"I'm sorry that I made things more complicated and confusing... but I have wanted to kiss you for a while now. Watching you take care of this baby... it makes me love you more than ever before." Elliot spoke softly as he settled back against his chair.
"I will not say that I didn't enjoy the kiss, but now is not the time for this to happen! I have so much on my mind, and now I'm going to think about you and how soft your lips are." Olivia grumbled. She stood up and gathered her trash before moving to throw it away.
"I won't let it happen again, Liv. I promise. Please, forgive me." Elliot breathed, as he quickly followed Olivia towards the exit.
"I don't hate you, El! There is nothing to forgive you for... I'm just... I'm overwhelmed and really just want to cry. I'd like to know what the future holds. Like if this little girl will actually end up living or dying. If I will have to track down Gladys when she gets released... or if it's to plan her funeral." Olivia sighed softly.
"Maybe you should take her home. Raise her. You'd be an amazing mother to her." Elliot breathed as he placed his hands to Olivia's waist.
"I guess we will just have to see what is going to happen. Now, please remove your hands from my waist. I can't be distracted when we head upstairs."
///
Several more weeks went by, and the little girl continued to have problems. Olivia continued to sign papers that allowed the little girl to have more surgeries on her tiny body.
"I got here as fast as I could. What's wrong?" Elliot asked as he came up and stood beside Olivia. Once again, Olivia had to call Elliot in the middle of the night, and once again Kathy and Elliot fought about it before he left.
"I just got to hold her." Olivia breathed as she turned her head and looked at Elliot.
"You got to hold her? What?"
"The doctors said that she was getting worse, and they said I could hold her if I wanted. So I held her and did skin to skin with her... her vitals got stronger. Her temperature evened itself out. El, I don't know what was happening." Olivia breathed.
"Are they running tests on her now?" Elliot questioned, and Olivia nodded.
"Yeah, they are. They are running brain scans and stuff. I just don't know why being held by me made things better."
"Because you are special." Elliot smiled.
Olivia turned to look at him before swallowing hard. She leaned over and kissed him deeply before hugging him tightly.
"Are you okay?" Olivia asked weakly once their lips parted. She could feel Elliot's lips shaking as they kissed, and now she was worried about him.
"Kathy and I got into a fight tonight. She said that if I left tonight, I couldn't come back. She kicked me out because she's tired of me leaving to be with you."
"El, just tell me no when I call. Or just don't answer my calls. I don't want to mess things up more than it already is... like how we have kissed like twelve times in the last six weeks." Olivia frowned.
"I'm not happy with Kathy anymore, Liv. I don't think I have been happy for some time. You aren't messing things up, because they are already messed up to start."
///
As a surprise to everyone, Gladys' little girl started to do better. She was breathing on her own and was more alert. She always held Olivia's finger and loved when Olivia was able to hold her against her chest.
"I think it's time you name her, Olivia."
"Name her? She isn't my baby..." Olivia trailed off nervously.
"She needs a name, and since you have power of attorney of her, I think you should name her. She needs one, anyway."
"Oh, okay. Can I have a few minutes? I need to figure out a strong name for her." Olivia spoke with a shaky smile.
"Sure. Do you want me to send your boyfriend in?" The nurse asked, and Olivia blushed a bit before nodding.
"Yes, please."
Elliot was led into the room, and he sank down beside Olivia.
"Why'd you want me?" Elliot asked as he reached out and gently tucked some hair behind Olivia's ear.
"They want me to name her." Olivia whispered.
"Really? That'll be fun." Elliot chuckled.
"I have never named anything in my life. So what should I name her?"
"I don't know, love. Something strong, though. She'll need it."
"Gabriella?" Olivia whispered.
"You figured that out quickly." He laughed softly.
"I have thought about baby names before... Gabriella is something I always thought of naming my baby. I'll never have babies, so she might as well take it."
"She looks like a Gabriella."
///
"You've gotten so big, baby." Olivia smiled as she sat on the floor in front of her year old daughter. Gabriella was released from the NICU a year after she was born, and Olivia took custody of her. She had searched for Gladys, but didn't find her.
"She is really mastering sitting up by herself. She's strong, just like her Mama." Elliot spoke, as he sank down beside Olivia.
"I know that she is behind and probably will be for the rest of her life, but every little thing she does is so impressive. No one thought that she'd live, and now she's here with us. She got to come home with us, and she is the happiest baby I have ever seen." Olivia replied before reaching out and gently caressing Gabriella's chubby cheek.
"Do you ever think about making her a big sister?" Elliot asked. Olivia blushed a bit at the thought, but she did end up nodding.
"All the time, especially since we are together now. But for now, all I want to do is focus on my baby. My incredibly sweet Gabbi."