Happy New Year :) I hope 2019 treats you well. Here's chapter 11, Enjoy! I recommend listening to human by Christina Perri while reading.
Everything was blurry, Fitz couldn't focus properly with the paramedics shouting orders and the blaring siren. Mellie was holding his hand, he didn't want Mellie, he wanted Olivia. Where was she anyway? "Liv?" He tried to focus again before he blacked out.
Everything was a blur, Olivia moved around in a daze and the next thing she knew she was at the hospital with Cyrus. Mellie looked livid as the doctors attempted to calm her. Fitz was in a trauma room somewhere nearby judging by the little pools of dark red blood. Something shimmered in one of them, the tiny flag pin she had given him on his Inauguration Day. Olivia was jolted from her thoughts by doctors rushing into the room where Fitz was. "He's in V-fib, give me one of epi. Page Shepherd and get him in an OR now."
That's when she caught a glimpse of him, and she couldn't breathe. Fitz's curls were matted dark with dried blood and the new bandage they had placed was already tinged red. The tubes and monitors made him look more frail and paler than he was. Cyrus was saying something about her releasing a statement to the press but Olivia couldn't focus.
Britta Kagen was dead, she had taken over shortly after Olivia had resigned. How could she be expected to calm the public when she could barely pull it together? The next thing she knew she was back in the White House about to face down a crowd of panicked reporters. Olivia took a deep breath in... I will not lose it in front of them.
"The President has been shot and has been taken to James Madison Memorial Hospital. He is in critical condition." Her voice shook as she finished up and hoping the press didn't notice her eyes brimming with tears.
Olivia stepped out of the briefing room, only to be faced with various White House staff looking to her for guidance. She'd have to fill in while Cyrus looked for a replacement for Britta. It was the least she could do for her former colleague and friend.
Olivia normally would have done all of this from the comfort of her own home but the secret service wouldn't let her leave.
"Jeanine, go to my apartment, secret service has the address, get me one gray suit, one blue suit, one black suit, six blouses, three pairs of shoes, some underwear and my toothbrush." Thomas, Olivia wanted nothing more than to just hold him and never let go.
"There is a babysitter at my place watching my son, I want you to bring him here, there is a small duffel bag with clothes in his room. Bring them to me here."
Fitz stood in the doorway of his hospital room watching it all unfold, if this was heaven, it certainly wasn't what he had pictured. Was he dying? He must've wondered this aloud because he heard a familiar voice answer him.
"No, you're not, not now anyways."
Fitz turned to see his mother, who he hadn't seen in 30 years. Anna Grant had passed away when he was ten. She was the one who had passed doux bebé down to him.
"Mom, I... I don't know what to say."
"Then allow me to say that you have grown into a wonderful man," She paused briefly before adding "much better than your father ever was." Fitz frowned "I used to tell myself that I wouldn't end up like him but I guess I did. I mean look at me; I cheated on my wife, I'm in love with another woman and I had a son that I barely knew existed. Does that sound like a wonderful man to you?"
"When you put it that way, no one would think so but they don't really know you. Your marriage has been dead for a long time, Olivia was your breath of fresh air. You needed someone to show you the joy in life again now that your children are older. As for that little boy now, I have no doubt that you and Olivia will figure out a way for you to be in his life."
"I feel like I should have tried to talk to her. I should've told her that I supported her, no matter what decision she made."
"Would you have honestly been okay with that? She knew how wonderful of a father you are and that you would move heaven and earth for this child. Olivia had to make a choice that was right for her and her alone. I don't know if that resolved anything but that's what it seemed like from a mother's perspective."
Fitz was no longer standing in his hospital room but in a spare room in the White House watching Olivia sob into Thomas' hair while holding him close. He reached out to touch her before he realized he couldn't.
Jerry and Karen had flown in to be with their father. Karen had taken one look at her dad's unconscious form and burst into tears while Jerry had been more reserved, though Olivia could see his eyes beginning to fill with tears. He had been quiet on the drive back to the White House despite Mellie doing her best to distract them by asking about school. Olivia passed by his room on the way back to the room that had unofficially become hers while she was staying there.
"Liv?" Jerry asked quietly, "I just... I just need to know if he's going to make it." Olivia could see that he was struggling not to break. "I think he will. It's okay to break, you know. You don't have to be strong all the time." Jerry nodded, a sob escaping his lips as he finally let go. Olivia wrapped her arms around him as he leaned into her. She let him cry for as long as he needed, Jerry leaned away from her, his face red and blotchy "Thanks for that, you didn't need to. I probably just ruined your dress, sorry." Olivia laughed, "I've had worse things than tears spilled on me, trust me
you're good. I'll keep it between us." Olivia turned and walked towards the door before Jerry spoke again, "I won't tell... about my uh brother. Your secret's safe with me. Don't tell Karen but I've always kinda wanted a little brother. Can I meet him someday soon...If you don't mind?" Jerry rambled.
Olivia was lost for words. She and Fitz had been careful around the kids, had they let something slip?
"How did you know? We tried to be cautious around you and Karen."
"You weren't that subtle, Dad has never looked at Mom the way he looks at you. He.. he looks at you like you hang the moon. When you left, he was distant like he was there but he wasn't really there. I kinda understand why you keep my brother away from all of this, it's exhausting being here and you don't get to be a regular kid anymore."
"I wanted Thomas to have a normal life, well, as normal as you can get in this town. Of course, you can see him, whenever you want."
The hospital was eerily quiet despite the steady beeping of the monitors. Olivia had waited until everyone had gone so she could be alone with him. If he doesn't— no she couldn't think like that. Olivia approached the bed and grabbed his hand, the only part of him that wasn't completely covered with IVs. Fitz looked peaceful as if he could wake up any minute and everything would be okay again. She wondered if he could hear her, not that Olivia would know what to say to him if he could. "I know you're fighting so hard right now, but if you could just.. fight a little harder, that would be good. Do it for Jerry and Karen and... Thomas. They need you.." Olivia trailed off, "I never grew up saying I love you, and I never really believed in it until I met you. I know I don't say it often but I love you." She kissed his forehead, trying to be cautious of the bandages on his head.
A dark haired doctor entered the room. Dr. Derek Shepherd read the title on his lab coat. "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here. I just saw that his heart rate's picking up." Dr. Shepherd examined Fitz's eyes and tilted his head from side to side. He took a look at the monitor and said "his heart rate's dropped slightly. Can you move closer to him?" "What?" "Just do it." She moved closer to him. "Touch his hand." If Fitz concentrated on the hand she was holding, he could almost feel her touch. She watched as the monitor's numbers went up steadily. "Usually patients in comas can hear and respond in their own way to a loved one's touch. He knows you're here. It's a very good sign." "Do you... do you think he'll wake up?"
Dr. Shepherd sighed, "At this point, his brain is still healing and he's in fairly good health, I see no reason why not. Typically, it's a matter of what functions he'll have when he wakes up." Olivia couldn't stop herself from asking what could happen. "His injury was to the right frontal lobe so we're looking at possible major personality deficits but we won't know what kind or the severity, until he wakes up." Fitz wanted to scream at his lifeless body to wake up and get back to Olivia. Back to his life.
Sorry for the long wait, I wanted to make this update as good as possible. This is by far, the longest chapter I've written for this story. Opinions on Fitz's mom? Let me know what you think :)