Partners For Life [A Bensler FanFic]

Twenty-Five

Elliot laid down almost as soon as he was let into the house. He slept for hours, and he slept so deeply that his fiancee couldn't even wake him up when she brought the kids home after school.

"Liv?" Elliot yawned when he woke up nearing midnight.

"Hey, go back to sleep." Olivia replied as she stuck her head out of the bathroom and looked at Elliot.

"What are you doing up?" He asked.

"I'm getting ready for bed. I'll be joining you soon." Olivia replied softly. She went back into the bathroom, but wasn't alone for long. Elliot walk in and sat down onto the edge of the tub as Olivia washed her face.

"How is your back?" Elliot questioned.

"It's sore."

"From what I did? Or because of our daughter?" Elliot breathed.

"Both."

"I'm so sorry for hurting you, babe. I will never hurt you again." Elliot whispered, as he stood and moved beside Olivia. He gently touched her back, and Olivia just let it happen. 

"You should go back to bed, El. I'll be joining you soon."

"Why are you up so late?" Elliot questioned, since he was scared that Olivia would shut the door on him and not come out and join him in bed.

"I was taking care of the kids... making sure they had lunch for the morning and that Maureen got home from her date."

"She shouldn't be going out on date on school nights, Olivia." Elliot frowned, and Olivia turned to look at him as anger bubbled up inside of her.

"You have allowed her to go on dates before. And I'm her mother, so I told her she could go. But she had to be home by ten."

"You should have talked to me-" Elliot started, but he was stopped suddenly when Olivia shoved him away from her side.

"You were sleeping all fucking day! I get that yesterday was hard, but you can't start dictating what I should and should not do! She's home, sleeping in her bed, and now I'm going to bed! Find somewhere else to sleep!" Olivia yelled.

"Liv-"

"Don't even try, Elliot Stabler. Go sleep on the couch."

///

Elliot slept on the couch for many nights. He kept doing things that pissed Olivia off, and he didn't even try to apologize. He was still so angry, but his anger was putting his relationship at risk.

"Dad." Kathleen mumbled, as she shook her father awake a few weeks after everything went to hell.

"What?" Elliot yawned, as he rolled over to look at his daughter.

"Momma and Maureen just left. She wanted me to tell you that you are in charge of us kids this morning." Kathleen replied.

"Why did they leave? What time is it?" Elliot sighed, as he closed his eyes again.

"It's one, and they left to go to the hospital."

"Hospital?" Elliot asked, as he sat up quickly. Kathleen nodded as she looked at her father.

"Yeah."

"Kathleen, tell me why they had to go to the hospital?"

"The baby is coming. Momma was in pain all night, but you never noticed."

"Oh shit! Uh, stay here with your siblings and I will call someone to come stay with you!" Elliot exclaimed.

"Dad, she doesn't want you there!" Kathleen yelled, but Elliot didn't hear her. All he could think about was getting to the hospital before his fourth daughter was born.

///

Maureen sat beside Olivia's bedside and held her hand. Olivia was edging on her eighth hour of labor, and she already was tired of it. She was tired of the pain, but knew that she had to go through this in order to get her daughter.

"Do you want me to call anyone?" Maureen asked, as she rubbed her mother's hand.

"No, I'm good. You can go back home if you'd like. I'll call you off from school when I get a chance." Olivia smiled weakly.

"What about Dad?" Maureen breathed, and Olivia shook her head.

"I don't want him here right now. He was a real asshole last night, especially when he told me to unload the dishwasher and dryer before bed." Olivia frowned.

"He never does anything. It's like he's turning into a jerk just because Kathy wasn't happy that you are marrying him."

"I don't even know if I want to marry him right now." Olivia breathed, before slowly climbing out of bed. Maureen stood too and helped her mother pacing the room. They walked around for awhile, before Olivia had to stop and breath through a contraction.

"Liv!" Elliot exclaimed, as he came into the room without knocking.

"Hey, shut up." Maureen growled, and Elliot was about to scold her for but Olivia opened her eyes and sighed.

"She's trying to make sure I have silence when I need it. I didn't ask you to come because I don't want you here right now." Olivia spoke.

"Liv-"

"I'm already stressed enough as it is, and I don't need you here to stress me out more. So please, just go back home. Take Mo too. I got this." Olivia frowned.

"Babe, don't you want me here to help out? You have never had a baby before, so you gotta be terrified."

"I'm fucking scared, Elliot. But you have been treating me and the kids like shit lately, and you won't talk it out so we could put this behind us. So please, both of you... go home. I will contact Mo when the baby is born, and then you can come up and meet her." 

"I'm not leaving you alone, Olivia. This is my baby too. So we will just have to work out our problems-"

"Your problems." Olivia grumbled.

"Sure, we can work out my problems while you are laboring. Got it? Now, Maureen, go home. I'll call you and your siblings in because today is going to be a big day."

"Dad-" Maureen spoke, but Elliot held up his hand and silenced her.

"Go."

///

Olivia kept her mouth shut for the hours to come. Elliot tried to talk to her, but she didn't want him to make her feel like everything is her fault. 

"You are so close, Liv." Elliot spoke, as he helped Olivia walk around the maternity floor.

"I knew that I could be at this for hours or days, but I was hoping it would be quick."

"Kathy was in labor with Maureen for two days, so you have it pretty easy." Elliot replied. Olivia shook her head as she stepped away from him.

"Liv? You aren't-" Elliot started.

"Don't down play my pain, Elliot. Don't make it seem like I have it easy, when I'm in the most pain I have ever been in. I never expected to have kids at all, let alone be pregnant and having a kid this way. So this is scary and I don't need you to make this harder on me. So either go home, or shut up."

Elliot went silent, and he nodded as he moved back up to his fiancee's side. He looped his arm around her waist, before pressing a light kiss to her temple.