Happy New Year! I hope 2015 is off to an amazing start for everyone. I am still sick...but on the mend I hope.

I'm sorry for all the issues with the last update. I am sure it was a site issue, but I'm sad many people couldn't review due to the problem. I had several PMs from people saying they liked the chapter but it wouldn't let them review. :( I appreciate people letting me know, but unfortunately I could do nothing about it. Hopefully this chapter uploads properly and will allow the amazing readers to share their thoughts with me in a review.

I really hoped to get more posts up over my break, and it just didn't happen. I am planning to get one more post done over the weekend, but sadly I have to attend the funeral of a coworker tomorrow so it just might not happen. It's been a rough week and will probably be even harder when I go back to work and have to explain to my students about this teacher's passing over their winter vacation. :( So I will do my best to update with chapter 15 soon, but please be patient with me.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

January 29, 2015 11:45AM

"He looks so much better," Elliot said, walking into the kitchen where Olivia was watching Noah feed himself mashed vegetables. He'd taken a shower and changed back into his own clothes, leaving the sweats in the laundry basket in her room, but Olivia was still in her pajamas and didn't seem in a rush to get dressed. "I'm glad he's feeling better."

"Me too," Olivia looked up at him and smiled. "I was so scared yesterday." She grabbed a baby wipe and cleaned off her son's face and hands before tossing his plastic dishes in the sink. "His asthma is going to be a challenge…forever…" She coughed slightly, clearing her throat. "I know some kids grow out of it eventually…but I'm worried he won't. He had a rough start in life…his birth mother was a junkie…"

Elliot nodded, "You're his mother now, and you'll take good care of him." He ruffled the baby's soft brown hair and looked at Olivia seriously, "You need a vaporizer, for when he has trouble breathing."

"I know," she sighed, picking up the baby and carrying him into the living room. "I meant to get one last time he was sick, but he ended up in the hospital and all I could think about was getting him well enough to come home. I guess I forgot." She sat back on the sofa, cuddling the baby up close to her. "I'll get one tomorrow…" She leaned forward and kissed the little boy softly, "You ready to take your nap, mister?" she asked and he sucked on his fingers and stared up at his mother, making no attempt to close his eyes. "Come on buddy," she pleaded. "It was a long night for all of us. You have to be tired…" she yawned. "Mommy's tired…"

"I should call the airport," Elliot said and she looked at him with confusion. "About my flight…I'm supposed to be back in DC tonight." She nodded and he picked up his cell phone and walked into the other room, prompting Olivia to pick up her own phone and dial the station. She'd called early that morning to say she wouldn't be in because of the closed roads and her sick child, but Fin hadn't called with any questions all morning and that wasn't like him.

Twenty minutes later she was still on the phone, "I don't know, Fin…" Olivia said with frustration as Elliot walked back in the room. "Yes…just do that…I'll be back tomorrow…" she hung up the phone and looked at him with a groan. "Fin hates being in charge…and I have to approve overtime for everyone who was stuck at the station last night," she sighed, "Dodds is gonna blow a gasket."

"He'll get over it," Elliot sat next to her and smiled at the baby who had finally fallen asleep. "He's out…you want me to put him in his crib?"

Olivia handed the baby to him and coughed, "What did you find out about your flight? Are you leaving?"

He put the baby down carefully in the crib and looked back at her, "No…the airport is closed until late tonight. I'm gonna leave in the morning...if you don't mind me staying here another night?"

She nodded, "I'm going back to work tomorrow too. I should call Lucy later and make sure she can get here." She let her hand rest on her stomach, "I think I'm going to tell her about the twins."

"Really?" Elliot asked, sitting next to her. "I think that's a good idea, but you said you didn't want to."

Olivia coughed again, harder this time and then cleared her throat to speak, "You said everyone can tell because of how fat I am anyway…" she leaned back and closed her eyes, resting her hand on her stomach as she coughed once more.

Elliot walked over and sat next to her, "Are you feeling all right?" he asked. "Are you getting sick?"

"I don't get sick," Olivia opened her eyes and yawned. "I'm just tired…and I have a tickle in my throat. I just need a drink." She started to get up, but he put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll get it," he offered walking to the kitchen and pouring a glass of the pink gingerale she liked so much and bringing it back to her. "Here," he handed it to her and she took a drink. "And I didn't say people can tell because you're fat…I said you're starting to show now…and you are…"

"I feel fat," she admitted, sitting the drink on the coffee table and running her hand over her stomach. "Maybe if I could feel the twins…you know, be able to identify that they're in there or something…" she sighed, "But it feels like all of the sudden my clothes don't fit and my stomach just feels puffy and swollen and there's no sign of the babies…"

Elliot laughed, "Liv…being puffy and swollen is the sign the babies are there…you can't feel them for a while…that's just the way it is."

"I know," she sighed, coughing again…this time longer and harder than before.

Elliot reached out, putting his hand to her forehead, "I think you have a fever," he said seriously. "You caught Noah's crud…"

Olivia shook her head, "I'm fine," she argued. "I don't get sick."

"I've seen you sick before, Liv," he disagreed. "And pregnancy weakens your immune system. If you don't take care of yourself it's gonna get worse."

"El, I'm okay," she insisted. "A little cough isn't a big deal."

"And a fever," he reminded her. "It's not good for the babies. Let me help you back to bed…"

"No," Olivia argued. "I'll just lay here on the couch…watch some horrible daytime television. I want to be close to Noah in case he needs me."

"Liv…I'm here," he told her, "I can take care of Noah…and you…"

"I don't need you to," she argued.

"I want to…" Elliot said gently, walking into the bedroom and grabbing a pillow and the extra blanket from the night before and bringing them to the living room. "Here…" he helped her lift her head and placed the pillow under her and then wrapped the warm blanket around her. Then he gave her the TV remote and brushed her hair back, feeling her forehead again, "Do you need anything else? Are you hungry? You haven't had lunch."

"I don't feel like eating," she admitted and he nodded.

"See…" he said. "You're sick. I knew it…" But she didn't answer him. She just snuggled down under the covers and fell asleep.

January 29, 2015 2:30PM

"El…" she moaned, her voice raspy from the coughing, and he came over, sitting on the edge of the sofa and checking her forehead again. "What time is it?"

"2:30," he whispered. "You've been asleep a while. Do you feel better?"

She started coughing and couldn't seem to stop and he helped her take a sip of her gingerale, "I think I feel worse…" she reluctantly admitted and she rubbed her hand over the swell of her stomach, "My stomach hurts, El…"

"Are you gonna throw up?" he asked. "I can grab the trashcan…"

"No," she shook her head. "I'm not nauseous. It hurts…" and she started coughing again, clutching her stomach painfully.

"Okay…" he said gently, "You're gonna be all right. Show me where it hurts…" he asked nervously.

"Right here," she pushed on the side of her stomach and winced a little at the pain. "El…I'm scared something's wrong."

He put his hand where she was pushing and rubbed gently, "Nothing's wrong," he assured her. "It's from the coughing, Liv. Your abdominal muscles are weak from the pregnancy already, and the coughing is making it worse. You were coughing pretty hard in your sleep. That's all it is, I'm sure…" He brushed her hair back from her face and forced a smile, "You're gonna be fine…okay? I'll be right back…" he went into the kitchen and emerged several minutes later with an ice pack and a steaming hot cup. "We're gonna hold this on your belly…where it hurts…" he said as he pushed the ice pack into her skin and she winced. "I know it's cold…but it'll help."

"It's gonna freeze the babies," she cried.

He laughed, "No it won't. They are fine…trust me. Ice is good…it will help with the pain, and it will bring your temperature down. I don't want your fever to spike." He lifted the cup to her lips, "Sip this…it's hot so be careful…but it will help with the coughing…"

"What is that?" she sputtered at the bitterness. "El, I can't take medicine…"

"I know that," he sighed, "It's not medicine. It's lemon juice and honey and hot water…it'll help with the cough. Drink it." He watched as she sipped a little more until her cough subsided and she leaned back on the sofa, the ice pack pressed against her. "You're okay, Liv…but you are sick…no more arguing about it…"

"I feel like garbage," she admitted. "Where's the baby?" she looked around, not seeing him until Elliot moved over a little and she noticed him in his playpen. "How's he feeling?"

"His fever is gone…and his cough is pretty light…he's playing with his toys…" Elliot told her. "I think he gave all his sick germs to you." He teased.

"At least mine won't turn into bronchitis and an asthma attack," she yawned. "Elliot…thanks…for taking care of us…"

"Hey, that's what friends do right?" he winked at her.

"Do you know what else friends do?" she asked with a slight chuckle. "They make their friends grilled cheese and tomato soup when they're sick."

"Oh they do…do they?" he laughed and she nodded. He handed her the cup again, "Drink all of this for me…" he insisted. "And if you do, I'll make the grilled cheese and soup for you."

She took another sip, making a face at the taste, "El…this is so gross. I can't drink it. It's gonna make me throw up…"

"No it won't," he insisted, realizing she was a worse patient than any of his kids had ever been. "It will make you feel better…and if you want the grilled cheese…you'll drink it."

"You're so unfair," she downed the remainder of the warm liquid and sat the cup down on the table. "There…" she grimaced. "Are you happy now?"

"You're not coughing…" he told her with a smile. "So yeah…I'm happy." He put his hand on her side, feeling the coolness of the ice pack, "How's the pain?" he asked.

She shrugged, "Better…a lot better…" She ran her fingers delicately along his hand, not wanting him to move it just yet and he stared at her with a grin. "El…thanks…really, you didn't have to do all this…"

"I want to take care of you," he insisted, grabbing the ice pack and standing up, "I'll put this in the freezer and grab another one if you need it…"

"You know what I need?" she said seriously and he looked at her with concern. "I need a grilled cheese…" she laughed and he shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Grilled cheese and tomato soup…coming right up," he laughed and walked into the kitchen.

January 29, 2015 3:40PM

Olivia sat the remainder of her food on the coffee table and watched as Noah toddled over to Elliot who was sitting on the floor playing with him. Her little boy was obviously feeling better, and he was enjoying bringing his toy car to Elliot and chasing after it when Elliot would roll in across the room. It was rare to see her son interacting with anyone other than Lucy or herself, and she was glad he seemed to like Elliot so much. It would be good when the twins arrived, if Noah also had a connection to their father…she knew she shouldn't be thinking about that though. Noah was her son, not Elliot's and technically the twins were hers too. She'd promised to let Elliot be involved, but right now she wasn't even sure what that meant. She pushed herself up from the sofa and Elliot stood up and rushed over to her, "Hey…what's wrong? Why are you getting up?" he asked anxiously.

She laughed, "I have to go to the bathroom…two glasses of gingerale and that disgusting concoction you shoved down my throat…plus twins resting on my bladder…I know they're small, but they still make me pee a lot…"

"Okay," he laughed. "I get it…you don't have to try to make me feel stupid."

"I'm not," she said with a grin, walking out of the room and returning a few minutes later with her glasses and a stack of magazines and a paperback book. She settled herself back on the couch and Elliot walked over and sat next to her while Noah played with his car some more.

"Feeling better?" he asked, as she flipped through the magazine. She nodded and he looked at her half-eaten sandwich on the table, "You didn't finish your food," he said.

She looked at him, "I couldn't…after you made me drink that honey-lemon crap I felt like throwing up…"

"Oh geez, Liv," he rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest. That crap helped. You haven't coughed since…"

"I'm just teasing," she sighed. "I'm not very hungry now." She put her hand to her stomach, "Lately, with the pregnancy…cheese makes me feel kind of blah…"

"Then why'd you ask for grilled cheese?" Elliot shook his head. "I could have made you something else."

"I was craving grilled cheese," she said seriously. "I'm just kind of uncomfortable now from eating it. I'll be fine in a while. I'm just having trouble digesting cheese lately."

"Why didn't you say something?" Elliot asked. "I could have made a half sandwich or used less cheese or something. If you're having issues…you should tell me…"

Olivia rolled her eyes, "You want me to tell you when I feel gassy and bloated?" she sighed. "It's embarrassing and it's none of your business. I wanted the grilled cheese…you made me the grilled cheese…the fact that I feel crummy is all on me."

He noticed the way her face blushed and her eyes were glassy with tears and he put his hand carefully on her stomach, "Liv…you don't have to be embarrassed to tell me things like that. It's a normal pregnancy symptom…and it's worse with twins…"

"Everything is worse with twins," she groaned, picking up the magazine and flipping through it again, and Elliot decided it would be best to change the subject.

"What're you reading?" he asked, and she held it up so he could see, "Baby Magazine…anything interesting in there?" he asked.

"There's an article on how to choose the perfect name for your baby," she sighed. "I've read it a million times." She motioned over to the other magazines and the book, "All of those magazines have basically the same article…and that is a baby-name book…" she looked tearful. "I can't think of names for the twins."

"Liv…" he said sincerely. "You have time. They won't be here for six months."

"But most women have an idea…you know…a favorite name they've had stored in the back of their mind…" she shook her head, "I don't…and now I need two names."

"You don't even know the sex of the babies yet," he reminded her. "You can't choose until you know if you need two boy names or two girl names or one of each."

"I thought I'd pick a few of each," she said. "And then choose for certain when I know…but I don't like any of the names." She felt a wet tear slide down her cheek and quickly brushed it away. "The magazine articles all say you should think of someone close to you…your mother, your father, an aunt or uncle…someone who meant something important in your life…and think of a variation of that name to give your child a special name…I don't have anyone special…"

"It's okay," he squeezed her hand and reached for the baby-name book. "You don't have to name the babies after anyone. Most people just pick a name they like. Let's look through here and see what stands out." He opened the book to the letter S and read off a few names, "Solomon, Spencer, Steven…" he looked at her and could tell she wasn't impressed.

"They all sound too…I don't know…boring…" she sighed. "Besides…those are all boy names. I could have a girl…or two…"

He laughed and flipped to the girl names, "Sarah, Sophie, Stephanie…" he suggested.

"Why are you stuck on the letter S?" she asked, coughing and trying to clear her throat and reaching for her gingerale.

"You okay?" he asked. "I can make some more lemon and honey…"

"No…" she cringed. "I'm fine…thanks…"

He laughed, "I like the S names. Little Spencer and Sophie Stabler…I think they sound adorable…"

"El…" she looked at him and she knew she was going to break his heart, but as much as she didn't want to hurt him, it had to be said. "Elliot…the babies…their last name is Benson."

"Oh…" he said, more surprised than he should have. "I guess…I just thought…I don't know what I thought. You're right…I'm sorry…"

"I don't want their names to be different than mine," she tried to explain. "And Noah's last name will be Benson when the adoption is finalized. They should have the same last name as their brother…"

"Sure…you're right," he sighed, flipping to the letter N. "Maybe we'll look through the Ns then," he suggested. "So they can all have the same initials."

"El…" she said sadly. "Are you okay with this?"

He nodded, "Of course…they're your babies and you can name them whatever you want. How about Nathaniel or Nico or Nolan?" He looked at her, his own eyes moist with tears he struggled to hold back. She didn't need to know he was hurt. He had no right to be. "Oh right…you want a girl name," he forced a smile, "Nadia or Natasha or Nina…what about Natalie…I always liked that name…"

"I don't think I feel up to this," she said, coughing again and pulling the blanket up over her. "I'm tired…and my stomach kind of hurts…"

"Okay," he sat the book down and stood up so she could lay across the sofa. "You go back to sleep…" he said and he walked over to where Noah was playing with his toy car and sat down on the floor with him, putting the baby in his lap and pushing the car across the floor, laughing when the baby stood up and toddled after it. Olivia watched them, noticing her son growing tired of the game, but before he could fuss, Elliot picked him up and grabbed a book, reading it to him and holding the little boy's attention with his silly voices and gentle tickles. Her eyes were full of tears, and she couldn't hold them back as they fell down her cheeks and onto the pillow. She closed her eyes, but she couldn't fall asleep. All she could do was think.

More as soon as I can...thanks for your patience!