A/N: Thanks for all the support. Sorry about the foul language in the
middle. R + R when you have the chance, all comments are accepted.
Elliot, what's up?" Olivia asked as she sat next to him on the barstool. Elliot just took another sip of his beer and put his arm around Olivia. "Well oh well, Olivia.... Don't you look hot in those jeans." Elliot said and Olivia laughed embarrassed and looked around the bar..
"El, what's going on?", she asked.
"You are." he answered. Olivia realized he was hammered out of his mind. She walked to the end of the bar where the bartender was.
"Mac, how many has Elliot had?" she asked him. She'd known him for the past four years.
"He's been drinking vodka like a lunatic." he replied. Olivia nodded her head and thought to herself 'what's going on?' She walked back over to him and took the drink away from him.
"What was that?" he asked.
"I'm bringing you home." she replied. Elliot arched his eyebrows and pulled away from her. It seemed like he sobered up already.
"No....no Liv. I'm not going back to that cheating bitch.", he said. Olivia let go of his arm.
"Elliot, what's going on?" she asked. Elliot looked at her and laughed. He buried his face in his arms. She looked at him pitifully, and rubbed his back. "Tell me El." He lifted his head and tried to hide the tear running down his face.
"I got home and she was on the phone...telling some fucker she loved him and wanted to see him again. I yelled at her, and I wanted to kill them both so bad. I ran downstairs, and she cried....", Elliot stopped and cried. "SHE CRIED and begged me to stop, but I just drove away......What about the kids? What about the TWENTY FUCKING YEARS I wasted with her. I loved her." Olivia looked around the bar and now everyone was looking at them.
"Shhhh.", she comforted him. "I think you need time to cool down." She took him by the arm and lead her to his car. They were only a few blocks from her house so she drove his car to the outside of her apartment. He was silent the whole way there. She parked the car outside the apartment building and lead him up to her apartment. When they entered she turned on the lights and he made his way to the couch. Olivia immediately got a glass of water and an aspirin and gave them to Elliot. He swallowed the pill and the water within a few seconds.
"Thanks.." he said. "I'll just camp out here on the couch."
"No problem. Let me just get you some blankets.", Olivia replied and went into her room and got some blankets. She came back out and found Elliot asleep already. She smiled and wrapped his body with the blankets. She went into her bedroom and watched TV until she fell asleep.
(Six Hours Later)
Elliot was asleep on Olivia's couch and awoke with the vibration of his cell phone.
"What the hell?", he asked as he looked at the window on his phone. It displayed "1 New Message". He dialed his voicemail number, entered his password, and listened to the message. It was Kathleen, sounding very distraught.
"Daddy, it's Kathleen. Where are you? Mom, Dickey, Lizzie, and Me are in Grandma's. Please....come back, I miss you." Elliot could tell from her voice that she was upset. He closed his phone and rolled on his side. He felt that within the past twelve hours his life was spinning out of control. He could feel the pain in Kathleen's voice and now he couldn't sleep. The message played back in his head over and over. Having enough, Elliot decided he had to leave and made some coffee. He figured it would keep him awake. He grabbed a napkin next to the sink and wrote a note to Olivia.
Liv,
Thanks for you hospitality. I'll see you at work.
Elliot.
He tiptoed out the door and made as little of noise as possible. He got into the car and drove back to his house in Queens. Many times he had to turn on the radio, to keep him awake. It was four o'clock in the morning, and he wasn't supposed to be up for another hour and a half.
About fifteen minutes later he pulled into the driveway that he'd been pulling into for the past nineteen years, but only this time it was drastically different. The blue minivan he purchased for Kathy was gone, all the lights were off and all the beds were empty. He took a shower in a final attempt to keep himself awake, plus the fact that he smelt of smoke and beer. He changed into his normal work clothes and never once looked back at the wedding photo next to his bed. For the first time in nineteen years he also didn't wear the gold wedding band; a scary thought for a devout Catholic.
He didn't feel like crying, he was all out of tears. He knew that they day he didn't wear his wedding ring, would be the day he would be signing divorce papers. With another forty five minutes to spare until work, Elliot needed to talk to his kids. Although it was a little late for the younger ones, Kathleen would be getting up soon for school. Plus, he decided that it was time Kathy and he talked about things. He hesitated at first to go or not, but grandma only lived ten minutes from home.
Meanwhile, Olivia smiled in her sleep at the smell of draining coffee from the kitchen. She was dreaming that she was having breakfast in bed, funny enough. The smell of the coffee got the better of her by the end, and she was awake. Her clock was going to go off anyways in a few minutes. She put on her robe and went into the kitchen turning on the lights.
"C'mon sleepy head. Time to get up...." she said to Elliot. She heard nothing else coming from him, not even a moan. "Elliot?" she walked around the kitchen table and found a note from Elliot near the sink where he left it. She read the note and asked herself, "Where did he go?" Elliot, however was going somewhere Olivia would have never guessed. He arrived at his mother in law's place. He saw the blue van. A light was on in the kitchen, probably Kathleen. He knocked on the door lightly. He could hear the footsteps coming and someone unlocking the door.
"Daddy......" whispered Kathleen. Tears suddenly filled her eyes as she leaped into his arms clinging to him desperately. "I missed you so much, why are we here? Are you and mom getting divorced?" she cried. Before Elliot could answer, another voice came from behind the door. "Kathleen, what are you do...", said Kathy who was adjusting her robe but stopped all activity at the site of her estranged husband. "El...." she whispered looking away from him. "Kathleen, go inside...." she instructed. "Daddy, can we talk later?" she asked. He nodded with a smile and kissed her on the forehead as she let go of him. Kathleen went inside and Kath closed the door. "I would invite you inside, but...." Kathy commenced, stopping in the middle of her sentence. "Don't worry about it. I was just leaving, anyways....", he said turning around and walking away. "Wait! El...", Kathy hollered. He turned around his hands in his pockets facing her. "There's a lot of explaining to be done...can we, um....meet for lunch or something." "Yea, I guess. We're adults...How about that little Italian place in the Bronx at around two?"
"Where we had our first date?", she asked thinking maybe Elliot had forgiven her.
"Guess so, 'hear the pizza's still good." he replied getting into his car. "It's a date." she smiled. "No.....Kathy, unfortunately it's not...", he answered her rolling up the window and driving away. She stood in the driveway like she did when he first abandoned her more than twelve hours before. The weird thing was that as much of adults as they thought they were, they never even made eye contact the whole time.
Elliot, what's up?" Olivia asked as she sat next to him on the barstool. Elliot just took another sip of his beer and put his arm around Olivia. "Well oh well, Olivia.... Don't you look hot in those jeans." Elliot said and Olivia laughed embarrassed and looked around the bar..
"El, what's going on?", she asked.
"You are." he answered. Olivia realized he was hammered out of his mind. She walked to the end of the bar where the bartender was.
"Mac, how many has Elliot had?" she asked him. She'd known him for the past four years.
"He's been drinking vodka like a lunatic." he replied. Olivia nodded her head and thought to herself 'what's going on?' She walked back over to him and took the drink away from him.
"What was that?" he asked.
"I'm bringing you home." she replied. Elliot arched his eyebrows and pulled away from her. It seemed like he sobered up already.
"No....no Liv. I'm not going back to that cheating bitch.", he said. Olivia let go of his arm.
"Elliot, what's going on?" she asked. Elliot looked at her and laughed. He buried his face in his arms. She looked at him pitifully, and rubbed his back. "Tell me El." He lifted his head and tried to hide the tear running down his face.
"I got home and she was on the phone...telling some fucker she loved him and wanted to see him again. I yelled at her, and I wanted to kill them both so bad. I ran downstairs, and she cried....", Elliot stopped and cried. "SHE CRIED and begged me to stop, but I just drove away......What about the kids? What about the TWENTY FUCKING YEARS I wasted with her. I loved her." Olivia looked around the bar and now everyone was looking at them.
"Shhhh.", she comforted him. "I think you need time to cool down." She took him by the arm and lead her to his car. They were only a few blocks from her house so she drove his car to the outside of her apartment. He was silent the whole way there. She parked the car outside the apartment building and lead him up to her apartment. When they entered she turned on the lights and he made his way to the couch. Olivia immediately got a glass of water and an aspirin and gave them to Elliot. He swallowed the pill and the water within a few seconds.
"Thanks.." he said. "I'll just camp out here on the couch."
"No problem. Let me just get you some blankets.", Olivia replied and went into her room and got some blankets. She came back out and found Elliot asleep already. She smiled and wrapped his body with the blankets. She went into her bedroom and watched TV until she fell asleep.
(Six Hours Later)
Elliot was asleep on Olivia's couch and awoke with the vibration of his cell phone.
"What the hell?", he asked as he looked at the window on his phone. It displayed "1 New Message". He dialed his voicemail number, entered his password, and listened to the message. It was Kathleen, sounding very distraught.
"Daddy, it's Kathleen. Where are you? Mom, Dickey, Lizzie, and Me are in Grandma's. Please....come back, I miss you." Elliot could tell from her voice that she was upset. He closed his phone and rolled on his side. He felt that within the past twelve hours his life was spinning out of control. He could feel the pain in Kathleen's voice and now he couldn't sleep. The message played back in his head over and over. Having enough, Elliot decided he had to leave and made some coffee. He figured it would keep him awake. He grabbed a napkin next to the sink and wrote a note to Olivia.
Liv,
Thanks for you hospitality. I'll see you at work.
Elliot.
He tiptoed out the door and made as little of noise as possible. He got into the car and drove back to his house in Queens. Many times he had to turn on the radio, to keep him awake. It was four o'clock in the morning, and he wasn't supposed to be up for another hour and a half.
About fifteen minutes later he pulled into the driveway that he'd been pulling into for the past nineteen years, but only this time it was drastically different. The blue minivan he purchased for Kathy was gone, all the lights were off and all the beds were empty. He took a shower in a final attempt to keep himself awake, plus the fact that he smelt of smoke and beer. He changed into his normal work clothes and never once looked back at the wedding photo next to his bed. For the first time in nineteen years he also didn't wear the gold wedding band; a scary thought for a devout Catholic.
He didn't feel like crying, he was all out of tears. He knew that they day he didn't wear his wedding ring, would be the day he would be signing divorce papers. With another forty five minutes to spare until work, Elliot needed to talk to his kids. Although it was a little late for the younger ones, Kathleen would be getting up soon for school. Plus, he decided that it was time Kathy and he talked about things. He hesitated at first to go or not, but grandma only lived ten minutes from home.
Meanwhile, Olivia smiled in her sleep at the smell of draining coffee from the kitchen. She was dreaming that she was having breakfast in bed, funny enough. The smell of the coffee got the better of her by the end, and she was awake. Her clock was going to go off anyways in a few minutes. She put on her robe and went into the kitchen turning on the lights.
"C'mon sleepy head. Time to get up...." she said to Elliot. She heard nothing else coming from him, not even a moan. "Elliot?" she walked around the kitchen table and found a note from Elliot near the sink where he left it. She read the note and asked herself, "Where did he go?" Elliot, however was going somewhere Olivia would have never guessed. He arrived at his mother in law's place. He saw the blue van. A light was on in the kitchen, probably Kathleen. He knocked on the door lightly. He could hear the footsteps coming and someone unlocking the door.
"Daddy......" whispered Kathleen. Tears suddenly filled her eyes as she leaped into his arms clinging to him desperately. "I missed you so much, why are we here? Are you and mom getting divorced?" she cried. Before Elliot could answer, another voice came from behind the door. "Kathleen, what are you do...", said Kathy who was adjusting her robe but stopped all activity at the site of her estranged husband. "El...." she whispered looking away from him. "Kathleen, go inside...." she instructed. "Daddy, can we talk later?" she asked. He nodded with a smile and kissed her on the forehead as she let go of him. Kathleen went inside and Kath closed the door. "I would invite you inside, but...." Kathy commenced, stopping in the middle of her sentence. "Don't worry about it. I was just leaving, anyways....", he said turning around and walking away. "Wait! El...", Kathy hollered. He turned around his hands in his pockets facing her. "There's a lot of explaining to be done...can we, um....meet for lunch or something." "Yea, I guess. We're adults...How about that little Italian place in the Bronx at around two?"
"Where we had our first date?", she asked thinking maybe Elliot had forgiven her.
"Guess so, 'hear the pizza's still good." he replied getting into his car. "It's a date." she smiled. "No.....Kathy, unfortunately it's not...", he answered her rolling up the window and driving away. She stood in the driveway like she did when he first abandoned her more than twelve hours before. The weird thing was that as much of adults as they thought they were, they never even made eye contact the whole time.