I just want to say that my real life can calm its tits any time now so my fic writing life can flourish. Also, I haven't proofed this very well, so there are more than likely a few more mistakes than I usually miss.
EDITED TO ADD THAT THE SECOND HALF IS A FLASHBACK. ALEX IS STILL BROKEN AND CASTED UP IN THE PRESENT.
I remember hearts that beat, yeah, yeah; I remember you and me, yeah, oh yeah, tangled in hotel sheets; You wore me out, you wore me out
When Olivia entered the cafeteria, she poured herself a cup of coffee, paid the cashier, and sat down at a table. She needed a moment to get her thoughts in order before returning to Alex's room. First on the list of things that needed to be taken care of was her apartment. There wasn't much going on there in the way of food or amenities beyond what covers basic needs, so she needed to enlist some help to make it a bit more comfortable when she took Alex home. She pulled out her phone and dialled the person the person she knew she could count on even if he'd expressed his dissatisfaction at the situation: Elliot.
"Stabler."
"Hey, El. It's Liv. I...uh, have a favour to ask," she said tentatively.
There was a sigh on Elliot's end. "What can I do for you?" He didn't sound eager to help, but he didn't turn her down, so she figured that was something.
"I need some stuff for my apartment. Just some basic groceries, mostly."
Elliot didn't say anything for a moment, and Olivia figured he was going to change his mind about helping her. She was already formulating a new plan when he finally said, "When do you need it?"
"Um, if you're not too busy in the next few hours or so? Whenever you can drop it off is fine. I'll pay you back double," she said, relief flooding through her.
"We'll sort out the details later. I'll make sure you've got what you need."
Olivia wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear a smile in his tone, but she figured she wouldn't press her luck by trying to joke around with him. There would be plenty of time to discuss the situation at a later date. "You're the best. I owe ya one."
"If you're not home, I'll just put everything away for you."
Smiling in spite of the rough morning she'd had so far, Olivia felt like things were finally starting to look up. "Thanks, Elliot. I'll talk to you soon."
"Bye, Liv," he said before disconnecting the call.
Olivia drained the rest of her coffee and set out to return to Alex with a renewed outlook on the day.
###
When Olivia got back up to the med-surg ward, she was greeted by Sarah as she passed the nurses station. "Miss Benson, they just took your friend to ortho so she's not in her room. You're welcome to wait in there if you'd like."
"I'll just get her things packed up and ready to go. Um, is there anything I should know about for her after care? Any details that might be important?" Olivia asked.
Sarah shrugged and shook her head. "Not really. Just the obvious stuff like don't get the cast wet, don't submerge the surgical incisions, make sure she's comfortable, follow the instructions on each medication, that kind of stuff. We'll set up for a physical therapist for home visits who'll go over more things in detail, but overall she's in decent shape given the circumstances."
"I'll make sure she's taken care of. She's stubborn and proud, but I'll make sure she follows all her instructions," Olivia said.
"I know you will," Sarah smiled at Olivia and then turned back to her computer.
Olivia went into Alex's room and began getting Alex's things together. She folded up the clothes she had bought and put them and the rest of the stuff she'd bought in the bag that held Alex's purse, putting it at the foot of the bed for easy access. Since she had no idea how long it would be until Alex returned, Olivia slumped in the chair, letting her mind wander as her eyes looked out the window at the grey sky. She'd lost track of time when a porter pushed a wheelchair with Alex in it back into the room. The blonde woman's right leg was in a white plaster cast that began just below her knee, while the left was splinted in a brace of straps and metal rods from her upper thigh to her ankle with a locking hinge on either side of her knee to adjust the angle. He rolled her around so she was parallel to the bed and said a quick goodbye before exiting the room, crossing paths with Sarah, who was entering with a file folder in her hand.
"OK, Miss Cabot, here's your discharge paperwork. Doctor Westphalen already went over some of the info with you, so I'll make this quick. Here's the name of the physical therapist who'll be working with you, and the name of the doctor who you'll be following up with in Manhattan. We're all in the same network, so it's all covered by your insurance. You can call them tomorrow and hammer out the details. Doctor Westphalen's number is in here too in case you have any concerns." She placed the folder on the bed next to the bag of Alex's personal effects. "That's all I have for you. Do you have any questions?" Alex's gaze never left the floor, but she shook her head no. Sarah looked to Olivia, who was looking at Alex, and asked, "How 'bout you, Miss Benson?"
"I think you've answered all my questions. Thank you," Olivia said as she stood up and crossed the room to shake Sarah's hand.
"You're more than welcome," the nurse replied. "Well, you're all set to get out of here. I'm sorry it was under these circumstances, but it was nice to meet you both."
Olivia put the folder in the bag and hung it from the handles of the wheelchair. Slinging her purse strap over her shoulder, she put her hand on Alex's shoulder. "I guess we'll be on our way." She manoeuvred Alex past Sarah and out the door, waving goodbye to the rest of the nurses at the station. They reached the elevator and Olivia pushed the call button. Alex had yet to speak a word since Olivia had gone to the cafeteria. Figuring that there was a lot going on in Alex's head (if Olivia's heart had been through the wringer throughout the past few days she was certain that Alex was experiencing the heartache tenfold), she didn't believe the silence to be an affront. They made their way through the corridors and down to the parking lot where Olivia had left her car.
"I'm gonna go get the car and we'll get you loaded in and we'll be home before you know it, OK?" Olivia put the wheelchair's brakes on and took her keys out of her purse. Alex didn't say a word, but she made eye contact with Olivia so the detective took that as a yes.
A couple of minutes later Olivia pulled up alongside the curb and popped the trunk. She got out and went around to help Alex into the passenger seat, pushing the seat back as far as it would go to accommodate the brace that kept her leg jutting stiffly out in front of her. As soon as she was arranged as comfortably as possible, Olivia folded up the wheelchair and put it in the trunk. When she got back in the drivers seat, she took notice of the fact that Alex had turned the radio on. Olivia's lips broke out in the barest hint of a smile as she put the car in drive and headed toward New York as another rain shower began.
###
"Oh, I love this song!" Alex exclaimed as she reached down to turn the volume up on the car stereo. Sherry Darling by Bruce Springsteen blared through the car and Olivia just rolled her eyes and smiled at her girlfriend's sudden urge to sing along.
They were headed to Alex's family's beach cottage in the Hamptons for four days and three nights. Work was painfully slow so they took a couple of extra days off and decided to get a change of scenery. It was the middle of November and a storm warning had been issued, but they needed to get out of the city and relax with each other and if they were being honest, they probably wouldn't be leaving the cottage for anything other than an absolute necessity so the weather wouldn't be much of an issue.
As Alex drove, she noticed the dark clouds moving in at a rapid pace. Soon they would unleash what would probably be record rainfall that would flood the streets and winds blowing so hard it could uproot trees. It sounded awful, but Alex loved the coast more when it was stormy and cold because she liked any excuse to light candles and get a roaring fire going. She pushed the accelerator a little more and belted out the second verse of Sherry Darling.
Olivia was relishing the idea of spending time with the blonde in a distraction free environment. The amount of teasing text messages Olivia had gotten from Alex about their trip made her feel giddy. All she could think about was getting Alex's clothes off and taking her in front of the fireplace and it was all the ADA's fault. Texts arrived at random times in the week leading up to their getaway that mentioned all the things Alex had planned to do to Olivia's body in front of the fireplace in the living room, the fireplace in the bedroom, in the shower, in the bathtub with the whirlpool jets, and, obviously, in bed. Four days of just her and Alex cozied up together while the weather raged outside? Sign her up.
It wasn't long before they reached the cottage and Alex pulled in parallel to the front door. They unloaded the bags and settled in quickly before making tea and reclining on the sofa. The rain had begun and the only sound was fat raindrops slapping the picture window that overlooked the ocean.
"I'll make something for dinner since you drove," Olivia said as she stood up and took their empty mugs to the kitchen.
Alex got up and followed her. "I wanna help. We can make something together."
"Well, I'm thinking about whipping up some homemade macaroni and cheese. It's simple and good for a stormy day."
"I love it," Alex said and leaned over to kiss Olivia on the cheek.
Dinner was enjoyed and they lounged on the sofa wrapped around each other. The storm had really hit by that time and the sounds of wind whistling through cracks and blowing loose tree branches against the house and banging the shutters were getting more and more frequent. Alex was used to it, but Olivia would tense up when something was particularly loud. She hugged the detective tighter for a moment and then stood up, turning to offer her hands to help Olivia off the sofa.
"C'mon. We're going out," Alex stated.
Olivia's eyes went wide. "Are you insane? It's raining sideways out there and-"
"I know," Alex shrugged, "but this'll be fun. It won't be for long and as crazy as this sounds, it'll get you used to the sounds out there. And you'll be rewarded for your bravery when we get back," she added with a suggestive raise of an eyebrow. "So get your jacket and let's go."
Reaching up and taking Alex's hands, Olivia got up and went to the coat rack with a skeptical look on her face, but pulled the hood over her head and zipped up anyway. She looked over at Alex while she did the same, her face glowing with excitement. They opened the front door and stepped out onto the stoop.
Alex reached over and took Olivia's hand. "Let's do this," she said as she pulled a still slightly fearful Olivia along behind her.
It wasn't long before they were soaked to the skin. Their shoes were no longer keeping water out and their feet sloshed around inside. The water dripped from their eyelashes and blurred their vision, but they were laughing like maniacs as they tried to run against the wind. Olivia had to admit it wasn't so bad when she saw that the majority of the 'scary' sounds were the Eastern White Pine and Leyland Cypress trees out front scraping against the house and flinging branches all over the place. She was sure the neighbours thought she and Alex were nuts for running out in the middle of a storm, but she didn't care; she felt invincible. They slowed down when their muscles protested the exertion and cold temperatures, so they decided to head back to the cottage.
"That was incredible!" Olivia exclaimed as she shrugged off her coat and ran a hand through her soaking wet hair.
"Told you so," Alex replied smugly. "Let's put these wet clothes in the dryer and put our pyjamas on."
After peeling off their wet clothes in the mud room and tossing them in the dryer, they made their way to the bedroom wrapped in towels. Alex quickly started a fire as Olivia dug her sweatpants and hoodie from her bag, then got Alex's pyjamas out for her. They grinned at each other as they dressed and then flopped down on the bed.
"Running against gale force winds really saps the energy," Olivia breathed.
Alex shifted so she was pressed up against Olivia's side. "It sure does. But we'll sleep well."
Olivia turned her head to look at Alex. "I was kind of hoping we wouldn't sleep much tonight..."
"Are you really telling me you have enough energy to fool around?"
Laying still and taking stock of how her body felt, Olivia frowned. "I guess not. Well, I suppose I'd be OK with a little make-out session under the covers before exhaustion overtakes us."
"I think I can manage that," Alex whispered before pulling the covers up over them and beginning to kiss her detective senseless.