3 months later.

Fitz sat as his desk, reading through bills and briefings, waiting for Mellie to meet him so they could drive to Gerry's football game together.

In the three months since Olivia left, he spoke to her twice and one of those times, was to inform her that he killed her father in a raid, the other barely qualified as a conversation.

Being without her was harder than he thought, especially after he found out what she did to herself but he kept himself busy enough to only really feel the sting of her absence at nights when he was lonely and mornings when he hoped he'd wake up beside her.

Fitz continued reading his briefing until he heard a knock on the door and looked up.

"Come in," he called.

Cyrus trotted in.

"Fitz what's this?"

Cyrus waved a small stack of papers in the air.

"What's what?"

"It's your reelection paperwork, the aide told me you gave it to her to shred."

"Yes I did."

Cyrus was a little puzzled.

"Why?

"Because I'm not running for reelection."

Cyrus sighed.

"You're not serious about that Fitz."

"I'm dead serious."

"Fine, I'll just fill it out and send it in. I just have to do everything on my own don't I," Cyrus said in frustration.

"If you do that I'll just withdraw it."

"Fitz you're ahead of the field in all the polls by ALOT! America is handing you four more years on a platter and you're saying no! You have 19 months to the election just take a little more time to think about it."

"Cyrus, I'm really trying to get some work done before my ex wife gets here, can you leave me in peace."

It was as if Mellie heard her name because she came strolling right in.

"I'm ready," she announced.

"Give me a second."

"Uh, I flew all the way from California to see a football game, I'm ready now."

Fitz threw down his papers and sighed.

"No, you flew all the way from California because the news has been reporting that you're a neglectful mother so you came for a photo op."

Mellie smiled.

"Where's Olivia?" She said with a smile.

That was her go to card anytime she wanted to piss him off.

Fitz stood up and put his jacket on.

"You can take your own car to the football game," he said as he button his jacket and headed out.

Mellie stormed out right behind Fitz leaving Cyrus alone in the office.

"I could have been running Harvard but I turned it down," he said to himself.

Fitz headed off the football game in his motorcade, with Mellie trailing in the car behind him. When he got to the game, Gerry was already out on the field warming up so he took his seat at front of the bleachers and watched.

Shortly after, he saw Kenna headed to take her seat beside him and he was thankful because that meant that she would able to keep Mellie on her best behavior.

"Hi Mr, Grant," Kenna said in her usual preppy tone.

"Hey Kenna, how's it going?"

"Good, were just preparing for end of year exams but don't worry, I'm gonna ace it and so is Gerry," she said with a smile.

"Of that, I have no doubt Kenna."

She looked out onto the field to try to find Gerry in the crowd of athletes.

At 16 years old, Gerry was one of the tallest on his team but not the most muscular, he was still a scrawny thing compared to most of the other players.

As the game was soon to commence, Gerry and the team left the field to prepare for the start of the game in the locker room and so the cheerleaders and marching band did their presentations to keep the crowd entertained until it was time for them to march out in grand splendor for the end of year pep rally game against their rival school.

As the players lined up and were introduced one at a time, Mellie finally appeared and sat beside Kenna, he didn't care to ask what took her so long.

When it was Gerry's turn for an introduction, he waved at Fitz and Kenna and even Mellie as the crowd cheered him on fervently.

After all the pomp and fuss, the game began. It was going specularly well until the unthinkable happened.

It was the middle of the fourth quarter, Fitz sat cheering when the quarterback threw a wide pass to Gerry. As Gerry was attempting to catch the ball a huge lineman collided, helmet first into his back and Gerry flung his head back and fell to the field. It was so forceful that Fitz heard the collision all the way from the stand and jumped up immediately, so did Mellie and Kenna and half the bleachers.

About three second passed and when Fitz realized Gerry wasn't moving, he sprinted out to the field to see what was going on, Tom and a couple of his other guards were in tow.

He was by Gerry's side within seconds. His coach kneeled beside him trying to get him to respond.

"Gerry?"

He called him but Gerry was completely unconscious.

"Tom, get the paramedics over here now."

He turned his attention back to Gerry.

"Gerry? Can you hear me?" Gerry?"

Seconds later, Mellie and Kenna were by his side.

"Is he okay?" Kenna asked shakily.

"I-I don't know,"

Moments later, the paramedics were there with a stretcher to carry Gerry off the field and then they hurried him back the ambulance that followed Fitz everywhere he went (officially).

It was a quick drive to James Madison and once they arrived, the doctors took over and hurried off with Gerry.

Fitz sat staring into space occasionally speaking with Cyrus who had arrived shortly after they arrived. He waited for that seemed what seemed like forever but was only a couple of hours before the doctors came back. He half expected to see Stephen but he wasn't there.

He stood as the doctors approached him, Mellie did as well.

"Good evening Mr. president, Ms.- Grant."

The doctor wasn't sure what Mellie maiden name was so he continued with Grant.

"I'm doctor Stewart, this is doctor Smith."

Fitz shook both their hands, they were both female, in their mid forties.

"What happened to my son?"

The doctors looked at each other then at Fitz.

"Your son suffered a complete disintegration of the lumbosacral section of his spine," said Dr. smith.

"Meaning?"

"He broke his back,"

The doctors looked at each other before continuing.

"Unfortunately, this type of injury is inoperable and causes paralyzation-"

"Wait what do you mean?"

"Your son is paralyzed from the waist down."

Fitz had no idea what to do or say so he just stood frozen. He could hear Mellie and Kenna sobbing but he tuned them out.

"Where is he? Is he awake?"

"Yes sir, I can take you to him right now,"

"Did you tell him?"

"No sir."

"Is Dr. Finch on duty?"

"Yes sir, he's been in surgery for the past 4 hours but he's scheduled to be finished in a few minutes."

"Can you please let him know that I'd like to speak with him when he is finished."

"Yes sir,"

"Okay, I'd like to see my son now."

Fitz and Mellie followed the doctors to Gerry's room.

When he walked into the room, he found Gerry laying on the bed, crying.

"Gerr," he said softly.

Mellie and Kenna walked in behind him seconds later.

"No, I just wanna talk to my dad, I don't wanna talk to anybody else."

Fitz turned to Mellie and Kenna, he could see they were hurt by Gerry's request but they obliged and left.

Fitz walked slowly to a distraught Gerry and stopped directly beside him and held onto his hand.

"Dad, I can't feel my legs, I don't know if the doctors gave me some sort of medicine to make my legs numb, I don't know what's going on, did the doctors tell you?"

Fitz took a deep breath.

"Gerry, I want you to know that no matter what happens I'll always love you 100%," Fitz said shakily.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Gerry said, choked up by Fitz's display of emotion.

"The doctor said you broke your back," Fitz uttered softly.

"Broken backs can heal, they can fix it right?"

"She said your condition is inoperable, they can't fix it-"

As Fitz spoke, Gerry began to realize what was going on.

"Dad, am I gonna be able to walk again?" Gerry choked out.

"I'm so sorry Gerry,"

Gerry started sobbing and then he stopped and dried his face.

"Where's Olivia?"

"What?"

"Olivia, I want to see Olivia, she had a patient who was paralyzed - and she fixed him, I read about it, she can fix me too."

"Gerry I-"

"I know you guys broke up but she likes me, she'll help me, please dad, I just need to ask her. I don't want to be like this forever please."

"I can't promise that Olivia can help you, I don't want you to get your hopes up-"

"Dad please, she can help me, I know it just let me ask her," Gerry begged.

"Okay, I will try to get Olivia but I need you to know that no matter what happens, whether Olivia is able to help you or not, I'm always gonna love and support you 100%."

"I know but you don't have to worry, Olivia will fix me and everything will go back to normal, you'll see."

Gerry was hopeful, too hopeful and Fitz didn't want to imagine what would happen if and when Gerry found out Olivia couldn't help him.

"Why don't you talk to your mom and Kenna, they're worried about you."

Gerry nodded.

"Okay."

Fitz leaned over and hugged him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good, it'll take me a while to heal after Olivia fixes me but once I'm back on my feet again, I'll be fine."

Mellie knocked on the door, interrupting their conversation which Fitz was grateful for.

"Talk to your mom, I'm gonna go talk to your doctors for a second okay."

"Okay dad."

Fitz let Mellie and Kenna in and then excused himself to the hallway where Stephen was waiting for him.

"Dr. Finch,"

"Mr. President, I'm sorry to hear what happened to Gerry. How is he doing?"

"He's doing great because he believe it's only temporary because Olivia will heal him."

"What?"

"Can she?"

"Well, I looked at his x-Rays and it's pretty bad, he has damage going all the way up his spine but it isn't actually severed until his lower back. Under normal circumstances, I'd say Olivia could look at it because she is the best at this kind of stuff but I've spoken to her in the past and she doesn't think she's at a place where she can operate."

Fitz sighed in frustration.

"My son is in there and he's putting all his faith in her, I can't tell him she can't do it."

"Let me talk to him, maybe I can explain-"

"No, I'll figure it out, thanks Dr. Finch."

Fitz shook his hand and then walked over to Cyrus.

"How bad is he taking it?" Cyrus asked.

"He's not taking it, he doesn't care that his back is broken because he thinks Olivia will fix and he'll be fine in a couple months."

"He what?"

"Yeah," Fitz said exhaustively.

"So what did you tell him?"

"That I'd try."

"And what if she can't do it?"

"Then she can tell him herself."

Cyrus pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Do you think she can?"

"I don't know, I have no idea what's going on with her, not personally, she doesn't speak to me, all I know is what the agents tell me and they're not close enough to know what's going on with her.

"You still have her number?"

"Yeah but she never answers, I don't expect her to answer now but I'm still gonna try, maybe I can convince her but if she really can't do-"

"After everything that's happened she owes you this."

"She doesn't owe me anything Cyrus, I owe her, she saved my life remember- you know what, I'm gonna ask her and if she can't help him then I'll just have to figure out what to do next."

The next morning

Olivia breathed in the cool, crisp spring central park air as she stopped to take a break from jogging. After a very tough couple of months, she finally worked herself into a routine and she was beginning to feel like herself again. Jogging was a big part of her recovery, it kept her mind clear and it helped her regain strength and stamina. She was still on the petite side but she gain a lot of weight and was almost at her normal size.

Once she caught her breath, she began jogging around the path once again when a tall Asian man jogged up beside her.

"Hi."

"Uhm hi," she said awkwardly, slightly terrified.

"I've watched you jogging for the past two weeks and I was wondering if I could take you out for some coffee once you're finished the trail?"

Olivia slowed down to a stop.

"I'm sorry, I can't, there is someone..."

"Oh of course, you have a boyfriend, well he's a lucky guy, you're very beautiful."

"Thank you."

He smiled.

"Well sorry to bother you, enjoy your day."

He nodded politely and jogged off, leaving Olivia behind.

That was the third man to approach her that week and she thought maybe it was time to change her route. She continued jogging back to her apartment, stopping to greet her doorman on her way up.

She walked into her apartment to find Abby laying on the couch watching tv but she changed the channel as soon as she heard Olivia walking over to her.

"Don't you work today Abby?"

"No, I'm off today and thank god for it, I was tired as a dog."

"Oh, what are you watching?"

"Nothing, just flipping through channels," Abby lied.

She was really watching the report on Gerry's accident but she didn't want Olivia to know about it.

"Um okay, well I'm gonna shower and head to my session."

"Okay, I'm gonna lay here and sleep."

"Um okay."

Olivia took a quick shower and did her hair and makeup and the headed back to her room. Before the whole kidnapping ordeal, she had simple taste, her room had plain white wall, with a simple minimalist decor but that changed. She painted her walls light blue and many pieces of artwork on the walls, she also kept fresh cut flowers in each room, mostly blue hydrangeas and red roses. She had toys all over the apartment for whenever her goddaughter came over to play which had pretty much been every day.

She kept herself busy with her daily therapy sessions, art classes, pilates, boxing classes and she spent a great deal of time at the kids park in the afternoons with her goddaughter.

She put on her underwear and headed to her closet. There was dramatically more color than before, she didn't particularly like prints so she kept the colors solid or monochromatic, she had a variety of blush pinks and deep reds, light blues and teals. She skimmed through her racks of clothes until she saw a dark jade, silk floor length robe coat. She smiled and pulled it out, she remembered buying it from the Saint Laurent shop at Bergdorf a year ago but she never got the chance to wear it. She paired it with a black long sleeve bodysuit she bought from the theory boutique and a pair of black Alexander Wang skinny jeans. She looked herself over in the mirror and she was pleased, she felt beautiful. She threw on a pair of black lace up Alaia pumps and grabbed her keys and Saint Laurent bag and headed down to the street to hail a taxi.

Within a half hour, she was in the lobby of her therapist's office, waiting to be called.

"Olivia," the receptionist called "She's ready for you."

"Thanks Tessa," Olivia said as the entered the office.

She took her usual seat on the couch and waited for a few seconds till her therapist walked in.

"Good morning Liv, right on time, as always."

"Savannah."

Olivia stood up and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and sat back on the couch.

"When I saw you yesterday, I gave you an assignment, did you do it?"

"Yes, I thought a lot about what you said and you were right, it's time, I'm just nervous."

"Let's take a step back, how did you sleep last night? Any night terrors?"

"I did have a nightmare last night but I shook it off, I didn't dwell on it like you said, it's been getting easier and easier to do that, with my father gone, I guess there isn't this sort of worry anymore that what happened could happen again."

"A big part of your recovery is about feeling safe again, so you can unequivocally say that you feel safe?"

"Realistically, I try to remind myself that I am safe, I can see my guards keeping their distance and watching me but sometimes there is fear. A lot of fear, I mean, I'm so paranoid."

"Fear of?"

"Well I'm afraid of being in a situation where I can't help myself, I'm still afraid of being in small spaces, I'm afraid of feeling like I'm drowning, I'm afraid of the rain, it makes me feel like I'm suffocating."

"These all seem like mental obstacles."

"They are, I know that but it doesn't make it any less real."

Savannah smiled.

"Have I told you that you're my favorite patient?"

"You might have mentioned it a time or two."

"Know you I have to ask-"

Savannah knew this was a particularly testy subject with Olivia.

"Any suicidal thoughts?"

"No, it was just one time."

"The moment someone decides that they want to end their life and they actually make the attempt to do it, it's never just a one time thing, you know that."

"It was a dark time, I'll admit that and I was wrong for what I did and I regret it but every time you bring it up I feel like an idiot."

"I understand that but you can't pretend it never happened."

"I have the scars to prove it Savannah, I'm not pretending it never happened, I'm just trying to move on, it's embarrassing enough that someone at the hospital leaked it to the media and they hounded me for days."

"That was a gross invasion your privacy."

"You think," Olivia said with a chuckle.

"Okay, so back to your assignment, you said you were nervous?"

Olivia sighed.

"I changed my mind, let's talk about it tomorrow."

"No, I've been trying to get you to talk about him for 2 months, no more delaying. What do you feel?"

"I feel like I'm ready but I can't imagine he'd want to speak to me now."

"Why not?"

"With me leaving and everything that happened after."

"Why did you leave?"

"You asked me that already."

"And you didn't answer," Savannah pointed out, "I think maybe it's time."

"Nope, nope, nope," Olivia insisted.

"Okay fine, back to your assignment, you said I was right, why is that?"

Olivia smiled.

"I miss him, well- I've always missed him but now I feel like I'm at a place where I feel like I might be functional enough to be able to be in a healthy relationship with him before I didn't think that was a possible, which I guess I have to admit was one of the reasons I left."

"Progress," Savannah teased lightly.

"Yes well I don't think it matters, he's probably found someone by now, he isn't exactly unattractive."

"Do you know that for sure?"

"No, in fact I haven't turned on a tv in two months and 12 days because I don't want to find out when he has a new someone."

"How would you feel if you did in fact find out he moved on?"

"I don't know, it's not something I like to think about. I love him very much and even though I haven't spoken to him in 63 days, I still feel close to him."

"What about intimacy? Do you think you're ready to have sex again, not just with him, with anyone."

Olivia made a gesture of disgust.

"Nope no one else, just him, he's the only one I would trust with my body right now."

"Then why don't you tell him that, tell him you love and trust him and that your at a place where you believe you can be in a functional relationship."

"I'm functional but I'm not 100%, there are still night terrors and anxiety attacks and migraines, I mean sometimes I'm perfectly fine and other times it's like I'm there again."

"You will never be exactly as you were before the ordeal, that was very traumatic and it will change you forever and your memory won't help either, sometimes you'll be able to keep them at bay and other times it will feel like you're there all over again. There will always be some paranoia but you can't live in this virtual bubble for the rest of your life. You will have to go back to - dare I say, normal, what about your practice, are you going to abandon your profession, you are an amazing neurologist, surely you intend to practice again."

"I can't perform surgery on anyone in my condition, there are too many panic attacks."

"Well we can work on that."

"We can but we'll have to do that tomorrow, I have to go pick my goddaughter for our little play date today."

"Of course, we'll pick up where we left off tomorrow."

Olivia stood and smiled.

"As always, thank you,"

She waved goodbye and then made her way outside to catch a cab to Kamaya's house, her close friend with whom she'd worked together for several years and the mother of her godchild.

She arrived at the Kamaya's apartment in no time and made her way up and rang the doorbell. Kamaya was working her shift at Columbia but her nanny Simone was there and opened the door for Olivia.

"Liv, how you doing? Sahara knew you were coming, she's been getting dressed for twenty minutes now."

Olivia smiled and stepped into the apartment to find her almost two year old goddaughter Sahara running around with one shoe on her feet.

"Sahara, how are you pumpkin?"

Once Sahara recognized the voice she clumsily ran over to Olivia.

"Va, hold you, hold you."

She stretched her hands up to Olivia signaling that she wanted to be held and Olivia obliged. Olivia had tried teaching her how to say 'hold me' whenever she wanted to be held but Sahara ended up saying 'hold you' instead and she thought it was so cute she never corrected her.

She threw Sahara up in the air and then kissed her stomach which earned her a loud fit of laughter from Sahara. She quickly grabbed her stuff and finished dressing her before heading out again.

She lived only three blocks from Sahara so she usually walked home with her.

As she was walking with Sahara on her hip, she noticed that traffic was thicker than usually for the time of day but she didn't give it much thought she just continued walking.

She walked down her block and she saw a bunch of black SUV's parked up. As she walked further to her apartment she saw a gaggle of news reporters and as soon as they realize who she was, they pounced on her.

"Olivia Pope is the president here to ask for your help?"

"Did president Grant ask for your help in treating Gerry Grant?"

"Do you think you can operate after your accident?"

She held Sahara close to her chest and before she knew it she was surrounded by secret service agents. They whisked her threw the crowd of reporters quickly and brought her straight to the elevator and to her apartment.

It all happened so fast, she barely had time to register the fact that Fitz was there, most likely in her apartment waiting for her. She was also wondering what happened to Gerry and why she needed to treat him.

Sahara was fussy after the encounter with the press but she managed to calm her down by the time she was standing outside of her door.

The first thing she realized was that Tom was standing guard outside of her apartment.

"Tom, is he in there?" She whispered.

"Yes ma'am."

"Why what happened?"

"Ma'am"

"You're not gonna tell me?"

Tom didn't respond.

"Okay."

Olivia closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before she opened the door and walked in.