Elliot closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with Olivia, reassured by her words of caring and steadfast loyalty. Elliot knew he and his children had a rocky road ahead of them but somehow, just by being there, Olivia was already making things less painful, less toxic, and significantly calmer. How he had lived so long without her, he would never figure out.
Elliot awoke the next morning to find Maureen and Kathleen at the foot of Olivia's bed. Elliot had shifted during the night giving Olivia room to cuddle up to his chest and rest her head in the crook of his neck. He smiled at his girls and carefully untangled himself from Olivia, who mewed in protest but did not wake.
"Hey…what time is it? Are you girls alright?"
Maureen and Kathleen, whose hand was covering her mouth hiding an enormous smile, looked at each other and then back at their dad.
"Yeah," Maureen giggled, "we're fine. Kathleen wanted to stop by and see Olivia. You do realize that it's past 8, right? I don't think you've ever slept this late, Dad."
Olivia stirred, the giggling of the two girls and the laughter of their adoring father waking her gently from her sleep.
"Hey, you two." Olivia said with a sleepy smile on her face. She sat up slowly and stretched her sore muscles.
"Hey Liv!" Kathleen grinned brightly and bounded over to Olivia's bedside. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay, actually. I'm feeling okay. Not as sore as yesterday." Olivia put on a brave face and sat up a little higher.
Kathleen sat down next to her and brushed a stray strand of hair behind Olivia's ear."That's good. So when are you busting free?"
"Not soon enough, Kat. Not soon enough." Olivia said, plopping her head down on the pillow once more.
The girls giggled again and settled down on the couch near Olivia and their dad.
They chatted briefly until the happy group was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of Olivia's doctor.
"How are you feeling today, Olivia?"
Olivia immediately perked up and sat up. "Fantastic! I have never felt better in my life. When can I leave?"
Everyone, including the doctor laughed at her sudden enthusiasm. Smiling kindly, the doctor said "I think pretty soon. You've been doing remarkably well at physical therapy and as long as you continue to do your PT daily, there's no reason you should be stuck here any longer. I will have your nurse begin your discharge papers and will give you a prescription for some pain medicine just in case. You should be out of here in a few hours."
Olivia could not contain her relief and smiled a huge, bright smile at Elliot who returned her excitement.
"You will, of course," the doctor continued "probably not want to stay by yourself for the first few days. Movement will be difficult for you and I don't want you to end up back here because you over did it."
Olivia continued smiling and nodded at the doctor but Elliot saw a brief flash of concern move through her expression. He rested a hand on her shoulder and said "I'll take care of her, doc. Thanks." Olivia's shoulder sagged slightly beneath his touch and he almost felt the worry leave her body.
The girls said their goodbyes after the doctor left and began the trek to school.
Olivia and Elliot were left alone again and a heavy, relieved silence fell over them like a warm blanket. Elliot climbed into bed with Olivia once again and cradled her, stroking her hair.
"See? You'll be out of here soon."
"Yeah…" Olivia whispered, staring at her hand resting on Elliot's hard chest, watching her fingers traced soft, small circles. "El…"
As if reading her mind, Elliot began to speak softly. "I'm not leaving you, Liv. I don't care how adamant you are in your argument against it."
Olivia lifted her head to look at him in the eyes. "I can't ask you to do that, Elliot. You've got a family you need to take care of right now."
"And I will. But I am going to take care of you too. You're my world, Liv. I'm not leaving you."
Olivia threw her head back on the pillow and sighed, leaving Elliot's words echoing in the air.
"'Kay." It was all she could say. She knew she couldn't argue with him and quite frankly, she didn't have the energy to bicker with a stubborn Elliot Stabler. She closed her eyes again and let the relief settle over her. She felt light and happy for the first time in a long time but soon an enormous guilt replaced her content.
"Elliot?" Olivia asked suddenly, trying to maneuver into a semi-sitting position. "What happens if Kathy uses me against you in the custody battle? What if our…whatever this is between us, becomes a problem for you in getting your kids? And what if you and Kathy are meant to work this out? Where does that leave me?
"Shhh…babe. You're thinking way too much right now. Let's take everything a day at a time with all this legal shit. There is no way your presence in my life would do anything but strengthen my case. And by the way, it's called a relationship when two people are committed to each other." Elliot added, snarky as ever.
"Is that what we are, committed? I feel like we haven't thought this through at all and God, I feel so guilty."
"Olivia, you did not make me fall in love with you. It happened because you're incredible but it wasn't your fault or your choice. It's not your fault that Kathy fell in love with Greg either. Your empathy is so valuable when working with victims but in this situation it is not going to help you to feel what Kathy must be feeling. Let it go and just feel what you feel. Do what you want to do and be with whomever you want to be with." With that, Elliot kissed her forehead gently "Liv, I am committed to you and to giving us a fighting chance but I would understand if you need time to think. You can have all the time in the world."
"No, El. That's not what I need. I just need you." Olivia's eyes grew smoky and she wrapped her arms around his strong neck. Pulling him down to her she kissed him lightly, careful not to heat things up. She was tired and quite sore from the pain medicine wearing off. Their kiss was gentle, soothing, and loving. Elliot brushed his lips over hers with such care that her heart felt swollen with pure love. Yes, this is what she wanted and he is who she needed. Always.