A/N: I really am so sorry for not writing anymore and leave y'all hanging. I don't know when I'll be able to write and/or post a new chapter again. It's not that I don't want to but I just don't seem able to do it. But I want to assure y'all, I still intend to finish this story, it's not done by far.

So I keep trying and hoping that I'm able to, no matter how long it might take me.

Thank y'all for keep reviewing and reading, even after such a long time.

Chapter 60

"Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well." - Vincent Van Gogh.

"I'm sure you all remember Gena here," Oliver said, raising his hand to prevent others to interrupt him, "It turned out that you not being called was our own fault, Alex. We forgot to have your number changed when we checked into the hospital for my surgery," Oliver explained.

"What do you mean we forgot to have my number changed? And more importantly what has that to do with me not being called as I should have been?" Alex asked, slightly irritated.

"After we got threatened and Jane and I were shot, you changed both our phone numbers from our cellphones. When we came here and they asked if our contact information was still the same we said it was, and with that, neither of us thought about it that the numbers of our cellphones had been changed. Gena has called your old number multiple times and left several messages for you. As I still remembered your password and number, of course, Jane checked it and there were indeed messages left by Gena about me needing to go back to the OR. So our anger was misplaced this time and I apologized to Gena for chewing her ass off, in true Benson style, after Jane and I found out that it was completely out of line and wrong this time," Oliver finished sheepishly.

All women looked at Gena en started to apologize to her at the same time. They all felt bad for accusing the nurse wrongly this time. And for the ass-chewing, she'd received from Oliver.

"I apologize for our behavior towards you in this hospital, Gena. And probably mostly for my husband's behavior," Alex said.

And the blonde ADA meant it. Years back she wouldn't have been as forgiving as she was these days, but one of the things her husband had changed with her over the years, was that with an exception here or there, he truly believed that most people deserved a second chance, hell she herself was probably the best example of that.

Gena noticed the sincerity in Alex's voice and knew that after what happened before, it couldn't have been easy for all of them to have to go through something again in a hospital even though it turned out she wasn't to blame. Never forgotten the blonde's ass-chewing and the one Oliver gave her today she decided to try to lighten things up a bit. After the conversation that had followed with Oliver and Jane before the Detectives had returned to his room, things had changed between them.

"Apology accepted Mrs. Benson. If I may, I would like to say something myself as well," Gena answered.

Alex raised her eyebrow but nodded at the nurse after seeing a slight blush that appeared on her cheeks.

"Yes you may, just remember that there are two detectives and two ADA's in this room," Alex smiled.

"Hey! What about me?" Kathy asked, with a light tone in her voice.

"You don't count, as you are a nurse yourself Blondie," Abby joked.

All women laughed and Oliver smiled and shook his head.

"You were saying, or wanted to say, Gena?" Oliver asked.

Everyone went back to being serious again and looked at Gena, waiting for what she had to say.

"Well, I just wanted to say that after being at the receiving end of both Detective Benson and Mrs. Benson's wrath and ass-chewing, I prefer Mrs. Benson any time. It might sound weird or inappropriate, but comparing to Detective Benson, everyone else seems child play, especially when it's about you Mrs. Benson, I thought yours was the worst I could get and certainly had gotten but after today I change my mind, no offense but I wanna live longer than today," Gena said and finished with a small smile on her lips.

This time all women burst out in laughter as they all, with the exception of Alex herself, of course, had been at the other end of the strong brunette's wrath being it about Alex, they all knew what the dark-haired nurse meant. Even Oliver himself smiled, laughing was yet too painful so he tried not to do that, but a big smile was there.

"Welcome to the club," Jane laughed.

"Thank you. Although, I don't know if I should feel honored or not to belong to it," Gena laughed back.

"Well as you feel free enough to joke about it and are in this room, you should feel lucky or honored, cuz Alex's sister screwed up and got at the other end of Oli's wrath and she's still scared of him," Abby said as she winked at the Oliver, "nor does he talk more than he really has to with her. It's that's she's Alex sister otherwise he would have kicked her out of their lives I think. So, ya wouldn't be the first one that ain't coming back or not being welcome anymore. That being said, welcome to club gal, oh and ya were lucky that Badass Benson here remembered Alex's password," Abby drawled and smiled as she finished.

Gena just nodded at Abby with a small smile on her lips, clearly getting the sort of not so 'hidden' message in the Texan's words.

"I'm surprised that you still remember my password by the way. Anyway, now that this is cleared up, what the hell took you so long Detective Benson? Cause surely checking my voicemail didn't take up that much time?" Alex asked sternly,

and showing that she wasn't amused with her husband being gone for so long nor that he had refused to tell her anything at all when they had returned to his room.

Oliver briefly thought about his answer before he looked at his wife and answered her question.

"Well after the ass-chewing that is mentioned already, Jane made a call to the station and got the messages sent to her phone, that took some time, after we got back what we already told you, and I apologized to Gena, she asked if she could talk with me in private. Jane waited till we were done and then she and I came back to my room. However, what it is that we talked about I won't tell you. I gave my word that it would stay between the two of us unless she would give me permission to talk about it with a third-party of course, and you know I never will do it when I promised something or something is told to me because that person trusts me," Oliver explained.

Alex nodded while the expression on her face softened. Immediately getting what Oliver meant when he said about promising something.

"Can't take the Detective out of a Detective huh, Liv?" Alex smiled.

"Nope, you can't," Oliver answered.

"You won't get into trouble because you keep it to yourself, Detective Benson?" Gena carefully asked.

"No, I won't Gena. Even though everything that would be said in this room with the others, would stay in this room between us, they all know that I won't tell it unless you said I could and they all know that it's confidential. And that I keep my word. You know that Jane is a Detective and Alex an ADA already, Abby is also an ADA en together with Alex assigned to Jane's unit. Well officially mine as well of course, but as I'm not working now and Alex is with me, only Jane and Abby are working for or with the unit. And Kathy here is very familiar with our jobs. Long story short, they all understand it and don't have a problem with it." Oliver explained and reassured the dark-haired nurse.

"If I would decide that it would be alright to tell, it really would stay between us, meaning the people present in this room?" Gena asked.

Oliver looked around at the women he trusted with his life and wanted to answer Gena's question when Jane beat him to it and answered her question.

"I know, for sure, as all of us know, that should you decide to tell whatever it was you and Oli talked about, it will stay between us. We all have, at a certain point, shared something sensitive in this group and it never has been nor will it be told to anyone else. As for Oliver keeping it to himself, I've been through a very rough time myself and Oliver here was my rock during that period of time, not that he's not there for any of us now, and he never told anyone, not even Alex, about what we talked about. In fact, I'm pretty sure that nobody knew we talked until right now. Anyway, long story short, either Oliver will keep it to himself, or we all will keep our mouths shut should you tell us what the two of you talked about. This is a safe haven, so to speak, Gena," Jane finished softly.

Gena looked around and it was clear that the Italian Detective had spoken the truth, no one except for Oliver had known about the conversations the brunette had just mentioned, and by the look on Oliver's face it, mentioning it was kind of a big deal and assured her even more. Both her trust in Oliver as well as the group of women surrounding her.

Gena looked at Oliver and he nodded at her and gave her an encouraging smile. She nodded back at Oliver and took a deep breath.

"He set me up, blackmailed me," Gena whispered, and looked down at the floor.

Alex turned her head towards Oliver and looked at him questionably, Oliver looked at her for a moment before he slowly nodded at the younger blonde. Alex stood up and walked towards the brunette nurse, she stopped in front of her and placed her hand softly on Gena's shoulder.

" What did he do? Did he do anything to you, Gena?" Alex softly asked.

Gena looked up and looked at Alex, with teary eyes, and nodded at the ADA. She turned her head towards Oliver and broke down.

A/N2: I know...another cliffhanger... but hey, on the bright side, it was another chapter posted and will keep all of us waiting for the next chapter. Yes, yes, all of us, including me. Lol