FYI: I never know how a particular scene is going to turn out when I start writing it. Once again, I'm writing a lot more chapters than I had intended. Here is another one that I hadn't planned like this at all. Enjoy!

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31. Failed

They were still chuckling when George and Noah returned. Elliot sat back and took a deep breath. Olivia looked at him, concerned that he might have overexerted himself a little, but he gave her a reassuring wink while he pulled the covers over his chest. His eyes were so happy and there were butterflies in her stomach. Her lips were still tingling from their heated kisses. They hadn't exactly been careful with each other and Elliot's ribs had to hurt.

It's fine, he mouthed at her, and Olivia finally tore her eyes away from Elliot to turn her attention to her son. Noah was babbling excitedly about the treats George had bought him. He was still clutching a rather large marshmallow-like piece of candy, and his little fingers were all sticky.

"You shouldn't have," Olivia sighed, looking around for tissues.

"He wanted it so badly," George said by way of explanation as well as apology.

"And you just caved in?" Olivia asked with a smile.

She couldn't find any tissues and decided to drag Noah to the small bathroom before he'd get the sticky mess on his clothes, or hers. When she returned, George was saying goodbye to Elliot.

"You're leaving already, George?" she asked him, walking up to both men.

"Yes. I got a call earlier. I'm needed elsewhere. I won't bore you with the details. But I can see Elliot is in very good hands with you. And Noah of course," George added, ruffling Noah's hair.

"Candy!" Noah replied, holding out the remains of his huge sticky treasure, and they all laughed with the happy little boy.

They said their goodbyes and Olivia walked George out, thanking him for talking to Elliot and explaining a lot to him, so Elliot didn't feel so overwhelmed anymore.

"I can't promise you he won't be overwhelmed again, Olivia," George warned her. "But I'm sure you will be able to handle it together."

Olivia thanked the psychiatrist again and got a cup of coffee for herself and one for Elliot before returning to his room. Noah had climbed on the armchair and was telling his stuffed animals and Elliot about what he'd seen in the hospital. Olivia set down their coffees and sat down on the wooden chair. She smiled, watching her boy.

"I wish you could stay," she suddenly heard Elliot say softly.

She looked up at him and found him watching her, his eyes half-closed while he tried to relax after their earlier conversations and activities.

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

"I don't like being here alone at night," he told her.

She was trying to get used to Elliot being so vulnerable but she was still surprised that he would admit to such a thing.

"I'm fine during the day, when there's some distraction, but at night I ... my mind is a mess and I get so confused."

Olivia stood up and put a hand on his arm.

"I can't," she said softly, almost whispering, and nodded in Noah's direction. "I'd stay if I could El, really."

"I know," he said softly and he smiled at her. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being here and not running away from ... this," he said, gesturing between them.

Olivia sat down on the edge of the bed and took his hand between hers.

"I'm done running. I'm getting too old for it anyway."

"You're beautiful."

Olivia's eyebrows shot up and she shook her head, smiling.

"I'm sure I didn't tell you that enough," Elliot said, smiling as well.

"You never told me that."

"Shame on me."

"No."

She shook her head.

"You were just being the decent, upstanding man you always were."

"I was married."

"Yes."

"Not anymore."

"I know."

"I know I loved you all those years ago, Olivia. I shouldn't have, but I did."

"I loved you too, Elliot. I still loved you when I came back from that undercover operation for the Feds, but we found a way to deal with our feelings again, and work together like before."

Elliot nodded, biting his cheek.

"I still don't get how I could get Kathy pregnant again."

Olivia chuckled and Elliot was quick to add,

"I mean, why I'd go back to her and have sex with her."

Olivia shrugged.

"You never told me about it until ... until she told you she was pregnant. You believed it was yours so you must have done it. I knew you were struggling with the divorce and you missed your kids. You're a family man Elliot, all the way. You were really suffering. You felt like you'd failed them."

"They all grew up into pretty decent adults, as far as I can tell," Elliot mused.

"They did. You were a great father to them, Elliot, whether they and Kathy realized it at the time or not."

"She's a good mom."

"She is."

Olivia looked at Noah again, not knowing what else to say about Kathy. She was a good mother. Always had been. She'd lived for her family, and now that Olivia had Noah, she could understand that even better than before.

"I did fail her as a husband."

Olivia looked at Elliot again, expecting to see sadness or bitterness or even anger in his features. But she didn't see any of that. Only acceptance. He could look at his failed marriage now and accept it for what it was.

"But she shouldn't have kept you away from me."

Olivia didn't know what to say. She wondered if Elliot was going to confront Kathy. Kathleen had told her she was going to talk to her mother, but she didn't know what Elliot had discussed with his daughter. She finally asked him, while keeping an eye on Noah,

"How did your talk with Kathleen go?"

Elliot grinned.

"Kathleen. If that girl's temper is any indication of what I was like ... She's so mad at her mother right now."

"She came to see me after she visited you."

"I know. Fin gave her your address. She really likes you."

Olivia nodded.

"The feeling is mutual. I'm glad she explained to me why they all decided not to contact your old squad."

"Me too."

Elliot told her about his talk with Kathleen, and how upset she'd been once she realized that he had basically abandoned his partner. She'd understood immediately that Kathy had kept Olivia away intentionally.

"She must have thought you'd really have another chance," Olivia said. "The job put an enormous strain on your relationship."

"Mabye," Elliot said, smiling when Noah suddenly tossed his dinosaur at him, and catching it with his right hand.

Olivia immediately checked his IV, but it was still plugged in properly. Elliot was still receiving extra fluids and antibiotics though the IV, and she wondered when he would finally be free to leave his bed, and possibly the hospital. Elliot handed the dinosaur back to Noah, who had hopped off the armchair.

"Thank you," Noah said politely and then he gave him mother his widest smile.

"Oh Noah," Olivia sighed, getting off the bed and crouching in front of her son. "I'm so proud of you!"

Noah giggled and she hugged her little man. Elliot was watching them and when Olivia looked up at him, he said quietly,

"Family is everything."

...

Dun dun?