* Here you go! I know everyone was waiting. Hope you like it! *

Cragen stood up from the bench and offered both hands to Olivia. She took them carefully and slowly stood up from where she sat. She was a little unsteady and her face was still covered with panic.

"Do you want to take her?" Nick directed his question at the older man that Liv was hanging on to.

"Hey Liv." Cragen looked down at the scared women, who in that moment seemed so much smaller than she ever had. "Do you care who takes you?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, I just want to go."

"Okay, then I'll take her." Cragen said.

"Amanda, why don't you go with them?" Nick suggested. "Cragen is going to need some help and Fin and I will go to Liv's apartment and get a few things for her."

Amanda looked at Nick and then to Olivia. "Is it alright with you if I come?"

"I don't care." The sergeant answered. "I just want to go, please."

Everyone respected her request and they quickly headed their separate ways. Nick and Fin headed to the unmarked parked outside of the courthouse. Cragen and Amanda helped Liv slowly walk to the car in the parking garage. Their walk seemed to go on forever, before they finally got Olivia into the car and left.

The ride was silent. Both Amanda and Cragen knew that if they said anything it would not be welcomed by Liv and she had every right to silence if that's what she preferred. The former captain and the detective just hoped that everything would go well and Olivia wouldn't have to go through something more if the baby wasn't well enough at six weeks early.

When they reached the hospital, they were greeted in the maternity ward by Dr. Dawson, Olivia's OB. She was quick to get Liv into her own room, changed into a hospital gown, and in bed getting hooked up to all the appropriate monitors.

Once she was prepped, Dr. Dawson finally slowed down and began talking to her patient. "How long have you been having contractions Olivia?"

"Umm… I think since early this morning." Olivia admitted.

"Why didn't you any anything Liv?" Cragen asked her, not out of anger, but out of worry. He knew she was one to push herself when she didn't need to.

"I didn't think they were real contractions, I thought they were Braxton-Hicks." Olivia spoke quietly, every ounce of fear she had was evident when she spoke.

"Okay. Olivia that's perfectly normal." Dr. Dawson assured her. "It's hard to tell sometimes, but we just have to know. Now, I'm going to check you quickly and see how dilated you are. Alright?"

Olivia nodded, as her doctor pulled the small black stool to the edge of her hospital bed. It was an uncomfortable process and it was only made worse by a contraction that hit Liv hard. It was more painful than any of the ones she experienced before. And it was evident for everyone in the room.

Dr. Dawson finished her exam, but waited until Olivia relaxed after her contraction had finished. "You're already about four centimeters dilated, Olivia, which is good because your contractions are quite strong already and this may mean that your labor will be quick."

It wasn't anywhere near quick enough for Olivia though. Three hours after arriving at the hospital and she had only dilated two centimeter and her contractions were almost intolerable already.

Both Amanda and Cragen had stayed in the room with her, although no words were exchanged by either of them with Olivia. She was basically silent except for the single word answers she had given to the nurses and Dr. Dawson. But since she hadn't asked them to leave, they assumed that she wanted them in there.

In the next hour, Nick and Fin came and went. They had dropped off a few essentials for Olivia, but when they had entered the room, neither one could handle the site of their sergeant gripping at the hospital bed, in so much pain that she couldn't even look at them. So when a call about a case came in, Nick and Fin took it right away and left Amanda and Cragen to help Liv the best they could.

Five hours after entering the hospital, Olivia finally broke. The contraction she was dealing with came full force and she let out a small cry.

Cragen instantly moved from where he sat next to the bed and came to her side. He took Olivia's hand in his own. "Squeeze my hand Liv, just try and breathe."

Liv gripped as hard as she possibly could to Cragen's hand and tried her best to take a few deep breathes, but they all came out shallow and shaky.

When her grip loosened on him, Cragen looked into her eyes and saw the despair she was feeling. The pain, the loneliness, it was all evident in her eyes and he wanted nothing more than to take it all away from her.

But he couldn't say anything before Olivia spoke to him for the first time since they had gotten into the hospital room.

"I need him." There were tears running down her cheeks.

Brian.

"Oh Liv." Cragen looked at Amanda for quick moment and he could see on her face that she was feeling the same pity for Olivia as he was. "I know you do."

"He should be here."

In that moment with a contraction pulling her away from the world again, as she tried to handle the immense pain that held onto her, she could think of nothing and no one but Brian. When she had found out that she was pregnant one of the first things she pictured was being in the delivery room with Brian, both of them alone together and getting to see their child for the first time. He was going to be there for her, offering his hand for her to grip until he swore his hands were broke, rubbing her back trying to ease the pressure, and telling her how worth it all the pain would be when she finally got to hold their son or daughter. But now every hope for anything remotely similar to that was gone. Brian would never get to see his child, let alone be there to witness the birth. And all of it was more than Olivia could handle.

Between the pain of the contractions and the pain from the thoughts of Brian, it all put Olivia overboard. She could feel herself weakening, along with a more disgusting feeling.

"I think I'm going to be sick." The wave of nausea crashed over her hard and her face immediately paled.

Cragen, as fast as he could left the room in search of a nurse.

Amanda took his place next to Olivia. Although the two women still weren't best friends, the blonde knew that her sergeant needed someone with her and she was more than willing to help.

But before Amanda could do anything to help, her former captain came back into the room followed by one of the nurses, who in her hand held a plastic container just in case it was needed.

"Olivia?" The nurse was spoke gently.

However, she got no response, at least not in words. Instead Olivia rolled over on her side and vomited into the container the nurse had held up just in time.

After Olivia threw up again, Amanda quickly grabbed her cup of water and helped her take a large sip from the straw.

"I'm sorry." Olivia was looking at the nurse, but her apology was meant for Amanda and Cragen. She was more than embarrassed that they both had to watch her throw up.

"Liv, you don't need to apologize for anything." Amanda told her. "I'm sorry that you have to go through all of this."

Even though there had been many moments when Olivia had questioned how she felt about Amanda, in that moment having someone by her side through some of her toughest hours was appreciated. And it also said a lot about Amanda's character, that even when she and Olivia had never seen eye to eye and she knew that some of her choices had been questioned by her sergeant she still was there with any support she could give.

And the support kept coming from Amanda and Cragen as it only got worse for Olivia in the next couple of hours.

"Oohhh… oohhh." She had been silent through most of her contractions up until then, but as they were now barley two minutes apart, her small moans were filling the sterile hospital room.

Olivia was curled on her side her back to the door, facing Amanda and Cragen. She was gripping on with one hand to the bed and the other hand was wrapped around Cragen's. There was sweat across her hairline and the exhaustion that was building was apparent in her eyes. When Dr. Dawson had come in only half an hour before, Olivia had gotten to eight centimeters, so there was hope among everyone that she would get to the end soon.

"Ahhh…" Olivia felt like her body was being torn apart. The pain was more intense than she could have imagined.

"You're almost there, Liv." Cragen tried to assure her, but he knew it was more than likely pointless by now to tell her that.

An hour later and Amanda and Cragen were still watching Olivia suffer through every contraction she had. They were both unsure how much longer she was going to be able to last, any strength she had left was dwindling quickly.

"Oohhh…" Liv moaned as she felt the pain of the contraction growing and there was also an unrecognized pressure that had been worsening with her latest contractions.

When the pain had finally subsided, Olivia spoke up for the first time in hours. "Umm… Could one of you get the nurse?"

Amanda stood up from her seat and moved closer to the bed. "What's wrong Olivia?"

"I think…ahhh…" Liv tried to tell them what was happening and why there was so much pressure now after every contraction, but was interrupted by the strongest contraction she had yet. "Ahh…oohhh."

The pain seemed to last forever, before Olivia finally felt a small bit of relief and she spoke again. "I really need to push."

The blonde's eyes widened with shock before she answered. "Alright, I will go find the nurse right now, Liv." Amanda speed out of the room.

Cragen gave Olivia's hand a small squeeze. "You're ready for this." He told her.

But was she? Olivia knew that physically she was ready, but the thought of her son or daughter entering the world in such a short amount of time scared her more than anything ever had.

* I really appreciate all the reviews, so please keep them up. I like knowing what you all think of the story. *