Note: Here's chapter four!

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Elliot had been shot almost a dozen times in his career as a member of the NYPD. Over half of those had occurred during his time in SVU, and every time Kathy and Olivia both had laid into him about being more careful because he had scared the hell out of both of them.

Not once had Olivia been shot, and he took great pride in that knowledge. He did his absolute best to keep her safe. And then she took two bullets meant for him, and he knew he'd never forgive himself.

"El."

He blinked and shook himself out of his thoughts. Three weeks had passed since the shooting, three weeks of surgeries, scans, and false hopes. At the beginning he stayed at her side day in and day out, only leaving when absolutely forced to. Once she was coherent enough to argue with him, he started leaving her side for longer intervals to shower, sleep, or see Noah. But he only left when Fin or Cragen could sit with her, and even then he was reluctant. Carisi and Fin took turns bringing Noah to see her, but Olivia only allowed short visits to avoid upsetting her son. Elliot could see how much she missed him, but he understood her need to protect her son.

She nudged him again. "El? Are you listening?"

He startled a little. "Yeah?"

"I said Anna just left. You really zoned out," she murmured, affectionately exasperated. "She's bringing the discharge paperwork."

He nodded, leaning closer to her. "Okay. That's great."

She gave a half hearted chuckle. "It's not too late to back out."

He shook his head and reached for her hand. "That's not it. I'm not backing out."

Without thinking she grasped his hand and sat up a bit in her wheelchair. With every day that passed, she lost more hope of ever recovering. Still she didn't regret her choice.

He rested his hand on her shoulder and squeezed tightly. "How are you feeling about this?"

She gave a small shrug. "I'm not sure it's sunk in yet."

He nodded softly, and a few minutes later her attending brought the discharge paperwork for her to sign.

Olivia looked through the paperwork and signed on the indicated lines. She was already in her own clothes, thanks to Elliot, and she couldn't wait to be outside.

"Alright, I think you're ready to go. Once the surgical site is entirely healed, we can discuss physiotherapy." The doctor took the papers from her.

"Thank you." She looked at Elliot. "Ready to go?"

Elliot nodded and gripped the handles of her wheelchair. He pushed her outside, where he'd already moved his car close to the entrance. He opened the passenger side door and turned to face her so he could help her in. "Are you ready?"

Nodding, Elliot carefully helped her into the car. He folded her wheelchair and stowed it in the trunk before he slid into the driver's seat and started the car.

"Do you need anything before we go to your apartment?"

"Maybe something to eat?" She flinched at the thought of old fruit and stale bread at home.

"We stocked your fridge with groceries. I'll make you some dinner tonight. But we can get whatever you want on the way home."

She smiled a bit. "You, cooking? How could I say no to that?"

"It's hard to say no to." He chuckled as he left the hospital parking lot. "I told Carisi we'd call him to bring Noah once you're settled in."

"Perfect." Olivia rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. Before she knew it they were pulling into her apartment complex, and once they were parked she let Elliot help her into the wheelchair. "I'm actually feeling hungry," she admitted as they made their way inside and down to her door.

"Alright." He nodded as he unlocked the door. "What would you like?"

"Anything you want to make." He knew she was tired of hospital food.

"Okay. Do you want to sit on the couch?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." She let Elliot help her sit on the couch and she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She was finally home.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Mm hmm. I'm fine." She sank deeper into the couch.

Satisfied, Elliot left the room to make lunch. Several minutes later, he joined her on the couch and handed her a plate. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm fine." Her mouth watered as she looked at her food. "This smells delicious."

"I'm sure it'll be a big step up from hospital food."

"I know it will." She leaned into him and took a big bite of the pasta, groaning happily. "Mm..."

The happy sound made him smile. "Good?"

"It's delicious," she managed around the mouthful.

"Good." He gave her hand a light squeeze and started eating his own lunch. As they ate, Olivia settled closer to Elliot until her head was on his shoulder.

He didn't hesitate to put his arm around her. They hadn't discussed what their next step was, but Elliot readily accepted each touch, each gesture that gave him hope that they would be okay. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she managed around the delicious pasta. "Little tired."

He nodded and once they'd finished eating, he took their dishes to the kitchen. Then he returned to the couch and sat down. Olivia rested her head against his shoulder again and he gently toyed with her hair. Full and content, Olivia closed her eyes and nuzzled into his shoulder.

"How does it feel to be home?"

"It feels amazing," she murmured. "Now I just need Noah..."

"Do you want me to call Carisi to bring him?"

She peered up at him hopefully. "Yes."

Elliot took out his phone and called Carisi, who promised to bring Noah within the half hour. "He'll be here soon," he supplied when he ended the call.

Beaming, she returned her head to his shoulder. "I've missed him so much."

"He's missed you, too. He asked about you every time I checked on him."

Her smile softened and she nodded into his shoulder. "He's my world."

The affection in her eyes was enough to make him smile widely as he rubbed her arm. "You're a good mom.".

Olivia fell quiet until Carisi let them into the apartment. Spotting his mom, Noah dropped his backpack and ran to her. "Mommy!"

"Hey..." Olivia pushed herself up a bit, her eyes bright with tears. "There's my boy."

Elliot's expression softened and he moved over to give them some room. Noah pushed himself up onto the couch and curled into his mom, hugging her gently. Olivia winced but gathered Noah close, kissing his head.

"I missed you!"

"Oh, I've missed you too, my sweet boy." She snuggled Noah close.

He rested his head on her shoulder. "Do you feel better?"

"So much better," she murmured, brushing her lips against his hair. "Thank you, El."

"You're welcome." He smoothed his hand over her hair.

Noah snuggled closer to his mom and eyed Elliot as Carisi quietly slipped out of the apartment. "Hi."

Elliot smiled at him. "Hi." He'd only interacted with Noah a few times, but as Olivia slowly began to let him back into his life, those interactions were becoming more frequent. It was more than he could have ever hoped for, and he was determined not to mess that up.

The boy looked between them. "Mom, Uncle Sonny and Elliot said Elliot's gonna live with us!"

Olivia chuckled softly and stroked his hair. "Well...he's going to be here a lot to help me. How do you feel about that?"

Noah regarded Elliot again. "He doesn't know any stories I like..."

At that, Elliot chuckled. "I know a lot that I told my kids, but you and your mom can always let me know some of your favorites."

"Absolutely," Olivia agreed. "Noah especially likes stories about knights and dragons. Don't you?"

The boy nodded exuberantly. "I have a dragon in my toybox! His name is Ted."

"Yeah? I'm sure I can think of some dragon stories."

Noah pursed his lips thoughtfully as he considered that. "Okay."

Noah stayed with them for a while before he went to his room to play. Elliot slipped his arm around Olivia's shoulders when she stifled a yawn. "Tired?"

"A little." She curled closer to him. "I know we haven't actually talked about it...but I really do want you here." Not because he was helping her, but because the thought of him leaving again stole her breath.

He relaxed, leaning his head against hers. "I'm glad to hear you say that. I want to be here."

"Good." She relaxed as his arms came around her protectively.

"And I'll never leave again. I promise," he assured her, meaning every word of it. He drew her a little closer, and she soon dozed off in his arms. Elliot relaxed against the couch, making both of them more comfortable.

Later that night, Elliot didn't have the heart to interrupt Olivia's sleep. He knew she'd be more comfortable in her own bed, so he stood up and carefully gathered her into his arms, mindful not to jostle her surgical site.

She remained peacefully asleep as he carried her to her bedroom and settled her on the bed, removing her shoes and setting them aside. As he pulled a blanket over her, Noah found him. "Elliot?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm hungry."

"I'll fix you something to eat. Is there anything you want?"

"Uhm..." He thought for a moment and let Elliot usher him from his mom's room. "Can I have mac and cheese, please?"

"Sure." Elliot led the boy to the kitchen, where he started preparing the requested mac and cheese. "Anything else?"

Noah shook his head as he sat down at the table. "Is my mom really okay? Is she gonna walk again?"

"Well..." Elliot hesitated for a moment. He knew Olivia had explained the situation to Noah when he'd visited her at the hospital, but she wanted to avoid upsetting him until they knew more. "She's still really tired from being in the hospital and having surgery. But she's doing better than she was, and we'll find out more when she sees her doctor again."

He nodded and thought about that. "Are you gonna live here now?"

"I promised your mom I'd stay as long as she wants me here."

"You gotta be nice to my mom, okay?" He drank from a cup of water Elliot gave him. "She thinks I don't know, but she's always sad."

Elliot's heart twisted knowing he was responsible for that. "She means a lot to me. I'll be nice to her," he assured the young boy wholeheartedly.

"Okay." Elliot put a bowl of mac and cheese in front of Noah and the boy eagerly dug in. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." Elliot sat across from him.

After a few bites, Noah looked to Elliot again. "My mom has pictures of you."

Surprised, he arched a brow. "She does?"

"Mm hmm. In her room."

"I have pictures, too."

"You do?" His eyes lit up. "Can I see?"

Elliot nodded, still surprised that Olivia had kept the pictures after all these years. "Most of them are at my apartment, but I have some on my phone." He took out his phone and showed Noah a few pictures.

Noah looked at the pictures with a big smile. "She's pretty..."

Elliot smiled, too. "She's beautiful. I have more pictures at home from when we first started working together. One day I'll get them and show them to you."

"Wow..." He yawned and ate another bite of his macaroni.

"After you finish, I can tuck you in if you want."

"Can you tell me a story too? Mom and Uncle Sonny always do."

"I can do that."

Grinning, he finished his dinner and carried his bowl to the dishwasher. Once Noah brushed his teeth and changed into pajamas, Elliot followed him to his room. "Do you have a story you want to hear, or do you want me to make up one?"

Noah went to his bookshelf and picked out a thin book with a purple spine. He handed it to Elliot before climbing into his bed. "That one, please."

Elliot studied the cover for a moment. It was a customized book, one clearly made just for Noah. "Wow."

"I have a bunch of those," Noah said proudly as he snuggled into his pillows.

Elliot opened the book to the first page. Once Noah was comfortable, he started reading. "Once upon a time..."

By the time he finished the story, Noah was sleeping peacefully. He set the book on the nightstand, turned on Noah's nightlight, then left his room. Elliot returned to Olivia's room to check on her. She was still asleep and he quietly changed clothes before lying down next to her.

To his surprise, she rolled over and smiled at him. "Hey..."

"Hey. I put Noah to bed." He reached out, brushing his hand against her cheek.

"Great... was he okay?"

Elliot nodded. "Mm hmm. He ate dinner and went right to sleep."

She relaxed and rested her head against his. "I wanted to help..."

"I didn't wanna wake you up." He put a strong arm around her, carefully pulling her a little closer. "I know you needed to get some sleep not in a hospital bed."

"Fair enough." She melted into him, relishing the closeness. "Are you staying tonight?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes. I do," she finally replied softly.

That was all he needed to hear. "Then I'm staying."

She let out a relieved breath and hugged him tightly.

He returned the hug and adjusted the covers. "Wake me up if you need anything."

"Mm hmm." She nestled closer to him before drifting into sleep. Elliot remained awake for a while before he closed his eyes and soon surrendered to the most peaceful sleep he'd had in months.

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