Chapter 12
Liv gave Amanda two pain pills and left Amanda to unpack the rest of her things in her room while she took a shower. When Amanda was done she started to look around the apartment. The apartment was nice and spacious. She walked over to a shelf and saw a picture of a younger Liv and a woman who had the same eyes and face. "That's me and my mother." Amanda put the picture back. "Sorry! I was just looking. Why is this the only one in your apartment?" Liv walked over to Amanda and the picture. She thought maybe if she opened up, it would help Amanda to do the same. "Well, you and I aren't so different. My mother and I didn't have the best relationship. She drank a lot and we fought a lot. She made sure I had clothes, food, and an education, but not a lot of love. She resented me because…" Liv paused and walked over to the couch and sat down. Amanda saw the pain in her friend's eyes and slowly walked over and held her hand. "She resented me because my father raped her and she had no choice but to have me. Every time she looked at me it was painful. I was her nightmare." Amanda couldn't believe what she was hearing. She thought Liv would have had a perfect life seeing her now. It was sad to hear, but it gave her hope. Hope that she could have better times ahead. "Where is she now Liv?" Liv sat back and turned to face her friend, "She's dead. She went to a bar, got drunk, and fell down the steps. She was never the same after she was raped and forced to have me. Drinking helped her numb the pain. I guess I like to think she's in a better place, without pain. She did the best she could." Amanda listened to Liv tell her about her life and she really wanted to tell her about her life in Georgia, but the pain meds were kicking in fast.
Liv saw her getting tired and she knew she needed Amanda to open up, but today was a lot. Amanda made strides and had already done so much to trust strangers. She wanted to give her a break. "Alright, enough with the sad talk. Let's take your temperature and get you into bed. You look worn out." They got up from the couch. While Amanda brushed her teeth, Liv grabbed the thermometer to take her temperature. "99.4. How are you feeling and how's your pain?" Amanda followed her to her room, "I feel okay, just tired. My stomach hurts more than my back." Liv thought about what she said, "Is that why you were moving so much on the couch when you fell asleep? I thought you were going to fall off." Amanda laughed, "I move a lot when I sleep, but it hurts to lay on my back too long right now." Liv pulled the covers back, "Come on, get in." Amanda crawled into bed, "You know Liv, I'm 19, I'm not a baby. Do you plan on tucking me in every night?" "I know you're not a baby, but I want to take care of you. If I get sick you can take care of me, because that's what friends do. Okay?" Amanda smirked, "Is that the only thing we'll ever be, just friends?" Liv gave Amanda a kiss on the forehead. "Time will tell, but friends for now okay?" Liv walked over to the door and held the light switch. "I'm gonna be up for a while if you wake up and need anything. I have to call Ms. Cabot, my Captain, and look at some files before I go to bed. If you need anything or wake up, come and get me." Amanda scrunched her face. "What's the look for, talk to me." Amanda hesitated again and Liv moved back over to the bed. "You just asked me if we will only be just friends, if you want more, the first step is you have to talk to me. What's wrong?" Amanda sat up, "What if I wake up in pain or something and you are asleep?" Liv smiled, "That's easy! Wake me up. Are we good?" Amanda shook her head and laid back down, "Night Liv and thank you." "Goodnight Amanda, you're welcome and I love you."
Liv went to her bedroom and made her calls. She called Alex first to let her know what happened today. She had already sent a text so she wouldn't worry about Amanda, especially after what happened at school. She explained she wouldn't be at school for the rest of the week. Alex had talked with a co worker and she found a program in the public school system that she thought would be a better fit for Amanda. Liv told her to come by for dinner tomorrow and they could talk about it. After that, she called her Captain and told him about everything. He liked Liv because she was a good detective and thought she could even start moving up the ranks, even though she was young. He was supportive as usual and told her to take the week and they could figure it out as they moved forward. It was late and she figured since she had the week off, she would save the files. She put everything away and went to bed.
Liv was a light sleeper being a detective and all. She would sometimes get calls in the middle of the night, but she could easily get back to sleep. She heard a noise coming from Amanda's room. She looked at the clock and it was 3am. She started thinking maybe the meds wore off and Amanda was scared to wake her up, because she did seem hesitant. As Liv got out of bed and closer to her bedroom door, she could make out the noise. Amanda was saying, "No! Stop! Please don't hurt me! Don't do this!" Liv moved faster to Amanda's room. She knew what this was and it broke her heart. She hit light, only to see Amanda thrashing in the bed, whimpering, and still saying "No!" Liv moved closer, but was gentle when trying to wake her since she was having a nightmare. She stroked her hair and face "Amanda it's okay baby, wake up. It's just me Liv. I'm here and no one's gonna hurt you." Liv saw blue eyes open wide. Amanda was scared and sweating. "Liv!" Olivia continued to speak in a low, sweet tone. "I'm here. It's okay, you're safe. Do you want to talk about it?" Amanda looked at her still shaking, "Do I have to?" Liv sighed disappointed that Amanda didn't want to tell her, "Not right now, but we do need to talk about it soon. How long has this been going on?" Amanda covered her eyes, "A couple of weeks, but they are getting worse I guess." Liv felt her clothes and the sheets, "You're soak and wet and so are the sheets. That must have been one bad nightmare. Why don't you grab a clean shirt and shorts from my dresser and go take a quick shower. I'm gonna strip the bed and throw these in the washer. You can sleep in my bed and we will deal with this in the morning." Amanda went to the bathroom while Liv pulled the bedding off. She had to get Amanda talking about what happened. She was a detective and good one, but she wasn't a therapist. She didn't want to push her and cause a breakdown. Hopefully Melinda's friend could help and Amanda would agree to go. "You all done? Just throw your sweaty clothes in here." Liv started the washing machine and they went back into her bedroom.
Liv was tired and she knew Amanda was too. She climbed into bed, but Amanda just stood there. So Liv threw the blanket back and patted the mattress. "Come on. I won't bite, besides you're the one that's the wild sleeper" Olivia laughed trying to ease the tension, but it wasn't working very well. "Amanda, remember all that cute flirting you did at the coffee shop? The winking, the heart made out of foam, the slipping me your number on my coffee cup? Where's that brave smart ass that did all that talking? Hey, I figured you would be happy. Now you've even got me in bed." Liv was trying anything to get her to relax. A big smile crept onto Amanda's face, "Detective your mouth. I've got some soap for that." They both fell out laughing and Amanda climbed into bed. Liv waited for her to fall asleep, making sure the nightmares stayed away.