Once the plane landed, Martha and Frank shook hands, again, with everyone and thanked them. They all got off of Sabrina's jet and loaded into a waiting van with a driver and headed to the Waikiki Towers where they dropped Martha and Frank off amidst a huge crowd of people. Olivia and Elliot went to get out as George grabbed them and shook his head. They then dropped off George and Rita who were staying with their kids and the other 4 went to an apartment 2 blocks from the hotel. Elliot said as the van pulled into the parking garage,
"I thought we were staying at the towers also?"
Sabrina said,
"That was the original plan, but Stan our driver who is also my security guy said people were camping out waiting for me so he arranged a two bedroom sublet."
THREE HOURS LATER
Elliot stretched, as he looked down and saw Olivia laying on his bare chest where his shirt was open, and felt the skin on his arm pull. He watched her stretch as she looked up and then at his arm where the bag was hooked up, he asked looking a little scared,
"What happened? Where are we?"
She said as she watched him try to make sense of everything,
"We were driving to the apartment all chatting and you passed out. Sabrina checked you and discovered you were dehydrated. You didn't feel it coming on?"
Elliot shook his head he as he looked around and realized he was in the hospital,
"I was a little sore and tired but felt fine."
There was a light knock on the door, Olivia said,
"Come in."
Sabrina and Jeff came in and looked relieved to see him awake. The ER doctor came in and said as she checked his blood pressure and did a skin test for hydration to see if she could take out the saline bag,
"Welcome back Mr. Stabler. I am Dr. Lee. How do you feel?"
He said,
"I don't know if I am hydrated enough but I have to use the washroom something fierce."
Olivia chuckled as she got up and let him move. Dr. Lee said,
"Move slow, you might be a little lightheaded."
He got up and was a little woozy, Olivia helped him get up and he headed to the washroom leaving the door open as they stayed out but close to give him his privacy. Sabrina had made Olivia drink a few glasses of water while Elliot slept, at the same time Jeff went out got them a few bottles of Gatorade.
As Elliot came out of the washroom, Sabrina said,
"You gave us quite a scare when you passed out."
Jeff handed him a bottle of Gatorade as Dr. Lee said,
"You need to drink as much as you can. I have to say usually first timers to the islands underestimate the heat here and are dehydrated within the first day or two or have heat stroke within the first week, but you two have done fantastic to be 3 weeks in and have this happen."
Elliot nodded. Olivia said,
"You and I have not stopped since we got here. We have been in the water and sun every single day since we got here and although we thought we were being good about hydration we obviously weren't."
Jeff said,
"I remember the first time we came here, I am a big coffee drinker, and I got so badly dehydrated that I passed out in the sun and Sabrina found me lying in the sand on the verge of heatstroke. It took a few hours and an overnighter in the hospital for me to feel even half way normal."
Elliot drank the Gatorade and ran to the bathroom again. Sabrina and Olivia laughed. Dr. Lee said,
"Okay time to disconnect the bag."
Elliot came out and said,
"Wow I don't ever remember having to go to the washroom so much or urgently."
Dr. Lee said,
"That is a good sign. Sit down. I will remove the intravenous line. I don't want you getting over hydrated because that is as bad as being dehydrated."
Olivia sat beside him with her arms around his waist and said,
"I think tonight we should stay in and just rest and sleep."
Jeff said,
"We can order in."
Elliot shook his head and said,
"Listen this was unexpected and I feel fine now. We can go out, it is now cooler out and the sun will be going down soon enough besides I wont be exerting myself."
Jeff said,
"I agree with Elliot. Besides Bri you are with us and 911 is 3 numbers away if we need them."
Elliot laughed,
"Besides I'm hungry lets go eat."
Olivia shook her head and grabbed another bottle of Gatorade for them to split if needed. They all looked at Dr. Lee, she shook her head as she handed him his release papers along with a pen and said,
"I have a feeling that even if I said I wanted you to spent the night here, I would be wasting my time. Sign on the dotted line and you can get out of here."
Elliott nodded and signed.
The 4 of them headed out to The Shore Bird Restaurant and Beach Bar where they would be able to cook their own meat and the restaurant would prepare everything else buffet style. Their table was right beside the rail facing the beach, after they were seated Jeff ordered wine. The waitress came back with their bottle and poured each of them a glass. Once she had left the table Jeff lifted his glass and said,
"I want to make a toast."
They all held up their glasses and Jeff said,
"To Olivia and Elliot congratulations on your engagement and here is to a long and continued partnership."
They tapped glasses and drank. Elliot leaned over and kissed Olivia. Elliot said,
"Thank you."
Olivia nodded,
"We appreciate it."
Elliot sat across from Jeff and Olivia across from Sabrina. The ladies sat on the rail side of the deck they ordered their appetizers first, the restaurant was full and the buzz was so lively that the place had an infectious atmosphere. They chatted as they waited for their appetizers.
Olivia said as she dipped a shrimp into the cocktail sauce,
"Seeing this seafood reminds me I got El to try sushi and I got it on video for his kids."
Sabrina was mixing her seafood salad when she said,
"Finally, and how was it Elliot?"
He shrugged,
"Not as bad as I thought it would be although I will not be making it part of my regular diet. But on the up size the zip lining on Maui was amazing."
Olivia said laughing,
"I didn't realize you tasted it considering how fast you chewed and swallowed it. As for the zip-lining I also loved it."
Jeff smirked and nodded as he said swallowing his calamari,
"We have done it and it is truly amazing. I heard there is a local legend about that line that says anyone who is truly openhearted can experience its mystic properties."
Olivia asked,
"What do you mean?"
Jeff said,
"I have heard of people coming off that ride changed, some people have been reported to come off it with a new meaning for their lives. One lady said her past life flashed before her eyes in the trees and then as she passed over the middle of them she saw her current life, and then as she passed over the last part she saw what her life was meant to be. She got off the ride with a peace she had never felt before and ended up following the vision. She divorced her husband and married the man of her dreams who treated her like a queen. They say she did great things as the vision predicted and died at the ripe age of 97 making love to her husband. The family found them together wrapped in each others arms nude and dead, the ME said the husband died a 1/2 hr after she did."
Sabrina looked at Olivia who was looking at Elliot. She asked,
"Olivia did you have that experience?"
She shook her head as Elliot said,
"I did."
Sabrina asked,
"And are you where you are meant to be according to what you saw?"
Elliot nodded,
"Yes, with a few tweaks."
Sabrina looked at him and asked,
"Any tweaks you want to share?"
Elliot smiled and shook his head,
"Not at the moment, Doc."
Jeff chuckled at how Elliot emphasized the word Doc and then asked,
"Did you two try the kite flying ?"
They both nodded, Elliot said as he bit into his calamari,
"It was fun. 40 foot wing span that pulled me 20 feet into the air for 30 seconds. What a rush."
Olivia added,
"I only had a 23 foot wing span and I was nervous at first but once the wind grabs hold and takes you up, it is the coolest thing. The one thing that amazes me is that everyone who is native to the island go barefoot most of the time."
Sabrina nodded,
"That is the one thing that appeals to me about the island, we are always so buttoned up in the city there is a certain standard that we are expected to uphold, kind of like the country song by Kenny Chesney, 'no shoes, no shirt, no service'. Here it is so laid back with the Native Hawaiians it just feels natural to us. There are certain times, like here in the restaurant, where covered shoes are mandatory but for the most part it is sandals and barefoot."
Once they were done their appetizers the waitress took their meal order, while they waited Sabrina asked,
"So has Hawaii been everything you both thought it would be?"
Olivia nodded as she said,
"I've loved it so far."
She looked at Elliot who nodded as she continued,
"I didn't realize how much I needed this. It has been amazing. We are going to have trouble going back to New York and the impending snow. Even though I love it."
Jeff said,
"Sabrina and I have travelled the world at least a couple of times so far and although our careers have kept us outside of Hawaii we still think of this as our primary home."
Sabrina nodded,
"The tranquillity and peace this place gives us is amazing, it is our place to recharge. I can see you both understand that now after a couple of weeks."
Elliot said,
"Since the marines I have done very little travelling. Having a wife and kids so young did not leave a lot of money for travelling. Although the Justice Department sent me to Prague for a case once, and what I saw of it it was beautiful."
Jeff said,
"I work there often and they have very different laws than we are used to. But it is a very beautiful country to visit."
Elliot said,
"Since you work all over so much how do you set down roots where you work?"
Jeff said,
"I don't. My company has apartments we live in that they pay for in the different places. So I basically live out of a suitcase. So when Bri wanted to buy a house in New York because she is stationed there with the FBI I jumped at it."
Olivia asked,
"Now I have a question about the Stones and the plane this morning."
Sabrina started to laugh, a very hearty laugh causing her tears to water, as Elliot looked at her surprised he had never seen this side. She said,
"When the people around me hear the phrase huge fan they go into protective mode. Many are really nice and just want to thank me for something one of my books has done for them but others are more intrusive. Let me prefix this by saying, working with the Feds I did alot of undercover work and Ms Stone was my alias. One day I had just finished my work out at Quantico, which is where my office was, and I was taking a shower, one of my bosses came in and did not recognize me without my specs. While she was standing there I put them on and she was taken aback and said, 'wow most people don't look so different.', after I got dressed I went into a meeting with her and my team and they needed someone to go in undercover. My boss suggested me, my team lead questioned it saying that I was the shrink of the group and usually stayed in the office. She looked at me and asked, 'do you own contacts?' I nodded because I do. She then asked, 'do you have here?' again I nodded. She then asked me to pop them in I went back to my locker and did that, and re entered the meeting. The room went silent as our tactical guy looked at me he said, 'no freaking way.' Our director said, 'it seems we have uncovered a secret advantage.' That day our tactical guy took me aside and said, 'I need to make sure you can take care of yourself.' and he trained me in combat like crazy. I met Elliot the first time years ago during one of those training sessions, and that is where Ms Stone was born."
Elliot said,
"Our squad had John Munch, he wore glasses and did a little undercover work for us."
Sabrina said,
"Ours were always different, sometimes we were embedded and the kind of guys we dealt with took every advantage so if I had gone in looking like my jacket cover, they could have easily taken my sight as an advantage to them. The contacts made me safer then and still do."
Olivia looked at Jeff,
"You must have one heck of a bruise..."
He laughed,
"The bruise was well worth the fun I had of watching my best selling author shrink here squirm. Besides if the tables had been turned she would have done the same thing."
Sabrina laughed and nodded. Olivia asked,
"With such busy and crazy lives how do you find time to be together? I mean how has your marriage worked for so long with these obstacles?"
Sabrina said,
"We knew going into this relationship what we were up against and we made it work."
Jeff asked,
"Olivia are you worried about that with you two?"
Olivia shrugged,
"I wonder. You know Elliot's marriage didn't work because of his job, and now his job wont be a problem but mine might..."
Elliot shook his head,
"No it wont. The difference with us is that I know what your hours are and I'm not a needy person. I also know that some cases need more time than others and that you are not working to stay away from me you are working because you are helping someone through the worst 15 minutes of their lives. Kathy never understood that, it was a big part of my life and she was not privy to it. She once asked me how someone's worst 15 minutes could turn into her worst days sometimes weeks. I couldn't go home and talk to her about my day, I tried once and she got freaked out. That will never be a problem for us."
Olivia asked,
"I might be stepping out of bounds but do you two have kids?"
Sabrina looked at Jeff as he said,
"I got this one. Actually, I had an accident when I was sixteen that caused an injury that left me unable to have kids and until then I had always wanted kids. When I met Bri she asked about my feelings towards having kids and once I explained she looked relieved..."
Sabrina said,
"I like other people's kids not my own. I personally do not have that maternal instinct that other women possess. So when I heard about Jeff's situation I was relieved. Besides if we really had wanted kids we could have adopted it would not have been a deal breaker. But our lives are so full and busy that we never missed that part of life. Besides George and Rita have 6 kids that we have seen from birth til now and they consider us their adopted aunt and uncle. So we have the best of all worlds revolving around us. Are you two planning on having any of your own?"
Elliot shook his head,
"No not at this point. For me it is wide open, but it is Liv's decision. If she told me tomorrow she wanted a baby we would be having one..."
Liv said,
"Besides El already has five and I was there for Eli's birth so I feel like an aunt to him and I am close to Kathleen. And my brother Simon has a step daughter who I have gotten to know over the last couple of years and we are close so I think we will be fine."
The waitress came with their meats and let them know their sides were served buffet style and were unlimited. Jeff took his and Sabrina's meat and headed to the grill, Elliot followed with his and Olivia's giving the ladies time to talk and the guys.
Sabrina watched Elliot walk away and asked,
"Is he really as alright as he looks? And I don't mean from the dehydration because he is drinking like there is going to be a water shortage so I know he is fine that way."
Olivia nodded,
"Yes. Ever since the hypnosis he is that guy I first saw after his 3 year hiatus."
Sabrina nodded,
"Good and you?"
Olivia said,
"I am good. But Elliot makes me better."
Sabrina said,
"I have always thought you two fit together really well since the day I met you. I do have to say George and Rita are quite smitten with you two, we don't lend or rent our place to too many people but you two are the first ones they have ever bragged about. All Jeff and I heard was Liv this and El that, it was quite cute because we have never seen them so smitten."
Olivia laughed,
"They are such a cool couple. Rita is quite the cougar under that facade from the way she looks at Elliot, and I noticed she looks the same way at Jeff."
Sabrina started to laugh,
"I remember the first time we were together at the island house and Jeff stripped down to his swimsuit and went for a swim, Rita came over as he was getting out of the pool and she gave him the once over more than once, and said 'oh my'. He just laughed."
Olivia said,
"For an older gentleman George takes good care of himself."
Sabrina nodded,
"He has a work out regimen that he does everyday. He also works out with Jeff when he is down."
Jeff and Elliot cooked the meat, Elliot asked,
"So did you always want to travel for work or did it just happen?"
Jeff nodded and said as he sprinkled spices on the steaks he was cooking,
"I did. I had a rough childhood my father was abusive and an alcoholic so I wanted to get as far away from him as I could. I didn't want the memories to taint my future."
Jeff asked,
"Did you always want to be a cop?"
Elliot shook his head,
"No it was my father's profession. I wanted to be an astronaut. I joined the marines with the help of Colonel Dick Finley who was my mentor until he committed murder a few years ago, I named my oldest son after him, I joined the marines to be able to get into flight school and become an astronaut. But life had other plans, I married just before my 18th birthday because I got my wife pregnant at a kegger when we were 17. So being a good Catholic I did the right thing, being a cop was the easiest progression and I find it ironic that the one job I did to keep my family from going hungry was the same job that killed my marriage. But look at my life now I am in the perfect relationship, it is so easy with no demands. Liv is not a needy person, she is a strong independent beautiful lady."
Jeff nodded,
"Wow, so you know Dick Finley, as they kids say, that is way cool."
They both laughed. Jeff said,
"I thought being married to a shrink would be a constant look into therapy. But it has been amazing because like Olivia she does not nag. Our relationship is the easiest part of my life."
Elliot nodded and asked,
"The answers you gave about Sabrina on the plane were they real life true or undercover true?"
Jeff laughed,
"Real life true. We married when we were in college."
Elliot nodded,
"So are you a sports fan?"
Jeff nodded,
"I am a huge sports fan, I love basketball, football, baseball and even hockey. You?"
Elliot said as he turned the steaks to get the lines in a criss cross,
"Same. Knicks, Jets, Yankees and Rangers. Liv is not into sports so I go with my sons or one of my friends. You know, sometime, you and I should take in a game."
Jeff nodded,
"I agree. Sabrina does not do sports and I don't do Operas."
After eating, they were having coffee and Olivia noticed that a crowd was gathering 2 feet from the rail, the waitress came by and Jeff stopped her,
"Cindy what is going on outside here?"
Cindy smiled,
"Fire jamming will be starting."
Olivia looked puzzled,
"What is Fire jamming?"
Cindy said,
"Fire jamming is a group of dancers who perform and practice different moves with their fire wands. It is open to the public. Can I warm up your coffee while you watch?"
Elliot said,
"I'll take more coffee."
He saw Olivia looking at him and he clarified,
"I need it to balance out my over abundance of water."
They all chuckled as Cindy poured more into all their cups. They watched the performers dance and twirl their fire wands as the crowd cheered. One of the performers stood in the middle of the performance area and asked,
"Do any of you watching want to try this?"
No one stepped forward, so Sabrina got up with Olivia and they both said at the same time,
"I will."
Jeff and Elliot looked at them as if they were nuts, but they got up and let the girls pass as they watched stunned. The women entered the performance area and were shown how to do the dance and spin and twirl the wands. Olivia dropped it but the grass was so green and healthy that the wand went out without starting a fire. Sabrina didn't do much better but they had fun. Jeff leaned over and said to Elliot,
"Bri likes to try everything once."
Elliot chuckled as he watched Olivia,
"So does Olivia."
Back at the apartment, they said their good nights and headed to their bedrooms.