She woke up in a panic the next morning and felt someone touch her shoulder gently. Blindly, she fell into open arms, the horror of the previous evening flooding her brain. "Shh, Liv, you're okay. No one can hurt you here. The nurse said they'd be by with breakfast in about fifteen minutes."
Liv pulled back slightly to look into Mel's soft brown eyes. "You stayed."
"I promised I would." Slowly, the other woman ran her thumb beneath Liv's eyes, whisking away the tears there. "Your vitals were strong, so they should be releasing you in a few hours. I sent Grace to get you some clothes, I told her to get something pretty and colorful." She smiled sweetly at Liv, squeezing her hand.
"You didn't have to do all this Mel."
"Did you see the bouquet of flowers Peter sent you?" She looked to where Mel was pointing and smiled when she saw the pink tulips. "He has great taste."
"Who are the other flowers from?"
"Me. I wanted you to have something lovely to wake up to." Someone knocked on the door and Liv drew her hand back quickly, holding the blanket up close to her chest. The door opened, revealing an orderly with a tray of food. Once he'd set up everything, he left and Liv forced herself to relax once more.
"Afraid of my own shadow," she muttered lowly as she pulled the lid off the food. The smell nauseated her and she pushed the tray away. "I'm not hungry."
"You have to eat something, honey. They won't release you until you do. And we can stop for real food on the way home." Reluctantly, Liv nodded and picked at the scrambled eggs, managing to get down three bites before her stomach threatened to rebel. She sipped at the water they'd included and then broke the rest of the food into pieces, making it look like she'd eaten more than she had.
"May I come in?" They both looked towards the familiar voice and Mel smiled brightly, nodding. "I tried to get you something loose fitting that wouldn't bother your stomach, Captain. This is going to sound so trite, but I hope you're feeling better this morning."
Olivia cocked her head to one side as she gave her a pained smile. "Thank you, Grace. I appreciate the sentiment."
She nodded and handed over the bag from Lucy before hurriedly escaping the room. Liv pulled out a long sleeved blouse and held it up to her chest. The soft pink color matched her skin tone well and she smiled as she stroked the soft silk. Then she took out a dark, dusky rose suede skirt, and felt as if she would cry once more. It didn't matter if Mel had coerced the kindness from Grace. All that mattered was that she had something lovely to wear home.
"I told her colorful."
"This is perfect, Mel." Puzzled at the odd weight of the supposedly empty bag, Olivia reached in once more and pulled out a matching bra and panty set. She blushed a little and set the clothes aside, reaching out for Mel's hand. "I want to go home."
"That can be arranged." The doctor came in and made some notations on her chart. "Everything looks in order here. As soon as you're dressed, you're free to leave. I'll send a nurse by in twenty minutes to wheel you down to the front lobby." Liv nodded and swung her feet off the bed the moment he'd left.
It took nearly that long to get her dressed. Though Mel had tried to shield her from the mirror, Olivia still caught a glimpse of the awful word written on her stomach. "That will scar, won't it? Not deep enough to hurt me badly, and yet deep enough to destroy me."
"No, Liv. This wound, this scar, does not define you. Don't let him label you so." Quick tears sprang up in Mel's eyes and she let them fall as she hugged Liv. She returned the embrace, wishing it were Peter's arms around her.
By the time they pulled into her apartment building, she was exhausted and in pain. Handing Mel the keys, she let the other woman open the door and lead her inside. The apartment was eerily silent and she suddenly realized why. "Peter's gone and where is Noah."
"What, Liv?"
"He had to go to Chicago on business today. I'll be alone for the next two weeks."
"What about Noah?"
"I don't want to scare him and I don't want him to see me like this yet. But it's okay, I can make it through this."
"Starting tomorrow, maybe. I won't let you be alone tonight. Honey, you went through a very serious trauma I will stay until Peter comes home." Liv sighed and nodded, knowing Mel wouldn't take no for an answer. "Wonderful. Let's go find something to make for lunch." The other woman took hold of her hand, tugging her along. She hurried to catch up and hesitantly wrapped an arm around Mel's waist, smiling at her softly.
Liv felt her heart lift a little, knowing someone was there for her. "I believe I have chocolate cake in the fridge."
"Homemade?"
"Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way." Her smile widened and they continued on into the kitchen, Mel chattering away in her ear.
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