-47-
Bellevue Hospital
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Olivia was asleep when Elliot and Kathy arrived, comfortably nestled into a plush mattress in a bed at least three times larger than the one she had occupied hours before. She and Alex had made the move a couple of hours earlier, and Olivia had not been able to stay awake to enjoy it for long. Alex took advantage of Olivia's exhaustion by showering in the suite's bathroom and then enjoyed an hour at Olivia's side before she heard a knock on the door.
"Hey," she said in a low tone, gesturing to Olivia's sleeping form as the two visitors ducked in quietly.
"Pretty swank place you've got here, Alex," Elliot smiled.
"It beats downstairs," she said, sheepishly.
"I should check in sometime," Kathy quipped. "What's that trendy new disease everyone's getting? 'Exhaustion.'"
Alex rolled her eyes. "That's Celebrity for 'overdose.'"
Elliot smirked. "How's Sleeping Beauty?" he asked. His tone was teasing, but Alex sensed a very real current of concern beneath his words.
"She's only been out for about an hour and a half," Alex responded, looking at Olivia's sleeping form. "I'm glad she's finally getting rest. The doctors told me that pushing too hard these next couple of days is a bad idea." She was immediately wracked with guilt for having encouraged Olivia to make love to her that morning.
"Any idea when she'll be ready to go?"
'Two to seven days is typical on a nephrectomy," Alex muttered. "I told Dr. Bettencourt that I needed something a little more specific. The fact that there was a gunshot wound and a long surgery is a complicating factor." She sighed in summation. "Depending on how she does tonight, there's a chance she'll be able to check out late Sunday or first thing Monday."
"That's when you're flying back, isn't it?" Kathy asked. As Alex nodded, Kathy placed three paper plates down on a card table and produced two large Tupperware containers from which she began dispensing grilled chicken and salad. She gestured to the dinner. "Elliot thought we should taunt her with chili, but I didn't have the heart."
"Jerk," Alex teased a smiling Elliot.
"It's gonna be hard saying goodbye, huh?" Elliot mused, nodding his head toward Olivia.
"Well, I'm hoping I won't have to." A small smile crossed Alex's face.
"Huh?" He looked puzzled.
"I've asked Olivia to come back to Virginia with me," Alex informed them. "It would just be for a few weeks – she needs to recover, and I need to finish up some things there before I come home."
"How are you going to know whether to get her a ticket?" Kathy, ever the pragmatist, wondered aloud.
Alex quickly responded that she had already phoned her cousin and arranged a ticket for Olivia just in case she was able to make the flight. Elliot shot Kathy a look. Told you Cabot had money.
Elliot was thoughtful for a moment, and then said, "That's not a bad idea, Alex, your taking Liv out for a couple of weeks in the country to recuperate. How does she feel about it?"
"She was a little surprised at first," Alex admitted, stealing a glance at the still-sleeping detective. "But I think she's getting a little excited about it."
He shook his head in bemusement. "So, you two are just skipping the whole dating thing and going straight to living together?"
Alex smirked. "We've had five years stolen from us," she pointed out. "Can you blame us for wanting to skip right to the good stuff?"
The visitors said nothing in response to her question, but Alex saw slight looks of reservation cross their faces. They felt something, she was sure – they were simply too polite to give voice to whatever it was. It was Kathy who finally spoke, launching into a subject change. "Alex, do you plan to return to the DA's office when you're back?"
Elliot chuckled. "Of course she does," he said. "It's who she is. I bet you're absolutely spoiling for a good fight, huh, Alex?"
Alex was quiet a moment. She had given considerable thought to this question over the last few years. At first, her returning to a position as an ADA had seemed as inevitable to her as it was to Elliot right now. The more she had considered it, though, she recognized that the issue was far from decided. "I couldn't come back to Special Victims," she said quietly.
Elliot looked at her, waiting for the rest of the explanation.
"Liv and I aren't really planning to keep our relationship top secret," Alex explained. "We haven't waited five years to be together only to live in the closet." She sipped from the Diet Coke Kathy had brought. "Obviously, it would present an enormous conflict of interest if I was involved with one of my detectives. I could never call Olivia as a witness without raising the suspicion that she was simply giving me what I need for a win. The two of you could never conduct a search on a warrant I prepare without giving the defense a wonderful reason to have any evidence collected thrown out." She frowned. "It's out of the question that Olivia and I could ever go back to working together."
Elliot nodded. "It makes sense. Sucks."
"It does," Alex agreed with a wan smile. She had loved being the ADA assigned to Special Victims, but she knew that it was far more important to her to be a part of Olivia's life and not have to hide it. "That's not the only reason, obviously. It looks to me as though Casey's doing a good job."
Elliot smiled. "We're kinda hard on her," he admitted.
"I can't imagine you being hard on anyone," Alex teased. "I miss prosecuting. I'll see what's out there. Maybe there's a place for me. If not, there are options."
"I'm sure there are," Elliot assured her. "You're a brilliant attorney. Just don't let me see you switching to the other team."
"Criminal defense?" Alex frowned.
"It happens to many a former prosecutor," Elliot pointed out.
Alex chuckled. "I think I can resist the temptations," she demurred. "Hey, speaking of… what time is it?"
"Almost eight."
Alex eyeballed the large television mounted against the wall. "Think it'll wake Olivia up if we…"
"I'm up," a groggy voice chimed in from the bed. Three heads turned toward Olivia, who was yawning and trying to sit up.
"Hey, Tough Stuff, take it easy," Alex cautioned, leaving her chair and moving to sit on the edge of Olivia's bed.
Olivia smiled at Alex sweetly as the younger woman leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "Thanks for coming," she addressed Elliot and Kathy.
"Sure thing, Champ," Elliot said, pulling up a chair close to her bedside. His wife did the same. "Ready to go chase the bad guys?"
Olivia grinned. "Yeah, absolutely. Kath, bring me my shoes!"
"Easy, Tiger," Alex said, laughing.
"How long before I go back to work?" Olivia asked Alex. She knew that Alex had been talking to the doctors since her arrival, getting all of the necessary information and probably pestering them with plenty of unnecessary questions as well. She enjoyed being the recipient of Alex's protective display.
"The doctor said you'll be ready for light activity in a couple of weeks," Alex informed her, "and he encourages you to start exercising when you're able. The strenuous stuff – that will take six to eight weeks." Alex was fully aware that Olivia was already trying to determine how much sex she and Alex could get away with having before the activity was considered 'strenuous.' "The important thing is keeping your blood pressure under control," she pointed out, communicating through her expression that she was thinking about the exact same thing.
"How are you feeling, Liv?" Kathy asked, gesturing to the detective's gauze-covered abdomen.
"I'm okay," Olivia lied.
Alex shot her a look.
"It hurts, okay?" she admitted ruefully. "Satisfied?"
"Here," Alex stood and pressed a button on the machine delivering Olivia's nitro drip. "It's been more than four hours; you're entitled to a little bump."
"Mmm," Olivia shifted in bed, her eyes still heavy from sleep. "Thanks." She traced lazy circles on Alex's forearm with her fingers.
Elliot and Kathy flipped past several channels. Alex saw Debbie Lynne Mahoney's face flash by as the Stablers blitzed by CNN.
"Hey, Alex," Kathy teased. "Isn't she a former prosecutor? You could always get your own television show…"
"No thanks," Alex grinned, wondering whether she would lose much cachet if she admitted that she actually watched the stupid show for pleasure.
"C'mon," Elliot baited her. "You just sit there and pretend you know what's what, talk to Trevor Langan a few times a month…"
"Stop it, stop it right there," Alex held up her hand, groaning. The room erupted in a round of laughter. For a few minutes, they quietly watched the latest updates on the runaway bride case. When Elliot moved to change the channel, Alex put a hand up. "Hey," she said bravely. "I was kind of watching that."
Olivia gasped, a huge smile crossing her face. Who would have guessed that Alex Cabot had a soft spot for this crap? "C'mere," she said, softly, pulling Alex closely to her, kissing the other woman's forehead as they snuggled and watched lousy television. Elliot and Kathy bid them goodnight several minutes later, with a promise to call in the morning.
-48-
Saturday, 3:00 a.m.
Olivia shifted, her eyes falling on the neon glow of the radio alarm clock on the bedside table. She was vaguely aware of was that Alex's body was snuggled against her, her silky long hair covering Olivia's arm, her lips lightly resting on Olivia's chest. Smiling softly to herself, Olivia tenderly squeezed her lover, affirming for herself that she was actually holding Alex, not just dreaming her as she had so often done.
Alex responded to the small gesture even in her sleep, murmuring something unintelligible and unconsciously moving her fingers against Olivia's side, stroking the wrapped torso lightly.
Olivia heard herself giggle before it registered that Alex's sleepy touches were ticking her ribcage. "Hey, stoppit," she finally managed, shoving Alex's hand away just hard enough to wake her up.
"What?" Alex responded groggily, rubbing her eyes.
"You were tickling me!" Olivia accused.
"I was fast asleep!" Alex offered a defense.
"Doesn't matter," Olivia argued, playfully. "Quit it!"
"Okay, okay," Alex laughed. She looked into Olivia's eyes, locking blue eyes onto brown. "I'll try not to fall asleep and tickle you again."
"There are other ways you can touch me in your sleep that are just fine," Olivia pointed out suggestively.
"No," Alex said, her voice sounding far too serious. "No strenuous activity for-"
"For six weeks," Olivia parroted with an eye roll. "Do you really think you're going to keep me away from you for another six weeks?"
Alex smirked. "No," she confessed. "But I don't think we need to tempt fate. We already got away with it once."
"We can press our luck," Olivia said, a devilish glint in her eye.
"I see you eyeing that Nitro drip," Alex shot back, stretching across the bed to press the button and deliver another round of painkillers to Olivia. "You're not fooling me, Detective."
"Aw, damn," Olivia muttered, still smiling as she lowered her head into the pillows. "I'm a very quick healer, as it turns out."
"Not this quick. You were shot in the kidney two days ago."
"Two and a half," Olivia pressed. "You're not leaving New York without me, Alexandra."
Alex smiled. She had always loved the way her full name sounded as it fell from the detective's lips. "I don't plan to," she said softly. "I've already booked your ticket on my flight."
Olivia nodded. "I heard you tell Elliot."
"How much of the conversation did you overhear?"
"I was in and out," Olivia confessed. "I heard you talking about not being able to come back to SVU."
"It's not that I don't want to. I was so in my element working with your squad."
"You were perfect," Olivia acknowledged. "I hate that being with me will make it impossible for you to return – but I understand. You're right. I loved working with you, but I'd rather have this."
Alex leaned in toward Olivia and kissed her soulfully, covering the brunette's full lips with her own. Olivia closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the beautiful sensation of Alex's soft lips pressed against her own. She relaxed and felt Alex's tongue slip inside, tracing her lips and gently pushing into her mouth.
As Alex kissed her deeply, Olivia tenderly stroked her lover's perfect cheekbones and then softly massaged the warm skin at the base of Alex's neck. Alex moaned softly into Olivia's mouth, and then pulled away from her mouth to caress Olivia's neck with her tongue, licking at the soft flesh with long, powerful strokes.
"God, Alex," Olivia whispered, holding her lover close to her, moving her neck to give Alex more access. She still felt a dull ache in her abdomen, but that was fast becoming eclipsed by the growing need between her legs. She closed her hand around Alex's, mimicking the position Alex had held her in almost a day earlier, and pulled Alex toward her.
"Baby," Alex said softly, lifting her mouth and kissing Olivia's mouth softly.
"Alex, I need you," Olivia pleaded.
"I want to," Alex whispered into Olivia's ear. "I'm so scared, though. You big dummy, look what you've done."
Olivia chuckled. "When are you going to let it go? It worked out. You're safe. You're coming home to me…"
"And I can't have sex with you," Alex reminded her.
"What happened to the part about there being creative ways to bend that rule?" Olivia pressed.
"Let me look at you," Alex said, pretending to ignore her. She slipped her arm behind Olivia and removed her hospital gown, exposing Olivia's full, perfect breasts. We're going to have a very difficult time with that rule, she realized, dipping her head to wrap her mouth around Olivia's right breast, placing her open palm over the left, teasing Olivia's nipples with her tongue and fingers.
Olivia exhaled heavily, pulling Alex closer. Alex's knees rested on the bed on either side of Olivia's hips, allowing her to maneuver herself on top of Olivia and continue touching her. When she leaned forward to resume her tender sucking, she accidentally came into contact with Olivia's tender abdomen and heard the other woman gasp.
"God, Liv, I'm… I'm sorry," Alex apologized, suddenly wracked with guilt.
"It's okay, Sweetheart," Olivia assured her, trying to hold Alex in place even as she moved back to her place at Olivia's side. "We can do this. We just have to be careful…"
"I don't want to hurt you," Alex insisted, her eyes clouded with desire, worry, and hesitation. "We have plenty of time…" She squeezed Olivia's thighs and began to massage them.
"Mmmm…. Feels good," Olivia acknowledged as Alex rubbed the cramps out of her muscular legs.
"Just enjoy what we can have now," Alex whispered against Olivia's ear. "I promise we'll get there." She continued to rub Olivia's legs, working the muscles with long, delicate fingers, until Olivia fell into a deep and comfortable sleep, the woman she loved at her side.