getting back to work

Olivia was now almost 5 months pregnant when her therapist said she may be ready to return to work. Deep down part of her wasn't sure she was ready but she missed it. Don agreed she could return but only on modified and desk duty until after her pregnancy.

Olivia took a breath as she stepped off the elevator at the 16th precinct on the svu floor. She put on her bravest face and walked in to the squad room seeing a lovely bouquet of flowers on her desk and she smiled as she said "no cake?" Teasingly.

Amanda spoke up and said "we were gonna get you cupcakes."

Olivia laughed "rollins I'm kidding they are lovely thank you." She said but could sense everyone's hesitant stares and glances. This was her worst fear coming back that all these people who had always seen her as a strong badass woman detective would now only see her as william lewis victim. Eben more so because she was now carrying a child which shared his dna.

She finally took a seat at her desk across from her partner, Nick Amaro. Nick kept glancing up at her and olivia finally broke the silent stares by saying "don't like my hair?"

Nick smiled slightly and said "well it will grow back."

Olivia was thankful that at least for the most part Nick was treating her normally. She laughed lightlynat nicks comment about her hair. She began working on some late dd5s when cragen came out and said "lost kid in time Square. Rollins, fin, you take it."

Olivia spoke up and said "me and Nick can handle it."

Cragen shook his head and was about to say no but olivia cut in and said "it's a missing kid I can handle it captain. Please I need to get back to some type of normal."

Cragen hesitated "ok go but no major on scene work in your...condition." He said trying to choose his words wisely.

Olivia grabbed her coat and left with Nick. While in the car Olivia's mind began to wander like she some times does now. Nick glanced over and could tell she was caught in thought. "So how is pregnancy treating you?" He asked trying to break the silence in the car along with the memories he felt she was seeing.

"Um..." she shook her head mostly to get rid of the flashes of terror inside. "Ok. It started moving alot recently and I still have some major morning sickness." She replied to his question.

He laughed slightly "yeah I remember when Maria was pregnant with Zara her morning sickness lasted the whole pregnancy. Have you had bad cravings?" He asked as he drove.

Olivia laughed with a small groan as she touched her stomach "yes and it socks when I run out of cookie dough ice cream in the middle of the night and I don't have anyone to go get me more." She half teased. A huge part of her was starting to wonder if she could really do this alone.

As nick parked the car he touched Olivia's shoulder "your going to be an amazing mom even without a guy around plus your kid will have a badass uncle nick around to help." He joked.

Olivia laughed lightly "if you say so uncle nick." She teased before getting out of the car with nick. Nick went to talk to witnesses while Olivia spoke to the officer and the little boy although the little boy didn't speak much.

A few days later a house was found with several cages inside and a very malnourished young woman inside and soon 2 more women were found. After a couple weeks they made an arrest. Cragen could see the toll this case was taking on olivia and ordered her to go home. Olivia was angry and frustrated but eventually listened but didn't go home. She went to visit one of the girls and the boy she had had while in captivity. Olivia saw so much of her own situation in what this girl was going through but after speaking with the girl she realized she had to stop making so many parallels between the two or she couldn't be as objective as she needed to be. Once she got her head together and spoke to the girl she knew what she needed to do.

She reinterrigated the older woman and they were able to arrest the man behind all this.

Cragen was a bit upset that olivia didn't listen to him about going home but he let it go for now and didn't reprimand her too badly. Once the case was through olivia did seem a bit better.