Chapter Ten

"I need to tell my mother, she is going to want to come and see me. It will be her first grandchild" Olivia said biting her lip.

"So, tell you mother to come. I would love to meet her" he smiled at her.

They lay in bed at his house. They had found out about the baby a week prior and Liv had an appointment with the OBGYN in the morning. There was no way he wasn't going with her, so he had insisted she sleep over at his house and they could drive to the doctors together.

Liv was worried and he knew she was.

"Fitz, no matter how connected we are, we are still in a new relationship. This baby is going to put unbelievable stress on us. Do you think we can handle it, can we survive it?" she asked pensively.

"I know we can. I don't feel like anything that has happened to us is an accident Liv. Me walking into the Moonlight Lounge at the last-minute cause I had a lousy day and I needed a drink. That allowed me to meet you. Me and you almost losing each other and then finding our way back to each other so we can appreciate this even more, and now this baby. None of this was planned, but I feel like it's just meant to be this way. It's serendipity…. Liv you and me. We are just meant to be. It's just that simple"

She looked up at him and smiled tremulously.

"We're in this together, no matter what, okay?" he leaned down and kissed her.

"We're in this together"

She let him pull her in close and cuddle her as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Liv had been very busy all week getting ready for her mother's arrival. The last of the many things she needed to do was stock up her fridge with food. She run out to the grocery to get all the staples mothers expected their daughters to have.

Bread, milk, veg, fruit, fish…all the shit she needed to pretend she ate on a regular to avoid having to listen to a lecture about how she didn't eat right. She already got enough of that from Fitz. She had told her mother about the baby over the phone, and she had sounded happy, but she worried about how Fitz and her head strong mother would get along.

She got home and unloaded the groceries from her car. She should have made two trips to get all the stuff into the house, but she was too damn lazy. She had thrown three heavy grocery sacks over each shoulder and carried an additional two in each hand. They felt like they weighed one-hundred tons; it would have been considerable less effort to make two trips, but she was already committed at this point. There was no way she was putting half the shit back in the car so she could come back for it.

She walked slowly to the elevators and travelled up to her floor with sweat pouring off her. She got off on her floor and waddled over to her front door her legs threatening to buckle under the weight of the bags. She finally made it to her door and threw all the bags to the floor. She riffled through her purse and found her house keys at the bottom of her purse.

She opened the door and started to bring in the bags one at a time into her kitchen. She had one bag left out on her stoop and then the arduous task of unpacking all the food and placing it where her mother would see it during her customary snooping in my baby's fridge and cupboard session.

She walked out of the kitchen and was on her way to the front door, when she saw him standing there holding her last grocery bag.

"Hello Liv" Edison said

She screamed.

Fitz was shutting down his computer and getting ready to head to Liv's house when he heard Quinn talking to someone outside in the reception area of the office.

Shit. He needed to head out. Liv's mother was set to arrive in about two hours and Olivia had been having mini freak out sessions about her arrival. He had wanted to head out early and be there to calm her nerves down. He couldn't imagine that stress of any kind was good for her or the baby.

Baby. He was having a bay with Olivia.

The stupid smile that he had been trying to keep hidden throughout the week broke out over his face. It had been doing that lately.

He was going to be a father. Emotion swelled up in his chest. He was also planning on being a husband in the very near future.

He heard Quinn knock on his door and contemplated making a run from it through his fire escape.

"Come in"

Quinn entered followed by a beautiful statuesque woman. He didn't need an introduction to know who she was. Liv's mother.

"A Ms. Maya Pope is here to see you" Quinn said in the most professional voice he had ever heard her use. She waited for Maya to clear the doorway and her back turned before gesturing wildly at Fitz. She mouthed What the fuck? at Fitz before closing the door behind her.

Fitz walked around his desk and approached Maya Pope with his hand outstretched.

"Ms. Pope it's a pleasure"

Maya reached out and shook his hand. Olivia had shown him pictures of her mother, but they didn't do the woman standing before him any justice.

Maya was a timeless beauty. She could have been anywhere from thirty-five to sixty years old. It was impossible to tell.

"I guess your surprised to see me here" she said. Fitz pointed at the seat across from his desk chair, silently inviting her to take a seat.

"I am surprised. Olivia and I thought you were coming in about two hours. Eight pm" he took the seat next to her.

"I know I lied to her about that, I wanted to meet you alone first. Take measure as they would say" she looked at with him with narrowed eyes as they spoke.

"Understandable. Liv is your only child"

"Yes, she is; and I have already had to deal with one jacked up boyfriend fucking with my child. I am not going to let that happen again" her voice was soft, but there was a non-spoken warning behind those words.

"Understood, but I am not Edison. I love her"

"Edison said that to"

"Yes, but what are the chances he meant it? You don't do what he did to someone you love. I would rather die than harm a hair on her head…Look, you don't know me. I guess you can do whatever smell test you need to do to see if I pass muster, but frankly the only way to know if I am good for her is to spend time with me… with us together. Liv is everything to me"

"Sounds like a bit of an unhealthy obsession"

Fitz laughed and nodded "it probably is, but I don't care. I'm running with it"

Maya looked at him and nodded. She was getting a good feeling off of the young man. Liv might have finally gotten it right.

"Well you are making a better first impression than that asshole ever did. Were you headed home?"

"No, I was going over to Liv's to check on her. She's a little unhinged about you visiting" he said honestly.

Maya smiled "Well then you can give me a ride"

They walked out the door together. Fitz waved goodbye to Quinn and led Olivia's mom to the elevator and then down to the car garage.

"So, do you want this to be a surprise or should I call her and let her know we are headed in together" Fitz asked once, they were belted in the car.

"Don't you dare call her! I want to catch her putting away all the food she buys so I can think she is eating right" Fitz laughed remembering how Olivia had dashed around the house this morning searching for grocery sacks she never used so she could go shopping for food before her mother came in.

Fitz thought about Liv's reaction when he walked in with her mother unannounced.

He was a dead man.

"Edison…Edison, what are you doing here?" Liv whispered. Fear coursing through her body.

He entered her apartment and she watched him lock the door behind him. He placed the grocery bag on the floor and walked towards her.

"I wanted to see you Liv" he said looking around her apartment calmly.

"When…when did you get out?" she asked

"Two months ago. I was trying to work up the courage to come see you. I wanted to see if there was any chance we could work things out" She looked at him confused.

Work things out…he couldn't possibly mean them…could he?

"Edison…"

"I know now that's not going to happen. You've moved on to bigger and better things. I've seen you with that rich white guy…."

Oh my god, he had been watching them!

"Guess that is why you never really gave me a chance Olivia, you were looking for more than I could give you" he said sneering

Olivia felt anger boil up inside her. Wait a minute was he calling her a fucking gold digger?!

"I'm sorry Edison, let me see if I'm getting this right; you think we are not together because you didn't have money? Are you fucking kidding me! You beat me to a pulp and put me in the hospital for a month and you think were not together because of fucking…money?!" he was out of his fucking mind!

"You pushed me Liv. I asked you to marry me and not even a day later I see you with yet another rich white boy in a restaurant flirting, trying to make a fool of me, how much did you expect me to take!"

Liv was stunned. She couldn't believe the bullshit pouring out of his mouth. Is this what he was telling himself in Jail? That she left him because he didn't have enough money?!

"Bullshit! I never fucking so much as looked at another man when we were together Edison. You were out of your mind on coke and made shit up to fit that ball of rage you seem to want to carry around permanently" Wait? Why am I arguing with him?!

Olivia took a deep breath "Leave my house NOW! If you don't I am calling the police!" she was yelling now.

"That seems to be your solution for everything. Did you really need to have me put in jail that night Liv? You destroyed my whole fucking life. I'm a convicted felon because of you!"

"No, you're a convicted felon because of you! I was unconscious for a week after you beat me, Edison! So, you tell me how I put you in jail?!"

"You didn't have to testify at the trial, you could have walked away…"

"Edison, get the FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!" she yelled. She couldn't argue with him. she shouldn't argue with him. Nothing about him was rational. Rational, sane human beings didn't beat people they proclaimed to care about and compound the sin by trying to justify it.

She needed to dial 9-1-1….Where the fuck is my purse!

"Looking for this Liv?" he said holding up her cell phone.

Shit!

"We're not done talking. I want you to admit that I was just a place holder. You were never in it with me Liv. You were holding out for better, and now you found it haven't you. Got some rich white boy to do all the things I couldn't do for you"

She was done. The anger boiled over.

"You're right Edison. I did move on to bigger and better in every fucking sense of the word. I have a real man now not a fucking coward. Did it make you feel like a man to beat me up? Cause real men go after people in their weight class Edison. You weigh about a hundred pounds more than I do. What kind of challenge is that…you're a fucking pussy. You're a joke. I hope you suffered every day in that fucking jail cell, and I hope you suffer every day again when they arrest you for this fucking childish bullshit you're pulling right now" she raised a finger and pointed at him.

"It's over; take it like a man and FUCK OFF! I hate you, you think I would get back with you?! What a fucking joke. You're not a man Edison, you're a child. Go find yourself a woman that willing to put up with your childish shit, because it sure as fuck will not be ME!"

She knew she had gone too far as soon as he finished railing on him. Men like Edison had fragile ego's. They knew they fell short in the whole being a man department so they went after weaker prey. Women and children. She watched the anger flare behind his eyes and before she could move he was across the room and had slapped her so hard she saw stars as she fell to the ground. She managed to brace herself at the last minute and fall on her back.

The baby! She had to protect the baby!

She turned around and started to crawl away. He had hit her so hard she was disorientated.

"Get back here you fucking bitch, I am going to…" he didn't get to finish the threat. A rage filled round filled the room and Edison was suddenly pulled off her. Olivia had her mother scream.

She turned around on her hands and knees to see Fitz on top of Edison, raining blows on him. Fitz looked like a mad man. Blood sprayed across the room as his fists flew. Edison wasn't moving any more.

Oh my god he's, going to kill him!

She crawled towards Fitz and grabbed him.

"Stop, Fitz stop! He's down, he's down" she wrapped herself around him and watched as the red haze slowly dissipated from him. He looked around the room disorientated. Trying to get his bearings. He had fucking disconnected from earth when he had seen Edison hurting Liv. He was trying to make his way back to reality.

"Oh god Liv, are you okay? The baby…I'll fucking kill him"

He rolled of Edison and fell to the floor. Liv gasped. His shirt was stained deep red with blood.

"Fitz!" she saw a knife near where Edison lay and screamed.

"Mom, call for help!" She pulled up his shirt and saw the deep wound in his stomach gushing blood. Maya was already on the phone. She had picked up and called as soon as Fitz had jumped on Edison.

"Fitz, fuck!" she quickly untucked her shirt and pulled it off over her head. She put bunched the fabric and pressed it into the wound trying to staunch the bleeding.

"Fitz, please don't do this to me…Fitz please don't fucking die" she yelled at him.

She looked over to where Edison lay still and yelled at his lifeless frame.

"YOU MOTHERFUKER!"

She sobbed as she heard sirens approach. What was she going to do…what was she going to do…?

Liv sat in the hospital waiting room next to her mother and Abby. She was numb.

He can't die.

She had shown up in the hospital with Fitz in a blood-soaked bra, so the hospital had managed to find a pair of scrubs for her to wear while she waited for Fitz to get out of Surgery. The paramedics had informed the admitting physician that she was pregnant so she had been wheeled of to a separate room protesting as they rolled Fitz off to the ER.

He can't die.

An hour later she had held an ultrasound picture of her healthy baby as she went into the Intensive care waiting room to see if she could find out any news about Fitz.

She knew that Edison was somewhere in the same hospital getting treated, but she didn't care. She hoped he fucking died.

The doors to the waiting room swung open and Quinn walked in holding four cups of hospital crude aka coffee. She offered a cup to Maya who accepted it gratefully. Olivia and Abby refused. Liv, didn't think she could get a sip of anything down right now.

He can't die.

Quinn threw the cup in the trash and sat down next to the three women to wait. An hour later a surgeon came out and started walking towards them.

Olivia jumped up and met him halfway.

"He's going to be fine" he said quickly reassuring the crazed looking woman in front of him.

"He had a severe injury to his spleen, but we were able to preserve a part of it and repair the blood vessels. He's going to be in the Intensive care for a while. They taking him to post op right now and we can let you see him for a little while in about an hour."

Olivia hadn't heard much after the his going to be fine part. She wrapped her arms around herself and cried as her mother rubbed her back to soothe her. Quinn and Abby were off to the side crying in relief.

She stood in the same position as the doctor walked out of the room, her feet wouldn't move. She couldn't propel herself to the chair she had vacated.

He was going to be alright.

Her strength abandoned her and she slipped down to her knees crying in relief. Maya, Abby and Quinn down on their knees and held her.

He was okay! He wasn't going to die on her!