Elliot begged his eyes to remain shut, but they wanted desperately to open. Among the stale, sterile hospital scent, Elliot detected the rich aroma of coffee. His lips curled into a smile and he slowly wiped the sleep from his eyes.
"Mmmm," he managed to grumble, wishing he was holding the coffee in his hands, letting the steam rise to his nose. He hadn't had coffee in five days, and although the thought of anything entering his body made him nauseas, he longed for a sip.
After blinking a few times, Maureen came into focus. She gently placed his glasses in his hand, and he slipped them on.
"How ya feeling?" she asked sympathetically.
Elliot simply shrugged his shoulders, irritated that he couldn't communicate any better. He was feeling better, his head was clearing up. Although his body ached and his throat burned, he was happy that his mind wasn't in a fog anymore.
"The doctor came in a little bit ago and pried your mouth open, he said everything looked good," she said, setting her book aside and, sliding Elliot's legs over, made herself comfortable at the foot of his bed. He was surprised she was still here, but grateful nonetheless.
"Mom called about an hour ago to check in on you," she said, and Elliot was relieved that she kept talking. He missed the sound of her voice so much. She was so outgoing and never at a loss for words, and in that regard, she was the complete opposite of the man lying before her. He was the quiet, brooding type.
Elliot held up his hand, motioning for the dry erase marker.
"Lizzie sends a hundred and four kisses," Maureen said, handing Elliot the marker and board, and they both laughed at the youngest daughter's get well wish.
"You don't have to stay," Elliot wrote.
"I know, but I have an exam in night class tonight and I needed someplace quiet to study. But if I had known about the puking and the drool, I might have given the library a second thought," Maureen joked.
Elliot smiled and thought for a moment before writing, "Tell me everything you know." It was a game he used to play with Maureen when she was little. He'd come home from work and Maureen would bombard him with stories from school, desperate for any attention her dad would give her. He used to lie in bed with her at night and ask her to tell him everything she knew. She would talk and talk, her voice getting quieter, her words slowing down, until she fell asleep. Elliot cherished those memories of a time when his whole family was together. They were happy. He was in love with his wife. Not his partner.
Maureen started off, Elliot listened intently. She told him everything about her sisters and brother, things Elliot missed on a daily basis. Maureen, even though she lived on campus, saw his children more than he did. He savored every morsel of information she shared. She talked about classes, spring break, the snow. And then finally, the good stuff. She had always saved the best parts for right before she fell asleep.
"I had a couple of dates last week," she said quietly, fidgeting with her hands. Elliot's heart skipped a beat. He always got so protective of his daughters at the slightest mention of a boy in their lives. He nodded at her, encouraging her to continue.
"You'd probably like him, which is sort of a deal breaker," she said, laughing.
"Details, come on," Elliot whispered, using his voice for the first time.
"Okay, okay. Well, this is so corny, but I met him at church. He sat down next to me and our hands met reaching for the kneeler," her cheeks turned pink.
Elliot couldn't help but smile. She looked happy, and after everything he'd put his family through, they deserved happiness.
"He's tall, not as tall as you though, dark hair, dimples, green eyes," she said, looking lost in her thoughts.
"When do I get to meet the green-eyed monster?" Elliot wrote on his white board.
"Shut up! I knew I shouldn't have told you," she said, playfully smacking her dad's arm. "I haven't even told him you're a cop yet, he'd probably go running in the other direction. I'm going to keep this one from you for a while. And I'm withholding personal information about him so just get it out of your mind – you're not running a background check on him. And really, we've only been out three times. We were supposed to have lunch today, but I had to cancel, something came up," she teased.
Elliot felt bad that his daughter had cancelled her plans, but his time with her was scarce, so he appreciated her sacrifice.
"Happy?" he asked her.
She broke into a huge grin, blushing again. "You know, it wouldn't be so horrible if you tried to be happy again. You know, try the dating thing?"
Elliot closed his eyes and shook his head. "Got someone in mind?" he wrote.
He couldn't help but think back to the other night when Olivia and Maureen had gone off for coffee together. Had they talked about it? Surely Olivia wouldn't tell his daughter how miserable he had really been.
"She likes you, too, you know," Maureen said.