Elliot sat outside on the patio, his wheelchair facing the small patch of lawn that was supposed to give the illusion of a relaxing outdoor space. He'd only been there a week, but he'd quickly discovered the patio was his favorite spot. After his intense therapy it was nice to breathe the outside air, look for small signs of nature even with the sounds of the city blaring in the background, and sit alone with his thoughts. And lately his thoughts were consumed with things he was afraid he would forget. He'd regained almost all of his memories from before the shooting, but he seemed to forget things he was told or that had happened since he awakened from the coma. The doctor insisted it was normal, but it was frustrating.

There were other patients sitting there was well, but no one really engaged in conversations unless they had to. Some he could tell were worse off than him, unable to speak or move. Some were in better condition, walking by themselves without the restrictions of the wheelchair. He wanted more than anything to get out of that chair because he knew it would be a big step toward going home.

"Yo, Stabler…how's it going?" Fin asked as he walked up to Elliot.

Elliot turned to look at him and couldn't hide his surprise. He hadn't expected Fin to come see him. They'd never been friends and honestly didn't even get along well. Even with his memory issues, he remembered that. "What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Came to see you," Fin sat down in a metal lawn chair, looking around. "Not a bad place…kind of homey."

"Yeah…" Elliot snickered. "Just like my own backyard, right?"

"It's not bad," Fin insisted. "Better than the hospital."

"I guess," Elliot agreed. "I want to go home though…"

"You think you're ready?" Fin asked seriously.

"It won't be easy," Elliot said honestly. "But I'd rather get better at home than up here. I miss Olivia…"

"Yeah…she misses you too," Fin said with a nod. "She's having a rough time of it, Elliot."

"She's tough," Elliot said with a slight smile as he thought about her. "She'll be okay. She's been a rock through all of this."

"She's a mess," Fin said bluntly. "She must put on a pretty good show for you if you think she's okay."

Elliot looked surprised. He knew she'd looked tired the last several times she'd visited, but she'd always said she was fine. He was angry at himself for not picking up on the fact that something was wrong. He briefly flashed back to sitting in the bar, down the street from his office while Fin told him Olivia was pregnant with his child. He wondered if it was a memory he'd forgotten that had just resurfaced or if he simply hadn't needed to remember it before now, but either way it made him wonder why Fin knew so damn much about his life with Olivia...more than he knew himself. "What do you mean she's a mess?" he asked seriously.

Fin shrugged, "She's having a hard time with all of this. She misses you…she's physically exhausted…"

"She's pregnant," Elliot argued. "All pregnant women are exhausted. She'll be fine."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Fin asked him. "You do realize this isn't an average pregnancy, right? She's an older mom…her body is struggling with this. She's gained a lot of weight…way more than what is considered normal, and she can't do anything about it. There's a problem with the amniotic fluid and she has way too much so she just balloons up and can't stop it. Plus she's chasing after an active toddler. And, she misses you…she's worried about you all the time. It's taking a toll on her."

"What's wrong with the baby's amniotic fluid?" Elliot asked nervously. "Did she tell me?" he looked embarrassed, "Sometimes I forget the things she tells me."

Fin shook his head, "I don't think she told you. She's been afraid of worrying you or making you upset." He looked serious, "Elliot…do you remember that the baby…well she isn't completely healthy…I mean she is healthy, but she's…"

"She has Down syndrome," Elliot interrupted him. "Of course I remember that."

"Olivia thought that maybe you'd forgotten," Fin said softly.

"Then why didn't she say something," Elliot asked. "She could've asked if I remembered."

"She thought if you'd forgotten, it would be like getting the news all over again and she couldn't face that," Fin admitted. "Down syndrome sometimes causes excessive amniotic fluid…the baby might not be processing the fluid through her kidneys or she might not be swallowing it the way she should. The doctor says she looks fine, but Olivia is so uncomfortable and she could go into labor early. She was afraid you'd get upset if she told you."

"She's always afraid of me," Elliot said sadly. "Sometimes I just lose it…I don't even know why. Half the time I don't even remember it later…but I know I've said things to her…I've yelled at her and I know she doesn't deserve that. It's like I become this other person and my mind doesn't realize I'm out of control. The doctor has been working with me on controlling my emotions better and I think I'm getting better at it…" He looked at Fin, the shame apparent on his face, "I hurt her though…at the hospital…I don't remember how it happened but she had bruises on her arm and I know I pushed her down."

"You what?" Fin stood up angrily. "You pushed her? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't know!" Elliot yelled. "I'd never hurt her on purpose. The doctor says it's a common occurrence after a head injury…and I haven't done it in weeks…"

"You did it more than once?" Fin asked, his blood boiling.

"I only pushed her once," Elliot insisted. "But apparently I tried to hit her a few times…I don't even remember it…"

"You don't know how much I want to punch you in the face right now," Fin paced back in forth trying to control is anger.

"You think I don't want to kill myself for the way I've treated her?" Elliot sputtered. "I love her…she's carrying my child," he let his tears fall, embarrassed that he couldn't control his emotions in front of Fin, "I can't believe I hurt her. I can't believe I've made her afraid of me."

"I know this isn't something you can control," Fin tried to keep his emotions in check. "Liv knows that too." He sat back down, looking Elliot in the eye, "You said it hasn't happened in a while…so you're getting better?"

Elliot nodded sadly, "I swear…I've been doing everything I can. She's never gonna feel safe with me though…not now. And she's worried about me with the kids…I know it." He shook his head in defeat, "I guess I didn't notice how bad she was feeling because all I could focus on was how she was treating me differently. God…I'm an asshole."

"I won't argue with you there," Fin smirked. "But I do know you love her. You want what's best for her and for the kids…and she knows it too. It'll get better."

"I swear, next time she's here, I'm going to tell her how much I love her and how sorry I am," Elliot insisted. "I'm going to tell her to take it easy and rest…"

"Well," Fin said seriously. "That's kind of the reason I'm here. Elliot…Nick and I have been staying with her. We were worried she was doing too much…"

"I appreciate you doing that," Elliot said gratefully. "She needs friends…"

"This morning, she wasn't feeling well…she had an awful headache and she felt sick," Fin told him. "I made her go to the doctor. She argued…but I took her myself."

"Is she okay?" Elliot asked nervously.

Fin nodded, "She's okay…but the doctor put her on bed rest. He told her a while ago that it was going to happen, but she'd convinced herself she could keep up with everything. She can't. He said if she didn't commit to staying in bed, that she'd probably go into labor and deliver the baby early…and it wouldn't be good to let that happen."

"So she's home in bed?" Elliot asked. "Who's taking care of her?"

"Maureen is there now," Fin answered. "And Nick, Amanda, and I are going to take turns. You don't need to worry…but I wanted you to know…she can't come up here anymore…so if you need anything…"

Elliot nodded, "I'll be fine. I'm going to work even harder to get home now. She shouldn't have to go through this without me. How's Noah? I know this is going to be hard on him too."

"He'll be fine," Fin promised. "It's Liv I'm worried about. She's so miserable and you know how stubborn she is too. Keeping her in that bed is going to be a fight…and she keeps saying she misses you. She wanted to come up here before I took her home, so she could see you. I wouldn't let her and so she made me come up here instead. She insisted you needed someone to come see you every day."

"Oh God," Elliot sighed, "She's worrying about me?" he shook his head, "Would you please tell her I'm fine? Tell her I'm coming home…before the baby gets here…" he looked at Fin and smiled, "And tell her I remember…it's June. I've been practicing it…I know the baby is coming in June."

Fin smiled and nodded, "I'll tell her," he stood up, hoping Elliot was right and the baby would wait until June to make her entrance into the world. "I'm gonna head back…Maureen wants to come see you before she heads home and I'm gonna stay with Olivia. You promise me you'll keep working on getting better."

"I will," Elliot promised. "Tell Liv I love her, okay? And give Noah a kiss for me," he pleaded.

Fin smiled, "I can do that. You take care."

Elliot nodded, "Tell her I'll call her tonight, okay? I want to check on her."

"I know she'll be glad to hear your voice," Fin said softly. "I think maybe it's what she needs most right now…you…telling her to take it easy and that you love her."