Saturday, October 29
"You look fine Olivia," Elliot stood in the doorway of her small walk in closet and watched her look in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time today.
"No I don't. My breasts are practically spilling out of this top. How am I supposed to keep this baby a secret?" Elliot had began to laugh a bit but quickly stopped when he seen the expression on her face. "Do you think this is funny?"
"No- I mean..well, it kind of is. Baby, your body is growing and changing more and more each day, it's making room for the baby," he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, both hands landing on her small bump.
"I know but does it have to be so obvious and so soon? And so achy, I feel like I'm carrying a load of bricks on my chest," she reached up to cup her breasts and winced at how tender they still were.
"Maybe we should just tell them?"
"And ruin Kathleen's birthday? She's still getting used to all of this and not to mention Kathy will be there. I'm already worried about this dinner, I don't need to add anything else," she started unbuttoning the white blouse she had on, and started searching for something else.
"Liv.."
"Can you go check on the baby? She'll be up soon," she had cut him off. Olivia knew he meant well but she was already beginning to feel overwhelmed with everything that was going on in their relationship.
He knew it was best not to argue with her, and didn't want to push her any further tonight. Elliot was already barely getting by with her agreeing to come to the dinner tonight. He kissed her forehead and proceeded to go check on Cecilia.
~
Olivia had given up on dressing up for the dinner, and opted for a pair of leggings and an oversized black sweater and over the knee riding boots. She was on her way into her second trimester, and the morning sickness that she thought she had skipped over was making an appearance. The nausea she had been feeling couldn't have come at a more inconvenient time, but she was happy she hadn't vomited yet. The last thing she needed was for Elliot to have another reason to fuss over her.
"Olivia!" Lizzie ran over to her when she heard the front door open. "I missed you so much! I heard you've been sick," she embraced Olivia tightly, burying her face into her shoulder. Olivia usually loved the warm hugs from Lizzie, but she nearly cried at the pain radiating through her breasts.
"I was but I'm feeling so much better now! I'm so happy to see you," she pulled away and kissed the top of her head.
"Liv, I'm so glad you made it!" Kathleen had come out of the kitchen and gave Olivia a hug as well. She was surprised that she had been so...affectionate? Especially in front of her mother. It was only a few seconds before Maureen had come around the corner to hug Olivia too.
"Happy Birthday sweetie!"
"I guess you guys just replaced me with Olivia huh?" Elliot stood at the door holding the baby carrier.
"No dad, we love you almost as much as we love Olivia," Lizzie and her sisters laughed and went over to hug their father. Olivia had felt slightly guilty, they had all been focusing their attention on her while Kathy just leaned on the doorway to the kitchen. The moment she had made eye contact with her, Olivia tried to offer her a small smile and instead was met with her back as she turned to go back into the kitchen. Elliot had noticed this interaction between the two and noted that he needed to go talk to Kathy before dinner was ready.
"Where's Eli and Dick?"
"They're upstairs playing whatever new game you bought Dick last week," Maureen rolled her eyes and reached for the baby. "We got her dad, go upstairs," he handed the car seat over and went up to Dick's room. Olivia followed behind the girls and they all sat around the living room. She watched as they all cooed at Cecilia, and had gotten excited about telling them about the baby sometime soon.
~
As soon as Elliot had finished talking to the boys he made his way downstairs into the kitchen to speak with Kathy. The last time they had seen each other, like most times, they hadn't left each other on the best of terms. All of the back and forth between them needed to end. He just wanted for both Kathy and Olivia to be able to be around each other for the sake of the kids, without dreading the occasion.
"Let me help," Elliot took a seat at the small table in the kitchen while Kathy put the finishing touches on the birthday cake.
"You never helped while we were married. You feeling sorry for me?" she smirked.
"I seen the way you looked over at Olivia while the girls greeted her."
"It's nothing El. Sometimes it's just hard to see the girls be like that with her...and then the baby. I'm not upset with her. It just feels like I'm losing the kids to her sometimes. Everybody loves Olivia," she mumbled the last part as she spread the icing over the cake.
"Kathy you're their mother. They are just making sure she feels welcomed and assured that they're okay with us being together," he hadn't ever expected for Kathy to be like this when he decided to date after their divorce. Especially since they had both agreed long ago that their marriage just wasn't what it used to be. But then again, it was Olivia he was with now. The same woman she had accused him of sleeping with for years.
"How is she anyway? A miscarriage..I couldn't even imagine," Kathy didn't feel like talking about the pity party that had become her life. She figured if there was ever a time to at least try to start over again, it was now.
"About that.." she stopped her movements to look up at him, noticing a change in his demeanor. "Olivia is pregnant," he didn't know why Kathy always ended up finding out things this way. "Turns out the miscarriage was just a complication. It's rare but it happens," she stood to go place the cake on the counter, and started grabbing the dishes she had cooked to go place them on the table. The announcement had obviously made her uncomfortable. The idea of Olivia carrying Elliot's child made her realize that he really had moved on.
"Well um congratulations," she gave him a small smile and went into the dining room. He followed behind her carrying a few dishes himself.
"Kathy.."
"I'm happy for you..I really am but I just need some time you know?" she placed the last dish on the table and took off her apron before returning to the kitchen.
"Of course. I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry? For moving on? Finally being able to be with her? Start a family? I can handle this- but I don't need you feeling sorry for me," Kathleen had walked into the kitchen and frowned when she seen the look on her mother's face. Figuring that her parents had been fighting.
"I hope you two aren't in here arguing," she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Is dinner ready? I'm starving."
"Yeah honey, go tell everyone to come to the table," the young blonde looked back and forth at her parents before turning and going back into the living room.
"Why don't you go check on Olivia?" Elliot sighed accepting defeat and figured she would come around on her own time.
~
Dinner had went as smoothly as it could have, the conversation flowed a bit more easily with the kids around. Olivia could sense Kathy was trying her best to make the most out of this night, offering her a smile every now and then. It wasn't until after they had cut the cake when Olivia had to quickly excuse herself and run to the restroom. Her nausea had been triggered when she tried to finish the last bit of food on her plate, her stomach sending her into the bathroom to throw up the dinner she had just eaten.
She thought she had managed to play it off after calmly excusing herself, but it was when Kathy had come in to check on her, she began to worry it had been more obvious than she intended. Kathy had knocked on the door before coming in and finding Olivia hunched over the toilet, and offered her a glass of water. She knew all too well how horrid the first stage of pregnancy was. Olivia sighed when she seen her standing there with the glass of water, figuring that Elliot had told her about the baby. She had promised to keep it a secret, knowing they probably had their excitement about telling the kids.
The entire interaction had left Olivia a little stunned and curious about her initial reaction when Elliot had told her; was she upset? Angry? Disappointed? Or even a little happy for them? She would never have been able to tell based on how helpful Kathy had been earlier today. Olivia didn't think she would ever understand that woman. One moment she's a bitch on wheels and the next moment she'd been understanding and willing to reconcile their differences. But like many other times she had realized to just let things be.
"You sure it's not twins?" Elliot stood behind Olivia peeping over her shoulder while she steeped a bag of tea, running his hands over the tiny bump appearing.
"Are you calling me fat, Stabler?" she turned her neck to look up at him and raised an eyebrow smirking at him.
"I'm just a little shocked you're showing so soon. Most women take a while with their first pregnancies," he had remembered Kathy always reminding him of this when she was pregnant with Maureen, because he was constantly checking for any signs of the baby.
"Well, if it does turn out to be twins consider yourself a dead man walking," she dipped the tea bag back into her mug a few times before tossing it into the sink and going into the living room.
"Lucky for you twins come from the mother's side, so it's actually all you this time Benson," he pulled her feet onto his lap before laying a blanket over her legs.
"Oh whatever," she nudged him with her foot and laid back into the couch. "You know when I excused myself at the party? Kathy came to check on me. It's like she knew I had been sick, even I tried my hardest to hide it."
"I hope you're not upset I told her.."
"Oh I'm not shocked. I was more shocked that she had actually helped me and given me advice about this sudden morning sickness- well evening sickness," she took a sip of tea and absentmindedly rested a hand to her abdomen.
"She did?"
"Yeah. Maybe she's trying to come around..for the kid's sake at least," he gave her a small smile and agreed. Lately he had only seen the worst in Kathy regarding their relationship, but finally for once he had seen the good.
"I hope so. I don't want any additional stress on you two," Olivia moved from her end of the couch, and on to lay her back against Elliot's chest. He embraced her fully, pulling the large blanket over them both.
"Pick a movie- but please anything besides Sex and the City," she took the remote from him and nudged him in the side. "Okay, one more time but that's it Liv. Soon enough you're gonna have me going out with you for mani/pedis."
"Keep it up and you'll be missing out on the sex part," she looked up at him grinning from ear to ear before stealing a kiss from him. He chuckled and pulled her in for another before snuggling her close and turning up the volume.
These were nights she loved the most. Everything around them had been so fast paced since they had begun working together, and also trying to balance out time with Cecilia and the kids. She almost wondered how they'd even managed to find enough time to get her pregnant. Months ago when they would spend weeknights like this when she had still been on leave with Cecilia, Olivia would spend the entire time thinking about this couldn't have been real. She didn't quite understand how her and Elliot somehow fit so well together. Since the beginning she had spent so much time racking her mind, trying to fit all the pieces together. But now she realized there was no use in questioning it, because here they were six months later in the same exact spot. She would see him nearly all day but still craved his touch at night.
Olivia had been crazy in love with him, and she hated that it took her over a decade to figure it out.
I'm kind of on the fence..what are you guys rooting for girl or boy? Elliot has like ten of each already lmaooo.
I also uploaded a new fic "Dear Mom", check that out (':