You and I [A Bensler Fanfiction]

Twenty-Two

Christine stood outside of her apartment with hot tears streaming down her cheeks. Elliot closed the door to his truck and turned to face his ex-wife. After many weeks of fighting, Elliot finally got full custody of Avery. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be, especially since Christine kept breaking their previously in place agreement. 

"I'll have Avery call you once we get into the city," Elliot spoke, as he stepped onto the sidewalk.

"I hate you," Christine huffed, as she crossed her arms tightly across her chest.

"Yeah, I know you do. Chris, I gave you plenty of opportunities to make things right. To let me see my daughter, but you took that from me," Elliot frowned.

"She's my child, Elliot! How dare you take her from me?!"

"If you really cared about her, you would have fought for five days a week when we got divorced. Instead of requesting the weekends... I'm not keeping her from you, and you'll get some holidays and certain breaks," Elliot explained. He was trying to keep his cool, but he also wanted to rub this all in Christine's face. 

She had been a complete bitch since he got back from Manhattan. She wouldn't even let Avery go to summer camp and refused to let Elliot come and get Avery on his court assigned dates. Elliot had tried to reason with her, but she wanted nothing to do with that.

"I hope that Olivia's baby pops out looking like her ex. Then she'll leave you, so you feel as miserable as I do right now!" Christine yelled. She lunged at Elliot, but Hector quickly stepped between them and placed his hands out.

"We are done here! Elliot, get in your fucking truck and I'll follow in a few minutes. Got it?!" Hector asked.

"I have a first aid kit in my truck if she kicks your ass," Elliot sighed.

///

Avery slept for most of the drive to New York. She had been up most of the night since she was so excited to see Olivia and the boys. Olivia didn't know what had happened since she wasn't returning his calls after they may or may not have called it quits a few weeks prior.

"How much longer until the baby will be here?" Avery asked as Elliot waited for Hector to catch up in the moving truck.

"Hopefully about five weeks, but this is Olivia's third baby. They tend to come early," Elliot explained. He pulled back onto the road once Hector caught up.

"Will she have more babies?" Avery asked, her eyes drilling into the back of Elliot's head. He wanted to say yes, but he wasn't sure what the future held. Olivia might not even want him back, and that would mean he'd have to find a place to live.

"I don't know, AJ. I guess we will just have to wait and see. Now, can you take my phone and give your Mommy a call? Tell her we are in the city."

"I don't want to," Avery whispered.

"Honey-"

"Mommy is mean, Daddy. I saw her hit you last night," Avery sniffled. Elliot frowned deeply as he kept his eyes focused on the road.

"She's sad, baby. Sad that you won't be living with her anymore."

"No, she isn't. She's angry that you got me and she didn't," Avery sighed. Elliot knew that his little girl was right, but he didn't tell her that. 

"Why don't you try to call Olivia again? See if she'll answer this time."

///

Olivia once again didn't answer Elliot's call. So once they arrived at Olivia's house, they had to just hope someone would answer the door. 

Avery climbed from the truck and sprinted up the front steps before ringing the doorbell and knocking several times. Elliot and Hector walked slower and reached the deck once Serena opened the door. 

"Avery! What are you doing here?" She questioned, as the little girl quickly wrapped her arms around her waist.

"Daddy and I are moving here! Liv won't answer our calls, so we couldn't tell anyone that we were coming!" Avery exclaimed. 

"She's not here, Avery," Serena replied.

"Where is she, Serena?" Elliot asked worriedly.

"She's been in the hospital for a few weeks. Olivia started to bleed, and an ambulance had to pick her up."

Elliot swallowed hard and looked at Avery. His little girl's eyes were filled with tears as she looked at her father.

"Daddy," she whimpered.

"Hector, can you stay with AJ? I gotta-"

"Go to your girl, Stabler. I have your kid."

///

Elliot raced to the same hospital Olivia had gone to weeks prior. One nurse remembered him and gave him directions to Olivia's room. It was at the end of the hall and it was much quieter than the other rooms. Elliot opened the door and squinted into the dark before spotting Olivia laying on her side.

"Olivia," Elliot whispered as he got closer. He walked around the bed and saw that Olivia was hooked up to oxygen, and her belly had several monitors strapped to it. He turned and looked at the monitors, his eyes locking to the one that had the baby's heart rate on it. 

"Who are you?" Olivia croaked out. 

"You don't remember the man that is madly in love with you?" Elliot questioned, as he turned to face her. 

Olivia's lip quivered as she looked at Elliot.

"Y-you came back," she whimpered.

"Of course I did, baby. God, I wish you would have told me you were bleeding. I would have sped to get to your side," Elliot frowned. He reached out and smoothed her hair before leaning down and kissing her chapped lips.

"We broke up-"

"Not exactly, love. But I have good news."

"Yeah?" Olivia sniffled. Elliot brushed tears from her cheeks before nodding.

"I have full custody of Avery. We packed everything up and are moving here. She's at home with your mother and my friend."

"Chri-"

"Let's not talk about Christine. I want to know about you. What happened?" Elliot asked, the pads of his thumbs rubbing her flushed cheeks.

"The placenta shifted, and I started hemorrhaging. Mom found me on the floor in the bathroom because I lost so much and passed out."

"But-"

"Things are okay right now, but things could change again... but I'll be fine because you are back now."

"And I'm never leaving you again, Liv. I promise," Elliot whispered. He kissed Olivia again before walking around the bed so he could lie behind her and hold her.