Chapter 9

Hospital

March 18th, 2014 2:13AM

**OLIVIA**

When I woke up I could feel the tube in my throat. I took it as a good sign; I mean death shouldn't be this uncomfortable right?

I looked over and saw Maureen sitting next to me, everyone asleep. I ran my hand down her head. Looking around the room I saw I everyone was here and asleep. Casey and Fin were barely on the roll away bed both the twins and Kathleen. Fin had Dickie lying sprawled over his chest and Kathleen was snuggled into Casey while Lizzie took up more space than anyone else. Elliot was in a chair next to my bed, opposite of Maureen. Cragen sat in a chair, head resting at the foot of the bed.

I laid my head back on the bed and closed my eyes. I let myself fell back to sleep knowing that my family was safe.

"I bought coffee." I heard Cragen's voice. I could smell the coffee when he walked in. I opened my eyes and looked up at Cragen who was next to the bed. I looked over and saw it was only 4:15 in the morning. When no one noticed I was awake I held my breath causing my heart rate to speed up a bit. When the machine next to me started beeping faster they finally noticed.

"Liv!"

"I'll go get Dr. Powers." Cragen ran out and Elliot smiled at me. I looked over and saw Dr. Powers walk in.

"Well hello Olivia," he walked over. It was strange to have the same Dr. again. "Let's get that tube out. When I say three I want you to take a deep breath okay?" I nodded. He sat my bed up so I was sitting almost all the up.

"One, two, three," I took a deep breath and he pulled the tube from my throat. I coughed for a minute before looking back up to Elliot.

"I want some coffee," my voice croaked. They laughed and Dr. Powers looked at me.

"Coffee is fine but no caffeine for two weeks."

Cragen walked up and handed me his, "Here Olivia, mines decaf." I took a swig and handed it back.

"Thanks Capt.,"

"No problem Liv," he said taking a drink from his cup.

I looked over at Elliot who was standing propped up against my bed. "Hey why aren't you in a bed?"

"Because, I didn't almost die; I required stitches and antibiotics. Not major surgery."

"Oh," I looked over at Cragen, "How about you Captain?" he had his arm in a sling.

"I'm fine, Liv,"

I took a deep breath and my chest burned. "Why does my chest hurt so bad?"

"That would be because we had to completely open your chest up to fix the hole in your heart, and get both of your lungs to re-inflate." Dr. Powers stepped up an explained. I lifted my hospital gown and looked down at my bare chest. I could see the red angry incision and the staples holding me together.

"Well explains a lot." I mumbled under my breath.

"Where are Fin and Casey?" I asked figuring they had to awake. They pointed over to the bed where they were all asleep. The twins had switched since I saw them last, now Lizzie was perched atop Fins chest and he had a hand on her back keeping her from falling off. Casey had her back pressed against Fin and had the other two kids snuggled into her.

"Awe, where's the camera when you need one?" I joked remembering Casey's words from six months earlier. Elliot handed me my phone and I snapped a few pictures of them.

"Hey, what happened to Kathy?" I don't remember anything after I was shot.

"She's dead," Elliot stated very much indifferent to the question.

"Oh, Fin got her?" I said, glad she couldn't hurt my kids anymore.

Elliot shook his head.

"Who killed her then," not sure where this was going. Fin and I were the only ones with any ammo left.

He pointed to Maureen who was still sleeping beside us. My jaw dropped surprised.

"No," I almost pleaded, anyone but her. No one should have to kill their own mother, not even one as bad as Kathy.

"Yep, she shot her with your gun. Kathy was about to shoot you in the head, and Maureen took your gun and shot at her. She missed the first time but it startled Kathy enough to make her drop her gun. Mo's second shot though, hit her smack in the left side of the chest. She was dead before she hit the ground."

"Aw, MoMo," I whispered and moved her hair out of her face. She opened her eyes and saw me.

"Mom!" she leaned up and hugged me. I breathed in sharply when she hit my staples. She drew back, "I'm sorry," she whispered.

I shook my head, "It's alright; I just have staples in my chest. I'm alright." I waved her back closer and wrapped my arms around her.

I tilted her head looking at the red line across her throat. It was barely broke the skin but I still didn't like it.

"I'm fine mom, that's nothing." She took my hand and held it in her lap.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that,"

"I'm not. She was going after you mom, and the things she was saying about Kat. I'd do it again in a heartbeat." I kissed her forehead and heard a gasp.

"Mom!" Kat sat up. She climbed carefully up onto the bed.

"Hey Kit Kat are you okay?" I angled her head checking her over as well. She was luckier than her sister; she didn't have a mark on her neck.

"I'm fine momma," I gave her a hug. "I am so glad. I could've never lived with myself you or Mo got hurt." I kissed her forehead brushing her bangs out of her face.

"It's not your fault mom; Kathy came to school and got us as we were walking home. We have never had any trouble walking the two blocks home." Mo explained.

"I don't care, it is my job to help keep you safe and I didn't do such a good job." I whispered.

"You did do a good job!" Kat said.

"Yea had the positions been different and Kathy wasn't holding us, she never would have come to save us. She never would have almost died for us." Maureen tried to convince me but I wasn't.

I pulled them down next to me and they lay on either side.

About half an hour later the girls had fallen asleep and the only other one awake was Elliot.

"Hey El,"

"Yea," he turned to me.

"What did the doctors do this time?" I asked. Last time I was in the hospital they told Elliot all my ailments and he told me later.

"Well, both of your lungs collapsed and the bullet went through the pericardial sac around your heart. The hole in your stomach was mainly just the bullet ripping through old scar tissue." He looked down at his hands.

"Elliot, you're not telling me something." I whispered afraid of what he was hiding.

"The bullet ripped through one of your ovaries and they had to remove it. The other one was badly damaged but they repaired it and let it be." He let out a huge shaky breath and my heart was in my throat.

"The doctor said it would be very difficult for you to conceive in the future, not impossible, but difficult." He whispered.

"Oh," I nodded. I had always wanted to be pregnant. I wanted to know what it was like to carry your own child, to have that blood bond. The knowledge that I may never have my own kids was disheartening. I felt a few tears roll down my cheek and Elliot's arms.

"Shh, shh, shh," Elliot pulled me into his chest and I threw my arms around him holding onto him like my life depended on it. He gently pulled me into his lap without waking the girls and rocked me back and forth. I just sat in his lap and silently cried, longer than I have cried in fifteen years.

AN: Okay, so I haven't updated in forever. Sorry! I've been in College and applying for jobs and time got away from me. I know someone had concerns about anatomy and how the bullet could have caused the damage it did. I haven't really studied anatomy so I just winged it. Sorry for any fallacies!