Jay looked on helpless at Olivia's prone body, her mind numbed by the shouting of the gunman.

"Hands on your head!" he yelled again, waving his gun back and forth between Jay and the girl behind the sales desk.

Jay did as she was instructed, but she could see that the girl – who couldn't have been more than 21 at most – was overwhelmed with fear, and just stood there. She looked at her and caught her gaze. She nodded slightly gave her a small, encouraging smile. "Hands," she mouthed.

The girl suddenly seemed to wake up and followed her instruction.

The gunman grabbed the girl and moved her roughly out of the way. "Floor!" he instructed.

She looked at Jay once more, not moving until she received another slight nod from Jay. She scrambled onto the floor, shaking with fear.

Jay remained where she was, backed against the far wall, watching the gunman as he opened the cash register. He was around 20 feet away from her, so there was nothing she could do. She glanced at Olivia, both concerned and relieved that she didn't seem to be moving.

The gunman was young, Jay realized. Very young. She doubted he was more than 18. And he looked scared too. Scared, and desperate; a bad combination. If Olivia remained still, and the gunman found what he wanted, maybe, just maybe, this could yet all end well.

The gunman rifled desperately through the cash register. "Where's the rest of it?" he yelled. "There's less than $100 here!"

There was no answer, so he came out from behind the counter and kicked the girl in her side. Jay noted that the kick was not as vicious as it could have been, but nevertheless caused the girl to cry out in terror. The gunman leant down and put his gun to the back of her head. "Cash, bitch," he said, the wobble in his voice betraying his youth and own fear.

Jay knew the bodega owner well. Quietly, she spoke for the girl. "The owner comes in three or four times a day, to empty the cash register," she said, trying to remain unthreatening. "He must have just visited."

At that moment, blue lights started flashing, and the gunman looked horrified. "What have you done?" he screamed at the girl.

"No... nothing," the girl stuttered.

"It's not her," Jay spoke again, trying to keep her voice even. "Look up," with her chin she gestured to the camera that was blinking a small, red light. "Mr Ortega has a direct link to his apartment. He must have called the cops. It was nothing to do with her."

At that moment, Olivia moaned, and rolled painfully onto her back. For the first time, her pregnancy became all too obvious.

The gunman blanched. "She's pregnant? What the fuck? Hey, I never knew she was pregnant."

"It's okay," Jay said softly. "She's going to be okay," she tried not to look into Olivia's eyes as she came to. She was an experienced police officer; she would know the best way to behave. "We can stop this now, before things get bad. See," she nodded to Olivia, who was half sitting by now, "she's alright. She's fine. The baby's fine."

"Lock the door!" the gunman shouted. "You!" he waved his gun at Jay.

"I think maybe...," Jay tried to reason with him.

The gunman returned his gun to the back of the head of the young girl. "Do it, or I shoot her."

Jay nodded. Efficiently, she slid the top bolt on the door into place.

"Bottom one," the gunman instructed.

Jay acceded to his request.

Olivia couldn't remember when she had been in such pain. Her skull was splitting, and she was fighting to keep the nausea under control. Her mind was foggy, but she quickly ascertained the important facts. She could see that Jay was doing all the right things to keep the gunman calm.

He swung round and pointed his gun at Olivia. "Stay on the floor."

Olivia nodded, regretting it as shards of pain seared through her skull. Involuntarily, she clutched her head and tried to stifle a moan. She pulled back one hand and saw that it was covered in blood; she realized that the back of her neck was soaked.

The gunman looked shocked, but kept his gun trained on Olivia. "S'okay," Olivia said weakly. "M'okay."

The gunman walked backward toward the counter, his gun still trained on Olivia. He had seen a first aid kit by the cash register. He grabbed it and threw it along the floor so that it landed by Jay's feet. "Fix her up," he instructed.

"You are surrounded," a male voice boomed through a loudspeaker from outside. "Put your gun down and come out with your hands on your head. You will not be harmed."

Jay knelt carefully beside Olivia. The wound was nasty but could have been much worse, she realized. She placed a gauze pad against it and held Olivia's hand to it as she wrapped a tight bandage around it.

It was then that Jay noticed something; her knees were wet. She then saw the look of panic flash through Olivia's eyes. Olivia groaned and leant forward marginally.

The gunman strode over to the sales girl and pulled her off the floor, pushing her into a chair near the door. "Bandage!" he shouted at Jay. Jay rolled one over to him, and he bound the girl tightly to the chair. He dragged the chair to the door, one arm tightly around the girl. He opened the door fractionally, his gun against the girl's head. "You try anything, she's dead!" he bellowed, and shut the door again.

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"What in the hell is that?" Alex went pale as she looked out of the window. Three police cars screeched past, their lights flashing, though the sirens remained silent. And then she just knew. Something was going down at the bodega.

Before anyone knew what was happening, Alex was running out of the door.

Sarah paled. If there was trouble, it wasn't just Olivia. Jay was with her. Jay had lied to Olivia and pretended she needed to get milk, just so that Olivia wouldn't be on her own walking two blocks to the bodega. Sarah ran after Alex, trusting the others to watch the kids.

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Olivia was trying to communicate silently with Jay. She nodded downward and Jay saw that her dark maternity pants were damp. "Waters?" Jay mouthed.

Olivia nodded slightly.

"My friend doesn't feel so good," Jay said quietly. She could feel Olivia shaking with pain and shock. She also wanted to conceal Olivia's predicament as long as possible, fearing that it might make his behavior even more erratic. She saw a stack of rugs on one shelf, next to the barbecue equipment. "Can I maybe get her a couple of rugs?"

The gunman nodded. "Don't do anything stupid," he held his gun to the girl's head.

Jay nodded. She collected a stack of rugs, and draped one around Olivia's shoulders, casually placing one of her legs too. This wouldn't work for long, she knew.

Olivia bit back a cry as her abdomen contracted sharply. This could not be happening. She caught Jay's hand and pulled it under the blanket, placing it over her belly. She was in labor now, she knew that. She needed Jay to know what was happening.

Jay tried to keep her expression neutral as she felt the muscles contracting under her hand. After almost a minute, she could feel them softening again.

The gunman looked around the store. There must be a back exit. "How much money you got?" he demanded of Jay.

"About eighty, I think," Jay said. "My wallet's in my pocket. I'll just …," she dipped two fingers carefully inside her leather jacket, slowly pulling out the wallet. She placed it on the floor. "I'm just gonna slide it across," she said, calmly.

"What about her?"

Olivia was having trouble focusing; her head was splitting. She could tell that she was expected to say something, but she was concentrating too hard on not vomiting.

"Let me check her pockets," Jay said. She felt in one coat pocket and came up empty. She was relieved to find Olivia's wallet and keys in the other. "I'll slide it across."

The gunman eagerly snatched up the wallet. Nearly $200. That would do. Now he just needed to get out of there. He eyed the back exit. He turned to Jay. "I didn't wanna do this," he said, his voice unexpectedly soft. "I'm sorry," he said. For a brief second, Jay could see directly into his eyes. He was a scared kid.

"Don't go that way," Olivia bit out.

The gunman stared at her.

"I'm a police officer," she said. "They'll have all the exits covered. You go out that way, they'll shoot you."

She cried out in pain then, unable to hide the massive contraction that seemed to come out of nowhere.

The gunman just stood there. He was a naturally pale kid, but all blood seemed to drain from his face.

Once the contraction passed, Olivia slumped in Jay's arms.

Jay couldn't believe what was happening. Olivia had just put herself at increased risk to save the life of the gunman.

"Anyway, kid," Olivia said, her voice shaking. "We both know that's a replica," she nodded to the gun.

Just over a month ago, the city had been flooded with a consignment of replica guns. These were effective in fooling the general public, but most police officers could recognize one from a distance. And Olivia had been in the force too long not to know a fake gun when she saw one.

"I gotta knife too," he lied, pretending to grasp it in his jacket pocket.

"What's your name?" Jay asked him in a gentle tone.

He looked defeated. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm gonna call you John," Jay said.

"S'not my name," he said, defiantly. "Name's Rick."

"Okay, Rick. Look, nothing has been done that can't be undone," Jay felt Olivia's fingers tighten around hers. She held Olivia as she cried out loudly, gasping in pain. "She'll be okay," she told him. "But we need to get her to the hospital, or this baby's gonna be born here."

The contraction lasted for nearly two minutes, and Olivia collapsed panting once it was over.

"So what's this all about?" Jay tried to keep communicating with him. His gun may be useless, but he could still inflict significant damage on them if he turned violent. She looked at him. "I'm guessing this is your first time. How old are you?"

Rick nodded. "I'm fifteen," he said. "I ain't never... before. But my old man, he got out. We didn't know he was getting out. And he stole my Mom's cash. She had it hidden, but he found it. And my sisters... they're hungry. I couldn't watch that no longer."

Olivia moaned once more, sweat pouring from her. Jay held a hand to her belly again. She'd never been at a baby's birth before, but she could tell from the look of panic on Olivia's face that this baby was coming soon.

"We'll tell them, Rick. Let me phone them. My phone's in my jacket," even as she spoke, the phone started to ring. She looked at the screen, seeing Alex's name.

"It's her wife," she nodded to Olivia. "I'm going to speak to her."

Rick slumped to the floor, defeated. He placed the useless gun on the floor next to him.

"We're both fine," Jay said calmly into the phone, knowing that Alex would be outside with all the onlookers. "But you should call a bus. Your baby's about to be born."

Olivia cried out again.

"Find whoever's in charge, and tell them we're coming out," Jay instructed Alex, ignoring her questions and taking control of the situation. "It's all been a big misunderstanding. Right, Rick?"

Rick nodded.

"We'll be out in five minutes. Unarmed," Jay told Alex. "Tell them not to shoot."

Alex propped Olivia up against the wall. Keeping her movements steady, she walked toward the girl still tied into the chair. "I'm just gonna untie her," she said. Once she was free, Jay helped the frightened girl to her feet; she guided her down to Olivia's side. "Hold her hand, taking care of her," she instructed.

The girl did as she was told, just in time as another contraction hit.

Jay calmly picked up the replica gun from the floor. She let it dangle unthreateningly from one finger. "Give me your address," she said to Rick. She grabbed a pen off the counter. "I'll write it on my hand."

"What the hell?"

"You said your sisters are hungry. I'm gonna take them some dinner, and a few groceries. Once we get out of here."

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Alex clung to Sarah's hand. They had both run out without their coats, and neither of them had noticed as FDNY jackets were draped across their shoulders. The snow had started to come down again, but all Alex could focus on was Olivia, and their son.

Sarah looked up and saw the door open a fraction. And then she heard the voice that she loved most in the world. "We're coming out," Jay said. "Unarmed. The gun's a fake," she slid it to the ground and kicked it across the sidewalk. She came out first, one hand in the air, the other holding Rick's hand. Suddenly, he looked so young and vulnerable. His other hand was in the air.

In seconds, they were surrounded, and Rick looked terrified as he was handcuffed and led away. Jay heard Sarah's voice, but saw that she was behind the police cordon. She pushed her way past the questioning officers, striding toward her wife.

Sarah lifted up the police tape and flung herself into her arms. Alex pushed past and would have run straight into the bodega if she hadn't been restrained. "That's my WIFE in there!" she yelled.

"We're just checking things," the office said. "Two minutes, tops."

Alex tried to shrug him off, but he was too strong for her. The next minute, she saw two EMT's run into the bodega, pushing a gurney. "If it's safe for them," she found strength she didn't know she had as she broke away.

The officer knew her from court, so he didn't go after her. Everyone knew ADA Benson. She was formidable in any circumstances. None of them had ever seen her white with fear as she was now.

Olivia was being lifted onto the gurney as Alex flung herself through the door. For a second, Alex could see nothing but the bloodstained bandage on her head, and she imagined the worse. But then she saw Olivia's face, and she breathed again. In a moment, she was by her side.

Alex grasped Olivia's hand, clinging to it with all she hand, reveling in the soft, sweet warmth of her. Olivia's face was glistening with sweat, and pain was etched on her features.

"Get a doctor in here," one of the medics spoke into his radio, as the other tried to settle Olivia.

Alex looked panicked.

"It's okay," the female EMT spoke kindly. "This baby's not going to wait. Let me just check your head wound," she said to Olivia.

Olivia couldn't take her eyes of Alex. "Sorry," she said, her voice a little slurred. "M'sorry," her head hurt like a bitch. "Oh God," she cried as a contraction seared across her.

Alex held her, rubbing gently on her back, unable to imagine what sort of pain Olivia was in. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but all she cared about was whether Olivia and the baby were going to be okay. But at least she was here, here with them, feeling Olivia warm and real under her fingers. And the EMTs didn't look worried. As the contraction finally passed, and Olivia slumped in Alex's arms, the female doctor arrived. She smiled at Olivia, and at Alex. "You're all doing great," she said, softly, as she started to examine Olivia.

A couple of minutes later she looked up at the women and smiled. "Your baby's crowning," she said to Olivia. "You're doing real well. Just a couple of pushes to go. The next time you feel a contraction starting, I want you to push as hard as you can. There," she smiled. "That's it coming now. Good girl, that's great. That's the shoulders. Now one more. I know," she heard Olivia's cries of pain. I know. But you're so close now. That's it," she felt the baby slide into her gloved hands.

Alex looked over at her, her face white with anxiety. The doctor smiled. "Are you the other mommy?" she asked.

Alex nodded, uncharacteristically quiet as she held Olivia close, feeling the shaking in her traumatized wife.

"Well you have a beautiful son," the doctor held him up above the blanket so that Alex could see. Olivia's eyes were shut as she lost her tenuous grip on consciousness. "Liv?" Alex's voice was barely audible.

"IV's in," the female EMT said. "She's getting fluids. She'll be okay," she tapped Olivia's cheek.

Olivia's eyes fluttered open. She thought she saw Alex's face. "Lex?" she croaked.

The doctor wrapped the baby in a warm blanket and brought him up the bed. Olivia stared at him, and then back at Olivia.

"He's just a little small," the doctor said. "But he's breathing well, and he's pinking up nicely. And," she smiled as passed him over to Alex, "he's gonna be a heartbreaker."

Alex held the baby in shaking hands. She lowered him to Olivia's front, keeping a tight hold. "He looks exactly like you, Liv."

In minutes, they were all in the ambulance. Alex held it together until Olivia was wheeled off for an MRI; despite all assurances that it was just a precaution, and that she would be back soon, she could feel the panic start to overwhelm her. She held their baby close in her arms, as the tears cascaded down her face. The kindly nurse who had been assigned to them wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders.

The next thing she knew, the door opened to admit her sister Carolyn. Without speaking, the nurse took the baby, enabling Carolyn to wrap her arms tightly around Alex. Alex wept into her sister's neck, clinging desperately to her. The fragility of all that she cared about shook her anew.

Carolyn rocked her, shushing her gently as if she were a child. Almost fifteen minutes later, Alex pulled back. "Did you see him?"

"Your son?" Carolyn said. "No, honey, I didn't meet him yet."

The nurse stepped forward and held him out. Carolyn's face melted with pure joy. She looked at Alex. "Can I hold him?"

Alex nodded, giving a small smile as Carolyn's held him carefully.

"He's the spit of Olivia," Carolyn said. "He's beautiful," she touched his cheek gently.

Alex's face crumpled again. "What if she's not okay?" her tears started to flow anew.

The door opened and Olivia was wheeled in. She was grey and her eyes were filled with pain. Alex was at her side in an instant, and she took up her hand.

Olivia struggled to focus on her. "M'okay," she said. "Jus' feel bad."

"The MRI's real noisy," the doctor explained.

"Got sick," Olivia croaked.

"She has a moderately nasty concussion," the doctor explained. "But she's going to be okay. Once the nausea subsides," she grimaced as Olivia turned green again and the nurse held out a bowl just in time. "We're gonna give her an anti-emetic, but we can't give any painkillers for the next eight hours. So," she watched as Alex settled her lovingly back on her pillows. "It's going to be a rough night. But she's not in any danger. We'll assign a nurse to stay with you, to take care of the baby. And if he cries, we'll take him out."

"Where's baby?" Olivia slurred.

Carolyn passed him to Alex, who held him in front of her wife's face. With her free hand, she loosened Olivia's scrubs top, and lowered the diapered baby on to her front. As she felt the skin of her baby against her own, Olivia knew that everything was going to be okay. All the pain, the fear, none of it mattered. "Our son," she whispered.

Alex nodded. "I want to call him Oliver," she said, watching Olivia's face closely for a reaction.

Olivia was such a modest woman, she would never dream of naming a child after herself. But she could see the look of determination on Alex's face and, even through the haze of pain and nausea, she could tell it was important to her. "'kay," she whispered. "Middle name Jake, huh?" she suggested. "After your auntie Jay," she told the baby. "She was so brave. She took care of us all."

Alex smiled. "Oliver Jake. Oliver Jake Benson," she stroked his back.

"S'Jay okay?"

"She's fine, she's been checked over. She and Sarah are going home soon. They just have to make a stop on the way."

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Sarah squeezed Jay's hand as she raised it to knock on the door of the derelict apartment. A woman in her early thirties answered the door. She looked anxious and harrassed.

"Susan?" Jay asked.

Wordlessly, Susan opened the door to usher them in. Jay held out her hand. She had spent 40 minutes on the phone to the woman earlier in the evening, eventually persuading her that Rick didn't want her to visit tonight, but preferred that she stay with his young sisters. "I hope you all like Chinese," Jay held out a bulging take-out bag. "And we got a few things," she gestured to the other bags that Sarah was holding. "Let me get the rest of the bags out of the car."

Susan nodded, trying not to cry. "He's not a bad boy," she whispered.

Jay looked at her. "I know," she said. "I know."