O2 16/18

Chapter Fifteen:

The days following the attempt on Olivia's life were a blur of activity for Don. Although the German had been shot and killed by Kim during the raid, there was a great deal of work to be done dismantling his operation. Don wanted to be certain that there was no one left in his organization who might want to come after Olivia for revenge.

Between the Secret Service, FBI, LAPD and Interpol the entire crime ring was identified and the necessary arrests were made.

Olivia had been moved to another hospital just in case and was under guard as a precaution. Don was too tied up in the follow up work to go visit her but Charlie did and reported back to him that she was improving even though it seemed the facility for speech still eluded her.

When the last arrests were made and Kim called an end to the investigation, Don asked for a couple of days off. He'd barely slept in the last few weeks and was dead on his feet. He went home and slept for over twelve hours before he felt somewhat rested.

Don intended to go see Olivia but when he called Charlie to see if he was planning on going to visit, he informed Don that she'd been released that morning.

Don hung up the phone and felt a little lost. He'd gotten so used to the idea of Olivia being there recently that he found the idea of not knowing where she was disorienting.

Don puttered around his apartment the whole day, doing laundry and dishes, cleaning just to pass the time.

When it came time for dinner, Don couldn't decide what to do. After eating at the office for most of the last week, he couldn't look at another piece of pizza for a while.

When he heard the knock on his door, he was sure it was Charlie, come to rescue him.

He threw open the door and his jaw dropped.

Olivia was standing on his doorstep.

"O!" Don found his voice finally. "What? I mean... Should you be out of bed?"

Olivia merely smiled and showed him what she was holding. A picnic basket. She nodded her head towards the apartment as if to ask for an invitation.

"Yeah, yeah, come in. I'm sorry. I'm just surprised to see you is all. Here, let me take that." Don grabbed the basket and ushered her inside.

Olivia walked around the apartment looking at everything. She picked up a few books and glanced through them, stopped in front of each picture on the walls and finally nodded to Don as if to imply she approved.

Don put the picnic basket on the coffee table and went to Olivia.

Now that they were alone outside of the hospital Don felt a little uncertain as to how to proceed. He didn't want to assume anything but knew they had both felt something earlier, something he didn't want to ignore.

Olivia apparently felt no such hesitation. As Don approached her she went to him with open arms, wrapping him up in an embrace so warm he sank into it, melting at her touch.

After a moment, she pulled back and pantomimed eating then pointed at Don.

"Yeah, I'm starving. What did you bring?"

Olivia opened the basket and pulled out a large insulated container that steamed when she removed the lid. She waved the container under Don's nose so he could smell it.

"Tamales!" Don exclaimed. "From Mama Gonzales?"

Olivia nodded vigorously.

"Oh, man, O. Your mom makes the best tamales! This is great!"

Olivia set up the tamales, rice, and beans on the coffee table and Don brought drinks and plates in from the kitchen.

They sat on the couch and ate in a companionable silence, Don not wanting to put any pressure on Olivia to try to communicate. Just when Don was almost done, Olivia pulled out a container of homemade flan and Don groaned, delighted. "Your mom must be really happy if she made tamales and flan!"

Olivia just smiled and they shared the dessert right out of the container, taking turns feeding each other with a single spoon. As the dessert disappeared, their actions became more playful. When Olivia pretended to offer Don a spoonful then pulled it back at the last second to eat it herself, Don grabbed the spoon from her mouth and licked the last bit off.

Their faces were close to each other and Don could taste her breath in the air in front of him. He leaned in and as he approached, that familiar desire welled up in both of them again. He captured her lips in a soft kiss. She tasted sweet; caramel sugar and memories all rolled into one. Her mouth opened to receive him and the kiss deepened as Don pulled her into his arms.

Don buried his hands in Olivia's soft hair and his face in her neck. He whispered, " I need... Oxygen... O2..."

Olivia smiled with delight at hearing her old pet names and embraced him tightly. Don winced just slightly and Olivia pulled back, realizing too late why Don's back might be hurting him.

She made him turn around and pulled up the back of his shirt. Her fingers traced over the two dark bruises where the bullets had impacted his Kevlar vest. While the vest kept the bullets from penetrating his skin, the force of the impact was still enough to be painful even days later. Olivia placed two gentle kisses on his back, one over each bruise. Don shivered at the sensation then turned back around and pulled her into his arms again.

When he looked down into her eyes he found them glistening with unshed tears.

"O? Come on, it's okay. They're only bruises. I'm fine."

She shook her head in disagreement. Frustrated at her inability to speak, she looked for something to write with and finding nothing nearby she settled for spelling the letters she needed to get out by drawing them on Don's chest.

"A-L-M-O-S-T L-O-S-T Y-O-U" Don read each letter then put them together. "No, O, you didn't lose me. I'm fine. We got though it just fine." He pulled her close to him and rocked her gently. "I almost lost you twice. When I first saw you in that hospital bed after the surgery..." Don got choked up and had to stop for a moment. "I was so sure that the O I knew was gone forever, that you'd never wake up and that I'd found you only to lose you again before you even saw me."

Olivia was no longer able to hold back her tears and she cried noiselessly into Don's chest.

"But you came back to me. You came back and I kept you safe so now there's nothing in the way anymore."

Olivia pulled back and sadly pointed to her throat.

Don grinned at her. "I don't seem to remember us doing that much talking in the bedroom before."

Olivia smiled back at him and gave him another heart stopping kiss.

Don pulled back after a minute to catch his breath and started walking towards his bedroom, pulling Olivia along by the hand. "Come on, we have some tamales to work off..." he grinned.