Chapter Seventy Six – Puppy Love

"Have everything packed?" Ben asked.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Olivia's answers were all lacking her usual spirit. Ben turned to look at her more fully. She was still playing with her suitcase and the contents inside but hadn't done anything significant with it in a long time. He suspected it was more of a nervous action. Her face was a little bit pale, and she was definitely anxious.

"Not thinking of backing out are you?" he teased.

Except he wasn't totally teasing. With the way she was acting he wouldn't be all that surprised if she decided not to head to the airport.

She didn't answer his question, which Ben took as another "yeah" regardless. Even though he'd been expecting that answer he didn't like it. She'd been working so hard to set up the flight, and he didn't want to see all of that go down the drain. No matter how much she protested, he was going to get her on that plane. Or at least get her as close to it as he could.

"You ready to go?"

Again she didn't answer him, and he thought he saw her hands trembling slightly. He grabbed her hands to still them, whether they were trembling from nerves or not.

"Olivia, I'm not going to let you bail on this trip. Okay? Now make sure you have everything you need because I'm driving you to the airport in five minutes."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Okay."

"Good girl. Anything I can do to help?"

"Can you double check Suvi's bag? Food, treats, bowls, a toy? Ah, and his brush and blanket."

"Got it."

It took a little bit longer than five minutes to get out the door, but that was alright. They'd at least gotten out the door. Besides, Olivia's flight wasn't scheduled to leave for over two hours. When they arrived at the airport they were still earlier than most would have arrived, which was what Olivia had wanted. Having Suvi would mean a few extra hoops to jump through. Ben stayed with her until the security checkpoint. She hadn't exactly calmed down yet, so Ben pulled her away from the line.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get a pass so I can come with you to the gate?"

Olivia hesitated for a moment and then shook her head.

"No. I'll be okay on my own."

"Alright. Just make sure you get on that plane."

"I will. Thank you."

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. Ben returned the goodbye hug fiercely as if squeezing her so tightly could transfer some of his courage to her.

"Have a good trip," he said as she got into the security line.

As Olivia proceeded through the line she noticed Ben was still where she'd left him. Every time she met his eyes he grinned at her. He was probably going to stay there until she made it through security and disappeared. When she reached the front of the line the TSA agent stared at her for a moment. She was a break in the monotony that they weren't sure what to do with.

"We're going to have to check your dog too."

Olivia shrugged. She'd expected as much.

"Okay. Through the other side?" she asked as she motioned to the metal detection machine.

"Uh, yeah. That's fine."

Again she nodded. This was her first time dealing with the added security thanks to having a dog, but she was going to try and take it all in stride. As long as she stayed calm and did as they asked, even went out of her way to help them, there would be no reason for them to give her a hard time.

"Suvi." He turned his head toward her, and she held out her end of his leash. "Take it."

He happily took the leash and held it for her. Once he had she gave him the orders "forward" and "wait" so he would walk through to the other side of the machine and stand there to be searched. Olivia knew he would be fine even if she wasn't right by his side. She couldn't keep a small grin from her face when she saw the security people's expressions of surprise as Suvi behaved like a perfect gentleman and air travel pro. At least he didn't seem fazed by any of this. While the TSA agents searched him Olivia went through the screening process as well. It didn't take long for them to be cleared so they could head to their gate. Before she turned out of sight she stopped for one last look at Ben. He lifted his hand in a farewell, and Olivia waved back. One hurdle down.

Suvi wasn't the least bit bothered by the new experience, though he did appear rather interested in the moving walkway as they passed it. He walked calmly by her side doing his job like they were simply walking down her own block on the way to the grocery store. Eyes and pointed fingers followed them, but Olivia wasn't paying attention. She was too busy watching gate numbers and trying not to let her mind get ahead of itself. Worrying about what could happen when she went to get on the plane wouldn't help her.

She paused beside gate 15A and swallowed hard. This was it. She would be getting the first hints on how the next five to six hours would go. When she reached the gate she approached the desk attendant right away. Because of what could happen on the trip, she needed to talk to the flight attendants. The airline had suggested she do the same thing when she'd called and they hadn't known about her seizures. It didn't take long for one of the attendants to emerge from the catwalk to talk to her.

"I'm Olivia Benson."

"Sherri Tominack," the flight attendant replied as she shook Olivia's hand. "Don't worry too much about the flight. We'll get you settled in first. You'll just need to make sure he stays under the seat."

"Ah, actually it might be best if I board last. I'm in an aisle seat so if I get on first Suvi and I will have to move when the others in my row show up."

"That's fine. I'll make sure the attendant at the door knows you will be the last one to board. If there's anything you need during the flight please let me know."

"Thank you," Olivia said softly. "Ah, there are a few things you should know about my situation… my condition, just in case."

She quickly explained about her seizures and what should be done if she had one during the trip. Thankfully Sherri seemed, perhaps not comfortable or at ease, but at least okay with the news. Olivia was okay with that. It was about the best she could expect after all. With all of the information passed along Olivia grabbed a seat and waited for her flight's boarding to be called. Suvi sat down facing her and rested his head in her lap. She was contently rubbing his ears when she noticed a small crowd growing near her gate's desk. More and more people were joining the throng, and Olivia couldn't help feeling curious. Suvi's attention had been drawn to the gathering too and he sniffed the air. When there was small break in the circle Olivia spotted what had everyone in an excited tizzy. Puppies. Two of them, both with little vests on. Suvi took a step around the seats to get a closer look. The puppies noticed him and strained toward him, almost tripping over their too big feet in the process. It was enough to alert the handlers. When they realized what Suvi was they immediately headed toward Olivia. Suvi's interest perked up more and more as they came closer, and Olivia had to rest her hand on his back to remind him that he was working. It was a totally unnecessary action since Suvi did nothing more than look at the puppies even when the bounded up to him with their endless amount of energy.

"Hi," Chris, the male handler, greeted. "We didn't know there was going to be a full-fledged service dog on board today."

"Full-fledged?"

"Yeah. These guys are still puppies in training."

"Really early training," the woman added. "They're on their way to a real training facility to begin the hard stuff."

"I didn't realize puppies were flown across the country for that," Olivia said.

"The airline has a program for employees. One of the breeding facilities here needs volunteers to bring them to different specialty training centers and it gives the puppies experience on a plane. This is my third puppy," he explained. "Jess' second."

"It's really rewarding," Jess said.

Olivia smiled softly. While Jess was right, she was only a volunteer. There was no way she could fully understand how important the work she was doing actually was.

"You have no idea," Olivia murmured.

Jess' eyes flickered from Suvi to Olivia.

"You're probably right."

"Have you flown with him before?" Chris asked.

"No," Olivia admitted. "I'm not sure if he's been on a plane before either. We'll see how it goes, I guess."

Now that she actually admitted it out loud she couldn't help feeling even more nervous. She didn't know how he was going to react. Even so, she trusted him. They'd been working together for over a year, and Olivia knew she could get him to do what she needed him to do. It may not work perfectly the first time, but as long as she was given a little leniency and a second chance it would be fine. Or at least she hoped it would be.

She suddenly felt a tingling at the back of her neck. Someone was watching her. Olivia glanced around, trying to find the source of the feeling. It didn't take very long to figure out whose eyes were on her, and she smiled. Two little girls were hiding behind their parents' carry on suitcases and were peering over the top so they could watch the three dogs. Chris noticed them as well and waved.

"Whenever we're here with a puppy we basically become mini celebrities," he explained.

They were interrupted by the first boarding call. Jess and Chris grabbed their bags and stood up. Apparently they would be boarding with the first class passengers and everyone else that needed extra time.

"Are you coming?" Jess asked.

"No. We're going to wait until the end."

"Alright. Have a good flight."

Olivia nodded and watched them head off. Slowly the waiting area emptied out as more and more people boarded the plane. Olivia stayed where she was and gently petted Suvi to keep her nerves in check. When the last few people stood up she joined them. This would be it. Once she walked down the catwalk and onto the plane she would find out how Suvi would do. The first response would set the stage for the flight. As they stepped onto the plane she watched Suvi closely. There hadn't been anything to worry about. He handled the new situation like a champ. She could tell he was interested, almost excited, but he was still well in control of himself. That was far better than what she could see from one of the puppies who was acting far too rambunctious to even try to lie down by the seat. Once she reached her seat she gave Suvi the command to lie down. She had to try a second time to get him far enough under the seat to satisfy the flight attendants, but Suvi wasn't bothered. He just watched her happily as she sat down in front of him. Olivia couldn't help grinning. If this was any indication then the flight was going to be fine. Maybe even fun.

Author's Note: Apparently there actually is a program like this in some airlines. They had an article about it in the airline magazine on the plane during one of my last vacations. It gave me the idea for this whole chapter.