*Inserts excuse as to why I haven't updated and apologizes* This is just a cute filler chapter for all the angst you'll have to deal with from now on. Enjoy!
"What are you guys doing here?" Olivia asked opening her door to see Rafael and Fin in the hallway with bags in their hands.
"Voight called and said we needed to babysit you, so here we are." Barba said already pushing himself into the apartment. He wasn't the big fan of Hank because of his temper, but it was obvious that he cared about Olivia. He didn't appreciate him leaving for Chicago after Olivia had just left the hospital, but he knew how the job went so he gave him the benefit of the doubt.
She rolled her eyes and made a mental note to kill Hank. She was on bed rest and needed to have minimal to no stress in her life and he thought it was a good idea to send these two. "I am almost positive you guys have some work to do, especially you, Fin." She said closing the door and following them into the kitchen.
"I told Dodds I was coming to check on you and he told me he would call if he needed me. I kind of like him in charge more than you." He said with a smile on his face. After Olivia dropped the possible bomb that she was pregnant, he knew he needed to come check up on her.
Olivia scoffed. "Go to hell."
He just laughed as he continued to unload the bags.
"How are you feeling?" Barba asked.
"Like hell. Everything hurts and I wish I could take pain medication but I can't because.." She stopped herself. She was not ready to announce her pregnancy to the world especially when the future of her pregnancy was so unclear. "It just sucks."
"Why can't you take pain meds? You got shot. I think that's a good enough reason to give you a prescription." Rafael asked.
Fin's mind went back to the conversation that he walked out of at the hospital the other day and he put two and two together. "Liv, you're not pregnant are you?"
"What! You're pregnant?" Barba asked slightly excited.
She sighed. "Yes, but I'm on strict bed rest, so I'm not out of the woods yet. That's why we're keeping it a secret until we know the baby is okay." She said eyeballing Fin. She didn't appreciate him putting her business out there, once again. Sometimes Fin couldn't keep his mouth shut even if you paid him.
"You're making me an uncle. I'm so happy." Barba said walking up to her and rubbing her still flat stomach. "How far along are you?" He said looking her in the eyes.
"Almost fifteen weeks." She said not being able to stop the smile forming on her face. Even with all the health problems and all the drama going on in her life, she was so happy to possibly become a mother again. "Please keep this a secret. We don't need anyone else's hopes up."
"You got it." They both said.
"Thank you."
"Well, if you're on bed rest, you need to go get back in the bed. We got you groceries and we'll make sure that Noah is taken care of." Fin said.
She playfully groaned but went back to her bedroom. Even though she knew the two of them were going to get on her nerves, they meant well, and she was going to miss them when she moved to Chicago.
"How's Liv?" Erin asked walking into Hank's office.
He had realized that she didn't know about her infection and the fact that she was on bed rest. He was sure Erin would crucify him for leaving Olivia. "Bed rest. She had a cervical inflammation and she has to take it easy for the next few weeks."
"Did you seriously leave her alone?" Erin understood that catching Bunny was important, Olivia needed him more than they needed to get Bunny.
"I sent Barba and Fin to watch over her, but right now, we need to figure out Bunny's involvement with Leslie's death." He was worried about Olivia and it took everything in him to leave New York, but he knew if something serious was to happen that Olivia would call him and he would be on the next plane there. He had left her under Fin and Barba's care and they were the only people besides himself he trusted with her.
"Hank, I'm a big girl. Plus, the case is cold. If Bunny did kill her, what evidence are we going to find thirty years later?" After talking to Jay about what has happened in the last week, she agreed that going after Bunny now would just reopen old wounds that she was not ready to deal with. She was still struggling with the fact that everything that she's known was a lie. For so long, she blamed herself for why Bunny was the way she was and that if she was a better child, and all this time it wasn't her.
"There's not going to be any physical evidence, but there is always a paper trail. Especially when you're dealing with a rookie like Bunny." He understood her hesitation and even though Bunny wasn't a threat at the moment, he wanted off of his streets. Because of what she did, Erin had to go through the exact thing him and Olivia tried to protect her from.
Erin sat down across from him and sighed. "There's no use going after her. What's done is done and it's not like she killed my real mother." She said with a slight bitterness in her tone.
"Still not over it." He said more as a statement than a question.
"You really think I'll ever be over it? Who are my parents again?" She said with a slight joking tone to her voice. Yeah, she wished that Hank would have spoken up about Olivia being her birth mother, but it was something that she was going to have to get over, just like everything else in her life.
"Touche. We're going to nail Bunny and Olivia is going to be okay." He said trying to convince himself more than her. If they didn't get Bunny, he didn't really care. He was more worried about Olivia and what a lost would do to her right now.
"How are we going to do that without her getting suspicious?" Erin could tell that Hank wasn't confident about them going after Bunny and that right there was exactly why she didn't want to do it. If he wasn't one hundred percent in it, there was room for him to make errors.
"Are you doubting my detective skills?" He said with a smirk.
"You're just not the beating around the bush, lowkey type. You're very direct."
He smiled. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Sometimes." She said smiling.
He shook his head laughing. "You sound like her."
She knew he meant Olivia when he said her. "Speaking of her, check up on her." She said crossing her arms and nodding her head towards his phone. "Now." She quickly added.
Hank rolled his eyes but took his phone out anyways. He was already planning to check up on her. He didn't know if it was always there, but Erin and Olivia were more similar than he remembered. They both were the only ones that were allowed and weren't afraid to call him out on his bullshit. There were times when he would say something back, but at the end of the day, he knew they meant well.
Olivia answered on the third ring. "Calling to see if I killed Fin and Barba yet? Because the answer is I'm two seconds away from doing it."
He chuckled. "No, but you can you not kill anyone? That's my job."
She rolled her eyes. "You know I don't need a damn babysitter."
"I know, but you need help with Noah and don't even try to deny that."
He was right and she didn't have any extra energy to argue with him. "How are things there?" She said changing the subject and unconsciously rubbing her stomach.
"We're just trying to figure out how to go about this without something bad happening."
"Well, I mean it is Bunny. She's not going to go down without a fight especially against you." Olivia couldn't lie, she was extremely worried about Erin and Hank. She knew that Bunny was a loose canon and unpredictable. There was no telling what she would do to them if she killed her own sister.
"Which is why I'm not going after her." He said looking at Erin and putting the phone on speaker so she could hear both sides of the conversation.
"What do you mean?" Erin asked.
"We're going to have her think Erin and Antonio are going behind my back to investigate the case and that I knew about what she did all this time, but I kept quiet about it."
"And you thought of this in the last five minutes?" Erin asked with a slight smirk on her face.
"I was going between that or just tipping off the authorities and deal with her when the time comes." He shrugged.
"Well, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Erin said, but she still wasn't convinced it was the best way to handle this.
"No, it sounds like a horrible idea. Bunny isn't dumb. Erin and Antonio are your right hand people. They are the only people that do not go behind your back. You want to trick her? Send Jay and Adam. Hell, Burgess and Atwater would really throw her off." Olivia said like she was the only person logically thinking in the conversation.
"Well," He paused. "I didn't think like that."
"And when did you start having other people doing your dirty work? That's my job." She said mimicking him from earlier.
"She's right. If we want to really get her, it has to be me and you." Erin said looking up at him.
"Maybe I do need to come out there." Olivia suggested.
"No." Both Erin and Hank said.
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant, not dying." She hoped that she got off of bedrest soon because being treated like she was a piece of glass was getting tiring really soon.
"I need you and Baby Voight to be healthy and that means staying in New York until the doctor gives you the okay." Hank said in a tone that told her that was no need to argue with her.
"I have to agree with him, for once. We can handle this, Liv."
She appreciated everyone's concern but she was more than compatible of taking care of herself. It's what she's done her entire life, and it's not like she hadn't been on bed rest before.
"Due to the position of the baby, you're going to be on bed rest for the rest of your pregnancy. We don't want you to have a premature birth." The doctor explained to Olivia and Hank.
"What position is the baby in?" Olivia asked nervously. She wanted her baby to be healthy and they had no problems beforehand.
"You're seven months and your daughter is already in birthing position. Also, because of her size, she's putting added pressure on your cervix. If we don't put you on bed rest, you can begin to dilate."
"I will make sure that she is following your orders doctor."
She let out a slight groan, not liking the feeling of being doubled-team. "Fine, but if I feel like you guys need me, I will be flying out there, rather you like it or not." And she said that a tone that she knew both of them would not argue her on.
"Olivia, how are you doing?" Her doctor, Megan asked. Megan was the only person she had kept in touch with from being in Chicago after she went back to New York. Even her and Hank had stopped talking after the birth.
"Sore, but I've been following doctor's orders, so I'm hoping for some good news." It had been about two weeks since her infection and the pain in her uterus had gone away and she was happy that she hadn't started bleeding or spotting again. Her shoulder had healed, but she still couldn't lift heavy things. It was hard for her, but she was glad that she stayed on bed rest for the baby's sake.
"Well, that is great to hear. Hank isn't joining us today?"
Olivia shook her head. "He's back in Chicago for the time being."
"Hopefully, we'll have some good news for dad. So, let's check your cervix and mucus plug and then we'll take a look at your peanut."
Olivia took a deep breath and laid down on the table. Even though she felt fine, there could still be something wrong and that was what she was most afraid of.
"Now, if your cervix isn't completely healed and/or there's damage to your mucus plug, we have one of three options. Keep you on bed rest until it's healed, keep you on bed rest until birth, or unfortunately perform an abortion because it wouldn't be safe for you and the baby for you to continue the pregnancy." Since Megan was her friend, the last thing she wanted to do was see Olivia lose her baby especially after having to give the first one up for adoption. It was obvious to everyone that Olivia wanted to be a mother.
Hearing those three options scared Olivia, especially the last one. She wished she had Hank here holding her hand because she didn't know if she could handle this all on her own. She wasn't the most religious person in the world, but she found herself saying a quick pray.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Everything looks great down there." Paige said washing her hands. "Now we just need to see if the baby is growing at a normal rate and isn't too low in position. If it is, it's a common thing, but it will limit you. Desk duty, no sex, or vigorous activities. You will have to take it extremely easy."
"Megan, you're killing me here. Desk duty?" She asked rolling up her shirt and revealing her small bump. Seeing her stomach actually growing made it all seem so real and she tried her hardest not to get excited, but it was getting harder to do. Sometimes she felt like a mother because she was trying not to get attached her baby just in case something did happen.
She let out a small chuckle. "I know you hate it, but it's a possibility and it's going to happen as soon as you hit seven months, so."
"You're right." Olivia had always had a mother mentally since she became pregnant with Erin. She knew there was sacrifices she had to make sure her children were okay. "However, Hank may be a little disappointed with the lack of sex." She said with a small smile on her face.
Megan laughed as she sat up the ultrasound machine. "He did always have a hard time keeping his hands off of you, but you have to remind him that it's for the baby, and he has to behave himself." She grabbed the gel and squirted it on Olivia's abdomen. "You ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." She said turning her head so she could look at the screen.
Megan grabbed the probe and slowly rubbed it over Olivia's stomach slowly while looking at the screen. "Well, that's a strong heartbeat, so that's good. And, there's baby Voight." She said pointing to the screen.
Seeing her baby on the screen and hearing its heartbeat echo throughout the room left her speechless. She was overwhelmed with emotions and couldn't believe she was going to be a mother again. Tears began to well up in her eyes and her mind started to think about the future.
"You're seventeen, almost eighteen weeks. Baby is in perfect position and the baby should be about the size of a jalapeno pepper. However, you baby looks a little bigger than that." She had a small grin on her face. She was glad that everything looked like it was going to be okay with her friend. "I know you've been on bed rest and haven't been moving a lot lately, but I want you to watch your diet or you're going to give birth to a big baby."
Olivia raised a brow. "You mean like the first time?" Erin was almost nine pounds and was twenty-two inches. Giving birth to her naturally was a pain that Olivia never wanted to feel again.
Megan smiled a little. "Yes, but we're going to try to avoid that this time around, especially with your age. We don't want any added risks."
"Anything else, doc?"
"Yes," she said grabbing paper towels so Olivia could clean herself up. "Tell Hank he is free to have sex with you starting next week."
Olivia chuckled. "I'm sure he's going to be ecstatic to hear that. So, watch my diet, try to stay stress free and sex is fine?"
"Correct. Do you have any other questions for me?"
"Flying?"
"In moderate amounts. No eighteen hour flights are going to Chicago every weekend." She said knowing that's exactly why she asked.
"Sounds perfect. Thank you."
"I'll see you next month. Tell Hank I said hello."
Olivia had just put Noah to bed and kicked Fin and Barba out of her place after thanking them for being there for her. Between Noah obviously missing playing with his mom and Hank working all day, she didn't get a chance to tell him about how her doctor's appointment went. So when he texted her asking for a Skype session, she was happy that she was not only going to be able to talk to him, but see his face, also.
She waited for him to answer the call and was shocked, but happy to see Erin sitting next to him. "Well, if it isn't my two favorite people in the world. How are you guys?"
"I'm good now that I get to see your smiling face."
Erin rolled her eyes. "You guys are really gross and I'm actually kind of glad I didn't have to see this growing up."
Olivia smiled. "We're making up for lost time, so get used to it."
"This is not something that you can ever get used to."
Hank chuckled. "You're in a very good mood today."
"Well, I got great news from the doctor." She said not being able to hide the smile on her face.
"What's up?" Hank asked crossing his arms over his chest.
"I am off of bed rest, thank God. The baby is good position and is growing fine, a little too fine, though. Megan told me to watch my diet or I'm going to have a repeat of Erin." She said with a playful smirk on her face.
"I wasn't even that big." Erin said quickly defending herself. "But I'm glad everything is going fine with the baby."
"Oh, I have to disagree with you, especially since it was a natural birth. It didn't help that your shoulders got stuck. I'm sure you were trying to rip me in half."
Erin loved to hear these stories about her birth especially now knowing everything Bunny told her was a lie. She saw how Olivia's eyes lit up talking about the birth and she had never felt so loved in her entire life. "Fine. What else did the doctor say?"
Olivia cleared her throat as a sly smirk appeared on her face. "Close your ears, Erin."
Hank couldn't help but to laugh. He knew Megan and knew exactly how she wanted Olivia to relay the message to him. "That's nice to know."
"I'm leaving." Erin said with a disgusted look on her face and got up from the couch walking away from them.
Both Erin and Hank couldn't help but to laugh.
"I'm glad we can still scar her, even at this age." He said adjusting the laptop so he was all she could see in the camera.
"I am, too. How are you?" She asked with a soft smile.
He sighed. "Hearing that my babies are fine, that's what I needed after this day."
"That rough?" She knew that feeling all too well. Having those cases where the only thing that could make you feel slightly better was going home to your family.
"Two dead kids. Father killed them."
"Wow." She took a deep breath and tried to process that. It wasn't even her case and it was hitting her hard. "Just remember that you got him."
"I don't want to talk about it." He said harsher than he wanted to.
"Oh. Okay." She quickly scanned her brain to think of a way to change the subject. "Want to the see the ultrasound picture?" She knew that would put a smile back on his face.
"Of course."
She got up from the bed and walked to the dresser to grab one of the copies that she had. She took a moment to look it over again and couldn't help but to get happy all over again. "It looks like she has your head shape." She said as she climbed back into the bed and held the picture close to the camera so he could look at it.
"I can't believe we're doing this again, Benson. I'm really happy." And he meant that. He was having another child with the love of his life and even though they went decades without seeing or talking to each other, she was still in his heart.
"I am, too." She said sitting the picture next to her. "Guess what else?" She asked like a giddy school girl.
"What?"
"My bump is finally visible." She said pulling her shirt up and placing her hands on the small bump. "It's not that big, but from the side you can see it." She said getting on her knees and turning her body to the side so he could see it.
"Have I really been gone that long?" He asked sadly. He hated that they had to be apart especially when she was carrying their child, but he needed to get Bunny off of the streets.
"Yeah," She said in a sad voice. She missed him and wished he was here to support her physically, but she understood the job and she knew this was a personal case. "But, now I can come see you."
"I miss you, Benson." He admitted. He wasn't good with his feelings and never will be, but he needed her to know that he hated this just as much as she did.
"I miss you, too, Voight." She said smiling.
"Yeah, you better." He said ruining the moment with a cocky remark like always.
She rolled her eyes. "Of course. I'm going to head to bed, though. Noah was very excited to play with me outside of bed and I'm exhausted. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Okay, get some rest and kiss the kid for me and tell Ella I love her." He said smiling.
"Ella?"
"Yeah, I started thinking of names and I really like Ella."
She couldn't help but to smile at him. It was times like this that reminded her why she was in love with him for all of these years. "How disappointed are you going to be if we have a boy?"
"I'm not, because that means I finally get my junior." He said with a smug grin on his face.
"We are not naming our son Henry. End of discussion."
"What's wrong with Henry?" He asked slightly defensive.
"Hank, when do I call you Henry?"
He paused and smirked. "Nevermind." Henry only came out of Olivia's mouth for two reasons, she was about to kill him or she was about to come.
"Exactly." She said before she yawned. "I'm really going to bed. I love you."
"I love you, too." He said ending the Skype call.
Olivia closed the laptop and placed it on her nightstand. She looked down at her bump and placed her hands on it. "I love you, Ella." She said with a slight eye roll, but she did like the name. "Daddy loves you, too."
Reviews are truly appreciated.