Chapter 6

As Casey Novak walked out of the apartment in search of her best friend, she called Olivia's mobile phone, but it rang out and went to voice mail.

So Casey continued her search by going down the elevator and as she walked out of the building, she tried Olivia's mobile phone again.

This time Olivia answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Liv, it's Casey"

"Hey, I guess you're looking for me?"

"Yeah, Liv. Where are you?"

Olivia sighed. "If you must know, I'm sitting on a bench in Central Park"

"Liv, what's going on?" Casey asked as she crossed the street to Central Park.

Olivia sighed again. "Nothing, Case"

"If you say so, Liv. I'll be there in a few" Casey replied before hanging up, as she walked through Central Park.

Casey was near the other end of Central Park before she finally found Olivia sitting on a bench, just like she had said, her hands sitting protectively on her swollen belly, as she slouched on the bench.

Casey released the breath that she didn't realise that she was holding, as she sat beside Olivia, and Olivia sat up straight.

"What's wrong, Liv?"

"Nothing, Case. Seriously, I'm fine" Olivia replied, frustrated. Because she was starting to get annoyed with being asked what was wrong.

"You're not crying over Elliot again, are you?" Casey asked, but not expecting the reaction that she was about to receive from Olivia.

Olivia was furious at what Casey had just said to her. She stood up and looked down at Casey in the eyes.

"I am sick and tired of 'crying over Elliot' as you so nicely put it. And I'm sick of people asking what is wrong. I just wanna go on with my life, the way it was! Olivia shouted in frustration.

Casey rubbed Olivia's arm, "Liv, honey, your life will never be like it was when the baby arrives. And I'm sorry; I was just trying to help"

After a moment silence, Olivia finally spoke but it was only a whisper, "Yeah, I know, but when the baby comes, it might change for the good. But thank you for helping and I'm sorry for lashing out"

"It's fine, Liv. Come on, let's go"

Olivia nodded. "Ok then"

On the way home, Casey turned to Olivia. "Liv, please don't get angry, but are you hiding something?"

Olivia turned to Casey and Casey could see the hurt and anger in her best friend's eyes.

"No there isn't, Casey. Can you please drop it!" Olivia replied getting very annoyed again.

Casey sighed. "She must be hiding something" She thought to herself as she watched Olivia unlock the door to their apartment.

They sat on the couch, and Olivia looked at Casey, "I'm sorry, Case. It's just I'm scared"

Casey took Olivia's hand and caressed the top of it with her thumb, "Scared about what, Liv?"

Olivia sighed. "I'm scared that I will be a bad mother to this child, and I'm scared that I won't be able to raise it properly without Elliot"

"Aww, Liv. It's ok, honey. I said that I would help you raise it for the first couple of years at least" Casey replied, and then pulled Olivia in to a friendly, comforting hug. "Everything will be alright, you'll see"

10 Weeks Later

4.02am

Olivia woke to a contraction, she just sat there in bed and breathed through it and decided not to wake Casey. She figured that she would have time and wouldn't need to wake her best friend.

As the sun began to rise, Olivia's contractions became stronger and were getting closer and closer together before her water eventually broke.

Olivia sighed. "Holy shit! This is painful. I'm gonna have to wake Casey" Olivia thought as she sat on her now wet bed, clutching the bottom of her abdomen and rubbing the small of her back at the same time, to try ease some of her pain.

When that contraction ended, Olivia very slowly and painfully got up off her bed and walked out in to the hall, she was about 2 feet from Casey's door, when a really painful contraction coursed through her, causing her to scream out in pain. Casey must've woke because she came running out seconds later, in baby blue boxers with flying pigs on them and a baby blue singlet, with a very concerned look on her face.

"Oh my God, Liv. Is it time?"

All Olivia could do was nod before screaming out, "I needa push"

Casey was in shock and a bit frightened, she had never been in this situation before. "Seriously?"

Olivia nodded, "Yes, seriously, Case"

Casey helped Olivia back to bed, "Ok, hun, take of your boxers, while I grab some things. But don't push til I return, you hear me?"

"But…I …need….to" Olivia answered in between breathing through the pain and holding back the urge to push.

Casey ran in to the bathroom, where she grabbed a pair of scissors, out of the medicine cabinet, some old towels, out of the cupboard before running in to the kitchen and grabbed out a pipette (A/N: I think that's what those thingys like syringes are called. If I'm wrong can someone please correct me) to clean out the baby's nose and mouth and a pair of gloves out of a drawer.

Just as she shut the drawer, she heard Olivia scream out in pain, "Casey!"

"I'm coming, Liv" She called back as she began to run back to Olivia's bedroom.

When she walked in, she saw Olivia already pushing.

"Liv, honey, I told you not to push til I returned" Casey said in a caring voice as she put her gloves on.

"I…I….know…but I….had to" Olivia replied as she continued to push.

Casey sat on the end of the bed in between Olivia's spread out legs. "Ok, stop pushing for a minute, Liv"

Olivia looked up at Casey in confusion. "Huh?"

"The head's out, Liv. I'm just cleaning out the baby's nose and mouth" Casey replied as she used the pipette to clean out the baby's nose and mouth, "Ok, Liv, on your next contraction, push once more"

Olivia nodded and seconds later, a contraction hit and she pushed, "Arghhhh!"

"Waahhh" the baby made it's presence known.

"It's a girl, Liv. A little girl" Casey said proudly as she placed the tiny crying baby on Olivia's belly.

Olivia was so happy. "Welcome to the world Ashlyn Casey Dakota Benson" Olivia whispered as she caressed her brand new daughter's cheek before looking up at Casey, "Thank you so much, Case"

Casey cut the cord and took her gloves off, "You're very welcome, Liv. Especially since I'm her god-mother, and thank you for naming her after me" Casey replied giggling.

"She's perfect" Olivia whispered as she counted Ashlyn's tiny fingers and toes.

"Yep, she gorgeous, Liv… I better ring for that ambulance now"

Olivia nodded, but didn't take her eyes off the tiny bundle of joy in her arms. "Yeah, that would be a good idea, Case"

In the hospital, Olivia was given the all clear and baby Ashlyn weighed in at a healthy 7 pounds 8 ounces and was reported to be born at 7:16am.

As Olivia sat in her hospital room nursing Ashlyn, Casey walked back in and sat beside the bed. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"Liv, please don't get angry"

Olivia was confused. "Angry about what?" She asked as she placed her daughter up to her shoulder to burp her.

"I tried to call Elliot, to let him know that Ashlyn has made her appearance, even though, he doesn't know she even exists"

Olivia nodded, "Yeah, and?"

"The number's disconnected….Woah! Hang on a minute, you seemed a pretty calm about it, just then"

Olivia smiled. "You're just being a friend, plus Elliot should know that he has a daughter with me, so I understand why you did it"