Chapter 26

What seemed like an eternity later, Elliot walked in the front door. He looked as though he'd been dragged through hell and Olivia was concerned that things had gone poorly at the hospital.

"Where's Mom?" Lizzie asked. It was nearing her bedtime and she was exhausted but not enough to be unaware her mother didn't come home.

"They needed to keep her at the hospital overnight. They want to be sure all the test results come back first," he was honest with her. Lizzie nodded but didn't say anything. Then she hugged her dad and then hugged Olivia and headed up to bed.

"Is there any food in the fridge? I'm starving," Elliot said.

"Leftover pizza. Dickie ordered extra in case we needed it," she smiled slightly.

"Not a bad plan. You want me to swing by your place and pick up some fresh clothes? We're going to have to stay with the kids tonight," he wanted to know.

"I can catch a cab. You've had a long day. I'll grab some things and be right back," Olivia told him.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Absolutely. Besides I got the distinct feeling that Kathleen isn't interested in me being here," she said. He gave her a confused look and she just indicated that the girl needed some space. Then she grabbed her jacket and headed out for a cab. Elliot heated up some pizza and then headed into the living room where Maureen and Kathleen were watching TV.

"Hey guys," he smiled slightly as he plopped down in the easy chair to enjoy his pizza.

"Hey Dad," Maureen gave him a smile and then focused back on the TV.

"How are you guys holding up? Mom should be home tomorrow," Elliot told them. Kathleen got off the couch, huffing as she did so, and headed out of the room.

"Something I said?" He asked his older daughter.

"Kathleen thinks that Olivia is trying to replace Mom. She blew up at her today and has been in a rotten mood," Maureen admitted.

"Ok no matter what happens between Olivia and me or your Mother and me, you know that no one is trying to replace anyone right?" He wanted her to know.

"Of course. As far as step-moms go, Olivia would be awesome. I just think that Kathleen is believing everything Mom has been telling her lately. I love Mom I do, but when she started saying things like "she's trying to take you away from me" and "your father is out to get me", I didn't believe it. You and Olivia have been partners for a long time, I don't see you suddenly becoming different people just because you and mom got a divorce," Maureen told him.

"Who said anything about Liv being your step-mom?" Elliot swallowed his pizza hard. While he knew he was in love with Olivia, he had no intentions of proposing anytime soon. They hadn't even gone out on a date yet.

"No one. I just don't see her as being a terrible option. I mean she's always been interested in what we're up to and more than willing to help anytime we need it. We're not her kids, she doesn't have to care. Yet she does and, at least to me and certainly to Lizzie, it means a lot," Maureen confessed.

"Well I know it would mean a lot to her if you told her that. She's feeling awkward and wants to help but it's not easy," he said.

"You've been taking care of her since she got out of the hospital, haven't you?" Maureen asked.

"Yes. She doesn't have anyone else and her follow up appointment is coming up the day after tomorrow," he told her.

"Good. I know she's tough but after I read that article in the paper I was worried. Why didn't you say something?" The young woman wanted to know.

"Your Mom's behavior was enough to keep us all worried, especially with the court hearings. I didn't want to add more to the plate or the fire as it is turning out to be," he was blatantly honest.

"I don't see you calling the FDNY over this one," Maureen chuckled.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Elliot chuckled too.

"How bad is it?" She looked at him like only a concerned daughter can.

"They have her sedated and they are running blood tests and doing scans. They think it's something physical so in a way that's a good thing because it should be correctable," he was as honest as he felt he could be given what he knew and what he didn't. He felt like his oldest was capable of handling it.

"That makes me feel a little better," she nodded.

"Me too," Elliot heaved a sigh and wiped his face. He got up from the chair, walked over to the couch, and pulled Maureen into a hug.

"Thanks for being so strong sweetie. I know this hasn't been easy. Things will be back to normal soon," he promised.

"What normal is that?" She asked. Touché, he thought. He kissed the top of her head and then she stood up.

"I'm off to bed. See you in the morning," she said.

"You got it. Sleep tight," he smiled. He watched her go and then cleaned up his plate and garbage. He went into the fridge and realized that Kathy was out of beer. Heaving a sigh, he settled for a glass of water which wasn't much of a substitute. Then he headed to the couch and collapsed there. Next thing he knew, he was being tucked in. Blinking he saw Olivia, picking his legs up and putting them on the couch.

"What are you doing?" He mumbled.

"You're going to hurt your back again. Off to bed with you," she chuckled.

"Oh no. You get the couch, I'll figure something out," Elliot said.

"Negative solider. Couch," Olivia gave him a stern look and to be honest, he was too tired to argue.

"She's self-medicating Liv," he heaved a sigh. She indicated for him to move over and sat down near his stomach.

"How bad is it?" She asked.

"She was using that Levothyroxine for her thyroid but the problem wasn't her thyroid. Well not initially," he admitted.

"Not initially?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"The doctors ran a blood test and her hormone levels were all over the place. They ran an MRI scan and found that her thyroid is enlarged but that isn't the worst of it," Elliot continued.

"What?" She asked.

"The doctor thinks she's going through premature menopause. It accounts for the mood swings and irritability. Of course, she was hiding it so, there's no way to tell for sure. But the medicine she was taking made it worse because it wasn't treating the actual problem just exacerbating it. They're going to run more tests in the morning to make sure that her enlarged thyroid isn't cancer," he was close to losing it, which he didn't do often.

"Oh El," Olivia said.

"What am I supposed to tell the kids?" Elliot asked.

To Be Continued…