Wow: Overwhelmed by the responses to this story. I love this story, and it is so nice that others do to. A guest review said I was true to the characters and that is seriously the biggest compliment in my opinion as that is what I try to achieve. No more smut just yet (but soon):)
The next three weeks went by pretty quickly. Olivia was busy with the campaign and Franklin with school. Before they knew it it was Olivia's birthday, not that she really wanted to celebrate it. Franklin had planned to take her out to her favourite restaurant with OPA and Cyrus, James and Ella. She didn't know.
But that morning, as Olivia was dropping Franklin to school she got a text message accompanied by a photo. Olivia had stopped by the curb to let Franklin off when she checked it. Her hand flew over her mouth.
Look who is a big sister! Theodore Wallace Grant. Arrived 5:43am. 8lbs2oz 49cm long. The photo was one of Karen holding the baby with a signature Grant smile.
"Liv?" Franklin asked at her reaction. She cleared her throat before responding.
"Mellie had the baby." She handed him the phone to see the picture. He looked at it, smiled breifly before handing it back.
"Are you ok?" he asked concerned.
"Sure am. You have a good day ok. I'll see you later."
"Happy Birthday Livvie." He said as he stood on the footpath. He looked at her and she gave him a cheeky smile. He hadn't said happy birthday till now, she honestly thought he didn't realise. Well she hoped anyways.
"Thank you." She said as she pulled away. She parked at work and quickly replied to Karen.
Congratulations. He is adorable. You will be an amazing big sister xoxo.
Her team all gave her a single happy birthday when she walked in which she was grateful to get out of the way. She was extremely happy that today was one of her OPA days, as opposed to her White House days. They got on with work, seeing the news break about little Teddy only at around lunch time. She went out to get the team lunch, she needed a break. When she returned all the tv's were off. They sat down to eat and took a little longer than normal which was just fine by her.
At around 6pm Olivia headed home. When she arrived she found Franklin by the door with a dozen red roses, dressed in his tux. She almost laughed at the sight, just because she was not expecting it. He handed her the roses and kissed her cheek.
"Go get dressed, were are going out." He said smiling.
Olivia threw on a dress and met Franklin back at the door. They caught the lift downstairs and parked out the front was a limo. Franklin opened the door for her and she got in. She was met with "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" from her whole team. Olivia shook her head at them all as Franklin got in next to her. The car pulled away from the curb.
They arrived at her favourite restaurant and were shown to her table, where a further surprise waited for her. Jerry and Karen were already seated at their table. "Surprise" they said in unison. Olivia hugged them both.
"Shouldn't you guys be with your brother?" She asked. After all, that was the reason they were in town in the first place.
"We were there all day, and we didn't want to miss your birthday." Karen responded for them.
They all sat down and had a lovely eveing. Olivia drank almost a whole bottle of red without noticing it and felt pretty buzzed. When the night came to an end she thanked everyone for coming and they dropped them all home in the limo. She pretty much fell asleep as soon as she got home but gave Franklin a big hug beforehand.
XXXX
Fitz had wanted to call Olivia for her birthday, but knew she wouldn't answer. Not today. He understood, but it made him sad.
Mellie had started having contractions the morning before, but knew nothing would happen for a while. They called Karen and Jerry who both got on the next flight they could. Jerry arrived first and found his father pacing in the oval office.
"Dad?" he asked when Fitz didn't acknowledge his presence.
"Sorry son. I didn't hear you come in." he said walking over to give Jerry a hug.
"Are you ok?" Jerry asked seeing that he clearly wasn't.
"I just get anxious, and there is nothing I can do. Its maddening." He shook his head slightly.
"Wanna shoot some hoops while we wait?" Jerry suggested.
Fitz wanted to check on Mellie first so they went to the residents. "Mels. Do you need anything?" he asked sympathetically.
"No, Im fine." She said. She did seem ok. She was sitting on the couch watching television.
"Do you mind if Jerry and I go shoot some hoops?" he asked trying to be sensitive.
"Yeah, no problem." She said sincerely. She knew how anxious Fitz got and thought he could blow off some steam.
They only got in about an hour before the queeziness Fitz felt became too much. It was almost dinner time anyways. Fitz and Mellie ate pretty small meals, Fitz trying to encourage her to eat more because she might not get to eat a proper meal for a few hours. She tried, knowing he was right.
It was weird for Jerry to see his parents act this way. He had never seen his dad so nervous, ever, not even on election night or inauguration day. And his mum was very mellow, not the usual firecracker he knew.
Mellie's contractions became more painful after dinner but she knew they were still some time away. She quietly made sure her bag was packed, and packed some clothes for Fitz before taking the bag into the living room where Jerry and Fitz were.
Fitz saw the bag and knew she was ready. He called in the secret service and 5 minutes later they were heading off. Jerry texted Karen on their way over telling her to meet them at the hospital.
When they arrived at the hospital Mellie was given a wheelchair that Fitz pushed. They set her up in a private room and she was examined by a doctor, who confirmed what Mellie already knew, that she was still a few hours off.
Jerry re-entered the room after she was examined and sat on the couch. Fitz stood next to Mellie and held her hand. To Jerry the only indication of a contraction was the increased beeping on the monitor, however Fitz' hand told him when she was having a contraction. She would squeeze until it was over. Fitz wanted to stretch his hand but knew that was selfish.
Karen arrived 2 hours later. She had managed to get on a flight that left just 1 hour after her dad had called. She had no luggage and was happy to pay for first class tickets for her and her agent.
When Karen arrived at the hospital she called Jerry who met her at reception. They ran back to their mums room and Karen gave her a big hug. Karen took her mums other hand letting her dad go to the bathroom, and there she remained until Teddy arrived almost 5 hours later. Fitz cut the umbilical cord and little Teddy was placed on Mellie's chest. Mellie had planned to breastfeed for only a couple of days until the colostrum was replaced with milk. Teddy suckled while Karen went to get Jerry.
Jerry had left quite some time ago, not quite feeling the need to stick around. He sat just outside the room and even managed to get some sleep. When Karen came out she was beaming.
"He's here! And he is absolutely adorable." She said sitting down next to him, thankful to get off her feet.
"He is still a little gunky and Mum still has to deliver the placenta so you probably don't want to go in there just yet." She knew her brother well enough to know that. He nodded, he too was smiling. They sat in silence for about 10 minutes, Karen's smile never waivering. Karen then went back in the room, facinated by the whole thing.
Once Mellie had delivered the placenta and Teddy was all clean and dressed and wrapped Fitz took him out of the room to give Mellie a rest. When he came out of the room Jerry was sitting there with a tray of coffees. Karen was close behind Fitz and lunged at the coffee.
Jerry held out Fitz' coffee. Karen held her arms out for the baby. Both Coffee and baby were exchanged sucessfully.
"Jerry, can you take a photo on my phone please." Karen asked before returning to coo at her little brother. Jerry took her phone from her lap and began snapping. He got a great one of Karen with the biggest smile on her face looking right at the camera. Jerry then put the phone back in her lap and put his coffee down.
"Alright, no hogging!" he said holding his arms out to take the baby. Jerry hadn't had much to do with babies before. They didn't have any cousins, and being at college had limited his involvment with Ella when she was this little. Fitz told him to support his neck, but that was all he really needed to know.
As he grabbed the little bundle love washed over him. He was honestly a bit apprehensive about this baby. Karen was his little sister and he didn't know if he would be able to love this baby as much as he loved Karen. He litterally couldn't remember a time before her, but the love he felt was almost instinctual as soon as he felt his little weight in his arms. He had always been protective of Karen, but he felt somewhat more overprotective of this little one than he had ever felt about Karen.
"I'll never let anything happen to you." He whispered rubbing his face ever so gently.
It was quite interesting for Fitz to watch as well. His eyes welled with tears as he watched his eldest children interact with their little brother. Teddy eventually began to fuss and Fitz took him for a little walk.
Fitz had had to go back to the White House for a meeting, but promised to be only gone an hour or two. Jerry and Karen stayed until he returned before returning to the White House themselves. Karen looked through her photos in the car over. She found her favourite and began typing a text. She wanted to announce it to the world, but knew that her Dads job meant she couldn't. She sent it to Andre.
"Should I text Liv?" she asked Jerry conflicted.
"She would probably prefer to find out from you, rather than the news." Jerry shrugged. Karen copy and pasted the text and hesitated over the send button before just sending it.
"SHIT. It is Liv's birthday today. I totally forgot." Karen said only seconds after she hit send.
"I wonder if they are doing anything special." Jerry thought.
"Maybe I should text Franklin." She said already doing so.
Dinner. Shae Enri. 6:45pm. Your most welcome to join us. It is a surprise. Franklin replied soon after.
"Jerry, we should go." She said showing him the text.
"Yeah, sure." He agreed enthusiacstically.
XXXX
8 Weeks later and Fitz had barely spoken to Olivia. She and Franklin had sent a gift for Teddy with a card, but otherwise Olivia had tried desperately to avoid him. She would come into the White House, breif Cyrus, leave instructions and then leave. If she did need to spend more time on the campaign, she would do so when Fitz had other commitments out of the White House.
That week Andrew Nichols, Fitz' VP candidate for the upcoming election, was staying. He had a couple of speaking engagements and there was a campaign dinner on Friday night for him to attend. Fitz was looking forward to having him around for a week. They met up on weekends that Fitz took to the trail, but that was pretty much it. He had plans for them to play basketball and go bowling and have a few glasses of scotch in the Oval.
The last night of his stay, the Saturday night, Fitz had a unscheduled meeting in the sit room. When the meeting finished it was late and he was exhausted. He went straight to the residence, wanting to kiss Teddy goodnight before going to bed. When he walked in the door he heard noises coming from the room Andrew was sleeping in. He thought he would check that nothing was wrong, not really being able to ascertain the nature of the noises.
When he reached the door he could hear groans. He was about to turn around and speak to him about it tomorrow when he heard "Mmmmm Mel." Before even really thinking he threw open the door to reveal Andrew sitting on the edge of the bed, Mellie kneeling between his knees her head bobbing up and down, one of Andrews hand tangled in the back of hair. Fitz' whole body tensed. He stood there, rooted to the spot.
"Shit. Fitz." Andrew said standing up and pulling his pants up. Mellie spun around wiping her mouth, not really knowing what to do or say. Fitz' eyes were stuck on Mellie. Andrew decided to try to talk man to man with Fitz. He stood in his eye line and slowly walked towards him. Fitz' gaze didn't move though, he looked right through him. When Andrew got close enough though Fitz brought his right arm up and connected it with his face. Mellie gasped and her hands flew to her cheeks before she crawled over to Andrew who was now on the floor.
Fitz turned on his heels and walked away. Mellie chased him. She grabbed his arm but he reefed it out of her grasp and turned around to face her. He was angry and she knew it so she retracted her arms quickly.
"Can we please talk." She pleaded. There was an array of emotions written on her face, which was the only thing keeping him where he was. She didn't just look guilty, she looked sad, and worried and appologetic.
"Im not sure what there is to talk about?" he asked. They were in one of the middle rooms that had couches and Mellie motioned for him to sit. He decided that he would because he honestly wanted answers.
"Im sorry Fitz." She said, looking genuine. This took him by surprise and caused a whole new wave of anger.
"For what? For lying? for cheating? For fucking my best friend?" he accused. "How long have you been sleeping with him?" she visibly flinched at his words. He saw her gulp.
"Pretty much since you announced him as your VP." She said looking at her hands.
"What the fuck Mellie. So you were lying." He stated. She wasn't quite sure what he was refering to exactly.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"When you told me you werent a sexual person anymore. It was a lie. It wasn't that you didn't want sex, it was that you didn't want me." He said raising his voice, now standing. Mellie shrunk into the couch and her head dropped even lower.
"Mellie. You need to tell him." Andrew said emerging from the door.
"I think you have done enough tonigh Andrew." He dismissed him.
"Mel." He said sitting next to her. Fitz was about ready to punch him again when he stopped.
"Wait. Tell me what?" He asked. Mellie only shook her head no.
"He deserves to know Mel." he said trying to encourage her. Mellie looked at Andrew with his one swollen eye, before looking up at Fitz. She took a while to compose herself and Fitz could see it was serious so he waited.
"You know how Andrew said he was the one the doctor prescribed the oxycotine to. Well, he was lying." She paused. "It was me." She confessed. She saw the confused look on his face and tried to find the words to continue. Andrew took his que to leave, knowing they needed to talk, and left the room to find some ice.
"I took the whole bottle at once. I wanted to die." She was looking at her hands again. Tears started to well up and a couple escaped. She wiped them away and looked at the table across the room.
"I wanted to kill myself because…" and her nose moved as she persed her lips to the side quickly before releasing. It was in an effort to control her emotions. "Big Jerry raped me. And I didnt know if Jerry was yours or his." She spewed out, just wanting to get it over with. Her tears were falling freely now. Fitz' eyebrows rose momentarily before furrowing hard.
"What." He almost whispered.
"Please don't make me say it again." She begged.
"When?" he asked trying to understand.
"Just after we met Cyrus. When you started your bid."
"Why didn't you tell me? We could have had him arrested."
"You would have lost."
"There are more important things in life than winning elections!" he boomed.
"Like what?" she yelled in return.
"LIKE OUR MARRIAGE!" he yelled before continuing with a more measured voice. "Like our children. Like your life." He said sadly.
"So this is my fault now?" asked Mellie annoyed.
"What my father did to you, is not your fault." He shook his head no. "But the way you handled it is. By running to Andrew." He said with distain in his voice.
"He was there for me." She said softly.
"I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE FOR YOU! But you didn't let me." He said sadly turning away from her. "I loved you Mellie. But you turned me away." He began moving towards the door. She chased him, but before she could touch him he turned around, sensing her proximity. "I'm sorry for what my father did, but right now I just need some time." Mellie could see the tears forming. She nodded.
"Jerry is yours. I had him tested." She wanted to tell him before he left.
"You know it wouldn't even have mattered." He said with a sigh.
"Andrew and I will leave tonight. I will go and visit my parents." He nodded and exited the room.
Fitz found himself in Teddy's room. He picked him up and felt some releif to his heartache when he looked at his son. He could hear Mellie and Andrew moving around the residence though so he took a walk down to the oval, to maybe pick up a brief, or sign some documents. He didn't want to put Teddy down so he came too.
When Fitz arrived he sat down behind the desk. The familiar leather comforted him and he lay Teddy on his chest as he put his feet on the desk. He lay there watching Teddy when he felt a wave of emotion wash over him and his chest constricted, he picked up Teddy and sat properly trying to regulate his breathing again.
One hand held Teddy and the other reached for the phone, dialing in a familiar number without him really realising it. He put the receiver to his ear and listened to the ringing, not really expecting the phone to be answered.
"Hello." She croaked while she lay in bed. She heard no response, only a renewed sob on the other end. Her head shot off the pillow and she was now sitting, fully awake.
"Fitz. Whats wrong?" she asked concerned. He had never really called her for comfort beyond that of missing her.
"I…I need you." He choked out.
"I'll be right there." She knew she would probably regret it in the morning, but she had never heard him sound so sad, so vulnerable. There was something wrong and it was bad.
She quickly scribled a note and hung it on her own door, and one on the front door. Hopefully she would be back by morning, but she honestly wasn't sure and she didn't want Franklin thinking something had happened to her. She would probably ring him to wake him up in the morning, but just in case, she left the notes.
She dressed for work in case she didn't get to come back and was out of the door 20 minutes later.
The closer she got to the Oval Office the more she worried. She was almost running when she got there. She could sense that something was off. She knocked quickly before she entered. She found him exactly where he had been when he called, not that she knew that, with Teddy resting in his arms.
His eyes were closed and silent tears streamed down his face. He didn't even notice her entrance. She put her bag down next to the door.
"Fitz?" she whispered, but he heard her. His eyes opened and he tilted his head to look at her. To her he honestly looked broken. Teddy wriggled slightly and Fitz looked down at him. Olivia had barely noticed the little boy before now and it threw her slightly, she had made every attempt to avoid his innocence.
Fitz stood up and was about to move around the desk when the phone rang. Fitz instincively picked it up despite his emotional state and regretted it immediately. He gave her an appologetic look before he tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder and began rummaging through papers on his desk with one hand. Teddy began fussing, which made Fitz' task more difficult.
Olivia walked around to his side and gently squeezed the arm holding Teddy. He turned to her and she held out her arms to take Teddy. He hesiated before moving him to her arms. Fitz returned to rummaging through his desk and began taking notes of what the person was saying, interjecting with questions when necessary.
Olivia walked around the room. While the boy was light in her arms, the weight in her heart was heavy. She had decided with Mellie that he should be conceived, yet she had resented his being from his conception. How could she resent such a gorgeous boy. She eventually sat down on the couch and supported his head with both hands and lay him on her legs. When he began closing his eyes she picked him up once more and went to the door. She asked the agents to have a port-a-cot brought to the office.
Only a few minutes later it arrived and was set up, while Fitz was still on the phone. She then put him in the cot and he was lulled to sleep by his father's voice as he began to finish his phone call.
When the receiver was put down Olivia sat down on the couch. She looked up at him and patted the couch next to her. He stood up shuffled over before sitting next to her. He never broke eye contact with her.
"Thanks for coming." He said not knowing where to start. He wanted to touch her desperately, but didn't.
"Of course. Do you want to tell me whats wrong?" she asked. He looked at her and his heart sunk. Yes she was the one that he wanted to talk to about everything, especially when he was so upset, but he didn't want to upset her either. How much should he tell her?
Having never seen him so upset, she was worried, and he could see it.
Fitz leant his elbos on his knees and clenched his hands together.
"I walked in on Mellie and Andrew together." Olivia spoke almost straight away.
"Fitz. I saw him looking at her a couple of months ago and I confronted him about it, but I thought that was it. Im sorry." She said. He sat up with a weak smile and grabbed her hand, rubbing the back of hers with his thumb.
"Don't get me wrong, I am pissed off. I punched him." He said squeezing her hand to look down at his reddened knuckles. "but that's not why I am upset." He said not looking at her. She had a confused look on her face. He exhaled, preparing.
"Mellie told me my father raped her." He choked out, the emotion hitting him again. She covered her mouth with her hand. "He just keeps finding ways to screw with my life, even after death." He looked at her and tears fell down his face.
She had no words, none. Big Jerry was certainly a bastard, but that just topped the cake.
She moved closer to him on the couch. She released the hand he was holding and put it on his back, the other on his knee, rubbing his back. "I just feel so horrible. How could my father do that to someone. She tried to kill herself because of him." His bottom lip began to quiver slightly so she pulled his head onto her shoulder with the hand that was on his knee.
"We are not our parents Fitz. His actions are not yours." She said into his ear. This was something she had come to realise over the years. It wasn't something that came easy though.
At some point he pushed her back slightly so she was leaning against the arm of the couch allowing it to take both of their weights. He wrapped one arm around her waist and put his head on her bosom.
This Fitz was one she had only seen when Big Jerry had been on the campaign trail, and nowhere to this extent. His father turned back all the progress he had made in himself. He disintergrated his confidence and left him vulnerable. And right now that's what he was, vulnerable. His actions were almost child like. That's what his father did.
Olivia stroked his hair and continued to rub his back. Eventually he fell asleep. She looked at her watch and gave him till 5am to sleep. She stayed awake, examining his facial features. Never, even during his first campaign, had she had the pleasure. They had always been so busy that they were always up and going as soon as they woke up, and in France it had been about sleep.
For three hours she committed every corner, lump, freckle, scar, and dimple to memory before she began waking him gently. She massaged his scalp with her finger nails. He groaned, but that didn't quite do it. She rubbed his back.
"Fitz." She whispered.
A combination of all three seemed to wake him slowly. When he realised where he was though he squeezed her a little tighter.
"Livvie." He moaned.
"It's 5am, we should get up." She said. Fitz slowly moved his weight off her, but instead of moving off her he placed one hand on her face and pulled her to a sitting position with the arm that was wrapped around her. He pushed his lips to hers and lingered before pulling back.
"Thank you." He said with a weak smile. She nodded her head once.
"That's what friends are for right?" she said cheekily. He smiled at her choice of words and shook his head slighly.
"Exactly." He confirmed before little Teddy broke their moment and Fitz retreived him.
XXXX
Neither was really sure why, but from that point on their relationship drastically changed. He called her frequently, she answered. He even started calling before 9pm just to chat. She would walk around with her earphones in talking to him while doing chores. She didn't hide the fact that it was him from Franklin, or her team. They didn't just talk about work, they alked about everything under the sun. They challeneged each others opinions and perspectives, which was what he was initially drawn to about her, and for Olivia it was like a breath for fresh air.
Fitz' relationship with Mellie was different too. He was still hurt, but had come to the conclusion that they didn't need to hurt one another any more. They had been partners before everything happened, and the best way forward was for them to be partners again. He had asked her and Andrew to be discreet about their relationship and they accepted. After all he didn't want to be hypocritical.
XXXX
Franklin was doing well at school and had begun talking about a girl called Lilly more and more. She changed school to Walls just after the April holidays. They had a couple of classes together and she had just joined the debat team, but Franklin said she was pretty nervous.
They had a pretty big debate coming up in a week or two and Franklin had been doing some prep work with her at the library after school.
"Hey Liv, do you think Lilly might be able to come over on Saturday. She is still really nervous about the debate and I thought we could do some more work." He asked her over dinner one night.
"Ok, that's fine. I wont be here for most of the day, I have some campaign work to do, so just make sure Lilly's parents are ok with her being here alone. Give her my number and tell her her parents can call me if they need to ok?" she smiled.
"Thanks Liv." He smiled before resuming his meal.
"So do you like Lilly, like more than a friend?" Olivia smiled at him. He went red but nodded.
"Yeah, she is pretty cool. But I don't know if she likes me." He said shyly.
"Well, you know there is really only one way to find out. You should just ask her." She was still smiling.
He didn't reply so she just dropped the subject but not her smile.
Saturday rolled around and Lilly was set to come over. Unfortunately Olivia had to head off early so wouldn't get to meet her that morning, but had made sure there was plenty of brain food and snacks in the house.
Steven and Olivia headed over to the White House and got a good amount of work done while the others worked on another case.
It was just after 12 when Fitz inquired where Franklin was.
"He is helping the new girl at school with debate prep." She said casually.
Steven chuckled. "Mmhmmm, debate prep. That's a good one." He said still chuckling. Olivia's head snapped around to look at him.
"What do you mean?" she asked seriously.
"Franklin is 15 years old and he has a girl over. What do you think they are doing. I remember what I was doing at 15. Do you?" He said smirking and with a wink. She picked up her handbag and ran out of the White House, litterally ran.
She made it back to the apartment in record time. She burst through the door to find Lilly sitting at the dining room table with Franklin reading through his cards, practicing.
"Hey Liv, what are you doing home?" he asked pausing his speech.
"President Grant was feeling generous today and gave us an early mark." She lied. Lilly's mouth fell open.
"You work for the President of the United States?" she asked.
"Where are my manners" Olivia said walking over to Lilly. "Olivia Pope. Im so pleased to meet you, I have heard lots about you." She said extending her hand. Lilly blushed breifly.
"Wow. Your Olivia Pope, I have heard lots about you actually. I thought I recognised you." She said shaking Olivia's hand back. Olivia smiled kindly.
"So hows the debate prep going?" Olivia asked.
"Good, I feel much more confident now than I did before. I have never done a debate before." She admitted.
"You werent interested at your last school?" Olivia asked.
"Not really, they didn't value intelectual endeavours as much as sporting endevours unfortunatley." She frowned.
"Well, you have come to the right school for both at Walls." Olivia smiled. "Anyways, you guys hungry? How does grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches sound?" she asked.
"Sounds good to me." Franklin said. Lilly concured. Olivia moved to the kitchen but kept her ears perked trying to hear Franklins speech.
"Your mum is so cool." She heard Lilly whisper.
"Yeah, she is." Franklin said and Olivia didn't think she had smiled this big ever. His mum. She had never heard him refer to her as such and wondered if it was just out of ease that he didn't correct her, rather than having to explain his situation. But it still made her very happy. She made their lunch without her smile waivering. She took them lunch before moving to her room to continue working. She felt a little bad for jumping to conclusions and thought they deserved some quiet.
She opened her laptop and began typing when her Fitz phone rang.
"Hey." She said cheerily.
"So everything is ok." He asked concerned. Olivia laughed.
"Yeah, everything is fine. Steven just scared me by reminding me what he was like at 15." She shook her head at the thought.
"Franklin is a good kid Liv."
"I know, but that doesn't mean you always make good choices. Just makes me realise that I will probably have to have 'the talk' with him." She groaned at the thought, falling back onto her bed. Fitz just began laughing.
"I don't envy you right now." He said before continuing to laugh.
"Hey, that's not very nice, laughing at me as I struggle through raising a teenage boy." Before she too began laughing.
When they stopped laughing she asked "Got any advice for a first timer?" she asked seriously.
"Just be honest really."
"Ok. Thanks. And sorry for running out, I was just freaking out." He chuckled.
"Its fine, but I did want your opinion on an idea I had." He started. They went on to talk about work.
A few hours later Franklin stuck his head in her room. "Im just going to walk Lilly out, her Dad is here." Olivia hopped off the bed and said goodbye to Lilly as they walked out the door.
Olivia attended their debate two weeks later and they both did great. You could barely tell that it was Lilly's first debate. Franklin was getting better every time, she was very proud. Unfortunately though Lilly's parents couldn't make it with work so Olivia took them both out afterwards to celebrate. Nothing too special, just diner food and two games of pool.
When they arrived home they had a missed call on the home phone from Karen. Olivia called her back.
"Hey Karen." She greeted.
"Hey Liv. How did Franklin's debate go?" she asked.
"Good, very good. They won."
"Awesome. Is he around?" she asked.
"Sure, I'll just get him for you." She handed the phone to him and they spoke for 20 minutes before Franklin handed her back the phone.
"I feel a little jealous." She joked.
"I still love you Liv." She could hear Karen smile as she spoke. "Anyways, the reason I am calling is because during the summer holidays Jerry and I have decided that we would like to come down and help out with the campaign."
"Have you spoken to your Dad?" she asked.
"Not yet. Which is why im calling you, so you can maybe come up with some ideas and help our case. We arent children anymore, and I kinda wish I had been more involved. Plus, I want to come back and spend lots of time with Teddy, so we'll be around anyways." She pleaded her case.
"Fine, but you have to tell him. Today." She demanded.
"Fine. But that's not the only reason I want to come over. I am thinking of moving back."
"Is everything ok? You love France." Olivia asked confused.
"I do, but I was considering becoming a midwife." She said shyly. She hadnt really discussed it with too many people, not knowing whether it was the right decision or not.
"Wow, Karen, that's amazing. You would be a great midwife." She smiled.
"So I thought I might be able to check out some uni's along the trail."
Olivia and Karen spend another 10 minutes talking about the best nursing/midwifery universities in the country. Olivia ended the call insisting that she call her father. Karen did however want Olivia to keep the midwifery thing quiet until she made a decision.
As if on que an hour later her Fitz phone rang.
"Hello." She said evenly trying not to sound like she was expecting his call.
"Hi."
"How was your day?" she asked.
"Karen and Jerry want to join the campaign." He got straight to the point.
"They arent kids anymore, I think it could be good."
"They already spoke to you about it." He realised.
"Maybe." She smiled. He exhaled.
"I just don't want to put them in the spotlight more than they already are." He said concerned.
"I think they are capable of making that decision for themselves don't you think."
"I guess your right." He conceded.
"Of course im right." She joked.
XXXX
The next two months were pretty hectic for everyone. School was coming to a close for another year and the campaign was really revving up. Olivia had asked Franklin if he wanted to join the trail for the duration of the holidays or whether he would rather stay in DC. Even though they both knew what he would want, Olivia asked anyways.
So as school came to a close, Franklin started packing for 6 weeks on the road. He was very excited. He and his mum hadn't traveled very much, and he had only seen bits and pieces when he and Olivia joined the campaign on weekends.
The day the trail was scheduled to begin was also Franklin's birthday so Olivia arranged a larger than normal kick of party. The whole group celebrated Franklin's birthday. After midnight they all piled onto a bus and off they went. Cyrus attended the party but had decided to stay behind to manage things at the White House, and to look after Ella while James was on the trail as a jurno.
Olivia worried that Franklin might get bored, but having Jerry and Karen guaranteed that wouldn't happen. He also loved playing with Teddy, who after much debate between Fitz and Mellie, had come with them. Yes it would be a rouch schedule for a baby, but Fitz didn't want to miss all the little first that he would most likely achieve during that time. And after all he was a baby who could sleep almost anywhere. So Franklin was well occupied.
They did all the traditional stops, but added in a few extras. Fitz had taken Teddy to a fathers group for a play date. Fitz mingled and the press was glowing. Olivia had arranged for Jerry and Karen to visit a few teaching hospitals along the way. Noone thought much of it because it was common knowledge that Jerry was studying to be a doctor. But Olivia had arranged the visits mostly with Karen in mind. She also had them attend a couple of universities along the way, especially the Frontier nursing university in Kentucy and Vanderbilt for Karen. Olivia and Franklin also snuck off a couple of times to look at potential universities for him in a few years.
Mellie had over the last years become passionate about vaccinations so she did a few rallies over the campaign and attended group vaccinations with Teddy and they were publicised very well. Photo's of Teddy being vaccinated where great pictures for the cause.
Fitz and Andrew also did a few macho sporting things, with Jerry as well. They threw a ball with a couple of local clubs and shot some hoops with the Lakers, which was definitely a highlight for Fitz.
Olivia was loving getting to spend time with Jerry and Karen and little Teddy was certainly growing on her. It didn't always feel like work this time, it was fun.
XXXX
By halfway through the campaign Olivia had begun to notice Jerry going off to talk on the phone around the same time ever night that Karen did. They all knew Karen was on the phone to Andre. She would say hi to everyone from him, they would all return the sentiment. But Jerry would leave the room every time. No-one else seemed to notice except her. One night they were getting on the bus and driving through the night. Olivia sat on the bus watching Jerry as he spoke on the phone outside. He was walking back and forth, kicking rocks that lay on the ground aimlessly with a smile. When he was warned they were leaving he said his goodbyes and hopped on the bus. He plonked down next to Olivia. He usually sat next to Karen or his dad but Karen was with Franklin so he took Franklin's seat next to her.
He sat down and looked straigh ahead, still smiling. She looked at him and smiled too. He eventually turned to look at her.
"What?" he asked her.
"So who is she?" Olivia asked. Jerry's face dropped slightly before he registered that Olivia was still smiling. He exhaled. "Come on." She encouraged.
"Its funny, you know. I didn't understand you guys until recently. I mean, I accepted it, but I didn't understand why you didn't just walk away." He said trying not to say anything that might be interpreted correctly by prying ears. Olivia frowned. He looked at her deciding whether he should tell her the whole story. He didn't know how she would react, but he desperatley wanted to talk to someone about it, especially someone who might understand. He dropped his voice to just above a whisper.
"She is one of my lecturers, well she was. I quit her class because I couldn't concerntrate." Olivia looked at him, her mouth slighly open.
"She does a course on compassion in medicine and how to speak to patients about sensitive diagnosis. Its just an extra credit im doing. She has spent a lot of her own life in hospitals dealing with that kind of stuff because she had cancer. And she is just so beautiful. But because I was in her class, even though I quit her class, Im still a student and so it could get her fired. But I cant stay away from her." Olivia tried to put her fixer hat on but when Jerry continued she was lost for words.
"Its like… she owns me. My every feeling seems to be determined by the look on her face. I cant sleep…I cant breath" he said slighltly breathless "Without her." Olivia just stared at him. He looked back to her.
"Is that how it is supposed to feel?" he asked, genuinely wanting to know. She nodded.
"Is it supposed to hurt this much?" he asked slightly upset now.
"I think it only hurst so much because your apart." She said giving him a weak smile.
"Im so sorry Liv. I didn't understand until now."
"Its ok." She rubbed his arm and leant her head on his shoulder.
Fitz came over about 10 minutes later and they were still like that. "Hey, can I steal my campaign manager for a minute." He smiled. Jerry stood up and hugged his dad which confused Fitz. Olivia stood up as well to move to the back of the bus where the tables were. Fitz looked at Olivia who smiled at him.
"What are you smiling about?" he asked her.
"Nothing, he just certainly is your son."
"Why? What was that about?" he asked still confused.
"All in good time." She said before she pushed him towards the back of the bus so they could work.
By the end of the 6 weeks everyone was exhausted. They had all done a great job and it was reflected in the polls. There were still a few months to go, but they were hopefull.