Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal.
AN: So I know it's been a little bit since I've updated but life has gotten in the way. Contrary to popular belief, I don't sit at my computer and write all day, I have other things to do, lol. Anyways, have no fear, especially you Mary B, I shall hopefully be updating a little more regularly. But as it is summer and there is no school in the way and I'm free to do relatively whatever I please, I cannot make any promises. As a quick reminder, we left off with Liv about to go see her mother and Fitz meeting up with Jake. We pick up where we left off so let's get into it :).
Olivia walked speedily down the hall, dodging patients, wheelchairs, and crash carts. Even though she worked at this hospital, her brain was so scrambled that she had to read the signs to find the cardiology wing. She took two elevators, a flight of stairs, and went down countless hallways until she finally reached the room her mother said that her father was in. She stopped just short of the door, hands on her knees to catch her breath and to calm down. She could feel the tears wetting her cheeks, knowing that this time was worse than the first. Somehow instinctively knowing that this was it. She tentatively knocked on the door and cracked it open, peeking her head through before going all the way in.
Her father was hooked up to countless monitors, being a doctor, she automatically looked to the EKG and the stats there weren't promising. Her father was sedated for now, peacefully sleeping in the bed, oblivious to what was going on. The steady rise and fall of his chest was the only thing assuring her that he was still alive. Her mother was curled up in the chair next to his bed, her hand firmly curved around his. She stared at him, willing him to get better and whispering something that sounded like 'I love you' over and over.
"Mommy," Olivia squeaked, getting the older woman's attention.
"Sweet pea," her mother wept and she looked like she wanted to get up and hug her daughter but couldn't let go of her father's hand.
Walking towards her, Patricia patted her lap, signaling for Olivia to cuddle in close. She sat and burrowed her face in her mother's neck like she did when she was a little girl, the sobs threatening to break loose. She had to be strong though and keep them in because of the three people in the room, she was the only one that was capable of holding it together.
"What happened?" Olivia asked when the tightness in her throat ebbed. Though she already had a pretty good idea as to what landed him in the hospital.
"We were…"Patricia paused, the tears muddling anything she could've hoped to say, "we were coming in from dinner and he just…he just collapsed."
"What are the doctors saying?" She could take a guess, but needed to hear what was actually going on.
"That he's not going to survive through the night," her mother cried, "that his heart just can't take it anymore." Olivia hugged her mother tighter, running a hand through her hair in a comforting fashion.
Her father had had a heart attack earlier in the year and the doctors had been skeptical even then about him making it. They did a triple bypass and that still didn't solve the problem. But somehow he pulled through and things were starting to look up. But then this happened.
"It's going to be ok, Mommy," Olivia tried to soothe, "Daddy knows we're here, he can feel our love," Olivia told her then placed her hand on top of her parent's entwined ones.
They sat like that for what seemed like hours, Olivia eventually getting up and sitting in the chair on the other side of the bed and holding his other hand. She stared the machines down, daring them to change and promising to smash them into bits if they did. Seeming to taunt her, the oxygen levels started to fall and his heart rate dropped drastically. Doctors rushed in attempts to revive her father. And as she watched them, Olivia thought about the first time he taught her to ride a bike, the father daughter dance in the sixth grade, how he grilled her date when he showed up to take her to prom, how he told her she was the most beautiful girl in the world during her first breakup, about how he told he was so proud of her when she finally became a doctor, and how tears pooled in his eyes as they spun around on the dance floor during her wedding reception. Then she thought about all the things he would miss out on and looking towards her mother, she knew that she was doing the same.
Then the monitors released a steady beeping sound, signaling that he flat lined. Then it was eerily quiet, the doctors' whispers of sorry that they couldn't save him and her mother's wails not registering. She stared down at her father, his body still and peaceful and when the last doctor shuffled out of the room, she sat down and held his hand.
The waitress came over, asking Fitz his drink order and after giving it to her, she turned and left them alone, but not before slipping Fitz her number. He had to laugh at how bold she was as he crumbled the paper up and set it on the table.
"The Mac Daddy strikes again," Jake chuckled.
Fitz and Jake had attended the same boarding school growing up. Because this boarding school went from middle to high school, they grew close over the years, even bunking with each other one year. Fitz had built up a reputation throughout the school for being somewhat of a player, always being the first to suggest a trip to the girls wing in the middle of the night. His friends started calling him Mac Daddy then Mac for short until that's what everyone, including the teachers and staff, called him.
"So what's been going on with you since high school graduation?" Fitz asked his old friend.
Because they went to separate colleges, Fitz and Jake lost touch over the years. Life and time got in the way and before they knew it, nearly eight passed without contact. The other day when he was clearing out some shelves, Fitz found his old address book and skimming through it, he saw Jake's name. He gave him a call and was slightly surprised to find that he had the same number. They chatted, discovering that they both lived in the area, then decided to meet up for drinks the following day. He was eager to catch up, to see if his friend was in as good of a place as he was in his life.
"Nothing much. I became a lawyer," he paused at Fitz's congratulations, "and I got married about a month ago to my college sweetheart," Jake bragged. "What about you?"
"Well I'm a doctor," Fitz did some bragging of his own.
"An OBGYN?" Jake joked, thinking he was clever for connecting Fitz's love of the opposite sex with his love for medicine.
"Ha ha. No, actually, I work in the ER at Mercy," Fitz told him just as the waitress came back with the drinks. She took a look at the balled up piece of paper, scoffed, and walked away.
"Oh, no way, my wife is an ER doctor down at Mercy as well. Maybe you know her, her name is Olivia," Jake said then pulled out his phone to show Fitz a picture.
His heart sank as he saw a picture of his Livi wearing a white bikini, Jake's arms wrapped around her with the beach as their background. He assumed that they were on their honeymoon when the picture was taken and the knowledge that this was the guy that she was married to ate him up. She did say her last name was Ballard, didn't she? But he hadn't really connected the dots and he had to admit that because her new last name wasn't Grant, he hadn't exactly put that much thought into it.
"Uh, yeah, I know Olivia," Fitz stuttered out when Jake took his phone away.
"She's beautiful isn't she," Jake said, more of a statement than a question, looking at the image himself before putting the phone back into his pocket.
"Absolutely breathtaking," Fitz mumbled under his breath so low that Jake couldn't hear him.
"Have you settled down yet or are there still too many women to choose from?" Jake laughed, having no idea that Fitz had indeed found a woman.
"Actually, I have found someone and I'm thinking of telling her how I feel sometime soon," Fitz said, trying not to get jealous of the fact that the man sitting across from him was the one that placed a ring on Olivia's finger.
"Oh really? The Mac Daddy himself is settling down. Never thought I'd see the day. Looks like I'm going to have to start calling you by your real name, what is it again?" Jake asked, feigning memory loss. "Well do share, she must be something to get you to settle down. Got any pictures?"
Fitz thoroughly considered showing him the picture that he took of Olivia the night she slept over. She was lying on her stomach in his bed, naked and asleep, his white sheets wrapped around her waist and her back exposed. She looked so peaceful, a small smile playing at her lips like she was dreaming of him. He couldn't help but to take a picture.
"No, no pictures. She's a little camera shy," Fitz lied. Olivia wasn't camera shy. He had lots of pictures of her and some of them together from their day at Kings Dominion. But he doubted that Jake would appreciate seeing any of those.
"So do you like being married?" Fitz asked, changing the subject from his love life and also curious about the dynamics of their marriage.
"It's, um, different," Jake responded, leaning back in his seat and taking a swig of his beer. "She's been acting weird ever since the wedding, withdrawn and doing things that she normally doesn't do," Jake said, a thoughtful expression coming across his face.
"Oh yeah? Like what," Fitz pried.
"Like going to some amusement park with a friend and not coming home till five o'clock the next morning. In fact, she said it was with a friend from work. You work with her, have you noticed a guy hanging around her or did she maybe mention her plans around you?" Jake was hopeful that maybe Fitz could fill in the missing pieces and boy could he.
"Um, I really haven't noticed to be honest. I just see her talking to Abby a lot. I don't really know Olivia, I just started in the ER so we don't exactly talk to each other unless it's about a patient," Fitz fibbed, putting some truth into what was mainly a lie.
"Damn. Well I guess I'm just going to have to wait for her to say something," Jake huffed. "So are you gonna call that waitress," Jake asked, tipping his beer towards the woman he was referring to.
Fitz didn't even spare her a glance. "No. I'm a one woman man now." He hadn't even thought of another woman since Olivia came into his life.
"This new you is mind boggling," Jake snickered, "but let me tell you, married life isn't all that it's cracked up to be. The rumor about the sex changing from all the time to none at all is true," Jake told him as if he was sharing a trade secret.
Fitz gritted his teeth, not really wanting to hear about their sex life or lack thereof, "Is that so?"
"I mean, we didn't start having sex until two years ago, and let me tell you, that was a long five years before that, and when we did, it was pretty regular, but now, it's never," Jake complained.
"I really don't think that I should be hearing this," Fitz tried to laugh off how uncomfortable he was feeling.
"You're right man. It's just that she used to do this thing where she would…"
"Umm, you know what, I have to go to the bathroom," Fitz interrupted, standing up abruptly and stalking off, leaving his phone on the table.
He needed to get out of there before he punched Jake in the face. He didn't like him talking about Olivia like that. Although he had to admit that part of him was happy that she wasn't letting her husband touch her. He paced the bathroom, taking calming breaths and tried to banish the thoughts of slamming Jake's head into the tiled wall. He had to decide what he was going to do. Should he tell Olivia that he knew Jake, should he tell Jake that he's been seeing his wife, or should he just walk away now before his heart was invested? Who was he kidding, his heart was already hers. Feeling a little calmer now, he walked out of the bathroom and back towards their table.
Jake wondered what got Fitz so bent out of shape but that thought was fleeting as he saw his phone illuminate with a new text message. He wasn't going to look but then he saw Olivia's name. Tapping the screen to keep it lit up, he read the message: I need to see you tonight, are you home?
Why would she need to see him tonight? They were coworkers so maybe it was work related. But how did she know where he lived? He didn't know where any of his coworkers, especially those of the opposite sex, lived. And why would she need to see him this late at night?
He never pegged Olivia as a cheater and he really hoped that she was screwing around on him with Grant. Before he could investigate any further, Fitz came back to the table. He picked up his phone, read the message and tapped his phone a few times letting Jake know that he was probably replying.
"I gotta go Jake, something came up," Fitz said apologetically as his phone vibrated again.
"No problem, we're going to have to do this again sometime," Jake stuck out his hand to shake Fitz's and he wondered if that same hand that was now firmly grasped in his had touched his wife intimately.
He watched the other man leave, knowing that he was headed to meet Olivia at his house and he couldn't help but wonder what they were going to do when they got there. Maybe he should surprise them by showing. Deciding that was the best plan, he left the bar so that he could follow Fitz home, but didn't see him anywhere. Before he could think on how to figure out where he lived, his phone vibrated in his pocket signaling he had an incoming call. Pulling it out, he had to chuckle at who was on the other end.
"Hey, Liv, what's up?" He asked his wife as if he didn't already know.
"Daddy died," she cried and Jake was totally taken aback.
"He what…? Baby I'm so sorry. Where are you, I'll be right there," he said, already heading to his car and forgetting about what he found out five minutes ago.
"I'm gonna stay with Mom for tonight. You go ahead and go home. I think it should just be the two of us tonight," she said and he could hear her trying to stop the tears.
"What happened, Liv?" he asked, now sitting in the driver's seat of his car.
"He had another heart attack and then he just…went," she hiccupped.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stop by?" He questioned, feeling like he should be there to comfort his wife.
"No. We'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning," she said preparing to hang up.
"I love you," he told her right before the line went dead.
He felt tears run down his cheeks for the man that he looked up to for so long. Rowan Pope was a good man and he'd be missed. But then he remembered that text that she sent Fitz not even ten minutes ago and he realized that she wanted comfort from him. In her darkest hour she turned to another man and that hurt just as much as losing his father in law.
Olivia knocked on Fitz's door and waited impatiently for him to answer. When he did, she broke down, flinging herself in his arms and weeping loudly. He wrapped her in a tight embrace and pulled her into the apartment. He sat them down on his leather sofa, Olivia curled up on his lap and face in his neck. He rubbed her back and kissed her temple as she let go and mourned the loss of her father.
"Livi, baby, what happened?" She had only told him that she needed to see him, not giving a reason as to why.
"My dad died tonight," she choked out.
He didn't ask any more questions after that, knowing that it would be too hard for her to speak and she appreciated just being able to cry. The whole way over to his place all she could think about was him and how much she needed him to take the pain away. She felt bad for leaving her mother, but she said that she needed to be alone anyways. As for Jake, she figured that considering the circumstances, she deserved to be a bit selfish. So that's what she did, she decided to think of her needs first and she cuddled closer to Fitz and let him comfort her.
An hour later, Olivia sat up on Fitz's couch after hearing a loud bang, not realizing that she had fallen asleep. She stretched and yawned, the events of the day returning along with the feelings of grief. She wiped a stray tear and shook her head to try and clear the bad feelings. She turned her head in the direction of the banging noise, trying to pinpoint its source. Turning her head to the left, she saw him, the open floor allowing her to see into his kitchen from the couch and she got up to go and join him. His back was turned to her and he was stooped over, most likely rummaging through his cupboards to find a pot or pan and making a lot of noise as he did so. When he straightened up, his back still towards her, she wrapped her arms around his waist. He jumped a little, not realizing she was behind him, but soon relaxed into her embrace.
"How are you feeling, Livi?" He asked, turning in her arms and kissing her softly.
"Eh, as good as possible considering. I just can't believe he's gone," she said quietly and hugged him tighter.
"I don't know how this feels, but I do know that I'll be here for you whenever you need me," he told her, deciding not to say the cliché 'he's in a better place' and 'it'll be okay with time'.
"Thank you," she replied then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
"Why don't you take a seat at the island and let me cook us up some dinner?" he suggested and she nodded that she would.
Silence filled the area, her lost in thought and him focused on making a meal for them. He seemed to sense that she just needed peace and quiet right now and she was happy that he didn't try to make small talk to fill the void. The space was soon filled with delicious smells as he sautéed vegetables and broiled chicken. He got out some wine from his cabinet and poured her a generous glass before setting a plate in front of her.
"I'm going to ask my husband for a divorce tomorrow," she announced half way into the meal, setting her fork down on her near empty plate.
Fitz nearly choked on his piece of chicken, a coughing fit ensuing as he tried to register her words. "Oh yeah?" he said nonchalantly, not wanting to seem too eager.
"Yeah. Daddy dying taught me that I can't live life afraid of hurting other people's feelings or putting other people's happiness before my own. I settled for Jake when I should of just waited for you," she told him, opening up and letting him know what she's been feeling all along.
"I have to tell you something," he took a deep breath in, "I know Jake. In fact, I was with him when you texted me." He expected her confusion but wasn't prepared for the hurt look to come across her face.
"You what? Have you known this entire time that I was his wife?" she asked angrily, feeling as though she was some pawn in his sick twisted game.
"No. I just found out tonight. I knew Jake from when we were kids. I found his number and decided to give him a call. Imagine my surprise when he pulls out a picture of him and his wife on their honeymoon and it's you."
"From when you were kids? He never mentioned you," she said, mentally running through the list of friend's that Jake had mentioned at one point or another.
"He probably called me Mac," Fitz explained, knowing that his relation to Jake could have come out long ago if either one had used a first name.
"Well does he know that we…that we're…that we've been?" she stumbled, unable to find the right words to define their relationship.
"That we've been seeing each other?" he filled in.
"Yes, does he know?" she was in a slight panic.
"Not that I could tell. Why does it matter? I thought you were going to divorce him," he was starting to get the impression that she was going to change her mind.
"It matters because I would rather he hear it from me that I've been screwing around. I'm not backing out," she allayed his fears and covered his hand on the table with hers. "But I also don't think that we should jump into a committed relationship right away," she added quickly.
"What do you mean," he questioned and took his hand from hers, crossing his arms across his chest.
"I mean that I've been in a relationship for seven years and need some time to myself after I get divorced. I don't know Olivia away from Jake or my parents. With Daddy gone, Mom's going to want to live a little, explore the world, and well with Jake out of the picture, it's going to be just me and I'm a little scared," she tried to explain all the thoughts running through her mind.
"But it's not going to be just you. You've got me. What about us?" he wondered, not really caring how selfish he sounded.
"I want you," she confessed, "I want you literally all the time and all my feelings are getting invested in you and I just want to be able to have a firm understanding of me before I give myself completely to you," she said all in breath.
"Hey," he said, getting her attention and making eye contact, "you're not alone in your feelings. And if time is what you need, then okay. You're worth it," he smiled, hoping to take away the sad look in her eyes.
She was about to respond when the doorbell rang. Fitz looked like he was going to ignore it when the ringing increased and it was followed by pounding against the wood.
"Olivia, I know you're in there. Open the door before I kick it down," the voice bellowed.
"Jake…" they said in unison.
AN: So Jake has learned of the affair between Fitz and Olivia. How do you think that the showdown will go? Do you think he will let go easily? Do you think, or maybe hope, that he and Fitz will get into a little scuffle over Olivia? Or maybe his secret will come up. Who knows? I haven't written it yet. So that was sad about Olivia's dad but it finally gave her the push she needed to live her life. Speaking of dad's, if you happen to be reading my other story Until You, I should be updating within the next few days, again Mary B, have no fears, lol.