"Shh, shh. Rafael whispered., seconds after Olivia began to sob loudly on his shoulder. She was his best friend. They had had countless conversations, and in that time, Olivia had never verbally asked for help. "Shh, shh, shh, cariño." At the word cariño, Olivia sobbed even louder. She had only heard him speak Spanish a handful of times. He used it when he was emotional. He used it a few times with Spanish speaking victims when he felt like he had failed them. He used it twice in his job as an ADA, once when dealing with a man from the Cuban government, and once as a translator when he escorted a little boy to his mother. ""Shh, cariño, I'm here, I'll help you." He continued.
A wave of guilt hit Olivia. He never called her cariño. How dare I make Rafael Barba so emotional! Olivia thought to herself. Her body stiffened a little as she tried to force her tears away.
Rafael felt the slight stiffening.. "Hey, hey, it's OK, let it out., It's OK. You're OK. We'll get through this, Liv. ' He said, softly. He felt her relax, She continued to sob
"I'm sorr... I'm sorry." She almost whimpered.
"Shh, shh" He repeated. He fought the impulse to rub her back, he wanted to comfort her, but he didn't want to cross a boundary, he wouldn't.
'You need to go... you need to... you need to leave me here." She sobbed. She began to shake a little, This was definitely another anxiety. attack.
"No, Liv, I told you I'm not going anywhere." He said, softly, Olivia almost wailed. "Shh, breathe. You have the whole world on your shoulders, don't you? He asked, loud enough to be heard over her cries of anguish. He felt her nod her head yes, and he began to softly hum. Within 3 minutes the shaking ceased , and he could no longer hear her crying. He wondered if she was sleeping until she lifted her head from his shoulder a moment later, and gazed at him. "What can I do? What can I do for you right now, Liv?" He asked , as he stared at her still beautiful tear stained face.
"You're doing it." Olivia said hoarsely. "Thank-you, Rafa." He gave her his half smile in response.
"Come on, let's go to your kitchen, and get some water." He said,
"I have something stronger if you like." Olivia informed him, softly. "I still have scotch in the cabinet, and Cabernet."
"That's not a good idea tonight, Liv." Rafael replied, holding out his hand for her, she took it without argument, and soon she let him help her to her feet. They walked toward the kitchen together.