I've Got A Secret
~oOo~
Part 2
Second Trimester
Elliot still couldn't believe that the woman he loved was pregnant with his baby. He'd thought about it over the years, but after getting back together with Kathy, then ghosting Olivia for ten years, he didn't think she would have given him another chance.
But now, here he was, placing her hands on her growing abdomen, resting his head on her stomach and hearing their baby move around again.
Their baby.
Olivia was now going to have to take things easy for the remainder of her pregnancy, not being able to go out into the field.
Even though she would miss being able to do her job fully, she understood that she needed to take care of herself and her unborn child.
"I love you both," he said, kissing her belly, then moving up to kiss her on the lips.
"We love you too," she answered, kissing him back.
~oOo~
Being that she was eighteen weeks pregnant meant more changes to her body.
Her bump had grown more, her breasts started aching and had grown a full cup size, and she had suddenly developed food cravings.
One day, it was dried mango.
The next day, it was boba tea, though she had to watch how much she had since she was limited as to how much caffeine she drank.
But that wasn't all of the new changes that came with the eighteen-week mark.
She suddenly got a huge spike in her libido, and nearly every night that week, she and Elliot were having sex.
And it seemed as though the pattern was going to continue, because as soon as Elliot got home from work, she was kissing him and leading him down the hall to their bedroom.
He certainly wasn't complaining about her increased libido.
Once she settled on the bed, he was immediately pulling down her yoga pants, which were pretty much the only thing she was wearing these days.
He kissed her bump first, listening for the telltale gurgles that their baby was active. He didn't hear any at that moment, so he figured that their daughter was asleep.
"Please," he heard Olivia say. "I need you."
He pulled her underwear down her legs and tossed them onto the floor next to her pants.
She settled onto her back, but it wasn't something she would be able to do for very long.
He knew what she wanted, but he wanted her to be comfortable, so he told her to flip over and get on her hands and knees.
"It'll be easier on you," he said. "It'll take the pressure off your spine."
Olivia adjusted her position and found that Elliot was right—her spine was already feeling a bit better.
Elliot settled behind her on the bed, placing his hands on her lower back and massaging gently.
She let out a groan at the feeling of his hands on her.
Her back had been killing her lately from the increased weight gain and loosening joints, so a massage was definitely something she needed.
"Feeling better, baby?" he asked.
"Actually, yes," she said. "Thank you…"
"You're welcome."
Now that she wasn't in pain, she wanted to experience pleasure.
Olivia leaned down so that she was resting on her elbows, taking the pressure off of her hands.
Elliot lowered his head, letting his mouth cover the swollen bundle of nerves, feeling her shudder a bit from the pleasure.
Olivia's hands gripped the bed sheets in response.
"Oh god," she said. "El, please."
She'd been needing this.
His mouth felt so fucking good, and she couldn't help but push her hips back, wanting more.
"I've got you, Liv," he said. "Do you want me to stop?"
"N-no…keep going…"
He did exactly what she told him to do, and it didn't take her long to come, her entire body shuddering as she did.
~oOo~
It was also during that week that Olivia felt their baby kick for the first time.
She was once again drinking boba tea—the flavor combination this time being green tea flavored with peach and strawberry.
As she chewed on a couple pieces of boba, she felt the baby kick, and she immediately called Elliot over.
"El, she kicked!" Olivia said. "Come quick!"
He'd been in the kitchen preparing a mid-afternoon snack for himself when she called him over, and he immediately made his way over to her, placing a hand on her stomach and feeling the baby move.
"Hi in there," he replied, kissing her bump. "It's Daddy. Your mommy and I are looking forward to meeting you in a few months. Just try not to kick on her bladder too much, okay?"
Olivia smiled at the sight of her boyfriend talking to their baby.
She still couldn't believe that she was actually having a baby, something that she'd long since given up on.
But now, Elliot had made this a reality, and she would be forever grateful to him for it.
~oOo~
The twenty-week anatomy scan further confirmed the blood work that Olivia had done earlier in her pregnancy.
She and Elliot were indeed having a girl, and the tech showed off the ultrasound photos, proving the baby's gender.
Now that the ultrasound had truly confirmed that their unborn child was a girl, Elliot and Olivia could begin to work on setting up a nursery for her.
Since they were living in a house, they decided to turn one of the guest rooms into the nursery. It would take some time to get all of the furniture and everything else that they were going to need for the room, but they did decide on the paint color—pastel pink.
Even just picking out furniture and paint colors was something that Olivia was growing to enjoy, and Elliot was just as excited about it as she was.
Since the paint fumes would prove hazardous to her health, Olivia wasn't going to be able to paint the nursery.
While she was disappointed about it, she knew it was better to be cautious and not put herself at risk.
Maureen and Carl volunteered to help Elliot with the painting, which would be taking place the next day.
Life truly was good.
~oOo~
Third Trimester
Olivia was getting towards the end of her pregnancy, and while she had initially enjoyed it in the beginning, her symptoms were becoming nuisances.
She was now thirty-six weeks pregnant.
Her bump was huge and putting a lot of pressure on her spine.
She'd gained forty pounds total, and her ankles were swollen with fluid, which was contributing to the weight gain.
Olivia was also having to take about four to five TUMS a day due to heartburn.
While she'd initially enjoyed spicy food at the beginning, her heartburn was causing her pain, so she decided to stop eating anything spicy until after the baby was born.
Her libido had taken a nosedive once she hit the thirty-four week mark. Her body had become incredibly sensitive and sore from the weight gain, and her back was killing her. She told Elliot that she couldn't really have sex until after she gave birth and was healed up, and he understood, since he'd gone through it before.
~oOo~
She hated her hormones for making her so emotional.
But sometimes, she couldn't help it.
Olivia wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed as though Elliot had been getting hit on a lot more.
She'd be sitting near him and a random woman would come up and flirt with him. While he either ignored the flirty remarks or politely told them that he had a girlfriend, he still wasn't free from being hit on.
It made Olivia feel both jealous and insecure.
She physically didn't feel great due to her pregnancy symptoms, and she also didn't have high self-esteem.
She asked herself how Elliot could still find her attractive, when she was forty pounds heavier and her wrists and ankles were swollen with fluid.
He had reassured her that she had nothing to be ashamed of.
"You're growing a new life," he told her. "Your body's changed to accommodate our baby. This is normal—you're still so beautiful, Olivia. I love you, and I love our daughter. You're going to be a great mom. You already are with Noah."
She felt a few tears forming in her eyes, feeling touched by his words.
~oOo~
At thirty-nine weeks, her water broke.
She'd already been dealing with mild contractions for several days, but over the last few hours, they'd been getting more intense to the point where she was having to lean against the wall every few minutes. The pain would either be in her back or stomach, or it would wrap all the way around.
Elliot had gone to pick up Noah from his after-school tutoring when he got the call from Olivia, telling him that her water had broken.
"Noah," Elliot said. "I need you to do me a favor when we get home."
"Yeah?" he asked. "What is it?"
"I need you to go and grab your mom's hospital bag. Your little sister is going to be born soon, and we need to go to the hospital right away."
Noah understood what he needed to do and as soon as they got to the house, Elliot heard Olivia crying out in pain.
"I'm here, baby," Elliot said, rushing over to her side, while Noah hurried down to the bedroom to grab the bag. He also grabbed his tablet and chargers, then headed back to where Elliot and Olivia were.
Elliot was helping her to the car, helping her to get settled in the passenger's seat.
Once everyone was settled, Elliot drove them to the hospital, where Olivia was admitted right away.
~oOo~
Labor was painful.
Olivia had only heard stories of how bad it was, but to actually experience it, were two different things.
She made sure to get an epidural, since she knew it would get even more painful as her labor progressed.
Maureen and Kathleen came to stay with Noah, and they took him out to dinner as a means of keeping him occupied. He was worried about his mom, but he knew she wasn't alone. They returned to the waiting room when they were done eating.
Elliot came to meet them, and said that they could home for now, because at the moment, Olivia was resting. It was going to be a long night, and he didn't want to have Noah waiting around.
"I'll call you when the baby is born," Elliot told Maureen. "I promise, you'll be the first ones to know."
Maureen took Noah to her place, where he could spend some time with Seamus and Kieran.
Olivia ended up dozing off for several hours until the doctor came in and did a vaginal exam, telling her that she was going to be given a dose of Pitocin to help move things along, since she was nearly fully dilated.
After receiving the medication, it only took about 20 minutes for it to take effect, and Olivia was ready to start pushing.
Elliot was by her side the whole time, giving her words of encouragement, and telling her that she was doing a good job. She tightly gripped his hand as the contractions continued, pushing when she was supposed to.
She was feeling quite tired, exerting every ounce of her strength. There was a point where she felt like giving up, having been completely exhausted and feeling as if she had no strength left to push.
"You've got this, Olivia," the OB said. "The head is out. A couple more pushes, and she will be here."
She told herself that she could do this, and pushed twice more.
Olivia and Elliot soon heard their baby girl's cry as the doctor placed her on Olivia's chest.
"Hi…" she said. "Hi, baby. I love you so much."
Elliot placed a kiss on Olivia's forehead before cutting the umbilical cord.
The OB then took the baby for a minute to get her weight and height, as well as putting a diaper on her.
"This little one is seven pounds, twelve ounces, and twenty inches long," the doctor said. "She looks great. Do we have a name for her?"
The couple looked at one another before announcing her name.
"Ellie."
~oOo~
Maureen got the call from Elliot around ten minutes later, and she was delighted to hear about her half-sister's arrival into the world.
She drove Noah to the hospital, and he got to meet Ellie.
"Hi," he said, stroking her cheek gently. "I'm Noah, your big brother. I'm going to protect you."
Olivia leaned down to place a kiss on Ellie's forehead, happy to see Noah settling into his role as a big brother very quickly.
She looked at her little family, and she finally felt complete.
The author of this SVU - Heart for the Holidays story will be revealed in January