A/N: This is next part of the previous chapter. I don't own any of the characters except my own.
The Accident - Part 2
The next couple weeks had gone by quickly. Olivia had talked to Fin and Phoebe and Amanda and Sonny regularly. Justin and Olive had made an offer on a place and it had been accepted, so they were getting as much done as they could to get the house ready to be put on the market.
Matt had come back to Chicago to go with Hank and Olivia to their doctor's appointment. They had both been cleared to travel and Hank had been cleared to start PT, which he would start when they got back to New York.
They took the Moores up on their offer to go back to New York on their private jet. David contacted the pilot and got things ready. They had gotten everything packed up and headed to the airport. None of them had ever traveled by a private jet before and the kids could not get over how big it was. Everyone boarded and found a seat. David and Stephanie told them they had access to whatever they wanted, including the wifi.
"How much money do we need to buy one of these?"
"A lot, so that won't be on my salary."
Once everyone was settled, the pilot and co-pilot introduced themselves to everyone before they took off. The kids found something to occupy themselves, while Hank and Olivia relaxed.
"This is so much nicer than flying commercial."
"Yeah, it is."
"I'm happy we're heading home."
"Me too. I never realized how small my house was until there were 12 of us livin' there. Our condo is bigger."
"It sure is. Are things ok with Erin?"
"Yeah. Her last day with the FBI is July 3rd. She said her boss was not too pleased with her but she said something had to change and if they wanted to get rid of her sooner, then fine. She has to train her replacement. I think she's been unhappy for a while and just wasn't sure how to bring it up."
"Like since the two of you got married and Kevin was born."
"Exactly. I don't blame her for feeling the way she does about it. I know she was afraid to make a commitment because of what's happened with some of her co-workers. Some of them are divorced and she didn't want that to happen to us. I knew she traveled a lot when we first got together and I wasn't going to let it bother me because I loved her."
"She told me she should have gotten a job with SVU instead of the FBI because she has wanted to work with me for a while. This is actually coming at a good time. I don't even know how long I'll be off."
"We'll see how things go in another couple weeks. The doc was very happy with how everything looked so far. I got you both an appointment to see the orthopedic specialist I deal with at the end of next week."
"Are you taking us to that?"
"Yes, I will."
"Just so we know who's taking us. Justin, Olive and the kids are coming out in a couple weeks, so at least that should give everyone else a break."
"They'll be here for the 4th of July, right?"
"Yeah, which is what was originally planned but Olive had even said if they have to change it and come sooner or stay longer, they will."
"The middle to the end of July my parents will be gone for a couple weeks. They're going to Italy and Greece. My sister and I, along with Erin, Mitch, the kids and my aunts and uncles, are paying for them to go. They're celebrating 40 years of marriage this year."
"That sounds like it'll be an amazing trip for them. Ed said he'll do what he can too. He had already said he could stay with us the days your mom didn't."
"Ok."
"Was Milo ok?"
"He was but he missed everyone."
"We missed him too."
The flight was pretty quick. They landed in New York and then they had an SUV waiting for them when they got there. Their stuff was unloaded and then they got into the SUV. Matt asked to be dropped off at the parking garage, so he could get the SUV that was there. The driver dropped him off and then they went to Hank and Olivia's condo. They were dropped off right by the door and then Matt joined them as soon as he found a place to park. The driver helped bring their stuff in. Hank was going to tip him but he already said that Mr. Moore had taken care of everything. Hank sat down to get his leg up and Matt helped Olivia out of the wheelchair and into her recliner. Everyone else took the bags wherever they needed to go.
"I am so glad to be home."
"Me too."
"This will be the first night we've slept in the same bed in a while."
"I know. I've missed it."
"Me too."
Erin came in with Kevin and Milo. Milo was happy to see them. He ran over to them and started licking their faces.
"Hey, Boy! We missed you."
"Woof!"
Kevin and Erin both hugged them as well.
"You feel better, Gwama and Papa?"
"Yes, we're feeling better. We missed you."
"I missed you too."
"Go find Jakey."
"Ok, Mama."
Kevin went to find Jake.
"You're around early."
"I have time I need to use up so I took today off to spend with my son. We went to the Zoo."
"That sounds like fun."
"When do you officially start in SVU?"
"I start on July 15th. July 3rd is my last day, so then that gives me some time to spend with the two of you and my boys before I go back to being a cop."
"Your brother is comin' in for the 4th. They'll come in on the 29th and stay until the 7th.
"Ok. At least I will get to spend some time with them. I'm hoping I won't have to travel too much."
"You still are though?"
"Yeah. I leave for DC on Sunday for a few days. This is to meet with my boss' boss."
"You get along pretty well with her though, right?
"Yeah. She actually understands my situation a lot better than he does, since she has a family. She was the one that I reported to when I first started and then she moved to DC after she was promoted. I got along with my current boss at first but lately not so much. I always seem to be the one inconvenienced. A cousin or something of one of my co-workers had a baby when she was out of town and had to join the rest of her family. Did he give her a hard time about that? No. My parents were in a serious accident and he had a fit. I confronted him about it and he said he had been prearranged. That's a bunch of crap! I don't really care anymore. I'm just going to finish my time there and move on with my life. We've been discussing having another baby but I will be 40 next year."
"It's not like it'll be your first though."
"Yeah, I know. I don't necessarily want to start a new job and then be on desk duty already."
"It doesn't matter. If you were to get pregnant now, you'd probably have the baby before you turn 40. Are you pregnant now?"
"I'm not sure yet. Before I left for Dallas, Matt and I had some pretty amazing sex and I was mid-cycle. I should have gotten my period last week but so far, nothing. Although I am tired and Kevin and I both had a long nap after the Zoo"
"I was exhausted before I even found out I was officially pregnant. Does he know this?"
"He does. He's perfectly fine if we have another baby."
Then Matt joined them and kissed Erin.
"Hey, Babe."
"Hey."
"How's everything?"
"I'm tired all the time, so that could mean something."
"It could. Is your mom going to be ok if you're on desk duty right away?"
"She said it didn't matter."
"I'm on desk duty anyway, so it might be nice to have someone to keep me company."
Olivia's phone rang. She noticed it was Fin, so she answered it.
"Hey, Fin."
"Hey. You home yet?"
"Yep."
"You up for some company?"
"Sure."
"Ok. We'll grab dinner and come over if that's ok."
"That's fine."
"Anything in particular you have taste for?"
"Let me ask Hank and the kids."
"Ok."
"Fin is grabbing dinner and coming over. Is there anything we have a taste for?"
"Chinese."
"That works for me. NOAH."
"YEAH."
"COME IN HERE PLEASE."
Noah came into the living room.
"Is Chinese ok for dinner? Uncle Fin wants to grab dinner and come over."
"That works for me."
"Check with your sisters and brother."
"Ok."
Noah went to see what Savannah, Bella and Jake wanted for dinner. Erin and Matt told her what they wanted and what Kevin would eat. Noah came back and told Olivia what they all wanted before he went back to his room. She then told Fin before hanging up. Fin contacted everyone else and found out what they wanted. He ordered the food and then left to pick it up. Everyone that was going over to Hank and Olivia's arrived. The front desk called and said they had visitors and who they were. Olivia said it was ok to send them up.
"Fin contacted everyone he could think of and most of them are here, including Barba."
"How's that gonna go? You were pissed at him for that Damian kid gettin' off."
"Yeah, I know and now he's back on trial. Hopefully the jury will be a lot less biased than the one here was."
There was a knock at the door, so Erin went to answer it. Don and Eileen came in. Trevor came in. Melinda came in. Amanda, Sonny and the kids came in with Frannie and Carisi had lots of food for them, so he headed straight for the kitchen. Ed came in by himself. Kat, Muncy, Velasco and Bruno came in. Ayanna, Jet and Kate came in. Alex and Casey came in. Then Barba came in. Everyone went to hug Hank and Olivia and then the girls went to find Bella and Savannah. Erin found out what everyone wanted to drink.
"How are you?"
"We're a lot better than we were."
"Good."
"Hank, the rest of the squad sends their regards."
"Tell them thanks, Ayanna."
"I will do that."
"Chief Garland said he'll stop by another time. They had dinner plans anyway."
"Ok. Is Patty at work?"
"She is."
Everyone found someplace to sit.
"So, what happened?"
"We were in Chicago for Al Olinsky's retirement and then we had gone out to dinner with Al, Meredith and Trudy. I was driving and this over vehicle slammed into us on the driver's side. I knew my lower leg and arm were broken and Hank knew he had done something to his knee. I broke both the tibia and fibula, so they got me into surgery right away and Hank had a torn ACL but they weren't doing his surgery until morning. Jay Halstead and Kim Burgess were both doing overtime on patrol, so they responded to the accident. I was able to see Hank before he went into surgery and he told me that the person that hit us was Sadie Moore, the girl that was raped by her co-star a couple years ago that we ended up investigating. It turns out that he raped her again and like the last time, he drugged her but she didn't realize she was intoxicated when she got behind the wheel of the car."
"Same drug as before?"
"Yes and the dosage seemed to be a bit stronger. Fin had sent Kim the file from our case. Peter is the Prosecutor on the case and hopefully the jury will be less biased than it was here. We chose not to file charges against Sadie and her parents are taking care of all of our medical expenses that go beyond what their insurance covers. We flew home on their private jet and a car brought us home."
"I still feel like I let you down for losin' that case."
"There were too many young girls on that jury and because he was the one on trial, that clouded their judgement. The way I see it is, just because a guy is hot, famous and has money, doesn't mean he's not capable of committing a crime. Although having a Defense Attorney, who is a former Prosecutor didn't help matters either."
"Honestly, Liv, I was surprised he got off. I knew he was guilty but like you said, that was on the jury. He actually contacted me and asked me if I knew of any lawyers in Chicago. I said I did not, which I don't. That whole case was about him and his ego."
"Are you sure it wasn't about your ego?"
"I was not about my ego."
"You didn't seem to be too concerned about how upset the verdict in that case made the victim or me for that matter. You still got your paycheck, while yet another rapist is allowed to go free and rape the same person again."
"You're the one with the attitude."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. You've been a bitch to me ever since I started working as a Defense Attorney."
"I wonder why. I have nothing good to say about any Defense Attorney."
"You're friends with Langan."
"He's no longer a Defense Attorney and he helped us with both adoptions. Some of them do have redeeming qualities but most of them do not."
"Not everything is about you."
"Not everything is about you either."
"I never said it was."
"Neither did I."
"I thought I was your best friend."
"You are but I still think you're a jerk."
"This is what I miss the most. Honestly, I do miss working on the same side as you. I don't want you to be mad at me anymore."
"Then stop defending rapists."
"You know I can't do that."
"I love you even though you're a pain in the ass. You know that, right?"
"Yeah, I know. I wouldn't be me if I wasn't. I love you too even though you're a pain in the ass."
"I wouldn't be me if I wasn't either and I do hear that from Hank all the time too."
Rafael went over to Olivia and hugged her.
"If there is anything I can do to help Peter get that idiot convicted, I will. When is the trial?"
"I think next week. I told someone to let us know how it goes."
"How's Sadie doin' now, Liv?"
"She's doing quite well considering. I think she'll be doing a lot better when he's actually convicted this time. I need to go to the bathroom.
"Ok."
Matt got Olivia's wheelchair and then he helped her up. He got her in the chair and took her into the master bathroom.
"How long does she have to be in the wheelchair?"
"Just until she can put weight on her leg, which could be a couple months. If she didn't have the cast on her arm, she would be able to use a walker or crutches. Once she can put more weight on it, she will probably be able to use one crutch."
"I feel like this is my fault because I was the lawyer that represented him."
"It's not. She takes these cases personally and she blames herself when the perp walks. Sadie has apologized more than enough for her actions."
"As someone who worked with Liv for quite a while, she has always taken cases personally. I'm proud of everything she has accomplished over the years too. She's climbed the ranks and she fulfilled her dream of becoming a mother."
"I started seein' her differently after the stuff with Lewis. Not too many people know this but I had asked her out for a drink and she said no. That was around the time she started seein' Hank."
"When she told me that, I said she could have gone as long as she didn't give you the wrong impression that she was interested in more."
"I understood and I was fine with that. She came to me regardin' the Johnny D thing and told me that wantin' him to go down had nothin' to do with adoptin' Noah."
"She really appreciated the support you gave her with that. When I decided to transfer here, she told me that I needed to do stuff by the book, since I have a tendency to not sometimes, especially since you two were finally startin' to get along. I know she compared me to her former partner when we first met. She later said she was sorry she did."
"Being with IAB and having dealt with you, Stabler and Amaro, I think I would much rather deal with you. She definitely grew more with Amaro as her partner."
"I completely agree. It took her a while to get over the fact that Stabler just up and left but at least when Amaro left, she still hears from him regularly. Does Nick know about this?"
"She talked to him about a week ago, I think."
Then Matt came back by himself.
"She's resting for a little while. She's pretty tired after the flight. She said she might eat in bed but she hasn't decided for sure yet."
"Ok. I think I'll join her. My knee is bothering me."
"You need help?"
"I think I'm ok."
Hank got out of the recliner and got his crutches. Then he headed to the bedroom to join Olivia.
"How are things really going for them?"
"Mom's a little frustrated because of everything but we're all doing what we can."
"She has a habit of saying she's fine when she's really not."
"She still tries to do that but Dad always tells her that it's ok if she's not fine."
"Mom said you offered to stay with them the days my mom can't."
"Yeah, I did."
"My parents will be gone for a couple weeks in mid to late July, so would you be able to stay with them then?"
"It shouldn't be a problem but I will have to check with Patty. We've been talkin' about takin' the boys somewhere before school starts up again."
"Have you been to Ireland lately?"
"Actually, no. It's been a while. We're talkin' about doin' that next year."
"Eileen and I went in the spring and it was so beautiful."
"I would love to go for St. Patrick's Day but it gets a little crowded then."
"Have you ever been to Oktoberfest?"
"No but I'd like too someday. Patty isn't too into beer though but she said she would love to go to Ireland because of the scenery. It is beautiful. I imagine Germany is too."
"It is. I've been there many times."
"Eileen and I want to go to Germany. We're talking about maybe doing one of those river cruises."
"I've heard those are nice. If you ever plan on going to Germany, let me know and I will let you know some of the places to see."
"We appreciate that, Trevor. Thanks."
"No problem."
"Where are your parents off to?"
"Italy and Greece."
"Oh, wow! That's a nice trip."
"They celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this year, so Erin and I, along with my sister, her husband, all the grandkids and my aunt and uncles, gave them the trip."
"That was nice."
"We wanted to do something special for them."
"Do you have a big family?"
"Both of my parents are one of four kids and they're both the oldest. They all pretty much grew up together but my parents are the only ones that married. Everyone is still close. My dad has all brothers and my mom has all sisters. I have a lot of cousins but my parents decided they only wanted two kids. I was conceived on their honeymoon and my sister is 3 years younger. She and her husband have four girls and they are actually around the same ages as Erin's nieces and nephews."
"She's a nurse, right?"
"Yes. She's a home health nurse, so she said she would help Hank and Olivia with baths and that. My brother-in-law is a Contractor. My brother-in-law's sister watches their kids for them. She and her husband live very close. At times, I wish we could afford a nanny. My mom has mostly taken care of Kevin."
"She doesn't like to though, right?"
"Now that they are both retired, they want to travel more. They can't travel if they have Kevin and I get it."
"Dad loves being at home with their four and Kevin but it's not like he asked for this to happen."
"I know it's not his fault."
"Sonny's niece Mia is around for the summer and wants to spend time with her cousins. If we do that, then that frees up Lucy. We were talkin' to Lucy about all this and she even said if you need her, let her know."
"That'll help. Thanks."
"Sure."
Amanda got up and went to Hank and Olivia's bedroom. She knocked before she went in.
"Come on in, Amanda."
Amanda came in an sat down.
"I was just tellin' Matt and Erin that Mia wants to spend time with the kids this summer, so Lucy is available. She said to call if you need her."
"We may have to."
"If you still need her by the time school starts, we don't mind sharin' her."
"We'll see what happens in the meantime. Hank should be able to drive soon. He's starting PT now that we're home and one of the things Matt was going to work on with him was getting in and out of the SUV."
"I'm in no hurry to drive though."
"How long do you think you'll be off?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I can't put full weight on my leg for 6-8 weeks, so I won't be able to start PT until at least then. When the cast comes off, I'll probably still have to wear a brace or something. With Erin joining the squad, I may decide to stay at the Precinct more even when I'm no longer on desk duty."
Then Erin came into the room and sat in the wheelchair.
"The kids are quiet."
"I think they're just glad to be home. They must be watching a movie or something."
Then Frannie and Milo came in and jumped up on the bed.
Milo kissed Olivia, while Frannie gave Hank kisses and then they switched.
"Thank you, Frannie."
"You haven't seen your Aunt Liv and Uncle Hank in a while, have you?"
"Woof!"
They both snuggled close to Hank and Olivia. Then Melinda, Ayanna, Jet and Kate were standing in the hallway and knocked before they came in.
"Come in. Are you four staying out of trouble?"
"Not really."
"There's no fun in that."
"I agree."
"Me too."
"I figured Fin would have been here by now. I'm getting hungry."
"He was gonna order the food but he was also waitin' for Phoebe. This whole get together was his idea."
"I'm sorry I'm being so unsociable. Sometimes I'm more comfortable being in bed."
"Where did you end up staying?"
"At Justin and Olive's. Matt thought we would be more comfortable being somewhere we were familiar with and he said we were both at risk for falling. The Physical Therapist at Med, who went to school with Matt, agreed. It was also going to be easier for them to bring the necessary equipment to the house than it would the hotel."
"Did the kids stay the whole time?"
"They did. There were seven kids in two bedrooms. Emma is still in with Olive and Justin. They looked at bigger places and made an offer, which was accepted, so they are in the process of getting ready to move. As Olive puts it, they ran out of room two kids ago. They have both said they would love for the entire family to be in one city but prices here are so outrageous. One of the other boroughs would be more reasonable but the commute gets to be crazy no matter where you are. We chose to stay in Manhattan because it was closer for our jobs."
"New Jersey would be more reasonable than living here but again, you have the commute."
"I like being closer if I have a call in the middle of the night. I don't want to have to deal a long drive."
"That makes sense. You're in a nice location where you are."
"Erin and Matt are pretty close too, which also helps."
"I'm lookin' forward to you comin' to SVU."
"Me too."
"What made you decide to leave the FBI?"
"Honestly, the traveling. I hate being away from my husband and son for as long as I am sometimes. I probably should have taken a job with SVU instead. I've wanted to work with Liv ever since we met. I just didn't want to disappoint my family."
"I would never be disappointed in you. I'm proud of Justin too. He decided he wanted to get into computers and the Army paid for his schooling. Now he has a good job in IT. Compared to what I had to deal with after Camille passed, he has really grown up since his time in the Army and becomin' a dad. I get where you're comin' from with wantin' to be around more for your son. I probably should have been around more for Justin after Camille's death and the only reason I wasn't around for you was because Bunny lied about who your father really was for all those years. I wanted to be a better father to Noah, the girls and Jake than I ever was to you and Justin."
"I've never held that against you. It was completely on Bunny. She would always tell me that you were the one that was going to get me killed but she was the one that was trying to get me to go down the wrong path after what happened to Nadia. She's the one I would not allow to be in Kevin's life for any reason. Once I moved here, I cut her out of my life completely. I was not surprised when Jay called and said that she had died of an overdose."
"Did you ever have a girl's name picked out when you were pregnant with Kevin?"
"Not really but she definitely would have had Nadia as one of her names."
"What's Kevin's middle name?"
"Oliver. My father-in-law's name is Oliver and that's also Matt's middle name as well as being named after his grandma. Atwater thinks we named him after him but we didn't. It was a name we both liked. Matt kind of liked Oliver Henry after both grandpas but I wasn't sure we needed an Olivia, Olive and Oliver in the same family. Matt agreed after I pointed that out."
"That makes sense. When Sonny and I found out we were havin' a boy, all he wanted was to name him Dominick III. His dad goes by Dom and he goes by Sonny, so we agreed that our son would go by Nicky.
"Have your in-laws been to Europe before?"
"They have been to the UK, Ireland, France, Portugal and Spain so far. They mentioned they also want to go to Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Scandinavian countries too."
"Have you been to Europe?"
"No. Matt and I went to Hawaii on our honeymoon. I wouldn't mind going to the UK though."
"Have you been to Europe, Liv?"
"Hank took me to Paris for our honeymoon. I would love to go to Italy someday though."
"Sonny wants to take me to Italy sometime. Believe it or not, I've never been out of the US."
"Has he been to Italy?"
"He's been there but he wants to experience it again with me. We never had much of a honeymoon."
They all talked for a while longer until Fin and Phoebe arrived and then they all ate. Olivia contacted Lucy to see if she could come over tomorrow. She said she would. Matt also contacted his mother to see if she could come over as well. While everyone was still there, Matt and Erin left to go get their stuff and the dog to stay with Hank and Olivia at night. Erin mentioned to him about Olivia saying she would love to go to Italy and suggested doing something for their 10th wedding anniversary next year. He said he thought it was a good idea and suggested they talk to Justin and Olive about it. She said she would run it by Noah too. When they got back, everyone was still there but soon decided to call it a night. Erin helped Olivia get ready for bed and they got her settled in, while Hank got ready for bed. The kids got ready for bed and came to say goodnight. Everyone gave Olivia a hug and a kiss goodnight and then once Hank got into bed, they did the same with him. Hank and Olivia decided to watch TV for a while, so Hank put his arms around Olivia and then found something to watch. Erin and Matt went to tuck the kids in and once they were all in bed, they went into Noah's room. They knocked before they went in.
"Come on in."
They opened the door and went inside.
"Can we run something by you?"
"Yeah, sure."
They both sat on the edge of Noah's bed.
"Mom was mentioning that she would love to go to Italy. I was thinking that maybe we could arrange something for their 10th wedding anniversary next year."
"That sounds like a great idea."
"I wanna run it by Justin and Olive too."
"It would make sense to do that. I have some money saved up if you want me to contribute."
"I don't think you'll need to."
"Ok. Lucy and your mom are coming over tomorrow?"
"Yeah. We're trying to come up with a schedule. I'm probably going to start with Dad's PT tomorrow too."
"I guess Sonny's niece wants to spend time with the kids this summer, so Lucy offered to help. Amanda also said if this continues once school starts, they're ok sharing her. It'll mostly be Nicky, Jake and Kevin anyway."
"How long until Dad can drive?"
"Once he feels comfortable getting in and out of the SUV with his bad leg, it shouldn't be much longer. I don't want Mom in the wheelchair the whole time but she would be able to walk with more stability if she hadn't broken her arm. I did have her standing and walking with one crutch for a little while. I just don't want her doing it without me or someone else around. She's been moving the toes on her bad leg."
"I'm sure it's not the first time you've had a patient with these injuries though."
"No, it isn't. It just takes time and a lot of patience on the patient's part. Usually the spouse is able to assist in whatever needs to be done but in their case, not so much."
"It just seems like Mom is a little frustrated right now."
"Not surprising. It happens. We're all going to have to help her get through it. Everyone that was here tonight I think is up for that."
"They definitely have some pretty awesome friends."
"Yeah, they do."
Erin and Matt said goodnight to Noah and then they went to check on the rest of the kids again. They were all asleep, so they went into the guest room and got ready for bed themselves. They then went to bed and Hank and Olivia had fallen asleep as well.
The next day, everyone that was helping out came over, so they could figure out a schedule. Matt's sister Lily had come over as well and helped Olivia get cleaned up. Hank had a shower as well and Matt started working on his PT. Erin left for DC on Sunday for a few days.
Monday arrived and Matt's parents had come over to stay with Hank, Olivia and the kids, while Matt was at work. Damian's trial started and lasted only a few days. This time he was found guilty and would be spending time in prison. Sadie was happy that he had finally been convicted for what he had done to her not once but twice. The Moores decided to go back to New York. Sadie couldn't wait to see Olivia and tell her about the trial. When they arrived in New York, they went home and called to see if Hank and Olivia were up to having visitors. They were, so they headed over there and were let up. They knocked on the door. Hank went to answer it.
"Hey."
"Hey, Hank. How are you feeling?"
"I'm gettin' there. Come on in."
"Thanks."
They all walked in and Olivia was in the living room with Matt's mother. Matt's dad had taken the kids to the pool.
"Hi Olivia."
"Hey, Sadie. This is our son-in-law's mother, Linda. Linda, this David, Stephanie and Sadie Moore."
"It's nice to meet you. I'm a big fan of yours."
"Thank you. It's nice to meet you too."
Sadie hugged Olivia and then they all sat down.
"Damian is going to jail."
"We heard. Antonio called and so did Peter. I am so happy to hear that though."
"I finally feel like I can now work to get my life back to normal."
"That's great. Will you be doing any movies?"
"I don't think so. I think I might just concentrate on getting back to normal and I'm actually thinking about a career change but I haven't decided what yet. I've been realizing that I'm not my mom and never will be. I've had a lot of small parts in her movies but I know I'm not as good as she is."
"You still have time, Sweetie. You're only 20."
"I know but I kind of want a normal life. Not that we didn't have a normal life because you did keep us out of the limelight but I just don't think this is for me anymore."
"You don't have to decide right now. Your dad and I will support you no matter what. Olivia, Hank, your home is beautiful."
"Thank you."
"Where are the kids?"
"Oliver, Linda's husband, took them to the pool, so we're enjoying some peace and quiet. By the way, the kids loved the plane. That was probably one of the most relaxing flights we've ever been on."
"We just thought you might want to be more comfortable."
"We were. Thank you so much."
"You are very welcome."
"Stephanie, do you have any movies coming up?"
"Not any time soon. I'm taking a bit of a break, so I can help my daughter get through her ordeal. My family always comes first."
"Good for you. You have two kids, right?"
"Yes. Our oldest daughter Monica is in Law School. She's been with the same guy since high school. He's in Med School right now."
"Where did they go to college?"
"They both went to Stanford and they're in Law School and Med School there too. They both graduate next year. They got engaged for Valentine's Day and they'd like to get married next year sometime. She already has a job at David's law firm."
"Do they want a big wedding?"
"Just the families and a few close friends."
"Do they want to have it anywhere in particular?"
"They want a beach wedding, which could be at our home in Malibu or it might be in Hawaii. Hawaii is one of their possibilities for their honeymoon along with St. Tropez and Aruba."
"Oliver and I were in St. Tropez. It was so beautiful."
"It is. That was where David and I went on our honeymoon. We told the girls that we would pay for whatever weddings they wanted and wherever they wanted to go on their honeymoons."
"Do you travel a lot?"
"We do Europe and the Carribean quite a bit. We love Italy and Greece."
"Oliver and I are going to Italy and Greece in mid to late July for two weeks. Our kids, their spouses and kids and our siblings and their families all contributed to sending us there for our 40th."
"Do you know what you plan to see?"
"No but we're going to the major cities."
"I will let you know what you have to see."
"We would really appreciate that. Thank you."
"You're welcome. How are you feeling, Olivia?"
"I'm getting there. Thank you for asking."
"No problem."
Both dogs had come into the room to check everyone out.
"This is our dog Milo and our daughter and son-in-law's dog Cody."
"Hi."
"Woof!"
They were notified that they had a visitor, so Olivia told them to send her up.
"Who's here now?"
"Amanda."
They heard a knock at the door, so Linda went to get it.
"Hey, Amanda."
"Hey, Linda."
"Come on in."
"Thanks."
They all walked in and went into the living room.
"Are you lost, Detective?"
"I needed to get away from there for a little while. Everyone is in a mood today. The entire squad is bickerin' back and forth. We were in court for that case this mornin' and things did not go well."
"Barba again?"
"No. Worse. Buchanan."
"Oh, geez! Having to deal with him will ruin anyone's day. Who testified?"
"Kat, Velasco and Fin but the rest of us went for support. Buchanan doesn't think Sonny should be doin' SVU cases because of me."
"It's not like no one knows about the two of you and if you have to testify, someone else questions you."
"Exactly. Buchanan was even givin' Warner a hard time. Hey, Sadie."
"Hey, Detective Rollins."
"Tell Carisi that Damian was convicted."
"He'll be happy to hear that. I'm happy for you, Sadie."
"Thanks. I'm glad he's finally being held accountable for what he did to me. There were a bunch of his fans outside the courthouse and in court. They were giving me a hard time after he was convicted."
"Apparently they think he can do no wrong even though he's done the same thing to the same person more than once."
"I can't tell you how many guys I went to high school with that always thought they were such hot stuff and didn't think they ever did anything wrong. They were good looking guys but they were jerks. Most of the kids in my school came from families that had money, myself included but I never thought I was better than everyone else. My behavior after the accident was not something I normally do and it was the drugs making me say that stuff. Damian isn't that good of an actor."
"I will agree with you there. I've been in this business long enough to know talent when I see it. All he cares about are his looks and getting laid."
"Exactly. Some men don't care who they hurt. There are some good men out there."
"I'm still waiting to find a good guy like Ian, my future brother-in-law. Monica was lucky enough to have found the love of her life in high school."
"I didn't find the real love of my life until I was in my mid to late 40's. I had a couple serious relationships prior to meeting Hank. Hank and I didn't necessarily start out on the right foot but that changed quickly."
"You've been married how long?"
"It was just 9 years. Savannah and Bella will be 9 on Christmas Eve. Our youngest granddaughter Emma was born on Christmas Day."
"Were they the reason you got married?"
"No. The long distance thing was hard and we wanted to be in the same city, so we just decided to make it official. We met in November and were married in 6 months. Hank wanted to adopt Noah with me, so we made it official just before that. Both squads were included. Justin was here for it but Olive wasn't because she was too close to giving birth. He came in and went right back. Erin stayed with Noah while we went to Paris but we waited until the adoption was final. We met Danny when we got back. Hank was back and forth between here and Chicago, since he still had to pack his house. He chose to make a deal with Justin, so he never actually officially sold the house. We were also trying to get a bigger place here."
"You still own it then?"
"He does. I told him to make me an offer and then I had it transferred to them. They pay the taxes but not a mortgage. They're in the process of gettin' somethin', so now they will have a mortgage. We'll give them some money for it, since we did that with Erin and Matt. Once they sell the house, they can use that money too. They outgrew that house when their almost 3 year old son was born. It's only 3 bedrooms. I get Justin wanted to raise his kids where he was but they clearly need the room."
"They could have made it work if the boys weren't 6 years apart. The same with the girls. That would be like putting Noah and Jake in the same room."
"Yep."
"How long have you had Jake?"
"His entire life. He was left at one of the fire stations as a newborn. We had talked about wanting to adopt again and Child Services didn't think putting him in a group home was a good idea. One of the Case Workers had come to me and asked if we would be interested in a newborn. Hank was there at the time. They explained what had happened but as always, the parent or parents could change their minds. We said we needed to talk to Noah and the girls first and once we did, they loved the idea. They understood that it may or may not be permanent. We all immediately fell in love with him and that included Justin and Erin. Child Services figured the mother or father could return within 3-6 months but they never did. We waited a year though just like with Noah. We don't know anything about his parents like I do Noah's. I'm guessing they may have been young. We do have his birth record from the hospital, so we know when his birthday is and he was already named Jacob Anthony."
"Wow!"
"He's just a little older than Erin's son, so they have grown up together. All the kids are pretty close. I'm not really looking forward to Noah becoming a teenager though. Hank has had more experience with teenagers than I have. He had issues with Justin after his first wife died."
"I'm tryin' to be a better father to Noah, Jake and the girls than I was to Erin and Justin."
"They have no complaints. That's for sure and the girls have you wrapped around their little fingers just like their mama, their big sister and their nieces. Even Olive does too."
"We can't wait to be grandparents."
"It's such a joy. I wasn't sure how well Justin and I were going to get along when we first met but he made the choice to call me 'Mom' and so did Erin."
"Justin can be full of surprises sometimes."
"Erin has told us about her mother."
"She was a piece of work. I really wasn't surprised when she overdosed."
"I probably should get back even though I don't want to. Before I forget, Jesse would like to have a sleepover with Bella and Savannah."
"When?"
"Tonight."
"It shouldn't be a problem. I will ask them and let you know."
"Ok."
"Thanks for coming by."
"I'm sorry for complainin' so much."
"I'm still in charge whether I'm there or not."
Amanda hugged Olivia and headed back to the Precinct.
"You two seem to get along pretty well."
"We didn't used to. We've gotten closer since she's been a mother. Her oldest daughter is the same age as Bella and Savannah. We've both been sexually assaulted."
"What?"
Olivia told the Moores about what had happened at Sealview and with William Lewis and also about what Amanda had been through with Chief Patton. They weren't really sure what to say. Oliver had come back with the kids and the Moores had stayed a little while longer. A little later, Oliver went to pick up something for dinner before Matt got home. Erin was due to come home as well. Olivia asked the girls if they wanted to have a sleepover with Jesse and they said they did, so she texted Amanda. By the time Oliver got back, Erin and Matt were there. Everyone had dinner together before Linda and Oliver left. Erin took the girls over to Amanda and Sonny's for their sleepover. Matt worked with Hank for a little while and then everyone got settled for the night.
A week later, Hank and Olivia had their appointment with the Orthopedic specialist and things were going well for both of them. Hank had been doing some driving prior to their appointment but Matt had taken them, since Hank still couldn't do a whole lot for Olivia. The doctor wanted to see Olivia again in a few weeks.
Before they knew it, it was the weekend before the 4th of July. Justin, Olive and the kids had come in and were staying until the 7th. They headed over to Hank and Olivia's. They went up and knocked on the door. Erin went to answer it.
"Hey!"
"Hey, Sis."
Justin, Olive and the kids hugged Erin and then they went inside. Hank, Olivia and Matt were in the living room and the kids were in the family room.
"We're here."
"Hey!"
Everyone hugged Hank and Olivia and then the kids went to the family room.
"How are you both doin'?"
"I'm gettin' stronger everyday."
"I'm not in as much pain as I was. The specialist xrayed my arm and leg through the casts and said things were progressing nicely. He wants to see me in a few weeks. Your dad got a good report as well."
"That's great!"
"I've been working with her a little bit and get her up a few times throughout the day other than for the bathroom."
"I'm getting better with the bathroom on my own too. I still need help with bathing though. I have cast covers for both but with only one arm, I'm still limited."
"That's to be expected."
"Erin went shopping for me and picked me up looser fitting capris. I had some old sweat pants that were made into shorts. If I'm still in the cast when I go back to work, I may have to get some looser fitting pants or skirts."
"They will want to check it again at 6 weeks at the earliest but this time he'll probably remove the casts. You'll probably be in a boot and a brace for your arm after that instead of getting recasted."
"How long could I be in the boot?"
"It depends on how well it's healing."
"Is it common for both bones to break like that?"
"Yeah. The tibia is the one you put all your weight on, which is why it's such a difficult recovery and a lot of PT."
"Just don't kill me."
"I'll try not to."
"What do you have planned while you're here?"
"We're here to help out in any way we can."
"Good. When do you close on the new place?"
"End of August."
"We'll get you the money before you go home."
"Ok. Thanks."
"There is just so much to do for the mortgage."
"Yeah, there is. We'll figure it out though."
"I know we will."
"If you're staying here, then maybe we can actually stay at our place."
"That was the plan."
"We're fine with that."
"I changed the sheets in the guest room earlier."
"Ok. Kevin may not want to leave though."
"My parents went to Hartford to see my aunt for a few days, so they took all 5 grandkids with them. They left this morning and will be back by Wednesday."
"They have their hands full."
"They offered."
"When do you start in Mom's unit?"
"The 15th. My last day is Wednesday. My boss has basically been a jerk ever since I left Dallas for Chicago but I was in DC a week ago to meet with his boss. She has been nothing but supportive. She was the one that I originally reported to when I started. I'm looking forward to something where I can be with my family more often. The cousin of one of my co-workers had a baby and it was ok for her to go be with everyone, while she was out of town but my parents were in a serious car accident and he gives me a hard time. He claims hers was prearranged. I doubt that."
"Did you tell his boss that?"
"I did. She said a family emergency is an acceptable excuse but not a family member having a baby. She seems to think there's something going on there anyway, since he is obviously showing favorites. She said I did nothing wrong and she's glad I told her about the way he was treating me."
"Has anyone else been giving you a hard time?"
"Not really. Just my boss."
"Did she do anything about it?"
"She talked to him and made it perfectly clear that a relative having a baby is not an acceptable excuse for leaving but a family emergency is. She also said that it isn't appropriate for a supervisor to be romantically involved with a subordinate. He denied it but everyone knows he's lying. He knows I talked to her and so does the one that had to go be with her cousin who had the baby. That one is also giving me a hard time. I ran into her the other day and she said she was glad I was leaving. So am I. I actually expected my boss to get rid of me but Kathy told me she would make sure I could finish up my time there. She said she hopes I keep in touch and I said I would. Some of my co-workers that I have become friends with want to take us out for dinner, so we're going out with them tonight."
"That's great. Have you seen the Moores?"
"They were here for a while when they got to New York. Sadie wanted to tell me about the trial. I'm just as happy as she is about Damian getting convicted this time."
Erin and Hank had both gotten a text message from Jay.
"She's a cutie."
"Baby Halstead arrived?"
"Yep."
"What did they name her?"
"Katelyn Marie."
Hank handed his phone to Olivia.
"She is a cutie."
Erin showed Matt.
"Cute."
Hank then showed Justin and Olive.
"Aw."
They both replied to the text message congratulating them.
"It's nice that you and Jay are still close."
"When I came here, I gave him 3 choices: 1. He could come with me, 2. He could stay in Chicago and we could try being long distance or 3. We could break up completely. He didn't want to leave Chicago but we tried the long distance thing for a few months. He didn't want to be the only one traveling since I really wasn't going to have time to go to Chicago unless it was for work, so we broke up but we agreed to still be a part of each other's lives. He was happy for me when Matt and I got together and I was happy for him when he and Hailey got together. I'm still close with Kelly too. Matt and I went to his and Stella's wedding."
"That's right you did, since Kevin stayed with us."
They talked for a while longer and then they decided what they wanted to do for dinner. After dinner, Erin and Matt went home, while Justin took the kids to the pool and Olive stayed with Hank and Olivia. Erin and Matt went out for dinner with her co-workers. Olive had gone through the clothes Olivia had boxed up that didn't fit Savannah and Bella any longer. They ended up having it shipped to Chicago.
The next week went quickly. Erin had her last day with the FBI and then they celebrated the Holiday. Before they knew it, Justin, Olive and the kids were heading back to Chicago but they were glad they could spend some time with Hank and Olivia. Once they got back, they got the house ready to put on the market. They had gotten offers pretty quickly after putting it on the market.
Erin started her job with SVU. Olivia had another appointment with the Orthopedic specialist. Her cast was removed and it was re-xrayed. It was healing nicely, so she was now using a boot and could put more weight on it, which meant she could use one crutch instead of a wheelchair. Matt continued to work with both of them. Hank was getting better everyday and Olivia was on the road to recovery as well. She went back to work after the doctor cleared her to do so. Olivia was on desk duty and she had Erin on light duty because she was pretty sure she was pregnant even though it hadn't been confirmed yet. They were both able to do hospital visits and interrogations.
Erin officially found out she was pregnant and was due at the end of February or beginning of March. Al, Meredith, Trudy and Mouch took a trip to New York to see Hank, Olivia and the kids, while Hailey was still off from work, so Makayla stayed with her, while Kim and Adam were at work. Matt's parents went on their trip to Italy and Greece.
The rest of the summer went quickly. Justin and Olive closed on their new place and had sold the old place as well. When they moved into the new place, the guys from Intelligence, the fire station and Al helped out. Before they knew it, it was Labor Day weekend. The kids were heading back to school and had to get back into their school routines. Noah had also started up dance again and the girls were back to playing soccer. Justin and Olive's two oldest were back to their routines as well. Henry had started Preschool, so on the days he went, Olive would take him at lunchtime and pick him up when she picked the older two up from school.
The rest of the year went just as fast. Hank and Olivia were both doing well. Hank, Olivia, Erin, Matt and the kids had gone to Chicago for Thanksgiving, while Justin, Olive and the kids were coming to New York for Christmas. That was the first time Hank and Olivia had gone anywhere since the last time they were in Chicago and the first time any of them had seen Justin and Olive's new place. Kim and Adam had gotten married the weekend before Thanksgiving, so they all came in for that and stayed. Noah had officially become a teenager. Savannah, Bella and Emma celebrated their birthdays together at Christmas.
For her birthday and Valentine's Day, Hank had surprised Olivia with a cruise to the Caribbean. They had used that week to reconnect with each other. Not too long after they returned, Erin gave birth to Margaret Nadia and so far, Kevin loved being a big brother.
All the kids had given Hank and Olivia a trip to Italy for their 10th wedding anniversary, so they headed there and enjoyed time to themselves. The last year had been difficult but they got through it together and managed to get closer as a result. They also wouldn't have gotten through it without the love and support of their family and friends.
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