How Does it Feel?
Chapter 15
Disclaimer: Yeah, so I admit it. They're not mine.
XXXX
Her buzzer rang early that morning and she was tempted to just let whoever it was wait out on the street, it was warm in her bed, she didn't want to wake up. But, when she head Maureen's voice over the intercom she slid from under her warm covers and was greeted by cold air. Shivering she grabbed her housecoat and buzzed her up, then waited at the door for her.
By the time she was inside Elliot had come limping out of the guestroom and was leaning on the wall in the hallway. "What's up?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"It's mom," Maureen began, "she left."
He unfolded his arms and stood up straight, "She left where?"
She shook her head, chewing on her bottom lip. "I honestly don't know, dad. Kathleen called me at school, she was in hysterics. She told me that mom had confessed to her that she had started seeing another man. He wanted her to go away with him, so she went. Kathleen says that her words were, and I quote, 'if your father wants you so much, let him have you.' Apparently, she packed her things up and left in the passenger's seat of a BMW. So, they're stuck at Grandma's right now, confused and upset. Grandma doesn't even know what's going on, and she's too old to take care of Dickey and Lizzie."
Elliot stepped forward, into the living room. "That's it? She's gone? She didn't give you an explanation, a reason why she felt compelled to leave with this ...man?"
She shook her head again, "Daddy, we're as confused as you are."
"This isn't like Kathy," he muttered to himself, "something else is going on here."
"Kathleen said that there was a huge diamond on her hand ... daddy, I think that they left to get married."
"But how?" He asked, "Our divorce isn't final yet."
She pulled some papers out of her bag, "Mom gave these to Kathleen." She shoved them at him and he took them with hesitance.
"Divorce papers?" He said after he had finished reading them, "They're signed."
"There's a letter there, too." Maureen told him, walking to the sofa and sitting on it. "I didn't read it."
Elliot held the letter in his hands, confused. He tore at the envelope, walking into the living room to sit on the sofa next to his daughter. She frowned at him and looked away, at Olivia. Elliot pulled the piece of paper from its holding place and unfolded it.
His anger rose as he read it.
Elliot,
You win. I'm through with it, I'm through with the divorce, with listening to MY children ask when they're going to see daddy and his new bitch, I'm through with waiting around for you to come back to your senses. I'm done; you get what you've always wanted. Your family and that slut, so are you happy now? I am, you can bet your ass I am. Don't get me wrong, I love my children, but there's only so many things that I can take. I'm tired of listening to Olivia this and Olivia that. She's not as perfect as you all think she is, in time you'll see, and you'll come crawling back to me. But, guess what? I won't let you back, we're over Elliot, for good. There's not going to be any second chances. So, I signed the papers, you can have everything. The house is yours, the car is yours, the kids are yours. I'm not going to stand in your way any longer, I have a chance at being happy, I'm going to take it.
Goodbye Elliot. Forever.
He crumpled the paper in his hands and threw it at the ground, "Shit."
"What?" Olivia asked, coming to the couch that the two were sitting on.
"How could she be so selfish? They're here children too, damn it! She can't just leave them."
"So, she is gone?" Maureen asked, "Kathleen wasn't mistaken? She's not coming back?"
Elliot could see the hurt flash in her eyes, but she kept her composure. She wasn't going to allow herself to break down. "Yeah, baby. She's gone."
Maureen sat back on the couch, a look of disbelief dancing in her eyes. "It doesn't make any sense," she said, to her self mostly. "Why would she just leave? That's not like mom, not at all."
Elliot shook his head, "I don't know, hon. Maybe she'll call."
She stared straight ahead, looking at Olivia's entertainment center. "Dad, I'm worried about Grandma. She can't watch Dickey, Elizabeth, and Kathleen all by herself. She's not well enough; she's just getting over a minor stroke. Mom should have thought about that, Grandma's not capable of watching three children." She folded her arms across her chest, still staring ahead.
"They can stay here," Olivia said, earning looks from the other two. "My apartment's not big or anything, it will be crowded, but my couch pulls out into a bed. I don't mind sleeping on it, the girls can sleep in my room, and Dickey could sleep with his father. There's two bathrooms, one for the girls, one for the boys." She shrugged, "It would work, at least until Elliot heals enough to go back to the house."
He shook his head; "We sold the house. An apartment maybe, or another house, but somebody's already bought the old home."
"Are they ok to stay with your grandmother tonight?" Olivia asked.
Maureen nodded, "I'll go over there now, let them know of the situation, get them packed up. I don't have any classes tomorrow, so I can help them bring their things over here while you two work. If you don't mind, that is."
"Of course not," she told her. "Let me get you a key." She got up from the couch and went searching around the kitchen for her spare key. She found it, handed it to Maureen, and told her she could call her if she needed anything. Maureen said she would and left for her grandmother's house.
When she was gone Olivia turned on the television, but barely paid attention to it.
"You didn't have to do that," Elliot told her.
"I know," she replied. "I wanted to, your kids are wonderful, they don't deserve to be dropped off at their grandmother's while their mother goes off with a strange man.... How are you dealing with all of this, anyway? It must be shocking."
"Shocking isn't a strong enough word," he sighed. "I never figured Kathy as the type of person who would do this. But, I admit, I didn't leave her in the best situation... although she was the one who left me. To tell you the truth, I'm really confused with the whole situation. I guess I really never knew my wife as well as I thought I did."
XXXX
The next day was a quick one, Olivia and Peterson went off on another case leaving Elliot at the 1-6 to answer phones and do paperwork. She still felt guilty for doing so, but there was nothing she could do about it. It would still be months before he would be well enough to return to full-time duty. It was horrible, the jealous look he would get in his eyes when she would leave.
Munch and Peterson got into another...disagreement during lunch. Olivia wasn't even sure what it was about, but she knew Munch had decided that whatever Peterson thought he would think the opposite, just so that an argument would occur. He was such a child.
Speaking of children, when Olivia and Elliot got home they were greeted by two 11 year olds, Dickey and Elizabeth. Olivia showed them the rooms they would be staying in and they took their things to them. Kathleen was in the kitchen the whole time, making dinner Olivia figured.
Which, it turned out, was correct. Kathleen was a great cook, and to show her appreciation to Olivia for letting them stay with her and their father she made lemon pepper chicken.
"You really didn't have to do this," Olivia told her for the tenth time as she sat down at her table with Elliot and the kids. "Really, I could have ordered out."
"Don't be silly," Kathleen told her, "It's the least I could do. I haven't stayed the night with my father since he and my mother separated. I've missed him very much." She looked at the twins, "We all have."
Olivia nodded, "Have you heard from your mother?"
Kathleen shook her head, "Not yet."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah," she sighed, "me too."
Lizzie and Dickey stayed silent, eating slowly. Olivia figured it would take them time to open up to her, maybe they were shy.
The rest of the night went by slowly, the five of them watched television before the kids had to go to bed for school the next day, leaving Olivia and Elliot up to talk. "So," she asked, "Kathleen is taking Dickey and Lizzie to school tomorrow. Right?"
He nodded, taking her hand in his and pulling her closer. "Thank you, Liv." He kissed her gently.
She smiled, "You're welcome. And, I have to say, if you keep thanking me like that I might do nice things more often."
"Works for me," he told her, then kissed her again.
She stopped him before he kissed her for the third time, "Now, Elliot. You're still not healed yet."
"I know," he told her, kissing her deeper than the other two times.
She pulled back, "Not yet."
"Aw, come on," he said playfully, pulling her closer.
"Elliot," she scolded him under her breath. "Your children!"
"Oh," he sighed. "I forgot."
"How?" She asked, "You thanking me for them staying is how this started."
"Oh, yeah." He smiled, "What can I say, my mind was on other things."
"Yeah, sure." She told him, "Your mind."
He laughed and let her out of his embrace, "I should get to sleep."
"Yes, you should."
He kissed her one last time, "Goodnight, Liv."
"Night, El."
He stood up slowly, but she noticed that this time he wasn't wincing. He was getting better. As he walked to the guestroom he was staying in she pulled out the sofa bed, then made it. Ten minutes later she was dozing off, the sounds of two young girls giggling coming from her bedroom. She smiled to herself, it was going to be an interesting couple of weeks.
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A/N: Yeah, so not the best. It'll start getting better and picking up soon. I think I'm going to skip ahead a few weeks or so, 'cos right now it's kinda boring. Anyway, review please!
Chapter 15
Disclaimer: Yeah, so I admit it. They're not mine.
XXXX
Her buzzer rang early that morning and she was tempted to just let whoever it was wait out on the street, it was warm in her bed, she didn't want to wake up. But, when she head Maureen's voice over the intercom she slid from under her warm covers and was greeted by cold air. Shivering she grabbed her housecoat and buzzed her up, then waited at the door for her.
By the time she was inside Elliot had come limping out of the guestroom and was leaning on the wall in the hallway. "What's up?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"It's mom," Maureen began, "she left."
He unfolded his arms and stood up straight, "She left where?"
She shook her head, chewing on her bottom lip. "I honestly don't know, dad. Kathleen called me at school, she was in hysterics. She told me that mom had confessed to her that she had started seeing another man. He wanted her to go away with him, so she went. Kathleen says that her words were, and I quote, 'if your father wants you so much, let him have you.' Apparently, she packed her things up and left in the passenger's seat of a BMW. So, they're stuck at Grandma's right now, confused and upset. Grandma doesn't even know what's going on, and she's too old to take care of Dickey and Lizzie."
Elliot stepped forward, into the living room. "That's it? She's gone? She didn't give you an explanation, a reason why she felt compelled to leave with this ...man?"
She shook her head again, "Daddy, we're as confused as you are."
"This isn't like Kathy," he muttered to himself, "something else is going on here."
"Kathleen said that there was a huge diamond on her hand ... daddy, I think that they left to get married."
"But how?" He asked, "Our divorce isn't final yet."
She pulled some papers out of her bag, "Mom gave these to Kathleen." She shoved them at him and he took them with hesitance.
"Divorce papers?" He said after he had finished reading them, "They're signed."
"There's a letter there, too." Maureen told him, walking to the sofa and sitting on it. "I didn't read it."
Elliot held the letter in his hands, confused. He tore at the envelope, walking into the living room to sit on the sofa next to his daughter. She frowned at him and looked away, at Olivia. Elliot pulled the piece of paper from its holding place and unfolded it.
His anger rose as he read it.
Elliot,
You win. I'm through with it, I'm through with the divorce, with listening to MY children ask when they're going to see daddy and his new bitch, I'm through with waiting around for you to come back to your senses. I'm done; you get what you've always wanted. Your family and that slut, so are you happy now? I am, you can bet your ass I am. Don't get me wrong, I love my children, but there's only so many things that I can take. I'm tired of listening to Olivia this and Olivia that. She's not as perfect as you all think she is, in time you'll see, and you'll come crawling back to me. But, guess what? I won't let you back, we're over Elliot, for good. There's not going to be any second chances. So, I signed the papers, you can have everything. The house is yours, the car is yours, the kids are yours. I'm not going to stand in your way any longer, I have a chance at being happy, I'm going to take it.
Goodbye Elliot. Forever.
He crumpled the paper in his hands and threw it at the ground, "Shit."
"What?" Olivia asked, coming to the couch that the two were sitting on.
"How could she be so selfish? They're here children too, damn it! She can't just leave them."
"So, she is gone?" Maureen asked, "Kathleen wasn't mistaken? She's not coming back?"
Elliot could see the hurt flash in her eyes, but she kept her composure. She wasn't going to allow herself to break down. "Yeah, baby. She's gone."
Maureen sat back on the couch, a look of disbelief dancing in her eyes. "It doesn't make any sense," she said, to her self mostly. "Why would she just leave? That's not like mom, not at all."
Elliot shook his head, "I don't know, hon. Maybe she'll call."
She stared straight ahead, looking at Olivia's entertainment center. "Dad, I'm worried about Grandma. She can't watch Dickey, Elizabeth, and Kathleen all by herself. She's not well enough; she's just getting over a minor stroke. Mom should have thought about that, Grandma's not capable of watching three children." She folded her arms across her chest, still staring ahead.
"They can stay here," Olivia said, earning looks from the other two. "My apartment's not big or anything, it will be crowded, but my couch pulls out into a bed. I don't mind sleeping on it, the girls can sleep in my room, and Dickey could sleep with his father. There's two bathrooms, one for the girls, one for the boys." She shrugged, "It would work, at least until Elliot heals enough to go back to the house."
He shook his head; "We sold the house. An apartment maybe, or another house, but somebody's already bought the old home."
"Are they ok to stay with your grandmother tonight?" Olivia asked.
Maureen nodded, "I'll go over there now, let them know of the situation, get them packed up. I don't have any classes tomorrow, so I can help them bring their things over here while you two work. If you don't mind, that is."
"Of course not," she told her. "Let me get you a key." She got up from the couch and went searching around the kitchen for her spare key. She found it, handed it to Maureen, and told her she could call her if she needed anything. Maureen said she would and left for her grandmother's house.
When she was gone Olivia turned on the television, but barely paid attention to it.
"You didn't have to do that," Elliot told her.
"I know," she replied. "I wanted to, your kids are wonderful, they don't deserve to be dropped off at their grandmother's while their mother goes off with a strange man.... How are you dealing with all of this, anyway? It must be shocking."
"Shocking isn't a strong enough word," he sighed. "I never figured Kathy as the type of person who would do this. But, I admit, I didn't leave her in the best situation... although she was the one who left me. To tell you the truth, I'm really confused with the whole situation. I guess I really never knew my wife as well as I thought I did."
XXXX
The next day was a quick one, Olivia and Peterson went off on another case leaving Elliot at the 1-6 to answer phones and do paperwork. She still felt guilty for doing so, but there was nothing she could do about it. It would still be months before he would be well enough to return to full-time duty. It was horrible, the jealous look he would get in his eyes when she would leave.
Munch and Peterson got into another...disagreement during lunch. Olivia wasn't even sure what it was about, but she knew Munch had decided that whatever Peterson thought he would think the opposite, just so that an argument would occur. He was such a child.
Speaking of children, when Olivia and Elliot got home they were greeted by two 11 year olds, Dickey and Elizabeth. Olivia showed them the rooms they would be staying in and they took their things to them. Kathleen was in the kitchen the whole time, making dinner Olivia figured.
Which, it turned out, was correct. Kathleen was a great cook, and to show her appreciation to Olivia for letting them stay with her and their father she made lemon pepper chicken.
"You really didn't have to do this," Olivia told her for the tenth time as she sat down at her table with Elliot and the kids. "Really, I could have ordered out."
"Don't be silly," Kathleen told her, "It's the least I could do. I haven't stayed the night with my father since he and my mother separated. I've missed him very much." She looked at the twins, "We all have."
Olivia nodded, "Have you heard from your mother?"
Kathleen shook her head, "Not yet."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah," she sighed, "me too."
Lizzie and Dickey stayed silent, eating slowly. Olivia figured it would take them time to open up to her, maybe they were shy.
The rest of the night went by slowly, the five of them watched television before the kids had to go to bed for school the next day, leaving Olivia and Elliot up to talk. "So," she asked, "Kathleen is taking Dickey and Lizzie to school tomorrow. Right?"
He nodded, taking her hand in his and pulling her closer. "Thank you, Liv." He kissed her gently.
She smiled, "You're welcome. And, I have to say, if you keep thanking me like that I might do nice things more often."
"Works for me," he told her, then kissed her again.
She stopped him before he kissed her for the third time, "Now, Elliot. You're still not healed yet."
"I know," he told her, kissing her deeper than the other two times.
She pulled back, "Not yet."
"Aw, come on," he said playfully, pulling her closer.
"Elliot," she scolded him under her breath. "Your children!"
"Oh," he sighed. "I forgot."
"How?" She asked, "You thanking me for them staying is how this started."
"Oh, yeah." He smiled, "What can I say, my mind was on other things."
"Yeah, sure." She told him, "Your mind."
He laughed and let her out of his embrace, "I should get to sleep."
"Yes, you should."
He kissed her one last time, "Goodnight, Liv."
"Night, El."
He stood up slowly, but she noticed that this time he wasn't wincing. He was getting better. As he walked to the guestroom he was staying in she pulled out the sofa bed, then made it. Ten minutes later she was dozing off, the sounds of two young girls giggling coming from her bedroom. She smiled to herself, it was going to be an interesting couple of weeks.
XXXX
A/N: Yeah, so not the best. It'll start getting better and picking up soon. I think I'm going to skip ahead a few weeks or so, 'cos right now it's kinda boring. Anyway, review please!