Eleven Months [A Bensler Fan Fic]

Twenty-Five

Olivia woke up earlier than her husband did the next morning. She got out of bed and made her way into the kitchen so she could make breakfast for her husband before he headed out to work. It felt wrong to not be getting ready for work, especially since she had been so excited to go back and be in the place that brought her happiness and a family. But she didn't feel like she was good enough to be a detective anymore.

"You got out of bed way too early." Elliot spoke as he came into the kitchen, completely dressed and ready to head into work.

"I needed to make sure you got a good breakfast before you left." Olivia replied, as she sat the tray on her lap before going over to where Elliot was sitting at the table.

"Are you going to eat with me?" Elliot asked, and Olivia shook her head.

"Nah. I think that I'm going to eat with Amy later... I'm just not feeling well enough to eat right now." Olivia breathed.

"Baby, do you want to give this all one last shot?" Elliot asked, as Olivia handed Elliot his plate.

"Amy needs me more than-"

"Amy needs us both. But she is also good with being with Lucy." Elliot spoke. Olivia nodded hesitantly before shrugging.

"Maybe it's more that I need Amy. She loves me and thinks I'm the second most amazing person in the world." Olivia sighed.

"Am I the first?" Elliot teased, and Olivia nodded.

"Yeah. You will always be her first... El, I feel bad for Nick."

"Don't feel bad for that asshole. He just doesn't like the idea of being stuck at the precinct. He could totally get great training from you." Elliot breathed.

"He's still young. I honestly don't think he sees it your way, El. John will hire another detective and I'll just chill here with Amy as I wait for a missed period." Olivia frowned.

Elliot looked at Olivia for a long moment before grabbing her hand and drawing it to his lips. He kissed it gently before smiling at her.

"Go get dressed, lovey."

"El-"

"I want you to finish up the week. Then once this week comes to an end, you can take the weekend and decide if you want to quit or not. Okay?"

"Can you call Lucy? See if she can still watch Amy today?" Olivia breathed, and Elliot nodded.

"Of course, baby. Now, go get showered and dressed."

///

When they arrived at the precinct, Nick and Amanda were both already there and sitting at their desks. Elliot stopped Olivia, before moving in front of her. He reached out and caressed her cheeks before smiling softly.

"You are going to do an amazing job today, love. You are going to go in there and help us solve this case."

"What if Nick throws a fit or something?" Olivia breathed.

"Then I'll kick his wimpy ass."

"El, he isn't wimpy." Olivia sighed.

"I don't care. I will do anything to protect you." Elliot grinned. He leaned down and kissed Olivia softly, before giving her a hug. Olivia sighed as her husband stood and turned to look into the squadroom.

"I can do this." Olivia whispered to herself, before wheeling slowly into the squadroom without her husband even forcing her to do it.

"Liv?" Amanda spoke surprised. Her eyes were wide, and she really couldn't believe that Olivia was there.

"Hey, Rollins. Did you get anywhere with the case overnight?" Olivia asked, and Amanda didn't respond. She just kept staring.

"Hey, Amanda!" Elliot exclaimed. Amanda quickly blinked a few times before looking between Elliot and Olivia.

"Sorry. I'm just surprised that you are here, Liv. It's amazing to see you. Are you ready to get back into this?" Amanda asked, and Olivia nodded.

"Yeah, I am... uh I'm going to get some coffee and then I'll be ready to jump back into this." Olivia said with a nervous smile.

Olivia got to the coffee pots before grabbing her mug and starting to grab one of the pots of coffee. She stopped short when Nick approached her.

"Need any help?" He asked softly, and Olivia turned and looked at him before shaking her head.

"No, but thank you for asking." Olivia sighed.

"Can we talk before we jump into background checks and stuff?" Nick asked, and Olivia was surprised, but didn't let it show.

"I guess. And actually, would you mind handing me the sugar? It's a little out of my reach." Olivia spoke. Nick nodded before quickly doing as Olivia asked. She finished with her coffee before looking up at Nick.

"Let's go into one of the interrogation rooms."

///

Nick and Olivia sat in silence for a while before Nick decided to break the ice. He looked at his partner before sighing softly.

"I'm sorry about how I reacted." He breathed.

"Really?" Olivia asked softly.

"Yeah, Olivia. This is my first real placement in years. I was UC for years and haven't had to work side by side with another detective."

"Another detective who is in a wheelchair." Olivia frowned.

"I was surprised, but I'm sure you realized it. I didn't think that they let-"

"Cripples?" Olivia sighed, and Nick frowned deeply as he looked at her.

"Olivia, please don't put words into my mouth. I don't want to hurt you. Clearly they want you here because you are an amazing detective. Maybe one point you can get back into running down bad guys."

"Did they tell you what happened?"

"What?" Nick asked.

"Did they tell you what landed me in this chair?" Olivia sighed.

"No, they didn't. Your husband bitched me out yesterday after you left, but never told me what really happened."

"I was investigating a case with my then partner Fin. He and I went to this building, and then suddenly this girl fell from the roof and landed on the top of our sedan. Fin sent me up top to check things out, even if I didn't want too. The killer was still up there and he pushed me over the edge. My partner tried to pull me up and over, but it was too hard. I ended up falling and I missed half of the bag. My back is messed up, and they don't think that I'll be able to ever able to walk again. So, either you need to ask for a new partner, a transfer, or you gotta get over this. Because I'm still a cop, even if I'm stuck in this damn chair."

"I'm your partner... no matter what." Nick breathed.

"Nick, you don't-"

"I looked through all of your stuff, Olivia. I have seen your track record, and you are an amazing cop and it will be... it is an honor to be your partner."