under her ribs. "Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed being pregnant. Well, part of the time. But nine months is way too long. And I can't wait to meet my baby girl."
"Neither can I," Courtney said with a smile as she placed her palm against Olivia's bulging belly.
"So what has been going on with you?"
"Nothing exciting. Hey, guess who I ran into!"
"Who?"
"Steve."
"Really? How's he doing?"
"He just went through a divorce. I ran into him at the airport during a layover and we sat had a conversation."
"Uh huh," Olivia said with a smile, "and what else did you have?"
"Nothing," Courtney laughed. "We went back to his hotel room and talked for hours about all of the things that happened when we were younger."
"Is that all you did in his hotel room?" Olivia asked with a suggestive smile. "Did you exchange numbers?"
"Of course," Courtney laughed. "But nothing else happened. He was a complete gentleman."
"How's he doing?"
"He seems good. He looks good."
Olivia smiled.
"Do you think there could still be some feelings there?"
"Maybe. I don't know. He is just coming out of a relationship and I am not supposed to date for a little while after exiting rehab, but we definitely still have a friendship. And I would love to see him again."
Olivia raised her eyes at the mention of Courtney's stint in rehab, but decided to wait until her friend was ready to talk about it.
"That is great. I really hope things work out and you can see him. I would love to see him again."
"I told him I was on my way here and I told him about the baby. I told him he should come to town, but he has some work think going on and can't be here."
"That's a shame. I know how happy it would make El and I both to be able to see him again. And it would've been neat if you both could have been here when the baby was born."
"He said he is sorry he can't make it, but he did give me something…."
Olivia watched as Courtney disappeared into the other room and returned with her purse. From it she pulled out an envelope.
"It's for Mia," she said softly.
Olivia opened the envelope and inside was a one page letter. Steve had written words of congratulations and apologies for not being able to be there. He promised to come and visit sometime soon and wrote his phone number on the bottom of the page. Folded up inside the page was a check for two hundred dollars and a sticky note instructing them to buy something nice for their new little girl from her uncle Steve.
"This is so sweet. I can't wait to see him again. I'll have to call him later and invite him out."
"The whole gang will be together again," Courtney said with a smile.
"The four of us were best friends for so long and the two of you really helped me through so much when I thought I had lost Elliot. In a sense, the two of you saved me."
"Aww," Courtney said hugging her friend again. "I have missed you so much, Olivia. I have had other friends throughout my life, but I have never had this strong of a bond with any of them before."
"Because we have always been closer than friends. We're family, Court. And I hate that it has been over a year since we have seen each other."
"You and I both know that I have not been that good at returning phone calls."
"Yeah. Until you showed up here, I wasn't sure if maybe I had done something to upset you. Or maybe you just didn't want to talk to me."
"Liv, it wasn't that I didn't want to talk to you. I really couldn't."
"Court, what are you talking about?"
"I couldn't call you because I was have been in rehab for the last seven months. The one time I did call, I called from the center."
"I'm so sorry. I had no idea things were so bad for you."
"It was court ordered. I went out one night a few months ago with some friends and I may have ran a red light on my way home and I got pulled over. I was a little over the legal limit, barely!"
"You got a DUI?"
"Yes. Because the judge was a friend of my brother's he said he would go easy on me. He sent me to court ordered rehab instead of jail."
"The judge sent you to rehab for seven months?"
"I was in for sixty days. But I relapsed and checked myself back in for another ninety days in the program. But I got sober and I don't drink anymore."
"I'm proud of you. I know how hard this must have been for you."
"That's not all. I'm not really on vacation, Liv. I was let go from my job for missing too many days. I have been searching for another, but it is hard to find a job right now."
"What are you going to do?"
"Keep looking. I can't afford to give up."
"Court, how attached are you to Boston?"
"I've been there for a long time."
"What is you were able to find a job here in San Diego? Would you consider relocating?"
"Here, to the beaches and the sun. I would love to get out of Boston, Liv. Right now I just really need to regain control of my life and be able to stand on my own two feet again."
"We are here for another year. Then we are planning to move back to Manhattan. But I would love to have you here. And I know Elliot would feel the same way. You can stay here with us for a little while, until you can get a job and an apartment."
"I don't know if they will let me do that, Liv. You live on a military base, remember. These places have rules of their own."
"We will figure something out. El and I will help you all that we can. I want you here….if you want to stay."
Olivia smiled a warm smile.
"I could really use the help once the baby comes and it will be so wonderful to have my best friend here. So far, I don't have any friends here."
"You can't say that anymore," Courtney said with a smile.
That evening Elliot came home to find his wife sitting on the sofa watching television.
"What are you doing?" he asked giving her a kiss.
"I was craving these," she said with a smile. "Do you want one?"
"No thank you, honey. I personally think that is kind of disgusting," he said as she held up a flaming hot Cheeto covered in creamy peanut butter.
"That's what I said," Courtney agreed.
Elliot laughed.
"She once woke me up at three o'clock in the morning to go to the store for Flaming Hot Cheetos and creamy peanut butter," he said kissing Olivia's forehead.
"Did you do it?" Courtney asked.
"Gladly. And I have made sure to keep them stocked up ever sense."
"This has been my main craving all the way through this pregnancy," Olivia informed her friend.
"She was craving these before we knew for sure she even was pregnant."
"That is what first made me think I was pregnant."
"She keeps trying to get me to try it, but I just cannot bring myself to do it," Elliot laughed.
"You don't know what you're missing," Olivia replied popping another chip into her mouth.
"Are we having Cheetos for dinner?" Elliot asked scrunching up his nose in protest.
"No," Olivia laughed. "I have a pizza in the oven and it should be ready in about ten minutes."
"Pizza?" He asked with a smile. "What kind of pizza?"
"Homemade," Courtney informed him.
"Hamburger and pepperoni, with cheddar cheese and mushrooms. Just the way you like it," Olivia added.
"She makes the best homemade pizza," Elliot said to Courtney. "How was everything today?" he asked placing his palms against his wife's swollen belly.
"Just fine," Olivia replied moving his hand over the place where Mia kicked.
"No pain or contractions?"
"Nope. If there had been I would have called you."
Elliot exhaled.
"Any day now daddy," Olivia assured him.
"I know. I guess I am just getting a little antsy. I am ready to meet my baby girl and finally get to hold her."
"You and me both," Olivia agreed.
Elliot kissed her belly, then raised up and kissed her lips.
"Peanut butter kisses," he said with a smile.
"Flaming hot ones?" Courtney joked.
"Her kisses are always flaming hot," Elliot said with a smile as he stole another one.
"Ha, ha," Olivia said with a sarcastic laugh.
"I'm gonna go wash up and get changed before dinner," Elliot said kissing her again as he moved back to their bedroom to take a shower.
"He is so adorable," Courtney said with a smile. "He worships you and this baby."
"He is an excellent husband and I know he will be a wonderful father. At first it was me who was really pushing to try and get pregnant immediately, but from the moment I got pregnant everything in Elliot's world has revolved around this baby. Even when he was deployed and he would finally get a minute to call me, I would answer the phone and the first words out of his mouth were always 'how's the baby?' And I think he was even more excited than I was when I told him we were having a little girl."
"I'm glad you guys are so happy and things are finally working out so well for you. God knows you both deserve it after everything you have been through together."
"Thanks, Court. I'm gonna set the table," Olivia said standing and stretching her back."
"Let me," Courtney insisted. "I am here to help, remember?"
"Okay and while you do that, I will pull the pizza from the oven."
Over dinner Elliot and Courtney worked out a delivery plan.
"I want us to have a plan incase she does go into labor," Elliot said taking a bite of his pizza. "I am so glad that you are here and that she wont be home alone all day. Especially right now when she could go into labor at any time."
"Me too," Olivia agreed.
"The emergency numbers are by the phone," Elliot said. "They are also programmed into Olivia's call phone. If she goes into labor…."
"Call the doctor, then call you," Courtney said repeating their plan.
"Yes! Call my work and tell them to find me immediately. You probably wont be able to wait for me to get to the phone, so just leave a message that Olivia is going to the hospital and I will meet you there. I showed you where the hospital was, right?"
"On the way back from the airport."
"Do you want to run by there again, just in case?"
"I'm sure I can find it."
"I know where it is El," Olivia said laughing at his seriousness.
""I know you do, baby. But you are liable to be in pain and she needs to be able to find it on her own."
"Once you get past the gate, you take the first left and go down six blocks," Olivia instructed her friend. "You can't miss it."
"Got it," Courtney said with a confident smile.
"Should there be an emergency, dial…."
"911?" Courtney asked.
"No, dial 0 for the operator. She will connect you with the guard shack and they can send help to the house. They are trained enough to deliver a baby should they need to."
"I don't want them delivering my baby," Olivia protested.
"I know you don't, honey. But given the situation, you may not have the time to be transported safely to the hospital before giving birth."
"Okay, now you're kind of freaking me out."
"I don't mean to, Angel. It is part of my training to always have a back up plan."
"Now we have one," Courtney said squeezing Olivia's hand. "I am sure everything will be just fine. You just tell me when you first feel signs of labor and we should have plenty of time."
"I hope you're right. Because I want drugs and an epidural and I am sure those guys aren't going to provide that."
"Probably not," Elliot agreed. "Pretty much all they would do is catch the baby and cut the cord, make sure you don't bleed out before we get you to the hospital."
Olivia stared at him in horror.
"I'm joking, babe. I didn't mean to scare you. They have medical training. They may not have drugs and I'm sure an epidural would be out of the question. But they would be able to safely deliver the baby and watch over you both until you could reach the hospital. It's just good to always plan for the worst."
"I guess you're right. It's better to know what to do should the situation arise than to be approached with the situation and not know how to handle it."
"Exactly right," he said kissing her forehead as he began to clear the table. "Why don't you ladies find us a movie to watch and I will make some popcorn?"
"With extra butter and Tabasco sauce?" Olivia asked.
"Any way you like it," Elliot said with a smile.
"What, no peanut butter?" Courtney joked and Olivia laughed.
"Hey, some people say that spicy foods can help induce labor," Olivia replied with a smile. "At this point it can only help the situation."
That night as they laid in bed Olivia talked over the Courtney situation with her husband.
"I really want her to stay, El."
"I'll see what I can do, but she really isn't supposed to stay here more than a week or so. They only agreed to let her stay that long because I told them she was your sister."
"She is. Maybe we don't have the same blood, but she has been in every other sense of the word. I want to help her, Elliot. There has to be something we can do. If we can help her get a job and a place to live here, we can help support her emotionally and help her to stay sober. I'm afraid that if she goes back to Boston, back to her old friends and her old life….she will fall off the wagon again."
"I promise you I will look into it. And we will do everything that we can to help. But Liv, when it comes right down to it, Courtney is going to have to be the one who chooses to stay sober. We can want her to all we want, but it is a choice she has to make for herself."
"I know. And I know it will be hard for her. But I also know that she is strong enough to do this. Promise me you will ask if she can stay, just a little longer. And maybe ask around about jobs. We're gonna go look tomorrow….and every day, until she finds something. She just needs a little time."
"I will do all that I can. Courtney is like a sister to me, too. And I agree with you one hundred percent. If she wants to be here, I think we should do everything we can to help her stay."
"You're amazing," she said with a smile as she nuzzled her nose against his and kissed him. "You know what else they say helps jump start labor?" she whispered playfully against his ear.
Elliot smiled and tossed his book off the bed and into the floor to devote his full attention to his wife.
"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."
"You don't hurt me. It isn't always comfortable and I feel like a cow crushing you, but it is worth a try if it could help bring labor, right?"
"Good point. As long as I am not hurting you or the baby. You are beautiful, you do not look like a cow and you have yet to crush me while we were having sex. I think we'll be alright," he said with a smile as he kissed her tenderly.
Olivia smiled and turned off the light.
The next afternoon as they unpacked the last of the moving boxes, Olivia sighed.
"Are you alright?" Courtney asked looking alarmed.
"I'm fine," Olivia said with a smile. "Just a little tired. I think I'll lay down for an hour or so and take a nap before Elliot gets home from work."
"Do you mind if I use your computer to check my email and fill out some more job applications?"
"Not at all," Olivia said as she brought her laptop from the bedroom and handed it to Courtney. "Do you have any idea what you would like for dinner tonight?"
"Anything sounds fine. Why don't you let me make dinner tonight?" Courtney asked checking the cabinets for food while the lap top came on.
"I need to go grocery shopping again. Maybe we could do that after my nap."
"You have all of the stuff for spaghetti. And I could make some garlic bread. Does that sound good?"
Olivia smiled as she felt a hard kick on one side of her belly.
"Mia thinks so," she laughed.
"Spaghetti it is then," Courtney announced returning her attention to the lap top. "What in the world is this?" she laughed as the last search entered popped up on the screen.
"Elliot uses it for work sometimes. There is no telling what you might fine on there," Olivia said combing her fingers through her hair.
Courtney laughed again.
"This looks more like porn! Pregnancy porn! Something tells me it isn't for Elliot's work."
"Oh," Olivia laughed as she turned the screen around to see the cartoon drawings Courtney was talking about. "No, that was mine."
"Yours?" Courtney laughed.
"Well, ours. Elliot and I were trying to have sex again last night. BIG emphasis on trying. They say that sex can help jump start labor, but we couldn't find a position that was comfortable for me and didn't seem to crush him. So I googled pregnancy sex positions for pointers."
Courtney laughed so hard she almost peed her pants.
"You laugh now, but wait until you are the size of a water buffalo and trying to keep some kind of romance in your marriage. This stuff is harder than it looks when you have another person between you."
"You're right. I'm sorry I laughed."
"Don't be. I guess it is a little funny. And these pictures are about ridiculous."
"It's like pregnancy karma sutra cartoons," Courtney replied.
"It has just been a while since we were actually able to do anything."
"Did you find something that worked for you last night?"
Olivia smiled.
"Ahh," Courtney said with a grin. "Which one?"
"That one," Olivia said pointing to one of the pictures on the screen.
"Number nine, nice."
"And number three. Umm, seven and….twelve."
"My God girl, I am surprised you can walk."
Olivia laughed.
"Seriously, no wonder you are so tired today," Courtney said with a smile.
"Well, I am not sure we did any of them right. And I can only hold the position for a few minutes at a time, none of them are really comfortable….more tolerable, really. We probably only actually had about twenty minutes of sex. But it was a good twenty minutes."
Courtney smiled again.
"Good for you. It wont be long and you guys will have that part of your life back again."
"Six to eight weeks after delivery. That seems like such a long time."
"You've don't it before."
"I wasn't sleeping in the same bed as my hot marine husband before. I wasn't even dating anyone. I thought for sure I had lost the only one man I ever loved and sex was the last thing on my mind."
"I guess you're right. I guess I wasn't thinking about that."
Olivia yawned again.
"Well, good luck with the job hunt. Miss Mia and I are gonna go take a nap."
Two hours later Olivia sat up in her bed, something just didn't feel right. Courtney had just finished cooking the hamburger for the spaghetti and was about to put the noodles into the water when she heard Olivia call to her from the bedroom.
"Court, can you come in here for a minute?"
"Yeah," she answered turning off the burner as she moved into the other room to check on Olivia. "What's going on?"
"I think something's wrong."
"Are you having contractions?"
"I don't think so," Olivia said smoothing her hands over her belly. "But my back aches and something just doesn't feel right."
"Do you want me to call your doctor?"
"No, I guess it's nothing," she said reaching to turn on the lamp beside the bed.
As Olivia tossed back the blankets she realized she was sitting in a puddle of amniotic fluid.
"That looks really gross," Courtney said staring at the spot on the bed. "This isn't supposed to happen, it is?"
"Yeah," Olivia said with a smile. "My water must have broke while I was sleeping."
"That's what happens when your water breaks?"
"I guess so. The last time my water broke in the doctor's office during my exam. It wasn't anything like this. I was awake and there was a pop and then a warm gush of liquid and I could hear it pouring off the table. I honestly thought I had peed myself until the doctor told me what had happened."
"So this means it's time, right? When your water breaks, you're having the baby?"
"Yup. Can you help me up? I need to get cleaned up."
"Shouldn't we go to the hospital so we don't have to call the guard shack?"
"We have a little time, Court. Go ahead and call the doctor. I am going to change into some dry clothes and we can call Elliot on the way."
"Okay. How on earth are you so calm?"
"I don't know," Olivia said pausing as she felt a contraction. "I just feel really peaceful right now."
"Maybe they should give me your drugs," Courtney said as she picked up Olivia's cell phone from beside the bed and called the doctor.
Olivia walked across the room and pulled out a fresh change of clothes. She picked up her packed bag and laid it on the bed. She groaned softly placing her hand under her belly as she felt another contraction.
Olivia moved into the bathroom and turned on the hot water in the shower. She pulled her hair back in a clip and dropped her wet clothes into the floor as she stepped into the shower.
"They are paging your doctor and he will meet us at the hospital," Courtney said walking into the bathroom. "Olivia, you're in labor and you are taking a shower?"
"I'll only be a minute."
"What if the baby comes out?"
Olivia laughed as she shut off the water and stepped out.
"I had to wash that gunk off me. I just need another minute to get dressed."
She reached onto the counter and handed Courtney her make up bag.
"Can you grab my tooth brush and put it with this in the bag on my bed? I also need the diaper bag in the nursery next to the crib and the car seat."
"The car seat?"
"She cannot go home unless we have the car seat."
"Okay," Courtney agreed nervously.
Olivia exhaled as her friend disappeared from the room. She stood beside her bed and dressed herself, then picked up her things and walked into the living room.
"I got the car seat," Courtney said rushing back into the living room where Olivia stood.
"Great. But where is the diaper bag?"
"Diaper bag, right."
Courtney turned to go back to the nursery after the diaper bag.
"Court, why don't you take this stuff out and go ahead and start the car. I'll grab the diaper bag and be out in a minute."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive," Olivia assured her.
Olivia watched as Courtney ran past her and out the door with her hands full of the stuff for the hospital. Olivia laughed as she shook her head and walked into the nursery. She looked around the room for a moment in the stillness and smiled knowing the next time she came in this room it would be with her baby daughter.
"Alright miss Mia, lets get your things."
Olivia picked up the diaper bag and unzipped it. She packed a few extra newborn diapers and a couple more outfits from the baby's dresser.
"And this," she said picking up a soft pink blanket from the side of the crib.
"Alright baby girl, mommy's ready whenever you are," she said softly as she patted her hand against her belly.
Olivia wound the mobile over the crib and listened for a moment as the lullaby played. She smiled and pulled the strap of the diaper bag over her shoulder as she walked out of the room. She picked up her cell phone from the kitchen counter as she walked toward the door. She listened as the phone rang on the other end and her husband answered.
She smiled again and said the three words he had waited so long to hear, "El, it's time."
Four and a half hours later Courtney and Elliot waited in the hall as the doctor examined Olivia again and started her epidural. Elliot looked up to see a familiar face standing at the end of the hallway.
"Steve?"
"Elliot," his old friend laughed as he moved toward them.
"How did you find us?"
"I called him," Courtney said leaning forward to hug Steve.
"I talked to Courtney last night. I was going to try to surprise you."
"But we kind of had a change of plans when Olivia went into labor," Courtney said as she exhaled.
"How's she doing in there?"
"Pretty good. Dilated to a six and the contractions are getting stronger and closer together. They are putting in her epidural and the doctor asked us to step out for a few minutes so they can get things ready for the delivery."
"We should be able to go back in soon," Courtney replied.
"Liv is going to be so excited to see you."
The doctor stepped out into the hall and allowed them to renter the room.
"How are you doing, baby?" Elliot asked leaning over the side of the hospital bed to kiss her.
"Better now, that the epidural is kicking in. The contractions are getting harder. And I am now at a seven. He's going to come back in and check me again in a few minutes to see if it is time to start pushing. Until then, we just have to wait."
"Someone came to see you," Elliot said as Steve stepped into the room.
"Oh my gosh," Olivia said with a smile, "you made it!"
Steve stepped forward and hugged Olivia.
"You didn't think I would miss the birth of my niece, did you?" he laughed.
"I thought you had to work or something."
"I worked something out. This was more important."
"It is so good to see you," she said as she exhaled slowly.
"Contraction?" Elliot asked as they looked at the monitor that was keeping track of them.
"Yeah," she said softly.
"From the looks of this it was a pretty good one."
"I thought you couldn't feel them with the epidural?" Courtney asked.
"I don't feel the pain of the contraction, but I feel a pressure. They are really close now," she said watching as another contraction showed up on the monitor.
The nurse came in to checked Olivia once more and said it was time to start pushing. The doctor told Elliot that only two of them could remain in the delivery room when the baby was born. Courtney decided to step out and wait in the waiting room with Steve.
They sat in the waiting room for what seemed like hours, talking and making up for lost time. Nearly an hour after they had left Olivia's room, Elliot sent Courtney a text message with a picture of his newborn daughter.
"She is beautiful," Steve said looking at the picture.
Courtney wiped a tear from her eye as he phone rang.
"El, she is beautiful. When can we come back and see her?"
She listened for a moment as Elliot gave her the baby's statistics.
"Six pounds, eight ounces and she is nineteen and a half inches long," she repeated to Steve. "She was born at 11:57 pm and both mother and baby are doing really good. Congratulations, daddy!" Courtney said with excitement. "El says they are taking Liv to get settled into her room and we can come back to see them in about fifteen minutes," she said as she closed her cell phone.
"What do you say we go check out the 24 hour gift shop?" Steve said standing and offering her his hand.
Courtney smiled and placed her hand in his as he helped her up and they headed for the elevators.
Elliot knelt beside his wife and kissed her tenderly.
"I love you so much," he whispered softly as he stared into her eyes.
Olivia was exhausted as she raised her hand to touch his cheek as she brushed her lips against his.
"I love you, too."
Just then there was a knock on the door and one of the nurses entered with the largest bunch of pink roses Olivia had ever seen. She smiled a tired smile as the nurse carried them over for her to see and handed her the card.
'To: my wife and my best friend. Thank you for giving me the sweetest gift of all, our beautiful baby girl. I'll love you forever, El.'
"Elliot, they are beautiful. Thank you."
"I called the florist and ordered them on my way to the hospital. They have been sitting out there at the nurses station waiting for the baby to arrive," He said with a smile. "Not even half the thanks you deserve for making me the proudest father on the face of the Earth." He locked his fingers between hers. "Our little Mia is finally here," he said as another nurse wheeled a little bed into the room and handed Olivia the baby.
She smiled with tears in her eyes as she held her daughter.
"Mommy and daddy have waited so long to meet you," she said softly as the baby grunted and stared up at them.
"She is so precious," Elliot said looking down at the round wrinkly pink face and thick dark hair.
He laughed as she yawned and Olivia watched as tears once more flowed from his eyes.
"She looks just like you," he said as he kissed Olivia's forehead. "Our little Mia Abigail."
"I was thinking…."
"Thinking what, sweetheart?"
"Thinking maybe Mia doesn't really fit her."
"You changed your mind?" he asked looking into her eyes.
"Yes," she said softly as she stared at their newborn daughter.
"What did you have in mind?"
"I thought we could call her Riley."
"Riley?" Elliot asked with a smile.
"I know how bad we both wanted him to be able to be here to meet his Goddaughter. I thought maybe we could name her after him. You don't like the idea?" she asked as Elliot's eyes teared up again.
"No, I love the idea. And I think Riley is a very pretty name for a girl. Better than naming her David, I guess," he joked.
Olivia laughed.
"Riley," she said softly looking down at the tiny little girl. "Okay daddy, do you have any ideas for a middle name?"
Elliot thought for a minute.
"Well, what about Emma?"
"Riley Emma…." Olivia considered.
"Maybe not," Elliot said as their daughter closed her little hand around daddy's finger. "Riley Elizabeth Stabler."
Olivia smiled.
"I like that."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Riley Elizabeth Stabler."
"But I still love Mia. Maybe for baby girl number two?"
Olivia smiled.
"I have only had this one out of me for about twenty minutes and you are already planning on putting another one in there?"
"Well, when Riley is a little older….I think she should have a brother or sister. At least a sister."
Olivia smiled.
"And it would be a shame to waste the name Mia," he added.
Olivia laughed as they heard another knock on the door.
"Hey guys, come on in," Elliot said standing proudly to show off his daughter.
Steve and Courtney entered the room with a bundle of balloons and several stuffed toys.
"There she is," Courtney cooed at the baby.
"Welcome to the world Mia," Steve said with a smile.
"Actually, Olivia and I decided we want to call her Riley, after a friend of ours that we lost a few months ago."
"Riley is a beautiful name," Steve said.
"Riley Elizabeth Stabler," Elliot said with a proud smile.
"I love it," Courtney said looking down at the baby. "I think it fits her well."
"She is really gorgeous you guys. Congratulations," Steve said as Elliot handed him the baby.
"She has ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes. I already counted them," he joked. "She is perfect," he said as he watched their friends falling in love with their daughter.
"Dark hair and dark eyes," Courtney pointed out.
"She looks just like her beautiful mother," Steve said kissing Olivia on the cheek. "You did good man," he said patting Elliot on the back. "I don't think that I have ever seen a better looking baby. Only one that even came close to this one," he said as Elliot looked at him. "And he looked just like you."
Elliot smiled as he returned to his wife's side.
"You two sure make good looking kids," Steve said kissing little Riley on the forehead as he handed her off to Courtney to hold.
"So when are the two of you gonna get around to making her a little cousin?" Elliot asked with a mischievous smile.
Steve laughed and looked over at Courtney.
"We have decided to take things one step at a time," she answered smiling down at the baby in her arms.
"Courtney has agreed to let me take her out for dinner tomorrow night," Steve replied.
"Do it right man," Elliot warned him. "Treat her like a lady and have her home at a decent hour. Don't make me come looking for you."
Steve smiled and Olivia laughed.
"Yes, sir. I will have her home by curfew, I promise. Well, we'd better get going and let the three of you get some rest. I still have to get checked in to the hotel."
"Why don't you stay at the house tonight? I'm gonna be here with Olivia anyway and it will give you guys a little time alone together. Court's in the guest room, but Liv just picked out the most comfortable sofa on the planet."
"It is pretty comfortable," she said with a smile. "I liked to nap on it while I was pregnant and I could hardly get comfortable anywhere."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I insist," Elliot said. "I will have to escort you guys back on base, though and let them know you are our guests. Will you be alright while I run them home?" he asked turning to Olivia.
"I think so. I need to feed her anyway," Olivia said with a yawn.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to grab me some clothes, all I have is the uniform I'm wearing. Is there anything you need from the house?"
"I think I have everything. If not we can get it in the morning."
Elliot kissed his wife and daughter.
"Riley, you be a good girl. Daddy will be back soon. You take care of mommy, alright?" he looked into the baby's little brown eyes as she whimpered. "Daddy loves you so much, angel."
He handed the baby back to Olivia and they were out the door. That night as Elliot settled in to sleep in the chair beside Olivia's hospital bed, he smiled at the little girl in the little plastic bed between them. He had waited his whole life for the chance to be a father and this time he vowed to do it right. He leaned forward and checked the blanket around little Riley.
"She's fine babe," Olivia whispered softly in the dark.
"I just want to make sure she is warm enough."
"You are such a good daddy already," She said with a smile.
"I hope so. I love her so much. More than I ever thought I could love anyone."
"So you like being a dad?" she asked with a smile.
"It is the best feeling in the world," he whispered as he kissed her. "I have the best life. I am married to my childhood sweetheart and the love of my life," he said brushing her hair back as he kissed her forehead, "and we have the most beautiful daughter that has ever been born."
"I sent a text to Cragen, Fin and Munch with the picture of Riley," she whispered. "Tomorrow I would like to send them some more of the pictures," she yawned.
"Definitely. If it wasn't so late I would have called them to brag."
"Well, I got three texts back telling us congratulations on our beautiful daughter. She isn't even a day old yet and already she has stolen the heart of everyone she knows."
Elliot kissed his wife.
"You should get some rest now, it has been along evening."
"Afternoon, evening and morning. The sun will be up in a couple of hours."
"I love you so much," Elliot whispered twisting his fingers in her dark hair.
"I love you, too."
As they fell asleep together in the hospital room, a few blocks away Steve and Courtney laughed and talked as they compared newborn Riley pictures on their cell phones and ate spaghetti at three o'clock in the morning.