Chapter 14
A New Found Strength
A/N: Ok, I know some of you are going to find this chapter kind of different, but itcriticalto the end of the series. Tell me what you think.
One Week Later…
"Alright, Mrs. Stabler…You must take these tablets everyday." The doctor instructed her.
"Are there any side effects?" Elliot asked nervously.
"Not on you anyways…" the doctor laughed. Not finding the humor, Elliot just stared back sternly. "She'll have minute dizziness, fatigue, and maybe nausea. It's for her own good. And remember, strict bed rest! It's only for a few days, so keep a portable phone and TV nearby. It's heartbreaking, but it's for…"
"My own good. I know." Kathy interrupted him anxious to get home.
"Check back in a few weeks and call if there are any problems!"
"Thanks, doc." Elliot said shaking the doctor's hand. He held Kathy as she slowly descended into the wheelchair. Elliot pushed her into the broad daylight. He opened the caravan door and helped Kathy into the passenger seat.
"I feel like an old granny…" Kathy laughed as she sat down into the car. Elliot smiled back in return but didn't say anything. Two weeks off work, from the trip to Paris and recuperating in the hospital, took its toll on the workaholic. The kids were still in Queens with Kathy's mother, but Elliot wasn't worried about them; he was sure they were fine. Driving home created a silence Elliot never experienced before. He wasn't mad at Kathy, she wasn't mad at him; it was serene. As Elliot pulled up to the driveway, his face went white. He opened the passenger side door and helped Kathy out.
"I don't need the stupid chair." Kathy said. Elliot wanted to tell her she did, but he picked her up instead and carried her inside. "Elliot, don't…you won't manage up the stairs. Elliot!" she screamed as he ascended up one stair.
"You're right I can't do this." He laughed as he put Kathy down. She put her hands on his face and kissed him on the cheek. Elliot looked at her with a smile on his face; he wasn't expecting Kathy to do that.
"I'm sure I can…do it myself." Kathy suggested, grunting as she tried to manage one stair.
"No!" Elliot yelled, so loud it echoed throughout the house. Kathy shocked at the tone of his voice stared at him until he was confused himself about what just happened.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"….you…" Elliot began. "You're not going up those stairs by yourself!" He grabbed her forearm and she jerked away annoyed.
"Stop, Elliot!"
"Kathy, you're my priority."
"No, Elliot. I am my priority." She corrected him. His face had a confused look on it. "CRY! Show some emotion, for God's sake. The last time I saw you cry was when you saw that sonogram. Go clear your mind, even if it means going to that shrink of yours."
"Kathy, what shrink?"
"Don't play games with me Elliot. I'm talking about Olivia." She replied. Elliot was annoyed that every time they had a fight, Olivia was involved. So Elliot, walking out the front door, took Kathy's advice and said no more.
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"Elliot…" whispered Olivia as she opened the door. "Come in…"
"Liv, I'm sorry I didn't call."
"Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?"
"Great."
"How's Kathy?"
"She's…wonderful." He answered sarcastically.
"So, what's up? Why are you here, you should be at home with…"
"It's you." Elliot replied interrupting her suddenly.
"I'm sorry, what?" she asked confused.
"I remembered what I meant to tell you that morning I got hit."
"What was that?"
"'I love you' " Elliot replied quoting what she said.
"What!?" she replied thinking Elliot was telling her that he loved her.
"You said 'I love you' "
"Elliot, I…I don't understand. Was I drunk or something?" she laughed putting her hair behind her ears.
"I was in Paris…when I called."
"Oh my God." Olivia replied burying her face in her hands, realizing what Elliot was saying.
"I'm sure you meant it in a friendly way. I just can't stop thinking about that…or you."
"Elliot, I don't want to talk about it." She replied finding it the easiest way to escape.
"Well, I'm glad the feeling is mutual." Elliot replied annoyed and he got up and went for the door.
"Wait!" Olivia pleaded following him. "Elliot…"
"Olivia, ever since we kinda…after the Italian restaurant. I've been so…"
"Shh…." She instructed him as she put her finger to his lips. Their bodies were being pulled together as if they were magnets. She pulled his head closer to her and kissed him. She reached for his belt as they reached the bedroom. He took her top off and she lay on the bed. He cornered her and started to kiss her passionately. 'What am I doing?' he asked himself. 'This just feels so good, so right; it's just...wrong.' As they started to get more into it, he got his senses together and raised himself off the bed. He stood near her half naked body, shaking his head. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I have an unborn baby that needs a dad and a wife that needs a husband back home."
"I know…" she replied full of guilt. "I want to apologize, for kissing you. It was irrational, irresponsible, so st…"
"It was just what I needed." Elliot replied buckling his belt and putting on his shoes. She walked to him, crossing her arms and looking at the ground.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"If we didn't do what we just did, it wouldn't make me realize how much of a dick I was to Kathy."
"Are you justifying it?"
"No. Yes. No. I don't know!" He replied as she put her top back on. He and Olivia were closer than ever after what had justhappened, even though he thought that if it did happen there would be an unsettling feeling of friction between them.
"Go home, El. I'll see you tomorrow bright and early." She smiled rubbing his arm as they approached the door.
"Thanks, Olivia." Elliot replied giving her a hug. She smiled as a tear ran down her cheek. He was right, she did love him…but she wondered if her love for him was more than just friendly. The guilt, however, didn't seem to go away. He was justifying what they did for his sake, but she felt for Kathy who was home, pregnant, and unknowing of what happened. Olivia wiped the tear away, not wanting Elliot see her cry.
Elliot left and headed home to his ill wife. It was late now, and she was asleep once he entered the house. He picked her up and carried her up the stairs, and he wondered why he wasn't able to before. He laid her on the bed and covered her with the sheets.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered into her ear, not thinking he'd wake her up.
"How did you carry me up?" she asked half asleep. He thought for a while before answering.
"A new found strength…" he answered kissing her forehead. She smiled and whispered 'I love you, Elliot.'
