By the time Olivia got home, it was nearly four the next morning. She was too exhausted to change so she just flopped on her bed and passed out. The next morning she showered and dragged herself back to work. When she showed up at the precinct, Elliot immediately noticed how tired she looked.
"Why don't you head back home Liv? You look exhausted."
"I'm fine Elliot. I just need to get a coffee."
"Olivia you haven't had a proper night's rest all week. You're going to make yourself sick."
"I'm fine. These cases aren't going to solve themselves."
He knew his partner well enough to know when to back off. He dropped the subject and they got back to work.
When Alex walked in the washroom a few hours later, she found Olivia vomiting in one of the stalls. She heard her groan before she flushed the toilet. Alex carefully approached her and saw that the woman was bent over in half, obviously in pain. She immediately made her way to her.
"Olivia! What's wrong?"
She felt the woman's forehead and she definitely had a fever.
"I think I have a flu or something."
She turned back around and vomited into the toilet. She waved her arm, clearly indicating that she wanted Alex to go. The blonde refused. She waited until Olivia finished throwing up and flushing the toilet before speaking.
"I'm bringing you home. Wait here. I'll go get your things and I'll let Cragen know that you'll be taking the day off."
"But the case-"
"Elliot can handle it. You're not going to be any help to him in this condition."
Olivia sighed and rested her head in her hands. Alex left, spoke to Cragen and Elliot, and quickly made her way back.
"Okay hun, I'm going to help you get up."
Alex reached down and wrapped her arm around Olivia's middle. She pulled the woman up and was surprised at how weak she was. She slowly walked to her car and put Olivia in the passenger side. She debated which apartment to bring them to. She finally settled on Olivia's since she would probably feel the most comfortable in her own apartment. She parked and they walked to the apartment.
"I don't need you with me Alex. I'll be fine."
"Olivia, you can barely walk. I'm not leaving you alone."
They walked into her apartment and the brunette immediately made her way to her bedroom. She slowly took off her clothes as Alex began looking for acetaminophen and anything to help settle her stomach. She grabbed the bottle of pills and poured two into her hand. She filled a glass of water and made her way to Olivia. She handed her the glass and the two pills.
"Take these."
The brunette did so without arguing. After she finished the water, she placed the glass on the table, laid back down, and fell asleep. After she passed out, Alex began going through the woman's closets until she found the cleaning supplies. She took the mop bucket and placed it
right next to Olivia's bed. She refilled her glass of water and placed the phone near her in case she needed to phone. She checked on her one last time before making a run to the nearest drug store.
She came back with anti-flu pills, plenty of juice, soup, crackers, water bottles, tissues, and a book for herself. She made her way to the brunette's room and saw that she was still sleeping. She cleared off the night table and placed her purchases on it. She then opened the window a little to change the air. After pushing the overstuffed chair from the corner closer to the bed, she settled in and began reading her book.
Olivia woke about an hour and a half later and slowly lifted her head from her pillow. After taking a long drink of water, she looked over at Alex.
"Hey. How are you feeling?"
Olivia leaned back against her pillows.
"I'm fine. You don't have to stay here. I'm feeling much better."
Alex sighed.
"Let's get one thing straight: I'm not going anywhere. I've already taken tomorrow off and I plan on sitting right next to you until you feel better."
"I'm fine on my own."
"Olivia, you could barely hold your head up earlier."
"But I'm better now."
"No you're not. You can barely move without making a face. Don't lie to me. How are you feeling?"
Olivia paused. Finally she sighed.
"I'm light-headed and really warm. And I think I pulled a muscle in my side. It hurts when I move or breathe too deep."
Alex got up and made her way over. She placed her hand on her forehead and frowned.
"You definitely still have a fever." She grabbed the pills she had bought from the pharmacy and got Olivia to take two.
"Where did these come from?"
"I made a trip to the store while you were sleeping. I didn't know what you had so I just bought everything."
Olivia eyed her carefully.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I told you. You need a friend. Friends take care of each other."
"But you're not even my friend."
"Yep. I am."
Alex sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled.
"You're stuck with me Olivia. Now get some sleep."
With that, Alex left the room.
It was after seven when Olivia finally emerged from her bedroom. She slowly made her way to the table where Alex was sitting and sat next to her.
"Hey. How are you doing?"
"I'm good."
Alex waited until she answered honestly. Olivia saw the look and smiled.
"Alright, I'm not good. My head is pounding but at least my stomach has settled a little. The nap and the pills helped. Thank you."
Alex smiled warmly.
"You're welcome. Do you want to try eating something?"
"No. I tried eating crackers but they came back up. I don't want to risk anything else."
Olivia shuddered as she spoke.
"Are you cold?"
"A little. I put on a sweater but I'm having trouble keeping warm."
Alex motioned to the bedroom.
"Go lay down and I'll turn up the heat."
Olivia shook her head.
"I don't want to lie down anymore. My back is actually starting to get sore from lying down for so long."
"What if we sit on the couch?"
Olivia seemed to consider it.
"Okay."
Alex turned up the heat a couple of degrees before going to the bedroom and grabbing a blanket. She made her way back to the couch and handed it to Olivia as she sat.
"Thanks."
Alex nodded and settled in as Olivia began surfing through the channels. They watched a few game shows before the brunette noticed that Alex was starting to fall asleep. She was resting against the back of the couch and had closed her eyes.
"Alex? ... Alex?"
The blonde didn't respond. Olivia chuckled and watched the woman as she slept peacefully against the couch. God she was so beautiful. Olivia moved a stray hair behind her ear and watched her as her chest softly rose and fell with each breath she took. She sighed. She couldn't believe how hard she had fallen her. She had tried not to but Alex fought her just as hard to get through her barriers. She couldn't believe this woman had gone through all this trouble to help her. True, she did feel oddly comforted knowing the blonde was there but she couldn't figure out why she wanted to help her so much. That was what threw her off. She couldn't understand her motives.
Sighing, she turned off the television and tapped Alex on the shoulder. The blonde groaned and opened her eyes.
"Alex? It's time to go to bed."
She dragged herself from the couch and made her way to Olivia's room. She changed into the pyjamas the brunette handed her and climbed into bed.
"Wait. Aren't you sleeping too?"
"I'm not tired because I slept so much earlier. I'll come later."
"Okay."
The brunette said goodnight and made her way to the couch. She never had any intention of joining Alex and when she was satisfied that the blonde was sleeping, she made her way back and grabbed some sheets.
Olivia was awoken the next morning by Alex's fingers tapping her shoulder.
"Olivia! Olivia! Wake up!"
The brunette groaned and turned over.
"Why are you sleeping on the couch?"
Olivia's eyes widened as a wave of nausea hit her. She shoved Alex out of the way as she bolted to the bathroom. After throwing up, she flushed the toilet and sat back against the bathtub. She groaned and rested her head on her arms. Alex meekly made her way to the bathroom. When Olivia saw her, she immediately apologized for pushing her.
"No, I should be the one apologizing. I'm sorry I made you throw up."
Olivia smiled.
"You didn't. I think I just woke up too fast."
"Yeah because I woke you."
"Don't worry about it Alex. It's fine. What did you want anyways?"
Alex picked at the doorframe.
"I was just going to ask you why you didn't sleep in your bed last night. Actually, I was going to angrily ask but..."
Olivia smiled at her.
"I didn't want to invade your space. And I didn't want to breathe on you."
"I'm sure if I was going to catch it, I would have by now. Next time, don't sleep on the couch. I'm angry that you slept on the couch because you would have gotten a better night's rest in your own bed."
Olivia smiled at her.
"Okay."
She continued smiling at her.
"What?"
"You're cute when you're all angry and concerned."
Alex fake-glared at her. Olivia smiled innocently before trying to get up. When she felt her knees buckle, Alex immediately caught her before she fell.
"Okay. You're still too weak to be on your own. Couch or bed?"
"Couch."
Alex led her to the living room and sat her on the couch. She gave her a water bottle and told her to drink.
"You're going to get dehydrated if you don't drink water. I'm going to make you some soup too. I'd like to see if you can eat something so you can get some of your strength back."
"Okay."
Olivia snuggled under the blanket that Alex placed on her. She watched as the blonde left for the kitchen and smiled. It felt good to have someone taking care of her. It didn't happen often.
She waited patiently and the blonde emerged a short time later with two mugs of soup. She handed one to Olivia and sat down.
"Go slow okay? I don't want you to shock your stomach."
Olivia chuckled.
"Okay."
Alex waited patiently as Olivia took a few test sips. When she took a real drink and nothing happened, the blonde smiled and began eating her own meal. She finished her mug first and waited as Olivia finished hers.
"Do you want more?"
"Yes, but I better not. I don't want to upset my stomach like you said."
Alex nodded and made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed more soup and ate quickly, not wanting to eat more in front of Olivia since she couldn't have some herself. When she felt full, she placed the pot in the fridge and made her way back to the living room. Olivia watched her as she made her way back to the couch and sat.
"So what now?" Alex asked.
"I don't know."
"Well we can't just sit here and do nothing."
"You don't have to stay Alex."
"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that. What if we play a question and answer game?"
"What?"
"I ask you a question and you answer it first, and then I answer it after."
Olivia eyed her carefully.
"I might not answer some of your questions."
"That's fine. But remember, if you don't answer, neither do I."
Olivia nodded.
"Okay...Favourite colour?"
"Green."
"Pink."
Olivia paused as she thought of a question.
"Favourite pass-time."
"Reading. I love to read. I'll read just about anything."
"Who's your favourite author?"
"Ah, ah. One question at a time."
Olivia smirked.
"Sorry."
"You haven't answered. What's your favourite pass-time?"
"Kick-boxing."
Alex raised her eyebrows.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's a really good stress-reliever."
"Okay, when you have a bad day or a hard case, what do you do to wind down besides kick-boxing?"
"Um, it depends. Sometimes I just take sleeping pills so I can sleep but usually I work-out. It helps me wear myself out and focus on something else. You?"
"I try and get out with my friends or I order Chinese food and pig out all night while I'm watching movies." She paused for a second. "Or I cry."
"You cry?"
"Yeah." She blushed slightly. "There are sometimes when I get too overwhelmed so I just cry. I play depressing songs and just cry until I can't anymore. It helps to lift the weight off my shoulders."
"Really? You make yourself cry?"
"Yes. Don't tell you don't?"
"No. I don't."
"What do you do then? When you're particularly angry and sleeping or working out doesn't work?"
Olivia stayed quiet and picked at the couch.
"Liv?"
The brunette looked up as Alex spoke.
"What do you do?"
"Are you sure you want me to be honest with you?"
"Yes."
Olivia shrugged.
"I have this guy that I call for that particular reason. We don't get along but whenever I have a particularly hard case he comes over and we sleep together. It's angry sex, but it works. It gets the anger out."
Alex looked at her with raised eyebrows. She was shocked. This whole time she thought Olivia was a lesbian. She couldn't be straight, could she?
"I know. It's not pretty and it's shocking but-"
"No, it's not that. I just...Liv I always thought you were playing for my team?"
Olivia looked at her confused.
"I was always under the impression that you were a lesbian."
"No."
Alex frowned. She was almost never wrong about these things. And she was positive that Olivia was a lesbian.
"Are you lying to me?"
"No. Why would I?"
"I don't know. I'm usually not wrong about these things."
"Well you are. I only date men."
"Huh." She stated, a little shocked. "So you've never dated a woman? Not even once?"
Olivia paused.
"Well...once."
Alex grinned.
"And it was your longest relationship."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I know these things."
Olivia sighed.
"Yes. It was my longest relationship and it was by far the best, but I'll never do it again."
"Why not?" she asked gently.
"Because I'm better matched to a man. Always have been."
She leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes. She slid her hand around her middle and began rubbing her stomach. Alex cupper her forehead and immediately noticed the rise in temperature. She grabbed a couple of acetaminophens and gave them to Olivia to swallow. She handed her a glass of water and after the brunette took them, she placed the glass back on the table.
"Sorry. Just got hit with a wave of cramps."
"It's okay. Don't apologize."
Alex moved her hair out of her face.
"Are you okay?"
She saw the brunette clench her jaw as she nodded. Alex knew she was lying just by the look on her face.
"Those pills will help."
The brunette nodded but still said nothing. Alex got up and went to the bathroom to grab the heating pad she had seen earlier. When she came back into the living room, she found Olivia bent in half. She immediately rushed over and saw that Olivia was fighting back tears.
"Hun?"
Olivia sucked in a breath of air and rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door. Alex sat down on the couch, feeling completely helpless. She knew everyone got the flu, but she felt bad that there was nothing more she could do. When she heard the toilet flush, she slowly made her way to the bathroom. She paused and listened. Her heart rate increased when she heard her crying on the other side. She immediately opened the door and made her way to her.
Olivia looked up with wide eyes and quickly wiped her tears. Alex leaned down and wrapped her arms around Olivia, pulling her close. The brunette tensed at first, but ultimately broke down in sobs. Alex held her close, pulling her tight in her arms.