(Chapter 16. Malibu. November 21. 4pm.)
Mark Sloan was pleased to be arriving home almost two hours early. After they had finished dealing with the victims of a huge pileup on the freeway, Jesse and Amanda had offered to cover for him for the rest of his shift. They would be getting off in a couple of hours. Then they would come out to the beach house and they would all have a little welcome home party for Steve.
He was whistling a light-hearted tune as he found the spare key hidden in the shrubbery and put it in the lock, but he was so happy to have his son home that as he walked in the door, he burst into song, "Supercalif...."
A sharp, "Shhh!" cut him off as he entered the living room. He looked to see Steve sitting on the couch with Olivia curled up and sleeping soundly in his arms. At his questioning look, his son fixed him with an angry glare. He waited patiently for Steve to speak.
"You told me she wanted to talk, Dad. Did you know about what?"
Mark needed to tread carefully. He wasn't sure what Olivia had told Steve, and he didn't want to disclose anything she had wanted him to keep confidential. "I found out on Friday when I apologized for you like you asked."
"Why didn't you tell me, Dad? Didn't you think I needed to know?"
As Steve's voice rose in volume, Olivia started to stir, and Mark suggested, "Let's continue this in the dining room. I'm sure she could use some rest."
After a moment's thought, Steve nodded his assent. Very gently, Mark helped him move Olivia from his lap and onto the couch. She never woke up. Steve took the afghan off the back of the couch and covered her up lest she catch a chill. Then Mark helped Steve into the wheelchair and pushed him out to the table.
As Mark sat across the table from him, Steve began their conversation again. "How could you keep this from me, Dad? You know how I feel about her. It would have been so much easier for both of us if I had known."
Mark knew his son was upset, and he tried gently to explain that until Olivia wanted to tell Steve something, it was none of his business. "First of all, son, I didn't know anything until just this past Friday. She asked me not to tell anyone. In fact, she insisted. She invoked doctor-patient confidentiality, but even if she hadn't, it's not my story to tell."
"Since when did she become your patient, Dad?" Steve asked in an accusing tone.
Mark became stone-faced. "By her reckoning, it was the day she woke up in your bed. Now, if you want to talk, I'll talk; but if you're going to interrogate me, this conversation is over."
Steve covered his face for several moments. When he looked up again, there were tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Dad, but you don't know how close I came to losing her. I pushed again. I said I wanted to be serious or I wanted her to stay away. I care too much to just be friends. She walked out." Steve held his thumb and forefinger a fraction of an inch apart and said, "She was this close to gone, Dad, but she says that hideous pink jeep wouldn't start."
Mark smiled kindly at his son and said, "Thank God for that hideous pink jeep, huh?"
Steve smiled back and said, "Yeah, I guess so."
Both men sat in comfortable silence for several moments. Then Steve asked, "Why didn't she tell me before?"
"Son, you've got to remember, for a while you two weren't talking. Then the very day you made up, you were shot. You've been her patient for three months. It was her job to comfort and care for you. Unloading something like this on you would have been terribly unprofessional, and Olivia, above all things, is a consummate professional."
Steve gave his dad a disbelieving look and said, "Dad, you know there were moments between us that were, well, not strictly professional, don't you?"
Mark nodded and said with a small laugh, "Yeah, son, I know. She mentioned to me that it was a challenge for her to keep business and pleasure separate when she was treating you."
"Really? Dad, why didn't you tell me?"
"She asked me not to. About a week before she finally took your cast off, she came to me and asked my advice. She wanted to know what I thought she should do about her feelings for you."
"And you told her...?" Steve prompted.
"I told her that I didn't want to see you hurt; that it would look bad, but if she cared about you and you felt the same for her that neither of you should care what other people thought; and that beyond that, she had to make the decision for herself. She decided to wait until you were out of the hospital, and I supported her decision."
Steve sat quietly staring out at the sky and the ocean for a long moment. Then he asked quietly, "What do I do now, Dad?"
Mark asked, "What do you want to do, son?"
Steve thought for a moment, and answered, "At first I wanted to kill both of those guys when she told me what had happened. This Ted was just plain evil. I think she loved him like a brother, and he betrayed her and his best friend. Keith, her fiancé, was a fool. She saved his life, Dad, and he'd be lucky to have her. He blamed her for what happened, and I think she blames herself because of him. She's tortured herself all these years because he broke it off.
"I wanted to kill them both for hurting her, but then I realized that if it weren't for them and what they did, she wouldn't be here now. She wouldn't have been there when I was shot, either, and I would be looking at a very different future than the one that lies in store for me."
Mark stood up and came around behind the wheelchair. Now that he knew what part of her past Olivia had revealed, he could read his son's reactions better and he felt more comfortable giving advice. He pushed Steve over to the sliding glass doors and stood there watching the ocean with his son. Olivia had told Steve the right thing first, and she hadn't told him too much at once. Mark was pleased that she was going slowly with her story, and he knew if his son could handle that terrible incident, he would be able to handle the rest.
But he couldn't tell Steve what to do. That had to be his own decision. He asked again, "What do you want to do, now, son?"
"I want to love her," Steve answered simply.
Mark was secretly delighted. Olivia was carrying a lot of sorrow inside her, but she seemed to truly love his son. He couldn't push Steve into anything with this woman who had so many issues, but he could encourage him a little. Mark believed that the tragedy in her past was precisely what made her a good match for his son. After what she'd been through and all she had survived, she could handle the worry and strain that his job would put on a relationship. Adversity had made her strong, strong enough to love his son. He put a comforting hand on Steve's shoulder and said, "If you want to love her, then that's what you should do, Steve."
After a bit, Steve nodded and said, "Yeah. Thanks, Dad."
Mark patted his son on the shoulder and went to his room to change his clothes, leaving Steve to stare out at the ocean.
Steve had been watching the surf for quite some time when two freckled arms wrapped around him from behind and he was enveloped by the scent of lavender. He took hold of them, held them close around him, and laughed. "I've never dated a woman with so many freckles before. Do you have them all over?"
"Maybe some day you'll find out," Olivia said with a giggle. Then more seriously, she asked, "Are we dating?"
Steve slid his grasp down to one of her hands and used it to guide her around to where he could see her. He nodded and told her, "If you want to."
She leaned down and hugged him tightly and whispered, "I'd like that."
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. She kissed him softly on the lips. A spark flared between them. Suddenly, his hands were in her hair and her arms were around his neck, "Just like the day in Dad's office," Steve thought. Steve heard the blood rushing in his ears, and Olivia's breath came in short, shallow gasps. Steve held her closer. They kissed long and deep, again and again. Both of them flushed with the heat of passion.
"Oh, excuse me!"
"WHAAA!"
"DAD!"
"WHAT?"
Olivia collapsed to the floor beside Steve and dissolved in giggles. Steve fumed silently while Mark watched in amusement as they both turned a remarkable shade of crimson. Tears of laughter streamed down Olivia's face as Steve buried his face in his hands. Finally, Olivia caught her breath enough to tell Steve, "Cheer up, babe, at least we're not in his office."
Steve lifted his head and rolled his eyes heavenward. "Thank God for small favors, huh?"
Bemused, Mark asked, "Would you to like me to leave you two alone?"
Steve answered, "Yes!"
At the same time, Olivia said, "No!"
They looked at each other, and Olivia spoke first, "Steve! He's your father! It's been a long time since he's had the pleasure of seeing you in his home. Besides, it's time to start dinner." Then she gave him a compelling little grin. "It's not like we'll never get another chance."
Steve looked very seriously at Olivia, "You're sure you won't go into hiding again?"
Olivia looked at Mark for a moment, searching for some indication that he was ok with her dating his son. When she got the slightest nod, she knelt by the wheelchair and looked Steve in the eye. "I don't remember the night I met you, but the morning after, once I got my bearings, I liked you and I trusted you. The next day, you were so sweet to me, in spite of what I did. You even forgave me for the mess I made of your truck. But that's not why I'm staying around."
"I know, your jeep wouldn't start," Steve said sarcastically.
She caressed his cheek, and said, "That may be the reason I couldn't run away this time, but it's not why I'll keep coming back, Steve. I'll keep coming back as long as you want me because that's what my heart tells me to do." She swallowed hard, "It's been so long, I didn't think I'd be afraid to say this." Taking a deep breath, she said, "I love you, Steve, with a love that's strong, and good, and worth fighting for. Whatever sorrows and ghosts may come out of my past, I will learn to deal with them and put them to rest so that I can do and be and give you everything that you deserve." She kissed him gently and finished by saying, "As long as you are willing, we will have the rest of our lives to pick up where we just left off. I promise."
Steve thought for a moment. Then he nodded and said, "I'll take you at your word. Now, what's for dinner?"
The welcome home party was very nice. Even better than the going away party Steve's friends had held for him at the hospital. Dinner had been excellent. Steve was amazed at Olivia's culinary skills. In two short hours, she had thrown together an Italian feast. The meal had started with a simple green salad with roasted pine nuts and honey and lemon dressing. It was an unusual change of pace, and quite delicious. Then she served spaghetti with a jarred tomato sauce to which she'd added mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, spinach, lean ground beef, and a small amount of Italian sausage. With Italian green beans on the side, it was savory and filling, but it left room for dessert. Even Amanda's kids, Dion and CJ, had eaten their vegetables without complaint. Dessert was leftover cake and ice cream from the party at the hospital. Steve had been so overwhelmed earlier that he hadn't realized how good the cake was.
"This cake is home made, isn't it?" he asked.
"Yep," Olivia said, "it's my mama's recipe. She used to make it every year for my birthday."
"What makes it so rich?"
Olivia smiled demurely and said, "Mostly love, but a little good, strong coffee and home made butter cream icing help."
CJ and Dion looked at each other. "Coffee?" asked Dion.
"Yep."
"EEEWWW!" both boys wailed together.
"Hey, now," Olivia said, "That hurts my feelings. My mama always made this cake. You like the cake, don't you."
The boys looked at each other and nodded.
"Then don't complain," Liv admonished them.
Dion spoke for both boys, "We're sorry." CJ nodded his agreement.
"Apology accepted," Olivia told them. "Now eat your ice cream before it melts."
Jesse looked at Olivia and asked, "Liv, with everything you do, where did you ever find time to learn to cook like this?"
Mark and Steve burst into laughter, and Amanda looked at Jesse and gasped. Olivia and Jesse just looked confused as Olivia answered hesitantly. "I…don't know, Jess. It's just…something I have always been able to do. I guess it's…a gift."
Mark and Steve laughed harder as Amanda covered her face and moaned.
"Like Picasso paints?" Steve asked.
"I wouldn't say it's that good," Olivia told him.
Amanda flicked a gob of icing across the table at Steve and it hit him on the cheek. Mark opened his mouth to say something as he handed Steve a napkin, but Amanda gave him a threatening look and warned, "I've got more where that came from!"
Mark closed his mouth.
Dion yelled, "Food fight," and had a forkful of gooey cake and icing ready to fling at his brother
Amanda stopped him with, "Don't even try it mister!"
"But, Mom, you started it."
"And I had reason to, you don't."
Olivia and Jesse exchanged another puzzled look, and finally, Olivia asked, "Will someone please tell us what is going on?"
Mark laughed and said, "I think you need to ask Amanda about that. Steve and I are still in the line of fire."
Jesse looked at Amanda and said, "Well?"
Amanda pointed her fork at Mark and Steve and vowed, "I will get even with both of you." Then she explained, "It was before you came to Community General, Jesse. I had invited Mark; Steve; Jack Stewart; Norman Briggs; and Delores, Mark's secretary at the time, to dinner at my place. Jesse, just like you asked Olivia, Delores asked me where I found time to learn to cook. Olivia, I answered just like you did, that it was a gift."
Steve joined in here. "If I remember correctly, your exact words were, 'Picasso paints; I cook.'" Amanda flicked another gob of icing at him. This one hit him in the forehead. "Good aim," he said, wiping the sticky stuff away. Amanda never noticed the bit of ice cream that CJ had splattered onto the sleeve of her blouse. No one decided to tell her.
Olivia was still confused, "What's so funny about that?"
Mark finished the story. "Nothing at all, really. The funny part was that she had gotten the food from a catering service and had let us believe she cooked it herself. When a friend of hers showed up at the house about to deliver quadruplets, Jack found the caterer's box in the kitchen while looking for some towels and never let her live it down."
Jesse looked at Amanda, grinned, and said, "Caught red-handed, huh?"
She hit him squarely on the nose with a spoonful of ice cream, but was also hit simultaneously from four directions at once as Olivia, Steve, CJ, and Dion all gave her a dose of her own medicine. Mark wisely retreated as a genuine food fight did erupt and last for several seconds. He stood near the door and watched the younger people playing and laughing in his dining room and knew that his life was good.
Finally, Amanda yelled, "Enough! I surrender!" As the ruckus settled and she, Jesse, Olivia, and the boys cleaned up the mess, she announced to anyone who was listening, "I'll have you all know that I have become quite an accomplished cook since then."
"That's what she thinks," Dion countered with a snicker.
Amanda paused to look at her son. "Oh, yeah? Well, mister, next time you want waffles for breakfast, you can make them yourself."
"Aw, Mom, you know I was kidding."
"Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say."
Steve couldn't believe how good it felt to be home. As he looked at his dad and friends, his family, he felt himself start to choke up. Then a sticky little hand rested on his arm.
"You ok, Uncle Steve?"
He reached down and picked up CJ and put the child in his lap. "I'm just fine, CJ. I was just thinking it's been a long time since we've all sat here and played a game. I kind of missed that when I was in the hospital."
"Oh. Well, maybe we can play after you open your presents."
"Presents?"
"Uh-huh, everybody got you something. Dion and I got you a..."
Dion quickly put a hand over his younger brother's mouth, "Be quiet, CJ, it's supposed to be a surprise when he opens it."
"Well, I'm tired of waiting!" CJ complained. "Mommy, can we give Uncle Steve his backpack now?"
"CJ, you told him!" Dion wailed.
"Oh, no! I'm sorry I spoiled the surprise, Uncle Steve. It slipped out!"
Steve smiled and reassured the little boy. "It's all right, CJ. I'm surprised to be getting presents as it is. It's ok if I know what one of them is ahead of time."
CJ smiled and told his brother, "See, Dion. It's ok."
"Yeah," Dion smiled back, "You're just lucky Uncle Steve is a nice guy."
As Olivia and Amanda finished clearing the table, Mark and Jesse went off to get a pile of gifts from the hall closet. When they came back, Dion and CJ went for the biggest package first. Placing it in Steve's lap, Dion said, "I picked out the style, and CJ picked the color."
Steve opened the box to find a high-quality backpack with a detachable lunch pack and a special pocket holding a water bottle.
CJ told him, "Mommy said you'd probably spend a lot of time walking on the beach to get strong again, and we thought this would be a good way to carry some of the things you'd need with you."
"Well, yeah, guys," Steve agreed, "This is great. It even has a key ring inside so I don't lose my house key on the beach."
Both boys were jumping up and down in excitement as CJ said, "Now you have to see what Olivia got for you."
Olivia handed him a long slender package. He opened it to find a camp chair with arm rests, a high back and a cup holder.
Dion said, "Look, Uncle Steve, she sewed straps on the backpack so you can carry the chair with you."
He looked to Olivia and grinned. "Gotta love Velcro, huh?"
She nodded, "Yep."
Mark gave him a new, high-end, voice-activated cell phone to replace his old one that had been broken when he fell from the stairs during the shooting. Amanda gave him a beach blanket, and Jesse had bought him a fishing rod and tackle box. "I figured when you got tired of walking, you could stop for a rest before you headed home," Jesse said shyly.
Steve tried to thank everyone for the gifts, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was an enormous yawn.
"He's unimpressed," Olivia said dryly, but with a wink that made everyone laugh.
Steve laughed too, and said, "Really guys, I appreciate all of this, and all the support you have given me. I...." He yawned again, tears of fatigue suddenly coming to his eyes. "I'm beat. I wish this could go on all night. It's so good to be here with all of you again, but I'm exhausted and really need to get some sleep."
Amanda patted his shoulder affectionately and said, "We understand, Steve. It's been a big day, and it is almost ten o'clock. We all need to be going home."
Mark pushed Steve out through the living room to the door as Olivia, Jesse, Amanda, and the boys made to leave. "All of you are coming over for Thanksgiving dinner, right?" Mark asked.
"We wouldn't miss it for the world, would we, guys?" Amanda said.
"No way!" Dion agreed.
"Unh-uh!" CJ grunted, half-asleep.
"Good," Mark said. "Jess?"
"I'm scheduled to work from six until noon, and Susan and I had plans for the early part of the afternoon, but I can be here around six."
"Ok, what about you, Liv?"
Olivia sighed and said. "I'm not much fun around the holidays." Looking at Steve she said, "Give me a call early in the day, maybe we can go for a walk or a drive, and we'll see what develops from there, ok?"
Steve nodded and Mark said, "Sounds like a plan. Olivia, I won't insist that you stay for dinner, but I want you to know there's always room for you at our table."
"Thanks, Mark."
"Hey, Liv," Steve said, "How are you getting home? Your car won't start, remember?"
"I can give her a lift," Jesse offered.
"No," Olivia said, "You have to work early. You need to go straight home and get some sleep." Before Amanda could offer, Olivia said, "You have kids to put to bed. I'll try to start it one more time, and if that doesn't work, I'll call a cab." All of the others opened their mouths to protest, but she cut them off, "No discussion."
Amanda gave Steve a kiss on the cheek, and Dion gave him a hug. CJ just snored at him, and the three headed off into the night. Jesse shook his hand and said, "Welcome home, Steve. Have a good night." Steve thanked him, and Jesse was gone.
Steve, Olivia, and Mark stood on the front walk for a moment. Soon the silence became awkward. Then Steve asked, "Uh, Dad, could you give us a minute alone."
"Hmm? Oh, ah, sure, son! Yes, yes. I'll just come back in say, five minutes or so, or, ah, I guess you could just ring the bell when you're ready to come in. Can you reach the bell from your chair?"
"Yes, Dad," Steve said patiently as Olivia tried to hide a giggle.
"Ok, then son. Olivia, drive carefully, if your car starts. If it doesn't..."
"Dad, please go inside."
"Oh, right. Bye!"
As the door clicked shut behind Mark, Olivia could suppress her laughter no longer. Steve found the sound delightfully musical as it echoed in the night. Wiping away tears of laughter, she said, "I just love your dad. He's so sweet."
"Yeah, and sometimes he's aggravating, too."
"Steve," Olivia said gently, "You know he was trying to leave. He just couldn't find a graceful way to exit."
"I know, I know. I just wanted him to go so I could have a minute alone with you."
"I'm glad you asked him to go. I have something else to give you, if you want it, but I didn't want everyone else to see."
Steve's curiosity was aroused. "Oh? What else do you have for me?"
She pressed a shiny silver key into his hand. "It's to my place," she said. "Any time you're ready to use it."
He closed the fingers of one hand around the key, and reached out to take her hand with the other. He gently pulled her into his lap and held her close. "You've insisted on going so slowly up until now. Are you sure you want me to have this?"
She never spoke her answer, but made it clear all the same. She raked her fingers through his hair, and kissed him behind the ear. The sensation sent electric fire racing through him. Then she kissed him on the forehead, the tip of the nose, the chin, carefully dodging his seeking lips. Finally, she planted a passionate kiss on his lips, and he responded enthusiastically. He slipped a hand around her waist and up her back, under her blouse. He teased the sensitive spots he found along her spine as her hands played across his chest.
A distant part of his mind was appalled that they were necking like teenagers in the driveway of his dad's house, but the rest of his mind and all of his body simply didn't care. He wanted this woman, in every way a man could, and he was going to have her. As his breath came in ragged gasps he undid the top button of her blouse and...
...she started to giggle.
He moaned in agony. "Damn, I'm starting to hate that giggle. Olivia, why do you do this to me? WHYYYY?"
She continued to giggle. Tears of laughter streaming down her face, fighting for air, she finally said, "Language, Steve." Then she took a moment more to catch her breath and continued, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to. It's just awkward for me." Becoming serious, she looked him in the eye and said, "I've only made love to one man, and that was only one time, in the dark, years ago. Every time we get started, I imagine someone walking in on us and...." She started to giggle again.
"You get embarrassed and start to giggle."
She nodded.
Steve had to grin. "As frustrating as it is, I have to admit, I think it's cute. I'm amazed that a woman as beautiful and charming as you has only been with a man once before, and I'm flattered to think you'd let me be the second. Mostly though, I want to be the last." He held the key up so it caught the light. "I'll be using this as soon as I can."
Olivia giggled again, and stood up. "I do need to get home, babe. If I wait much longer, I'll be too tired to drive."
"Liv, do you really believe your car is going to start?"
She pushed a few stray hairs away from his face, let her hand travel caressingly down his cheek, and said, "I believe things happen for a reason. That car is twenty years old. It has almost half a million miles on it, and it has never, ever, failed to start before. I believe I was supposed to stay here with you this afternoon, just like I wasn't supposed to leave the hospital the night you got shot. Now that we know where we stand, I believe I'll be allowed to leave for the night."
She kissed him again, and it took his breath away. "Call me tomorrow."
Steve admired her backside as she trotted over to the pink abomination in the driveway. She climbed in, turned the key, and the engine roared to life.
"I'll be damned!" he muttered in consternation as she waved goodbye and he waved back. He stared at the empty spot where the jeep had been for several minutes before his mind could grasp what had happened. He could almost believe that a greater force was intervening on their behalf. Then he smiled. She was the one.
Mark Sloan was pleased to be arriving home almost two hours early. After they had finished dealing with the victims of a huge pileup on the freeway, Jesse and Amanda had offered to cover for him for the rest of his shift. They would be getting off in a couple of hours. Then they would come out to the beach house and they would all have a little welcome home party for Steve.
He was whistling a light-hearted tune as he found the spare key hidden in the shrubbery and put it in the lock, but he was so happy to have his son home that as he walked in the door, he burst into song, "Supercalif...."
A sharp, "Shhh!" cut him off as he entered the living room. He looked to see Steve sitting on the couch with Olivia curled up and sleeping soundly in his arms. At his questioning look, his son fixed him with an angry glare. He waited patiently for Steve to speak.
"You told me she wanted to talk, Dad. Did you know about what?"
Mark needed to tread carefully. He wasn't sure what Olivia had told Steve, and he didn't want to disclose anything she had wanted him to keep confidential. "I found out on Friday when I apologized for you like you asked."
"Why didn't you tell me, Dad? Didn't you think I needed to know?"
As Steve's voice rose in volume, Olivia started to stir, and Mark suggested, "Let's continue this in the dining room. I'm sure she could use some rest."
After a moment's thought, Steve nodded his assent. Very gently, Mark helped him move Olivia from his lap and onto the couch. She never woke up. Steve took the afghan off the back of the couch and covered her up lest she catch a chill. Then Mark helped Steve into the wheelchair and pushed him out to the table.
As Mark sat across the table from him, Steve began their conversation again. "How could you keep this from me, Dad? You know how I feel about her. It would have been so much easier for both of us if I had known."
Mark knew his son was upset, and he tried gently to explain that until Olivia wanted to tell Steve something, it was none of his business. "First of all, son, I didn't know anything until just this past Friday. She asked me not to tell anyone. In fact, she insisted. She invoked doctor-patient confidentiality, but even if she hadn't, it's not my story to tell."
"Since when did she become your patient, Dad?" Steve asked in an accusing tone.
Mark became stone-faced. "By her reckoning, it was the day she woke up in your bed. Now, if you want to talk, I'll talk; but if you're going to interrogate me, this conversation is over."
Steve covered his face for several moments. When he looked up again, there were tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Dad, but you don't know how close I came to losing her. I pushed again. I said I wanted to be serious or I wanted her to stay away. I care too much to just be friends. She walked out." Steve held his thumb and forefinger a fraction of an inch apart and said, "She was this close to gone, Dad, but she says that hideous pink jeep wouldn't start."
Mark smiled kindly at his son and said, "Thank God for that hideous pink jeep, huh?"
Steve smiled back and said, "Yeah, I guess so."
Both men sat in comfortable silence for several moments. Then Steve asked, "Why didn't she tell me before?"
"Son, you've got to remember, for a while you two weren't talking. Then the very day you made up, you were shot. You've been her patient for three months. It was her job to comfort and care for you. Unloading something like this on you would have been terribly unprofessional, and Olivia, above all things, is a consummate professional."
Steve gave his dad a disbelieving look and said, "Dad, you know there were moments between us that were, well, not strictly professional, don't you?"
Mark nodded and said with a small laugh, "Yeah, son, I know. She mentioned to me that it was a challenge for her to keep business and pleasure separate when she was treating you."
"Really? Dad, why didn't you tell me?"
"She asked me not to. About a week before she finally took your cast off, she came to me and asked my advice. She wanted to know what I thought she should do about her feelings for you."
"And you told her...?" Steve prompted.
"I told her that I didn't want to see you hurt; that it would look bad, but if she cared about you and you felt the same for her that neither of you should care what other people thought; and that beyond that, she had to make the decision for herself. She decided to wait until you were out of the hospital, and I supported her decision."
Steve sat quietly staring out at the sky and the ocean for a long moment. Then he asked quietly, "What do I do now, Dad?"
Mark asked, "What do you want to do, son?"
Steve thought for a moment, and answered, "At first I wanted to kill both of those guys when she told me what had happened. This Ted was just plain evil. I think she loved him like a brother, and he betrayed her and his best friend. Keith, her fiancé, was a fool. She saved his life, Dad, and he'd be lucky to have her. He blamed her for what happened, and I think she blames herself because of him. She's tortured herself all these years because he broke it off.
"I wanted to kill them both for hurting her, but then I realized that if it weren't for them and what they did, she wouldn't be here now. She wouldn't have been there when I was shot, either, and I would be looking at a very different future than the one that lies in store for me."
Mark stood up and came around behind the wheelchair. Now that he knew what part of her past Olivia had revealed, he could read his son's reactions better and he felt more comfortable giving advice. He pushed Steve over to the sliding glass doors and stood there watching the ocean with his son. Olivia had told Steve the right thing first, and she hadn't told him too much at once. Mark was pleased that she was going slowly with her story, and he knew if his son could handle that terrible incident, he would be able to handle the rest.
But he couldn't tell Steve what to do. That had to be his own decision. He asked again, "What do you want to do, now, son?"
"I want to love her," Steve answered simply.
Mark was secretly delighted. Olivia was carrying a lot of sorrow inside her, but she seemed to truly love his son. He couldn't push Steve into anything with this woman who had so many issues, but he could encourage him a little. Mark believed that the tragedy in her past was precisely what made her a good match for his son. After what she'd been through and all she had survived, she could handle the worry and strain that his job would put on a relationship. Adversity had made her strong, strong enough to love his son. He put a comforting hand on Steve's shoulder and said, "If you want to love her, then that's what you should do, Steve."
After a bit, Steve nodded and said, "Yeah. Thanks, Dad."
Mark patted his son on the shoulder and went to his room to change his clothes, leaving Steve to stare out at the ocean.
Steve had been watching the surf for quite some time when two freckled arms wrapped around him from behind and he was enveloped by the scent of lavender. He took hold of them, held them close around him, and laughed. "I've never dated a woman with so many freckles before. Do you have them all over?"
"Maybe some day you'll find out," Olivia said with a giggle. Then more seriously, she asked, "Are we dating?"
Steve slid his grasp down to one of her hands and used it to guide her around to where he could see her. He nodded and told her, "If you want to."
She leaned down and hugged him tightly and whispered, "I'd like that."
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. She kissed him softly on the lips. A spark flared between them. Suddenly, his hands were in her hair and her arms were around his neck, "Just like the day in Dad's office," Steve thought. Steve heard the blood rushing in his ears, and Olivia's breath came in short, shallow gasps. Steve held her closer. They kissed long and deep, again and again. Both of them flushed with the heat of passion.
"Oh, excuse me!"
"WHAAA!"
"DAD!"
"WHAT?"
Olivia collapsed to the floor beside Steve and dissolved in giggles. Steve fumed silently while Mark watched in amusement as they both turned a remarkable shade of crimson. Tears of laughter streamed down Olivia's face as Steve buried his face in his hands. Finally, Olivia caught her breath enough to tell Steve, "Cheer up, babe, at least we're not in his office."
Steve lifted his head and rolled his eyes heavenward. "Thank God for small favors, huh?"
Bemused, Mark asked, "Would you to like me to leave you two alone?"
Steve answered, "Yes!"
At the same time, Olivia said, "No!"
They looked at each other, and Olivia spoke first, "Steve! He's your father! It's been a long time since he's had the pleasure of seeing you in his home. Besides, it's time to start dinner." Then she gave him a compelling little grin. "It's not like we'll never get another chance."
Steve looked very seriously at Olivia, "You're sure you won't go into hiding again?"
Olivia looked at Mark for a moment, searching for some indication that he was ok with her dating his son. When she got the slightest nod, she knelt by the wheelchair and looked Steve in the eye. "I don't remember the night I met you, but the morning after, once I got my bearings, I liked you and I trusted you. The next day, you were so sweet to me, in spite of what I did. You even forgave me for the mess I made of your truck. But that's not why I'm staying around."
"I know, your jeep wouldn't start," Steve said sarcastically.
She caressed his cheek, and said, "That may be the reason I couldn't run away this time, but it's not why I'll keep coming back, Steve. I'll keep coming back as long as you want me because that's what my heart tells me to do." She swallowed hard, "It's been so long, I didn't think I'd be afraid to say this." Taking a deep breath, she said, "I love you, Steve, with a love that's strong, and good, and worth fighting for. Whatever sorrows and ghosts may come out of my past, I will learn to deal with them and put them to rest so that I can do and be and give you everything that you deserve." She kissed him gently and finished by saying, "As long as you are willing, we will have the rest of our lives to pick up where we just left off. I promise."
Steve thought for a moment. Then he nodded and said, "I'll take you at your word. Now, what's for dinner?"
The welcome home party was very nice. Even better than the going away party Steve's friends had held for him at the hospital. Dinner had been excellent. Steve was amazed at Olivia's culinary skills. In two short hours, she had thrown together an Italian feast. The meal had started with a simple green salad with roasted pine nuts and honey and lemon dressing. It was an unusual change of pace, and quite delicious. Then she served spaghetti with a jarred tomato sauce to which she'd added mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, spinach, lean ground beef, and a small amount of Italian sausage. With Italian green beans on the side, it was savory and filling, but it left room for dessert. Even Amanda's kids, Dion and CJ, had eaten their vegetables without complaint. Dessert was leftover cake and ice cream from the party at the hospital. Steve had been so overwhelmed earlier that he hadn't realized how good the cake was.
"This cake is home made, isn't it?" he asked.
"Yep," Olivia said, "it's my mama's recipe. She used to make it every year for my birthday."
"What makes it so rich?"
Olivia smiled demurely and said, "Mostly love, but a little good, strong coffee and home made butter cream icing help."
CJ and Dion looked at each other. "Coffee?" asked Dion.
"Yep."
"EEEWWW!" both boys wailed together.
"Hey, now," Olivia said, "That hurts my feelings. My mama always made this cake. You like the cake, don't you."
The boys looked at each other and nodded.
"Then don't complain," Liv admonished them.
Dion spoke for both boys, "We're sorry." CJ nodded his agreement.
"Apology accepted," Olivia told them. "Now eat your ice cream before it melts."
Jesse looked at Olivia and asked, "Liv, with everything you do, where did you ever find time to learn to cook like this?"
Mark and Steve burst into laughter, and Amanda looked at Jesse and gasped. Olivia and Jesse just looked confused as Olivia answered hesitantly. "I…don't know, Jess. It's just…something I have always been able to do. I guess it's…a gift."
Mark and Steve laughed harder as Amanda covered her face and moaned.
"Like Picasso paints?" Steve asked.
"I wouldn't say it's that good," Olivia told him.
Amanda flicked a gob of icing across the table at Steve and it hit him on the cheek. Mark opened his mouth to say something as he handed Steve a napkin, but Amanda gave him a threatening look and warned, "I've got more where that came from!"
Mark closed his mouth.
Dion yelled, "Food fight," and had a forkful of gooey cake and icing ready to fling at his brother
Amanda stopped him with, "Don't even try it mister!"
"But, Mom, you started it."
"And I had reason to, you don't."
Olivia and Jesse exchanged another puzzled look, and finally, Olivia asked, "Will someone please tell us what is going on?"
Mark laughed and said, "I think you need to ask Amanda about that. Steve and I are still in the line of fire."
Jesse looked at Amanda and said, "Well?"
Amanda pointed her fork at Mark and Steve and vowed, "I will get even with both of you." Then she explained, "It was before you came to Community General, Jesse. I had invited Mark; Steve; Jack Stewart; Norman Briggs; and Delores, Mark's secretary at the time, to dinner at my place. Jesse, just like you asked Olivia, Delores asked me where I found time to learn to cook. Olivia, I answered just like you did, that it was a gift."
Steve joined in here. "If I remember correctly, your exact words were, 'Picasso paints; I cook.'" Amanda flicked another gob of icing at him. This one hit him in the forehead. "Good aim," he said, wiping the sticky stuff away. Amanda never noticed the bit of ice cream that CJ had splattered onto the sleeve of her blouse. No one decided to tell her.
Olivia was still confused, "What's so funny about that?"
Mark finished the story. "Nothing at all, really. The funny part was that she had gotten the food from a catering service and had let us believe she cooked it herself. When a friend of hers showed up at the house about to deliver quadruplets, Jack found the caterer's box in the kitchen while looking for some towels and never let her live it down."
Jesse looked at Amanda, grinned, and said, "Caught red-handed, huh?"
She hit him squarely on the nose with a spoonful of ice cream, but was also hit simultaneously from four directions at once as Olivia, Steve, CJ, and Dion all gave her a dose of her own medicine. Mark wisely retreated as a genuine food fight did erupt and last for several seconds. He stood near the door and watched the younger people playing and laughing in his dining room and knew that his life was good.
Finally, Amanda yelled, "Enough! I surrender!" As the ruckus settled and she, Jesse, Olivia, and the boys cleaned up the mess, she announced to anyone who was listening, "I'll have you all know that I have become quite an accomplished cook since then."
"That's what she thinks," Dion countered with a snicker.
Amanda paused to look at her son. "Oh, yeah? Well, mister, next time you want waffles for breakfast, you can make them yourself."
"Aw, Mom, you know I was kidding."
"Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say."
Steve couldn't believe how good it felt to be home. As he looked at his dad and friends, his family, he felt himself start to choke up. Then a sticky little hand rested on his arm.
"You ok, Uncle Steve?"
He reached down and picked up CJ and put the child in his lap. "I'm just fine, CJ. I was just thinking it's been a long time since we've all sat here and played a game. I kind of missed that when I was in the hospital."
"Oh. Well, maybe we can play after you open your presents."
"Presents?"
"Uh-huh, everybody got you something. Dion and I got you a..."
Dion quickly put a hand over his younger brother's mouth, "Be quiet, CJ, it's supposed to be a surprise when he opens it."
"Well, I'm tired of waiting!" CJ complained. "Mommy, can we give Uncle Steve his backpack now?"
"CJ, you told him!" Dion wailed.
"Oh, no! I'm sorry I spoiled the surprise, Uncle Steve. It slipped out!"
Steve smiled and reassured the little boy. "It's all right, CJ. I'm surprised to be getting presents as it is. It's ok if I know what one of them is ahead of time."
CJ smiled and told his brother, "See, Dion. It's ok."
"Yeah," Dion smiled back, "You're just lucky Uncle Steve is a nice guy."
As Olivia and Amanda finished clearing the table, Mark and Jesse went off to get a pile of gifts from the hall closet. When they came back, Dion and CJ went for the biggest package first. Placing it in Steve's lap, Dion said, "I picked out the style, and CJ picked the color."
Steve opened the box to find a high-quality backpack with a detachable lunch pack and a special pocket holding a water bottle.
CJ told him, "Mommy said you'd probably spend a lot of time walking on the beach to get strong again, and we thought this would be a good way to carry some of the things you'd need with you."
"Well, yeah, guys," Steve agreed, "This is great. It even has a key ring inside so I don't lose my house key on the beach."
Both boys were jumping up and down in excitement as CJ said, "Now you have to see what Olivia got for you."
Olivia handed him a long slender package. He opened it to find a camp chair with arm rests, a high back and a cup holder.
Dion said, "Look, Uncle Steve, she sewed straps on the backpack so you can carry the chair with you."
He looked to Olivia and grinned. "Gotta love Velcro, huh?"
She nodded, "Yep."
Mark gave him a new, high-end, voice-activated cell phone to replace his old one that had been broken when he fell from the stairs during the shooting. Amanda gave him a beach blanket, and Jesse had bought him a fishing rod and tackle box. "I figured when you got tired of walking, you could stop for a rest before you headed home," Jesse said shyly.
Steve tried to thank everyone for the gifts, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was an enormous yawn.
"He's unimpressed," Olivia said dryly, but with a wink that made everyone laugh.
Steve laughed too, and said, "Really guys, I appreciate all of this, and all the support you have given me. I...." He yawned again, tears of fatigue suddenly coming to his eyes. "I'm beat. I wish this could go on all night. It's so good to be here with all of you again, but I'm exhausted and really need to get some sleep."
Amanda patted his shoulder affectionately and said, "We understand, Steve. It's been a big day, and it is almost ten o'clock. We all need to be going home."
Mark pushed Steve out through the living room to the door as Olivia, Jesse, Amanda, and the boys made to leave. "All of you are coming over for Thanksgiving dinner, right?" Mark asked.
"We wouldn't miss it for the world, would we, guys?" Amanda said.
"No way!" Dion agreed.
"Unh-uh!" CJ grunted, half-asleep.
"Good," Mark said. "Jess?"
"I'm scheduled to work from six until noon, and Susan and I had plans for the early part of the afternoon, but I can be here around six."
"Ok, what about you, Liv?"
Olivia sighed and said. "I'm not much fun around the holidays." Looking at Steve she said, "Give me a call early in the day, maybe we can go for a walk or a drive, and we'll see what develops from there, ok?"
Steve nodded and Mark said, "Sounds like a plan. Olivia, I won't insist that you stay for dinner, but I want you to know there's always room for you at our table."
"Thanks, Mark."
"Hey, Liv," Steve said, "How are you getting home? Your car won't start, remember?"
"I can give her a lift," Jesse offered.
"No," Olivia said, "You have to work early. You need to go straight home and get some sleep." Before Amanda could offer, Olivia said, "You have kids to put to bed. I'll try to start it one more time, and if that doesn't work, I'll call a cab." All of the others opened their mouths to protest, but she cut them off, "No discussion."
Amanda gave Steve a kiss on the cheek, and Dion gave him a hug. CJ just snored at him, and the three headed off into the night. Jesse shook his hand and said, "Welcome home, Steve. Have a good night." Steve thanked him, and Jesse was gone.
Steve, Olivia, and Mark stood on the front walk for a moment. Soon the silence became awkward. Then Steve asked, "Uh, Dad, could you give us a minute alone."
"Hmm? Oh, ah, sure, son! Yes, yes. I'll just come back in say, five minutes or so, or, ah, I guess you could just ring the bell when you're ready to come in. Can you reach the bell from your chair?"
"Yes, Dad," Steve said patiently as Olivia tried to hide a giggle.
"Ok, then son. Olivia, drive carefully, if your car starts. If it doesn't..."
"Dad, please go inside."
"Oh, right. Bye!"
As the door clicked shut behind Mark, Olivia could suppress her laughter no longer. Steve found the sound delightfully musical as it echoed in the night. Wiping away tears of laughter, she said, "I just love your dad. He's so sweet."
"Yeah, and sometimes he's aggravating, too."
"Steve," Olivia said gently, "You know he was trying to leave. He just couldn't find a graceful way to exit."
"I know, I know. I just wanted him to go so I could have a minute alone with you."
"I'm glad you asked him to go. I have something else to give you, if you want it, but I didn't want everyone else to see."
Steve's curiosity was aroused. "Oh? What else do you have for me?"
She pressed a shiny silver key into his hand. "It's to my place," she said. "Any time you're ready to use it."
He closed the fingers of one hand around the key, and reached out to take her hand with the other. He gently pulled her into his lap and held her close. "You've insisted on going so slowly up until now. Are you sure you want me to have this?"
She never spoke her answer, but made it clear all the same. She raked her fingers through his hair, and kissed him behind the ear. The sensation sent electric fire racing through him. Then she kissed him on the forehead, the tip of the nose, the chin, carefully dodging his seeking lips. Finally, she planted a passionate kiss on his lips, and he responded enthusiastically. He slipped a hand around her waist and up her back, under her blouse. He teased the sensitive spots he found along her spine as her hands played across his chest.
A distant part of his mind was appalled that they were necking like teenagers in the driveway of his dad's house, but the rest of his mind and all of his body simply didn't care. He wanted this woman, in every way a man could, and he was going to have her. As his breath came in ragged gasps he undid the top button of her blouse and...
...she started to giggle.
He moaned in agony. "Damn, I'm starting to hate that giggle. Olivia, why do you do this to me? WHYYYY?"
She continued to giggle. Tears of laughter streaming down her face, fighting for air, she finally said, "Language, Steve." Then she took a moment more to catch her breath and continued, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to. It's just awkward for me." Becoming serious, she looked him in the eye and said, "I've only made love to one man, and that was only one time, in the dark, years ago. Every time we get started, I imagine someone walking in on us and...." She started to giggle again.
"You get embarrassed and start to giggle."
She nodded.
Steve had to grin. "As frustrating as it is, I have to admit, I think it's cute. I'm amazed that a woman as beautiful and charming as you has only been with a man once before, and I'm flattered to think you'd let me be the second. Mostly though, I want to be the last." He held the key up so it caught the light. "I'll be using this as soon as I can."
Olivia giggled again, and stood up. "I do need to get home, babe. If I wait much longer, I'll be too tired to drive."
"Liv, do you really believe your car is going to start?"
She pushed a few stray hairs away from his face, let her hand travel caressingly down his cheek, and said, "I believe things happen for a reason. That car is twenty years old. It has almost half a million miles on it, and it has never, ever, failed to start before. I believe I was supposed to stay here with you this afternoon, just like I wasn't supposed to leave the hospital the night you got shot. Now that we know where we stand, I believe I'll be allowed to leave for the night."
She kissed him again, and it took his breath away. "Call me tomorrow."
Steve admired her backside as she trotted over to the pink abomination in the driveway. She climbed in, turned the key, and the engine roared to life.
"I'll be damned!" he muttered in consternation as she waved goodbye and he waved back. He stared at the empty spot where the jeep had been for several minutes before his mind could grasp what had happened. He could almost believe that a greater force was intervening on their behalf. Then he smiled. She was the one.