The Proposal

(Chapter Eleven: Shattered)

Elliot opened his eyes and stretched. This wasn't the first time had had woken up in Olivia's bed, but this time it was under very different circumstances. After a two days in the hospital, Olivia's doctor had given her prescriptions for pain and depression as well as something to help her sleep. After she was discharged Elliot drove them to her apartment where he had decided to stay with her for a few days until she was feeling a little better.

Losing their son wasn't going to be easy on either of them, but right now Olivia needed him to be strong enough to help her through it. He still hadn't really been able to get her to eat anything and there had still been no word from Alex, which only seemed to make things harder on Olivia.

Elliot rolled over and kissed Olivia's forehead as she rested. He pulled the blanket up around her shoulders and moved down the hall to the kitchen. Elliot pulled eggs and bacon from the refrigerator and began to cook them some breakfast. He had just put the toast into the toaster when he heard a noise in the living room.

Elliot walked into the next room to see Alex as she opened the door and stepped inside the apartment.

"Oh," she said staring at him a bit in shock, "I didn't realize you were here."

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked in a stern voice.

"I came to see Olivia. Not that it is any of your business."

"Do you have any clue what is going on with her? You might, if you'd had the decency to return any one of the dozens of messages I left for you!"

"I got your messages. I have been busy, Elliot. I do have a life."

"You have been busy? She is supposed to be your life!" he shouted as he pointed down the hall toward the room where Olivia now slept. "She needed you, Alex! She asked for you! She waited for you and wanted you!"

"Look, anything that needs to be said is between me and Olivia. My life with her does not involve you," she argued. "I realize that you are this baby's biological father, but that it no reason that you and I have to be anywhere near each other at any point in time. I understand that you and Liv will always be friends and share a son together. But my life with Olivia will involve Olivia, Greyson and I! You are nowhere in that picture. It is just me, her and the baby."

"She lost the baby, Alex! That is what I have been trying so desperately to tell you these past several days!"

Alex stood there for a few seconds unsure of what to say.

"You should go," Elliot said staring her down knowing she felt like shit.

"I want to talk to Olivia."

"No," he said shaking his head.

"You can't keep me from seeing her."

"I can give it one hell of a try," he said stepping in front of her. "It took her days to calm down enough to finally be able to get some sleep and I'll be damned if you are gonna go in there and wake her up now. I understand the two of you have things you need to discuss and work out, but this is not the time or the place. I think you should leave."

"Elliot…."

"Get out," he said opening the door.

Alex scoffed and walked out the door.

Elliot turned around and returned to the kitchen to finish making their breakfast. A few minutes later he turned around to see Olivia standing in front of the kitchen counter.

"Good morning," he said sitting a plate down in front of her. "I made breakfast."

"I see that," she said pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"How did you sleep?"

"Alright," she said softly.

"How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

"Physically, I'm fine. A little sore, but I'll be okay. But emotionally, I'm not sure if I can ever recover from this. I mean, is losing you child something you are supposed to recover from?"

"I don't think so," he said kissing her forehead. "You should eat something. You can't take medicine on an empty stomach."

Olivia smiled a shy smile.

"It smells wonderful," she said picking up her fork.

Elliot watched her for a moment.

"Alex came by."

Olivia looked up at him.

"You were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you. I told her what happened with the baby." Elliot was quiet for a moment as she laid her napkin in her lap and stared at the counter. "She demanded to see you and I was pissed off at her for not being there for you. I didn't want her waking you. I yelled at her and asked her to leave."

Olivia looked up at him.

"You threw Alex out of my apartment?"

"I know it may not have been my place, but I am not about to sit here and let her walk all over you right now. I think maybe she should give you a little time and you can contact her when you are ready."

Olivia exhaled and blinked at him.

"I heard you talking to her. I was in the hallway and saw the whole thing. I was actually wondering if you were going to tell me she came by."

"I had always intended on telling you she came by. I wouldn't keep that from you. Maybe I was out of line."

"You were trying to protect me from being hurt again. I know that. And I appreciate that. You're right. After everything that has happened….this thing with Alex is the last thing on my mind. It, whatever it was, is over now. I have lost the most precious thing in my life and the only one who can possibly understand how I feel, it you," she sobbed. "Because you lost him, too."

Elliot stepped around the counter and hugged her tight.

"I'm glad that you asked her to leave, Elliot. Because I just don't think I am ready to talk to her yet. She made it very clear to me that she didn't really want this baby, she just went along with it because that was what I wanted."

"Liv, there is no doubt in my mind that Alex cares for you."

"Elliot, when people care about you, they show up when you need them. And the only person who was there for me, was you."

"And I am always going to be. I think she got scared. And didn't know how to handle it. And she knew how bad you were hurting and didn't know how to help."

"So she just didn't," Olivia replied. "But it was worse than that. She didn't answer my calls, she didn't respond to yours and not once in the three days I was at the hospital did she call to check on me or Greyson. People who love you don't hurt you like that. She did more than hurt me, she broke my heart. Because I honestly did think she could have been the one. Once again I let my guard down and I got burned. You would think eventually I would learn better."

"I think you should just take a couple of days to think it through. Then call her or go see her. Even if it really is over, I think you will feel better after you are able to say that to her. I do think that this has been way to much excitement this early in the morning. I think you should finish your breakfast and I'll grab a blanket. We can curl up on the sofa like we do when you're sick, me at one end and you at the other. I'll give you a foot massage and we can watch soap operas all day."

"What about work?"

"I'm not leaving you alone right now," he said wiping a tear from her cheek. "I think right now being with each other is the only thing keeping us from going crazy."

Olivia smiled softly.

"You just might be right."