I'd Do Anything

(Chapter Three: Chances We Take)

Olivia stood in front of her bathroom mirror reading the back of the box for the pregnancy test. This was their second cycle of in vitro fertilization in the last six months and she prayed it would work this time. She took a deep breath and tossed the box on the back of the sink. This was going to be the longest three minutes of her life.

She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.

"Well?" Elliot asked her from the sofa with a look of excitement in his eye.

"Elliot, I just now peed on it. It can take anywhere from three to five minutes before you get results."

He got up and walked over to her. "I have a good feeling about this."

"Really?" She asked with a worried look in her eye.

"Liv, thousands of couples a year use this procedure to conceive their babies. It will work, it just takes a little time."

"But what if it doesn't work Elliot?"

"Then there is that thing where they just inject the sperm."

She smiled at him. "You sound so technical. They tried that first, then we moved to the in vitro. What am I going to do if this didn't work either?"

Elliot reached over and took her hand in his. "We are going to try again," he said kissing her forehead. "Come on," he said leading her by the hand down the hall toward the bathroom.

They stood outside the closed door for a second and just stared at each other. "Are you ready?" he asked staring into her eyes.

"I'm ready Elliot," she swallowed hard and he hugged her.

"This could be it. The moment we have been waiting for."

"You look, I can't."

"Okay," he said kissing her cheek before entering the bathroom. "Exactly what am I looking for?"

Olivia looked confused and walked in beside him to stare at the plastic stick. "What the hell?" She said picking up the box from the counter again. "Does that look like this or like this?"

"I don't think it looks like either one of those. Let me see that." Elliot pulled the paper from the box and read it carefully as he studies the pictures."

"This is ridiculous, Elliot! A fifteen year old can work these things and we can't even figure it out!"

"Wait, okay look it goes this way. There see, okay. It looks like that. What is that?"

Olivia stared at the picture for a minute quietly. "We want it to look like this one, El." She said softly as she dropped the pregnancy test into the trash and went back into the living room.

Elliot picked it up again turning it in every direction to see if he could make it look like she wanted it to. "These suck!" He said dropping it back into the trash and joining her in the living room. "Maybe we should just get a test that is easier to read."

"What is the use? I'm not pregnant."

"I'll make the call to the clinic and we can set an appointment to do it again. We'll just keep doing it until it works." He moved his hand to hold hers.

"Yeah," she replied without looking at him.

"Hey," Elliot said brushing her hair behind her ear, "I'm going to get you a baby." She looked at him through tears. "If I have to steal you one."

She laughed a little. Elliot squeezed her hand. "Why don't we both go down there this afternoon. We'll talk to the doctor and see if there is anything else we can do."

"Okay."

He pulled her against his chest and held her for a minute. Olivia took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "We'd better get going or we're going to be late," she said standing up and putting her shoes on.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should take today off."

"No, if I do I will just sit around here and go crazy. It will be okay. It is just going to take a little longer, that is all."

That afternoon during their lunch break Elliot and Olivia went to the clinic. The doctor completed a full examine on her and left her to get dressed before he returned to discuss options with them. She sat on the end of the table and waited for the doctor to return.

"Okay Olivia," he said as he entered the room. "Everything appears to be healthy. I took a blood sample and there are a few tests I would like to run on that. I think we can schedule you for another cycle in about two weeks."

"Okay."

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Yeah," Elliot spoke up. "Do you have any tips? Like anything that we could do to better our chances of getting pregnant?"

"Well, the obvious. The more often you do it, the better the chances. And you need to be completely comfortable and able to relax," he said turning to look at Olivia.

"Umm, okay. I try."

"When you are relaxed, you are more likely to orgasm. You are much more likely to become pregnant if you reach an orgasm."

Olivia looked shocked and turned her attention to Elliot. "Wait, we're not… No, he's talking about the in vitro."

"Oh, you guys are only using the in vitro cycles to conceive?"

"Well, yeah." She answered.

"There really aren't any other tricks. You just have to try and wait to find out."

"Oh," Elliot said, still recovering from the doctors comments.

He joked around with her as they left the clinic. "Wow, I was thinking exactly what is he doing with that needle?"

"Yeah, I was wondering exactly what part of that is supposed to make a woman orgasm, because trust me that was the furthest thing from my mind during the entire procedure."

"The look on your face, it was so funny."

She looked at him. "It wasn't funny."

"Just a little. You hungry? I'm buying."

"That is sweet."

"Well, I figure I just drove you to that place and stood by while some guy poked and prodded you. I could at least buy you lunch afterward."

She rolled her eyes at him.

The next day Olivia didn't see much of Elliot. He was working on a case with Munch and they were gone most of the day. Olivia got up the next morning and relaxed in a hot shower before heading to work.

That afternoon Elliot was looking for her and couldn't seem to find her anywhere. After about fifteen minutes he walked into the locker room. As he walked in he saw her with a needle trying to give herself some kind of injection. "Liv, what the hell are you doing?"

"Ahh. Can you help me? Please. I hate needles."

"What is this?" He asked taking the syringe from her hand as he walked back and locked the door so no one else would walk in on them.

"The doctor asked me to come back in yesterday. I guess the hormone levels in my blood were not high enough, he thought this might help. So I have to do these hormone injections once a day until we do the next cycle, maybe even longer. I have to do it every day at the same time. He gave me the first one yesterday. But I can't do it. I hate needles."

"Calm down. Let me see." Olivia slid her jeans off one side exposing part of her hip to him. "Right here?"

"Yeah," she said looking in his eyes.

Elliot leaned his face in close to hers as he gave her the shot. Olivia groaned in pain as she gripped tightly to his arm. "I'm sorry," Elliot said.

"No, it stings."

"Just a little prick," he said as she shifted her eyes to his and smiled.

"If you say so."

"Well, a little bigger than that." He said holding up the needle and they both laughed. "Are you okay?"

Olivia looked into his eyes. "Yes. Thank you."

He kissed her forehead. "Same time tomorrow?"

She laughed. "Same time tomorrow."

"Okay."

He walked back toward the door as she buttoned her jeans.