THE RETURN

Chaoter 71

The next night, Olivia was laying on their bed, freshly showered, with her back against their head board, one hand rested on her stomach and the other holding her phone. Her glasses covered eyes were glued to the page in front of her, completely intrigued with the survivor's statement she was reading.

On top of the book Dr. Michelle had recommended for them to read about survivors of assault and the labor process, they had both begun to look at articles on their phones. If they had found the article to be helpful and possibly useful in the type of birth Olivia was planning in her head, they would show it to the other person.

However, they had really kept their built knowledge on the subject in more a third person point of view. The only thing she really knew, at her current point, about the birth is that she wanted it to be calming, relaxing, just her and Elliot, and the third stage of labor would be in the bathtub. How she was going to stay calm and relaxed over not only the pain she was going to be in but also from the possible flashbacks that could occur, was completely unknown. And so far, they had more read survivors statements, than actually discuss what they could use as a calming technique.

She thought it personally hadn't come up between them because they were both focused on understanding what all could happen to her during labor. A full understanding meant a clear vision on what they could do to prevent her from hitting the spots some women they had read about did. She wanted her labor to be beautiful and perfect, not traumatizing and they were both a mission to make that happen.

She was brought out of her concentration and thoughts with the sound of Noah's voice.

"Night, mom."

She smiled at the incoming young boy and at the teenager walking close behind him. As her hand set her book, she said, "Goodnight, baby."

Her arms captured his incoming ones in a big bear hug and when she released, his mouth automatically lowered slightly to her stomach, "Goodnight, in there."

When she felt a flutter within, she said, "You know, I can feel her moving now."

"Really!?"

"Yeah. She's still a little too small for you guys to feel her yet but give it a few more weeks and I'm sure you will be." When his hands came up to rest against her, she continued, "And every time she hears one of your voices," her eyes drew up to Eli's as well, to ensure the boy knew he was talking to both of them, "She moves. I think that's because she likes you."

Noah smiled widely, "Does she move for dad too?"

She nodded, "Yes, she moves for your dad the most."

"She's definitely going to be a daddy's girl," Eli said.

"Without a doubt," Olivia responded.

"I can't wait to feel her!" Noah exclaimed, pressing his hands a little harder against her.

Elliot, who had busied himself in hanging up some pictures on the walls while everyone else got ready for bed, entered the room at that moment. Him and Olivia's night before escapades in the bath had caused them both to be a little sore in the morning, which had amounted to her mostly resting throughout the day and him doing small tasks to ensure he didn't injure his back anymore than he already had. "Would you like to hear her?"

Eli looked at his dad in question, then back at Olivia, "Hear her?" When Olivia nodded, he asked, "But how? She's still in your stomach and I'm pretty sure she can't talk yet."

Elliot chuckled lightly, "No, she can't. But we can listen to her heartbeat if you two would like."

"Yes! I want to hear!" The young boy said as he sat next to his mom and placed his ear on her stomach. After a few seconds, he said, "I don't hear anything."

Elliot and Olivia couldn't help the laughter that escaped their lips. "Hold on, I have to use a little device to help us hear her," Elliot explained as he walked to his side of the bed to pull the Doppler out of his nightstand.

As he retrieved the Doppler, Eli took a spot by Olivia's feet and Noah cuddled more into the side of her. She waited until Elliot sat next to her with the doppler and gel in his hands, before she pulled her shirt up enough to expose her abdomen. While Eli's eyes strayed away from looking, Noah's eyes connected to it instantly.

Elliot gave the boy a moment to smile at her bump, before placing the probe on her. Like it always did, it only took him a second to find the galloping sound within her. Noah's smile widened, while Eli's eyes drew his eyes towards the probe on her stomach.

"That's her heartbeat?" Eli asked.

Elliot nodded, "Isn't it amazing?"

"It's so fast," he whispered.

"Babies heartbeats are really fast, much faster than ours," Olivia explained.

"I like the way it sounds," Noah said as his hand reached to rest on top of her bare bump.

Her hand came up to rest on top of his, "Me too."

Elliot gave the four of them a couple of minutes to enjoy the sound, before removing the probe from her. Noah sat up from leaning against the headboard next to his mother, to bring his mouth to her bare skin. His lips hovered her right below her belly button, "You sure she can hear us mom?"

Olivia laughed and reached down to rub his hands lightly through his curls, "Well, she just started moving again, so yes I'm sure she can hear you."

"And, she'll remember our voices when she comes out too," Elliot said, reaching his hand to rest above her belly button.

Noah smiled, "That's so cool!" He kissed her gently and said, "Goodnight, little sister."

As Noah raised his face from her, Olivia could tell the moment Eli's eyes made contact with the scar. His eyes narrowed slightly at it, as if to ensure he was, in fact, looking at what he thought he was looking at. He raised his eyes to hers first, in which she responded to him with a small smile, then to his father's. When his father responded to him much in the same way Olivia had, with a small smile, he smiled also.

When instead of responding with a question as to why Olivia had the scar she did, Eli responded with a smile, Elliot knew that the young man was no longer a child anymore. He was becoming a respectful individual who was beginning to learn boundaries on what to ask and what not to ask. He took the stance that Elliot had in his and Olivia's relationship, he only wanted to know what she wanted to tell him.

He was so wrapped up in his pride for the boy that he almost missed Noah ask Olivia, "What happened here mom?" His eyes drew to Noah's fingers, which were placed lightly against the top of the scar. As much as he took pride in Eli for not asking, he took just as much in Noah asking. The raw moments of the children being actual kids, without a filter, were just as wonderful as the moments of them becoming adults. He drew his eyes to hers to portray what he had exactly told her in the bath. It was her floor, to tell them whatever she wanted to tell them.

"Somebody hurt me a long time ago," Olivia responded.

Eli nodded, "Is that person still here?"

"No, they're not. So they can never hurt me again."

As he dragged his finger along it, Noah asked, "Does it hurt?"

She shook her head, "No, not at all. It's actually a little numb feeling. So, it feels funny when you drag your finger along it like that."

He lifted it almost instantly and kissed her stomach once more. Olivia and Elliot gave him a few more seconds of resting his lips against her, before Olivia whispered, "Okay, it's time for bed now."

"Okay, mom."

Instead of waiting at the door for Noah as he gave their parents their goodnight hugs, Eli stood patiently behind Noah as the young boy reached to give both Elliot and Olivia a huge hug. As Noah released them both and jumped off the bed, Eli leaned in to hug Olivia gently. His left hand wrapped around her shoulders, while his right reached down to touch her stomach softly. It wasn't a major touch like Noah and Elliot had always done, but it was something that didn't go unnoticed by the two adults in the room. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Eli was becoming just as attached to his little sibling in Olivia's stomach, just as much as everyone else had