Well, it looks like people would like me to continue. :) I really appreciate all the positive feedback on this. I was unsure of how this story would go over, but I am so honored to have received almost 50 reviews on the first chapter. That is unheard of for me...so I am very excited by all the responses. Not that I write for the reviews...but they are certainly a perk and motivational!

I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the first.

December 18, 2014 7:45AM

The pounding on the door forced her awake, and Olivia sat up on the couch. She'd fallen asleep there after spending more than an hour looking up cord-blood donation on the internet and now she was feeling the effects from lack of sleep. "I'm coming…" she groaned, getting up from the couch and walking to the door, peeking out and seeing Lucy standing there. She turned the locks and pulled open the door, "I'm sorry…" she explained. "I didn't know it was so late."

"You okay?" Lucy asked, walking in and sitting her bag by the door. "You look exhausted."

"I am," Olivia sighed, sitting down while Lucy walked over to Noah's crib. The baby was sitting up, playing happily and Olivia shook her head, "I can't believe he didn't wake me up. I can't remember the last time he woke up and just played by himself without crying."

"He seems pretty content," Lucy laughed, picking him up and laying him down to change his diaper. "You want to give him his bath, or do you need to leave?"

Olivia glanced at the clock, "I'm supposed to be in Queens to talk to a victim," she sighed. "But I didn't get home last night until three…" she yawned, standing to her feet. "I'm gonna jump in the shower. Go ahead and feed Noah and then you can give him his bath. I swear, I'll get home early enough tonight to feed him dinner…no matter what."

"Okay," Lucy said, picking up the baby and sitting him in his high chair.

Olivia walked to her bedroom and looked through her closet for something to wear. She'd put on a little weight, but everything still fit well enough for now. The doctor had explained right from the beginning that the medication would make her look pregnant sooner than normal, and she felt lucky that it hadn't happened yet. The five pounds she'd put on were actually from before the embryo transfer, so she couldn't blame it on the baby anyway. Every day she pulled out an outfit and dreaded the possibility that the slacks wouldn't button, but so far her fears had gone unfounded. Thinking about the chance she'd see Elliot today, for the first time in years, made her stomach hurt and she went through every single thing in her closet before deciding on simple black slacks and an emerald print blouse that hung loose, just in case. She didn't need him noticing her weight-gain before she had the chance to explain about the baby.

She walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower and letting the steam rise. Then she pulled off her clothes from the day before and climbed in, gently lathering the soap and enjoying the small moment of peace. A few minutes later she emerged from the shower, drying off and wrapping her hair in a towel, and grabbed her toothbrush from the sink, squeezing out the blue minty paste and sticking it in her mouth.

Her mind was wandering, trying to think of the right thing to say when she saw Elliot, and before she knew what hit her she was gagging, fighting the urge to throw up in the sink. "Nooo…" she said to herself. "I'm not sick…" She may have felt terrible for days, but she hadn't thrown up and she refused to start now. She quickly rinsed her mouth with water, and sat on the toilet lid, lowering her head into her hands and trying to breathe through the nausea. "I'm not sick…" she said again, her hand on her stomach. "Please…not now…" She had too much to do to deal with her first real bout of morning sickness.

A few minutes later the feeling passed and she raised her head, realizing she wouldn't be able to fight off the inevitable much longer. "Mommy can't be sick today, kiddo," she said, rubbing her hand over her stomach. "Help me out here…" Then she finished getting dressed, cringing a little when she realized her pants were tighter than she remembered. "Damn," she sighed, knowing she didn't have time to change and realizing she was going to be uncomfortable all day.

She walked into the living room, picking up her bag and then walking over to Noah's high chair to kiss him good-bye. One whiff of his lumpy, gray cereal and her stomach jolted. "You okay, Liv?" Lucy asked, "You look kind of green?"

"I'm okay," she gasped. "I have to go…" and she ran out to the hall and leaned against the wall, willing the feeling to pass once more.

She felt better by the time she walked into the hospital, so much better that she stopped at the gift shop for a granola bar because she was suddenly hungry and couldn't think of anything but eating. She tore open the wrapper and shoved it in her mouth, the clerk staring at her with a snicker. "I missed breakfast…" she said defensively as she crammed the remainder of the granola bar in her mouth. Then she looked around the shop, grabbing a small pink teddy bear for Tatum and a travel-sized checkers game for Eli. She didn't want to show up to either room empty-handed. She tossed them on the counter and while the clerk rang them up, she grabbed another granola bar and threw it on top. When she paid for the items, she grabbed the bag, pulling out the granola and eating it as she made her way down the hall to Tatum Granbury's room.

She pushed the door open, and smiled at the little girl, sitting up in bed watching cartoons. "Hi Tatum," she said gently. "Do you remember me? Sergeant Benson…Olivia…"

The little girl nodded and smiled, "Yeah," she said. "Did you find the bad man yet?"

Olivia shook her head sadly, "Not yet, but we will." She looked around the room, "Is your grandma here?"

Tatum pointed toward the small, attached bathroom, "Grandma…" she called and the woman emerged.

"Oh Sergeant…" she said quickly. "I'm glad you're back. Any news?"

"Not yet," Olivia told her. "But I have my best detectives on the case and they are looking into everything. Can I talk with Tatum a while?"

"Sure," the older woman said, and Olivia sat in the chair next to the little girl's bed while her grandmother watched from the doorway.

"How are you feeling?" Olivia asked the girl with a weak smile.

The girl shrugged, "I'm okay…my arm hurts…" she showed her the sling that was holding her left arm still. "But they let me watch TV whenever I want and Grandma says I can have ice cream later."

Olivia laughed, "Well, that sounds like fun." She pulled the small pink bear out of her bag and handed it to the girl, "I thought maybe you could use a friend up here."

The girl's eyes widened, "Thank you," she smiled. Then she looked at the bag, "What else do you have in there?"

Olivia laughed, "A present for a little boy down the hall. He's sick…" she swallowed the lump in her throat, "He has cancer."

"Oh…is it a boy in your family?" the girl asked sincerely.

Olivia nodded, "Yeah…I'm really sad about it."

An hour later Olivia emerged from the girl's room with little new information on the case. Amanda had texted her that they found the employee from Pure Earth with red hair and a beard and would be bringing him in shortly. She told her she was stuck in Queens, and Amanda had assured her that she and Fin could handle the interrogation and Nick would supervise, so Olivia felt less guilty about abandoning her police duties and going to see Elliot. She glanced at the time…almost noon…and wondered if he was even there. Kathy had said to come at eight, but her inability to wake up on time, followed by the time it took to get past her nausea and then the visit with Tatum had thrown off her plans.

She walked down the hall toward Eli's room, peeking through the small window and she could see the boy sitting up in bed. He was tiny, dressed in green dinosaur pajamas and his skin was ghostly pale. He was talking to someone, but she couldn't see who…until moments later when he walked over with a cup and put it to the boy's lips, coaxing him to drink it. She hadn't seen him in so long…had become accustomed to the fact that she'd never see him again…and she'd finally let herself be okay with that. Now she stood there…watching him care for his sick little boy as tears stung her eyes and her body seemed to shake with fear, and she whispered his name…"Elliot…"

She couldn't open the door. So she just stood there and stared and prayed he wouldn't notice her…

December 18, 2014 12:15PM

She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there, but she was just about to leave when something happened and Elliot shifted from his spot at the foot of the bed, giving Eli a clear view of the door. She saw the boy stare at her and before she could duck they'd made eye contact and he was pointing toward the door, causing Elliot to turn and look. He saw her…his eyes locked with hers…and there was no way she could run away now.

He walked toward the door, and she tapped on it gently, as if she'd just arrived and hadn't spent God-only-knows how long invading their privacy by watching them from outside the door. He opened the door, and she immediately noticed his graying temples and the worn lines that surrounded his sad eyes, "Olivia…" he said in a near whisper. "Kathy said she saw you last night. I thought you were coming by earlier."

"I was…" she tried to explain, unable to find her voice now that she was face-to-face with him. "I had a case…" she tried to explain, but he motioned her in the room and she followed him in.

"Eli," Elliot said, sitting next to his son's bed. "This is Daddy's friend, Olivia. She used to be my partner when I was a detective. Remember me telling you about her?"

Eli nodded, "The lady who saw me get born?" he asked.

"Yeah," Elliot smiled, patting his son's shoulder. "That's her. She helped your mommy when it was time for you to be born."

Olivia walked over by the bed and tried to keep her emotions in check. "Your mom told me you aren't feeling very good," she said softly. "So I wanted to come see you." She sat on the edge of his bed, "Is it okay if I sit here?"

He nodded, "I'm bored…" then he looked at the TV and back at Olivia, "I want to go home. They don't have the good channels here."

"The good channels?" she asked. "What are the good channels?"

He shrugged, "The ones we have at home. I just want to go home."

"I bet you do," she said gently. She reached in her bag and pulled out the checkers game, sitting it on his bed tray. "I got you this…I thought it might help pass the time."

"Checkers!" he grinned and her heart melted at his toothless smile. "I play this at school when we have recess inside cause of the rain. I'm the best!"

"The best?" Olivia asked. "I don't know…I think I'm pretty good…"

"Can we play?" he asked and she nodded, watching as he set up the board, choosing the red pieces from himself, but they were only halfway through the game when he said he was too tired to finish.

"It's okay," she said, moving the game to the nightstand. "Why don't you rest, and I'll leave the game here for next time."

He nodded and leaned back on the bed, "Daddy?" he whispered and Elliot was at his side in seconds. "Are you gonna go to the cafeteria while I sleep?"

"I don't have to buddy," he said. "I can stay here if you want me to."

"You can go," he said, closing his eyes. "When you come back, can you bring me a treat?"

Elliot smiled gently, "Okay…do you feel like eating?"

"Just a soda," he sighed and before long he was asleep.

Elliot pulled the covers up under his son's chin and kissed him on the forehead. Then he turned to Olivia, "I always go eat lunch when he takes his afternoon nap. He likes it when I bring him things from the cafeteria…but most of the time he's too sick to eat."

"Poor guy," Olivia looked at the little boy sleeping soundly and then back at Elliot. "I haven't had lunch yet…" she sighed. "Maybe I can join you in the cafeteria? I'd like to talk."

"Sure," Elliot nodded. "I'd like to talk too."

December 18, 2014 1:30PM

The cafeteria wasn't very busy, but the line felt like it was taking forever. They looked at the variety of sandwiches and hot food items and Elliot quickly grabbed a tuna sandwich and potato chips, while Olivia stared at the food and tried to decide on something that sounded appetizing. "I'd recommend any of the cold sandwiches…the mashed potatoes aren't bad either…or the grilled cheese…" he said, noticing her indecisiveness. "I eat here enough…I should know."

"What about the pizza?" she asked, staring at the large slices dripping with sauce and melted cheese.

Elliot looked unsure, "Not sure how long that's been sitting on the warmer," he said. "I wouldn't risk it."

"Well I'm going to try it," she said, asking the worker behind the counter to give her two slices and then adding a small order of French fries on the side and grabbing a container of chocolate milk. They found a quiet table in the corner by the restrooms and Olivia opened her milk, taking a long drink, suddenly feeling self-conscious as Elliot stared at her. "What?" she asked, sitting the milk on the table and looking at him.

He smiled, "Pizza, fries, and chocolate milk? What…are you regressing back to your childhood or something?"

"I'm hungry…okay?" she sighed, looking down at her food, "I missed breakfast and lunch…"

He took a bite of his sandwich, "You can eat whatever you want," he said. "I was just making small talk."

"El…" she said, her voice quivering from nervousness, "I don't to make small talk. It's been years…"

"I know," he admitted, sitting his sandwich down and fidgeting with the potato chip package. "I'm sorry…"

"Why did you leave?" she asked. "Without saying anything?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't mean to…but it just happened…"

"When I ran into Kathy last night, she said you needed me," Olivia told him. "So I came…but it doesn't mean I'm over what happened."

"I know that," he sighed. "Liv…I should've told you I was quitting…I should've answered your calls…I was lost and I didn't know what to do. Then Kathy and I split and I moved to DC and there were so many nights I wanted to call and check on you…"

"But you didn't," she reminded him. Then she grabbed her pizza and took quick, eager bites.

"I didn't…because I was scared," he insisted. "I didn't know if you'd forgive me for abandoning our friendship. Then Eli got sick and I had to be focused on him…he got better and I went back to DC…days turned to months…then years…"

"If Eli wasn't sick again now…" Olivia sighed. "You'd still be in DC and we'd still be apart…"

"Liv…I'm sorry…that's all I can say," he took a sip of his soda, his eyes filling with tears, "I didn't want to hurt you, but that doesn't change the fact that I did. I know you need me to make things right…but my son is dying…and I can't focus on anything else right now."

"No…" she said sadly. "I don't want you to make things right. I just wanted to know why you left. And I know your focus has to be Eli…"

"He's so sick," Elliot sighed. "You have no idea how it feels to see your child suffer and feel so powerless."

Olivia swallowed the French fries she had in her mouth, "Kathy said he could get a bone marrow transplant if they can find a donor…or a cord-blood donation from a relative could save him…"

Elliot shook his head, "Liv…none of the kids match and the odds of finding an unrelated donor are slim. The cord-blood would work if Maureen and her husband could conceive, but they are having so many problems getting pregnant and I hate to put her under so much pressure. She's scared to death her brother will die and we'll all blame her…and I don't know how to ease those fears. I don't really think she's ready for a baby either…"

"I'm pregnant…" Olivia heard the words come out of her mouth and realized she'd never said it aloud before. She saw the shock on his face, and picked up her second slice of pizza giving it her full attention so she could avoid him.

"You are?" he said, the surprise apparent in his voice. "Well…congratulations…"

"Thanks," she gave a weak smile and finished her pizza. "I was looking up cord-blood donation last night…after I saw Kathy…and I don't think it would be dangerous for the baby if I…"

"Liv…you can't do that," Elliot said gently. "The odds of your baby matching Eli are close to nothing."

Olivia shook her head, "I read that cord-blood doesn't have to be an exact match."

"It doesn't…but it has to have some of the same markers," Elliot explained. "Besides…what does your husband think about all this…or your boyfriend…the baby's father?"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, "El…I…" she had assumed he'd realize that at her age the only way she would end up pregnant is through IVF, but he seemed clueless. "I don't have a husband or boyfriend…" she sighed, "I used the embryos…"

His face paled with realization, "You did what?" he asked. "Oh my God…"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I know you asked me to, but this all happened really fast and I didn't know how to reach you anyway," she felt the tears falling down her face and quickly brushed them away. "I hadn't seen you in so long…I didn't think you'd care…"

"I didn't think you were ever going to use them," he admitted. "You didn't want to at first...but then it seemed like you were never going to use them...I didn't know you were still saving them..."

"I kept them at the Cryobank," she said. "In case the right time came along. I guess it did..."

"Your baby…it might match…" he gave a nervous smile. "Liv…there is a good chance the baby will match Eli…"

"I know," she sniffled. "That's why I had to come see you…"

"Oh my God…" he said again, rubbing his hand across his face and neck and looking her over from top to bottom, "How far along are you?"

"Six weeks," she answered.

"I don't know how to tell Kathy," his voice shook.

"She'll be happy, right?" Olivia asked, feeling worn out from the conversation.

He shook his head, "I don't know what she'll feel," he admitted. "I mean, she'll be glad there is a chance at a match for Eli…but…"

"But what?" Olivia asked.

"I wasn't exactly honest with you," he said shamefully. "I never asked her about me donating…I knew she'd say no…and I really wanted to give you the baby you wanted…"

"Oh no…" she groaned. "You lied…"

He nodded, "I only did it to help you…I swear…"

Olivia's head was pounding and she rubbed her temples, closing her eyes to keep the room from spinning around her. She wished she hadn't given in to the pizza cravings because her stomach was rolling and she didn't want to get sick now…in front of Elliot of all people…but no matter how many times she told herself she wasn't sick…her body was telling her otherwise.

"Liv?" he asked, noticing the change in her demeanor and when she didn't answer he stood up and went to her side of the table, putting his hand on her back. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine…" she insisted, trying to hold back the bile that had risen to the back of her throat.

"Are you sick?" he asked, kneeling next to her and lifting her head to look him in the eye. "It's okay…morning sickness…"

"It's not morning…" she sputtered. "And I'm not sick…" but her eyes were burning with tears and her body felt weak, and no matter how much she argued the fact, she couldn't deny it any longer. She jumped up and ran into the ladies room, kneeling in front of the toilet and emptying her stomach. Elliot pushed open the door, noticing it was a single restroom and walked inside, locking the door behind him. He knelt beside her, and she groaned, "Leave me alone…" before heaving once more.

He pulled her hair back from her face, and she threw up again wondering how there could be anything left in her stomach. "It's okay…" he whispered. "It's almost over…you're almost done..."She leaned back, sitting on the floor and leaning her head on the wall, and he sat next to her, wiping off the tear stains from her cheeks with a moist paper towel. "You're all right…"

"It smells in here," she gagged and he flushed the toilet and handed her a piece of toilet paper.

"Blow your nose…get the smell out…" and she did what he said, thinking he had more experience with this than she did anyway.

"I can't believe this…" she sighed, her hand resting on her stomach. "I hate being sick…"

"You haven't had any morning sickness before now?" he asked and she shrugged. "Six weeks…the magic number for all the pregnancy symptoms to kick in." He squeezed her shoulder and stood up from the floor, "I'm sorry you're sick…especially since it isn't even morning…" And his words made her laugh a little.

"I've been fighting this for days," she admitted. "I'm sorry you had to be here for it."

"I'm glad you weren't alone," he said sincerely, giving her his hand and pulling her up off the floor. "You think you're ready to go back out there?"

She nodded, "I don't think I'm ever eating pizza and chocolate milk again," she grimaced.

"I warned you about that pizza," he teased, putting his hand on her back to steady her and they walked back into the cafeteria. "Let me get Eli's soda and then we can go?"

She nodded, "I need to get back to work anyway…"

"Liv, you're sick…you need to rest," he insisted. "Think about the baby."

She shook her head, "The baby is fine…but I have a nine year old rape victim I need to get justice for."

"You should be on desk duty," he insisted. "Take care of yourself…take care of the baby…"

"It's none of your business," she sighed, heading toward the door and he ran after her.

"What do you mean it's none of my business?" he asked. "It's my baby too…"

"No," her eyes widened and she shook her head, "This is my baby. We had an agreement…you know that."

"I know we did," he sighed. "I'm sorry…I just thought…well, things are different now…"

"Nothing is different," she argued. "I didn't come here to try to find a father for my kid…I came to tell you I want to help Eli…but this is my child, Elliot. Only mine." She sniffled, trying to hold back her tears. "I'm sorry…" Then she walked out the door.

More to come...if people still want it...