Chapter Thirty Six – A Romp in the Park
By the time Saturday rolled around the rain was gone, and the summer heat had dried out the ground. Olivia was rather grateful for that. She had arrived before Amanda since Suvi was allowed on public transportation and had taken up residence on the grass. While she waited Suvi sniffed around at the grass nearby. She'd brought a small bag with her containing water, a plastic bowl for Suvi, and a ball. It would be somewhere to put his vest once Amanda arrived too. Eventually she was going to need to find something better for when they took a break and didn't need the vest. With everything else she'd wanted to bring today the larger back worked well though.
Olivia's phone rang, and she fished it out of her pocket. She assumed it was Amanda checking to see if she'd arrived and if so, where she was. A quick glance at her caller ID before she answered confirmed it.
"Hey, Amanda."
"You there yet?"
"Yeah. Right around where we said on the grass near the path."
"We just got here. Should be able to find you pretty quick. At least I hope so."
"I'll let you know if I see you."
"This place never makes it easy to find anyone," Amanda complained.
"Nope," Olivia laughed, "and don't expect it to ever start."
It took Amanda a little over five minutes to track down where Olivia was. When she spotted her friend she hung up and jogged over. Olivia stood and placed a steadying hand on Suvi's neck. She honestly didn't think he would have any problem with Amanda's dog, Frannie, but she could feel the excitement radiating from him and wanted to be safe. From the looks of Frannie's tongue lolling out of her mouth she was just as excited. It could have been excitement about seeing Suvi or simply being outside. Amanda was about to say hello when Frannie lunged forward enthusiastically.
"I guess dog introductions come before ours."
Olivia grinned.
"Seems that way."
As Amanda led a well restrained Frannie over Olivia took her hand off Suvi's head in a sign that he could leave her side. It was all he needed to walk forward curiously. The two dogs sniffed each other hesitantly at first; then tails began to wag. Soon enough the wagging tails became circling around each other and near wrestling.
"I would say we don't have to worry about them getting along anymore," Olivia said.
"Nope. They're pretty fast friends."
They had to work at getting the two dogs untangled in order to unclip leashes and take Suvi's vest off. Once that was done they decided to let Suvi and Frannie play for a while before they broke out balls or Frisbees. Both dogs immediately started running around, rolling, and jumping on top of each other. Olivia and Amanda sat in silence, watching them. Their play was rather cute and incredibly amusing. Eventually Amanda turned her attention away from the dogs and onto Olivia.
"The two of you look like you're doin' really well."
"Mm. We have been. He's amazing."
"I bet."
"I honestly don't know how I lived without him."
In reality she really hadn't. What she'd been doing before Suvi could hardly be called living. It had been more like existing. She'd been alive by the most basic definition of the word, yes, but that was about all it had been. With Suvi she was doing so much more. He was definitely the door she had needed to escape the endless dark loop she'd been walking through.
"You can't imagine how thankful we were when we realized he really was helpin'."
"Yes I can because I was just as grateful for you guys. Maybe even more. You all started this. Without you and him I'm not sure where I would be." She paused for a moment before adding with a smile and glittering eyes, "Well, besides a bit drier."
"Drier?" Amanda asked with a furrowed brow.
"Suvi likes playing in the rain."
"Please don't tell me you got… You did, didn't you?"
She'd been going to ask if Olivia had gotten stuck out in the sudden storm a few days ago, but the look on Olivia's face had given her the answer before she'd even needed to ask.
"You have no idea how badly," Olivia replied wryly.
"You must have been…"
"Soaked? Oh yes. All the way through from head to toe."
Amanda started laughing at the picture that created in her mind, and Olivia couldn't help joining in. It was rather funny. Amanda was the first one to pull herself back together again and get up.
"Come on. We have games to play, and we gotta figure out who's better at 'em."
Olivia snorted.
"Alright, but I guarantee it'll be Suvi."
"Don't be so sure."
They both called to their dogs and the challenge began. Time after time the ball went flying with Suvi and Frannie both vying to be first. It became so competitive that the dog that lost would try to rip the ball out of the other's mouth on the way to return it. When both dogs were starting to breathe hard Amanda and Olivia decided it was time for a break. While Frannie and Suvi were completely willing to keep going, they really needed a rest and some water instead. Leashes were clipped back on and they went off in search of a drink.
It didn't take long to reach the bathrooms and fill up the bowl Olivia had brought. The moment they set it down both dogs dropped their noses in for a drink. They slurped down the water and began spinning the bowl around to try and get every last drop of moisture. Amanda had to slip her hand between them and steal the bowl so she could refill it. No sooner than she got it back down Suvi and Frannie were nose deep again.
After their water break they returned to their game, only this time with a Frisbee. At first Suvi had a hard time figuring out how to lift the Frisbee, but like with his training, he was a quick learner. A few times watching Frannie was all he needed. Instead of fighting for the toy on the way back like before, this time they could both hold the Frisbee. Most of the time they raced back to Olivia and Amanda with the Frisbee shared between them. Every once in a while they'd wind up in a tug of war instead.
Halfway through one of them Suvi suddenly let go, sending Frannie sprawling. He raced back toward Olivia, barking the entire way. Olivai knew exactly what that meant and didn't hesitate to sit down. The seizure ripped through Olivia's side a few moments later. She tried to keep herself upright with her good arm but couldn't quite manage and slumped to the ground. Thankfully the seizure was short lived. When it was over Olivia stayed down and let Suvi rest his head on her chest. She still felt a little uneasy and shaky.
"You okay, Liv?"
"Yeah. Just give me a minute."
Olivia waited until she felt less unsteady before she had Suvi help her sit up.
"I think I'm going to stay sitting for a bit."
"Probably a good idea after that," Amanda confirmed. She sat down next to Olivia and called for Frannie. As much as her dog may want to play still, it was obvious that Suvi wouldn't be leaving Olivia's side. The game wasn't anywhere near as much fun alone, so Frannie made her way over to Amanda and sat down. Amanda watched Olivia gently stroke Suvi's fur and stare off into the distance for a long time. "I can't even imagine how hard this has to be for you. How painful."
"You can. At least in a way. The seizures aren't really the worst part anymore. It's some of the people I'm dealing with instead."
"What do you mean?"
"You know how we always wondered how the perps we dealt with could hurt women for no good reason? How they could make someone else feel so terrible about themselves? How much it would hurt the women that had to suffer through it?" Olivia shook her head sadly. "The reason isn't exactly the same, but the pain is. Not everyone is as supportive as all of you have been. I've gotten some of that hatred directed toward me."
"Liv…"
Amanda rested her hand lightly on Olivia's arm and received a tiny smile in return.
"It's okay. It's not really me I feel bad for. I can deal with it."
"Olivia, I…"
"Come on. Let's go for a walk. We didn't come here to discuss things like this."
This whole outing was meant to be fun, and Olivia didn't want to ruin it. If she really wanted to mope she could do it when she was alone. They spent the next hour wandering the park and chatting about anything that didn't dampen the mood. A few times work topics arose, but Amanda kept them to laugh worthy ones. It even led to Olivia sharing some amusing moments from before Amanda had joined the squad. A short time ago any discussion about what was going on at work would have struck Olivia like a red hot iron. Even thinking about the job she'd lost had been incredibly painful. It wasn't bothering her quite as much now though. While listening to news of the squad caused a dull ache of regret and longing, Olivia had come to accept her exit from SVU. Like it or not, she could never return. With Suvi around that prospect didn't seem quite as bad.
"You've changed, you know that?" Amanda asked as they sat and ate the soft pretzels they'd bought from a cart.
Olivia looked at her sidelong and rolled her eyes. What kind of bullshit was that? Of course she'd changed. Sustaining a serious head injury pretty much guaranteed that. If it was meant to be a joke it wasn't funny.
"Near traumatic brain injuries kind of do that to you," Olivia returned sarcastically with more than a drop of bite.
"That's not what I meant," Amanda soothed in an attempt to ease Olivia's displeasure. She hadn't meant the comment in the way Olivia had taken it at all. "I didn't mean between now and before your injury. Right now you're actin' like the old you, before you got hurt."
"That sounds like before the injury and now to me."
This time it was Amanda's turn to roll her eyes. Olivia was being purposefully obstinate.
"The you now has changed from the you after your accident. Right now you're actin' more like yourself. The real you from before. The only difference is you're more relaxed. Happier even. It's nice."
Olivia stared at Amanda with her mouth hanging slightly open. She hadn't really thought about it before, but now that Amanda had mentioned it Olivia had to admit it was true. When she'd been off the clock but still on the job relaxed wasn't a word that fit very well. It was far more accurate now. As ridiculous as it sounded the same could be said for happier.
"I guess you're right." She flashed Amanda a quick smile. "Something else to tell all of you thank you for."
"Stop. I don't want to hear any more thank yous from you unless it's about bringin' you coffee or somethin'. Got it?"
"Got it." She glanced slyly at Amanda out of the corner of her eye. "Does coming with me to the park count as one of those somethings?"
Amanda simply slugged Olivia's shoulder in reply.
O . o . O . o . O
As Olivia locked her apartment door behind her she couldn't help thinking she'd have to make a note to call Amanda again sometime. It had been a fantastic day out, and she figured Suvi would be just as excited about a repeat as she would be. She took Suvi's vest off and unpacked the bag she'd brought to the park. Once everything was put away Olivia grabbed her laptop and dropped down on the couch. Suvi settled himself on the ground near Olivia's feet. When she booted up her computer she found an email from Micheal waiting for her. It was the first time she'd heard from him since the training session. They'd both agreed to focus on their dogs at least through the first month. It had been longer than that, but Olivia hadn't gotten a chance to contact him yet either. Now that contact had been made she'd be sure to respond.
Hey Benson,
That dog of yours living up to his name yet? Hope everything is going well for you.
Tucker and I are doing great. Gotta admit though, that first month was tough. Didn't
think it would be so different to not have someone there to help out if something
went wrong, but it was. When both of us were uneasy it would have been nice to
have some backup. We managed, thankfully. It's been getting easier too.
Forget all that though. Fun things are much better to talk about. Does Suvi like tug of
war? I swear it's Tucker's favorite thing to do. Despite all the working out I never win
either. I'll forgive him since I'm such a nice guy and all. Running around with my
girlfriend's nieces comes in a close second. Bet you can't say your dog can run around
in a big wide open area, huh? You should come out and join me some time.
Stay Strong,
Micheal
It sounded so exactly like Micheal that Olivia almost laughed. She immediately started typing a reply.
Micheal,
That dog of mine is Suvi. You should try out his name. He deserves it. Trust me, he
Definitely lives up to his name now. He certainly tried my patience the first month,
but he's been great since then. A lifesaver really. I owe him a lot. It's nice to hear I
wasn't the only one that struggled the first month. We at least both got through.
Suvi played some tug of war with another dog today, but he's not a huge fan. We do
have a search and find game we play a lot though. It's pretty funny watching him get
stuck under the blanket or basket. I bet your behemoth wouldn't be able to get out.
As for his favorite thing, that would definitely be rain. I can already see you laughing,
so stop. Suvi could easily give Tucker a run for his money in puddle splashing. Trust
me on that. Maybe at some point I'll be able to come show you. Or you could come
join us in the ample space we have. It's called Central Park. Until next time. I hope
you and Tucker keep doing well.
Olivia
Author's Note: I apologize for the formatting of the emails. It was all nice and set up on my word document and then when I uploaded everything it got all wonky. No matter what I tried I couldn't get it fixed. Darn thing wouldn't even let me put the paragraph spaces in it without turning into the mess you see. Sorry! We are also getting down to the last five chapters or so. Be ready. The end is coming.