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The hand that had been running through his hair stopped abruptly and Fitz instantly felt sick to his stomach.

"What?", he uttered quietly, the color training from his already pale face. "Cyrus?"

"That's all I know, sir. Apparently she was on her way home from her office when she collided with the truck. I'm sure I will be able to find out more once she has been treated in the hospital. I thought… I just thought you'd want to know."

Cyrus sighed deeply, his own fears starting to manifest themselves in form of a terrible headache. After all, he adored Olivia. Infuriating, difficult, annoying, one-of-a-kind Olivia Pope. He loved that girl like a daughter.

"I'm going to need a car.", Fitz interrupted Cyrus' thoughts.

"Sir?"

"A damn car, Cyrus!", the President yelled, standing up and pushing his chair back forcefully. "I need a car ready immediately to take me to see her."

Cyrus scolded himself inwardly for the decision he had made. He should have known that, no matter what had transpired between them months ago, Fitz would not sit back and simply wait for news on Olivia's condition. Of course, he would want to leave the safety of the White House to walk into a hospital that is open to the public. Aside from the obvious security concerns, the media would go wild if they got wind of President Fitzgerald Grant III running to the hospital the moment he heard that his former White House Press Secretary had been in an accident.

"I don't think that will be possible.", he tried, already knowing that his attempts would be shut down.

"I am the President of the United States so it will be made possible, Cyrus!", Fitz yelled, fear and panic rising up like bile in his throat. "Dammit, Cyrus, I need to be there. What if…", he trailed off.

"Give me 30 minutes, Fitz.", Cyrus whispered, knowing there was nothing he could do to keep the President in the White House.

"Make it 15."

Exactly 21 minutes later Fitz, Cyrus, and several Secret Service agents entered the hospital through a service entrance. The floor had been partially locked down, and other than the hospital's administrator nobody knew that the President had entered the building. While agents were placed strategically on all entrances to the hospital, only Tom and Hal were with Fitz as he entered the small waiting area adjacent to the OR. The room was as empty as the hallways they had come through on their way here, and Fitz truly appreciated how fast both his people and the hospital staff had worked to allow him to be here. He knew it was still risky, simply because he was the President and he should not be roaming the halls of a public hospital, but there was no other way to do this. Fitz needed to be here.

Cyrus entered the room minutes after Fitz had taken a seat on one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs. He had been able to speak to someone about Olivia's condition even though he was not a relative. Mentioning the White House worked wonders when one needed information. His eyes fell on Fitz, who had his head bent, holding it between his hands. He looked like the life had been sucked right out of him.

"Olivia is in surgery. They weren't able to give me a lot of information because they don't know much just yet."

"How bad is it?", Fitz asked carefully.

"Fitz…"

"Please, Cyrus. How bad?"

"It didn't look good when she came in.", he explained, falling into a seat next to the President.

Fitz had never felt so utterly lost and scared as he did in that very moment. All the anger and hurt he had felt towards Olivia seemed to dissipate, and all he could feel now was a numbing fear. For ten long months Fitz had kept the love of his life away because he did not feel like she deserved a chance to explain herself. He had ended the most rewarding relationship he had ever been a part of and closed himself off completely.

He had never regretted anything so much.

Just down the hall his Livy was fighting for her life. Maybe she would survive, and he would get the chance to make up for his failures. But maybe, maybe he would never get the opportunity to see her again. The thought felt like a grip around his throat, slowly getting tighter and tighter until he could barely breathe. He was not a weak man. He had barely ever cried in front of anyone, but right now he simply didn't think he could remain strong. Fitz swallowed a sob that was threatening to escape his body, and he slumped over even further, his body shaking in anguish.

Cyrus placed a hand on the President's back and lowered his own head, biting back the bitter taste of tears, pain and fear. Right here, in the chilly hospital waiting room they were not a powerful president and his Chief of Staff. They weren't two of the most influential men in America. They were two men afraid of suffering a loss.

"It could be hours before there's any kind of news, Fitz."

"I'm staying here.", he replied decidedly, his body finally straightening up.

Following suit, Cyrus sat up and straightened his suit jacket. It was going to be next to impossible to remove Fitz from the hospital until they would hear anything from Olivia's doctors. He had no choice but to fall back into his professional mode, because he needed to be the one to make smart decisions in this situation.

"It's a little after 9pm now. Most of the White House staff is likely done for the day, so we have a few hours before anyone will notice that you're missing. I will take care of Mellie if she happens to notice your absence. We can bring you back in a few hours, let's say… 1 maybe 2am. That will give you enough time to catch a couple hours of sleep and prepare yourself for the following day."

"I don't think you quite understood, Cyrus.", Fitz interjected quietly. "I can't leave here until I know Olivia is out of the woods. So I am going to stay for as long as it will take."

"Mr. President.", Cyrus sighed, hoping to call on Fitz' responsibility as the leader of the nation. "You know that's impossible. We can't have you disappear from the White House indefinitely to sit with your dying m…"

"My what?", Fitz bellowed before Cyrus could finish. "Don't you ever call her my mistress and don't you dare tell me she's dying! Liv is going to get through this and I will be right here when that happens!"

Deep down, Fitz knew that he was being a hypocrite. He had called Olivia a mistress himself months ago and he really couldn't fault Cyrus for considering the possibility that she may not survive. Despite that, he couldn't allow anyone to talk about her like that.

"Look, Cyrus,… there has to be something we can do.", he continued, almost pleadingly.

His Chief of Staff sighed, the wheels in his head already turning in order to come up with some kind of plan. To even consider keeping Fitz secretly away from the White House for more than a few hours in the middle of the night was practically political suicide. At the same time, he knew that if he were in the President's shoes and this were James' life on the line, he would react exactly the same way. Still, the situation was almost impossible and he wasn't sure how to approach it.

"Here's what's going to happen.", Cyrus began. "You are going to stay here, in a private room that we'll have arranged for you. Tomorrow morning, I will hold a press conference explaining that you had to leave D.C. to be with an ailing family member. Tomorrow night, no matter what happens here, you return to the White House. No matter what, Fitz."

"What about Mellie?", he asked, not because he cared, but because he was worried about what she would do once she found out that he was with Olivia.

"Let me worry about that.", Cyrus grumbled, not looking forward to the conversation he would be having with the First Lady. "I will most likely regret saying this, but you need to be here for Olivia."

"Thank you.", Fitz whispered, feeling truly humbled by the understanding Cyrus was showing.

Nearly four hours and three cups of bad hospital coffee later, two doctors entered the room the Secret Service agents had taken him to. Fitz stood immediately and when his eyes met theirs, his heart sank.

"My name is Dr. Aaron Wallace and this is my colleague Dr. Ken Stuart. We have been briefed, Mr. President. Nothing we discuss will leave this room. We understand you are allowed full disclosure on Ms. Pope's condition.", the older of the two informed him.

"I appreciate that. How is she?", Fitz asked, not bothering with any pleasantries.

"Ms. Pope was brought in this evening having suffered a major trauma caused by a head-on collision with another vehicle. It is my understanding that she crashed once on the scene, and a second time in the ER."

Fitz swallowed the bile that had begun to rise up in his throat. Twice. Livy had literally died twice before she had even made it into the OR. His palms were sweaty even though he felt a bone-chilling cold throughout his entire body, and he wiped them on the sides of his pants.

"She came to us with a collapsed left lung and extensive internal bleeding. We were able to repair the damage and we believe she should be able to recover from those injuries. However, Ms. Pope suffered a severe blow to the head. We released some of the pressure on her brain, but it's still touch and go. At this point, unfortunately, we have no way of knowing if she can come through this and what kind of permanent damage she will endure."

Fitz sank bank into his chair and tried to wrap his mind around the doctor's words. Olivia was so severely injured that they did not know if she would suffer permanent damage? He couldn't even begin to understand how much things had changed within a few hours, and he wished he could turn the clock back.

"She'll come through though, right? She's no longer in danger of dying?", he asked, scared of the doctors' answer.

"Mr. President… the next 24 hours will be crucial. If Ms. Pope can pull through, her chances will increase, but until she actually wakes up, it is very difficult to make a prediction."

"What are her chances?", Fitz implored.

"The survival rate for people with her injuries lies at about 40%, at best. I'm sorry we don't have better news for you. If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them at any time."

"When can I see her?"

"She will be brought into this room in approximately ten minutes. You have been cleared to remain with her, however, if her condition deteriorates, we will have to ask you to step outside.", the younger doctor explained.

"I understand.", Fitz swallowed, afraid to even consider that Olivia's condition could get any worse. "Thank you, gentlemen."

For ten excruciatingly long minutes, Fitz sat in what was to be Olivia's hospital room. He wanted nothing more than to finally see her, but at the same time he was terrified. Finally, the door swung open and two nurses wheeled in the bed that held Olivia's small body. He remained seated, almost frozen in place as they quietly hooked her up to countless machines and IVs. With a nod of acknowledgment in his direction, they eventually left the room.

Slowly, Fitz stood up and moved closer to her bed. When his eyes fell on her fully, his knees almost gave out under him. Tears welled up in his eyes quickly and he felt an indescribable pain that radiated from his heart throughout his entire body.

"Oh Livy."