Olivia sits in the nursery between a pair of mini cribs on a rocking chair. Elliot materializes in the doorway.
"Fin mentioned that you seemed a little bummed when he kicked you out of the precinct this morning."
"Shouldn't you be at work?" She queries.
"Why would I be at work?"
She furrows her brow, "Because it's Monday."
"True. So far you have done all of the work. You wouldn't let me help with anything. Not choosing a new apartment, or picking a wall color. I was not allowed to have an opinion on names, or baby gear. I haven't pushed you. Today is the line in the sand though, Liv. We can't pretend any longer. The two of us co-mingled our DNA, and that is going to come to fruition any time. I am old, and rusty, but I guarantee I am going to show up. Every single time that it is important I'm going to show up for them. I missed out on a lot of moments in my kids' lives. I realize that nothing I'm doing professionally trumps any of those moments, big, or small. I have a lot of regret about it. So, to answer your question, I'm here to support you. I am here to co-parent these babies with you. I took this little thing known as FMLA, and I will be here every single day for the next twelve weeks."
"I have no experience co-parenting. With Noah, I wanted to be his mom so badly it didn't upset me that there wasn't anyone else around. Selfishly I wanted him all to myself."
"Luckily, for you there are plenty of babies to go around this time."
She arches her brow, "Lucky for me, you have super sperm?"
He smiles widely, "Lucky for both of us, I suppose."
Her dark hair with the roots showing is haphazardly secured into a clip at the base of her skull. She wears a grey NYPD t-shirt, and pair of black leggings. She's washed her makeup off for the day. Her center of gravity is heavily altered by the rounded edges of her abdomen. Elliot looks around, and then looks to her.
"Why is everything in here grey?"
"It's soothing, and gender neutral."
He holds up a brown paper bag with a handle.
"I brought you something. If you want to open it now, you can, but it will ruin your surprise."
"The only surprise I want is for my membranes to rupture spontaneously in the next ten minutes."
He smiles, "They will come when they are ready."
"I have convinced the doctor that if they do not arrive in two days he can evict them."
"They feel safe in there. You're going to miss knowing exactly where they are, and what they are doing at all times."
"I can hardly breathe. I am pretty sure I have a permanent footprint in my lung tissue."
He rolls his eyes. "Did you get your list of names narrowed down?"
"I have not succeeded with that task. Every time someone suggests a name that sounds okay I remember a perp, or a victim with the same name."
"I think that is why people choose to have babies young, shorter memories."
Olivia groans, "Yes, because I chose this."
Elliot takes a seat on the plush rug in the middle of the room, "You know I might as well get comfortable, because I am not planning on going anywhere. I already put your stuff in the car. I installed the car seats."
Olivia shakes her head, "Your stubborn babies did not get the memo."
"Aren't you curious to see what is in the bag?"
"I am not. I'm exhausted."
"So take a nap," he suggests.
"It is eleven o'clock in the morning," she grimaces.
"You are seventeen months pregnant. No one is going to judge you."
"What are you going to do if I take a nap?"
"Watch you sleep," he taunts.
"Come in here, and double check the assembly of all the furniture?"
"I already did that."
"I deeply regret giving you a key to my apartment."
He smiles, "Your assembly was satisfactory. I am actually trying to coax you out of here, because I want to put some things in here that you obviously don't want to see."
Olivia furrow her brow, "What are you so gung ho to put in here?"
"Just a few little finishing touches. Unfortunately you don't want to know the gender, so I don't want to ruin your moment."
"I hope they don't inherit your impatience."
"Liv with our genes they are destined to be stubborn, impatient, and adorable."
She looks into his big blue eyes. "Elliot…"
He moves forward, and squats next to the rocking chair. He places his hand on her shoulder, "I know what you're going to say. I'm invading your space, and I should back off. Usually I would respect that, but today I am not going to let your stubborn attitude crash through this beautiful moment in time like a runaway freight train."
She rolls her eyes. "I was going to say that I don't think I can get out of this seat on my own."
He nods, "Oh. That I can assist with."
In the blink of an eye she is on her feet, and his hand is against the small of her back. She pauses for a moment to catch her breath, and regain her equilibrium. After a few seconds his hands recoil, and she gently pushes past him out of the nursery.
"I think we both know that a nap is not going to cure twenty five years of sleep deprivation."
He smirks, "We won't know that unless you try."
She offers a heavy sigh, "Only because I know that any minute we are going to reset the clock, and have sleepless nights all over again for a different reason."
"It couldn't be for a better reason."