Disclaimer: Still not mine... though one day Mr Wolf and I may come to some arrangement.
Please also check out Daddy, you'll have to go through my portfolio as it's rated M and won't come up on the L&O:SVU story page.
Thanks for all your wonderful reviews, I appreciate them all.
xoxoxinnocencexoxox
It was quarter past five when Elliot slipped his hand into Olivia's as they crossed the road and entered the foyer of St James the Apostle Hospital. Instead of following the signs to the Coronary Care Unit, Elliot headed towards the Emergency Department before Olivia tugged on his hand.
"El, I think it's this way," she said, pointing to the blue and white sign.
"Yeah, I know," he agreed. "But I'm taking you to get checked out. You're still running a temperature and you're just not yourself."
"I'll be fine, Elliot," she protested, pulling back. "I really don't need to see anyone."
Elliot stopped midway along the corridor and pulled her to him. "Humour me, okay?"
Although she was about to protest, she caught the look in his eyes and decided against it. It was a look of love and concern and fear all rolled into one and, given everything he was already going through, she didn't want to make matters worse. She nodded, she'd do anything that would make his life easier right now.
After she'd seen the triage nurse, Elliot left her and went upstairs, on Olivia's instruction and before long Kathy came down.
"Hey, Olivia," Kathy said quietly, sitting in the chair beside her in the waiting room, before handing her a cup of coffee. "It's not the cafeteria, I know, but thought you'd still like some."
"Thanks Kathy," she replied, taking the cup in her good hand.
"How are you doing? El says you're a bit off colour," Kathy said sympathetically.
"Yeah, I told him I thought it was a bug," she sighed, placing the cup on the floor beside her.
"But you think it's something else?" she asked, setting down her cup as well.
"I think it's this," Olivia said, raising the bandage clad hand. "It feels really hot and itchy, and my fingers feel a little stiff to move."
"What did you do?" Kathy asked, taking Olivia's hand.
"I split my knuckle, got a few stitches," she said, wincing as Kathy unwound the bandage.
"How did you manage to do that?" she probed as she neared the end.
"Um… well, um, actually I did it hitting Steve," she admitted, quickly glancing up at Kathy.
Kathy didn't respond but carefully peeled off the dressing to reveal a red inflamed mess.
"God, Olivia, that's so infected!" she exclaimed, gently resting the hand back on Olivia's leg. "No wonder you feel so bad."
"It doesn't look good, does it?" she grimaced.
"How bad does Steve look?" she asked, daring to look at Olivia.
"Um, black eye, spilt lip, sore jaw," she acknowledged.
"You should have shot him, wouldn't have hurt yourself," Kathy whispered, before falling into silence.
Not really sure what Kathy wanted from her, Olivia sat in silence, waiting for Kathy to speak; it took a few minutes.
"I need your help, Olivia," Kathy whispered, her eyes still fixed on Olivia's hand.
"With what?" she asked, not wanting to assume anything.
"With everything. I don't know how to deal with this … I don't know how to make things better for Liz … I don't know how to reconcile it being Steve who did it ... I can't talk to Elliot about it … I just feel so … so…" her voice trailed as the first of her tears slipped down her cheeks.
"So what, Kathy?" she asked gently, needing her to complete her thought.
"I feel so …guilty … disgusted … useless …" she choked out. "Lizzie must hate me …"
"Oh no, Kathy, she doesn't hate you, she loves you," she said, patting her arm.
"She could barely look at me, and really doesn't want to talk to me …" she began.
"She's coming to terms with it … she's also concerned about you because of your dad and because it was Steve, she believes you'll think it's her fault," Olivia said quietly.
"Oh, but I don't," Kathy said, looking up with watery eyes.
"I know that, and I told her, but she's just trying to work through it," she reassured.
"That's the thing though," Kathy sobbed. "She'll talk to you but not me. All I got from her yesterday was a brief outline and anytime I tried to say something she'd answer with 'Liv this' and 'Liv that'."
"Oh," sighed Olivia, once again feeling that maybe she had intruded.
"Oh no," Kathy said, when she saw Olivia's face drop. "I'm so glad she has you … I know she'd be mortified if she had to talk to Elliot – she's always been so easily embarrassed. I'm really grateful that she felt she could come to you and that you … you…did everything you did … everything you could, not just for her but for Dickie too."
Olivia nodded slowly, of all the ways she'd thought this conversation would go it was never this amicable.
"Um, Olivia," Kathy said slowly unsure of how to proceed. "It's none of my business, I know … and I shouldn't ask … but I have to … you and um, Elliot."
"What about us?" she asked, not wanting to volunteer information.
"From what I could gather from the twins, you and he are … um … together," she said, dropping her head.
"Just," Olivia admitted, nodding. "As in since Saturday."
"Really?" Kathy looked up in surprise. "I … well, El's had strong feelings for you for a long while … I just thought he would have acted on them before now."
"Guess not," Olivia said nervously.
"What does this do for your jobs?" Kathy asked.
"One of us will be transferred … we haven't spoken to Cragen yet … but we will as soon as we get back to New York," she answered. Then there was silence once more.
Feeling awkward in the silence and with her hand throbbing, Olivia needed to do something… say something … but Kathy beat her to it.
"Am I the world's worst mother?" she asked, her voice nearly breaking. "To leave my fifteen year old daughter in the house with … with him…"
"No," soothed Olivia.
"I mean … he's lived there for five months now and I thought we were all getting on well …" Olivia watched as Kathy paled significantly and bent over, resting her head on her knees.
"Kathy, what's wrong?" Olivia asked, gently rubbing her back.
"Five months, Olivia, five months," she gasped. "Please tell me this was the only time he … he… tell me the prick didn't spend the five months interfering with her," she begged, clasping onto Olivia's wrist. Olivia paused for a millisecond too long. "Oh, sweet Jesus, he did … didn't he? … He… he…"
"No, no, Kathy, no, breathe," Olivia instructed quietly. "There have been a couple of minor things but Friday night was by far the worst of it."
Kathy started to sob, the visions of her now ex partner sexually assaulting her baby girl just too difficult to bear.
Before Olivia could console Kathy the nurse called for her. Not wanting to leave Kathy alone in the state she was in, she took her arm.
"Come in with me," she instructed gently. Kathy shook her head but Olivia insisted and led her into the cubicle.
Thirty minutes later, after been given an injection, a course of antibiotics to take, and having the wound cleaned out, Olivia was free to go. She and Kathy walked out of Emergency and into Elliot and the kids. He instantly knew the conversation hadn't been an easy one but he was relieved to see genuine affection between the two women who made up his life.
Kathy embraced Olivia warmly. "Thank you, Olivia," she whispered as she hugged her tightly.
"You call me if you need anything, or just want to talk, okay? she replied, hugging her back.
"Thanks, Liv," she said gratefully, testing out the nickname, realising from this time forth Olivia could only be her ally.
Driving away from the hospital, the conversation in the car was limited to a general run down of the day, no one asked specific questions, no one wanted answers. Knowing it would make for a painfully slow evening, Olivia decided to act.
"Anyone else interested in dinner and movie or a movie then dinner?" she asked, turning in her seat to look at her three companions.
Elliot wasn't interested but decided since Olivia had offered then she had a plan, so he agreed quickly.
"What about you guys?" Elliot asked, as he navigated a tight corner.
"Yeah, what movie?" Dickie asked, not wanting to endure a chick flick.
"No idea," Olivia replied. "Why don't we head to the cinema now, check out the schedule and make a decision?"
"Sounds like a plan, Liv," said Elliot. "Don't you think, Liz?"
"Yeah …" there was nothing enthusiastic in her response at all.
"We don't have to," Olivia said, craning her neck look at Liz.
"No, we should," Liz replied tiredly. "We should."
Anything would be better than the nothingness of the strained conversation.
EOEO
The following morning, the plans for the day, made over dinner the night before were changed.
"I'm really sorry, guys," Olivia groaned from her bed. "Don't think I can cope with a day at Universal."
Elliot moved to her and felt her forehead. "Your temperature's gone," he said before kissing her head. "Those antibiotics not kicked in?"
"Yeah, but …" she started.
"We don't have to go, Liv … it's okay," he said.
Olivia glanced at Dickie. "No, it's not. Why don't you take the kids and have fun?"
"If it's alright with you, Livvy…" Liz began, sitting on the bed at Olivia's feet. "I'd rather hang out here today than go."
"There you go," Olivia said, smiling at Elliot. "You and Dickie can go and have some male bonding time – do the Hulk rollercoaster he wants to do. And Lizzie and I will have some girly time … might go to the salon downstairs and have a manicure or something."
"You sure?" he asked.
"Yeah … then we'll be beautiful and you can take us out to dinner," she sassed, winking at him.
"You…" He bent down and kissed her nose. "…are always beautiful."
After the guys had departed, Olivia picked up the hotel directory and called down to the salon. When she hung up she had a plan of action for the day.
"Well, Liz, we can have a massage in an hour, a mani and pedi after that. We could then have lunch and be back in there for a hair appointment at three. What do you think?" she asked, sitting alongside her on the bed.
"I thought you weren't feeling well?" she asked, surprised at the day's agenda.
"I am feeling better than yesterday but I really couldn't handle a day of walking around in the heat or the rides," she replied. "If you don't want to go, it's okay, I can cancel them."
"No, no," she quickly answered. "I think it sounds great. I just don't want you overdoing it. I mean you haven't been well and you've spent all your time looking after me when you had all your own issues..."
"Honey, like I said last night, I'm okay and I don't think sitting in a chair or lying on a bed could be seen as overdoing it," she smiled. "Okay?"
"Okay, just checking," Lizzie said, kissing her cheek. "I'll go have a shower then."
Massages complete, Liz and Olivia reclined in the leather chairs, waiting for the 'treatment specialist' to come their way.
"Wonder what university degree you have to have to be considered a specialist?" Olivia whispered, leaning across to Lizzie.
"Probably Harvard," Liz whispered back.
"Then this will be the best manicure ever," she grinned, winking at Liz.
"What colour are you getting, Liv?" she asked opening the colour selection chart.
"Well, I think my fingers have to be something subtle, for work, but my toes …" she trailed.
"Get this," Lizzie suggested, tapping rapidly on the chart.
Olivia leaned forward to read the name before bursting out laughing. "Cotton Candy?"
"Yeah, it's a hot colour and cute name," Liz encouraged.
"But it's so ... so pink," she replied but looking up at Lizzie's eager face she gave in. "Cotton Candy it is."
Massaged, painted, buffed, hair cut and styled, Olivia and Liz made their way back to the hotel room both feeling happier and more relaxed than they had in a long time. Both looking forward to Elliot and Dickie coming home so they could go and have dinner at the Outback Steakhouse just down the block.
Their plans were changed twenty minutes later when there was a frantic banging on the hotel room door.
"Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed, seeing him pale, clammy and bent over. "What's wrong?"
"Out of my way," he groaned as he dashed for the bathroom and promptly threw up.
Olivia went in to him and grabbed a face washer, running it under the cold water before mopping his brow. "You okay, babe?" she asked quietly as he tried to stand.
"Yeah, am now … just something I ate," he said, leaning at the basin and scooping water into his mouth before swishing and spitting it out.
Elliot wrapped his arm around Olivia's shoulders and walked back out to the kids.
"You look terrible, dad," Lizzie commented, as he sat down on the end of a bed, his head resting on Olivia's chest as she stood in front of him.
"Thanks, Liz," he muttered.
"When did this start?" Olivia asked Dickie who was finding the whole thing quite amusing.
"Well," he began, sitting next to his father. "I bet dad he couldn't eat the same as me and do the same rides without getting sick … and he said he could…"
"Oh Elliot!" Olivia smirked. "This is self inflicted? What did you do?"
"A few rides, four hot dogs, sodas, more rides …" He swallowed hard as his stomach churned at the thought.
"Did you do the Hulk?" Lizzie asked amused by the whole thing.
"Nine times," Dickie grinned.
"Nine?" Olivia gasped. "No wonder you look green, El," she whispered, kissing his head.
"Are you going to tell them what else we ate, dad?" Dickie smirked.
"I don't think we need to … share," he groaned, making a dash for the bathroom once again.
As Elliot held onto the porcelain toilet bowl, Olivia stood beside him, gently rubbing his back. After the worst had passed he looked down to her feet and noticed her bright pink toes.
"It's Cotton Candy," she offered, noting his curious look. "Lizzie's got the same."
It was enough to induce more vomiting.
"Hey, Liv," Liz said rapping at the door. "Did dad tell you what they ate?"
"Not yet," she replied, squeezing his shoulder.
"Cotton Candy … ten lots … How funny's that?" she laughed backing out of the bathroom.
"Ten? God, Elliot. What were you thinking?" she laughed.
He eased himself up from the floor and sat on the edge of the tub, holding onto Olivia, his arms wrapped around her stomach.
"Think you have to face it, sweetie, you're getting old," she soothed, her hand raking through his hair.
"Guess I am…" he nodded. "Not going to do that again."
"So I guess dinner's out," she stated as he shifted his head.
"Yeah, sorry baby," he moaned. "Don't think I'll ever eat again."
"That's okay, we don't have to go out," she replied, her hand resting on his shoulder.
"You could take the kids, if you wanted to," Elliot suggested. "Don't know if Dickie will be up to eating though."
By the time Olivia and the twins left for dinner, Elliot was tucked up in bed with a bottle of water and his cell on the bedside table and the waste paper bin, doubling as a bucket, sitting by the bed. His stomach had settled a bit but his head still swirled every time he closed his eyes, his brain seemingly stuck forever on the Incredible Hulk Rollercoaster.
xoxoxinnocencexoxox
There are just 2 chapters left in this story. After the overwhelming support with the early chapters I embarked on writing an epilogue. It will most likely be a two - parter.
Thanks once again for your continued support and encouragement for this story, it means so much.
love Nettie
xoxoxox