Elliot awoke to the blaring of the alarm in his ear. He groaned and squinted through hazy eyes at the digital reading. Six-thirty. It had been a great weekend and he hated having to go to work. He missed looking over at her across the threshold of their desks. He didn't know how many times he'd gone to ask Olivia something, forgetting she was at home. He was growing concerned about her vomiting and seeing she wasn't in bed beside him only made him more worried. He knew where she was. He tip-toed to the bathroom, not wanting to startle her. The sounds he heard as he approached the door confirmed his suspicions. He opened the door all the way and stepped inside. He lowered himself to his knees and whispered in her ear, asking if she was okay.

Olivia nodded. It was all she could do between heaves. Her stomach muscles were painful due to the continuous retching and she didn't know how much longer she could put up with the motions of the pregnancy. It was still in the early stages and she was exhausted. She felt guilty for even thinking such things. She was blessed to be pregnant with Elliot's child, but there were days when she was so tired of feeling so badly. She gave up hoping a long time ago it would get better. She now was along for the ride. She rested her head on the lid of the seat, breathing heavily.

"Do you think you're done?" He waited a few seconds to let her catch her breath and when she didn't move he took the silence as the go-ahead. He stood up and gently grabbed her by the sides and eased her up off of the cold floor. He turned on the water and grabbed a wash cloth from the towel bar. He saw her moving to the bedroom and rung out the cloth, getting the excess water out. When he got to the bedroom, he saw she was lying on her side, clutching her stomach. His morning routine was all forgotten. Screw work; he needed to make sure she was okay first. He ran the washcloth over her face and used the blanket to dry it off as he placed the cloth on the bedside table. He didn't want to have to leave her side. He lay down like the previous night and kissed her cheek.

"I don't know how long I can do this." The words were thick and full of emotion and carried no further than her husband's ears. She closed her eyes and felt his hand move to her stomach. She could feel his fingers going in circles. She winced when she adjusted positions. The hands stilled.

"What? What is it?" He froze when he felt her grow tense.

"I just moved the wrong way. My muscles are sore." She wiped at her eyes and took a few calming breaths.

"Your stomach or the baby?" He had to make sure everything was okay. He had to be calm for her even though in the back of his mind he felt a pang of fear.

"Stomach. I haven't been this sore since freshman gym class." Her voice grew stronger and she felt his hands behind her back as she sat up.

"I bet." He looked at the clock and bit his lip. She would want him to go in. The baby was fine and she would probably be sick again throughout the day but it was the norm. He still hated that she had to go through it alone.

"Honey, get ready for work. I'll be fine. I always am." She gave him a small smile and patted his back before kissing him on the lips. She kissed him again and hugged him briefly before letting go so he could shower.

"I hate that you always are. I want to take some time off. We need to get this checked out." He studied her face and saw she was nervous.

"I know. I'm scared to, though. It's barely been four months, Elliot. What am I going to do for the remainder? I don't want them putting things in me. I don't want to hurt the baby." She hadn't been taking any over-the-counter medications. She knew she wasn't allowed to so she couldn't understand how anything the doctors could give her would not harm the baby.

"I know you're scared. They said this may happen. It's not too common, but it happens. We'll get through this. The baby is fine and will be fine. Let's get it checked out and whatever they say we go with. They know best. I want you strong and healthy. Okay?" He tipped her chin up and he saw her mind working. She nodded.

"I'll make an appointment today. I'll call you if you want to come. I can't even think about food right now but maybe we can meet for lunch afterward.

"Rain, sleet, snow, I'll be there." He grinned and went to his dresser.

"Honey, you sound like the Postal Service." She chuckled and went to the bathroom to turn the shower on. It was the least she could do for making him late.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He arrived within minutes of her name being called to go into the room. He sat beside her as she fidgeted in her seat numerous times. If he couldn't take her anxiety away, the least he could do was make her more relaxed. It made sense in his mind, at least. He told her to lean forward and started to massage her back. Her head hung forward and he heard her let out a sigh.

"I just want this to be over. I hate this waiting. Why do they give you a damn time for an appointment if they aren't going to let you go in? I've been waiting in this room for twenty minutes!" She rested her forearms on her knees and held her head in her hands.

"I know. You know how these places are. If you were in there, wouldn't you want them to take their time? Answer any questions you had? Just a little longer, Liv." He stopped for a moment when he saw the nurse at the door.

"Finally!" She threw up her hands and walked with a purpose. Halfway to the door, she slowed her pace. She wasn't quite ready to face it alone. She looked back, sheepishly and met his knowing eyes. All the strength she needed was in those orbs. She reached behind her and felt him take her hand.

"Miss Benson, how are we doing today?" The nurse smiled warmly, motioning with her clipboard to Olivia's growing stomach.

"Fine." She muttered choice words under her breath. She didn't want retribution to come in the form of pain. She didn't want to cross the nurses. It wasn't how they worked, she knew, but she was already anxious and making the nurses mad, she thought, couldn't be a good thing. She offered a weak grin and followed the nurse down the hall and into the room. After receiving instructions to put on the gown, the nurse told her the doctor would be in briefly and left, shutting the door.

"It'll be okay, you know." He pulled up the plastic chair and put his hand on her knee. She dangled her feet over the edge of the table. If his mind had been in a certain place, he would have blushed at the sight of her all too short gown.

"I know. It's all so new to me. Why can't it be by the book? I mean, does everything have to be so…so complicated?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"Let's face it, Liv, nothing is 'by the book'". He did air quotes as he spoke.

"I know. Believe me, I know. I've had a lifetime of experiences to know that. I just thought it wouldn't be too much to ask for just this once.

"Well, you have me this time and I say it'll be okay. We'll get through this together." He patted her knee and grabbed the hand that was resting on the table beside her, giving it a firm squeeze. Within moments of them sitting in the silent room, the doctor entered.

"Miss Benson, Mr…Stabler. Forgive me for not keeping up with your information. It's been a long day. Not to worry, though, you have my undivided attention and I assure you we'll nip this thing in the bud." He pulled his white coat back and sat down on the stool before rolling forward to be closer to the table. He wrote a few notes on his clipboard, thought a moment, then set it down beside him.

"Thank you for seeing us so soon. I know her appointment is in a couple weeks." He saw Olivia was not in the mood to talk and thought he'd better step in.

"Not a problem. I'm glad you called me. While this is fairly uncommon, it does happen from time to time. Hyperemesis Gravidarum, or severe morning sickness, happens most often in multiple births. I assure you, there is no mistake, though. You are only having one child, Miss Benson." He saw the panicked look on her face and reassured her before continuing.

"Most patients, I like to give it a few weeks and try different methods of re-hydrating and nourishing but in your case I don't think that would be effective. That usually works in patients that have a few bouts of sickness a day. Yours is rather severe, which leads me to think it isn't going to get any better without assistance. I'm going to set up a picc line through which we can administer anti-nausea medication as well as keep you hydrated since you can't afford to be malnourished. I'll have the nurse show you and your husband how to change the dressing and keep the line clean to prevent infection." He saw her grow pale and stopped, letting her absorb all he'd told her.

"Wow. So, this is it." She ran a hand through her hair and let out a long breath of air. The idea of having the IV in 24 hours a day scared her. She had to think of her baby, though.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is. Let's get it all set up. I'll get the line in, the nurse will go over some additional information as I discussed just now, and we'll keep your appointment in two weeks. I'd like to monitor you closely. We don't want you losing weight. You need to put on some more weight, Miss Benson, and I think this will do the trick." He leaned over and jotted some more notes on the clipboard before signaling that he would be right back. As promised, he returned moments later with the nurse in tow.

Elliot sat there, taking everything in. He knew Olivia had to be concerned. Hell, he was scared for her but they both knew it had to be done. He squeezed her hand, reassuringly, and stepped back to let the nurse and doctor work.

Olivia winced as the needle went in. She had an idea of what was involved but nothing prepared her for what took place in a matter of moments. She stared down at her arm in horror. The line went into her arm and was secured by small, black stitches. Gauze surrounded the line, holding it into place. It would also ensure that any jostling wouldn't displace the line. She cringed. She didn't want to know what that felt like. The whole contraption was bigger than she'd imagined and looked almost grotesque on her small arm. She turned away as the nurse applied the last strip of tape.

Elliot grabbed her hand once again as the nurse left, leaving the three of them in the room. It had been in a daze that he'd watched them do their work. Olivia was a trooper, he thought, never once emitting as much as a squeak. He was so proud of her. He saw her nod and realized he'd missed whatever the doctor had said before leaving the room. He frowned, staring at her with an inquisitive expression.

"He wanted to know if we understood everything. I answered for you. Will you look at this…mess?" She made a sweeping motion with her hand and shook her head. She got off the table and shook her hand a little to let Elliot know she needed it for what she was about to do. She turned slightly and let the gown fall down before stepping out of it.

Elliot reached over and grabbed her shirt from the unoccupied chair in the corner. He helped her hold it over her head and slide it down, not wanting it to touch her line. He didn't want to hurt her. He handed her pants to her and stood back as she slipped them on before reaching down to untie her shoes. If her arm was bothering her, she made no indication. He waited as she tied her shoes and lead her out of the room. She grabbed a bag off the table before she left.

"The nurse said it has to be changed in a week. Looks like you have to play doctor. I hope you're not squeamish." She recalled what the nurse had said as she was stitching her up. If she could do it herself, she would, but Elliot would be needed to help her clean the line. In the bag were a mask, iodine, tape, and gauze. It seemed so surreal any of it would be used for any purpose other than a hospital.

"Anything for you. Did they put anything in there? I couldn't see. I didn't want to be in the way." He not once looked up from her face as they put the line in.

"Yes. They said a nurse could stop by and give the medication." She shrugged and stood at the counter to pay.

"Ah…okay. Let's hope it works. I'd rather not risk it for today. Let's do lunch some other time and I'll fix some soup when we get home." He watched the receptionist hand Olivia the receipt and paperwork and gently placed a hand on her back.

"Sounds good to me. I'm drained." She stepped out of the doors and into the sun.

"I bet. Let's get you home, then. Cap gave me the rest of the day off. I have plenty of vacation time to use. He gave me the rest of the week off, actually. So, I'll be here while you get adjusted to everything." He dug into his pockets for his keys and went around to unlock her door before doing the same to his side of the car. They rode in silence on the way home, both having plenty on their minds to keep them occupied for the time being.