Chapter 8
See additional notes in Ch 1
The doctor had decided Katie would have to stay for about a week. During that week Katie had a lot of visitors. Her father's colleagues had come to see her. Olivia and her father had visited every day, of course. Maureen had also visited a lot. Today however was the day Katie was released. She felt like she had been in that hospital forever. Her father was staying at Olivia's since he hadn't yet found an apartment. To Katie though it seemed as if neither Elliot nor Olivia wanted him to actually find somewhere else. There was a knock on Katie's hospital room door followed by a nurse popping her head in.
"Miss Stabler, are you ready to leave?" the nurse asked her.
"Yes, I'm ready. Has my father arrived yet?" Katie replied.
"He is downstairs waiting for you." The nurse answered.
Katie sat down in the wheelchair the nurse had with her. She knew even though she felt she could walk fine the hospital required she be discharged in a wheelchair. Once they were in the lobby, Katie saw her father and Olivia standing there talking as they waited for her. She had no idea that Olivia would also be there to pick her up. Katie could tell that her father and Olivia were totally in love, but neither had admitted it. Katie could sense it though. She had mentioned it to Maureen one day when they were alone and Maureen had told her that she could see it too but their neither father nor Olivia would tell the other. She had told Katie that they were both afraid the other didn't feel the same way. She watched as across from her Olivia and her father flirted. She saw Olivia lay her hand on Elliot's arm as she laughed. Katie made up her mind then and there to finally get her father and Olivia together. She knew it wouldn't take a lot off effort but she would need help from Maureen.
"Hey, sweetie." Elliot said as he noticed Katie and the nurse crossing the lobby. "Are you ready to finally get out of this place?"
"Yeah, I am. Hi, Olivia." Katie said. She could sense that Olivia felt like she was intruding so she gave Olivia a warm smile to let her know it was good that she had came.
"Hi, Katie." Olivia replied smiling.
"Well, why are we just standing here let's get out of this place." Katie said. She was anxious to get to Olivia's apartment so she could relax and try to come up with a plan to get her father together with Olivia. As they drove to Olivia's they talked about what was going on with Kathy.
"She goes to trial next week." Elliot told them.
"Will I have to testify?" Katie asked.
"You probably will and Maureen may have to also," Elliot told his daughter. He knew she was hurt and confused by her mother's actions. Having to testify against her is just going to make it worse, but he knew it would definitely put Kathy away. That was what was important. He didn't want her out and able to hurt someone else, more specifically the other kids or Olivia. He knew Kathy would probably go after Liv the first chance she got. Elliot decided that tonight once the kids were asleep he would talk to Olivia about it.
He knew Liv would insist that she would be fine, but he would make sure that she agreed to be extra careful until they were sure Kathy wasn't a danger. He had also left a note with the twin's school that he and Olivia were the only ones allowed to pick up the twin's. The car was filled with a comfortable silence. He looked in the backseat and saw Katie leaning against the door in a deep sleep. He remembered that she had always been like that. She could be awake and having a conversation then, a few minutes later, sleeping deeply. Beside him Olivia looked to be deep in thought.
Olivia was thinking about the afternoon when Katie had woken up and Elliot had kissed her cheek. She knew he was her friend, and she was trying to figure out if that was all it was or if it meant more. She knew that he was happy his daughter had just woken up after being in a coma for a month, and that he wasn't thinking straight. He hadn't mentioned her kissing his cheek though, so it was possible that he wanted them to be more than friends. She knew they should talk about this, but they had so much more important things to be concerned about. Kathy was at the top of the list. Olivia vowed to herself that she would talk to Elliot about their relationship after Kathy's trial and Katie got settled.
TBC . . . Next in my story Katie puts her plan into action and we go to Kathy's trial.
