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For the next few nights, each time Olivia fell asleep, she woke up screaming from nightmares. And every time she screamed, Elliot was there to reassure her and soothe her back into sleep, much as she had done for him in the days after Kathy's death. He comforted her and held her close, promising over and over that he wasn't going anywhere.
On the fourth night, Olivia awoke with a start, gasping. "Elliot!"
Stirring from his sleep, Elliot reached for her, pulling her protectively to himself. "I'm right here..."
She curled into him, sweating and shaking. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He brushed his hand against her cheek.
She leaned into his hand and sighed shakily. "It was so real..."
"What was it?" He brushed her hair from her face.
"The wedding...I didn't move fast enough..."
He hugged her tighter and rubbed her back, sighing softly. "But you did."
She nodded weakly against his neck. "I can't go back to sleep. I'm… I'm gonna go watch a movie in the living room."
He frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah..." she reluctantly left his arms and sat up. "One of us should get some sleep."
"No, I can come sit with you."
"El…"
"You don't need to be alone."
She sighed and looked back at Elliot. "Stubborn bastard," she muttered affectionately before she laid back down with him.
"Yeah, that hasn't changed." The hints of an amused smile tugged at his lips, but the worry never left his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her again.
She gave a tiny laugh and turned the tv on, turning the volume low. Then she focused on Elliot stroking her hair.
"Try to get some more sleep," he urged. "I'm worried about you."
"I know. I'm sorry," she murmured, nuzzling into his chest.
He pressed a kiss to her head and rested his chin atop her head. "I love you."
"I love you too, El."
The following afternoon, Elliot greeted Noah when he came home from school while Olivia napped, finally resting after a largely sleepless night. "Hey, Noah. Why don't we do something for your mom?"
Noah perked up. "Like what?"
"I'm not sure yet, but she's been feeling a little down lately and I think she'd like a nice surprise."
The boy nodded eagerly. "Yeah!"
"Maybe we could make her a nice dinner."
His eyes lit up. "I can help!" he said proudly as he followed Elliot into the apartment. "Uncle Sonny taught me how to cook some stuff."
"That's great. Maybe after that, we can have a movie night."
He peered up at Elliot after hanging up his backpack. "Can we make brownies for Mom? That's her favorite dessert."
Elliot grinned in agreement. "I think she'd like that."
Pleased, Noah followed Elliot into the kitchen.
Olivia awoke to a delicious aroma in the apartment. She sat up and carefully eased herself into her wheelchair, then maneuvered out of her bedroom. "El?"
"There you are. I was just about to come wake you up." He leaned over to give her a soft kiss.
She smiled into the kiss. "Mm..."
He pulled back after a few moments, giving her arm a light squeeze. "Noah helped me make dinner."
Her eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah? I can't wait to try it."
Noah grinned. "It's gonna be really good!"
Olivia let Elliot go and hugged her son. "I'm sure it will be."
He returned her hug as Elliot set the table. "Let's go eat!"
Olivia laughed and wheeled herself up to the table, letting Elliot help her into a chair. "This looks delicious, you guys!"
Noah climbed into the seat next to her, and a moment later Elliot joined them as well. He didn't miss how content she looked as she picked up her fork and began eating. She had been struggling with her appetite for the last couple of days, so he was thrilled when she ate with gusto.
"Good?"
"Mm hmm," she managed, beaming.
Looking proud, Noah straightened up and tucked into his own dinner. In the past few days, he'd seen the way his mom tried to pretend she wasn't sad so she wouldn't worry him, and now she seemed truly relaxed for the first time in days.
Pleased that she was eating without hesitation and visibly much happier than earlier, Elliot smiled and started eating.
After dinner, Noah grinned at his mom again. "We made dessert, too."
"You did?" She reached out and cupped his cheek, beaming. "I can't wait to try it."
Elliot reached for a covered tray and set it on the table, revealing the fresh brownies. "Noah did most of the work on them."
"They look amazing!" she exclaimed as Elliot put a brownie in front of her.
Elliot and Noah each helped themselves to one. "After dinner, we thought we'd watch some movies."
"That sounds like a perfect way to end the night," Olivia agreed as she tried the brownie. She hummed in delight and quickly tried another bite.
After dessert, Elliot cleaned up while Noah picked out their first movie. Once Elliot had the kitchen cleaned up, he helped Olivia onto the couch and put his arm around her.
She melted into him with a smile. "You're spoiling me."
"Because you deserve it." He buried his fingers in her hair when she rested her head on his shoulder.
Noah started the movie and snuggled into his mom's other side. Olivia instinctively raised her hand and stroked his hair. He was handling this better than she ever could have hoped.
As the movie started, comfortable quiet fell among them as Elliot drew Olivia a little closer, relieved that she seemed rested and content.
She tried to stay awake, but Olivia didn't make it to the end of the movie. Instead she fell asleep, her head still on Elliot's shoulder.
By the time the credits rolled, Noah was fighting sleep and Elliot looked over at him. "Do you want me to tuck you in?"
"After you tuck my mom in?" Noah yawned, turning off the movie.
"Yep." Elliot carried Olivia to their bedroom and settled her comfortably in bed, then followed Noah to his room.
Noah crawled into his bed after picking out his book for the night. "Elliot?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you gonna stay here forever?"
"I'd like to," he admitted honestly.
Noah smiled and snuggled into his pillows. "I wish you were my dad," he murmured after a moment.
Elliot's expression softened and he ruffled Noah's hair before he opened the book and started to read.
After Noah was asleep, Elliot shut off the light and went to Olivia's room. As he laid down with her, she shifted and sighed. "El?"
Surprised that she was awake, he turned onto his side to face her and draped his arm across her. "Hmm?"
She gladly snuggled into him. "Love you."
"I love you, too." He buried his fingers in her hair and kissed her head. "Did you enjoy your evening?"
"I did," she murmured happily, tired but content. Her face softened as she leaned up just enough to brush her lips against his in a tender kiss. "I just hate that I nodded off. I would've liked to stay up longer."
"You're still regaining energy." His hand rubbed her back, gently urging her closer to himself. "We can always do that again."
She laughed softly. "I'd like that," she replied honestly, closing her eyes and focusing on the feel of his hand tracing slow, comforting circles on her back. Even if it would take weeks, months even, to come to terms with her injury and the changes it would inevitably bring, she had him by her side again, and she wouldn't change that for the world.
Shorter chapter, but the next one is the last, and it's a bit longer! Stay tuned, and as always, reviews are cherished!