Ch 13: Vital Signs
A/N: Hey, wishing everyone "Happy Holidays" and thanks for such great reviews; keep them coming!
"Someone help!" Olivia yelled running to Kathy's side. She caught Kathy, holding her up by the armpits, as Kathy descended to the ground. Elliot's blood pressure began to rise as he yelled for help reiteratively.
"Get off…" Kathy hissed at Olivia as three nurses ran to her aid. Olivia backed off as the nurses helped Kathy up. "I was only trying to help" Olivia thought to herself. A doctor rushed into the room with a wheelchair and sat Kathy down. She began to moan in pain.
"How far along are you?" he asked her.
"Early third trimester" Kathy replied with a sharp contortion of her face. Elliot started to become nervous. "I can't deliver right? It's too early…"
"We'll do the best we can." The doctor told her without saying yes or no; this made Kathy even more nervous.
"What the hell is going on?" Elliot asked as the nurses brought Kathy out of the room.
"We're going to have to bring this woman up to the maternity ward. She and her child need to be monitored very carefully. Are you her friend?"
"Husband."
"Well, we'll take great care of her. Don't get excited your blood pressure is rising." The doctor walked over to Elliot's heart monitor and increased the amount of drugs into his body. "Just relax, everything will be fine."
"Will I get to see her?" Elliot asked teary eyed.
"Of course." The doctor replied walking out of the room. Once he left, Elliot sighed and stared over at Olivia who was standing nervously with her arms crossed looking out the window.
"I'm in the doghouse, huh? I knew I should've called her or something." she asked.
"Olivia, don't blame yourself for this mess. Look at me; these machines are preventing me from getting up my ass and comforting her."
"Yea…look, Elliot, I better go. I gotta get things sordid out with Cragen…"
"You're leaving because of Kathy?"
"Not just that…" Olivia began nervously putting her hair behind her ears and rising from the chair. "Oh, before I forget, what was it you had to tell me before the shooting?"
"Wow, I can't remember." Elliot thought hard. "It'll come to me eventually."
"Alright…" Olivia replied grabbing her coat from the chair. "Call me if you need me…Well, that might not be a good idea now." She laughed innocently. Elliot lit up with her smile, even after all that happened to him that day she still knew how to make him laugh.
As she left for the door, Elliot halted her movements with a question. "Did they get him?"
"Who?" Olivia asked confused.
"The prick that shot me…"
Olivia thought for a second; she knew they didn't but she didn't want to upset him. "No, Elliot. I'm sorry."
"Good…"
"Why would you say that?" Olivia asked.
"Because I wanna make sure I get the bastard myself…" Elliot smiled.
"We'll get him" Olivia smiled and walked out the door. Elliot watched out the window as Olivia walked down the sidewalk towards the car. He dazed off for a second and realized what Olivia was inquiring about earlier. "'I Love You'…that's it, you said 'I Love You'." Elliot said to himself. It was obviously too late. A nurse walked in and asked Elliot if he needed anything.
"I really need to see my wife. Three nurses took her up to the maternity ward earlier on."
"Ok, well let me check your vital signs and I can get you a wheelchair to bring you up there." The nurse replied.
"I'm sure I can get up myself…" Elliot replied trying to lift himself up but descended back down in pain. "Well, that wasn't a good idea."
The nurse smiled while writing notes on his chart. "Well everything looks good but we're going to keep you on a drip. I'll be back in a sec with your chair. Don't go anywhere." She said sarcastically. Elliot smiled in return.
"Well, I don't think I'll get shot again." Elliot told himself as he sighed from the pain. A few moments later the nurse returned with his chair and she helped Elliot into it vigilantly.
"You're good at this…" Elliot stated.
"Is that a good thing?" the nurse asked sarcastically.
"It better be…" Elliot laughed blowing air out of his mouth in relief as he relaxed in the chair. The nurse wheeled him up to the maternity ward where he found Kathy in a room. Kathy ignored both of them even though she knew of their presence. "Thanks" Elliot smiled at the nurse who exited soon after. He heard Kathy sniffle, a sign she was crying.
"I was kinda hoping you'd smile for me." he stated.
"I was kinda hoping you wouldn't be here." She replied in a monotone voice.
"Look, I know you're pissed and upset." Elliot began.
"I'm not worried about you and that stupid…that woman I cannot even describe. I think you two are old enough now to understand that when a person is married they only have ONE WIFE..." Kathy began. "I'm more worried about the fetus inside my body that has a 50 chance of being delivered premature. It seems you were more worried about the other situation than that of your own child."
"Kathy…" Elliot sighed.
"Elliot, you don't understand. If I lose the one thing that is saving my marriage, I don't know what I'm gonna do." Kathy replied as she began to cry even more. Elliot was shocked and realized she wasn't kidding. At this time, the doctor walked in.
"Any news?" Elliot asked.
"Good and bad" the doctor replied. "The good news is the baby didn't get far down the birth canal and we were able to keep it from coming down."
"Oh thank God…" Kathy sighed in relief brushing away some tears. Surprisingly she grabbed Elliot's hand.
"The bad news is, is that you need to stay on bed rest for the next few weeks. I'll be back in a while."
"Thanks doctor." Elliot replied. He turned to Kathy once the doctor left. "Ok, did you actually think we were in trouble?"
"You're not the man I married anymore, Elliot."
"Kathy, I am not having an affair with Olivia."
"If I wasn't pregnant, would you?" Kathy asked. Her question stunned Elliot so much it took him a while to actually comprehend what she was asking.
"What are you talking about, of course I wouldn't!"
"Elliot, who are you?"
"Kathy, I understand how you feel. Being pregnant can make you think…"
"Bull shit and you know it." she interrupted him and stared into his eyes. Elliot leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. She closed her eyes and smiled as he pulled away slowly.
"Do you mean to tell me that that night in Paris meant nothing to me?" he asked her. "I'd do it again in a second, and only with you."
"Shhh…" Kathy ordered him to be quiet as she gently kissed his forehead.
"I'm sorry…" Elliot whispered kissing her hand.
"You're supposed to say 'I Love You'" Kathy smiled.
"I Love You" Elliot replied. Those words haunted him to think that the person that came to mind when he said them wasn't Kathy.
