There is absolutely no excuse for the ridiculous amount of time between updates. I'm sorry :-/ If you're still here I love you :-D
CHAPTER 4
"I don't wanna go to work." Olivia whined as she sat up and turned off her alarm.
"You have to. I'm gonna be at work. Noah will be at school. You'll be here on your own, babe." Jack grinned as he emerged from the bathroom and rolled up his shirt sleeves.
"It's just so boring sitting behind a desk doing paperwork all day." Olivia groaned as she stood and moved to her closet in search of work clothes.
Jack watched Olivia with a small smile as she pulled on a cream coloured long sleeved top and then adjusted the waistband of her pants.
"God I can't wait until I can go into my closet and can pick out anything I want because it will all fit me again."
"Liv, you look great. Your clothes look great. Put a smile on your face and it'll all look even better."
Olivia only sighed as she let her hair out of its ponytail, deciding to let the loose curls stay as they were for the day. She was putting the finishing touches to her makeup when she heard Jack let Lucy into the apartment.
The young woman had been a god-send recently, picking up more hours whenever they needed her. Olivia listened to Noah telling Lucy all about his friends from school as Jack made his way back into the bedroom.
"You need a ride to the precinct?"
"Yeah, please. That would be great." Olivia nodded as she grabbed her blazer and threw it on, slipping her badge around her neck.
"Go say goodbye to your boy and we'll get going, stop for breakfast on the way." Jack smiled.
~X~
"You okay?" Jack asked as he sat outside the precinct in his car, watching Olivia as she hesitated.
"I have a really bad feeling about today. I don't know why." Olivia sighed. She gave Jack's thigh a squeeze and leaned over to kiss him again. "Just be careful, and be in touch. I love you."
"I love you too, Liv. Stay safe." Jack told Olivia as she climbed out of the car.
She watched Jack drive away before she headed inside. When she arrived in the squadroom, the tense atmosphere only added to the sinking feeling in her gut.
She had barely entered her office when Fin approached her.
"Liv, sorry to ruin your peaceful morning but we got a case. Young girl was assaulted in Central Park in the early hours of the morning. Young couple out jogging found her in the bushes. Amanda and Carisi are on their way to the scene now. Girl just woke up. She had to be sedated to allow the doctors to treat her injuries. Doc says she's ready to give us her statement."
Olivia nodded. "Let's go then."
~X~
"It's not much bu-" Olivia was cut off by the noise of gunshots echoing down the hallway. "Shit!"
Olivia and Fin took off down the hall towards the waiting room as people came running towards them.
As they neared the waiting room, they slowed and drew their weapons while Olivia put in a call for backup.
"Liv, be careful." Fin told her quietly as they peered into the waiting area.
Olivia let her eyes roam over the room. She could see one gunman with his back to her. The last thing she wanted to do was startle him and set him off again. She could count at least fifteen injured, on the floor and on chairs in the waiting room, with varying severity to their wounds. There were others she knew were dead just at a glance. Those with minor injuries along with a handful of doctors and nurses, were trying their best to administer first aid to those with more serious injuries.
Her stomach churned as she looked at Fin. They couldn't do much with only two of them, but they were reluctant to wait for backup to arrive, knowing that the gunman could be set off again at any moment.
"No, no no no no no!" The gunman began pacing as sirens could be heard approaching, the lights drawing closer. "No!"
Olivia gave Fin a nod and they stepped out into the room, raising their guns towards the gunman.
"NYPD. Drop your weapon!" Olivia ordered as they moved nearer.
Olivia took a deep breath as she noticed Jack on the floor barely two feet from her. He was hunched over a woman with a wound to her chest. His right arm was drenched in blood, but it was impossible to tell whether it was his or the woman's.
"Drop it." Fin repeated.
"What you gonna do if I don't? Huh?" The gunman threatened, waving his machine gun in the air. "Hey, Lady-Cop. What you think your boyfriend would do if I put a bullet in you?"
"I'll put a bullet in your head before you can even think about pulling the trigger." Fin replied darkly.
"What? You can't stand up for yourself? Need your man to protect you? You're not cut out for this are you?"
"I don't need protected. I have a gun and I know how to use it. So I suggest you drop your weapon. Now." Olivia growled.
The gunman simply grinned as he raised his gun towards Fin and Olivia.
~X~
Jack's heart stopped when he saw Olivia and Fin slowly enter the room. He knew she had been at the hospital, but he had been praying that they had gone by the time the maniac with a machine gun let loose.
He tried to focus on the woman in front of him, but he knew it was no use, she was bleeding out and there was nothing he could do for her now.
He tried to zone out the gunman's threat to shoot Olivia, but as Olivia replied, he couldn't help but turn his gaze towards her, watching the gunman aim for the two cops.
He closed his eyes as the gunman's finger moved to the trigger. His heart jumped into his mouth as multiple shots rang out in the quiet room.
After a few moments of silence, he opened his eyes, mentally preparing himself to see both Fin and Olivia on the ground.
He let out a long breath when he saw Olivia and Fin crouching over the bullet-riddled body of the gunman, pronouncing him dead as Olivia felt for a pulse.
~X~
Olivia looked up as she announced that the gunman was dead. Her eyes met Jack's across the room and it was then that she realised she was shaking like a leaf.
At that moment, the door to the room opened and officers flooded the area.
"Excitement's over." Fin stated dryly. "He's dead."
Jack stood up and made his way behind the nurse's desk, putting out a call to the rest of the hospital requesting that all available doctors and nurses make their way to the waiting room to help with the injured.
He wiped the blood from his hands with his lab coat before carefully placing it over the body of the woman he had tried to save.
As he made his way to another injured woman, he looked over at Olivia just in time to see her helping another officer lift a teenage girl onto a stretcher.
Turning his attention back to the woman on the floor, he and another doctor lifted her onto a gurney, as they pushed it out of the room, Jack shot one look back to Olivia just in time to see her being ushered out of the waiting room by a nurse.
~X~
Jack couldn't take his eyes off of Olivia as they sat on the couch eating their Chinese food. After the morning's events at the hospital he had barely spoken to her. They had talked briefly after she had been checked over before she was promptly whisked away by someone from IAB.
When he got home, she was in the process of putting Noah to bed and so now was the first moment he'd had to talk properly.
"You okay?" Olivia asked as she placed her empty plate on the coffee table.
Jack took a deep breath. "I've never been as scared as I was this morning."
"Watching over twenty people being shot by a lunatic with a machine gun will do that do you." Olivia replied.
"No. I mean yes, that scared me. But I have never been more terrified… I have never felt such a real fear as the fear I felt when he pointed that gun at you. I heard the gunshots and I didn't want to open my eyes in case it wasn't you who had fired." Jack explained, his voice quiet.
"He was never going to shoot me. Whether he wanted to or not, Fin wouldn't let him. I have quick reflexes, and yes some of the bullets in his chest are mine… but Fin has an eye for that stuff. His reflexes are crazy quick. He fired before that guy even had a chance to think about pulling the trigger. I trust Fin with my life. I trust my whole squad with my life, but I've known Fin for seventeen years. He's been by my side through everything and never once has he let me down or turned me away when I needed someone." Olivia told Jack.
"You weren't scared?"
"I was petrified. No matter how much you train, how many times you go down to the gun range and practice shooting at targets… paper targets aren't threatening your life or anyone else's. I've been a cop for over twenty years and I still get scared when someone points a gun at me. The training prepares you for that, it teaches you to swallow your fear and think rationally when others wouldn't. But it doesn't prepare you for the feeling of standing in front of an armed psychopath at seven months pregnant, with no vest and the love of your life and the father of your kids five feet away. The only times I have ever been as scared as I was this morning, is when Noah was involved in a drive-by, and when another kid at the park pulled a gun in the sandbox."
Jack's jaw dropped and he let out an uncertain laugh. "You're shitting me?"
Olivia shook her head. "Not long after I got custody of Noah, there was a drive-by at the park he was at with Lucy. It was related to our case at the time. But hearing the gunshots down the phone is a sound I'll never forget. And the kid at the park was abandoned, someone called it in and I was there with Noah so I went over to see if I could get the kid to talk. He pulled out a gun. I have no idea whether or not he even knew what it was, but that was not a good feeling."
"What did you do?"
"Put Noah behind me and managed to get the gun from the kid."
Jack let the information sink in. "I'm so proud of you. All you ever wanted was to be a cop and help people. And here you are, over twenty years of policing under your belt and showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. You literally achieved your dream, not many people can say that."
"I did. But look at the price I paid for it. I wouldn't change Noah, or our relationship, or our baby for the world, but I could've had this so much earlier if I had just taken a step back from the job for five minutes." Olivia sighed. "Someone once said to me that as long as you're on the job, any other relationship you have will always be an affair. I laughed it off, but fourteen years later I was married to the job with an unhealthy relationship with a partner who straight up abandoned me, a string of questionable relationships and too many one night stands, no kids, nobody to go home to… And it finally made sense."
"You've got it all now, Liv. The job, the man, the kids, the nice apartment, decent car… all we're missing is a dog."
"Oh god." Olivia laughed. "Don't let Noah hear you say that."
"What? You don't think we should get a dog? You don't like 'em?" Jack asked.
"I like them. But right now isn't the time to get a dog. Not with a toddler and a baby on the way. Maybe once we're used to juggling two kids and busy jobs we can think about it. But just… not yet."
"I hear ya, now I don't know about you but I've had a really long day and I have work tomorrow, so I say we go to bed."
"Shit I forgot to tell you, I have a week off to get cleared for duty by a shrink."
"What? Can they do that? He killed nine people, injured fourteen."
"It's mandatory, whenever we are shot at, attacked, have to fire our weapons, we have to be cleared for duty. It saves cops going off the rails after incidents. Or at least it's supposed to."
"Fair enough. But I still want to go to bed. You with me?" Jack asked, standing and holding a hand out to Olivia.
"I'm with ya." Olivia said, allowing Jack to pull her to her feet and take her to bed.
~X~
"Good to have you back, Lieutenant." Dodds smiled as Olivia entered the squadroom after a week of mandatory leave.
"It's good to be back." Olivia grinned. "I was going crazy being stuck in the apartment all the time."
Carisi made a face. "I would have thought you'd like the time off to relax."
"It's fine for a day or two but after that it just gets tedious. I have no idea how I'm gonna manage six weeks when the baby's born. And that's if I don't have to take time off before." Olivia complained.
"You'll have your new baby to focus on!" Carisi exclaimed.
"Trust me, that makes no difference." Amanda interjected dryly. "It keeps you busy, but it gets so boring."
"God, I can't wait." Olivia said sarcastically. "Just like I can't wait to get started on that mountain of paperwork on my desk. Get to work guys, can't stand around talking all day."
Olivia watched her detectives scatter to their desks before she moved to her own and opened the first of many files that required her signature.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she was interrupted by a knock on her door. When she looked up, Ed Tucker was the last person she expected to be at her door.
"Ed… Tucker…" Olivia stuttered as she stood from her chair. "Come in, what can I do for you?"
"Coupla things…" Ed answered as he entered the office. "Just wanna make sure you're okay after the shooting at the hospital the other morning."
"I'm okay." Olivia nodded, deciding to be honest. "It shook me up a little. My doctor checked me over and firmly suggested that I keep my ass behind a desk from now on. But I'm okay. Physically and mentally."
"They make you see a shrink?"
"What do you think?" Olivia smirked.
"Stupid question, really." Ed shrugged. "That brings me onto the other reason I'm here…"
"Which is what?"
"This." Ed held up an evidence bag and Olivia's jaw dropped when she saw her engagement ring inside. "They got it cleaned up for you, got rid of the blood. They don't need it for evidence… not sure why they needed any of your stuff for evidence, the guy killed almost ten people."
"Thanks." Olivia said softly as Ed placed the bag containing her ring.
"Congratulations." Ed smiled sadly.
"For what?" Olivia asked, instantly kicking herself.
"Don't play dumb, Benson. I don't know about you, but that looks a hell of a lot like an engagement ring to me."
"Sorry, I don't know why I said that."
"I'm glad you're happy, Liv."
"Thanks." Olivia nodded slowly.
"I gotta get back to work. Take care of yourself." Ed smiled at her.
"You too, Ed."
It was barely a minute after Ed left that Olivia's squad were in her office, demanding to know what the head of the rat squad was doing delivering evidence to their unit.
"He was dropping off my ring. They took it after the shooting. They don't need it for evidence so they got it cleaned up and sent back to me." Olivia replied, still unsure as to why it was Tucker who had been the one to deliver the ring.
"Ring?" Carisi frowned, speaking for the entire squad.
Olivia said nothing but pulled her hand from beneath her desk, revealing the ring on her left hand.
Amanda was the first to rush over and grab Olivia's hand. "He did well, Liv! Its' beautiful. The princess cut diamond and the diamonds on the band too? Keep him."
"That's the plan." Olivia chuckled as Amanda released her hand.
"When did this happen?" Fin asked.
Olivia explained about how Jack had Noah help him propose and how the shooting at the hospital had happened the next day with IAB taking her ring for evidence.
"You set a date for the wedding yet?"
"Sometime after the baby's born. A wedding would exhaust me right now and I'd be huge so I wanna wait until I can have both kids there."
"Congratulations, Lieu." Carisi grinned, with Fin and Amanda echoing his sentiments.
"Thanks guys." Olivia smiled.
"Does Barba know yet?"
"Not yet. I didn't get a chance to tell him then he jetted off to St Barts on vacation with a bunch of guys from law school. He got back last night. I'm meeting him for dinner later tonight so he'll find out then."
"He's gonna go insane you didn't tell him the second it happened." Carisi laughed as Olivia's phone rang.
When she hung up, she looked at the squad. "We got a case. The complainant 'isn't sure if it counts' but new she had to call the police. They called us. She's at Mercy, Rollins, Carisi, go there and talk to her. Fin, go to the scene and talk to the guy who found her."
Olivia watched her squad leave before she turned back to her paperwork, sighing as she looked at the never-ending pile of files on her desk.
~X~
Barba was deep in conversation with the barman when Olivia entered Forlini's. When she reached the bar, he almost choked on his drink at the sight of her.
"You haven't learned never to sneak up on people yet?" Barba joked as Olivia moved to sit on the barstool beside him.
"Not when I get to see the moment of fear and confusion on your face as you wonder who's behind you every time." Olivia grinned, ordering a club soda.
"Not drinking tonight, Lieutenant?" the barman raised an eyebrow, having never served either of the duo a non-alcoholic beverage.
Olivia took a step back and revealed her large baby bump. "Not allowed when you're growing a baby, can you believe it, Frank?"
"Wow. Congratulations." Frank smiled, serving Olivia her drink and passing menus to both her and Barba.
"Thanks."
"Why don't we finish these drinks then go back to my place and get pizza?" Barba suggested, not feeling like a fancy meal.
"Sure."
Half an hour later, Olivia collapsed onto Rafael's couch, exhausted after the walk from the bar to his apartment.
"I wish you would've let me get a car, Liv. You're exhausted." Rafael sighed as he sat down beside her after ordering their pizza.
"Yeah, me too. Lesson learned I guess." Olivia chuckled, rubbing her belly as she felt her baby moving.
Rafael handed Olivia a glass of water and took a deep breath. "I heard about what happened at the hospital, you okay?"
"I'm good. I was a little shaken up for a while, but I'm okay now." Olivia nodded.
"Let me guess, your doctor wants you handcuffed to your desk until you give birth?"
Olivia laughed. "So does Jack. Not that I can blame them. So I'm playing by the rules until then. It's not worth the risk."
"Won't be long until you can be out chasing the bad guys again." Barba grinned. "What else did I miss?"
"Not much." Olivia said casually. "I got engaged, though."
"What?" Rafael almost choked on his scotch. "When?"
"The night before the shooting at the hospital." Olivia smiled. "Jack had Noah help him out."
"Congratulations. When's the wedding?"
"Not until sometime after the baby. I don't wanna be this big in all the wedding pictures. I can barely bend over enough to put on my shoes."
"You'll be beautiful pregnant or not, Liv." Barba laughed. "But onto more serious matters, do I get a plus one?"
"Who says you're even getting an invite?"
"I do. So do I get a plus one?"
"Do you need one?"
"Maybe." Rafael answered, winking at her with a smirk.
Sorry about the long wait again 3