Ch. 13

Clockwork

Everything worked like clockwork.

Her new identity, the car that picked her up from the airport and took her to the hospital… everything as planned.

She stepped inside the hospital and a much more handsome man than his CIA I.D., walked towards her.

"Caroline?"

"Yes?"

Martin reached out his hand to Alex. "Daniel Martin."

"Pleased to meet you," Alex said shaking Martin's hand.

"I know you must be very anxious to see Kate?" He said before escorting Alex to the hospital elevators.

When they stood in the cart he swiped a special key card and the elevator made its way up.

Martin glanced at her, then smiling a genuine smile.

"What?" Alex questioned as she stood beside him.

"I have to be honest when they said someone was coming to be with Kate, I thought it would be the man she spoke of so fondly."

"A man?" Alex asked inquisitively.

That could be anyone she guessed.

Elliot, David, Cragen, Fin… hell Cassidy.

"Yes, she mentioned his name was Alex."

Alex's expression changed as she smiled widened as she looked straight ahead and away from Martin.

"Oh, oh you're… you're a woman." Alex looked back at him. "I mean obviously you're a woman, I apologize for the assumption that you..."

Alex smiled again.

"It's a common mistake I get it all the time… and I'm glad to hear she spoke fondly of me."

"She mentioned that she was in love with you." Martin said as he watched as the grin on Alex's face fade.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no I'm actually in love with her as well. I've just never had the chance to tell her."

The door to the elevator opened and they stepped in to the empty hallway.

"Caroline? "Martin said, saying her name as if to assure that she was back in character. "I need to prepare you for Kate's condition."

Alex stopped turning her attention to Martin.

"Thomas gave me an update in New York."

"She has been in and out on consciousness the last two days. When she is conscious I have to warn you that she has been severely confused about where she is and what has happened to her. Some may be due to the concussions that went untreated, or it could be shock."

"Martin I can handle this… I just want to see her ok." Alex said almost impatiently.

"Caroline…" Martin said stopping her. His voice now more quiet. "He beat her, tortured her for weeks."

Alex swallowed hard looking at Martin.

Martin shook his head making sure she was ready despite her earlier eagerness.

Alex shook her head, now following down the long empty corridor.

Martin once again swiped a card to open at the large doors at the end of the hallway.

"It's all for her, and now your safety." He said noticing Alex was becoming a little uneasy seeing the seriousness and security involved in where they had placed Olivia. "She's in there," He said pointing to the closed door.

Alex looked at the armed guard as well as the nurse sitting not 20 feet away.

"They had to sedate her earlier because she had become too agitated and couldn't rest, but she can hear you… I'll be out here if you need me." Martin said, now walking away to give Alex space.

Alex stood at the door for a moment. She had never been so anxious, yet so scared.

She placed one palm on the wooden door and the other hand on the door handle.

One last breath before she knew the perspective of her world would change.

She opened the door to see her lying there.

She walked forward and the sound of the door shutting was on cue with the first stream of tears that fell down Alex's face.

She missed her she missed Olivia so much. God, she loved her so much… and there she was.

Her face swollen, her head bandaged… her arm wrapped up and immobilized. Her who body black and blue, underlined with yellow that surely meant new bruises covered the old.

She had never seen Olivia that way.

Never seen her hurt, broken.

Never seen her after she had literally been through hell.

Alex tried to wipe the steady flow of tears from her cheeks as she walked towards her.

Olivia's eyes were shut tight.

Alex reached for her hand. She quickly noticed the scabs that were forming on some of the more shallow cuts on her wrists as well as the severe bruising.

Alex opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. She had a million things to say to Olivia, but nothing seemed right, nothing at that very second seemed like it could comfort Olivia, ease the pain she had to be in.

She ran the back of her hand down Olivia's bruised, swollen cheek, she then brushed the skin of her "good" forearm and back down to her fingers.

Feeling her, touching her as if to make sure she was really there.

To know she was alive no matter what.

Alex pulled sat down in the chair beside her bed, holding her hand, intertwining her fingers with Olivia's.

Alex cried.

That's all she could seem to do at that very moment.

Every thing she had imagined, every terrible thing was lying there in an almost unrecognizable face.

"I love you Liv." Alex whispered before pressing her lips in to Olivia's palm. "And we have so much to talk about, so much to tell each other… I need to tell you how much I love you, how long I've been in love with you." Alex wiped her tears with sleeve. " You're going to be ok you hear me? I'm here now, we're here together, and we'll get through this… I promise."