Here is a little more since I've been bad about updating this week. I hope the next few chapters will be more entertaining for the few people who have expressed their boredom with the story lately. Thanks again for the reviews.
"What are you wearing tomorrow?" Elizabeth asked, perched on the side of Olivia's bed. She and her brother had driven back from college, getting permission to miss a few classes so they could watch their father get married and adopt their new little brother, and they'd just arrived. Elizabeth was eager to see her future step-mother and was taken aback by how tired and weak she looked. So she wanted to make the conversation as light and cheerful as possible. "Did you get a dress?"
Olivia nodded, "Yeah…I bought it at a maternity store online. None of my other maternity clothes really fit anymore, so I had to get a new one. It's just a big tent…"
Elizabeth laughed, "I doubt it's that bad."
"You'd be surprised how limited the choices are for a blushing forty-six year old bride who is eight months pregnant," Olivia snickered. "Sometimes I wonder why we're even doing this?"
"Because," Elizabeth's eyes widened. "You and Dad belong together. You're not getting cold feet are you?"
Olivia smiled, "No…I'm just feeling like hell." She reached out her hand, "Do you think you could help me up? I can't lay down anymore. It's killing me."
"Dad said you're not supposed to get out of bed," Elizabeth reminded her. "He said it took some convincing to get the doctor to let you go to the courthouse tomorrow."
"Lizzie…I need to get up," Olivia insisted. "I need to move." Her voice sounded panicked and Elizabeth was scared enough to take her hand and pull her up. Olivia walked slowly across the room, her breathing unsteady and her face scrunched in pain.
"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked nervously. "Should I get Dad?"
"I'm fine…" Olivia insisted. "I just need to walk. My back is killing me." She paced slowly back and forth across the floor while Elizabeth looked on in fear. Olivia noticed the concern on her future step-daughter's face and stopped in front of the closet, pulling out her new dress and holding it up. "See…" she said, trying to ease her worry. "It's a tent…plain and simple."
Elizabeth smiled, looking at the purple dress with sequined beading around the neckline and slight cinching under the bosom. It wasn't as bad as Olivia made it out to be, but it wasn't the dramatic sort of gown most brides would long to wear on their special day either. "It's purple…" she said, trying to find the right words to say. "I like the sparkles on the neckline."
Olivia nodded, "You should see it on. I look like the girl in Willy Wonka who turns into a giant blueberry. It's lovely…"
Elizabeth laughed, "Why didn't you get a real wedding dress? A white one?"
"A white dress…" Olivia laughed. "I think we're way past that, don't you?" She hung her dress back in the closet and paced across the floor again, trying to steady her breathing.
"Olivia…is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked again. "Do I need to get Dad? Is the baby coming?"
Olivia shook her head, "No honey…I'm okay. I promise. I just feel so heavy…all of the sudden…there's this weight on me. I can't explain it, but I just hurt and I need to move around. I'll be okay." She lowered herself back on the bed, letting Elizabeth help her, "I've been sure this little girl wasn't going to hold out through our wedding, but we're getting down to the wire, so hopefully she will." She smiled, "And tomorrow Noah is officially a Stabler…"
"And I get a new step-mom," Elizabeth said.
"Are you okay with that?" Olivia asked seriously. "I mean…I know it has to be hard…so many changes. I know I'm not your mom, but I do love you…so much. I hope you know that."
"I do," Elizabeth smiled. "And I love you too. When Mom and Dad split up…I was angry with him because I felt like he kind of pushed us all away…and Dickie hated him. I wasn't sure they'd ever be able to sit in the same room and talk civilly. But all that's changed now…Dad's changed…and so have we." She laughed, "I never thought I'd see my brother so excited about a new baby. Olivia…he is so excited."
Olivia smiled, "I'm glad…I really am. I want all of us to be happy."
That night, Maureen, Elizabeth, and little Kate piled into Olivia's bed while Richard, Eli, Elliot, and Noah camped out in the living room. "You want some popcorn?" Maureen held the bowl out to Olivia as she started the movie they were planning to watch.
"No thanks," Olivia sighed, looking at the Stabler women who had invaded her bedroom, "Why are we doing this again?" she asked.
"You're getting married tomorrow," Elizabeth answered, crunching down on a piece of popcorn. "You and Dad can't stay together tonight…tradition you know. So this is kind of like your bachelorette party," she laughed.
Olivia smiled at Elizabeth's innocence. She loved this girl and her need to provide them all with a traditional wedding experience in spite of the circumstances. "Is it bad manners for someone to sleep through her own bachelorette party?" She asked with a yawn. "I'm not feeling up to partying…even if it's just movies and popcorn."
"Do you want us to go?" Maureen asked. "You can get some sleep."
"You can stay," Olivia curled under the covers, "Your Dad and the boys are busy in the living room anyway. Watch your movie…but I'm gonna go to sleep if you don't mind. I'm exhausted…" her voice trailed off with another yawn and her eyelids were heavy enough that she finally gave into the desire to close them.
Maureen turned down the sound on the TV, and looked at Elizabeth, "I really hope she gets through the adoption hearing and the wedding before going into labor."
In the living room, Richard was serving pizza to Eli and Noah while Elliot looked at them. His sons…all three of them…together and happy. He couldn't help but think of the events that had led up to this moment and smile. He loved these boys…all of them. He was lucky.
"What are you thinking about?" Richard asked, sitting next to him and taking a bite of his pizza. "You have a dopey grin on your face." He laughed.
"I'm thinking about you," Elliot admitted. "How grown up you are…how proud I am of you." He watched as Richard wiped pizza sauce off of Noah's face. "You're a great big brother, Dickie…and a wonderful son. I want you to know that."
"Thanks," he said modestly. "So…you all ready for tomorrow?" he asked.
"I've been ready," Elliot admitted. "I want Noah to be officially part of the family, so Liv can relax a little and quit worrying that they'll take him. And I want to get married…we've waited years for this." He saw his son's face sadden and realized he had said too much, "I'm sorry, Dickie. I know…"
"It's okay," Richard forced a smile. "I know you never cheated on Mom…but I know you were in love with Olivia. I understand. I'm not a kid. Heck…even Mom understands. When I called and asked if I could pick up Eli tonight instead of getting him in the morning, she actually said she was happy for you. If she can forgive you, I sure as hell can."
"Dad…can we watch wrestling?" Eli asked eagerly as he grabbed the TV remote.
"Wrestling?" Elliot asked with a laugh. "Is that your new thing?"
"It's so cool," Eli giggled, turning on the TV and watching intently. Noah climbed up in Eli's lap and Eli pretended to throw him on the floor, tickling him until the little boy could barely breathe from laughing so hard.
"I'm gonna get both of you," Richard teased, grabbing both of the younger boys and tickling them mercilessly while they pretended to wrestle around on the floor.
"Oh geez…Liv's gonna love this…a house full of wrestlers," Elliot sighed, shaking his head with a chuckle.
Late that night, Elliot woke up on the couch and his legs ached. He wished the kids hadn't insisted on the traditional night apart, because he really missed the bed, but looking at the boys sprawled across the living room floor he had to smile. They'd had a fun night, and while Eli and Noah had tuckered out quickly and fallen asleep early, he'd been left with some free time to talk to Richard…something he wished they could do more often. So it was worth sleeping on the couch for that.
He pulled himself up, grabbing the walker and trying to ease the ache in his legs when he noticed the bathroom light was on. He walked slowly down the hall, and reached the bathroom door just as it opened and Olivia stood there in front of him. "Hey…I've missed you all night," he smiled. "How're you feeling?"
"Okay…" she said, but he couldn't help but notice she didn't look okay. "I missed you too…" she reached out and hugged him, her eyes full of tears.
"Honey…it's alright," he rubbed her back gently. "I'm here…are you sure you're okay?"
She nodded, embarrassed by her crying, "I just had a bad dream," she insisted. "I'm fine now."
"A dream?" he asked. "Or a flashback?" he knew she hadn't had many flashbacks lately, but as much as they both wished she could put those experiences behind her, they both knew the likelihood that those memories would make their presence known at the most inopportune times.
"It wasn't bad…" she insisted. "I just wanted you…and I forgot you weren't next to me. But I'm okay…" She put her hand to her back and cringed, "I don't feel good…"
His face dropped and he put his hand on the swell of her stomach, "Is it the baby? Do we need to go to the hospital?"
She shook her head, "I don't think so. It's not like last time. I just don't feel right."
"The doctor said if you felt off we should go in," he reminded her.
"I don't…I'm okay," she insisted again. "It was just that flashback…got me worked up…and my back hurts a lot. I just need to go back to sleep." She leaned forward, kissing him softly on the lips, "We have a big day tomorrow…we both need to get some rest."
"I can stay with you," he offered. "I can make the girls move into the living room."
"That would devastate Lizzie," Olivia forced a smile. "She is sure it is bad luck for us to see each other tonight. She'd probably freak out if she knew we were out here talking." She kissed him once more, "I'll be fine…I promise. You get some sleep too, okay?"
"Okay," he watched as she slowly made her way back to the bedroom and he couldn't help but worry. She looked so weak and her pain was apparent on her face no matter how much she tried to deny it. He hoped Elizabeth wasn't right about the bad luck. They couldn't handle any more.