Somebody mentioned a spelling mistake in the last chapter. English is not my first language, and although I try my best, sometimes mistakes sneak in somewhere. I apologize for that. I'm very happy to see that people are still liking this story. I know Liv and Fitz are kind of a pain in the you-know-what right now, but that's why we love them. ;) This chapter is somewhat of a filler but it sets us up for what's to come! Keep reading and reviewing!
For the next three days, visitors came and went. Olivia had a chance to see her team, consisting of an extremely happy Quinn whose excitement and contagious smile were a welcome pick-me-up, Abby and Harrison who were not as emotional as Quinn but no less happy, and Huck who stared at Olivia intently for a long time and then squeezed her hand so hard that she thought he might just crush it in the process. His reaction to seeing her awake told her more than words ever could have. This group of intelligent misfits made her feel very much supported and loved. Cyrus stopped by a couple of days after she had woken up, greeting her with a careful hug and a get-well-soon note from the White House, signed by both the President and the First Lady. It made Olivia snort, knowing that Cyrus had probably forged both of their signatures. She received many cards much like this one, from senators, congressmen and –women, White House staff she had worked with, and many others. The small table in her hospital room was decorated with expensive flower bouquets and notes written on fancy paper from the who-is-who of scandalous politicians she had helped.
Olivia did not hear from Fitz again, and she almost caved and asked Cyrus about him, but decided against it in the very last moment. After all, she had asked him to leave the day she had woken up, and he was only respecting her wishes. Still, it stung more than it should have to not see him or hear from him. She had lasted many months without him, but now that Olivia had been able to lay eyes on him, it was difficult to go back to being away from Fitz. Her thoughts were interrupted when a nurse entered her room carrying her daily dose of medications.
"Hi Emma.", Olivia smiled, carefully pulling herself to sit upright in bed.
Moving around was still causing her some pain, but she was beginning to feel better and working towards finally being allowed to actually walk again.
"Hello Olivia!", the young nurse smiled, placing a colorful assortment of pills on her nightstand.
In the days she had been awake, Olivia had met several nurses, but Emma had quickly become her favorite. She was bubbly and energetic, and she always entered the room with a smile on her face. Most of all, she seemed passionate about her job – something Olivia could identify with greatly.
"How are you feeling today?", she asked, checking Olivia's blood pressure.
"Good. Actually, I think I'm ready to get out of this bed and go for a walk.", she smirked, adding an exaggerated wink.
"Yeah, right! Nice try, I have to give you that.", Emma laughed.
She handed Olivia the small plastic cup of pills and a glass of water. Then she adjusted the final IV that remained hooked up to her patient's arm. Olivia sighed, swallowing the tasteless pills one by one and then tossing the pill container into the trash and handing the glass back to Emma.
"I really do feel better. How much longer do you think it will be before I can get up?"
Emma smiled knowingly. "I know you're sick of being in this bed, but we don't want to take any risks, Olivia. However, I may or may not have overheard Dr. Stuart saying that he wants you to start walking tomorrow."
"Seriously?", Olivia beamed. "I am so ready to be back on my feet."
"You're telling me! I've never seen another patient that moves around so much in a small hospital bed."
Although the comment made Olivia blush, she knew it was true. The first day she had not felt like doing much of anything at all, but for the last couple of days, she had been itching to get up and get her life back on track. Her chest only hurt when she moved too much, and the cuts and bruises didn't bother her unless she touched them. Olivia had winced the first time she'd seen herself in the little compact mirror that Abby had provided, the bruises and the long cut on her face an ugly reminder of the accident. According to her doctors, the incision on the side of her head, just above her ear, was healing nicely and Olivia had already adjusted her hair to cover the spot. She was dying for a hot shower, but so far she had only been allowed the humiliation of a sponge bath. For an independent woman like Olivia, this was just short of torture.
"And when do you think I'm getting out of here?", Olivia questioned.
"I really can't answer that question. Once we have you up and walking, the doctors will be able to tell you more. To be quite honest though, I think you're looking at another week at least."
Olivia sighed, but nodded her head in understanding. She did, of course, want to make sure that she was better before she'd be left to herself at home, but being in the hospital made her feel terribly useless. Now that she was beginning to feel more like herself again, Olivia wanted to get back to her office, back to the busy schedule she often loathed but now missed so much. She simply wanted to be allowed to be independent again.
"Alright. I'll be patient."
"Of course.", Emma snorted. "That's exactly the kind of word I would use to describe you."
"I figured. People say it's one of my greatest strength.", Olivia joked.
A beat passed, and Olivia's observation skills told her that Emma was thinking about something.
"So, let me just get the elephant in the room out of the way. How's sexy Mr. President doing today?"
Olivia sputtered, the nurse's bold questions causing her eyes to widen. She certainly had not seen this one coming. Instantly, she felt her skin grow hot. Nobody had ever been so forward, so candid in questioning her relationship with the President of the United States. Before she could think of a good answer, Emma spoke up.
"I am so sorry! Sometimes I don't know how to keep my mouth shut. Forget I ever asked. I apologize, Olivia."
"It's okay.", Olivia whispered in a small voice.
She had known that at least some of the hospital staff had seen Fitz with her the day she had woken up, but she had assumed that Cyrus made sure everyone involved had signed a non-disclosure agreement before the President ever set foot into this hospital. For Emma to ask her about him at all, made Olivia wonder how much she had actually witnessed – and who else had seen them that day.
"No, it's really not. It obviously makes you uncomfortable to talk about him. Or the two of you…", Emma trailed off.
Olivia wanted to smack her forehead but remembered the cuts and bruises and thought better of it. How could Fitz have been so negligent to come see her the day she woke up? He should have known – Cyrus should have known – that people would see them and they would talk. One nurse would whisper to another one that the President of the United States – the very married President – was holding a female patient's hand, a patient that once worked for him. Then, that small whisper would carry through the halls of the hospital until it became a well-known rumor, and from there on it wouldn't take long for someone to run to the media with it, hoping for a big pay-day or a moment of fame. In her head, Olivia was already trying to fix the problem before it actually turned into one.
"I get it, Olivia. Nobody should be talking about it because he's the President and he is married.", she stopped then, and Olivia could see her biting her lip, almost as if she meant to say more. "I don't blame him, though. The First Lady does seem a little stiff."
She knew she really shouldn't, but Olivia couldn't help but laugh at that. Mellie tried so hard to look approachable and likable to the nation, any many people that never took the time to observe the First Lady closely saw her as just that, but this young woman was anything but fooled. Her chest began to hurt and she placed a hand against it, forcing herself to calm down. She liked Emma, she really did.
"I don't know what you saw that day when I woke up, Emma. I will not insult your intelligence by telling you that there was nothing to see, but I need you to promise me that none of this will leave the room."
"Of course not.", Emma interrupted her quickly.
"F… the President should not have been here that day, let's just leave it at that and never mention it again."
When Olivia looked up at her nurse again, she noticed her face was edged with hesitance and confusion. She watched the young women bite her lip again – something Olivia had already deciphered as a nervous trait – before she finally opened her mouth to talk.
"Olivia, he wasn't just here when you woke up. That man sat by your bedside every single day since the moment we wheeled you into this room."