DISCLAIMER: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and all characters are
property of NBC and Dick Wolf.
CHALLENGE: Written as part of the 1001 Nights Challenge - induce.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Speeding up the Process
By Ann
"I can't go on like this anymore. What the hell was I thinking?"
"Alex, sweetie, we've been over this time and time again. It was only natural for you to have felt lost and alone when you were in the witness protection program. Who knew you'd be able to come back to your life so soon? I was beginning to doubt that you'd ever come back," Olivia assured her lover, gently rubbing circles on the blonde's aching lower back.
Leaning into Olivia's touch, Alex replied, "I've changed my mind. Can't I give the sperm back to the clinic in Wisconsin? Maybe someone else could use it."
"Baby, you're nine months pregnant. Those sperm made their final voyage long ago," Olivia whispered to her lover.
"Then do something. I want this baby out of me. I want to be skinny again. I want to be able to see my feet," Alex whined, rubbing her hand over her very swollen abdomen.
Reaching for the book on the nearby nightstand, Olivia shifted to lie beside her partner. Turning a few pages, she began to read, "Naturally inducing your labor. These ideas can help ripen your cervix, making it soft, efface and dilate."
Taking offense at the words, Alex immediately sat up and protested, "Ripen my cervix? I'm not some piece of fruit! What does that have to do with inducing labor?"
"I don't know. Maybe it means that you get mushy down there so that the baby can slide out easier," Olivia offered, shrugging her shoulders.
"Down there? Olivia, you could fly around the world hundreds of times on the frequent flyer miles you've earned from going down there," the blonde pointed out as she grinned at her lover's sudden lack of vocabulary.
"You know what I mean, Alex. Now, let's see if there's anything in this book that will help speed up the birth of this baby," Olivia smoothly deflected her lover's teasing remark.
The two women shifted their positions until they sat side by side, and leaning against the headboard, they began to read different excerpts from the book.
"Hmm, what about this clary sage oil? It claims to cause strong contractions if it's rubbed and massaged into the skin. It even says it can be done for as long as I'd like," Alex explained, and grinning, she added, "That might be fun."
Olivia laid the book in her lap and replied, "I don't think the author intended for this to be fun."
"Well, a girl can dream can't she?" Alex said as Olivia shook her head and lifted her knees so that the book rested against her thighs.
Turning the page, Olivia began to read about the uses of herbs, but after noting the possible problems associated with their ingestion, she quickly nixed the idea. "Okay, no herbs for you. Let's see what else is suggested."
"Hey, look. Two more oils," Alex reported joyfully, hoping her lover would choose to try the massage technique.
"Yeah, but this castor oil suggestion requires you to mix it in a couple of ounces of orange juice and drink it. I don't know about inducing labor, but I bet it would make you sick as a dog," Olivia said, crinkling up her nose at the thought.
Pointing to the next paragraph, Alex asked, "What does is say about walking?"
"Hmm, walking will help labor progress if you are actually in labor. If not, it can help ripen your cervix and give you strength for the labor ahead," Olivia paraphrased and gestured to the picture of the woman walking around her house.
"Yuck, do they have to keep referring to a ripe cervix? It's not like I'm going to be picked or anything," Alex complained as she rested her head on her lover's shoulder.
"What else does it say?" The blonde sighed and asked as the brunette quickly skimmed the pages.
"Well, it talks about acupuncture, but there's no way you could do that as much as you hate needles. Oh, wait. Here's a list of things I think we can do," Olivia replied, excited to finally find something that didn't involve herbs or massages or needles.
"Let's see. First, take a ride down a bumpy road. That'll be easy with the number of potholes around the city. Okay, what's next? Eat a lobster dinner and take a warm bath with rose scented bath bubbles. Hmm, that one sounds really nice," Olivia said, and Alex smiled at the thought of food and a bath.
Reading further, the detective noted, "Eat lots of very spicy food. I guess these people want to make sure you've got a good meal in you before you go into labor."
Suddenly, sitting up straighter and almost dislodging her lover from the bed, Olivia exclaimed, "Oh, I really like this next one."
Squinting to see the page, Alex asked, "What? What does it say?"
In response, Olivia closed the book and tossed it to the end of the bed. Leaning forward, she very thoroughly kissed her lover, and pulling away, she whispered, "It suggests having lots of sex. It's supposed to ripen the cervix as well."
Alex rolled on top of her detective and purred, "Induce me, Baby."
Leaning up to kiss her lover once more, Olivia grinned and answered, "Let the ripening begin."
The End