Hey hey gang! Sorry to have these long absences in between chapters - rest assured I won't give up on this fic, but things are going to prevent me from posting regularly, I'm afraid.
Thanks so much to Levesque-Rollins823, kmhappybunny240, BalorShieldOrtonStylesareBAE, and guest ShabyShab for the great reviews and to everyone who has taken the time to read every chapter, follow or favourite, or leave a review. It really means a lot to me that people are enjoying Olivia's story!
We have cracked 30 favourites for Come Through! Woohoo! I hope you enjoy the peace and tranquillity in Chapter 14...the storm is coming, folks.
Renee had never been so happy to be in a pair of yoga pants. Finally feeling like herself, and not an invalid - yes, she had restrictions, but sliding her legs into a pair of comfy pants after almost two weeks of hospital pajamas (ie - wearing two gowns, one frontwards, one backwards-very classy) was a little slice of heaven. She went into the bathroom to check out how they looked and found herself looking down at the almost-but-not-quite invisible roundness in her belly. She smoothed the fabric of her shirt with both hands and a little grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Hello my little Lump," she whispered. Talking to the little bump had become a habit lately - ironic since she was also actively trying to hide Lump's presence until she was able to tell Olivia the truth. And if she were being completely honest with herself, thinking about Olivia's reaction always dimmed any joy she felt at being pregnant, and was also a small yet compelling cause to get the truth out sooner. She'd always been a "rip the band-aid off fast" girl...but she knew Olivia was going to be horribly hurt, and that made her pause every time she'd had an opportunity to talk to her alone during their visits.
A large pair of hands slid over her own, intertwining their fingers and bringing her out of her reverie. "Morning, princesses - ready for breakfast?" Dean's gravelly morning voice vibrated into the juncture of neck and shoulder, sending a tiny frisson of pleasure jangling down her spine. Renee turned around, running her hands up his arms as he pulled her closer for a kiss. Before the kiss could deepen, Renee felt a tiny lurch in her stomach. Dr. Flair had warned her that physical affection, arousal, and sex could have an effect on her HG - they were going to have to play it extremely safe and completely planned and prepared from here on out. Reluctantly, Renee had to pull herself away, patting her stomach by way of explanation. Dean stepped aside and let Renee pass through to her bed, "Olivia and Seth are coming this morning with the car, remember? Once I get the thumbs up from Charlotte, we are outta here." She broke free of the circle of Dean's arms and started to walk out of the bathroom.
Dean caught her hand before she left, "Everything is going to work out - you know that right?"
Renee sighed and nodded, "I know, but there are it's gonna be a hell of a bumpy ride before it gets there...but I know it has to happen. I'm going to tell her tonight. After dinner. Hopefully when Seth is still there...maybe it won't be as bad as we think if she has her boyfriend to help her through." She held up a hand to quell the correction that Dean was about to make, "I don't care that they have each said they are just friends...they run together, they go to Crossfit together, they go to dinner together, they are together 90 percent of their day - she went to his parents for dinner last night for crying out loud. You see the way they are with each other...even if they don't admit it out loud, Dean - those two have it bad for each other, just a matter of time…" Renee left Dean in the bathroom and went to pack her bag and wait for Dr. Flair to set her free.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"I've got to get back in the saddle sometime - thank you for doing this with me."
"Okay, so make sure you've got a good grip, not too tight...that's it - that feels good right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Okay, so just start slowly - no rush, there's no one around, it's just you and me."
Olivia but her bottom lip lightly, and put her foot on the gas pedal. They were two
minutes away from the hospital, and she had wanted to start practicing driving by taking the wheel for the last few minutes of the trip to the hospital. Seth wanted to give her a quick warm up by driving up and down Sharondale Road before hitting the slightly busier Glendale Milford Road for he final jaunt. She slowly but confidently took Dean's car down Sharondale and executed a decent three point turn to bring her to the entrance to Glendale Milford.
Seth looked at her, one eyebrow raised in the unasked question, "You got this, Olivia. Just make sure you look in the direction you're going to get hit from first before you pull out."
Olivia tsked, "Thanks coach...hold on to your butts…" she maneuvered the car into the moderately heavy traffic and accelerated to keep up with the flow.
"Nice one, Livvie - just keep it at 45, we're not in a hurry...you got this." Olivia wasn't sure if Seth was keeping a running commentary of support to keep her confidence up or because her driving was making him nervous. Either way, she was glad he was here with her, and willing to sit in the passenger side, even if it was just for a few nerve-wracking moments. The drive to the hospital was relatively smooth, Olivia had always been a big fan of planning her driving route, so there weren't any last-minute lane changes to worry about. Her heart was thudding in her chest as she pulled into a parking stall and turned the ignition off. One hand rested on the wheel, the other on the keys still in the ignition. Her eyes remained fixed directly in front of her, and until Seth spoke, the only sound for long seconds afterwards was her breathing.
"Olivia you did it! That was so awesome - so smooth, like a boss! I was so - Olivia? You okay?" Olivia remained still in the driver's seat until Seth touched her arm, "Olivia?" At his touch, she turned her head to look at him, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a ridiculously happy grin.
"I did it," she whispered, taking her hands away from the steering wheel. She did a happy little dance in the driver's seat, "I DID IT!" She looked over at Seth, who found himself grinning inanely at her, unable to resist her infectious smile. Olivia threw her arms around Seth laughing uncontrollably. Seth instinctively wrapped her in his arms, trying not to notice how warm he suddenly was, or how good her hair smelled, or how he was happy now that she was happy. It was getting harder and harder to keep that part of his feelings for her tamped down - last night at dinner had been especially tricky.
He hadn't intended for it to be a "meet the parents" situation - he had only asked his mom for some help with menu planning...her reaction to finding out he had been spending the majority of the last two weeks with Renee Young's cousin had grown rapidly from mild curiosity to insisting on meeting her in person.
"Seth, just bring her upstairs for dinner - it's been ages since you've brought a girl home...I think your dad would love to meet the person who's been occupying so much of your time lately - not that I'm complaining, we weren't sure that after Zahra, you'd dare to even start looking for someone -" Oh god, that was a train of thought that had to be stopped at the station right now.
"Mom, stop - it's not like that. Olivia and I are really just friends - I'm helping her out by driving her out to the hospital to visit Renee and Dean, and keeping her company so she's not all by herself in the 's nothing - like that - going on, I promise." He shifted on his feet awkwardly, and ran a hand through he hair at the nape of his neck, feeling like he was twelve again.
His mom looked at him skeptically, eyebrow raised, but wisely chose not to say anything further in the subject. Little by little, she had started to see more of the man her son used to be - ready with a smile, not so serious all the time - and she was determined that she was going to meet the person responsible. She was okay with hardly seeing Seth over the last two weeks - he was a grown man after all - but she was quite damned if she was going to see her son go through the hell of the last year all over again. Not if she could help it.
"Alright, sweetie - but we would love to meet her anyway - dinners at 6." She patted his cheek as she walked out of the kitchen, leaving Seth to wonder how things had gone from a casual dinner in his suite to something involving his parents and the family dining room.
Seth felt like he was sweating buckets as he took Olivia upstairs and through the kitchen to the dining room, "So, um Livs - slight change of plan...myparentsarejoiningusfordinner."
Olivia froze at the entry to the dining room just in time to be seen by Seth's parents, who stood to meet her. She turned slowly to face Seth, managing to keep a slightly stunned smile plastered on her face, "And when were you going to tell me?"
Seth had the good sense to look embarrassed. He had tried to pick up the phone half a dozen times since talking to his mom that morning, but he didn't want to freak Olivia out, or make a much bigger deal of this than it was. A small but vocal part of his mind kept telling him that if Olivia knew she was meeting his parents at dinner, she would be overwhelmed, misread the situation...and run.
He didn't want her to run.
So instead, he quickly pulled Olivia back into the kitchen, looked her in the eyes and silently begged her to trust him, "To be honest, I don't know what happened, one minute I was asking my mom for help with a recipe and the next minute we had dinner invitations upstairs...I started to call you a million times, I even tried to say something in the car on the way over, but.." he opted for full disclosure, "I thought you'd cancel if you knew you were meeting my parents"
Her eyes flashed briefly with confusion before Seth's mom came over to them. "You must be Olivia." Olivia turned and suddenly she was face to face with Elaine Rollins. She couldn't help but feel like Seth's mom was sizing her up, but after what Seth had told her about Zahra - Olivia would probably be doing the same thing in Elaine's shoes.
"Mrs. Rollins," She looked over Elaine's shoulder to see Seth's dad, "Mr. Rollins - it's so great to finally be able to meet you. Thank you so much for the dinner invitation." It was like emotional muscle memory, reciting the appropriate things as she remembered meeting Mark's parents all those years ago - she really hoped meeting Seth's parents was a better experience than meeting her former in-laws…
Dinner actually went remarkably well, with few hiccups until they were clearing the dishes. "I'm glad to hear Renee's coming home from the hospital soon - i'm sure you'll be happy to have someone to keep you company when Seth goes on his business trip day after tomorrow." Seth's mom continued into the kitchen where his dad was already loading the dishwasher, leaving an incredibly awkward silence to fall between Seth and Olivia.
She turned to face Seth, arms folded, her expression unreadable. Seth let out the breath he had held when he heard his mom's comment, and dropped his head, trying to figure out what he was going to say. Olivia pulled out a chair and sat down. "How long are you gone for?" she asked quietly.
Seth remained standing, leaning against the dining room table. "Two weeks - it's a business trip. I usually go every quarter to check in, see how things are going, take care of owner things...Olivia, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before this…"
She smiled sadly, "Why didn't you?"
The question was simple, but the answer not necessarily so. "To be honest, I didn't even realize how close it was to the trip date until yesterday...and when I wasn't sure if Renee and Dean were going to be home from the hospital by then, I spent all last night emailing my managers letting them know I might have to delay my trip."
Olivia's heart felt like it was going to drop into the or of her stomach, but she managed to get a hold of her now-frantically beating pulse and pulled out a chair for him to sit. "Seth," she began raggedly, not quite in control of herself just yet, "I can't tell you what it's meant to me to have you be there for me over the last few weeks - I honestly don't know what I would have done without you. I am so grateful…" Olivia struggled with the whirlwind of emotions - she couldn't deny that she and Seth had grown close - very close - over the last two weeks. But it had gotten muddy for Olivia the last few days - it was so easy being with Seth, but never simple. She had come to depend on his friendship and support - probably more than she should, but he was now the last person she saw before she went to bed, and always the first person she saw in the morning. Her feelings had started to venture beyond friendship and Olivia had woken up more than once from dreams featuring shirtless Seth.
He had become a focus in her life. Two weeks away was going to seem like an eternity.
Seth saw she was struggling, and took her hand, "Olivia - I am so sorry that I didn't tell you about this sooner, that I didn't tell you about the change in plans for dinner...it wasn't intentional, I swear. I completely forgot about the trip until Dean and I were talking about Renee's welcome home dinner...I guess the last few weeks with you made me forget anything else I had planned before I met you."
Olivia smiled weakly, "I forgive you - I'll suppose I'll have to figure out how to FaceTime…"
Seth leaned forward and placed a kiss on Olivia's forehead, "If Renee doesn't get discharged tomorrow, I've told my managers they won't see me until after I know you've got someone at home with you. I won't leave you alone, Olivia."
She slowly tilted her head up to look at him, realizing with certainty that she wanted him to kiss her again, properly. They were frozen like that, face to face, for bare seconds before Seth's mom came back into the dining room. "Seth, your dad and I were going to go out for an after dinner walk - would you like to join us?"
Seth broke the moment first, "Uh, no thanks Mom - not this time." He looked at Olivia with a mix of guilt and want, "Maybe another time."
And again, here they were. Olivia's giddy laughter had subsided to the point where they were now only embracing in the front seat of Dean's car. She could feel his heart beating rapidly against her chest. She knew hers was beating just as hard. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, unable to miss the combination of soap and just a hint of Seth's cologne. "I could not have done any of this without you...thank you," she whispered, just loudly enough for him to hear.
Seth's mind and libido were locked in a death match. Mentally, he knew Olivia only wanted to be friends for now, but that didn't stop him from thinking about her in decidedly "not friends" way. She was kind, she was brave, she was funny, and every day he found one more thing about Olivia Madsen that drew him to her even more. He was barely able to prevent an embarrassing hard-on by remembering the excruciating pain when he had blown out his knee skiing a few years ago. He was enjoying the feel of Olivia in his arms way too much, enjoying the grip of her hands on his shoulder blades, and her whispered thanks nearly sent him over the edge again. He gently disengaged himself from the embrace, and looked into Olivia's green eyes. "Olivia, I know you would have found a way to get through all this and do what needed to be done. I'm glad I was able to be here, though." Seth leaned forward and kissed her gently in the forehead, resting his lips to her skin for just a moment more than was considered "just friends". He pulled away reluctantly and took her hand, tugged at it gently before letting go, "We should get going - we actually made it here on time, Renee is going to have kittens!"
Olivia smiled wanly, still able to feel the warmth of Seth's lips on her flushed forehead, and lead the way out of the car and into the hospital.
Renee and Dean were getting a last set of instructions from Dr. Flair. Charlotte held up a bag with the medications Renee would need, "You've got a prenatal vitamin - take it once a day, but not too early, and with breakfast. I've also included a short-term sample of supplements you could try to help reduce symptoms: a ginger supplement, vitamin B6, and Dramamine or Benadryl." She held up a prescription sheet, "If none of those work within 24 hours, call my office immediately and get this prescription filled. I have you already booked for a regular appointment next week, but if you need to see me sooner, you have my office number and the emergency number-please call if you need to." Charlotte handed the bag and the prescription to Dean, and looked at the both of them, looking as shell shocked as it was possible to. "Renee, you've responded extremely well to treatment - you haven't felt ill again?" Renee shook her head. "Then I feel like you have a very good chance of making it through the riskiest part of the pregnancy with not too much trouble," she smiled reassuringly at the parents-to-be, "You are going to be fine, Renee. You're young, healthy, strong - and you have a husband who adores you to run around and keep you as comfortable as he can. Take it easy, stay away from stress and you'll be through this rough patch before you know it."
Renee felt tears spring up in her eyes and wiped them away with a frustrated sigh. She was still getting used to the sudden mood swings, but found the lack of control frustrating. "You don't know what it has meant to Dean and myself to have you in our corner, Charlotte. Thank you so much...for everything…"
She wiped away more tears as Dean extended his hand to Dr. Flair. "We'll definitely give you a call if things get out of hand before next week - thank you for making Renee feel better." He regarded his wife warmly, "She's my whole world…"
Charlotte took Dean's hand, "My pleasure- I'm glad I could help you through this, you guys." She walked into the hallway, leaving Dean and Renee alone for a few brief minutes before Olivia and Seth arrived.
Olivia arrived a few seconds before Seth, skidding to a halt in front of Renee, "You will NEVER guess what I just did!"
"Oh my god you guys had sex in the elevator in the way up?!" Renee's filter was never great, and the pregnancy had actually made it worse.
Olivia rolled her eyes at Renee, then looked at Dean, "YOU guess...and no," she looked pointedly at Renee, "there was no sex in any elevator." She held up a hand to quell any further question about sex locations from Renee. "OR anywhere. Jesus, Dean - I am fully prepared to stay in a hotel the first weekend you guys are home, just give me a heads up first, okay? Hang a sock on the front doorknob…"
Dean chuckled, " No worries, Livs - now what could you have possibly done that has you so excited?"
Seth answered from the doorway, "She only drove down the busy Glendale Millford Road...no biggie…" He smiled proudly at Olivia, who was practically glowing at her achievement.
Dean looked down at Olivia, "Holy shit, really?" At Olivia's gleeful nod, he pulled her into a huge hug, "I am so proud of you - you are making some really amazing steps forward, Livs." He looked over to Seth, who had come further into the room. "Thank you," he said with great sincerity.
Seth nodded, "Olivia deserves the credit - she decided it was time to get comfortable driving again. I was only the moral support…"
Olivia turned around. "There's nothing 'only' about being moral support, Seth...I wouldn't have even thought about doing it if you weren't able to be there," she replied adamantly. She met Seth's eyes and for a brief moment it was just the two of them before Renee broke the silence, impatient to go home.
"Okay we get it, Seth is amazing. Awesome. Fantastic. Can we puleeeeze take me home now?"
Dean chuckled as he grabbed their bags and put an arm around his wife, "Come on folks, you heard the preg-" he caught himself before the first syllable was totally out, smoothly transitioning to "-uh, Princess...let's go home." A meaningful look passed between Dean and Renee as they acknowledged Dean's slip. Going home was great, but the secret of Renee's pregnancy was a ticking time bomb that needed to be dealt with tonight.