All I Ask [A Bensler Fan Fic]

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Elliot was the happiest he had been in a long time. He knew that he'd be happier if he had relationships with his three other kids, but spending time with Eli, Lizzie, and Evie made him so happy.

Then there was Olivia. He took that woman on dates every week to try to fix their relationship. It was working, especially since Elliot was very charming compared to the week of their affair.

"Are you sure that Evie is good with Lizzie and Eli tonight? I know we can trust them, but I'm just a little worried." Olivia spoke, as she held Elliot's hand and walked down the sidewalk towards the restaurant they were eating at tonight.

"Evie is in excellent hands, Liv. Those two adore her, so I don't think anything will go wrong tonight. Just like every other night." Elliot smiled.

"She's four months old... it's different now compared to when she was a newborn." Olivia breathed.

"They will have more fun with her now that she's actually awake more often and is giggling almost non-stop." Elliot spoke, as he pulled Olivia to his side. They stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, and Elliot held Olivia by her hips. 

"I love you." Olivia whispered, and Elliot leaned in and kissed her softly.

"I love you too." He breathed as he rested his forehead against Olivia's.

"Good, because we have a baby together."

"We do? Wow, I didn't know." Elliot chuckled. They kissed a few more times before moving into the restaurant.

///

The couple sat together and caught up on their days. Elliot was back to work with SVU, and Olivia was still staying at home with Evie. She was still too anxious to ask Cragen for her job back after burning that bridge. 

"Okay, so I have a question for you." Elliot spoke as he leaned back in his chair and sipped on his glass of wine.

"You better not be trying to propose to me before we are even dating, Mr. Stabler." Olivia warned as she eyed Elliot.

"I'm actually asking you to date me, Liv. I don't think either of us is ready to get married now, or even later. But we can think about that as the days go on."

"So you wanna date me?" Olivia mused as she eyed Elliot.

"Yes, I wanna date you. So please, date me." Elliot smiled. He leaned forward and place his glass back onto the table, before reaching for Olivia's hand. He ran his fingers tips over her knuckles, as Olivia's lips curled into a soft smile.

"I'll date you, Elliot. Might as well have a title, especially since we are already sleeping in the same bed and raising our baby together."

"Thanks for saying yes." Elliot chuckled.

They finished dinner and shared a dessert together. As they were waiting for the server to come back with Elliot's card, Olivia's phone rang. She pulled it from her clutch and smiled when she saw Lizzie's number. Usually the girl called so Olivia and Elliot could say goodnight to Evie before she went down for the night.

"Hey, Liz-"

"Olivia!" Lizzie cried into the phone.

"Lizzie? What's wrong? Honey-"

"Eli and I are following an ambulance to the hospital! Evie started coughing and then she stopped breathing! I tried to get her to breathe again but I couldn't! Liv-"

"Oh, my god." Olivia panted, as her phone slipped from her hand. Elliot quickly caught it and put it to his ear.

Within a few moments, Elliot was grabbing his card from the server and pulling Olivia to her feet. She was still numb, so Elliot had to drag her out of the restaurant.

"Babe, I know that you are scared and I am, too. But you need to walk. Help me so we can get to Evie faster!" Elliot spoke, as he stood in front of Olivia and held her arms.

"W-what if she dies?" Olivia sniffled. Elliot frowned deeply as he pulled Olivia into a tight hug.

"Our daughter is strong. She won't die, Liv. Not on my watch."

///

When they arrived at the hospital, Lizzie was on the phone crying to someone, and Eli was standing at the front doors waiting for Olivia and Elliot. When he saw them, the boy started to cry. He threw himself at his father, and Elliot held him tightly.

"It's okay, Eli. Evie will be okay." Elliot cooed, as he smoothed his son's blonde curls.

"It's my fault, Dad! I think she got something of mine and choked on it." Eli whimpered as he looked up at his father.

"Eli-"

"I was playing with dice, and I got up and went to get something to drink... when I got back she was coughing and then stopped breathing! Dad, it's my fault! I killed Evie!"

"Evie isn't dead, Eli. And this isn't your fault. If she grabbed a die, it wasn't your fault. We just need to be more careful next time. Okay?"

"Dad-"

"No, Eli. It's okay. Please don't beat yourself up. Let's go inside and see if they have an update. Okay?"

"Okay."

They went into the ER and Lizzie was still on the phone, and Olivia was talking to a nurse. When she spotted Elliot, she fanned him over.

"What's happening?" Elliot asked as he held Eli to his side so he wouldn't run away.

"Your baby choked on a die. She was without oxygen for at least ten minutes, but we could get her breathing again. We removed the die and now she is sedated and in a room upstairs where she is being monitored. We are monitoring her brain waves and taking cues to see if she's ready to breathe by herself again."

"It was my fault." Eli whimpered. Olivia turned to look at the boy before moving around Elliot and grabbing Eli. For a second, everyone thought she'd explode on him, but instead, she pulled him into a tight hug and kissed the top of his head.

"No one is blaming this on you, Eli. You are still the best big brother to Evie, and I still love you so much." 

///

Olivia took Eli downstairs to get something to eat and talk, since Evie wasn't allowed visitors at the moment. Elliot stayed up in the ER and hung out with Lizzie, who was still so upset.

"Who were you on the phone with?" Elliot asked as he pulled his daughter close.

"I called Mom."

"Oh... what did she say?" Elliot asked, but before Lizzie could respond, the ER doors opened and Kathy, Maureen, and Kathleen rushed in. All looked worried, and Elliot was beyond shocked to see them all.