Chapter 14

The next morning, Olivia awoke early so that she could leave and get ready for work at home. She tried her best to quietly leave the bed to head to the bathroom, but Fitz stirred and wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her back to bed with him. "You know, you don't have to leave. We did say a while ago that we'd play hooky from work. Today could be that day," Fitz suggested in a groggy voice.

"I should have planned better, but I have some things to do in the office today. Besides, you only have all your family here for the next couple of days. Enjoy them," she retorted as she slid off the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She'd planned on only brushing her teeth, then fully bathing when she arrived home shortly. When she returned to the bedroom, she put on a sundress and sandals while Fitz relieved himself and brushed his teeth. By the time she had her bag packed and ready, Fitz came out of the bathroom with a slightly sad look on his face. He took her bag in one hand and her hand in the other and led her down the stairs to her car. They locked lips for a significant but tender kiss before just staring at each other.

"Thank you for spending Father's Day with me. It really was the best one I've had."

Olivia ran her hands up and down his chest then replied, "It was my pleasure to see you in your true element. You are quite the family man Mr. Grant. I knew you were special, but it's quite the treat to see just how loved you are." They hugged one last time and she slid behind the wheel and started the car. She rolled down her window, "Call me later?"

"I'm dialing you right now!" Fitz answered with a chuckle, and she rolled her eyes and shook her head in return. He waved as she drove her car slowly down the long driveway. He turned and headed back into the house, his heart missing his best girl already.

Olivia arrived home ten minutes later. Although she had an amazing weekend with Fitz and his family, she was glad to be home. She missed the quiet and solitude there as well as her creature comforts that she'd done without for the last couple of days. She was looking forward to a long shower in her own bathroom, and being back at work with her friends, and finally seeing her parents who would be returning from their trip later that day. Resuming her normal routine, she prepared for her workday before heading to the office.

Fitz had just finished his shower, and changed his bed linens and gathered the clothes he planned to wash after having breakfast. He headed to the kitchen and found Mellie making a simple bacon, egg, and oatmeal breakfast for the family. Fitz was grateful that they had a moment alone to express his gratitude to her.

"Morning Mels."

"Fitz! Morning. Where's Olivia?"

"She's gone. It's a workday for her. I tried to convince her to stay, but I think we tired her out. She did have a good time with everyone. I want to thank you for this weekend. This one is for the books. I truly appreciate everything you did, cooking and wrangling the kids. For being so welcoming to Olivia."

"The forces of the universe made sure to place you two at the same place at the same time. Happy is your color Fitzgerald," Mellie said as she fluttered around the kitchen plating the food. She stopped her movements and looked earnestly at him, "For a long time, I struggled with being ecstatically happy with Mike and the guilt of breaking up our family. The guilt of knowing we each deserved happiness but doing that while prioritizing our children. The guilt of knowing you had yet to find that missing piece in your happiness. I guess in a way, you being with Olivia doesn't just bring you happiness, it gives me relief…peace of mind."

"It releases us both from that guilt, Mels. And those kids…they are amazing. We definitely got them right. I couldn't be prouder of them," Fitz said hugging his ex-wife.

"You've never uttered truer words Fitzgerald Grant!"

XXX

Olivia had been back at work for half a day. The established OPA team of Harrison, Quinn, and Huck, along with new guy Wes, were always chipper on Monday mornings and they made coming back to work from the weekend quite pleasant. The work flowed easily, and Olivia was in her zone when Wes knocked on her door frame, "Sorry to bother you Olivia. There's an Edison here to see you."

"Oh! By all means send him in. Thanks Wes," she said happily. She left her chair and rounded her desk as Edison entered her office. "As if my day couldn't get any better…what are you doing here?"

The two friends hugged and went to sit at her desk. Edison took a deep breath and with a relaxed posture he began, "I've decided to leave the firm and start my own practice. I want to be in control of my workload and schedule now that I'm going to be a family man." Olivia's eyes bugged out and her mouth hung open for a few seconds. Edison continued, "I plan on being a present husband to Jackie. I'm starting up my practice with Warrick Brown. Have you heard of him?"

Still stunned at the news, Olivia shook her head no. "Congratulations Edison! I'm really happy for you. I think that's a smart move, and Jackie will appreciate that as a newlywed. You couldn't give her a better gift than more of your time as her husband." Edison was an unnamed partner at his law firm, so he made great money and connections. No doubt many of his current clients would follow him. "You know I'm here for you in any way you need me. Do you need me to run the startup numbers and budget for you?"

"That's why I'm actually here. I'd like to hire you for just that. Between me and Warrick, we have enough to get things off the ground and to hire at least one legal assistant. I want to have all this figured out before I tell Jackie." Edison handed Olivia a folder with his paperwork, "Do you think you could have the numbers crunched by the middle of next month?"

"I'm way too nosy to wait that long. I'm sure I can have the numbers to you by the end of this week. And just because I'm so proud of your decision, I'll do this for you for free. I truly am excited for you and Jackie."

"If you aren't the best, I don't know who is. Thank you Olivia. I love that woman enough to give up my current six figure salary for a lower six figure salary. She better appreciate my sacrifice," Edison joked.

"You know you don't have to worry about that. By the way, have you picked a date for the wedding?"

"Yeah, we're narrowing down some weekends in March. And that bachelor party will be the weekend before that. Don't forget…strip club!" The good friends shared a final laugh before Edison left, letting Olivia get back to work.

Twenty minutes later, Olivia's cell phone rang. She looked to see who it was and smiled seeing that it was her best friend. "Angela! What's up?"

"No honey, get right to the scoop. Tell me about your weekend with the Grants," Angela demanded.

Olivia got up to close her office door and made herself comfortable on her small couch. "It was great! I really enjoyed myself and felt like one of the family. They really are a great bunch. Loving to one another, playful and funny. Everyone has their distinct personality and place in the family. Fitz is the patriarch, Mellie the matriarch, Kara is the peacekeeper, Jared is the logical one, Michael, Mellie's husband, is the agreeable one, and Griffin, Jared's partner is the comedian. I don't know how I fit in, but I didn't feel out of place."

"Was it awkward being around the ex-wife? What's their dynamic like?"

"Not at all. She's really sweet, genuinely so. I could tell she wants to be around her kids more than anything. And they're good kids. Her and Fitz's dynamic? Friends. You wouldn't know they had been married if they didn't tell you. She and her husband are like giddy teenagers. I'm pretty sure out of all the couples in the house, they had the most sex over the weekend," Olivia threw her head back and laughed at her own realization.

"I'm so happy for you, and I'm glad everything went well," said Angela.

"Thank you. I was a little nervous, but I really wasn't worried. I trust Fitz enough to believe he'd never place me in a bad position. He did go to his parents' home yesterday with Kara. No one else wanted to go because of their bigoted beliefs. I hung back with the rest of the family. I had some nice one-on-one talks with Mellie, Jared, and Griffin. Mellie invited me to her art show in Vegas. I think I'm going to go."

"Y'all are like sister-wives now!" chuckled Angela.

"That's what I said when we talked Saturday night," Olivia marveled at how similar she and her friend thought. "How was your weekend? Do anything special?"

"We went to my dad's house for a cookout with him and his brother. The oldheads were in true form."

Olivia felt a pang of envy, "That must have been a blast. Nothing like old Black men cooking on a grill, listening to oldschool music, and reminiscing about back in the day. You have to convince them to do it again this summer so I can come. Marcus must have been in his element."

Angela pursed her lips and looked into her cell, "Girl, you know he hung on their every word and gesture. They even had the audacity to try to teach him old man dance moves." Both ladies laughed out loud.

"How many of them had towels around their necks?" Olivia asked trying to control her laughter while Angela pounded her open hand on her desk.

"Uncle Ivan doesn't go anywhere without that damn towel around his neck, even when he's wearing a suit!" Angela confirmed the antics of her family.

"Girl, get off my phone. I cannot with you!" They continued to laugh for a few more seconds before Olivia changed the subject, "When is our next girls' night?"

"I won't be able to make it for a minute. One of my co-workers fell ill, and I've offered to help pick up the slack of some of her cases. I guess it will just be you and Michaela for a while," Angela said with a bit of sadness.

"Oh no. We'll wait for you to join us. I know she has her hands busy with work and with helping Russ with the new store. They are on track to be ready for their grand opening. Let me get back to work so that I can get out of here on time. Thanks for checking in. I'll talk to you soon."

"Alright. Bye girl."

XXX

Olivia arrived home for the second time that day after a long productive day at work. She was happy to be back in her haven where she did her after work routine of going through her mail, making a light dinner, and tonight, having a long quiet bath. Once she was clean, she put on her comfiest robe, put on some music, poured a glass of wine, and sank into her sofa, finally enjoying the solitude of her home after being in the bustle of the Grant family. She was tired, but not ready to fall asleep. Olivia pulled out her sudoku book and solved a few puzzles. She and Fitz had not talked all day, and she decided it was a good time to speak with him before she headed to bed.

She dialed his cell phone and Fitz answered on the second ring, "There she is. I was just thinking about you. How was your day?"

"It was good. I got a lot done. Chatted with both Angela and Edison. I'm just relaxing now before I turn in for the night. How was your day?" she asked in return.

"It was easy. The festivities are over, and my hosting duties are behind me. Everyone is still here, but I don't have to entertain them anymore. They are seeing to their own whims. I just did laundry and washed the cars. I also planned a date night with you. We haven't been out on the town in a little while, and I want to take my lady on a date. Are you available tomorrow night?"

"I can't turn my man down when he's spent his day planning a date night for us. I look forward to it. What should I wear?"

"Something to go with my light gray suit."

Olivia could see the vision of him in her head, "Oh, that sounds sexy. You wanna stay here tomorrow night?"

"That sounds like the perfect ending to date night," Fitz didn't hesitate to answer. They sat quietly on the phone for a few seconds, then Fitz broke the silence, "I can tell you're tired, babe. Get some sleep. I'll pick you up at seven."

"I'll be waiting. Goodnight Fitz."

"Goodnight, Livvie."

XXX

It was 6:49pm Tuesday evening. Olivia was putting the finishing touches to her teased out hair and did one final blot to her nude glossy lips. She'd chosen an apricot colored halter mini dress with a pewter colored pair of heels. She figured this would compliment Fitz's grey suit. She didn't know where they were going, but she was excited and looked forward to going on a traditional date with her man after spending most of their time together in hang-out mode. Her front door buzzer rang ten minutes later. She grabbed her clutch, locked up her condo, and headed out the door of the building to see Fitz standing by the call box looking very much like he did the day they met. Olivia walked straight into his arms, eager to smell him and kiss him.

After their quick greeting at the front door, they walked to Fitz's car where he opened her door and helped her into the seat. Once he was situated behind the wheel, he took her hand and kissed it. "You look absolutely amazing, Ms. Pope. You take my breath away."

"I was thinking the same about you. This brought me back to the day we met," she said pointing her finger up and down his body. "So, where are we off to? Are you going to make we wait and see, or can I know now?" she asked as he pulled out of the condo complex and onto the road.

"We are going on a boat ride on the Potomac where I've hired a private chef. You don't get seasick, do you? I guess I should have checked before now. Please say you don't get seasick." Fitz said, realizing he may have overplayed his hand.

"Lucky for you that I don't! A boat ride sounds amazing! It's been a while since I've been on the Potomac. Who's the chef?"

"A guy named Riley Bear. He provided some of the VIP food at the bourbon festival."

"Oh, then I will definitely love whatever he's making us for dinner." They continued with their small talk and revisited how well the weekend went. Fitz was ecstatic to hear Olivia express that she wanted to go to Mellie's art show with him. Olivia had only been to the city part of Las Vegas, but not the more rural or suburban area.

After about forty minutes of driving, the couple arrived at the Southwest DC waterfront where Fitz parked in the lot, and they walked to the marina to find their boat, which was actually a modest yacht. "This is a beautiful boat. It never occurred to me that you could rent one for a night," Olivia said in awe of the small luxury boat.

Their captain was waiting where they would cross from the dock to the deck of the boat. Fitz positioned himself behind her to make sure she made it safely on board. The captain held out his hand to assist them both before introducing himself, "I'm Mark Campion. I'll be your ship's captain tonight. We'll head up the Potomac for about ninety minutes before we head back down. Chef Bear is already on board, and I believe dinner will be served promptly at 8:15. Make yourselves at home and let me know if there is anything you need from me. Otherwise, I'll be on the bridge the duration of your trip."

"Thank you Cpt. Campion. We're looking forward to tonight," Fitz graciously shook the man's hand then took Olivia's hand and walked them to the front of the ship where their dinner table was already set. They weren't ready to sit just yet, so they simply embraced and looked out on the water while the captain readied the boat for its departure. Within minutes, they began moving further away from the dock and down the river.

Chef Bear finally made his appearance with two flutes of champagne, "Beautiful night for dinner on the river, eh Fitz?"

"Riley Bear! The best damn chef in the Metropolitan area. How are you buddy?" Fitz greeted the chef by taking the flutes and placing them on the table before hugging him.

"It's good to see you again, and so soon. Usually we have to wait for some festival or marketing event to run into each other," reflected Chef Bear.

"I couldn't think of anyone better to help me with this special night. Riley, this is my special lady, Olivia. Olivia, Riley Bear." Greetings and handshakes were exchanged before Chef Bear resumed his work of handing them their champagne.

"Enjoy some champagne. I'll be bringing out your appetizers, cheesesteak egg rolls and Bok choy salad, in a few minutes, then serving your main course of lemon garlic rotisserie chicken, wild brown rice, and steamed broccoli florets and baby carrots, in about twenty minutes. Just hang out and relax. I'll be checking in on you in a few," the chef said as he made his exit.

Fitz and Olivia charged their champagne flutes, and each took a sip of their drink. They continued to stand by the railing and just took in the lush sites along the river. The sun was about to set, and they looked forward to sharing that moment together. After several minutes, Fitz spotted Chef Bear headed their way with their appetizers. He led Olivia to the table where they sat and awaited service by Chef Bear who placed their food in front of each of them and topped off their champagne flutes. They enjoyed their appetizers and posing for photos of themselves with the setting sun. Chef Bear reemerged to serve them with their main course plates, then disappeared inside and piped soft jazz throughout the boat. Fitz talked enthusiastically about Olivia's Father's Day gift to him, planning when he'd hit the track. They talked about making it a weekend away, their first overnight road trip together. They determined that it would be about a month before they would be able to do such a trip.

"You know, there is a high-end spa about thirty minutes from the track. I suspect your body will be a bit sore from the reality of going 200 miles per hour for what, 20 to 30 minutes? You're going to need a full-body massage, or a body wrap or a mud bath. Some type of pampering," Olivia informed him.

Fitz chuckled at what he thought was her attempt to get some pampering in for herself, "It sounds like there's something you'd like to partake in during our weekend." He scrunched up his face before asking, "A mud bath? Really? That sounds disgusting. I can only imagine it smelling like sitting in manure."

"Oh come on! It's not actually mud, but clay, red clay. It's supposed to detoxify and soften the skin."

"Have you done it before?" he asked her.

"No, but I'm open to it. I think I'd rather do a massage or a body scrub. Maybe even a salt room."

"A what?"

"A salt room. The entire room is covered in pink salt, like those salt lamps everyone seems to have in their homes and offices. You can relax in a whole room like that. Seems soothing, don't you think?"

"Sounds like a money grab!" Fitz exclaimed, and they both laughed. "But if you want to do any of those things, I'm right there with you. Sitting in a room full of salt."

Olivia laughed, realizing what he was thinking about the salt room, "It's not like those silos where they keep salt for snow days and icy roads. The walls are made of salt. There are no piles of salt like sand at the beach."

"That's good to know. But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather do the massage too."

Once their main course was complete, Chef Bear presented them with a dessert to die for, a whopping slice of peach bourbon cheesecake. It was possibly the best thing either Fitz or Olivia had ever eaten. By the time they had finished eating, the captain had turned the boat around to head back for the final ninety minutes of their excursion. They made plans for the weekend to do a lobster dinner since Olivia hadn't had the delicacy in years. She had a preference for blue shell crab, but she did on occasion like lobster when in the mood.

They enjoyed robust decaf coffee specially curated and brewed by Chef Bear as they relaxed and appreciated the cool breeze and warm mist from the river. Around 11pm they embarked on the boat's slip where they thanked Captain Campion and Chef Bear for an amazing evening. The chef also surprised them with the remainder of the peach bourbon cheesecake for which they expressed unlimited gratitude. Their ride back to Olivia's was smoother than the ride in due to the lack of traffic, and they were crossing her threshold just before midnight. They both enjoyed a shower and that most satisfying moment of lying down in a comfy bed after a long day. Olivia and Fitz held onto each other while staring into each other's eyes for several minutes before finally sharing a kiss and bidding each other good night.

XXX

It had been an uneventful week for Olivia, but exciting things were happening in Fitz's world. His Spirit of Love line was ready for mass production. He was excited that the line would be perfect and available by the holiday season, and most importantly, for presentation to Olivia. Kara had been offered the job in James County and decided to take it. Mike had uploaded all of the photos he took Father's Day weekend and sent everyone notice that they were available for viewing and reproducing. He was true to his word regarding adding Olivia to their family access. Olivia was floored by the quality of the photos. Mike really was a skilled photographer, and she was pleasantly surprised at his eye for capturing candid shots of everyone. This was her first time seeing herself and Fitz through the eyes of someone else. There was one picture in particular of the couple sharing a quiet moment alone together next to the large magnolia tree at the far end of Fitz's backyard. He was placing a magnolia blossom in her hair. It had to be her favorite photo out of the two hundred or so images captured that weekend.

It was late Saturday afternoon, and Olivia and Fitz were enjoying that lobster dinner they'd planned. Fitz was filling her in on Kara's excitement for finally landing a job. She was looking forward to forging new friendships in the area and saving up to get her own place. Fitz wasn't ready for her to leave, and she'd be living with him for a while to come, but he knew his daughter was ready to be back out on her own again.

After they finished dinner, they decided to catch a movie. They settled on an action movie at a theater close to their homes. During the drive to the movie theater, Olivia began to feel strange. Her face felt warm, and her tongue felt dry and thick. She tapped Fitz's thigh to get his attention from the road. He was shocked to see that Olivia was struggling to breathe, and her face looked reddish and blotchy. Fitz course-corrected and headed towards the hospital that was less than ten minutes from their current location. Within minutes, Fitz pulled into the driveway of the emergency room and flagged down a couple of nurses who appeared to be taking a break to assist him with Olivia. They assured him they'd help her inside and get her triaged while he parked his truck. A few minutes later, Fitz ran through the doors of the emergency room and through shallow huffs, he asked about Olivia's condition.

"Excuse me, my girlfriend was just brought in with difficulty breathing and a swollen face. Olivia Pope is her name."

"Yes, she's in the back now being treated. You may want to call a family member of hers. Since you are not next of kin or family, we cannot speak with you about her condition," the nurse informed Fitz.

"I understand. Thank you," he said backing away from the counter and pulling out his phone to make a call. The number he dialed rang a couple of times before someone answered.

"Hey Fitz! To what do I owe the honor of a weekend call?" Marcus said in a cheerful voice.

"Hi Marcus. Liv's in the emergency room. Is Angela with you? I don't have her number nor Liv's parents' contact info. Someone from her family needs to be here."

"Ange is right here," Marcus said putting his phone on speaker so that Angela could be added to the conversation. "I have you on speaker Fitz."

"Hi Angela. Sorry for interrupting your weekend, but I just brought Olivia to the emergency room. I think she had an allergic reaction to something. We just left dinner. She needs to have a family member here in the event someone needs to make decisions for her. Will you reach out to her parents and let them know."

"Oh my god! I'm dialing right now, and we'll be on our way as soon as I'm off the phone with them. I am named as her medical power of attorney, but I'll only make decisions if her parents are unable to. Let me call them now. Thanks for calling Fitz," Angela said hurriedly.

Fitz ended the call and took a seat in the waiting area. He had no idea what to do with himself while he waited for word on Olivia or her family and friends to arrive. About twenty minutes later, Angela and Marcus arrived at the emergency room. They greeted Fitz briefly before Angela went to the triage nurse with her document proving her medical power of attorney so that she could get an update on Olivia's condition. As she was finishing her conversation with the nurse, Maya and Eli rushed into the emergency room doors and headed straight towards Angela, Marcus, and Fitz.

"Have you heard anything about Olivia?" Maya asked forgetting to bother with pleasantries.

"I just spoke with the nurse, and she confirmed that Olivia was having a severe allergic reaction. They've stabilized her, and you will be able to see her shortly," Angela explained and offered the Popes reassurances about their daughter's condition. The small gang exchanged greetings and words of encouragement to each other, and waited another half hour before another nurse came through the emergency room door and addressed the group, allowing for one visitor to come back with her. Maya didn't hesitate to follow the nurse and the others took seats and tried to get comfortable for a while longer.

After a short wait, Angela went to ask the nurse a few more questions regarding Olivia. She learned that Olivia would be admitted overnight, and once she's been admitted and placed in her room, she'd be allowed to receive visitors.

Fitz texted Kara to let her know what was going on, and that he'd be home later than he'd expected. She offered to come to the hospital to support him, but he told her not to come since her closest friends and family were already there. He felt helpless and restless, so he offered to get the group some snacks from the vending machine. He needed to walk off his nervous energy. Eli offered to walk with him, and although Fitz kind of wanted to be alone, he didn't feel confident enough to turn her father down.

"Have the doctors said what she had an allergic reaction to?" Eli asked Fitz.

"I'm not sure. We'd just left from having a lobster dinner. Olivia didn't indicate that she was allergic to anything she ordered or ate."

"She never had any food allergies as a child. She didn't even suffer from hay fever like the rest of us," Eli said, feeling more confused than ever. "She ate like a champion when she came by the house earlier this week for dinner." The men bought several bottles of water and juice and bags of chips and cookies from the vending machines, then headed back to the waiting area where they passed out the snacks.

Maya emerged from the emergency area to fill the group in on Olivia's condition, "She's going to be fine. The doctor believes she had an allergic reaction to lobster. It seems to be the only thing that she ate that she hadn't eaten in years. They said that she's acquired the allergy recently. Apparently, it's normal for people to acquire new allergies as they get older, and even lose old ones. They've given her meds that have stabilized her. She'll be admitted for the night so that they can observe her. They're moving her now. We'll be able to visit with her once she's set up in her room." Maya turned to Fitz to address him specifically, "Thank you so much for getting her here so fast. Her throat had begun to close. She couldn't breathe," her voice trailed off and Fitz just held her hand in silence, afraid of his own reaction to her words.

Eli handed his wife a bottle of water and shared his chips with her. Angela had been texting back and forth with Micheala to keep her informed of Olivia's status. She reassured her friend that she didn't need to come to the hospital, as Olivia was about to be admitted and needed to get set up in her room.

In the meantime, Fitz sat quietly watching the TV in the waiting room, but not paying attention to what was actually being broadcasted. Marcus figured he could use a friend at the moment and moved to the empty seat next to him. "How're you doing right now?" he asked his boss.

Fitz let out a small sigh, not realizing that he was holding his breath before that moment. "I just want to lay eyes on her to know she's okay. She didn't look good on the ride here. Seeing her not being able to breathe…I just kept telling myself not to panic…get her to the hospital in capable hands." Fitz cocked his head to look at Marcus, "That's my heart in there. She's become a part of me. I will not imagine my life without her."

"She's going to be fine. You got her here in time. And knowing Liv, she wants to see you just as badly to reassure you that she's fine. She wouldn't want you out here panicking. Is there anything I can do for you right now?"

"No. Thank you, Marcus. It's just been a really long time since I've been this nervous or scared. I forgot how awful it feels."

"You'll be seeing ya girl in no time, and we'll be right here with you until you do," Marcus told him with a compassionate smile.

Finally, the nurse that had called Maya back was informing the group of where Olivia would be housed for the night. They made their way to the elevator bank to head up to her floor and room. All five didn't want to go in at one time since she was sharing her room with another patient. Angela and Marcus went in first to check in on her. They stayed with her for about ten minutes, not wanting to wear her out. Angela could tell Olivia was exhausted from this ordeal, and she knew her other visitors were anxious for time with her too. When they came out, Angela indicated that Olivia wanted to see Fitz next. He wiped his hands nervously on his jeans and entered her room.

When she saw him, she had a weak smile on her face, but one that was truly happy to see him. She could tell this episode had scared him, and he nervously walked to the side of her bed. She was using a small pad of paper and pencil to communicate since her throat was still raw and slightly swollen, but her breathing was better. Noticing how she was planning to communicate, Fitz decided to do most of the talking.

"You almost died," he said, and she just nodded and mouthed "I know" in affirmation. "Don't do it again," he told her, and she again mouthed "okay" as he kissed her softly on the lips. They sat there gazing at one another and holding hands. Fitz then stroked her once puffy cheeks and squeezed her hand. "I just found you, Olivia Pope. I love you too much to lose you," he declared as she ran her hands up and down his chest slowly a few times before taking his face in her hands and bringing them back to her face for another kiss. They stayed in an embrace for a few minutes until Fitz decided it was time for him to go and let her parents in to visit with her before visiting hours ended. He exited her room and went to tell her parents goodnight before heading to his truck. Once inside, he sat still processing everything that happened. His eyes began to burn from the tears forming in them. He blink them back enough to keep them from falling. He reached into his shirt pocket to retrieve his parking ticket and noticed a piece of folded paper. He had no idea where it came from, but when he opened it, the tears reappeared and flooded his face, but this time accompanied with a smile from ear to ear. He had to wipe his face a few times in order to read it a couple more times before starting his truck and pulling off. Although it was written, he could hear her voice speaking the words to him…

"I love you."