Further Down The Road

(Chapter Five: Making Up For Lost Time)

Tonight was date night and Olivia buzzed around the bedroom getting dressed as Maureen played in the living room with the girls. She smiled as she heard the excitement in Hannah's voice when Elliot walked in.

Olivia sauntered down the hall in her little black dress.

"Hey," she said folding her arms in front of her as she leaned against the wall.

"Hey," Elliot replied looking up at her across the room.

"Wow Olivia, you look great." Maureen smiled at her from the floor.

"Thanks, honey. You'd better get ready. The car will be here in an hour," she said looking at Elliot.

"That won't take but a minute. First, I owe my daughter a bedtime story." With that Elliot pulled book from behind his back and handed it to Hannah.

"A new book! What one is this daddy?"

"It about a princess and her puppy dog. Do you already have this one?"

"No," Hannah smiled.

"Why don't you go put your pajamas on and daddy will be in in a minute to get Abby ready. And we can read the story."

"Okay."

"Hannah, tell Maureen good night."

"Good night, Maureen." Hannah hugged her big sister tight.

"Why don't I help you get ready for bed?"

"Okay."

"Here dad, I get Abby changed and ready for bed." Maureen said taking the baby from Elliot.

Elliot stepped into the bedroom to change into his clothes for the evening. He returned to the girls' bedroom as Hannah crawled into her bed and handed him the book. Maureen handed Abby to her father and took a seat at the foot of the bed as he began to read the story to his three daughters.

Olivia stood in the doorway and watched the four of them as the two little ones drifted off to sleep. Elliot closed the book and sat it on the night stand next to Hannah's lamp. He walked across the room and kissed Abby as he laid her into her crib and tucked her blanket around her. He turned to tuck Hannah in and kiss her gently, then turned on the nightlight before leaving their room.

Elliot moved back to the bedroom to finish getting ready. A few minutes later his cell phone rang.

"Hello. Yes, thank you." He closed the phone and returned to the living room where Olivia and Maureen were talking. "We gotta go baby, our car is here."

"Okay," she said with a smile as reached for her coat and purse. "Help yourself to anything in the refrigerator. Emergency numbers are on the paper next to the phone. I have my cell phone on and you can call or text me at any time."

"Liv, you can't keep your phone on in the theatre," Elliot interrupted her.

"I'll keep it on vibrate. Do not hesitate. Any questions or anything."

"I will. Olivia, I have baby sat before. Everything will be fine."

Olivia laughed. "I know. I'm sorry sweetheart. I just don't leave them, ever. We'll be back before midnight."

Maureen hugged Olivia and kissed her father on the cheek. "I'm just glad to see the two of you get out for a little while. Go and have fun. Things will be fine here."

Elliot took his wife to a romantic dinner by candle light and some slow dancing to the house band. Afterward they attended a production of Chicago. Theatre was not exactly Elliot' thing, but it was something that Olivia enjoyed and tonight was about spending quality time with his wife. He would do anything to see her smile.

Half way through the show Olivia felt her phone vibrating and opened it to read the text message Maureen had sent her to let her know that everything was fine. Olivia smiled and closed the phone again.

"Is everything alright?" Elliot asked leaning in to her.

"Yeah. Maureen just sent me a text to tell me everything is fine."

"She knows your worried."

"I trust her, Elliot. I really do. I have just never left them like this. Maybe once I think since Abby was born and it was only for a couple of hours. She's a good kid and I know the girls are fine. But I can't help but worry."

"You worry because you care. You are a good mother, Olivia. Those kids are your world. I understand that, because they are my world too. All of them."

"All of them," she echoed with a smile as she placed a soft kiss against his lips.

After the show they enjoyed the lights of the city from the back of the limo for a little while as they drank wine and talked. It had been so long since they had been alone together, Elliot almost felt as if he had been neglecting her.

"It's getting late. We should go home," Olivia said softly as she slipped her hand into his.

"We have the car for another hour. Maureen said it is fine if we're late. She can crash on the couch and Hannah and I can make her pancakes in the morning. Stay here with me," Elliot whispered against her ear as he pressed the button to close the privacy divider. "There, now we are alone."

"Elliot," Olivia said shaking her head as she gazed into his eyes.

"What? You ever have sex in a limo?"

"No and I'm not about to start now."

"Honey, he can't see us. And as long as you don't scream, he won't hear us. It's just you and me back here beautiful."

Olivia laughed as Elliot kissed against her ear. She could tell she was a little tipsy from all of the wine that evening. And it had been nearly a month since they had sex. The truth was, she wanted it too.

She moaned softly as he slipped his hand under her dress and traced his fingertips up and down her thighs teasing her. Within moments, Olivia had left her own seat and found herself straddled across Elliot's lap looking into his eyes as they kissed passionately.

She raised up and leaned back a little as he pulled her panties off and tucked them into his jacket pocket so they didn't lose them in the car. She reached to unbutton his pants and slipped her hand down the front of his boxers as she pressed her mouth to his. A few minutes later Olivia slid off his lap and into the floor as she lowered her mouth onto him. Elliot twisted his fingers in her neatly pinned hair and moaned softly as she continued with the fellatio.

Several minutes later she was in his lap again and kissing and biting gently on his neck as he positioned himself to enter her. Olivia lowered her body onto him and stared into his eyes as they made love in the back of the limousine as it drove around the city.

Elliot kissed across her collar bone and shoulders as she moved on him. Olivia tipped her head back and moaned softly allowing the spaghetti straps of her black dress to fall from her shoulders. After a little while Elliot moved to lay her down in the seat. He moved in above her and entered her again. Olivia raised her knee and slid her hand down to his hips pulling him toward her with each thrust. She moaned softly and clawed at him above his clothing as she began to tremble underneath her husband.

"There we go," Elliot exhaled softly.

Olivia bit her bottom lip to try to keep from alerting the driver to their current situation. Elliot smiled down at her as he sped up, knowing how badly she wanted to yell out in ecstasy. Before long she leaned forward to bite gently against his shoulder and moan through their finish.

Olivia laughed as Elliot fell over her in the back seat of the car.

"So much for not having sex in the limo."

"You started it," Elliot said kissing her collar bone as he sat up.

Olivia sat up and leaned against the door of the car as she stared at him. She smiled and had just a bit of a rosy tint from the combination of red wine and amazing sex. She smiled across the car at Elliot as she sat up and began to look around the in the seat.

"Looking for these?"

Olivia looked up at him as he dangled her black lace bikini underwear from his fingertips.

"Elliot," she pulled them from his hand and fumbled around to put them back on in the moving vehicle.

Olivia settled against her husband as he poured them each another glass of wine to unwind. Half an hour later they were climbing the stairs to the apartment. Elliot held tight to her hand and stood in front of their door and stared into her eyes as he leaned in and kissed her tenderly.

"What was that?" Olivia asked with a smile.

"I was kissing you good night. The end of a date, especially a good one and we are standing outside your door."

Olivia smiled. "That's sweet El. But we're an old married couple now."

"Being married doesn't make us old. And just because we are married and have kids doesn't mean we can't have romance, too. Maureen was right. We should get out like this more often."

"If we don't get back inside soon, we won't have a babysitter next time."

Elliot turned the key in the door. They stepped inside and Olivia hung up her coat and sat her purse on the table by the door. She walked toward the hall to check on the girls and noticed Maureen asleep on the couch.

"El look," she said.

Elliot smiled. "I'll get her a blanket and pillow."

"I'm gonna check on the girls."

Elliot climbed into bed beside Olivia and put his arm around her.

"I love you."

"I love you too, El."

She turned her head to stare at him across the pillow. She smiled a seductive smile and rolled over flipping one leg over him. She sat up on him and pulled her gown over her head tossing it into the floor.

When they were finished making love Olivia laid against Elliot's chest trying to catch her breath. Elliot smoothed his hand over her bare back and she laughed.

"God we're amazing."

"Yes we are. Ooh, I almost forgot to take my pill," she said climbing from the bed with the sheet around her and stepping into their bathroom for a moment.

"Better watch it. That's how we got Hannah."

"No," she said as she climbed back into the bed and curled against him. "Hannah was our picnic."

"Picnic?"

"Yeah, remember? The boy scout camp. We hiked two miles into the woods and you were so afraid someone would see us if we had sex. That was the last time before we broke up. I got pregnant that day."

"I'm sorry baby," he said with tears in his eyes as he cupped his hand against her face.

"You did what you thought was best. And you're here now. That's all that matters. We're together now."

"I should have been there Olivia. When you were pregnant. I wasn't even there when she was born."

"But you are her daddy, Elliot. She's crazy about you."

"And now we have Abby. Two beautiful little girls. And they both look exactly like you. And Hannah, she is more you every day."

Olivia laughed and kissed him passionately. She raised up over him to kiss him again.

"Again?"

"You don't want to?"

"I want to. Shit, baby I always want to. But once is usually enough for you."

"That isn't true. I usually wake you up for sex."

"You're right you do. I love that about you. I love everything about you."

Olivia laughed and leaned in to kiss him.

"We have a lot to make up for," she whispered against his mouth.

"You're right. We do."

The next morning Olivia opened her eyes and listened to the sounds of Elliot and the girls making breakfast in the kitchen. Her head was pounding and she felt a bit hung over. She wasn't quite sure if it was front the wine or just exhaustion from the five times they had sex the night before. She groaned and sat up reaching for her robe on the chair and heading for the shower.

She stood under the stream of hot water letting it pour down her back and loosen her tense muscles. She climbed out and wrapped herself in a towel and stood at the bathroom counter brushing her teeth. She slipped on a tee shirt and a pair of pajama pants and joined her family in the kitchen.

Maureen sat at the table with a plate eating her pancakes and drinking a cup of coffee. Elliot was spreading the peanut butter over Hannah's pancakes, something she had seen her mother do and now she wouldn't eat them without it. And Abby sat in her high chair with her hair in little pigtails and her face covered in syrup, her sippy cup of milk in one hand and her little plastic fork in the other.

"Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma," Abby called out with a big smile as Olivia stood beside her.

"Good morning baby girl," Olivia said kissing the baby on the top of her head. "Napkin Hannah Grace," she said as she caught the trail of syrup dripping down Hannah's chin with a napkin and wiped it away. She handed Hannah the napkin and tucked another into the collar of her shirt to protect her clothing from the gooey mess.

"Thanks mom," Hannah mumbled through a mouth full of peanut butter pancakes.

Olivia sat on a barstool between her daughters as Elliot slid her coffee cup across the counter to her. He placed two pancakes on a plate and covered them with a thick layer of creamy peanut butter then poured syrup over them. He laid a fork and knife on the edge of the plate and slid it across the counter to her.

"Here babe, just the way you like them."

"Thanks El," she said with a smile.

The coffee and shower seemed to help with her hang over. But the super sweet and gooey pancakes were not such a good idea. Half way through breakfast Olivia quietly got up and made her way to their bathroom.

Elliot was the only one who had caught on to the situation and asked Maureen to keep an eye on the girls for a moment. He walked down the hall and tapped lightly against the bathroom door.

"Yeah?" Olivia called out to him.

Elliot pushed the door open to find her sitting in the floor holding her stomach. She looked pale and he could tell she wasn't feeling well.

"You okay?" He asked extending a hand to help her up from the cold of the bathroom tile.

"I'll be alright. I guess I just had too much to drink last night and it's catching up with me."

"I believe that. You probably drank a bottle and a half of wine by yourself last night."

"I drink it all of the time and it never bothers me."

"Yeah, but then it got all shook up from all of the sex."

Olivia laughed a little at his stupid joke.

"Don't make me laugh," she groaned and slid her hand to her forehead again.

"You want me to go get you something?" He asked rubbing little circles on her back.

She stood up and opened the medicine cabinet.

"No, I'll just take some of this pink stuff once my stomach settles a little more."

"That crap is nasty. It makes me throw up."

"I know, this is the bottle I bought last year when you had the flu. It isn't even opened."

"I'm gonna get back to the kids, Maureen has to head back to the dorm after breakfast."

"I'll be in there in a few minutes. I need to take some of this and brush my teeth. But I want to spend a little time with her before she goes."

Elliot kissed her forehead and headed back down the hallway toward the kitchen.

Several minutes later Olivia returned and joined in the conversation.

"Bite," Abby said holding her fork up to share with Olivia.

"No thank you honey," Olivia answered with a soft smile. "I think mommy needs to give you a bath after breakfast," she said wiping the syrup from her little mouth and nose with a wash cloth. "So Maureen, how's school?"

"It's okay. I'm doing really well, I think. They have not posted any grades yet this semester."

"I'm sure you're doing fine honey," Elliot chimed in. "The kid has never made a grade below an A her entire life. I wish I had done half that well in school."

"Yes, dad. But college is an entirely different situation. Everything is different. And I am through all of my general courses and getting into my specialty classes. It is pretty much all math and science from here on. I can't just go good anymore dad. I have to be one of the best if I want to get into a good medical school."

"Wow. Have you thought about what you want to specialize in?" Olivia asked taking another sip from her coffee.

"Pediatrics. I love kids. And I figure I have had enough experience working with them. It's perfect."

"Well, you certainly have a way with these two," Olivia added. "Here you go honey," Olivia said handing Maureen two twenty dollar bills from her purse.

"Liv, you don't have to pay me to watch the girls. They are my little sisters."

"I know Maureen, but you gave up your Friday night to stay with them. And I would much rather know that it is you here with them than just some babysitter someone recommended."

"Really Olivia, I love spending time with them. And with classes and work the way things have been I hardly ever get to see them."

"Alright," Olivia said digging in her purse. "Here." She dropped a little silver door key on the table and slid it over to Maureen. "Now you have a key and you are more than welcome to come over here any time you want. Keep the money. I was in college once. You can always use extra cash."

"I just don't think you should have to pay me to baby sit my sisters."

Elliot stood back and watched his wife bargain with his daughter. They were both pretty persuasive and set in their ways and he was very interested to see who would win this debate.

"Okay," Olivia said picking the cash up from the table, "then I won't pay you for babysitting."

"Good," Maureen said with an accomplished smile.

Olivia pulled another ten dollar bill from her purse and rolled the cash together. She leaned in to hug Maureen and thanked her as she slipped the cash into her pocket. It wasn't until a little later when he was actually leaving that Maureen noticed the money. She laughed and looked at Olivia.

"What? I can't give my kid money?"

Maureen realized in that moment that Olivia was even more stubborn than she was. "Thanks' Liv."

"You're welcome sweetheart." Olivia hugged her again. "But I do expect you to use that key."

"Okay. Bye dad," she said hugging her father.

"Bye baby," Elliot hugged and kissed his oldest child then she turned to go.

He turned and looked at Olivia and laughed.

"What?"

"I knew you would win. You are so stubborn."

Olivia laughed. "So is she. Most kids would take the money and run. She is just like her father," Olivia said leaning in to kiss him. "She's a great kid."

"Yes she is. Makes dad proud. They all do. You feeling better?"

"Still a little queasy, but I will be okay."

"I was thinking we could all get ready and take the girls to the museum. I think Hannah would get a kick out of the dinosaurs and mummy's. Then some lunch and maybe a movie. I'd like to take her by Barnes And Noble and let her pick out a new book. Make a day of it."

"You spoil her."

"Liv, what good is it to have children if you can't spoil them. Besides, she loves books and that is a hobby I want to encourage. If we keep getting her new books, that gives me new excuses to read to her at night. It wont be long and she'll be telling daddy she is too big for that. They grow fast, Liv. I'm trying to take advantage of every moment."

Olivia smiled. "Well, I guess spoiling her with books is better than spoiling her with toys. And her class is starting working on reading at school. Before long she can read you the bedtime story."

That night they returned from their long and busy family day of fun. Olivia carried Abby asleep in her arms as Elliot carried Hannah. They put the kids into their beds tucking them in. Elliot tucked Hannah's stuffed dinosaur from the museum into the bed beside her. And placed Abby's next to her in the crib. Olivia neatly stacked the ten new books Elliot had bought for the girls onto their book shelf and smiled. Elliot definitely had a weakness for his little girls. And he didn't know how to tell them no.

They climbed into bed together and fell asleep in each other's arms. It had been a long day for the entire family.