The storms are over...and I managed to complete the next chapter. So Happy Labor Day...let's celebrate with this labor scene. :) Thanks so much for the amazing reviews. There are 2 chapters left to be posted. Very soon...I promise.

"Daddy…" he could hear her voice, but he couldn't open his eyes to see her. "Daddy…look at me," she pleaded and suddenly there she was, staring down at him. He didn't remember opening his eyes, but he must have, because he could see her plain as day smiling at him.

"Kathleen?" he asked, confused by her presence at first but then realization hit and he knew he wasn't in the present anymore. "Am I…did I…did I die?" he asked, trying to get the words out and struggling.

"No…" she smiled gently. "You're going to be okay. You need to wake up. The baby's coming…"

"The baby…" he remembered Olivia, huddled in pain on the floor, and he'd sat next to her, trying to help, but then everything had gone dark. "Kathleen…I'm so sorry…" He tried to reach out to her, but even though she was right there in front of him, she was just beyond his grasp.

"Don't be sorry, Daddy," she whispered. "I'm okay, but the baby needs you. Wake up…be there for her…"

"I married Olivia," he said. "We're having a baby…"

"I know," Kathleen smiled. "That's why you need to wake up now. They need you…"

"You're not mad?" he asked.

"Why would I be mad?" she asked. "I want you to be happy. That's why I sent the baby to you…she's a little peace offering. She's a very special little girl. You're going to love her, so much…and she's going to love you."

"I love you," he cried. "I didn't want you to leave me."

"I know that," she nodded. "But it wasn't your fault. I didn't die because of you. It was an accident. I took too many pills, trying to end my pain, but I'm okay now. And it's time for you to be okay too. This baby…she's so beautiful. She looks like Olivia, but there's just something about her that when you look at her, you know she's a Stabler." She smiled. "You'll see what I mean…but you have to wake up…"

"I miss you…" his voice quivered.

"I'm still here," Kathleen promised. "Always. You might not see me, but I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere. I have to keep an eye on my baby sister…"

"I want to stay with you," he tried to reach for her again, but she felt even farther away.

"Go be with Olivia and the baby…wait til you hear her name…Olivia named her," Kathleen's voice drifted off.

"What?" Elliot asked. "What did she name her?"

"Go find out…" her voice trailed off and he realized he couldn't see her anymore. "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too, baby," he struggled to find her, and couldn't. "What's her name?" he asked again.

"Elliot…" the nurse stood over him as he opened his eyes and stared at her. "Elliot…you're awake." The nurse smiled. "You gave us quite a scare. Do you remember what happened?"

He was groggy and his voice was weak, "My wife was in labor…where is she? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," the nurse nodded. "She's upstairs. They've been updating us in case you woke up. She's still in labor. The baby's not here yet."

"I want to see her," he sat up, feeling dizzy but refusing to lay back down. "She needs me…"

"Hold on there," the nurse smiled. "Let's get the doctor in here to check you out first. You had a seizure…that's not something to take lightly. If he says it's okay, then someone can take you to your wife."

"I need to be there when she has the baby," he insisted. "She can't do it alone. I promised her I'd be there."

"She's not alone," the nurse told him. "Your whole family is here and they've been in and out. Now that she's in pretty heavy labor, there's a friend in there and he's helping her. She'll be okay." She patted his shoulder, "Let me go get the doctor."

It felt like hours before the doctor appeared at his bedside, but Elliot knew it hadn't been that long. "How are you feeling?" he asked, pulling out his stethoscope and listening to his heart. "Your heart is racing."

"Because I'm nervous," Elliot insisted. "I don't want to miss my daughter's birth. I want to be with my wife…please…"

The doctor shined a small light in his eyes, "How's your headache?" he asked. "When the paramedics arrived your wife told them you blacked out during a stress headache."

"It barely hurts now," he said, realizing his head still ached, but not seriously.

"A seizure is serious," the doctor told him. "We're going to have to run some more tests. See if there is something we can do to prevent this from happening again."

"Do whatever you want to me," Elliot conceded. "After I see my wife and daughter. Please…I need to be there for them."

"Son of a bitch!" Olivia screamed as she clutched Fin's hand, digging her fingernails into his skin. She felt like she was being ripped in half and nothing was working to relieve her pain. He took a cool cloth and blotted her forehead with it, but she quickly smacked his hand away, "Leave me the fuck alone!" she screamed, crying out as the pain engulfed her body once more.

"Hang in there Liv," Fin tried to stay calm for her. "You're doing great…try to breathe…"

"I can't breathe…" she sputtered. "What the hell is wrong with you? I'm dying…"

"You're not dying," he promised her.

"Fuck you!" she yelled again, but then she grabbed him once more, pulling him closer to her, "I'm sorry…" she cried. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay," he wiped her forehead again, brushing her sweaty hair away from her face. "You're doing great, Liv. It won't be much longer."

"I want to push," she cried. "Please…" she pleaded as if he could give her permission.

"The doctor doesn't want you to push yet," he reminded her, knowing it wouldn't sit well with her.

"She doesn't know a damn thing," Olivia groaned. "I'm going to push…and you can't stop me!"

"Let me go get the doctor," the nurse said gently, leaving them alone in the room.

"Liv, just hold on…breathe through the contractions until the doctor gets here," he tried to keep calm, but she was worrying him.

"Shut up!" she cried. "Just shut the hell up!"

"Think about Ella," he said, knowing that was the only thing that seemed to calm her. "Little Ella needs you to calm down, Liv. Just breathe…for Ella…"

She closed her eyes, crying as she tried to breathe through the contraction, "I want Elliot…" she moaned, twisting her body on the bed with one last failed attempt to find comfort. "I want him..."

"I know," Fin said gently. "I know you do…"

The doctor walked in, followed by the nurse, "I hear you're being difficult in here," she teased and Olivia glared at her. "Let's check things out," she said gently as she sat at the foot of the bed and examined her patient. "Looks like we're ready to have a baby," she said with a smile.

"I'm ready to have a baby," Olivia sputtered. "Not we…me!"

"Okay…you're ready to have a baby," the doctor said gently. "I want you to push with the next contraction…as hard as you can…"

Olivia clutched Fin's hand as tightly as she could, and pushed with all the energy and strength she had. "Mother Fu…"

"Hey, hey," Fin interrupted her. "Watch your mouth. You don't want that to be the first thing Ella hears when she comes into the world."

"I can't do this…" Olivia cried, leaning back on the pillow and closing her eyes.

"Sure you can," Fin assured her. "You're her mama…she's counting on you…"

"Come on Olivia," the doctor said. "Push…"

"You're doing great," Fin said as she dug her nails into his skin once more. He was pretty sure she'd tuned him out, but he tried to be encouraging anyway, "Good girl, Liv…you're gonna get her here soon…"

The door opened as Olivia fell back on the bed, and a nurse wheeled Elliot to her side in a wheelchair. "El…" her voice quivered. "You're okay?"

"I'm okay," he promised her. "Are you okay?" he had never seen her so weak and pale. He looked at Fin, "Is she okay?" he asked.

"She's fine," Fin told him as Olivia clutched his hand and cried in agony as she pushed once more. "I might have some broken bones in my hand though," he said teasingly.

"I can see her head," the doctor said. "She's ready…push really hard this time."

"I am pushing hard," Olivia grunted through clenched teeth. Then she fell back and cried, "I can't do this anymore. I can't…"

"You can do this, Liv," Elliot grabbed her hand. "You can…you're strong…you can do this…she's ready to meet her mommy…" She nodded, and her whole body shook as she lowered her chin to her chest, and pushed as hard as she could.

"Her head's out," the doctor said quickly. "Stop pushing and just breathe," she cleared the baby's nose and mouth and turned her trying to free her shoulders. Then Olivia could feel her daughter slide from her body and her tiny, shrill cry filled the room.

"I want to see her," Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat and gasped for breath. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," the doctor smiled and looked at Elliot, "Do you want to cut the cord?" she asked.

"I don't want to hurt her," his voice quivered. "My hands are shaky."

"I'll help you," the doctor offered and Elliot wheeled himself down to the end of the bed, staring at his tiny daughter, still attached to her mother and his eyes filled with tears.

"She's so pretty…" he whispered, and the doctor helped him cut the cord and then held the baby up so Olivia could see her better.

"She's so little," Olivia cried. "Is she okay? Is she too small?"

The doctor put the baby on her mother's chest, "She's perfect," she smiled. "We'll give you a little time, and then we'll clean her up and weigh her, check her out. But she looks good. Thirty-six weeks isn't bad…we'll need to run some tests because of the Downs, but she may not even need any NICU time. She's crying...she has good color...I think she'll be fine."

The baby's tiny cries continued and Olivia held her close, "You're okay baby…" she kissed her wet head and stroked her soft cheek, "You're alright, Ella…Mommy's got you…"

"Ella?" Elliot asked, staring at his wife and daughter.

"I named her Ella," Olivia said softly. "Is that okay? She needed a name…and I was so scared of losing both of you…I just…" she started to cry and Elliot brushed her tears away.

"I like it," he smiled. "It's perfect…"

"She's beautiful, Liv," Fin smiled. "I'm gonna go tell everyone she's here. I'm sure they're all wondering…"

"Thanks," Olivia sighed, "For everything, Fin…really…I'm sorry for some of the things I said…"

"No problem," he laughed.

"What did you say to him?" Elliot asked as Fin walked out the door.

"Things I can't repeat in front of our daughter," she sighed. "El…I was so scared you weren't going to make it."

"I know honey," he reached out and rubbed his finger along his daughter's small arm. "But I wasn't going to miss this…not for anything." He smiled, "She looks like you."

"She has your blue eyes," Olivia smiled, looking down as the baby stopped crying and let out a sound that mimicked tiny hiccups. "She's a Stabler for sure."

"Kathleen told me she would look like you, but have something about her that would let everyone know she was a Stabler," he smiled. "I guess she was right."

"Kathleen told you?" Olivia asked. "Elliot…"

"It was a dream, I guess…" he said, although in his heart he knew it wasn't. "When I was unconscious…I saw Kathleen and she said she sent us this baby as a peace offering and that I needed to wake up so I could help you…"

"Maybe it wasn't a dream," Olivia offered. "Maybe it happened."

"Maybe," he smiled as he stroked the baby's cheek and she quivered at his touch, "Ella…" he whispered. "Our little Ella…if your big sister Kathleen really did send you to us, I'll be grateful to her for the rest of my life…"

"I need to take her," the nurse said, knowing they wouldn't want to let her go. "Just for a little while." She put a hospital band on the baby's ankle and double checked that it matched with Olivia's wrist band, "Do you have a name for her birth certificate or do you need more time?"

"Her name's Ella," Olivia said, as she reluctantly handed her daughter to the nurse. "Ella Kathleen Benson-Stabler, after her daddy and her big sister in heaven, her guardian angel," she looked at Elliot who nodded in agreement.

"I love you," he leaned forward, kissing his wife on the lips. "I know you didn't plan to spend our wedding night like this…but it was definitely a day we'll never forget."

"Get all our big life events out of the way in one swoop," Olivia laughed. "Isn't that what Judge Linden said?

"I think so," he squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you're my wife, Liv. It's what I've always wanted."

"Me too," she sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm so tired…"

"Go to sleep," Elliot kissed her cheek. "You've earned it."

"I want to wait…for them to bring Ella back," Olivia sighed, struggling to stay awake.

"Go to sleep, Liv," he stroked her hair and whispered, "When you wake up, she'll be back…" but before he could finish he could hear her softly snoring. He smiled, "I love you…so much…" he whispered. "Thank you."