Adding Fuel to the Fire: An Elliot Stabler Story

Chapter Sixteen

Elliot's confused greyish green eyes stared into Johanna's scared dark green ones. It was silent throughout his house, only their frantic breathing could be heard.

"You're what?" Elliot asked, as he stood frozen in his kitchen.

"I'm pregnant," Johanna repeated. The words left a foul taste behind as they escaped her mouth.

His face held a baffled expression; hers just remained scared.

"Are you sure?" He questioned.

"The pink line was pretty faint, but it was there," she explained. "Could be a false positive, I guess. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at noon to make sure."

Elliot nodded, but he wasn't sure why.

"We never discussed what we would do if this happened," Johanna stated. "I never really even worried about it happening."

"Me either. Pretty irresponsible on our part," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess we were living too much in the moment."

He partially blamed Johanna for that. He didn't live like that until she came along. Though it takes two to make a baby, he couldn't help but blame their impulsive behaviors on her.

"Let's just wait and see what the doctor says tomorrow, okay?" He suggested. "And if you're not pregnant, we'll just have to make sure to keep condoms around."

"Elliot..." Johanna took a deep breath. "I don't want to have a baby. I don't want to have this baby."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you saying?"

"I can't be pregnant again," she continued.

"You can't be or you don't want to be?" He retorted.

She frowned. "You know why."

"You're not killing this baby," he told her plainly.

She swallowed hard when she felt a lump in her throat. "Elliot, I can't do this."

"No." He shook his head. "I'm not letting you kill this baby. This isn't some serious relationship you can run from. This is a child."

Tears began to well up in her eyes. Elliot's tense body relaxed when he realized how greatly he was upsetting her.

"Let's just see what happens tomorrow," he eased up.

She nodded as a stray tear fell down her cheek. "I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow when I find out."

She turned around and walked quickly to the door as tears began to fall down her face. She didn't want him to see her cry.

"Jo, wait," Elliot called after her.

Johanna shook her head as she opened his door and quickly shuffled down the stairs. "It's okay, I'll call you tomorrow," she yelled back at him.

He sighed and watched as she hurried down the icy sidewalk, away from his house. He could tell she was crying and trying to hide it.

It pained him to see her so upset. He prayed she wouldn't do anything drastic without talking to him first. He knew she didn't want to have a baby. Hell, he didn't want to have another baby either. But it was his child, his child he created with Johanna, and he certainly didn't want to get rid of it.

He thought for a moment about what they would do if they had a baby. Would they stay together and raise the child? Or would Johanna break up with him and run away from such a strong commitment like a family? He couldn't raise a baby on his own. Or could he?