3. Telling the others

The next hurdle Olivia will need to take is Captain Cragen. It's been two weeks since she's told Elliot and she has been nauseous at work. It's usually short waves of nausea without vomiting, as long as she stays away from blood. But she is having trouble eating because she fears it won't stay in, and has been feeling a little faint for lack of food. Elliot isn't hovering but he is making sure she is comfortable. He has offered to go with her to her first doctor's appointment, which is scheduled in a few days. She will be about eight and a half weeks pregnant then and hopes the doctor will do an ultrasound. It's still so surreal to think that there's a life growing inside her, because she can't feel it yet. And she has started worrying about the baby. What if there's something wrong with it? What if something happens? What if she can't carry it full term?

Elliot is doing everything in his power to reassure her and it does help a little, but seeing her baby will help even more. Just to know it's really there and alive.

And today, she's getting ready to tell her boss. Cragen will have no choice but to tell the chief and she will be put on modified duty. She's less apprehensive about that than she'd expected. Anything for my baby, she had told Elliot a few times. Elliot is coming with her to tell Cragen and it helps her relax. Whatever happens, Elliot will have her back.

"Cap?"

Olivia peeks her head into the Captain's office.

"Olivia. Come on in."

"Thank you sir."

Cragen raises an eyebrow when Elliot walks in after his partner and closes the door.

"You two have something to tell me?" Cragen asks, looking from one Detective to the other as if he had expected them.

"Ah yes," Olivia starts, rubbing her hands on her hips nervously.

She glances at her partner, who gives her an encouraging nod.

"Out with it, then. You two have been acting very weird lately. I guess I should have known this day would come eventually."

Olivia frowns and glances at her partner again. Elliot is staring at their Captain, shaking his head lightly, and it suddenly dawns on Olivia what the Captain must have been thinking.

"Oh no," she says quickly. "I … I just wanted to tell you that … I'm pregnant."

Cragen sinks back in his chair, his mouth hanging open.

"Pregnant?"

"Yes sir. About eight weeks now."

Cragen gives Elliot a hard stare.

"Yours?"

"What?" Olivia gasps.

"No sir," Elliot replies curtly. "And I resent the question."

Cragen looks back at Olivia, who is now staring at him in disbelief and shakes his head.

"I could have sworn …" he mumbles.

"Elliot is a married man, Captain," Olivia says sharply. "That you would think that either one of us would …"

She huffs and doesn't finish her sentence. She is appalled and insulted that their Captain would think Elliot would cheat on his wife, or that she would get involved with a married man. Elliot is standing tall next to her but she knows he's angry with their boss too.

"We just wanted you to know so you can arrange modified duty for Liv," Elliot says tersely. "She's doing alright but I believe we have policy about pregnant police personnel."

"Ehm, yes. Yes, of course we do. I'm … I'm sorry. I mean, you two have always been very close and these past two weeks you were … well ... I'm sorry," Cragen repeats. "I should have known better."

"Yeah, you should have," Elliot gruffs.

Cragen stands up and looks at Olivia again.

"I suppose congratulations are in order."

Olivia can't suppress a smile then.

"Yes. Thank you sir. I'm very happy about it."

Cragen nods and smiles too. She can tell that he is debating asking about the baby's father but to his credit, he doesn't.

"Alright. Just … stay inside for the rest of the day. I'll contact 1PP and get back to you."

The Detectives nod and turn around to leave when Cragen adds,

"And Elliot. I trust you to take good care of her."

Elliot gives him a curt nod.

"Always."

…

"You two look like you're in trouble," Fin remarks, walking up to them when they walk back to their desks.

Munch peers over the rim of his glasses from behind his desk but doesn't comment.

"It's a good kind of trouble," Olivia replies cryptically, and she hears Elliot laughing softly behind her.

She's glad that he is managing to relax somewhat because she knows he's upset that Cragen basically accused him of cheating on his wife. She knows they're exceptionally close as partners and friends, but they would never cross that line and it's insulting to hear their boss just assume that her baby would be Elliot's. Thinking of the blonde, blue-eyed offspring Elliot has produced, she can't help smiling inwardly. There is no way she and Miguel could have blonde babies with blue eyes. Nobody will ever mistake her child for Elliot's once it's born. He or she will have black wavy hair, brown eyes and a beautifully tanned skin. She's already in love with the image of her child.

"Lemme guess, you two are finally gettin' it on?" Fin jokes, but the joke is lost on the already insulted Detectives.

"Hey!" Elliot says sharply, stepping into Fin's personal space. "I would never cheat on my wife, alright? And I wouldn't do that to Liv either, or she to me. She deserves better and I think you owe her an apology."

"Wow, relax man," Fin says, taking a quick step back. "It was just a joke."

"Well, it's not funny. We've had enough of that crap for one day."

Fin looks at Olivia over Elliot's shoulder, a question in his eyes.

"Yeah, we have," Olivia confirms. "But I do have an announcement."

"Here it comes," Munch mumbles, and Olivia looks at him, raising an eyebrow.

Munch just smiles at her and stands up to hear her announcement while Elliot stands next to Olivia.

"I was just in with the Captain to tell him I'm pregnant," she blurts out.

Fin opens his mouth to say something and Elliot raises a finger immediately, warning him silently not to say another word about him and his partner.

"Cap will let us know what she can and can't do on the job, so you guys may be stuck with me for a while," Elliot tells their coworkers.

Fin decides not to say anything else and just walks up to Olivia to give her a hug. Munch does the same and decides to congratulate Elliot as well, telling him,

"Congratulations to you too, Elliot. Looks like you're going to be an uncle."

…