Chapter 3
"Do you have to go back into work today?" Kathy asked. Elliot was finishing the last few mouthfuls of orange juice from the carton and Kathy was doing the dishes with her back to him.
"Yeah, but not right away, I just have some paperwork to finish up." He put the carton in the recycling and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, trying to decide what to eat.
"How's Olivia doing?" No edge, just a light, conversational tone, but Elliot knew better.
"She's alright. Concussion hasn't gotten any worse, so she'll probably be fine."
"Did you stay up with her all night?"
"No, just woke her up every couple hours for a quick check."
"What sort of check?" Elliot sighed, sick of her questions. Why couldn't she just trust him?
Kathy looked over her shoulder when Elliot didn't reply and saw him staring at her, annoyed but not yet angry. "Nothing happened, Kathy. I did her a favour so she could sleep in her own bed instead of the hospital, that's it." Elliot mentally kicked himself; he hadn't told Kathy about being at Olivia's apartment. He must have been even more exhausted than he thought.
Elliot hoped Kathy hadn't caught his mistake, but no such luck. "Her own bed? You said you were sleeping in the crib."
Tired and knowing there was no use trying to lie anymore, Elliot said, "I lied. I didn't spend the night in the crib, I spent it on Olivia's couch. I didn't tell you because I'm sick of you accusing me and I knew you would only make a big deal out of nothing."
"Nothing?! You spent your night at Olivia's house and lied to me about it, Elliot! How can I trust you when you lie to me?"
"It was one time, Kathy, and you stopped trusting me a long time ago, so what does it matter anymore?"
"How do I know it's the first time? Why should I believe you?"
"Because I'm your husband!" Elliot roared. "Because I didn't do anything! Olivia is just my partner, and I should even have to tell you that!"
"I have no reason to trust her, either."
"She saved your life, Kathy, or did you forget that?"
"The paramedics saved my life. Anyone can dial 911. Besides, she was the one driving."
Elliot just stared at her, shocked. She actually blamed Olivia for the accident? Had she forgotten that the guy had been wasted when he hit them, that it had been his fault and not Olivia's at all? Finally Elliot just scoffed and left the room. He couldn't believe what Kathy was saying.
Rather than wait for Kathy to start in on him again, Elliot left the house. He didn't want to just leave like that, but he wanted to argue even less. He headed to the precinct, deciding to finish his paperwork since he had nothing better to do. When he arrived, he saw Olivia sitting at her desk, typing her own reports. She had pushed the chair far under her desk so she could lean back and still reach the keys. She looked tired and a little sick, but Elliot knew she was only awake because she couldn't bare to ask someone to wake her up every two hours to ask her silly questions, and she didn't want to go to the hospital.
"Why don't you go lie down in the crib?" Elliot asked, sitting down at his desk across from her.
"I'll take the next couple days off. Right now it's just easier to stay here and finish my reports." The last few words were difficult to understand through a yawn.
"Go on. I'll wake you up in a couple hours – it's better than nothing."
She shook her head. "I'm fine, Elliot." She finally looked up at him. "Why aren't you at home?"
Elliot sighed. "Kathy and I had a fight."
"How are things between you now, anyway?" Olivia knew they had been about to get a divorce before Eli was born. She had wondered for a while whether things were actually changing between them, improving, but she hadn't wanted to ask. Now, with almost no energy, a pounding headache, ringing ears and her ability to stand up without looking drunk gone, she didn't care much about being polite, or about prying.
Elliot opened his mouth, didn't know what to say, then closed it again. After another minute of silence, he smiled. Olivia recognized this as his 'Things are far from good and there's nothing you can do to change them, but don't worry about me' smile. She'd seen it countless times and could more or less predict what he was about to say. "We're both pretty stressed. We'll work it out." Olivia wanted to tell him that was bullshit and they both knew it, how much she wished he would talk to her about his problems, but she said nothing.
The day wore on and both detectives finished their paperwork late in the day. They might have finished earlier – Olivia was faster than Elliot and always finished before him – but they were both exhausted and Olivia's symptoms slowed her down even more. Elliot offered Olivia a ride home and she accepted, wanting to just go home and sleep. She was pretty sure it was safe to sleep soundly again, but she intended to set her alarm clock for three hours ahead anyway, just in case.
"You gonna be okay getting upstairs?" Elliot asked, he and Olivia stepping out of the car when they pulled up to her building. Olivia wanted to say yes, but she swayed on her feet slightly and had to hold onto the car for balance.
"Apparently not," she said, sounding a little defeated. Elliot smiled, knowing she wasn't apt to rush into a situation alone when she clearly needed help, but she hated asking for help when it came to her own problems. He walked around the car and put his arm around her waist, letting her put her arm around his neck. At least they were almost the same height, which made walking that way easier.
They took the elevator up, even though Olivia normally took the stairs, Elliot supporting her the whole way. She felt dizzy and was having trouble keeping her balance. "Maybe you should go to the hospital after all," Elliot said when she almost fell over stepping out of the elevator.
"Ugh, no, I just want my own bed in my own apartment."
"You shouldn't be alone right now," he said, keeping his hand on her back for stability while she pulled out her keys and fumbled for a minute with them before opening the door.
"You offering?" She said.
He knew she was joking, but he shrugged. "Sure."
She looked at him, a little surprised, then shook her head. "I was kidding, El. You shouldn't be spending so much time at my place; I doubt it's helping your marriage."
You don't know the half of it, he thought. "Shit happens. Kathy'll understand."
Elliot helped Olivia inside and into her bedroom. She didn't both changing into her pyjamas, only took her belt off, along with her badge and gun. Unlike Elliot she put them on her dresser because there was no one else in the apartment to worry about. It made Elliot feel a little sad. If anyone deserved a family, it was Olivia, and seeing how lonely she must be reminded him of just how cruel the universe could be.
"You really don't have to stay, El," she said, pulling off her shoes – running shoes, which she almost never wore to work but had put on because she wanted her most comfortable shoes – and tossing them into the closet.
"Don't worry about it. I'll feel better knowing you're not alone."
"Do you want the alarm clock? Do I still need to wake up?"
Her helplessness made her seem like a small child to Elliot, and the thought brought another smile to his lips. He took the alarm clock and set it for just over three hours later. "That should be alright. You're probably in the clear for any serious brain injury by now, though."
"Good to know."
"Good night." Elliot turned to leave, but Olivia called his name quietly. He turned around.
"Thanks," she said, flashing a tired small. Elliot returned his own tired smile before returning to the living room, the alarm clock in his hand. He set it on the end table and stretched out on the couch.
Olivia lay on her bed, lying on her back because her head hurt if she turned her neck to much. She couldn't sleep on her back normally, but if she was tired enough and waited long enough, eventually she would drift off. She doubted it would happen anytime soon, though, because her mind was awake and full of energy, her thoughts racing each other around.
Why is he here? Not the she didn't appreciate having him with her. She was a little afraid to be alone with such a bad head injury, even if she was probably safe to sleep for more than three hours. But why wasn't he at home? He has a fight with Kathy, and instead of going home to make up with here, he falls asleep on my couch?
Olivia liked Kathy. At least, as much as anyone could like someone they hardly knew. She thought Kathy felt the same way, or hoped, but she had no way to know for sure. But she hadn't done anything to Kathy, and hadn't she saved Kathy's life? She wasn't egotistical, she didn't pretend she had done it single-handedly, in fact if anyone asked she told them she just kept her head and called 911, no big deal. Sure, she spent a lot of time with Elliot. Probably more than Kathy now, but that wasn't her fault, and it was just work. It would be the same with any partner Elliot had. So Kathy couldn't possibly have a problem.
So what was Kathy's problem with Elliot now? Was it the same as before? Most likely. Eli had brought them back together, but their problems would still be there, and she doubted Elliot could change the way Kathy wanted him to. So was their marriage over? Maybe I'm just reading too much into this. He's just taking care of me.
Deciding not to worry about it anymore, Olivia tried to silence her thoughts. It took some time, but eventually she drifted off to sleep.
Three hours later, Olivia could feel someone shaking her awake. She slapped the hand away – the motion hurt her head. Knowing it was Elliot, she opened her eyes slowly. He was walking towards the window and she had just enough time to cover her eyes before he opened the blinds and flooded the room with light. She sat up slowly, wishing she could just lie down again. Her headache was improving, but she still felt horribly dizzy and her ears were still ringing.
Elliot sat down on the bed and held out his hands, unable to talk through his yawn. Olivia took his hands, noting how rough they felt. She wondered why his hands were so rough, as if he were a carpenter rather than a cop. Maybe he does a lot of work with his hands around the house. The thought made her feel strangely lonely again. After living alone for so long she had become pretty handy around the apartment, but she sometimes wished she didn't have to be. She wanted to chase monsters out of closets and read bedtime stories instead of fixing the sink at 9 o'clock on a Friday night.
Olivia couldn't help the tears that stung the back of her eyes. Concussions could cause mood swings, she had read that somewhere, but she didn't think she could blame it all on the injury. Don't cry infront of him, please, don't cry infront of him.
"What's wrong?" Elliot asked. He was looking at her eyes to make sure they were normal, and he saw them glistening with tears that hadn't managed to escape.
"The light's hurting my head," she lied. Luckily her voice was steady, and Elliot seemed to accept her answer.
"Squeeze my hands," he said. She obeyed. "What's your favourite colour?"
"Aren't you supposed to ask me things you already know so you can tell I'm giving the right answer?"
"I do know, it's blue."
"It's purple."
"Since when?" He looked stunned.
Olivia smiled. "Relax, Elliot, it's just my favourite colour, no big deal."
"What's mine?"
"Green."
"Lucky guess." They both smiled. "Can you walk?"
Elliot stood up and Olivia did the same, nearly falling over again. Elliot caught her, his arms sliding easily around her waste, and she wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively to keep her balance. She glanced at him, their faces awkwardly close, and then let go. He made sure she was steady before releasing her. "I guess not," she said.
