Sorry, for the long wait. I meant to have this posted much sooner. Had so much going on. After taking some time to mourn the loss of my great-grandma, I finally got back into my writing. Then I got side-tracked by the birth of my nephew. I got stuck for a while, then I started making progress. Then the earthquake and Hurricane Irene hit, and I lost power for a whole day. But eventually, I got back into my zone. So without further adieu, here's Chapter 20. Enjoy!

Location: 16th Precinct.

"Are you sure want to do this?" Elliot asked in a concerned tone.

He and Olivia stepped into the elevator, heading up to the SVU squad room. They were on their way to the hospital for Olivia's chorionic villus sampling, but she insisted they make one stop first. She was a little nervous. For this was her first time back at the precinct since her attack.

"Yes," Olivia pushed the button for their floor. "I have to. If Granger is the baby's father, then it pertains to the case. Cragen needs to know this. As do Munch and Fin."

The elevator jerked then began its ascension to the squad room.

"You're right," he agreed. "But are you emotionally ready?"

"I'm not sure," she sighed deeply. "But you knew before I did. Why didn't you tell them?"

"Well," Elliot began. "It's your body and your baby, and after everything you've been through, I think you should the one to reveal the news. When you're ready, of course."

"I appreciate that," Olivia smiled, slipping her hand into his. "I think I can handle Cragen, Fin, and Munch knowing. Only because it's their case. But I don't want the rest of the unit to know. At least not yet. I don't think I could handle them staring at me. It's bad enough they know I was attacked."

"I understand," he sympathized.

The elevator lurched forward as it reached its destination. The doors opened revealing the SVU squad room, which was bustling with activity. Detectives and officers alike, were taking statements, working cases, and interrogating suspects. Elliot and Olivia stepped forward out of the elevator. Suddenly, all activity halted and all eyes were on Olivia. She looked around nervously, beads of perspiration dripped down her face as she felt the anxiety rising inside her. Her breathing quickened and became shallow. She began to feel faint, dizzy, and shaky. Her grip on Elliot's hand tightened, squeezing his hand.

"What the hell are you all staring at?" Elliot yelled, diverting everyone's attention away from Olivia. "Don't you all have work to do?"

With that, everyone returned to what they were previously doing. Elliot took Olivia by the hand and quickly led her to the break room. He sat her down at the table then walked over to the refrigerator where he pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to Olivia.

"Thanks, El," Olivia opened the bottle and took a long sip. "Not just for the water, but also for out there...at the elevator..."

Her voice trailed off. She swallowed a few mouthfuls of air as she tried to steady her nerves. She closed her eyes and planted her feet firmly on the ground to try to stop the dizziness. She took another long sip of water.

"No problem," he sat down next to her and held her hand. "Just take it easy. Relax. Breathe. You know you don't have to do this right now. We can always come back."

"Yes, I do," Olivia insisted, taking a few more sips of water.

She took a few more deep breaths and kept her eyes closed, relaxing until the dizziness went away. Then she opened her eyes and drank the rest of her water. When she was finished, she sat up and looked at Elliot.

"I'm ready," she told him.

They entered Cragen's office to find him sitting at his desk filling out some paperwork. He stood up and greeted Elliot and Olivia.

"Olivia!" Cragen gasped. "What are you doing here? You should be at home recovering."

"I know," she replied. "And you're right. But I'm here because I have some information that may be pertinent to the case."

Cragen poked his head out of his office and looked around for Munch and Fin. Sure enough, they were seated at their desks, hard at work.

"Fin! Munch!" Cragen called. "Step into my office please!"

Munch and Fin stood up from their desks and made their way to Cragen's office. Once inside, Cragen ordered them to shut the door. Both detectives noticed Olivia, but said nothing. Neither wanted to make her feel uncomfortable.

"What's up, Captain?" Fin asked.

Cragen spoke. "Olivia says she may have information pertaining to your case. And since you're still working with the Feds, I want whatever she has to say to stay in this room. Do you understand?"

Fin and Munch nodded their heads in response.

Olivia cleared her throat and began. "I know you guys are helping the Feds put Harris away for life and I have some information that might help. Well..., I guess there's really no easy way to say this, but..., um..., I'm pregnant. About ten weeks along now. And there's a chance Granger may be the father."

"What do you mean chance?" Munch asked. "Who else could have fathered your baby?"

"Me," Elliot spoke up. "We slept together once..."

"About a week before I was raped in the motel room," Olivia finished his sentence. "I have an appointment this afternoon for a chorionic villus sampling. They'll be doing a paternity test as well."

"Why don't you two go with them," Cragen said to Fin and Munch. "Collect the sampling then take it to Warner for DNA testing. This way, if Granger is the father, you don't break chain of evidence."

Fin and Munch nodded in response.

"And as Cragen said," Olivia reminded them. "This conversation doesn't leave this office. Also, I don't anyone else to know about my pregnancy just yet."

"Don't worry, Liv," Munch assured her. "You have our word."

"Yea," Fin reassured her. "We got your back."

"Thanks guys," she said, giving them a quick hug. Then she turned to Cragen and gave him a quick hug as well. "And thank you too, Captain."

Location: Hospital.

"Hello, Olivia," greeted the doctor. "I'm Dr. Angela Waiss. How are you doing today?"

"I'm okay, I guess," Olivia answered. "Just a little nervous."

Olivia was laying on the exam room table, Elliot was at her side, holding her hand. Fin and Munch stayed in the waiting room.

"Don't worry," Dr. Waiss smiled kindly. "There's nothing to be nervous about. We're going to start by doing an ultrasound first, then work our way into the chorionic villus sampling. Any questions before we begin?"

"Yes," Olivia nodded anxiously. "Just one. Um...What if...um...? Well, let's say that, uh..."

Her voice trailed off. Try as she might, Olivia couldn't figure out exactly how to phrase her question. She realized that there was no easy way, and she could no longer beat around the bush. She took a deep breath and started over.

"I'm sorry," Olivia began. "But this isn't easy for me. I was drugged and raped repeatedly in the first weeks of my pregnancy. It is possible that my rapist is the father of my unborn baby. But my partner, Elliot, could also be the father." She pointed to Elliot standing beside her. "And that's one reason we're here today. To extract DNA for analysis. But what I want to know is...um, well, given the fact that I had multiple drugs injected into my body, is there a chance my baby will born healthy? Or will he or she be born with problems?"

"First of all," Dr. Waiss spoke gently. "I want you to know how sorry I am that you had to endure such a terrible ordeal. I can't even begin to imagine what you must be feeling right now. But what I can tell you is to never give up hope. I've seen women who were heavy drug users quit cold turkey once they realize they were pregnant and give birth to clean, healthy babies. Yes, it's possible your baby may be born with problems. But as long as you take care of yourself and the baby from now on, there's a good chance he or she will be born healthy. Just be strong and stay positive."

"Thank you," Olivia breathed a sigh of relief as she began to feel a little better inside.

You're welcome," Dr Waiss turned on the ultrasound machine. "Are you ready to begin? Or would you like to take a moment."

"I'm ready," Olivia told her.

She laid back on the exam table and pulled up her mocha-colored blouse just enough to expose her stomach. She was barely showing. Her belly bulged only sightly outward, too small to be noticed.

"Everything looks normal on the outside," said Dr. Waiss, examining Olivia's abdomen. "How are you feeling? Any pain or discomfort?"

"I feel fine," Olivia replied. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"That's good," said the doctor. "Now let's take a look inside. Shall we?"

Dr. Waiss went over to a set of drawers in the corner of the room. Above the drawers were a set of cabinets. She opened the cabinets and removed a bottle of ultrasound gel. The doctor then sat down next to the exam and began applying the clear gel to Olivia's abdomen. She picked up an ultrasound transducer and placed it on Olivia's abdomen over the area covered in gel.

"This is your uterus," Dr. Waiss pointed to the monitor of the ultrasound machine with one hand, while holding the transducer on Olivia's abdomen with the other hand. "And that right there is your baby. This is the head and this is the body. The baby is a good size. Everything looks normal."

"That's good to hear," Olivia sighed, softly, her eyes on the monitor. "Oh, wow."

She watched as her baby wiggled around on the screen, captivated by the life that was growing and moving inside of her body. A life she helped create and would soon bring into the world.

"Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" Dr. Waiss asked, examining the fetus on the monitor.

"Can you hear it this early in the pregnancy?" inquired Olivia.

"Absolutely," answered Dr. Waiss. "You can hear the heartbeat as early as six weeks. And you, my dear, are eleven weeks along. So what do you say?"

"I say okay then," Olivia replied. "I want to hear my baby's heartbeat."

Dr. Waiss reached and turned on a switch on the ultrasound machine. The room was immediately filled with a faint, yet rapid bump-bump, bump-bump. As the doctor moved around the transducer, the sound became louder. BUMP-BUMP! BUMP-BUMP! BUMP-BUMP! BUMP-BUMP!

"It's a strong and healthy heartbeat," Dr. Waiss grinned. "That's a good sign!"

"It's so fast!" Olivia eyes filled up with tears, her gaze still fixated on the monitor of the ultrasound machine.

Elliot spoke to her, but she was too awestruck and mesmerized by the ultrasound and the heartbeat to hear what he was saying. Olivia realized then that the baby was just as innocent she was. This baby didn't ask to be conceived, no more than Olivia did when her mother was raped all those years ago. Whether it was for this reason or simply the natural bonds of motherhood, Olivia felt a strong, deep connection to her baby. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to provide her baby with a happy life, even if it meant giving him or her up.

Location: Olivia's Apartment.

"What are you thinking about?" Elliot asked Olivia.

They were sitting on the couch watching a movie, but Olivia's gaze was anywhere except on the TV. Elliot knew something was on her mind. She had been quiet during the car ride back home.

"A lot of things," she said as she touched her belly. "About the baby mostly."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he gently persuaded her.

Olivia took a deep breath. "Seeing the baby on the ultrasound made me do a bit of rethinking. I've decided I want to have this baby, regardless of who the father is."

"If that's what you want," Elliot took her hand in his. "Then I fully support your decision."

"I want this baby to have a happy life," she continued. "Even if it's not with me. He or she didn't ask to be conceived into this mess. And if Granger is the father, I don't want the baby to have to pay for his mistakes. And if I can't handle being his or her mother, then at least I can send him or her to a good home."

Olivia paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. She looked over at Elliot, who was listening intently to her. He now had his arm around her as she lay back with her head on his shoulder. She took another deep breath.

"And if the baby is yours," Olivia continued. "Then I want to keep it. You know how much I've wanted a baby for so long. And this may be my only chance to make it happen."

This time Elliot paused for a moment to take in what Olivia had said.

"Well, if the baby is mine," he finally began. "And if you want to have the baby, then I too want to have the baby."

"Really?" Olivia looked into his sapphire blue eyes.

"Really," Elliot smiled at her, gazing into her deep brown eyes.

Olivia wrapped her arms around Elliot in a warm embrace.

"Everything will be okay," he assured her.

"I really hope you're right," she told him. "I just can't stop worrying about the baby. What if he or she is born with issues? I don't if I can handle it. I bet you think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"Honestly?" he smiled at her. "I'd be worried if you weren't acting this way. It's perfectly normal for expectant mothers to feel this way. I remember when Kathy was pregnant with Maureen. She started reading every baby book she could get her hands on. Every time she read something that made her nervous, she'd call the doctor and me. And I'm telling you, some of the things she read made her pretty damn hysterical!"

Olivia laughed. "Thanks. I needed that."

Elliot stared at her as she laughed. His smile grew bigger.

"What?" Olivia asked him.

"Nothing," Elliot grinned. "It's just been a while since I've seen you smile, let alone laugh. It's good to see you happy again."

"I'm not happy yet," she smiled at him. "But I'm getting there. Thanks to you."

"Everything is going to be just fine," he reminded her. "Remember what the doctor said. Everything looked normal and healthy, and the baby has a strong heartbeat. The test results will be back in a few days. And I'm sure they will be normal. Be strong and stay positive."

"I'm sure you're right," she reassured herself. "I just need to relax."

"Well, this movie is just about over," Elliot told her. "Will another one help you relax?"

"It might," Olivia replied. "You never know."

So Elliot put in another movie and plopped back down on the couch. Olivia sat next to him, her head on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her waist. She began to relax as they watched the movie. And eventually, she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

Stay Tuned! More to come Soon! Please feel free to read and review! Also, if you haven't done so already, check out my two newest stories, Salvation and Coup de Gras!