Night had set in during their drive. Having lived in New York City for most of her life, aside from the time she'd spent undercover in Oregon, Olivia managed to forget that it was actually pitch dark in some places at night. New York City was a city that never slept; a city that was never dark, aside from after Hurricane Sandy.

Now, Olivia saw miles of darkness surrounding the hospital. It was almost eerie. The only lights came from a few streetlights in the parking lot and the windows of the hospital. That was one thing all hospitals, regardless of the city, had in common. Hospitals never slept. They had to stay open all night because people fell ill at all hours of the night.

Olivia followed Brian, who seemed to know where he was going. He walked past the front desk, which was unattended.

"Excuse me, sir. Visiting hours are over," a female orderly called after him, but Brian avoided her.

"Bri," Olivia said under her breath.

"Don't worry," he huffed. "They don't really enforce the visiting hours. And that orderly is the one who caught Coop and I playing catch in the halls. She's not my biggest fan."

Olivia shrugged, though part of her still felt rebellious as she followed after Brian. It wasn't like she hadn't bended the rules on her own during her years on the force. She had her fair share of secrets, and sneaking into a hospital past visiting hours certainly didn't compare to some of the stunts she had pulled, especially in the past few years. She'd lied for a teenaged girl who'd committed murder. She'd helped a woman take her child away from his father, who also happened to be her rapist.

In fact, she found rebellious Brian to be incredibly sexy.

Brian stopped in front of a room. He peeked in the room then turned to Olivia. "You ready for this?" he whispered as he took her hand.

She nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

A few hours ago she learned that she was forty-five years old and pregnant. Then she learned that her boyfriend had a son that he'd been keeping from her. On top of that, his son's mother was on her death bed. Yet, she wasn't freaking out. She was unusually calm. Everything was happening so fast. Maybe it just hadn't set in yet.

She was terrified. She'd spent most of her adult life rescuing children from abusive situations. And then there were the kids she hadn't been able to save. Those were the children whose innocent lives had been taken right under her nose. Olivia Benson loved children. Her heart ached for the kids whose lives she hadn't been able to protect.

Of course her childhood hadn't been the least bit great. She wouldn't wish it upon anyone. No child should have to worry about cleaning their mother's vomit off the floor when they got home from school. No child should have to wonder if their mother would get out of bed to cook them dinner. No child should have to scope the kitchen, while their mother was passed out drunk, hoping to find a cup full of cereal to fill their stomach.

Olivia had parented herself for as long as she could remember. Her mother was an alcoholic and her father was a rapist. What did that say about her?

She'd drained the booze down the sink the minute she'd realized she was pregnant. She wasn't going to put her child through the Hell she'd gone through.

That was assuming she could even have a healthy child.

Pregnancy at her age was a huge risk. She didn't need a doctor to tell her that. The risk of developmental delays and other disorders spiked after the age of forty. She was terrified. What if there was something wrong with her baby?

Olivia stood at the doorway as Brian walked in the room. The room was dim, but she could see a little boy, the one she'd seen in the picture Brian had shown her, lying next to the sleeping woman in a hospital bed. Olivia imagined this was his mother—Carin.

She could hear the heart monitor beating rhythmically. The woman was asleep. Her skin was as pale as a ghost's. Brian tiptoed toward the bed, and the boy's eyes shot as Brian stood over the woman and the boy.

"Brian?" the little boy whispered groggily.

"Hey, little man," Brian smiled with care. There was something different about the smile on Brian's face. Olivia had not seen it before. She felt her heart warming, though. She could tell that Brian earnestly cared about this kid. He often came off as an ass, and he could be rugged. But he cared about his son, even though he hadn't known about him for long. Knowing that gave Olivia hope. Olivia had often wondered if Brian didn't want kids. It wasn't a topic they discussed. But seeing him look at Cooper gave her hope. Could the life she'd only dreamed about actually be coming true?

"Are you here to try to make me go home?"

"Shhh, don't wake your mother." Brian wrapped his arms around the kid and helped him out of bed. "There's someone I want you to meet." He pointed over to the door, and the little boy met eyes with Olivia for the first time. Olivia smiled weakly and waved.

The little boy looked at Brian, and tears welled in his eyes.

"Are you my new mom?" Cooper asked wearily. Olivia's heart sunk, and Carin's heart monitor began to beat erratically.

"Mom!" the little boy cried as he ran over to his mother's bedside and put his arm around Carin. "Someone help my mom!"

Olivia felt her own blood pressure drop causing her to feel lightheaded. The room was spinning. The figures of Brian, Cooper, and Carin blurred. Her stomach ached. She hadn't eaten in hours.

"Liv?" Brian's voice sounded so distant. "Are you okay?"

"We need help in here!" she heard Brian scream in a panic as she fell to the cold ground.