What Happens In Vegas

(Chapter Twelve: Until The End Of Time)

Olivia walked around the living room cradling her tiny daughter against her chest. She swayed gently back and forth as she hummed softly to the baby. Elliot stood in the kitchen cooking dinner. This was only their second night home with Chloe and he was determined to make this transition as smooth as possible for Olivia and the new baby.

"Dinner is ready, babe."

"I'll be in in a minute. She is a little restless. She isn't quite used to the bassinette or her seat and if I put her down right now she is going to start screaming."

"Let me take her for a little while. You come eat while it is still hot."

"It's okay. I love holding her. It is still so hard to believe that she is ours. You know? You and I. That we created this tiny, perfect, little person. Look at her, Elliot. Is she not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?"

"Yeah, she is." Elliot took his daughter and stared into Olivia's eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"You get something to eat. I'm gonna go change her and see if I can get her to sleep."

"Well, good luck with that."

"Hey, I used to be pretty good at this. Of course, I have just gotten back into practice with Eli."

"El, it has been two and a half years since Eli was her size."

"Liv, Eli weighed over eight pounds when he was born. He was never her size. She has to be exhausted. Babies her age sleep like twenty hours a day."

"Face it Elliot, our child is an insomniac. We will never sleep again."

"We can do this. She just had a rough night, mommy."

Olivia smiled at him. She loved watching him as he interacted with Chloe.

"Mommy had a rough night, too. Somebody woke me up every half hour convinced it was time to eat. Then she didn't want to nurse once I got up with her. She just wanted to be held and talked to. If this keeps up I am going to talk to the pediatrician. She should be sleeping more than this. And she isn't nursing nearly as much as she should be."

Elliot smiled. "I think you worry too much."

"Elliot, this is our daughter's health we are talking about."

"I know, I know. Liv, I just think we should give her a little time. She isn't used to any of this. Sometimes it takes newborns a little while to get used to everything. She'll come around. You can call the doctor if you want, honey. But as long as she isn't losing any weight, running fever or getting dehydrated I really don't think we have anything to worry about."

Olivia caressed her fingertip over the baby's cheek and kissed the top of her head. "I still want to call, El. I just worry about her. It may seem silly to you. But she and I are both new at this. And I don't want to make a mistake that she ends up paying for."

Elliot smiled again and kissed his wife. "I love you so much," he said with a chuckle.

Olivia glared at him and took Chloe from his arms. "You think I'm a bad mother? Because I don't know what is wrong with her."

"Not at all. Infact, I think this is what makes you such a good mother. You are supposed to worry about your kids, Liv. And I'm wrong to doubt your judgment. You're her mother, you have instincts about these things."

"You think I'm a good mother?"

"I think you are a wonderful mother."

Olivia smiled. "Thank you, El. I know that I don't know as much about having babies as you do. Actually, I don't know anything about having a baby. And I am probably going to make a lot of mistakes. But it means a lot that I have your support in this."

"Of course you have my support."

"I know. I mean, it means a lot that you really think that I can do this."

"I have never doubted that. I have always known you would be an amazing mother some day. I just happen to be the guy lucky enough to share this amazing little girl with you."

"You really think she will be okay?"

"I do. But, it couldn't hurt to call the doctor just in case."

Olivia smiled at him and kissed the top of Chloe's head. She carried the baby into the nursery to call the doctor.

That night Olivia paced the floor of their bedroom as she held Chloe against her chest and hummed to her. The baby stirred a little but didn't cry as she nestled her little face against her mother's breast. She grunted and looked wide eyed up at Olivia, who smiled down at the baby.

"It's time to go to sleep now angel," Olivia whispered as the baby yawned and grunted some more. Olivia laid the baby in the bassinette and wound the mobile. She looked down over Chloe and watched as she grunted and stirred around a little then quickly fell asleep.

Olivia smiled as she felt Elliot's arms slip around her waist and he placed a kiss on the side of her neck.

"You're a miracle worker. How'd you do it?"

"I got a few tips from the pediatrician."

"What did he say?"

Olivia smiled again. "The same thing you said. She just needs a little time to adjust to life outside the womb. He suggested a warm bath and massaging her with baby lotion to relax her. He said to sit with her and nurse her. And to put her into the bassinette before she fell asleep."

"Before she fell asleep?"

"Yeah, he said to set a routine. And try to stick to it. Now is the best time for her to learn it, while she is still adjusting to everything. And by putting her in the bassinette before she falls asleep, we prevent her from getting into the habit of falling asleep while being held. He also said that a lot of babies that fall asleep while nursing or being bottle fed, develop a dependency on that. It makes it harder to break them of it later down the road."

"So you start her on the routine early and give her things she can be dependant on, like the mobile."

Elliot wrapped his arms tight around her as he kissed her tenderly. Olivia smiled and laughed as he moved to kiss that place on her neck, the one that made her weak in the knees. Olivia moaned softly as he moved his hands firmly over her shoulders working out the tension he found in the muscles there.

He pulled her back against his chest as he smoothed his hands up her body and nibbled on her ear seductively. Elliot turned her around and kissed her passionately as he moved his hands over the curves of her body. He guided her backward toward their bed.

"Elliot," she whispered softly fighting off another moan.

"What baby?" He asked as he slid his fingers down and locked them in hers.

"El, I can't." She broke their kiss as she arms rested around his neck and gazed into his eyes.

"I know."

"Then why are you…"

"It has been so long since I touched you, since I even kissed you. I missed you so much."

Elliot laid her gently on the bed and turned out the light. He kissed her tenderly as he slid his thumb along her jaw line and stared deep into her eyes.

"Baby," she tried to protest as kissed across her collarbone.

Elliot stopped for a moment and stared at her under him. He watched as the moonlight through the window sparkled in her eyes. Elliot slid his hand gently up her neck and combed his fingers through her hair as he kissed her.

"Elliot, what are you doing?" She moaned trailing her fingers up and down his strong arm.

"There are ways to make love to you wife without the sex."

Olivia looked confused.

"I can still kiss you and touch you and hold you. I have not even done that in weeks. I love you, Olivia. More than anything in the world. My wife and my kids. You guys are my life. You are the only one for me. I want you to know that. I need you to believe it," he whispered softly against her ear.

"I believe you. I'm not sure I ever really believed otherwise. I was just confused and afraid. I wanted to believe you, Elliot. But lets face it, this wasn't exactly the way either of us thought our lives were going to turn out. I guess part of me just thought that maybe you just wanted something different."

"Liv, I was married to Kathy for over twenty years and I never once cheated on her. How could you possibly think that I would cheat on you?"

"I don't know. I guess because you had been married for so long. Over twenty years and you're single for six months. Then we go to Vegas. You come home with a wife. The day we go to court to finalize the divorce so you can have your life back, you find out you are also going to be a father. So you did the responsible thing, Elliot. Like you always do. Like you did before and was trapped and felt guilted to stay for your family. Even when the love was gone, you stayed. Elliot, I didn't want to be responsible for making you feel like that. You were miserable the last several years of your marriage with Kathy. I never want to make you feel that way."

"Olivia, you never could. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. Maybe our relationship is a little unconventional. But that does not mean for a second that I don't love you or want to be with you. I have loved you from the first second I met you. And that love grows stronger every day. And that baby over there, she is the proof. I am committed to you, to my wife and to my family. And I never want you to ever feel like you have a reason to worry about anything like this ever again. You are my best friend, Olivia. My best friend and my wife and the mother of my beautiful daughter and I love you more than life itself. And I promise you that I will always love you and always be faithful. I want to be with you and only you for the rest of my life."

Olivia smiled through her tears. "That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"It's true. All of it."

"I know. That is what makes it so sweet. I feel exactly the same way. I never want to be with anyone ever again. Only you for the rest of my life. Elliot, I may not have been exactly sober the night we said our vows. I honestly don't even remember what they were to be completely honest. But I meant every word. And I intend to honor the promise I made to you when I agreed to be your wife. I want to be a good wife and a good mother."

"You're off to a good start," he said placing a soft kiss on her lips.

Olivia smiled as Elliot wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"You know in about twenty minutes Chloe is going to wake up and want to be fed again?"

"I know. Baby, it is going to be like this for at least the first three or four months until she learns to sleep through the night."

"Yeah. It's going to be a long three or four months."

"Yes, but they are going to be an amazing three or four months."

"Yeah," Olivia said with a smile as she kissed her husband. "And I can't wait to spend the next hundred years raising babies with you."

"You mean after going through all of that, you are going to let me touch you again?"

"If you're lucky."

"Oh, I'm lucky. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here right now. In bed holding my beautiful wife with our gorgeous newborn daughter asleep in the bassinette across the room. There is no doubt in my mind how lucky I am. I love you, Olivia. And I will love you until the end of time."

"I love you too, Elliot."

And with that they fell asleep in each other's arms, trying to get some sleep before little Chloe woke up again.