Hello all! Here is an update...within a week! I bet you're as surprised as I am about that. I loved all the reviews. I know some of you were very confused, but some figured it out (smarties.) Anyway...read, enjoy, and let me know what you think. I always love reading your responses. :)

Elliot walked up the steps to the luxury apartment building, and stopped in the lobby. It looked more like a hotel than a home, but it didn't surprise him. The cold, sterile environment seemed to fit. The doorman stopped him and asked his name and who he was visiting, and Elliot sighed, wishing he still had a badge so he could just enter without permission. "Elliot Stabler," he said. "I need to see Rafael Barba." He waited while the man called up to the apartment, and the look on his face made him wonder if he would hang up and turn him away, but after a few minutes he looked at Elliot and motioned him to the elevator, rambling off the apartment number, and Elliot pushed the elevator button quickly in the hopes that he'd reach the apartment before Barba changed his mind.

He thought about Olivia as he stood in the dark elevator, listening to the clicks as it passed floor after floor. She was sleeping when he left…finally. It had taken forever to calm her down, and even though her tears had stopped, he knew she was still broken inside. It didn't help that as soon as she'd been labeled a drug user than the demeanor of the hospital staff had changed as well. The nurses didn't smile and chat with her when they came in to take her vitals. The doctor barely spoke a word when he checked to make sure she wasn't dilating, and even when Olivia asked him to let her hear the baby's heartbeat, he'd dismissed her request. She was sick and pregnant and scared, and no one deserved the treatment she was getting. No one.

The elevator doors opened and he stepped out into a hallway that was as boring as the lobby with stark white walls and tile floors. He knocked on the door, and it swung open quickly as Barba stood there, staring at him, "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked. "I don't need you to come here and lecture me. I know what you're going to say…"

"No…" Elliot argued and let himself into the apartment. It was neat as a pin, but more colorful and charming than he'd expected. Noah was sitting on the burgundy leather sofa, watching a cartoon and drinking milk from a sippy cup and Elliot smiled at the sight of the boy, relieved he wasn't in foster care. "They let you take Noah?" he asked.

Rafael nodded, "Yes…for now. There will be a hearing. I'm trying to figure out what I need to do to get ready for it. This is a one bedroom and I have to prove I have room for Noah and the baby before they'll grant me custody." The stoic look on his face disappeared briefly and seemed to be replaced with a hint of grief. "I can't believe she did this…"

"I don't think she did," Elliot insisted.

"I knew you would say that," Rafael shook his head. "You think you know her…but you don't. You don't know how bad it was with the drinking…and now this…"

"She loves her kids," Elliot argued. "She would never do something like this. The drinking was bad. I'm not denying that. But she got help. She was doing better. There's no way."

"She tested positive for opiates!" Rafael sputtered. "That doesn't just happen."

"It was a mistake," Elliot cringed. "I don't know how…but it had to be a mistake. How the hell would she even get drugs? She's home all day…"

"I don't know," Rafael ran his hand across the back of his neck in frustration. "But I'm not with her all the time. Neither are you. Maybe she had someone bring them to her…you meet a lot of creeps on this job…"

"Has she ever seemed high to you?" Elliot asked. "Ever?"

Rafael sat down on the sofa, his face barring the pain of the situation. "No," he reluctantly admitted. "Mostly…she just seems tired and sad. I knew she was struggling…" his eyes blurred with tears. "I should've been home more to help her…to make sure she was okay…"

Elliot sat in the chair next to the sofa, looking Rafael in the eyes. "She didn't do this. You know that…"

"Do I?" Rafael's voice quivered. "All I know…is that less than a year ago I was a single, successful attorney. I could work however long I wanted, go out for drinks, date…I had a life. And now…" he looked at Noah who was still staring at the TV. "I never wanted this…any of this…the kids…the family…" he sighed. "I don't want to be a single dad for crying out loud. I mean, I love Noah…and of course I love my daughter too…but there are days I want to just run away and never come back. And now I'm going to have to do all of this myself…because she fucking screwed up!"

"You don't want this?" Elliot sputtered. "You're a real piece of shit…do you know that? This isn't about you. It's about her…and those kids. They need her. She didn't use drugs. I thought maybe I could convince you to help me find a way to prove that, but I see I'm wasting my time." He stood up and walked to the door.

"Wait!" Rafael called after him, standing to his feet. "How's she doing…I mean, considering…"

"Not well," Elliot said, walking out the door.

Rafael had begged his mother to keep an eye on Noah for a while, not giving her a reason for Olivia's disappearance. He knew he'd have hell to pay when he got back home, but for now he peeked his head around the door of her room, seeing Olivia sitting up in bed, a tray of mushy hospital food in front of her. He wanted to say something…he needed to say something…anything…but he couldn't find the words. He just stood there and watched her take a bite, her face sickened at whatever it was they'd served for dinner. Then he saw her put her hand on her stomach and push gently, "Move for Mommy…" she whispered to the baby. "I know this food isn't what you're used to. I'm sorry…"

"Liv…" his voice cracked and she turned to look at him, her face pale with the realization that he was there in her doorway and she didn't have anyone else to protect her from his wrath. She wasn't afraid of him…not physically...but she knew his words would cut like a knife and she wasn't ready to face that again.

"What're you doing here?" she asked.

Rafael walked into the room, standing by her bed and he could've sworn she pulled her body away from him as much as she could while confined to the bed. "I wanted to check on you," he said softly. "How're you feeling?" He expected her to get angry, to make him leave, but she didn't.

"The baby's fine," she promised, taking another bite of her food.

"I'm glad, but I didn't ask about her," he said, sitting in the chair by her bed. "I want to know how you're feeling. You've had one hell of a day."

"I feel like if I didn't have this baby growing inside of me I'd just slit my wrists and get it over with," she sputtered. "Maybe after she's safe and sound in her new home with you…I will."

"Liv…" he wasn't sure if she was serious or not, but it scared him.

"What?" she asked. "You want me to say I feel fine…happy to be stuck here with people who think I'm a drug abuser…that I'm relieved my kids have been taken away from me. I can't say that, Rafael…even if it would take away your guilt."

"I'm not the one who decided you couldn't keep the kids," he argued. "You can't blame me for that. At least they have me…Noah would be in a foster home right now if I hadn't taken him…and neither of us want that."

"Oh, well then thank you…thank you very much," she rolled her eyes. "I really appreciate the way you failed to stand up for me when that social worker was here. How you just believed them and went along with everything." She felt tears welling in her eyes and tried to hold them back. "I want you to leave now."

"Olivia," he said softly. "I'm gonna ask them to rerun the test. That's why I came up here." He looked down at the way her hospital gown pulled tight against her stomach and he longed to reach out and touch her, but he didn't dare. "Maybe if it's negative, they'll change their minds about custody."

"They already redid it," she couldn't stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. "Elliot threw a fit until they did…" she quickly brushed away her tears.

"Then…everything is okay now?" he asked, but he knew it wasn't.

She shook her head, "It was still positive." She burst into uncontrollable sobs and he sat and stared at her in disbelief. After his talk with Elliot he was convinced a new test would show she was clean. He didn't know what to think now.

"Did you take anything?" he asked nervously. "Maybe just a pain pill or something you could have mistaken as safe…I know you had a lot of scripts after the Lewis attack...if any of those were lying around and you took one to ease the pain..." he was grasping and he knew it.

"I didn't take anything," she sobbed. "I would never put Serena at risk like that. I know you don't believe me. No one does…except Elliot. He told me he'd ask at work tonight and see if there is anything they know of that can make someone test positive even if they've never done drugs. But I'm scared…and I need you to leave. I can't get this worked up again. Serena hates it, and she's already kicking my ribs. I can't do this anymore…" her voice trailed off.

"Liv…" he stood up and took her hand, squeezing it tight. "Calm down…please…you're going to go back into labor. Just settle down and eat," he looked at the bland food on her tray and wished he'd thought to bring her something better.

She grabbed her hand away and glared bitterly at him, "Don't touch me," she spewed.

"Okay," he knew she wasn't going to accept his help. "Just try to eat. Have you even eaten today?"

She shook her head slowly, "They didn't give me lunch. I couldn't because of the contractions and they weren't sure if they'd have to deliver the baby," she dipped her spoon in the beige colored mashed potatoes, but failed to raise it to her lips. "I'm not hungry. Can you just go? Please…leave me alone."

"You've had nothing all day," he reminded her. "Serena needs to eat."

"I had a bagel," she argued. "Elliot made me eat it this morning…after I'd been throwing up. It was gross…some lemon thing with tiny seeds that kept getting stuck in my teeth…but it was fine…"

"Seeds?" Rafael asked as realization hit him. "What kind of seeds?"

She shrugged, "I don't know…why does it matter? I feel queasy and I don't want to eat this…"

"Olivia…" he grabbed her and turned her head so she was looking him straight in the eye, and he could tell the action had shocked her. "Were they poppy seeds?" he asked anxiously. "Did you eat poppy seeds this morning?"

"I…I don't know…" she was confused by his reaction to her breakfast. "I think…yeah I think they were…"

"Oh my God," he ran his hands through his hair and flopped back down in the chair. "Liv…" his voice shook. "Poppy seeds can give you a false positive drug test. I tried a case a while back where the defendant was a drug user, but they kept claiming his tests were invalid because he was eating poppy seeds. It didn't work because he was in jail and they won't even serve them there because of the issue with the tests…"

"What?" her eyed widened. "You mean…the bagel did this…"

"I think so," he shook with adrenaline as he thought of the next steps. "I can't believe this…"

"I can't either," she cried. "Are the poppy seeds dangerous for the baby? They weren't on the list of foods I'm not supposed to eat…I mean, I don't think they are…"

"No…it should be fine," he tried to assure her. "The processing is what causes the drug test to be positive. I don't even understand the whole thing, but I do know if they tested you for drugs they should've asked what you'd eaten first. Did they?"

"No…" she shook her head. "Rafael…I swear…I didn't do drugs. I would never hurt Serena that way. Even when I drank I made myself throw it up, remember?"

"I know…I know…" he put his hand on the swell of her stomach, feeling his daughter moving around. "I'm so sorry, Liv. I should've believed you. I was scared…"

"Just fix this," she pleaded. "I want to go home and I want my son back."

"I will," he promised. "Don't worry…"

""I need to call Elliot," she said, grabbing the phone and ignoring Rafael's attempt at an apology. He nodded and watched as she put the phone to her ear.

"I'm going to go find the doctor," he said, taking his hand away from her stomach and walking toward the door. She'd never forgive him, and he honestly didn't blame her, but she needed him to clear her name, so that was the least he could do.

tbc