Chapter Twelve
"I can't find Brownie!" Katalin cried, running into the kitchen and attaching herself to Tom's leg, looking pathetic and annoyed.
Tom was about to tell her to look under Olivia's bed when a shout from the other room distracted him.
"OW! Stephen, for the love of God stop poking my arm!" Olivia shouted for the third time that morning.
"If you would just sit still.." The Doctor argued.
"Leave it alone! I'm going to the hospital for it!"
"I do not see why. I am more than capable-"
"STEPHEN! SHUSH!"
Tom looked down at Katalin, who was giggling at her cousin's annoyance. "Do you think I should go in there?" He asked.
"I wouldn't." The little girl replied. "Livia's in a bad mood."
That was true. She had gone to find Kate to take her to the hospital only to find Lannie Aubrey in her place. Kate had gone home to pick up some things and Lannie was back for the start of the semester and would be happy to take Olivia to the hospital. She just had to get dressed. However, this had not pleased Olivia, who claimed Lannie was the scariest driver she knew and would be more likely to come home with more injuries rather than healed ones, but she had no other choice and agreed to wait for Lannie.
"STEPHEN MATURIN I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU TOUCH MY ARM AGAIN I WILL KILL YOU FIVE TIMES BEFORE YOU HIT THE GROUND!"
Tom cringed, "Perhaps I should go before she hurts someone."
Katalin giggled, "Better you than me!" She then ran off to find her bear.
Tom found Olivia giving Stephen the darkest glare he had ever seen. If looks could kill the Doctor would have been dead seven times over. She was a rather pitiful sight that morning, the bruise on her face was a nasty shade of greenish brown and black, though she assured him it looked worse than it was and she bruised easily. Her arm looked simply awful and he knew it pained her. She could barely move it and when she did she either cried out or cringed and muttered under her breath. The Doctor believed it to be broken and Tom fussed over her until she gave him a dirty look and told him to knock it off. Olivia, when injured, despised being fussed over, and insisted it was "just a broken arm." Apparently as a rock-climbing enthusiast she had experienced several broken limbs in her lifetime and was none too concerned with this one.
She looked up as Tom appeared in the room, "Tom, keep that man away from me." She demanded, plopping on the sofa and turning on the television in a huff. She was also angry because she had to call the bar and tell her employer she could not make it to work tonight. Tom had insisted that she take the night off on account of her arm being so swollen and sore she could hardly be expected to lift a glass. They had argued over this, Olivia insisting she needed the money and Tom insisting she needed to rest. It had ended with him threatening to lock her in the apartment and tie her to the bed, which got a laugh and rather cheeky response from Olivia, but had been effective in closing the argument, but she was still in a sour mood in general.
"Yes dear." He replied, "Doctor, do stay away from Olivia. She dislikes being poked and prodded immensely."
"Damn right." Olivia grumbled.
"Awwwwwww…." Maria had entered the room unnoticed, and she climbed on the sofa with a gleam in her eyes. "Livia said damn!"
"Shouldn't you be packing?" Olivia asked the girl, her tone irritated and sharp.
"Finished." Maria replied, not catching her cousin's tone and ill humor. "I'm bored!" She complained.
"Then go help your sister." She told her, wanting to get rid of the girl.
Maria made a face of distaste. "I don't wanna." She groaned.
At that point, Tom intervened, for Olivia looked about a second away from killing the girl. She was not in the mood for whining children. In fact she was not in the mood for much of anything at the moment.
"Why don't you go find a book for me to read to you?" He suggested.
Maria seemed to like this idea and jumped up again, "Okay!" She then scampered away like a rabbit out of the room.
Olivia sighed, rubbing her head with her left hand, fighting a headache. "Thanks Tom." She said. "I'm not in the best frame of mind right now."
He was about to agree with her but thought better of it. Actually he did not quite know what to say to keep her from screaming at him and so he struggled for words, trying to think of what would be the right thing to say.
Luckily, he was saved for at that moment Lannie Aubrey burst into the apartment. "S'up guys?" She bounced in without a care in the world.
"Lannie, will you promise me you will drive like a normal person and not like a maniac?" Olivia asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion, not trusting her friend.
"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed." Lannie commented, not a bit fazed by Olivia's bad mood. "And I'm a good driver."
Olivia snorted, "Compared to who? A blind man?"
"Did you see that blind farmer on Oprah who drove a tractor?" She asked casually. "That was amazing!"
Olivia rolled her eyes and looked at Tom with a withering expression. "Shoot me. Shoot me now." She said sarcastically.
"Sorry Livs, they don't let me play with fire arms." Lannie replied happily.
"Gee, I wonder why?" Olivia shot back.
"Hey, not all of us were born and bred with a shotgun in our hands, Livie. We can't all be West Virginia girls." She grinned, quite proud of her joke.
"I'll have you know, Alanna Aubrey, that I wasn't allowed near guns until I was sixteen and my stepfather took me hunting." Olivia shot back, swinging her legs around the sofa and getting to her feet.
"Oh, was he the car-mechanic in the NRA?" Lannie asked.
"Yep. Nice guy. Too bad Mama decided to sleep with that golf pro at the resort." Olivia mused.
"Girl, you need to sell your Mama's story to Jerry Springer." Lannie teased. "At least profit from your messed up mother."
Olivia laughed, her back and forth with Lannie making her mood improve slightly. "Lord knows it too."
Tom was completely confused by this exchange and looked at Olivia curiously. He wanted to question her but had no idea where to even begin.
"Let's go, Lan, before I lose my courage completely." Olivia said, grabbing her purse with her good arm. "I'll be back." She told Tom.
"Hopefully medicated." Lannie teased, blocking as Olivia swung her purse at her head.
"Let's go, smartass." Olivia said, heading out the door.
"Bye guys!" Lannie called as she skipped after Olivia and slammed the door behind her, ever in a cheerful mood.
Tom watched them go, confused. It seemed Lannie Aubrey was better informed of Olivia's past than he ever would be. She would not let him in and he could not figure out why she shut him out. However, today he was determined to find something out from her Aunt, now more than ever.
"Tom! Are you coming?" Maria called.
He turned-off the television and set the remote on the table. "Coming Maria!" He replied, heading off down the hall to see to his baby-sitting duties.
A knock at the door an hour later sent both girls running, nearly knocking poor Tom winding as they pushed by him in the hall. He followed, trying to make sure the girls did not open the door to a stranger, although he was almost sure it was their mother.
"Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy!" Katalin threw the door open, ducking her sister's arm.
Olivia's Aunt caught both her daughters in a hug, a short middle aged man with spectacles stood behind her, getting the second wave of hugs from the excited little girls. This must be their father. Tom stood back watching the family a moment, slightly relieved to see the energetic girls go, but also a bit sorry to see them go.
Alida stood up from hugging Katalin, "Hello again, Tom was it?"
"Yes ma'am." Tom replied. "Olivia apologizes but she had to see the doctor for her arm." He explained her absence.
"Her arm? What'd she do this time?" Alida joked, knowing her niece was slightly clumsy at times. "Fall off a cliff?"
"Knowing Livia she fell off a cliff then got right back up and finished her climb." Her husband laughed. "Alida, I hope your niece isn't teaching our girls to be daredevils."
Maria beamed, "She taught me how to spit yesterday!"
"Who do you think taught Livia?" Alida ruffled her daughter's hair, turning back to Tom. "This is my husband, Tom, Robert. Robert, this is Olivia's boyfriend."
They shook hands, exchanging pleasantries, as Katalin pulled at her mother's shirt. "Mama, Tom's nice. Me and Maria think he should marry Livia."
The adults all laughed, Tom blushing slightly embarrassed. Maria immediately launched into retelling their pirates game to her father, with Katalin hopping up and down, anxious to add her side of the story. Tom turned to Olivia's Aunt, "I was wonder if I might have a word with you alone, ma'am? About your niece?"
Alida nodded, not at all surprised. "Sure, Tom." She glanced at her chattering daughters. "Rob, dear, will you take the girls out to the playground for a bit?"
"Sure." He took both girls by the hands. "Come on ladies, and tell me all about your week."
The girls took this as permission to both talk at once, and immediately began shouting all at once, following as he lead them out the door and down the stairs. Alida smiled fondly at them before turning back to Tom. "What was it you wanted to speak to me about, Tom?" She asked kindly, stepping into the apartment.
Tom sighed heavily, unsure of where to begin. "Won't you have a seat ma'am?"
"Please, Tom, ma'am is my mother, call me Alida." She said, settling comfortably on the sofa. "Now, what is it?"
"Well…" Tom hesitated, "I am afraid I'm at a bit of a loss with your niece. Something troubles her, and I have no idea what."
"And she won't tell you?" Alida asked, knowingly. "Though she has nightmares that drive her to tears?"
"Exactly!" Tom was almost relieved that her Aunt seemed to know exactly what was going on.
"And you want to know if I know why?" She continued, very calmly and coolly.
Tom nodded, "I dislike having to ask you instead of Olivia like this, but she will not tell me and I am very concerned."
Alida sighed, leaning back in her seat. "She doesn't talk about things like this. She's always been like that. Even as a little girl she never spoke about it. In fact, when she first came to live with me she did not speak at all for two months straight."
He could not imagine Olivia ever being silent. She could talk about everything and nothing in one breath, and for her to go silent something truly terrible must have happened. He stared at her in disbelief, trying to fathom what horrors could be in Olivia's past. "Why? What happened?"
"It's a long story Tom. And even I do not know everything. I'm sure there are things that she hasn't told me but what can you do? I've tried everything, but she's repressed so much so far down…" She sighed again. "Olivia was abused as a child, physically and emotionally, and I suspect, though I've never known for sure, that there was some sexual abuse. She's had a rough time of it, Tom, and quite frankly I'm amazed she's turned out as well as she has."
They were silent for a time as Tom processed what he had learned. He hated to think of someone, anyone, hurting Olivia even though it was long ago when she was a girl. Half of him had a morbid curiosity for details of what happened, but the other half did not want to hear a word more. He cleared his throat, "Olivia is a remarkable woman." He said, unsure of what else to say.
Alida smiled slightly, "You love my niece a lot, don't you?"
"Yes ma'am, I do." Tom replied softly. "And I want to help her in anyway I can."
She nodded, "All right Tom, I'll tell you what I know." She sighed, pausing to think of where to start. "You have to understand, Tom, that my mother was once a wonderful woman, but she always was strict, and once my father died, well, she started to go down hill. Ilona, Olivia's mother, was always her favorite. She could do no wrong in her eyes, but the truth is my sister has always been, well, rather loose, if you get my meaning."
Tom nodded, understanding what was implied in her tone, and so Olivia's Aunt continued.
"She was going places, but then she met Joe Corin and managed to get pregnant with Olivia when she was seventeen, so Mama being ever insistent on propriety, insisted they get married." Alida paused to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, much like Olivia always did when she was thinking or agitated. "I probably don't have to tell you that it didn't work out. Olivia's very open about her parents' divorce, and knows her father, well, he isn't the best of characters. He and my sister were quite the match, actually." She sighed, "Anyway, Joe took off right after Daniel was born. Olivia was three or four at the time, though it probably did not faze her too much at first. Her father was always running off, just this time he didn't come back, and she was too young to really understand. A year after that, when it was clear Joe wasn't coming back and Ilona wanted to start dating again, my mother moved in with them."
"Isn't that a good thing? Wouldn't her grandmother have helped?" Tom asked, confused.
"You'd think that wouldn't you?" Alida snorted. "Seems Mama blamed Olivia for ruining her precious Ilona's life."
Tom stared at her, surprised, "But….why? What did Olivia do? She was just a child!"
"She was born, and she was the reason Ilona married Joe, and Mama didn't see it as Ilona's fault, somehow it was Olivia's. She blamed that poor girl for everything and was very hard on her. Olivia can do nothing right in her eyes, and even to this day they don't get along. Come to find out when Olivia was a little girl she used to lock her in the root cellar whenever Ilona wasn't home. She really resents the girl, and always has." Alida sighed, wiping her eyes wearily. "She was emotionally and verbally abusive to Olivia, but she never laid a hand on her more than a smack when she was misbehaving. I'm not saying that's a good thing, but unfortunately far worse things happened to Olivia. I really can't explain the relationship between Olivia and her grandmother, but I think it all starts there. She tends to blame herself for everything because she always has been blamed in the past."
"She can't possibly think any of that is her fault." Tom said, shaking his head.
"She does though, especially when she was a child. That's why I think she's taken so much abuse without telling anyone." Alida explained.
"There's more?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh Tom, that's not even the tip of the iceberg." She sighed, "My sister remarried for the first time a year later when Olivia was five and the guy she married was a real sleazebag. My mother moved out, and he convinced Ilona not to send Olivia to school so she could stay home and take care of her baby brother so he could sit on his ass and watch TV all day. Then when the baby would cry he would pound Olivia to a bloody pulp. No one knew this was going on because no one ever saw those kids. Daniel was never touched, not once. I think it was because Olivia would protect him by taking all the beatings herself, though maybe he didn't touch him because he was only a year old. I don't know, Tom, I didn't know any of this was going on. No one did. And Ilona would always believe that Olivia had fallen down the stairs or some other damn lie."
He stared at her steadily, gripping the side of his chair in anger, without ever having met this man or even knowing his name he hated him. "How long did this go on?"
"Two years. Until one day he beat her nearly to death and dumped what he thought was a dead body down a well near the house." She closed her eyes, chewing her lower lip, collecting her thoughts. "By all rights she should be dead, Tom. She woke up trapped in a well in a foot of water with a broken leg, arm, and several cracked ribs. Then she was down there for two days until a passing hiker heard her crying. Thank God that house is near a hiking trail. After they found her and she recovered the Bureau for Children and Families removed her from Ilona's house and put in with a foster family, but she wasn't responding well there and the social worker contacted me."
"So she came to live with you?" Tom asked, remembering what Katalin had told him earlier.
She smiled a bit, "Yes. I took her. Joe Corin refused, taking Daniel, who was nearing four, but not Olivia. He didn't want to have to worry about her court ordered therapy. There was no one else to take her, so I did. I was still in school at the time, but I managed. In fact it might have been the best thing for her. I had a professor who was doing research in childhood trauma at the time and would spend time with Olivia when I was in class. He was really helpful, and I had plenty of friends to watch her. She stayed with me for about two years. Enough time for Ilona to divorce Fred and for the courts to send him to prison for attempted murder."
"Is he still in prison?" Tom asked curiously.
Alida nodded, "Yes. He had some other crimes on the list as well, and trying to kill a kid was serious business. Poor Olivia was quite the local celebrity for a time, but for all the wrong reasons, and unfortunately I have a feeling it wasn't all over after that. My mother moved close by, and so Olivia got plenty of blame and guilt from her. Ilona's been remarried several times, and some of them haven't been bad, but some were. I've never been able to prove anything, but I'm sure Jim, another one of Ilona's husbands, was sexually abusing her when she was thirteen. Ilona only stayed married to him for a year, but towards the end Olivia ran away from home, stole her mother's car, and drove to my house in a panic. She was certain she was pregnant and scared out of her mind but wouldn't say who or how or when. Turns out her stepfather had a history of taking prono pictures of kids, and thank God Olivia wasn't pregnant though the Doctors found evidence of abuse, but for some reason or another they never charged the weasel. Inconclusive evidence or some damn thing, and the investigation was dropped. They just assumed Olivia was another teenage slut or something, but I'm sure that wasn't the case. She was scared out of her mind, and flinched if I so much as hugged her for months That's not normal behavior. Ilona only divorced him when I threatened to take bring up charges against her and have the state take Daniel. I have no idea how Olivia turned out somewhat normal and not hating all men, but I think it was because of George."
"George?" Tom raised an eyebrow, slightly pale. Everything he was hearing was horrible and he hated to think what secret she would reveal next.
To his surprised she smiled fondly. "George was another of Ilona's husband, though why he married my sister I'll never know. He was a good man, Tom, and he was great with those kids. He marred Ilona when Olivia was sixteen and unsurprisingly she was cautious at first and didn't trust him, but she warmed up to him once he gained her trust. He was the one that taught her to drive and fix cars. Even insisted she go to college and took an interest in her school activities like music, softball, swimming, everything Olivia and Daniel did he somehow managed to be there for support. Even after Ilona left him, he stayed in touch with Olivia. He's the closest thing she ever had to a father."
"No wonder she never speaks to her family." Tom mused to himself.
Alida shrugged, "Once burned…" She rose to her feet, stretching a bit. "Olivia's a very private girl, always has been. She won't talk about it with you. My recommendation is don't even try to get her to talk, wait for her. If she ever wishes to tell you something it will be on her own terms, there's not getting her to talk when she doesn't want to. Trust me, we've tried."
He hesitated a moment, then nodded slowly. He had no idea what to say and was completely overwhelmed by this new information about his beloved's past. She had been through so much it seemed, and it pained him to think of her trapped in a loveless and desperate home. He did not like to think of her as unhappy or in pain and raged against the thought of anyone ever hurting her. She always seemed strong, yet beneath her hard and occasionally icy exterior was a vulnerable and fragile girl. He was beginning to see that more and more and felt a fierce need to protect and shelter her from the world.
"Well, I should go get my husband and girls and be off. Tell Olivia I'm sorry I missed her. Why did she need to go to the hospital again?" She asked, heading towards the door and gathering her daughters' things.
"She fell and hurt her arm last night. It was rather swollen so Lannie was taking her to see a doctor." Tom replied, giving the rehearsed story Olivia concocted for him to tell her Aunt. She did not want them to worry about her and refused to tell her about Gary and the whole situation no matter how much Tom tried to convince her to the contrary.
Alida to Tom's surprise merely laughed, "She is such a klutz, and she's a daredevil which makes things far worse. Whenever she falls she gets up even more determined to succeed, the most stubborn creature I've ever met when she puts her mind to it. That's probably what keeps her going." She gathered up the last of the bags and tucked Maria's stuffed bear under her arm. "I hope knowing all this helps, Tom."
"Yes, ma'am, thank you." He rose also, helping her with her daughters' luggage and carrying it down to the car with her.
Maria and Katalin came flying across the parking lot, followed by their father who called for them to slow down.
"Are we leaving, Mommy?" Katalin asked.
"Yes dear, tell Tom thank you for watching you." She replied, loading the bags in the back of the car.
Katalin hopped over and gave him a tight hug. "Thank you!"
Maria joined them, "Thank you, Tom!" She chirped.
"You're welcome, girls." He smiled in spite of the gloomy feeling that had fallen over him, and returned their hug.
"Come on you two, we need to get going." Their mother announced rushing the children into the car and thanking Tom once more.
He stood and watched as they drove away, wondering how long Olivia would be. He had no idea what he would say to her when she returned. More and more he wanted nothing but to hold her and promise her everything in her life would be nothing but good from that point forward. With a sigh he turned and went back up to the apartment. He had no idea how he ought to react to this, and merely sat down at the kitchen table waiting, lost in his thoughts.
"Lannie, do you ever shut up?" He heard Olivia call on the stairs outside the apartment. They were pounding their way up the steps, quite vocally arguing.
"You know, my Dad asked me that same question once." Lannie replied.
Olivia said something he could not hear and they both laughed. The door opened and he heard her shout her goodbyes to Lannie, promising to see her later.
"Hey, where is everyone?" Olivia called.
"In here." He replied, standing and waiting for her to come into the kitchen.
Olivia appeared, her arm in a blue sling and the bruise on her face still shining, but she looked in a better mood and was smiling. However her smile turned to a slight frown when she noticed the way Tom was staring at her. "What's wrong?" She asked, confused.
"Olivia…" He started, but stopped, simply crossing the room and pulling her into a gentle hug, mindful of her arm.
She was still confused, however. "What?" She asked again. "My arm? It's not even broken, turns out it's just a sprain. The sling is just to keep me from using it for about three weeks. After they doped me up with pain killers I'm feeling really good."
"No, it's not that." He kissed her, still holding her close.
"Then what?" Olivia looked up at him, a small smirk playing at her lips, "Shesh, Tom, you're acting like I died or something."
Tom hesitated, "I… I spoke with your Aunt."
Olivia raised an eyebrow, "About?"
"She told me about your stepfather… what he did…" He tightened his hold on her, never wanting to let go again.
"Which one?" She asked, not at all fazed.
"He tried to kill you, Olivia!" He exploded, the shock giving way to anger.
"Oh, that one." She noted, with a little laugh.
"How can you make light of this? You could have died!" He asked incredulously.
She pulled back slightly in order to look him in the eye. "I have to, Tom. If I dwelled on all the nasty things in my life I would have gone crazy a long time ago. It was nothing, really."
"That's certainly nothing." Tom gently outlined her face with his finger, knowing full well if one thing had occurred differently, and if she were of a weaker constitution, he would have never even known this wonderful woman. "I am so sorry, Olivia."
"I don't want you to feel sorry for me, Tom." She said calmly. "I just want to live my life, keep it as normal as possible, you know?"
He regarded her carefully, knowing that her life could hardly be considered normal. Instead he took her hand, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "How can I help?" He asked, softly.
"Help?" Olivia gave a soft laugh. "Tom, you can't fight demons like this. You just learn to live with them."
Tom sighed, turning away for a moment to collect himself, leaning against the counter and staring at the cabinet, trying to understand her but failing miserably. "I feel so powerless." He muttered, to himself more than anything.
Olivia went to him, standing beside him and taking his hand, looking at him with nothing but love. "But you do help though. You make me feel safe, and I trust you, which is saying a lot coming from me." She rested her head against his arm, "I love you."
He turned, kissing her gently, so afraid of causing her pain from her injuries. "I swear to you that no one will ever hurt you like that again, Olivia."
Her brow creased, "What else did my aunt tell you?"
Tom sighed again. He hated talking about these matters, especially ones of such a deeply personal nature. "She told me…" He trailed off, unable to say it.
"She told you about Jim didn't she?" Olivia whispered, quietly retreating to sit down at the kitchen table.
Tom merely nodded, wordlessly moving to sit across from her. The beatings and near death as a child did not seem to effect her as much as this. He watched as she stared at her hands, as if lost in her thoughts.
She looked up suddenly, her eyes full of tears. "I was still a kid, you know, but I knew what he did to me, and what could have come of it." She closed her eyes, her lower lip trembling. "I remember, I used to wake up and he'd be watching me. He said it was because I was pretty, and night after night he would be there. Then one night, I woke up, and he was…" She trailed off, tears falling down her cheeks, but she continued, determined to get it out. "He was touching himself. He said I was too pretty, it was my fault because I tempted him. Then he told me if I told anyone what he did he would hurt Danny. He knew I had to protect Danny. He knew that was the only way he could ever threaten me. Before I knew it he was on me, in me, everywhere, and I couldn't get away. I did everything he told me to do because I was scared to death he would hurt Danny, and I was so ashamed, Tom, so ashamed. I couldn't remember being beaten nearly to death as a child, but this… this was different… I remember every second…" Her shoulders began to shake, and she buried her face in her hands, silently sobbing.
Finally, he could not take anymore. He quickly went to her, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tightly. "Sh… Olivia… it's all right now." He kissed the top of her head as she buried her tear soaked face in his chest. "You don't have to say anymore. I do not need an explanation."
She sniffled, leaning against him as he sheltered her from the world. "How can you love me?" She asked, her voice trembling.
"You did nothing wrong, Olivia." He told her earnestly. "You were still a child and completely innocent. Your stepfather should be ashamed, not you." He kissed her forehead again. "I love you, Olivia, because you can make me laugh. I feel at ease with you and find myself saying things to you that I never thought possible. Besides," He stroked her hair soothingly, "I do not need a reason to love you, I just do, and I always will. It's as simple as that."
She smiled slightly, looking up at him with loving eyes. "Well, now you know my secrets. I'm at an extreme disadvantage here." She teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. She hated dwelling on her past, and was back to deflecting the conversation to a new topic.
Tom laughed, knowing she wanted to change the subject and thankful she was calming down and returning to her usual light-hearted self. "Well, shall I tell you a secret of my own then?"
"Oh please do, Mr. Pullings." Olivia grinned mischievously. "And it had better be good."
Tom paused, thinking of something to tell her. "Did I tell you I was afraid of going aloft as a young midshipman?"
"You?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you use to climb trees as a boy?"
"Yes, well, trees hardly move, now do they?" He asked, blushing slightly. "I was terrified of going aloft for years, and still get rather queasy in foul weather to be honest."
"Aw… poor baby." She teased, kissing him lightly.
Tom pouted slightly, "Are you mocking me?"
"No, of course not. And don't pout. I hate it when you pout." Olivia said.
"Oh really?" He tried not to grin and offered her a fake pout.
She laughed, kissing him again. "Now you're trying to make me feel bad."
"Yes, I am. Is it working?" He asked, innocently.
"Maybe." Olivia kissed him again, moving to wrap her arms around his neck only to find her right arm was inhibited by her sling. "Damn it. This is going to be a problem."
He put his arms around her waist, mindful of her arm. "Does it hurt much, dear?"
She shrugged, "Only when I press on it really. It's not so bad now that I have some painkillers in me. In fact I'm kind of hungry, is it lunchtime yet?"
"Yes, it's just a bit after noon." Tom replied, giving her a fond look. "The others have gone for a walk. Why don't you watch the television while I make you something to eat? You should rest your arm."
"That's sweet of you, dear." She said. "But only if you make something for yourself and watch it with me. I won't have much free time pretty soon and want to spend as much time as I can with you, okay?"
"Of course." He kissed her sweetly, and then lightly shoved her out the door. "Now go relax. I'll take care of everything."
"Yes sir." She replied promptly turning on her heels and leaving to curl up on the sofa, waiting for him to bring her the meal.
She did not have to wait long. Tom had made soup the night before and reheated it on the stove, fixing some fast and easy toasted sandwiches to go with it. Olivia found it difficult to eat soup with her left hand, and he teased her about being so messy. He offered to help, but she adamantly refused, determined to do it herself.
Afterwards it was barely an hour until she fell asleep, exhausted and giving in to the side effects of her strong medication the doctor had given her for the pain in her arm. She slept quietly, her head resting against his shoulder. He watched her sleep, unwilling to wake her, knowing she needed what sleep she could get. She looked so peaceful, so serene. Her aunt's words echoed in his mind as he watched her, and he tried to imagine what it must have been like for her, what it was still like, reliving those awful things in her dreams. At that moment she looked as helpless as he felt, unable to fight an enemy he could neither see nor touch. All he could do was watch her sleep, hold her close, and pray. Pray she was having good dreams.
A/N: Okay, yeah I know that chapter sucked. It was so hard to write and I had no idea what I was going to do with Olivia's past. I'm disappointed with myself and apologize for that chapter. But it had to be brought out in the open somehow and Olivia wasn't going to talk, so there we go. Nosy yet well meaning Aunt tells all! Hope it wasn't too over the top. I wanted her nice and screwed up and have seen one too many episodes of Judging Amy…. I love that show! Also, have you guys noticed how often Olivia falls asleep on Tom? I just realized that. Good thing she doesn't snore or drool.
I couldn't help myself on Stephen getting yelled at over poking Olivia's sore arm. A little bit of fun before jumping into the big mean boring nasty mental angst side of things.
Coming Soon! A chapter focusing on everyone's favorite little middie! Blakeney! Whoop whoop whoop! Blake-ney! Blake-ney! Blake-ney!
Gaeriel Palpatine: Haha well I'm glad I gave you ideas. Just make sure after the ice cream you guys get warm… I'm sure that won't be a problem…. Have fun and go nuts!
Mary Anne Talbot: Yes I know where Hungary is. I'm quite good at geography actually. Though the students I've tutored are horrible. They thought England was Japan… it was rather sad… Anyway, yes Gary is very evil and he has lots more evilness coming in the future. I hope this is still your favorite story! I had a hard time with this chapter and deciding just how crazy to make Olivia's family. I think I've watched one too many episodes of that show with all the abused kids in family court. Hope you survived this update m'dear! Thanks for reading and being so great!
Anyana: Haha ice cream is ALWAYS appropriate when reading this story! I loved the Ode to Ice Cream there. That was brilliant. Yeah Tom's taking care of Olivia. He's such a sweetheart and she's so messed up. I've really gone the extra mile messing up her life! I'm so mean! I think if I don't come up with some really happy chapters pretty soon Olivia may sue for character abuse. Poor girl. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's a weird one. Thanks for the ode and the review!
Norma Jean the Dancing Machine: Yes! Green Eggs and Ham is the best book ever! Whoo! Another Seuss fan! Olivia opened up a bit in this chapter, but only after the Aunt spilled the beans. She's one messed up cookie that girl! Hope you didn't mind this chapter too much, and have a fantastic day!
Claire Rickman: Haha look! Another chapter within a month! I'm on a roll here! Well m'dear, some of your wishes were granted. She confided a little bit in Tom… her aunt did the rest for her it seems. Poor girl. You might want to pet Stephen some pretty soon because Olivia was pretty mean to him when she yelled. Hope you survived this chapter and thanks for the review! Be nice to Stephen!
The lady of the shadows: Exams are nasty. I gave my students an exam Friday. It was my last day interning there and they were quite unhappy that my last day teaching them I had to give them an exam. It was a hard one too. But hey, I didn't make it. There was another cuddle moment for you here! Of course, there was a lot of nastiness too. Hope you lived through your exam and this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!
Eldarwen999: I'm not sure if I'm going to introduce Blakeney to Star Wars or Lord of the Rings yet. Hahaha Tom in drag? Wow I don't think the world is ready for that. Tom does need action… one type will have to wait until Olivia's arm heals a bit though methinks. Hope Olivia's sob story wasn't too much to swallow and I hope you lived through this chapter! Thanks for reviewing m'dear!
Okay guys, so I noticed I get more reviews when I put Tom in make-up…. Yes I got more reviews than I probably deserve this time around, but there were more when I put Tom in make-up… which leads me to believe….
Tom: Don't even think it!
Me: Aww… why not?
Tom: No. Absolutely not. I draw the line there. No. N- O- no.
Me: Well don't tell me. If the readers review and disprove my theory I won't do anything. They don't review I may have to test my kill a character, get more reviews, theory.
Tom: Readers. Lovely ladies. Possible kind gentlemen but probably mostly ladies. Please, please, please review so Bean won't do horrible things to me. She's threatening to kill off characters and that's not good. Please please review and save my butt!
So there you go, review and save Tom's butt!
Thanks for reading guys! Love you!