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"Captain, can I have a minute?" Olivia asks, poking her head round the doorway of her captains office.
"Sure, come on in," Donald Cragen says, putting down the piece of paper he's been holding. "Listen, if it's about Elliot, I will try and get you a new partner as soon as possible," he says.
"What do you mean?" Liv asks, confused as she walks towards his desk.
"He didn't tell you? Elliot handed his papers in this morning," Cragen says, frowning. "I thought he would've told you. He said something about a conflict of interest, and he needed to do the right thing before 1PP got to him."
"He didn't tell me, no," Olivia says, sitting down. "This is, this is kind of unexpected. I thought we'd have talked about this," she says, feeling all kinds of emotions. Anger and sadness are the main two. She knows she will see him at home, but it's not the same.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Cragen asks. "Are you okay, Liv? You look a little pale."
"Yeah, I um," she looks at him, "well, I came to tell you that I'm pregnant."
"Oh, wow!" Cragen says, standing up. "This is great news. Well, I guess I don't have to worry too much about a partner then. You'll be on desk duty," he says seriously.
"Is it, anyone we know?" He asks curiously, and she smiles. "Elliot," she says, a wide smile on her face as she thinks about him and the baby they are going to be bringing into the world.
"I knew it!" Cragen exclaims, pulling Olivia into a hug. "If I were a betting man, I'd have put money on it," he says. "I'm very pleased for you both."
"Thanks, Cap," Olivia smiles. "So I, I have an appointment this afternoon," she begins, and he nods.
"Take the rest of the afternoon off," he says. "Congratulations, Liv. You deserve happiness," he says, and she blushes as she stands.
"Thank you, Captain," she smiles as she walks out of his office.
____
"Ms Benson?" An older woman calls as Olivia and Elliot sit in the waiting room on the maternity/ OBGYN floor.
Olivia stands, hand in hand with Elliot, and they walk towards her, exchanging smiles. "Olivia, how are you feeling?" The doctor smiles, leading them into a small exam room.
"Uhm, tired, I guess," she says. "The sickness has basically passed now, I genuinely thought I had the flu," she tells the woman whose name badge reads Dr. Drew. "I've been getting some headaches. My boobs are tender," she says.
"All normal symptoms," the woman smiles. "We might want to keep an eye on those headaches, though. If they continue, that is," Dr Drew says. She is a stern looking woman with grey wirey hair pulled into a neat bun. She has permanent frown lines, but she speaks in such a warm, gentle voice that Olivia doesn't know what to make of her.
"Right, let's get you up on this bed," she says, standing and patting the exam table behind her. "Undo your pants for me, that's it, dear," she says as Olivia climbs onto the examination table, the cool surface sending a shiver down her spine. Elliot positions himself beside her, his hand instinctively finding hers. A squeeze, silent reassurance.
The doctor applies a cold gel to Olivia's abdomen, then glides the transducer across her skin. On the screen, a grainy black and white image flickers to life. It's abstract at first, a jumble of shapes and shadows. Then, a flicker. A rhythmic pulse starts to take shape in the centre, a tiny flicker that echoes a frantic drumbeat in Olivia's chest.
"There you go," Dr Drew says, her voice warm. "That's your baby's heartbeat."
Elliot's breath catches. He leans closer, his eyes glued to the screen. Olivia feels a shift in his hand, his grip tightening with an intensity that mirrors her own burgeoning emotions. The beat on the screen is undeniably life, a tiny spark pulsing with a ferocity that seems to defy its size.
The doctor continues to move the transducer, revealing more of the image. A blob with a faint suggestion of a head comes into view, a nubbin that might be a limb. It's not much, but to Olivia and Elliot, it's everything. This grainy image on a screen is their future, a tiny person taking its first tentative steps in the world.
Tears well in Olivia's eyes, blurring the image on the screen. She squeezes Elliot's hand back, a silent communication passing between them. Fear, yes, but also a dawning wonder. They're in this together, partners not just on the job, but in this unexpected journey as well.
As the ultrasound concludes, the weight of responsibility settles on Olivia's shoulders. This tiny being, this flicker of life, depends on her.
The sterile scent of disinfectant lingers in the air as Olivia steps off the examination table. Elliot follows close behind, his gaze still fixed on the ultrasound printout. The doctor just handed him. A tiny, grainy image of their child stares back, barely recognisable to the untrained eye, yet holding the universe in its pixelated form.
Olivia reaches out, tracing the outline of the image with her finger. "So that's it," she murmurs, the wonder in her voice laced with a touch of disbelief. "Our little...detective?"
Elliot chuckles, a low rumble that sends a warmth through her. "Maybe. Or maybe a future lawyer, always arguing our cases." He slips his arm around her waist, pulling her close. "We have a long road ahead, Liv."
Olivia leans into him, finding comfort in the familiar warmth of his presence. "Yeah," she agrees, a nervous tremor in her voice. "But at least we're not facing it alone."
A beat of comfortable silence stretches between them, broken only by the soft whirring of the machines down the hall. The weight of the situation, the enormity of what they've just witnessed, threatens to overwhelm them.
Elliot nudges the door open with his elbow, guiding Olivia out of the sterile white room and back into the waiting area. The bustling hallway outside feels a world away from the quiet intimacy of the ultrasound room. Olivia catches a glimpse of herself in a passing mirror - a stranger with familiar eyes, a hint of a curve already starting to show beneath the loose blouse.
They walk out of the hospital in silence, the newfound knowledge settling in their hearts. The future stretches before them, uncharted and full of unknowns. But hand in hand, they face it with determination, a tiny spark of life flickering beside them, a constant reminder of the incredible journey that has just begun.
"You hungry?" Elliot asks as he unlocks their car, climbing into the drivers seat.
"Starving," she says, sliding into the passenger seat. "I'm still mad at you, though."
"You're all cute and pouty," Elliot laughs, his calloused hand stroking her soft cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I knew you wouldn't let me leave otherwise," he says. "You've worked hard to get to where you are, and I have been doing it much longer than you," Elliot says. "You deserve the chance to keep at it, I can find something else to do," he smiles. "Just don't get a new handsome partner and leave me, hm?"
"I would never," she smiles, placing her hand on his lap as he starts to drive.
"Now, my beautiful baby mama, what are you hungry for?" Elliot asks with a cheeky grin as he pulls out of the hospital parking lot.
