"Alex tells me that your room's finally finished." Elisabeth said gently as she watched the girl color the edges of the paper black. "What's it look like?"
Allie nodded and smiled as she looked up at the woman. "Three walls are white with green, orange, light pink and bright pink spots in the middle. The wall behind my bed is orange and pink. All my furniture is bright red and retro, it's called the Lizzie McGuire set." Allie went back to coloring as she continued. "I have a bed, a dresser with a mirror, a nightstand, a chest, and a desk."
Elizabeth smiled as she asked, "What's special about it?"
"Mister Fin came over and painted a picture of Livvie's shield above my door, and Alex leaves a pair of her glasses in my room too." Allie went on.
"Why Olivia's shield?"
"Because." Allie answered.
This time Elisabeth suppressed her smile. "Because why?"
"No one can get me." The little girl explained as she picked up another crayon.
"Does it make the bad dreams stop too?" Elisabeth asked as she took notes.
Allie shook her head. "They still come."
"And what do you do when you have one?"
A little stick person stood in the middle of Allie's picture and six bigger figures stood around her in a circle, one with brown hair, two with yellow, and two with red, and one with silver. The bigger figures looked as if they were keeping the black around the edges of the paper away from the little girl. "I use to hide in my closet."
"And now?"
"I pull the blankets up and wait for Livvie and Alex to come." Allie answered. "They always come."
"Your very close to Olivia and Alex aren't you?"
Allie sighed and nodded her head. "I miss my Bubbe."
"It's ok to miss her and to feel good about being with Alex and Olivia too." The woman reassured. She'd been worried that Allie would start to feel guilty for adjusting into her new home.
"I don't want Bubbe to be mad at me." Allie confessed.
"Why would she get mad, Allison?"
Allie picked up another piece of paper and started to draw a new picture. "Because God answered my prayer and not hers."
"What did you ask God for?"
"A mommy." This picture had two big figures and a little one together, and a third big figure alone and crying. "I have a Bubbe, and I had a Nana and a Daddy but I've never had a mommy before."
"And what did she ask for?"
"For Nana Dette not to die."
Elisabeth talked to Allie for the rest of her hour about how she felt about living with Alex and Olivia. Then she let the little girl play while she went into her office to speak with the detective and ADA. "She's adjusted well," The dark haired doctor started. "and she seems to be dealing with the trauma of what she witnessed."
"There's a but coming." Olivia piped in.
"She's beginning to feel guilty." Elisabeth told them.
Alex fidgeted with her glasses as she asked, "What is there for her to feel guilty about?"
"You," Elisabeth told her just for the reaction she knew she'd get from her friend. "and Olivia. She misses her grandmother and feels bad because she feels safe with the two of you. She's afraid that her grandmother may become angry over her closeness to you both."
"What do we do?" Alex asked.
"For starters be prepared for some backlash. She might start acting up in order to push you away. You'll need to handle it in a firm yet reassuring way. Secondly, she needs to talk about how she's feeling with both of you as well as her grandmother."
Olivia sighed. "Sally's still unable to commentate very well and she can't do verbal at all yet."
"Allison needs to know that her grandmother isn't angry with her." Elisabeth stressed. "For now spend I think if the four of you spent time together and Allison can see that her grandmother is pleased with her being with you, that should help."
Alex nodded and was already making plans to spend the first Saturday they could with Sally.
"There's one more thing." Elisabeth said. "Your going to want to get her use to the idea of you both going back to work. She might feel as if she's been left alone even in a day program, school setting. Go out for an evening, leaving her with someone she and you trust, then work up to leaving her for a day at the program you've chosen." Elisabeth showed them both pictures and explained what she thought they meant. "Most children seen the adults in their lives and shields. With her so recently losing so many of her shields she might became scared of losing you both as well, especially given that she knows in away what you work entails."
Both women agreed to work on the points Elisabeth had made and then set up Allie's next appointment. When they went to the playroom to pick up their foster daughter it was Alex's arms she launched herself into.
"So am I nuts?" Allie asked as she was carried down the hallway.
Alex blinked. "Of course your not nuts. Why would you think you were?"
"Cause I have to talk to Doctor Olivet and she's a head doctor." Allie answered as she hugged Alex's neck.
"You don't have to be nuts to talk to a physiatrist or a therapist Allie-Cat." Olivia explained in the elevator.
"You don't?" Allie asked.
Olivia shook her head. "Alex and I talk to Doctor Hung at work. He's a physiatrist. Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone who knows how to listen the right way and who isn't someone your with all the time."
"I like Doctor George. He's nice." Allie smiled until Alex put her down outside the office building. She liked it when one of them held her. It was safe and warm and she liked how they smelled. Alex smelled like baby powder and a soft perfume. Olivia smelled like vanilla and leather. "Where are we going now?"
"We've got to buy birthday presents for Elliot's twins." Olivia answered as she helped Allie into the car and buckled her in. "Their birthday party is tomorrow."
"Do I get to go?" Allie asked as she snuggled into the leather seat.
Alex smiled at her through the rear view mirror. "Of course you do sweetheart."
"Can I pick their presents? I know a lot about kids ya know."
Alex and Olivia both laughed. "Sure you can." Alex answered.
After asking Olivia a million questions about Elizabeth and Dickie, Allie was able to pick out a new video game for Dickie and a two DVDs for Elizabeth. When they finally got home that evening Allie could barely sit still. She didn't have many friends and the ones she did have she had to leave behind in her old neighborhood. She really hoped that Elliot's twins liked her.
Elliot's house was in Queens and the drive there was driving Allie nuts. She tugged and smoothed out her skirt and adjusted and readjusted the gifts that sat on the seat beside her. The thing that finally got to Alex was the little girl's non stop tapping on the back of her seat. "You alright back there, sweetheart?"
"Yes." Allie answered and then sighed. "Do you think they'll like me?"
"Of course they will." Olivia answered as she turned to look at the girl while they waited at a light.
Allie nodded and smoothed out her skirt again.
When they finally pulled up in front of the Stabler house both women had thought the small girl would have jumped out of the care and dashed towards the door, but she didn't. As excited as she was, Allie was now a little scared. She reached up and took Alex's hand and held it tightly.
"Hi guys." A young woman greeted after Olivia had rung the door bell. "Come on in."
Olivia smiled. "Good to see you Maureen. How's school?"
Maureen smiled as she lead the trio into the house. "Not to bad." She answered before looking down at Allie. "You must be Allison. Dad told us you were staying with Liv and Alex. My name's Maureen."
Allie smiled at the girl and shook her hand. "We brought gifts."
With a smile that looked a lot like her father's Maureen accepted the gifts. "I'll put these with the others. Would you like to come and meet the twins? Your the first ones here."
"Yes please." Allie said politely and then added, "Thank you."
The party was set up in the basement of the house which was decorated with purple and green streamers, balloons, games, and what looked like the tape Livvie kept in her work bag. It made Allie blink and Olivia laughed as she crouched down beside her. "It's a running joke. One year Elliot forget to get the streamers so we used police tape."
Allie giggled and wondered for a moment if her daddy had ever done something so silly.
The twins were older then Allie but they were really nice to her. Dickie showed her how to play his favorite video game and Elizabeth had complemented her on her dress. As the kids hung out in the basement the adults hung back out of the way, but Alex and Olivia took turns hovering so they could keep an eye on Allie.
Eliot watched the two woman and couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?" Olivia asked as she reached for another soda.
"Your such new moms." Eliot replied before gulping his beer.
Alex looked at her friend as if he'd grown a second head. "Well that was observant. What was the first clue? The fact we've had her a little over a month now or our utter cluelessness?"
"The fact that your hovering." Eliot smirked. "Your waiting for something to go off so you can sweep her up before anything can happen."
Olivia huffed softly. "And what's wrong with that?"
"Nothin'." Eliot continued to smirk.
Alex looked at the dark haired bright eyed man and then over at Olivia. "Why's he smirking like that?"
Olivia looked at Eliot for a long time before finally shrugging at Alex and turning to Kathy. "Why's he smirking like that?"
Kathy smiled warmly at the woman she once saw as a huge threat to her and Eliot. "Being moms suits you both."
"Oh." They both replied with smiles.
"Speaking of the month you've had her." Came a new voice from the doorway. "Have you two been out together since?" Casey asked.
Alex shook her head. "No, it's been to soon."
"But Elisabeth said we should." Olivia added. "She said it would be a good time to get her use to us leaving which our leaves almost up."
Casey nodded. "That's a good idea. Make plans, Reenie and I will come sit with her."
Allie was sound asleep as Olivia put her in the car. The hardened detective couldn't help but smile as she brushed hair from the girl's face. As she slipped into the driver's side of the car she reached over and Alex's hand. "They were right tonight ya know."
"I am not drying my hair." Alex huffed. "I did that once for WPP and I hated it."
Olivia laughed. "No I didn't mean about that. I meant about being a mother looking good on you."
Alex smiled and held tightly to Olivia's hand. "It feels good."
Olivia nodded. "Yes it does."
