"Really, El, you don't have to come. Dr. Lewis said it will just be lab work and a confirmatory ultrasound. Nothing I can't handle," Olivia insisted as she was grabbing her keys. Elliot grabbed his jacket from the coat rack.
"I know you can handle it," he replied, planting a kiss on his wife's cheek. "But the only way I'm missing these appointments is if I'm dead, in jail, or in the hospital." Liv gave him a sideways look.
"You better not be in any of those situations."
"Then I guess I'm coming," he gave her his shit-eating grin as he held the door open.
"Stabler!" the nurse yelled into the waiting room. Olivia and Elliot stood up and followed the lady into an exam room. It was a small space with an exam table, two chairs, an ultrasound machine, fetal monitoring, a sink, and cabinets for supplies. "Here is a sheet. Go a head and undress from the waist down and the ultrasound tech will be with you shortly." The lady soon left, leaving the two alone.
"You heard the lady," Elliot smirked at his wife, ready for the show. Liv shot him a glance before stripping down. She tucked her panties into her jeans, trying to hide them before her husband chimed in. "You're about to get real personal with them, Liv. I doubt they care what your panties look like."
"I don't know. It's just something about them seeing my panties," she stated as she climbed onto the exam table, draping her bare thighs in the sorry excuse for a sheet. There was a faint knock on the door before the ultrasound tech entered.
"Hey everyone. I'm Becca, and I will be taking your ultrasound today. Can I just have you confirm your name and date of birth for me?" the lady introduced.
"Olivia Benson-Stabler. February 7, 1968," Liv replied.
"Awesome. I'm just going to take some measurements and images before the doctor comes in," Becca explained as she got her station set up. "If you want to go ahead and lay back and bring your butt all the way to the edge of the table and put your feet in the stirrups." Liv did as she was told, exposing herself for the lady. "And dad, if you can get the lights for me, it will make viewing easier". Elliot flipped the light switch before joining his wife's side. "You're going to feel some slight pressure, but there should not be any pain," the ultrasound technician instructed as she lubricated the ultrasound rod.
"That's nothing for her," Elliot smirked, mumbling under his breath. Liv gave him her "stern wife" look, something she had perfected in the past few months.
"I can't take you anywhere," she stated as she rolled her eyes annoyed, smacking her husband with the back of her hand playfully before returning it to its position over her head. Stabler let out a chuckle.
"On three," Becca guided. "One. Two…"
"Dang that's cold!" Olivia flinched as the chilled lubricant touched her warm skin. It was sexy when her husband put ice down there, but not so much when an ultrasound probe was being stuffed inside her.
"I'm sorry!" the tech apologized. "That's one of the downfalls of having an early morning appointment. The jelly has not had time to warm up yet." She adjusted the settings on the ultrasound as she tried to pull the picture into view, the wand slowly rotating inside of Liv. "And there we go!" The lady pointed to the black and white screen. "You see that flicker right there? That's your baby's heartbeat. It's still too early to hear it, but it's ticking away in there." Elliot grabbed Olivia's hand, squeezing it tight.
"And it's in the right place?" Liv asked nervously as she studied the screen. Please let it be in the right place she pleaded.
"It's right where it should be. Safe inside your uterus." The Stabler's let out an audible sigh of relief. Their baby had implanted properly, and it had a good heartbeat. Elliot planted a kiss on his wife's forehead, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.
"It's ok," he mumbled against her skin relieved. "It's ok."
"Let me just take a few more measurements and then Dr. Lewis will come talk to you guys."
Once Becca was finished with the scan, it was not long for the doctor to come in.
"Congratulations you two!" Dr. Lewis greeted as he entered the room, followed closely by a nurse. "Baby looks good! They're in the right place. Their heartbeat is looking good. You're measuring at 6 weeks and 3 days, which is right on track from your last period." The doctor walked over and started pressing on Olivia's abdomen, completing his physical exam while he talked to the couple. He put his stethoscope in his ears and listened to her heart and lungs. "I just need to do a quick pelvic exam, if that is ok with you?" Liv propped her feet back in the stirrups, implying consent to continue. The cold speculum was not different than the cold jelly she had just experience, neither being more pleasant than the other. The doctor was quick and accurate with his work, completing his exam and handing Liv tissues to clean herself up. "Do you two have any questions for me?" he asked as he washed his hands in the sink.
"How often do you want to see me?" the expectant mother asked.
"I want you to come in every two weeks, since you're technically a high-risk pregnancy given your history and age."
"And what about work? You know we're cops. When do I need to go to desk work, because I would like to be in the field as long as possible."
"You're still good to do field work until 18 weeks. Obviously don't go running into a shootout or burning building, but otherwise you should be fine. After 18 weeks, I want you on light duty around the precinct. You don't need any unnecessary stress."
"You hear that, honey?" Olivia sarcastically pointed out to her husband. "I'm good for another 12 weeks."
"Do you have any more questions?" the doctor followed up.
"I think that's all for now."
"In that case you can get dressed and I will see you again in two weeks." Once the couple were alone again, Liv stood up and clothed her lower half.
"And they didn't see your panties," Elliot chuckled.
"I'll see you later, honey," Liv departed as she gave her partner a kiss before climbing out of the car. "I should be done around 2pm, but it just depends on how long the other witnesses take."
"No rush. I'll let Cragen know everything looks good. Just keep me updated about how it goes," Elliot instructed. Olivia shut the door behind her and made her way up the courthouse steps. She wasn't scheduled to be on the stand for another hour and a half, but she wanted to listen to the other witnesses' testimonies.
"Hey Liv!" Casey exclaimed as she greeted her friend at the top of the courthouse steps, giving her a hug. "Stabler's not coming in? He doesn't normally drive you unless he's staying."
"No. We just had an appointment this morning that he drove me to. He's needed back at the office, but he wishes you good luck on the case."
"That's sweet of him. Why don't we head into my office, and we can go over your statement one more time. The judge called a one-hour recess for lunch, so we have time." The two made their way through the familiar halls towards Novak's office. "Is that a new shirt?" she asked her friend once in the room.
"Nope. I've had it for a while now. Surely I've worn it before," Liv replied.
"Huh. Maybe you have and I just hadn't noticed. Either way, it makes your boobs look good." Olivia looked down to observe herself. My boobs don't look that big, do they? They're sore as hell, though Olivia thought to herself.
"Do you want anything to drink before we begin?" her friend asked, bringing her attention back.
"I'm good for now but thank you." Benson took a seat across from her friend, wincing as her chest ached. "Actually, do you have any Tylenol? I'm just a little sore."
"New work-out?" Novak asked as she rummaged through her desk, pulling out handfuls of papers as she searched for the bottle of pills. Somehow this woman's life was an organized chaos, but she kept it all together. She found what she was looking for and tossed her friend a small white container. "I just have Advil."
"Thanks, but I'd prefer Tylenol."
"I have snacks if you're worried about taking it on an empty stomach." Casey pulled a granola bar from the same drawer the medicine had been in.
"It's not that. Advil just hasn't been sitting well with me recently." The counselor paused, contemplating her friend's response.
"You're not pregnant, are you?" Casey posed, giving her friend a suspicious look.
"Can't I just be sore?" Silence fell over the room as Novak held Olivia's gaze, drawing out a genuine response. "You really should have skipped law school and became a cop." Benson pulled a sonogram picture out of her pocket.
"Oh. My. God. Olivia! Why didn't you tell me!" the redhead exclaimed as she grasped the piece of paper. "How far along are you?"
"Shh, Case. We haven't told anyone but Cragen yet. We just had our first ultrasound this morning," Liv hushed. "It's in a good spot in my uterus and has a strong heartbeat. My next appointment is in two weeks. They currently have me at 6 weeks and 3 days." Casey stood up and walked around her desk to give her friend a hug.
"That's wonderful, Olivia! I'm so happy for you two! You deserve this." The redhead placed her hand on Benson's flat stomach. "You're going to be a wonderful mother."