I'm so glad everyone is still reading! I know it's gotten a little "Stepford Wives"-ish with being all perfect, so we're going to shake things up a little bit. So, without further ado...
Olivia laid in bed, gently rubbing her stomach as she read Oh, Baby, the Places You'll Go! to her little girl. She finished the book and put it on her nightstand, taking her glasses off. She felt the baby kick inside of her. She smiled. "You like Mama reading to you, huh, Charlie Girl?" She rested her back against the headboard, closing her eyes and gently rubbing her stomach. She heard a knock on the door and she looked over, seeing it open a crack.
"Mom, can I come in?"
Olivia sat up a little more. "Yeah, come in, sweetie." Calvin opened the door and walked in, walking over to her. She patted the bed. "Sit down, sweetie. What's going through your head?"
"Is Charlie okay?"
Olivia smiled and rested her hand over his. "She's absolutely perfect, Calvin."
He nodded. "When she's born, are you going to forget about me?"
Her heart broke. "Come here, sweetie." He moved closer and she pulled him into a hug, kissing the top of his head. "Not a chance." She closed her eyes and rubbed his back, then pulled away, looking into his eyes. "Calvin, I may not have given birth to you, but DNA isn't what makes a family, love does," she whispered and gently wiped a tear away from his eye. "I fought for you, Calvin. Your dad and I both did, and just because Charlie is coming along doesn't mean we're going to love you any less. Our hearts are just going to grow bigger so we can love both of you equally." She kissed his head gently. "I love you, Calvin. I have since the first day you were mine three years ago. I'll be damned if I let anything come between that."
He hugged her and nodded. "I just don't want to be the second thought, again."
Olivia shook her head. "That's never going to happen. It might be a little rough at first, you know, Charlie is going to need a lot, but you can always come to me, okay?"
He nodded.
She smiled and gently wiped his eyes. "You will always be my son, and I will always love you, no matter what." She sat with her arm around his shoulders for a while. "Everything else okay?"
He looked at her. "I guess, do you think we could decorate my room soon? The plain white walls make me feel like I'm in a hospital."
Olivia kissed the side of his head gently. "Well, we have to go to the hardware store tomorrow, how about you stay home from school and come with us, then we can get everything we need for the whole house and get it looking a little less like a hospital, hmm?"
Calvin smiled. "That sounds good."
Olivia smiled and hugged him tight. "How about you go wash up and I'll meet you in the kitchen and you can help me make dinner?"
Calvin nodded. "Okay."
She watched him get up and walk out, closing the bedroom door behind him. She climbed out beneath the covers and slipped on one of Brian's hoodies, bringing the material up to her nose and smiling. It smelled like Brian. She wrapped her arms around herself and let out a sigh. She walked out of the bedroom and downstairs into the kitchen. She washed her hands and looked at Calvin. "So, what should we make for dinner, chicken and rice, steak and potatoes, vegetarian?"
"Steak and potatoes."
Olivia chuckled. "You're just like your father." She gently lifted his chin. "And you're going to grow up to be just as wonderful as he is." He hugged her and she smiled. "You want to work on peeling the potatoes while I get the steak seared off?" Calvin nodded and she smiled. She got him the potatoes to peel and took the steaks out of the refrigerator.
Calvin started peeling the potatoes and looked at Olivia who was seasoning the steaks. "I like this, being in the kitchen with you."
Olivia smiled and turned the heat on the pan, letting it heat up and washing her hands, standing next to him. "I like it too, kiddo." She leaned over and hissed his head, drying her hands and getting the tongs out of the drawer, putting the steak in the searing hot pan to sear, throwing the styrofoam tray the meat was originally on. She let the meat sit for a few minutes before flipping the steaks and letting them sear on the other side. She set the oven and once the meat was seared she put it on a baking sheet and slipped it in the oven. She cleaned up a little after herself and she smiled. "Okay, have you used a kitchen knife before?"
Calvin looked at her. "I've used a steak knife."
Olivia pulled a knife out of the knife block. "Ever use one like this?"
His eyes widened. "Uh, I… No."
Olivia smiled. "Okay, you want to hold it in your hand, tight, but not too tight, you're going to hold the food with your fingers tucked. The most important thing is to always make sure that your knife is sharp. You're more likely to cut yourself with a dull blade than a sharp one." She took a potato and cut it just how she described it to Calvin. "Want to try?"
He took the knife from her and started to cut the potatoes.
She smiled and nodded. "There you go. Take it slow until you get the feel for your knife." She was a proud mama. She never had a mother to teach her how to cook; she had to learn it all on her own. Once the potatoes were cut they put them in a pot of water and put them on the stove to boil. "Okay, well until the potatoes are cooked, there isn't much else to do. How's your homework coming along?"
He let out a breath. "You had to bring up homework, didn't you?"
Olivia smiled and wrapped an arm around her. "Go on, go get your homework, I'll help with what I can."
"Why do I have to do my homework tonight if I'm not going to school tomorrow?"
"So you can just relax tomorrow and not have to worry about it tomorrow night."
He sighed. "Alright." He went to get his back pack and brought it over to the table, sitting down.
Olivia smiled. "You want some chocolate milk?"
He looked up at her and smiled. "You remember?"
She looked at him. "Remember? Please, I still make myself a chocolate milk every now and then, chocolate up the sides and all." She kissed his head. "I'll make us some." She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out the chocolate syrup and milk and made them both a glass of chocolate milk, bringing them over to the table and sitting down next to him. "So, what are you working on?"
Calvin took a sip of his chocolate milk. "We have to write an essay on our hero. It has to be someone we know. I don't know who to do."
Olivia gently rubbed his back. "You pick whoever you want, sweetie."
"That's the problem, so many people have helped me, and so many people have made a difference in my life. I have so many heroes. How can I just choose one?"
"I know what that's like. The past few months made me really see that I have so many people who saved me in my life."
"Who are some of yours?"
"Your dad, he's a big one. He's stuck by me through everything, thick and thin. Captain Cragen, he's been like a father to me since the day I stepped into his squad room. Everyone at the squad, they all rallied around me after my attack, kept me sane. I think Elliot can even be put on that list. He taught me that I don't need anyone to be strong. I can be strong all on my own. And of course, the biggest hero and teacher of them all," she smiled at him. "You."
"Me? What did I do that's so heroic?"
She smiled gently. "You reminded me just how much I want to be a mom. You gave me something to focus on when all I could think about was my attack. You gave me a reason to get up in the morning, when the world would have understood if I stayed in bed all day," she whispered and kissed the side of his head. "You rescued me, this time, buddy."
He hugged her tight and looked up at her. "You mean that?"
She felt the tears in her eyes as she nodded. "Every word, Calvin." She smiled and stood up. "You'll find the muse to write soon enough." She patted him on the back and checked the potatoes. She smiled and drained them. "You want to learn the secret recipe for mashed potatoes?"
"Yeah!" He got out of his chair and walked over to the counter.
She smiled and grabbed the milk, butter, and cottage cheese from the refrigerator. She put everything on the counter and got out the potato masher. She smiled and looked at Calvin. "Cooking, unlike baking, is not an exact science. You have to go by texture and taste." She put in half a stick of butter, half a cup of cottage cheese, and some milk and mashed it together. She took out two forks from the drawer and put a little on each fork and handed him one. "Taste."
He tasted the potatoes and looked at her. "Why aren't you a chef?"
She chuckled and wrapped her arm around him. "You know I thought about it, but I'm not good enough to be one. Plus I'm too old to go back and learn to be that good." She winked and took the bite of potatoes on her fork and smiled. "Mm, perfect." She looked at the time and looked at Calvin. "Dinner is almost done. Go wash your hands and do me a favor and set the table while I make a vegetable real quick. Your dad should be home any minute."
Calvin nodded. "You got it, Mom." He got out three plates, three forks and three knives, setting the table for the family.
Olivia smiled and saw him go into the bathroom downstairs to wash his hands. She quickly sautéed up some green beans in some butter and squeezed a little lemon juice on them and then took the meat out of the oven and plated everything, bringing it to the table. She heard the door open and she looked over, seeing Brian. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, a smile on her face. "Mm, welcome home," she whispered.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her passionately, gently dipping her. He stood her back up and broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. "I missed you. Smells good in here, I take it my sexy fiancée has been cooking?"
She bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Calvin helped too. Everything is ready."
He smiled and kissed her again, pulling her closer. He heard her let out a small moan. He broke the kiss and gently bit her bottom lip. "Let's eat."
She looked at him and shook her head. "Tease," she whispered.
They walked to the table and looked at the food. "Wow. Look at you. I'm marrying a chef."
She smiled and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Sit, you've had a long day." She served everyone before sitting down and starting to eat her dinner.
Brian took a bite and he let out a groan. "My God, Baby. This is incredible."
Calvin nodded. "It's really good, Mom; even the vegetables."
Olivia smiled at both of them. "Thank you both. I'm glad you like it." They continued to eat as they spoke about their days. Olivia reminded Brian that they were going to the hardware store to get paint, and to a few other stores to get décor for the house. "Calvin is coming with us, so he can pick out stuff for his room."
Brian smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a good plan."
When they finished up, Calvin went upstairs to finish his homework, and Olivia cleaned up. She was standing at the sink doing dishes when she felt Brian's lips on her neck. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She tilted her head to the side, allowing him better access to her neck. She leaned back against him and let out a groan. "Bri," she whispered, his hands running over her body.
He smirked and gently pushed his hips into her, making sure she felt how hard he was. He heard her gasp and saw her hands grip the counter. He moved his lips and whispered in her ear. "You are so sexy." His hands teased the skin at the top of her pajama pants as he gently bit her earlobe.
She rocked her hips back against his, feeling his hand slip under her pants and she let out a sigh. "God, baby," she whispered. She strained her neck back and kissing him passionately, her tongue fighting with his for dominance. She felt his fingers inside her and she groaned, spreading her legs, moving her hips into his hand.
He broke the kiss and smirked. "You're so wet, Liv," he whispered, moving his fingers moving in her hard and fast.
She gasped and let out a moan, trying to stay quiet. "Shit." She needed her release. She started to milk his fingers, her hips still grinding into his hand. She was desperate. "Baby, please," she whispered.
He smirked and kissed her again, his thumb flicking over her clit and his fingers moving, hitting all the right spots. He captured her moans in his mouth as her orgasm took over her body, his arms holding her up as he felt her knees go out. He let her ride out her orgasm before breaking the kiss, still holding her up as she breathed heavy against his chest.
She felt him take his fingers out of her and she smiled. "Mm." She closed her eyes, still resting against him. She looked back at him and smiled, seeing the fingers that were inside her in his mouth. She bit her bottom lip and pulled his fingers out of his mouth and kissing him gently. "I love you," she whispered against his lips.
He smiled and kissed her back, resting his hands on her hips, turning her around. "I love you, too."
She wrapped her arms around him and rested her forehead against his. "You really are incredible, you know that," she asked in a whisper.
He gently brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes and caressed her face. "So are you, Liv. You made a wonderful dinner, and now you're cleaning up, not to mention everything else you did during the day that I'm not aware of. Baby, you're superwoman."
She smiled gently. "I didn't even get dressed. I'm still in my pajamas."
"And you are still the sexiest woman I have ever seen."
She smiled and looked up into his eyes. "You're just saying that," she said softly, looking at his chest. She started playing with one of the pins on his uniform shirt.
He put his finger under her chin, making her look up at him. "Hey, take a compliment, huh?"
She smiled and kissed him gently. "Okay." She rested her head against his chest and let a breath out. "Take a bath with me?"
He kissed the top of her head. "Come on. Let's go be cute and romantic together."
She giggled and walked upstairs to their room with him, starting the Jacuzzi tub, adding lavender bath salts and bubble bath. She lit some candles before poking her head into the bedroom and smiled. "Bath is almost ready." Once the tub was filled she stripped naked, putting her hair up in a high ponytail, the shorter pieces of hair underneath still hanging down. She saw Brian come in and felt his arms around her. She smiled and kissed him gently. "I'm going to hop in the tub, you need to get naked," she whispered and smirked. She stepped in and rested back, closing her eyes, turning the jets on.
Brian quickly disrobed and stepped in the tub. He sat down and she moved and leaned against him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, gently kissing the back of her head. "This is bliss."
She smiled and nuzzled into him closer. "This is perfection." They stayed in the tub for a while, until the water was cold. Brian climbed out of the tub first and helped Olivia out. He handed her a towel and took one and wrapped it around his waist. She wrapped it around her chest and looked at Brian. "I can't be sexy and wrap myself in a towel anymore," she groaned with a pout.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "You're still sexy."
She groaned and buried her head in his chest. "But I can't wrap the towel around myself and walk around the bedroom and be all sexy."
He kissed the top of her head. "But even just like this, your hair up, just out of a bath, no make-up on, your hair in a haphazard ponytail, you are the sexiest woman on the planet."
She looked up at him and smiled. "I love you." She kissed him softly, feeling him pick her up and carrying her into the bedroom. She giggled and walked over to the dresser and took out her cheetah print pajamas and put her glasses on, walking over to Brian who was comfortable in his sleep pants. "You really think I'm still sexy?"
He kissed her passionately, hearing her moan. He smiled and broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "More than sexy."
She giggled and kissed him again. "We should get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."
He smiled and kissed her and wrapped his arms around her. "We should, but I don't want to stop kissing you."
She smiled and rested a hand on his cheek, still kissing him. He walked them over to the bed and picked her up, setting her on the mattress. He laid her back and climbed on top of her, continuing their kiss. He didn't want anything more than kissing tonight, they so rarely got to just kiss. She broke the kiss softly and looked into his eyes. "I love you," she whispered.
He smiled and kissed her again. "I love you too," he whispered against her lips. He took her hands in his and laced their fingers. They continued their kiss for a few more minutes until the heard a knock at the door.
Olivia giggled and broke the kiss. "Up," she whispered, pushing on his chest, sitting up and walking over to the door to open it, seeing Calvin with a smile on his face. "Hey, sweetie, what's up?"
"I just wanted to let you know I got my paper done. I did it on you." Olivia smiled and felt tears in her eyes. She opened the door more and hugged him tight and kissed the top of his head. "I did it on Dad, too," he added.
Olivia smiled and looked back at Brian, feeling the tears fall down her face. He walked over and wrapped an arm around both of them and kissed both of their heads. "You are an incredible son, Calvin," Olivia whispered with a bright smile.
He looked up at her and wiped a tear away from her eye. "And you're the best mom in the world."
Olivia felt more tears fall from her eyes and she hugged him tighter, closing her eyes. "I love you," she whispered through her tears. After a few minutes she wiped her eyes and smiled at Calvin. "Okay, it's time for bed. We have a long day tomorrow."
He nodded. "Goodnight Mom, Dad."
She smiled. "Night, sweetheart."
Brian smiled. "Goodnight kiddo."
Olivia closed their door and looked back at Brian. "Bedtime." She walked over to her side of the bed and pulled down the covers and climbed in, taking her glasses off.
Brian walked over and climbed in bed next to her and pulled her into another kiss, hearing her moan gently. He smiled and gently broke the kiss. "Goodnight, Pancakes."
Olivia smiled and lay down, her head on his chest, closing her eyes. "Night, baby."
The next morning, Olivia woke up with a jolt, feeling the baby kicking hard. "Remind Mommy to get you a soccer ball, Charlie," she whispered and walked to the bathroom. She rested her hand on her back and closed her eyes.
A few minutes later when she walked out of the bathroom and saw Brian looking at her with worry written all over his face. "Are you okay Liv?"
She smiled gently. "I'm fine, tired and a little sore, but fine." She crawled back into bed and looked at him. "Just remind me to get Charlie into soccer or football or swimming. She has a hell of a kick." She rested her hand on her belly. "Baby, go back to sleep. I know I am." Brian kissed her gently and held her, resting his hand on her belly, both of them protecting their child as they drifted back off to sleep. When they woke back up Olivia looked at Brian. "Hey, you mind if I stay here today while you and Calvin go out?"
Brian looked at her. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah, just feeling a little tired, my back and my ankles are sore, I don't think walking around is the best thing right now."
He kissed her gently. "Okay. You sure you want us to go?"
Olivia nodded. "Yeah, we talked about the colors for the house, and Calvin knows what he wants for his room."
"Okay, but if you need anything, you call me, okay?"
"I will, I promise."
He smiled gently. "Okay." He kissed her again and got up. "I love you." He leaned down and lifted her shirt up. "And I love you, too, Charlie." He kissed her belly then kissed her again.
Olivia smiled. "We love you, too, Daddy." She winked. Brian smiled and stood up, walking downstairs, seeing Calvin eating cereal at the table. Once they both had their breakfast and got ready, they were off to the hardware store. About an hour after they left Olivia went downstairs and made herself a cup of tea and some toast. She felt a pain in her stomach and she gently rubbed her stomach. "Hey, now, Charlie, what are you doing?" She felt the pain intensify and she doubled over. It was a sharp, tight pain. She didn't think this is what a contraction felt like, but she knew something was wrong. She grabbed her phone and called Brian, silently begging he'd pick up.
Brian looked at his phone and smiled, answering. "Hey, Liv, everything okay?"
She felt the tears in her eyes. "Send a bus over. Something's wrong."
"Liv? Tell me what's going on baby."
"It hurts, please." The pain had gotten more intense; she just wanted the baby to be okay.
"Liv, breathe baby. Call a bus, we'll meet you at the ER."
Olivia took a deep breath and she nodded. "Okay." She hung up and dialed 911, explaining the situation to the dispatcher, and putting slippers on, hoping the paramedics got there soon. When they did they got her on the stretcher, she was begging them to save her baby. At that point she didn't care about her, she just wanted Charlie safe. They rushed her to the ER and had her hooked up to machines and oxygen. Olivia lay on her side curled up in a ball. She felt just like she had after her attack, powerless. Something was wrong and she couldn't do anything to fix it.
Dr. Tessler walked in and smiled gently. "How are you feeling?"
Olivia shook her head, tears slipping out of her eyes. "The pain has gone down, but I'm scared. What if I lose her?"
The woman sat next to Olivia and held her hand. "That's not going to happen. It was Braxton Hicks contractions. It happens to a lot of women. With your anxiety, it made it worse. You're going to be okay, so is your little girl."
Olivia smiled and wiped her eyes, seeing Brian and Calvin come in, worried looks on their faces. "Doc, this is my son Calvin. Calvin, this is Dr. Tessler. She's going to be delivering Charlie."
Dr. Tessler smiled. "Calvin, it's nice to meet you."
Calvin nodded and looked at Olivia. "Are my mom and sister okay?"
Dr. Tessler nodded. "They're both fine. But, she's going to have to be on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy. Stress and activity could only cause pre-term labor, with as bad as those Braxton Hicks were, I don't want to take any chances. Sitting or reclining unless you're sleeping. You can get up and move a little bit, but nothing strenuous."
Olivia took a deep breath. "Okay, so Brian and I—"
Dr. Tessler put her hand up. "No. None of that until six weeks after the baby is born. I noticed when I examined you that you have a cyst, it could be in the way of the baby's head when we deliver her, but we should be able to work around it so you can have a natural birth."
Olivia nodded. "Thank you."
Dr. Tessler stood up and patted Olivia on the shoulder gently. "Remember to breathe, Olivia."
A/N: Thanks for reading, don't hate me too much! Please review here or on twitter UnbrokenBarista. We're going to see how bed rest treats Olivia, or rather, how Olivia treats bed rest. See you soon!