SVU: The One Shots

Orphaned

She ran down the hallway of the hospital in a pair of sneakers and her pajamas. A smile was lingering on her lips as she tried her hardest to stay calm, but it was hard. She was becoming an aunt today, and she couldn't wait to hold that baby.

"Any news yet?" She panted as she came to a stop in the waiting room.

"She's still in labor, so we are in a waiting game right now," Fin replied with a yawn. 

"Are you excited or something, Liv?" Dominick teased, as he gave Olivia a nervous smile.

"Excited or nervous... I just want Amanda and the baby to come out of this happy and healthy," Olivia replied with a sigh.

Olivia, Dominick, Fin, and eventually Barba all sat together to wait for news of Amanda's baby finally being born. Everyone was buzzing with anxious energy, and Olivia had to get up and pace the waiting room so she wouldn't go insane.

Nearly six hours after they arrived, a nurse came out and asked for Olivia. 

"I'm Olivia," she replied, a nervous look on her face. 

"Can you come with me?" The nurse asked, her face pale. Olivia looked around at her friends, before hesitantly nodding and following the nurse.

"Is Amanda okay? The baby?" Olivia mused. The friendly nurse reached out and gently took Olivia's hands into her own.

"Amanda's blood pressure spiked when she was pushing. We helped her deliever the baby and started to push medicine, but nothing helped. Olivia-"

"She's dead, isn't she?" Olivia asked softly, her heart aching for her friend.

"I'm so sorry. She had a stroke and started to hemorrage."

Olivia felt like the edges of her vision went blurry and her heart started to pound in her chest. This was not the news she had anticipated getting when she got the call from Amanda herself saying that her water broke and she was on the way to the hospital.

"Olivia, do you want to see the baby?" 

"S-shouldn't her mother and sister see the baby first? I think someone called them... if not I can-"

"This baby needs someone. You are Amanda's emergency contact, so I think you should hold that baby and bond with her. She just lost her mother and needs someone."

///

Olivia tiptoed into Amanda's room as if her best friend was only sleeping. Yet Amanda laid on the bed, lifeless, as a few nurses removed the monitoring equipment. In the corner, a doctor and a nurse examined the baby that ended up being a orphan before she was even an hour old.

"Dr. Armstrong, this is Olivia Benson. She is Amanda's emergency contact. She'd like to hold the baby."

Dr. Armstrong turned to face Olivia and gave her a frown.

"I am sorry about your loss. We all tried our hardest to save her, but-"

"Please... I know you didn't give up on her. You all tried your hardest to save her, but this entire pregnancy was so hard on her. She was hospitalized several times, and we almost lost them both a few weeks ago... So please, don't apologize more. I just want to hold the baby and make sure she knows that she's loved," Olivia spoke weakly, as tears slipped down her cheeks.

Dr. Armstrong took the baby from where she was being examined and cleaned up, before laying her in Olivia's arms. A nurse took her arm and led her over to the sofa, where Olivia sat and zoned out on the beautiful little girl laying in her arms.

She didn't even notice when Amanda's body was wheeled from the room, or when the janitor came in and mopped up the puddle of blood on the floor. Olivia did move when a nurse led the others in.