Olivia grasped Sophia's hand as she pushed Ella's stroller inside the bullpen. Munch and Fin were sitting at their desks, fighting with each other as usual. Olivia smiled as she walked up to them. Fin looked up and laughed. Munch turned to see what he was staring at, and his mouth dropped open in surprise.
Olivia smiled. "What, you've never seen a pregnant woman before?" She teased them.
Fin got up and pulled Olivia into a hug. "God Olivia, you look great!" Fin complimented her.
Olivia laughed and ran a hand through her hair self-consciously. "Thanks," she said.
Munch got up out of his seat, and regarded Olivia with a raised eyebrow. "You got knocked up, huh?" He asked, looking serious.
Olivia shrugged. "You didn't get any smarter, huh?" She shot back.
Munch threw his head back and laughed. "You got me there," he said as he gave her a light hug. "Who's the lucky man?"
Olivia cocked her head. "Well that's sort of why I'm here…he doesn't exactly know yet…" she explained.
Fin raised his eyebrows. "So you came back to New York to tell him?"
Olivia nodded. "I'm staying with Casey until after the baby's born, then I'll go back to Raleigh," she told them.
Munch coughed. "Have you contacted him yet?"
Olivia shook her head. "That's kind of why I came here," she said.
"Came here, to the precinct?" Fin asked.
Olivia nodded slowly.
After a few moments, a look of understanding passed over the men's faces. "Elliot," Munch said quietly.
Olivia nodded. She looked over at his desk, noticing that he wasn't there. "Is he here?" She asked.
Fin shook his head. "He didn't come in today, we haven't heard from him," he explained.
Olivia wrinkled her brow. "That doesn't sound like Elliot," she said.
Fin nodded. "Well since you left, he hasn't exactly been himself," he told her, offering her a seat at her old desk.
Olivia looked at her desk. It was dusty, and unused. "Where's his partner?" She asked.
Munch smiled slightly. "He didn't want another one."
Olivia nodded. "How has he been different?"
Fin shrugged his shoulders. "He's been down, not exactly happy. He works all the time, more than he used to. He doesn't like staying at his apartment, so when his kids aren't with him, he sleeps in the crib. Sometimes I catch him staring at your desk, or looking at the picture of you he keeps on his desk. He misses you, a lot," Fin told her.
Olivia sighed. Sophia coughed slightly, and Fin looked over at her, and then back over to Olivia. "Yours?" He asked.
Olivia smiled and nodded. "These are my daughters Sophia and Isabella. You remember Ella, don't you? Sophia's her biological sister," she explained.
Fin nodded. "I see, it's nice to meet you," he said shaking Sophia's hand.
Sophia smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you too. I've heard so much about you and your partner; it's great to finally meet you."
Munch smiled. "You talk about us?"
Olivia nodded. "All those stories, how could I not share them?"
Fin laughed and looked at his watch. "It's 6 o'clock, you might want to get your kids fed," he said, helping Olivia out of her seat.
She nodded and hugged both of the men. "I'll see you later," she promised. "Ella, say bye-bye to Uncle Munch and Uncle Fin," she said to her daughter.
Ella raised her small hand and waved at the men. "Bye Unca Munchies, bye Unca Fin Fin," she shouted happily.
Olivia smiled and pushed the stroller out of the door with Sophia following her.
Casey's apartment
It was about 10 o'clock, and everyone was tired from the plane ride. Olivia put her daughters to sleep, and crawled into her bed. She lay awake for a little while, thinking about the day. She had hoped to see Elliot so she could talk to him, but she was nervous about his reaction. She realized that she probably hurt him considerably when she left without saying goodbye. She sighed, and fell asleep.
Two hours laterMidnight
Casey's apartment
Olivia's cell phone rang on the nightstand next to her. She groaned and reached for it. "Benson," she answered groggily.
"Olivia, it's Cragen," he said.
"I thought I didn't work for you anymore," she said as she rubbed her eyes.
"There was an accident, I need you to come down to St. Vincent's ASAP," he said before hanging up.
Olivia slammed her phone shut and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She slowly got up and threw some clothes on. She used the bathroom and brushed her teeth before going to wake Casey. She walked into Casey's bedroom and shook her friend gently.
Casey rolled over and woke up, startled. "Olivia, are you okay?" She said as she sat up quickly.
Olivia nodded. "Cragen called. There was an accident. I have to go down to St. Vincent's," she whispered.
Casey nodded. "Do you know what happened?"
Olivia shook her head as she headed for the door. "I'll call you later. Can I take your car?"
Casey nodded and handed her the keys. "Keep your cell on," she called as Olivia left the apartment.
St. Vincent's Midtown Hospital
10 minutes later
Olivia walked into the hospital tiredly, rubbing her back. She walked up to Cragen, confused. "What's up?" She asked, yawning.
"Sorry to wake you Olivia, but there was an accident," he explained.
Olivia nodded. "I know that, but what happened?" She asked again.
Before he could answer her, she heard footsteps running up towards her. She turned around and was shocked to see Elliot's children running up to her. Tears were running down their faces as they smothered her in a big hug.
Realization hit Olivia as she comforted them and looked at Cragen. "Elliot?" She asked quietly, her voice hoarse.
Cragen nodded. "I'm so sorry," he said, laying a hand on her back.
Olivia looked over at the door as three paramedics wheeled Elliot into the emergency room. She managed to run after them. Elliot's eyes were closed, but he kept repeating something over and over.
"Wait!" She yelled after the paramedics.
One of them stopped and ran back to her. "Are you Olivia?" He asked.
Olivia nodded. "How'd you know?"
"He keeps repeating your name over and over," the paramedic explained as he helped her over to where the doctors were looking over Elliot.
She took Elliot's hand and began to cry.
Elliot opened his eyes for a moment. "Don't cry Liv," he said in a hoarse voice. "I've always loved you," he told her as he placed a hand on her stomach weakly. "I'll always love you."
The doctors rushed Elliot's gurney out of the ER. Olivia watched the swinging doors slam behind them.
Dazed, with tears streaming down her face, she walked back into the waiting room. Cragen helped her into a chair and put his arm around her.
"What happened?" She asked, her voice wavering.
Cragen shook his head. "I don't exactly know. I got a call from the 1-7. They found him about 30 minutes ago in an alley. He was shot in the shoulder. They think it was a robbery attempt, but he put up a fight and managed to knock the other guy out before he fell unconscious," Cragen explained.
Olivia nodded. "There was so much blood…it hit a major artery…" she said, knowing how serious it was.
Cragen nodded. "They're going to do their best to fix him," Cragen comforted her.
Olivia began to cry again. "He's going to die," she said, "And I'll never get to tell him that I love him. He'll never get to see the baby…" she said quietly as she lay her head on Cragen's shoulder.
"He knows you love him," Cragen told her as he patted her shoulder.
"How do you know?" Olivia asked, raising her head to look at him.
"Right after you got out of the hospital, he told me that he's had feelings for you for quite a long time. Then, after you left, he told me that he loved you…that his heart was broken," Cragen said quietly.
"I was wrong to leave him. I came back, to apologize and tell him about the baby. Now I won't be able to do either," she said sadly.
"Don't give up hope," Cragen told her. "Just pray for him."
Olivia nodded and closed her eyes. She fell asleep from pure exhaustion.
