Thanks again to everyone who has taken time to review. It means a lot to me. I know the story has been going on forever, and I think some people have stopped reading it either due to the storyline or the length, but I appreciate that so many have stuck with it. To those who said they'd like another 100 chapters...be careful what you wish for. ;) I doubt it'll end up that long, but I guess you never know. Obviously I have a lot to say through my writing. Anyway...thanks and here is some more.

"You sure you'll be alright alone tonight?" Nick asked. Elliot had been home for three days and the squad was still taking turns staying with them. He was using his wheelchair most of the time, but he could walk short distances if he needed to. Yet with Olivia stuck on bed rest, he didn't have anyone to watch out for him in case he fell or needed help, and so she had asked Fin, Nick, and Amanda to keep watch over him. While she had fought their help tooth and nail for herself, she insisted Elliot accept it and it hadn't gone over well with him. He was determined to take care of his family on his own and he was ready for everyone to just leave them alone.

"We'll be fine," Olivia answered, unsure whether her answer rang true. She knew she'd be fine. She figured Elliot would be okay too. It was Noah she was worried about. He was an active toddler and he demanded full attention. She wasn't sure how well they could meet his needs while she was stuck in bed and Elliot was learning to maneuver the apartment in his wheelchair. Plus she couldn't shake the feeling that although Elliot was doing much better, he still wasn't his old self and maybe it wasn't safe to entrust Noah's wellbeing to him just yet. Still she was there to keep an eye on things, even if she was supposed to stay in bed, and Elliot needed the opportunity to be normal, to prove he was capable again, and she knew they'd have to face their new reality eventually. It might as well be now. "Nick…thanks so much…for everything."

He nodded, "You know I'd do anything for you. You call me if you need me…I'll be here."

"I know," Olivia sighed. "We're gonna be fine though. It might be a long night, but we can do this. El and I…we need to do this by ourselves. Get our lives back."

Nick nodded, walking out the door and stopping to tell Elliot good-bye before leaving the apartment. Then Elliot made his way down the hall, Noah perched on his lap, and wheeled his chair into the bedroom. "Finally…" he smiled and maneuvered his chair over to the bed, letting Noah climb off his lap and onto the bed next to his mother. "Just us…"

"Yeah," Olivia smiled, "It's been so long…it hasn't been just us in a while."

"I know you asked your friends to stay here," Elliot said. "But Liv, I swear, I can do this. We'll be fine."

"Maureen and Kate are coming tomorrow," Olivia told him. "They're gonna be here most of the day. As long as we can manage throughout the evenings, everything will be okay."

He slowly raised himself from the wheelchair, steadying himself on his feet and then climbed into bed next to her and Noah. He took the TV remote, turning on the television and clicking through the channels until he found a silly cartoon that would hold Noah's interest for a while. The little boy giggled and stared at the screen. "There…that should keep him busy for now," Elliot laughed.

"El," Olivia's voice was unsure. "I don't like him watching TV."

"Liv…all of my kids watched TV and they are perfectly fine," Elliot insisted.

"But there are a lot of studies that show stunted brain development when kids under two watch television," Olivia argued. "There've also been links to ADHD and autism…"

"You read way too many parenting articles," He teased. "It's not like we're gonna sit him in front of the TV twenty-four hours a day until he goes to kindergarten. He can watch cartoons for a half hour, okay?" She nodded reluctantly, but she was suddenly very worried that caring for Noah was going to be too much for Elliot. He reached over, resting his hand on her stomach, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Olivia forced a smile. "Tired…"

"You wanna take a nap?" Elliot asked. "I can take Noah back to the living room."

"No," Olivia said a little too anxiously.

Elliot's eyes widened, "So…you want to keep an eye on us?" he asked, the irritation apparent in his voice. "Since your friends left, you figure you'll have to monitor things from bed, right?"

"No…Elliot…it's not like that," Olivia insisted. "I just don't want you overdoing things, and I want to spend time with you and Noah. I've missed having family time."

His face softened some, "Okay…" he wasn't sure she was being honest, but he was working on not getting angry about things. "So…what should we do tonight to enjoy our family time?" he asked, rubbing his hand carefully over her stomach.

"Noah needs dinner," Olivia reminded him.

"So do you…" Elliot smiled.

Olivia shook her head, "I don't feel hungry."

"Liv…you have to eat," he insisted.

"Food makes me sick," she cringed, immediately remembering their frequent arguments over her morning sickness early in the pregnancy. She didn't want him to get upset now, so she gave in, "I'll eat a little bit of something, okay? And then I'll drink a nutrition shake. The doctor says those are easier on my stomach with the extra pressure."

"Okay," he leaned over, kissing her softly on the cheek. "I'll make something easy."

He stood from the bed slowly but steadily and sat back in the chair, reaching out for Noah, "Come on buddy…let's let Mommy rest until dinner." Noah climbed onto his lap, giggling as the rolled toward the door. "He likes going for rides in the chair," Elliot laughed and Olivia smiled at the two of them.

A while later she opened her eyes. She hadn't realized she was asleep until she was startled awake and it took a few seconds for her to realize what was happening. The smoke alarm was beeping, and she could smell something burning in the distance. She jumped from the bed, as quickly as she could considering her physical state, and rushed into the living room, "Elliot…" she yelled, noticing the smoke wafting in from the kitchen. "Noah…" she screamed for them as she made her way into the kitchen. "Oh my God…" she gasped, seeing the flames rising from the stove. Noah was in his highchair, crying from the combination of smoke and noise, and Elliot was on the floor and she couldn't tell from his expression if he was hurt or scared. She quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher from under the sink and put out the fire, relieved that it seemed contained to the pan on the stove. Luckily there was more smoke than fire. Then she knelt down as far as she could, "El…are you okay?" she asked, but he didn't answer her and Noah was still screaming. "I'll be right back," she promised, picking up her son and taking him into the living room away from the smoke and sitting him in the playpen. He was still crying, so she switched on the TV, putting it on the same cartoon he had been engrossed in before and he calmed down some. She opened some windows and rushed back to Elliot on the kitchen floor.

The smoke alarm continued to beep and even though the flames were out the smoke was still heavy in the air. She hoped the open windows would pull some of it out of the room and silence the alarm. She switched on the ceiling fan hoping it would help too. "El…come on. Let me help you up," she said gently.

He looked at her and shook his head, "I'm so sorry. I don't know how this happened."

"It was an accident," she sighed. "It's okay now."

Elliot shook his head, "I was just making some spaghettios for Noah…but I couldn't reach the stove in my chair so I stood up, and I lost my balance…I fell and I think I dropped the pot holder on the burner…I'm not even sure what happened, but there were flames and Noah was screaming…"

"It's okay…the fire's out." Olivia reminded him, relieved when the smoke alarm finally stopped beeping. "Let me help you up."

"No…" he argued. "You can't lift me up. You're not even supposed to be out of bed"

"Well you can't stay on the kitchen floor all night," she sighed, frustrated by the whole situation and trying not to show it. "Just take my hand and try to stand." Elliot reluctantly agreed and she was able to pull him up off the floor and guide him back to his chair. He was physically and emotionally drained, resting his head in his hands. "El…are you alright?'" she asked nervously.

"My head hurts," he admitted. "From the beeping and the flashing of the smoke alarm. I feel kind of dizzy…but I'm fine."

"Let's get you to bed," she suggested, wheeling the chair out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. She helped him strip down to his boxers and t-shirt and climb into bed. Then she walked back to the living room, grabbing Noah and feeding him cold cereal for dinner, not wanting to mess with the kitchen for the time being. By the time she tucked him into bed, all she wanted to do was sit in the rocking chair and watch him sleep. She knew she should be in bed, but she didn't want to leave her little boy yet. She couldn't get the picture of him sitting amid the smoke, flames just a few feet from him, out of her mind. She knew Elliot was trying…that he needed her to believe in him…but he wasn't ready to take on so much responsibility again and she should have known that. The fact that he'd practically burned down their kitchen was bad enough, but seeing him lying on the floor, writhing in pain and unable to help himself or Noah to safety was proof he couldn't be trusted, even though it wasn't his fault. He still needed someone to take care of him, and she didn't know how to confront him about it without hurting his pride, but she had to say something. They couldn't go on like this.

Just thinking about the situation left her feeling more anxious and afraid that she had all day. She exhaled sharply, feeling a slight twinge…probably the onset of the Braxton Hicks contractions she'd been having the past several days, and ran her hand over her stomach, "Stay put little girl," she pleaded, "Mommy's sorry for not staying in bed…but you can't come tonight," she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, "Not tonight…"