A/N: I'm really glad you're all still enjoying the story. I appreciate all of the feedback you guys leave me so please leave me a review if you have a chance. Enjoy!
"So, the kids are coming later tonight," Olivia thought out loud from the kitchen, unloading the dish washer. "Are any of them spending the night? I have to remember to grab all of those spare blankets and pillows from the hall closet upstairs."
"I'm not sure...Dickie and Lizzie probably, definitely Eli," Elliot replied, pushing himself from the couch and making his way into the kitchen. "Let me help."
"Thanks," she smiled, handing him a pot and some dishes that fit in a higher cupboard that she couldn't quite reach. "You know, I was thinking about baby names."
"Really? Find any you like?" He asked, closing up the dishwasher and leaning against the counter.
"No...not exactly," she answered, leaning next to him and resting her head against his shoulder.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and dropped a kiss against her temple, "Don't stress out about it, Liv...we'll find the perfect name."
"Do you think..." She started, turning up to him and resting her chin on his chest. "Do you think Dickie would like to pick out the baby's name?"
Elliot pushed his fingers through her wavy hair, "Are you sure you want him to? I can't make you any promises about what he'll pick." He knew his son would be grateful and would understand what a privilege it was to be the one to pick out his little brother's name, but he was still just a kid himself.
She chuckled softly, even though she knew he was only half joking, and nodded her head with a smile, "I'm sure. We can just have him make a list of ones he likes and we'll pick from there...Yes, I know he's twenty one but I think he will take it seriously and I know he'll find the right one."
"I think he's going to be really proud if he finds the right one...Thank you for letting him be a part of it, allowing him to find the name," Elliot smiled, kissing her forehead.
"I want him to be a part of it," Olivia smiled. "I know he's really excited for the baby to get here...even if he thinks he's too macho to show it sometimes."
"That might not have been the best trait that he ever got from me," Elliot added with a shrug and chuckle.
She hit his chest lightly, "Maybe not, but he's a good kid."
"I know," he agreed with a smile. "You want to go lay on the couch until Noah gets up, watch some TV or something?"
"Sure, you want a water?" She asked him as he walked into the living room and started looking through the movies.
"Yeah, I'll take one. Thanks, babe," he smiled, taking it from her and settling on the couch, moving the back pillow so they could both fit lying down.
Jax came over and sat down in front of Olivia, his nose sniffing her belly. She scratched the top of his head and he rested it next to her on the couch, "I was reading that dogs can sense the pregnancy, that they know that things are changing."
"That would explain why he's been following you around," Elliot chuckled, reaching over Olivia to give the dog a good rub on his back. "He's such a good dog."
"I just hope he's good with the baby," she said, running her fingers through the scruffy hair around Jax's neck.
"You've seen how many times Noah's pulled out his hair," Elliot chuckled, resting his hand back down around her, "He's never even growled and Eli can be a little rough sometimes but Jax still goes right to him...Nothing can faze this dog."
"That's true," she smiled. "You remember that time Noah had a fistful of Jax's hair in his hand and he couldn't get it off?"
Elliot laughed at the memory, "He was two seconds away from getting it in his mouth."
"That would have been so disgusting," Olivia laughed but cringed at the thought. "Thank God we got there in time."
"Exactly," he chuckled and kissed into her hair, settling back on the couch and pulling her tight against him. "You comfortable?"
"I'm good, just hand me a pillow," she replied, reaching behind her and taking the pillow from him, tucking it under the side of her belly for more support.
He rested his chin on her shoulder and his hand over her belly, feeling their son move and kick under his hand, "Has he been moving a lot lately?"
She nodded, moving one of her hands to rest next to Elliot's so she could feel his movements from the outside too, "I think he's getting cramped in there...trying to kick his way out."
"Few more weeks," Elliot reminded, kissing her cheek.
"It's coming fast," Olivia added, snuggling back into his arms and he pulled the blanket up over her shoulders.
"It is," he nodded against her neck. "Get some sleep...I love you."
"I love you too," she said softly before allowing sleep to claim her.
"Hey, Liv," Lizzie smiled, coming into the kitchen.
Olivia hugged her tight, "How are you? How's school?"
"I'm good and schools fine...it's school," Lizzie chuckled, rolling her eyes.
"I remember those days," Olivia smiled and patted her back. "Everyone's down stairs."
"Livvie," Eli interrupted, poking her belly and she smiled down at him, running her fingers through his hair. "Hi."
Olivia chuckled and kissed his forehead, "Hi."
"C'mon," Eli said, taking her hand and pulling her down the stairs. "We're watching movies."
"Okay, I'm coming," she laughed as he dragged her down the stairs. "How's it going down here?"
Aaron and James were playing pool, Kathleen and Maureen were talking at the bar, and Dickie was on the floor with Noah in the play room.
"Good," Elliot said from his seat on the couch. "Come sit down."
"Let me check with the boss man first," Olivia smiled, looking down to Eli and tickling him.
Elliot laughed along with them, loving the bond Olivia had with Eli...It was something special.
"What movie do you want to watch?" Elliot asked once they calmed down and were only giggling a little bit.
"Can we watch Car's?" Eli asked, jumping on the couch next to his Dad.
"Sure," Elliot smiled, scrolling through the menus until he found the right section.
"So, Liv," Kathleen started, grabbing her drink and coming to sit next to her. "You start maternity leave this week don't you?"
Olivia nodded, leaning against Elliot and running her hands over her belly, "Wednesday's my last day...I'll miss it but I'm getting something so much better."
"Are you having a baby shower?" Maureen asked, coming to sit next to her sister.
"No," Olivia chuckled slightly. "I don't really have a long list of people who would come."
"Don't talk like that," Eliot said softly, wrapping his arm around her and holding her close.
"I wasn't trying to be a downer," she sighed, squeezing his hand. "That's just how it is."
"It's the love that surrounds you that counts, not the numbers," Maureen smiled, giving Olivia's arm a gentle squeeze. "Plus, we want to celebrate."
"I don't want to inconvenience anyone," Olivia said, shaking her head.
"It's not an inconvenience," Kathleen started. "Just a little get together...if that's okay with you?"
Olivia smiled, truly touched that they would want to put something together for her, "You girls are amazing, I hope you know that...and of course, that is more than okay with me...I really appreciate that."
"We love you," Maureen smiled, giving her a hug and Kathleen followed. "Next weekend sound good...Sunday?"
"Perfect," Olivia smiled, leaning back against Elliot.
"Jax," Elliot giggled as the dog licked his face.
Dickie pushed the dog back so he was sitting and rubbed his ear, "Good boy."
"Did you talk to him yet?"Olivia asked Elliot softly, watching Dickie play with the boys.
"I thought we should do it together," he relied, kissing her temple.
"Dickie," Olivia called to him and he picked his head up, looking at her. "Can you help us with something up stairs for a second?"
"Sure," he nodded, pushing himself off of the ground.
"Watch Noah," Elliot said to the rest of the group before following Olivia and Dickie up the stairs.
"What do you guys need help with?" Dickie asked, looking around the kitchen and pushing himself up to sit on the counter.
Olivia leaned against the counter next to Elliot and smiled, "Well...your Dad and I wanted to ask you if maybe you would want to pick out the baby's name?"
Dickies eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open.
"Only if you want to...if it's too much then that's okay," Elliot voiced, watching his son process the information.
"Are you serious?" Dickie asked, sliding off the counter.
Olivia looked to Elliot and turned back to Dickie, "Yeah...we're serious."
"Olivia wanted you to be a part of it and we know how excited you are that it's a boy," Elliot told him, wrapping an arm around Olivia.
"You wanted me too?" Dickie asked, looking to Olivia.
A small smile graced her lips and she nodded her head, "I did, you're the first person I thought of."
Dickie pushed from the counter and enveloped her in a hug, "I want to help pick out his name...I'm honored that you would want me to."
She hugged him, rubbing his back, "I knew you were the right one...you deserve it after suffering with so many girls for so long."
"Seriously though," he chuckled, pulling back, "Thank you...it means a lot to me."
"You're welcome, honey," Olivia smiled.
"Here you go, son," Elliot chuckled, handing him the large book full of baby names. "Good luck," he smiled and pulled his son into a hug.
"Thanks," Dickie chuckled, flipping through the pages quickly.
Olivia laughed, "You've got about three weeks to find one."
"That's enough time," he said, setting the book down. "Thank you for letting me do this."
"You earned it," Elliot smiled, clapping him on the back.
"Mrs. Stabler," the nurse called into the waiting room.
"Coming," Olivia said, pushing herself up from the chair, taking Elliot's hand and following her back. "I don't even want to know what I weigh."
"You're beautiful," he said immediately, tilting her face up to his and kissing her softly. "I love you."
"I love you too," she breathed out, resting her forehead against his.
They took her weight, blood pressure, and asked her some general questions about how she was feeling before taking them to the room and telling them that Dr. Childs would be in shortly.
"I gained 30 pounds," she pouted, laying back on the bed and rubbing her forehead.
"Who cares?" He asked her with a shrug of his shoulders. If simply telling her how much he loved her and how amazing she was wasn't enough, he was going to make her see how insignificant it was in the first place.
"Me," she said sternly, pushing herself up onto her elbows and shooting a glare at him. "I care."
He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, "Why?"
She furrowed her brow, "I don't know...I feel huge."
"I can promise you that you are not huge. First off, 30 pounds is normal. Second, and this is the most important one, you're pregnant...every pound you gain is for our son and that should be all that matters to you," Elliot said seriously, reaching for her hand and dropping a kiss to her knuckles. "And you're the most beautiful, gorgeous, stunning woman to me and I love you more than anything."
She sighed, wiping the bit of moisture from the corner of her eyes, "Thank you for that."
He stood up from his chair and brushed his finger through her hair, kissing her softly, "It's all true."
"I love you," she said softly, cupping his cheek in her hand and bring his lips to hers.
"I love you too," he murmured, kissing her forehead.
"How are you doing today, Olivia?" Dr. Childs asked when she came in a few moments later.
"Pretty good, my backs been hurting more but overall not too bad," she answered honestly.
"That's pretty normal for the last month," Dr. Childs said, looking over the chart. "Your almost 37 weeks this week...you'll be considered full term."
"What does that mean?" Elliot asked, looking up to the doctor.
"Just that the baby is technically full term and if you were to deliver, the baby would more than likely be just fine," Dr. Childs told them. "The next three weeks serve as time for him to gain some more weight, help with brain and lung function, and just over all health...so the longer he stays in there the better."
"Wait," Olivia said, sitting up with a slight panic. "He could come this week? His room isn't even ready yet...no, he can't come yet, I'm not ready."
"Liv," Elliot soothed, moving in front of her and squeezing her hand. "Everything's fine...he's not coming now, it just means that he would be okay if he did."
"Exactly," Dr. Childs interrupted. "You've probably got two good weeks until he makes his appearance...you'll be ready by then, don't stress about it."
She took a deep breath and nodded her head, "Okay...I'm fine."
"Lay back and let's check this baby out," Dr. Childs instructed and Olivia did as was asked. "He's head down, which is good," she said as she felt through Olivia's abdomen. "Let's do a quick ultrasound."
Olivia rolled her shirt up and Elliot took her hand as they watched the screen.
"He's close to seven pounds right now, about nineteen inches," she told them. "Good heartbeat, like always...has he been kicking a lot?"
"All the time," Olivia smiled.
"Good," Dr. Childs nodded. "His movement should keep up even though it's getting cramped in there." She wiped the gel from Olivia's stomach and Elliot helped her sit up. "Do you have any questions?"
"No, but it looks like we need to start finishing everything up," Olivia said.
"Just pace yourself, don't do too much and over work yourself. Enjoy your maternity leave...it won't last forever," Dr. Childs told her genuinely. "No matter what you do, how prepared or unprepared you are, this baby will come when he's ready, not the other way around."