Updates to come on Unconventional Love. Sorry about the wait, really, I hate it when I have to wait for another story to update that I'm reading, so I know how you feel. But I'm not going to make a big drawn out excuse, I was busy and this isn't my paying job, so yeah. Here's an update yay!
Time jump head…
Chapter Fifteen: Depending on You
"Whoa… whoa… whoa."
"Okay, would you stop saying whoa? I get it whoa."
"I'm sorry, but I'm a little loss for words right now." Quinn defended herself. She was sitting on Olivia's couch in her living room, watching her friend pace back and forth in front of her, probably wearing a hole into her socks. Olivia had just got done telling her all about her doctors' appointment including her disagreement with Fitz. "I mean shit. Not only are you pregnant, but there's two little things in there."
"Well how do you think I feel? Especially knowing now, that Fitz doesn't have my back in all this."
"Well that's not what he said-"
"He told me to abort one of my babies." Olivia spoke, in a raised voice. She didn't understand why Quinn was attempting to defend him.
"Yes, and fuck him for saying that out loud. But I also think you should look at it from his perspective-"
"Hi perspective is the father. And a father, a good one, would never even let that shit come up in his thoughts."
"Okay, but he has another perspective. And that is one of a doctor. One that specializes in this type of stuff. And, although he went about it the wrong way, I'm sure he only meant well. He's only preparing himself for the worse possible outcome and acting accordingly."
"And choosing which one of our babies to send to the slaughter house is acting accordingly?"
"Oh my God Olivia. Stop being so fucking dramatic. Slaughter house? Really?"
"So since you're defending him, I guess that means you agree with him?"
"Look I'm just saying I understand where the man is coming from. I can understand his reasoning for saying what he did. And I also understand you not wanting to go along with it. I mean, you're the one carrying them. You can feel them growing inside you, he can't feel that."
"Exactly Quinn. I can feel them. I have a connection with them already, and I'm barely showing. And I know the risks, I am well aware, but I don't care."
"And what happens if the worst possible scenario becomes the reality?"
"Then so be it. It's God's will. But I know that God didn't give me this beautiful blessing, just to turn around and snatch it away."
Quinn sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing Liv."
"I do. But I can't do it alone."
"You're not alone."
Olivia smiled, and went to sit beside Quinn on the couch. "Thank you."
"You know I got you."
Just as Olivia embraced Quinn in a hug, her doorbell rang, followed by three swift knocks on her door.
"I bet I know who that is." Quinn said. "I'll leave and give you guys some privacy."
Both Olivia and Quinn got up from the couch and made their way to the front door. They shared their goodbyes before they opened the door. And just as Quinn thought, Fitz stood behind the storm door, with a dejected look on his face. Quinn opened the door and smirked.
"Well If it isn't baby daddy." Fitz rolled his eyes. "I guess we know your pipes are still working. You must age like fine wine."
"Don't you have a husband to get home to?"
"Testy. Call me later Liv." Quinn patted Fitz chest twice as she walked away. "See you later baby daddy."
Fitz rolled his eyes again, as Quinn left them alone, standing in her doorway. "We need to talk."
"If you're here to argue with me again, then let me know now so I can shut the door."
"I'm not here to argue. I just want to talk."
Olivia debated for a few minutes, before she pushed the storm door open and let him in. She didn't wait for him, instead walked into the kitchen for something to drink. She didn't need to lead the way, he knew his way around the house. After all, they'd shared this home for ten years.
Olivia was drinking from a bottled water she'd gotten out of the fridge, when Fitz walked in. he awkwardly stood in the doorway, before he went and sat down at her breakfast nook. Olivia took the hint and followed suit, sitting opposite him in the nook. For a few minutes, they just stared at each other, neither of them speaking a word.
"So…You wanted to talk? Now is a good of time as any to start up a conversation."
"Well I guess I should start off with my apology." Olivia gave him a look to continue. "I'm sorry for how I behaved today at the doctor's office. I'm sorry for how m words came out and… I meant what I said, but the way I went about it wasn't right. And For that I'm sorry."
"Is that it?"
"What?" That wasn't the response he was searching for. "I'm trying to apologize."
"Yeah, I heard that weak ass apology."
Fitz sighed. "Jesus Christ, why do you have to be so difficult all the damn time?"
"I'm not being difficult, I just think that the apology you own me warrants more than a few sentences."
"Well excuse the hell out of me, I didn't realize 'I'm sorry' wasn't good enough for you."
"Not for what you said to me, no it isn't."
"Olivia, I didn't say anything any doctor wouldn't have told you."
"Exactly Fitz. You were talking to me like you were my doctor."
"I am a doctor!" Fitz yelled in frustration."
"Do not yell at me!" Olivia checked the baby monitor she kept on the kitchen counter. She made sure to keep one in every room of the house. Sophia was a light napper, and even though she as upstairs in her nursery, she would still somehow hear Olivia and Fitz arguing. And she hated to be woken up abruptly, her wailing could go on for what felt like hours.
"And you are not my doctor Fitz. In this case, you're not even a doctor first. I'm not just some patient, I am your wife. You don't treat me like a patient in your office." Fitz noticed that Olivia had called herself his wife right away, but it took Olivia moment to realize what she'd said. But when she did, she quickly corrected herself. "Ex-wife."
"I don't know how many times or different times I can apologize to you and have you believe me."
"I don't want any more of your apologies. I just want you support. This is going to be hard enough for me, I don't need you breathing down my neck with all your negativity. I just need your support. And your word that you'll be there for me. These aren't just my babies, they're half yours, even if we aren't together."
Fitz nodded. "I can do that." Fitz got up from his seat, and crossed over to where Olivia was. Olivia didn't automatically get up, so Fitz pulled her up by her hands. When she stood tall, he took her in his arms hugging her tight. Eventually, Olivia curled her arms under his, hanging onto his shoulders. Her face buried in his chest since she was too short to reach his neck without heels.
Fitz swayed them both side to side, while he lovingly stroked her hair. He always knew what to do, to get her guard down and how to comfort her, even if he was the one causing her unhappiness. He'd just wrap his arms tight around her and refuse to let go. Eventually, Olivia would melt into him and give in, just as she was doing now.
"You can be such an asshole at times." Olivia mumbled against his chest, but he still heard her.
"I know." Fitz didn't even try and say otherwise. "You've got a few asshole tendencies as well." Olivia slapped him hard on the back, making Fitz chuckle but in slight pain. "My point exactly."
The two of them still hadn't let the other go. And neither of them were thinking about it. Fitz was enjoying having Olivia in his arms for a while, and Olivia was enjoying being held. She hadn't felt this comfort in months, and she was enjoying every bit of it.
They didn't enjoy for much longer, however, because just a few seconds later, Sophia's cries could be heard on the baby monitor. And since her door wasn't closed, they could hear her upstairs. Olivia released Fitz, but not fully. She still had her arms on his sides, and his were still resting on her shoulders. She eyed the baby monitor and it showed Sophia standing up on the side of her crib crying and rubbing at her eyes.
"She's awake." This time, Olivia completely removed herself Fitz's grasp, and walked out the kitchen. She headed upstairs to the nursery. When she poked her head through the door, Sophia's cries stopped and she immediately began to smile and talking. Sophia loved her mother no doubt.
"Hi peanut." Olivia cooed, as she walked to Soph's crib. "Did you have a good nap peanut." Soph just smiled with her four little teeth, letting a tremendous amount of drool just pool from her mouth. "Do you need your diapey changed?" Olivia never thought about how her words have changed since she became a mother. Whenever she spoke to Sophia, it was in a baby voice. Something she'd always hated that other mothers' did, and swore she would never do it herself. And certain words had changed as well. Diapers were no longer diapers, they were diapies. Little was wittle.
Olivia lifted Soph from her crib and carried her to the changing table. "Geez Soph. I think mommy needs to think of another nickname for you. You are no longer mommy's little peanut are you?" Soph cackled, when Olivia started tickling her think little thighs. "You're not a little peanut with these thighs are you? Huh porker?"
Fitz was downstairs, still in the kitchen, watching Olivia and Sophia on the baby monitor. He loved watching the dynamic between mother and daughter. Olivia was a true natural. Fitz could tell she was a loving and caring mother, anyone could see it. He hoped that he would be able to watch this same interactions with his twins.
"Don't you feel better now?" Olivia clipped Sohp's onesie, after she'd changed her diaper. Liv looked down, when she felt Sophia's little fingers scratching at her belly. She could've just been playing with her shirt, but Olivia felt that somehow Soph could sense her little brother's or sister's in there.
"Can you feel them peanut? You're little brothers or sisters are in there. You'll get to meet them in a few months, but until them, I'm going to need your help okay?" Olivia sat Soph up on her feet on the changing table. She tried to keep her attention, but now the little girl was distracted by Olivia's hair and started playing with the ends of her mother's dark brown hair.
"Mommy's going to need you to be extra good, especially when I get too big to even see my own feet." Olivia laughed at herself. "It's just going to be me and you here, and somedays I won't feel like myself and I'll need you to be patient with mommy. It's not going to be easy, but I promise it'll be worth it when we get to bring your new brothers or sisters home okay." Soph looked as if she was paying attention, just staring back at her mother with her big, round eyes.
"Are you excited to be a big sister? Huh? I promise having siblings is a good thing. Being an only child isn't all it's cracked up to be and having siblings is a good thing. Having siblings means you'll have best friends forever. You'll always have someone to play with and talk to. And although they can get annoying, I promise, you'll still love them so much." Sophia smiled. "So are we thinking two little brothers or sisters?" Soph obviously didn't answer, but Olivia could've sworn, her little lips frowned when she said bothers. "We'll have to wait a little while longer to find out if we'll have a house full of females, or if we'll get some testosterone around here. But either way, we're going to be super excited right?"
X
Back in the kitchen, Fitz tried to shuffle away from the monitor when he heard Olivia coming back. He didn't want her to know that he was eavesdropping on her conversation. He sat back in his spot at the breakfast nook, and waited for Olivia to reappear in the kitchen.
When she finally did, she looked shocked to still see Fitz sitting in her kitchen. Olivia had honestly forgotten that he was in her home.
"Hi." Fitz spoke, watching Olivia walk in with Sophia on her hip in a bright purple onesie and white fuzzy socks, sucking on a pink Soothie pacifier.
"Hi."
"She's awake." Fitz didn't know what else to say.
"Yeah. And a little bit hungry. Hence why she's going to town on this pacifier." Olivia stood Soph on the ground, to fix her a little juice to hold her off while she got her food ready. Fitz was confused, when Olivia put her down and shocked, when Soph started toddling towards him. He wasn't aware that she had started walking.
"She walking?"
Olivia looked back with a smile, watching her daughter wobbly, but surely make her way over to Fitz. "Yeah, about a week ago, she just struck out all of a sudden. I don't even think she realized she was walking. She just let go of her walker and walked to me on the couch. And the fact that I was eating some chili fries was totally unrelated wasn't it peanut."
Fitz chuckled, and looked down at the little girl who was now standing right in front of him. She had a grip on his pants to keep her upright, and was gazing up at him like he was a total stranger. He basically was, since she'd only met him once or twice before.
Fitz started laughing to himself, as he gazed back down at the little girl. She reminded him of Maggie from The Simpsons the way her pacifier was shooting in and out her mouth.
"What's so funny?" Olivia asked, coming over with a pink two handled sippy cup with chilled apple juice inside. Since Soph was teething still, so she love to have something chilled to drink. She'd hold it in her jaws before she swallowed it.
"She looks like Maggie from The Simpsons. Look how fast that pacifier is going."
"Yeah. And she's going to spit it right on the floor as soon as you give her this cup." Olivia gave Fitz the sippy cup, and went back to fixing Sophia's food. And just as she'd said, the moment Fitz stretched the cup in Sophia's direction, her pacifier went flying in the opposite direction.
"Geez." But what Fitz wasn't expecting, was for Sophia to reach her chubby hands up to him, wanting him to pick her up. And when he didn't immediately pick her up, she started to whine, clenching her fists in the air.
Without having to turn around, Olivia knew what was wrong with her daughter. "She wants you to pick her up Fitz. "She still likes to be held when she drinks and sometimes eats."
Snapping out of it, Fitz picked the whiny child up and perched her on his knee. Almost instantly, Soph stuck the sippy cup in her mouth and leaned back onto Fitz's chest.
"I can already tell you spoil this little girl."
"Well of course. The first and last born are always spoiled. But in my case, all of my kids are going to be spoiled."
"Yeah well, wait until they hit about six or seven. Then I want you to look back on this day and decided whether spoiling them was a good idea or not."
"Yeah, yeah yeah." Olivia set a plate of food in Soph's highchair. It was a few leftover candied yams and a few small pieces of chicken from last night's dinner. Sophia was eleven months old and had only four teeth, with two more peeking, but she ate like someone with all their teeth and adult taste buds.
"She's a healthy eater."
"Is that another way of calling my baby fat?" Olivia smirked at Fitz as she settled Sophia into her highchair, she was already trying to get to her food.
"I never said fat. But she is a bit on the chubby side."
"Hey!" Olivia threw her dish rag at Fitz, but he caught it instead, and threw it back at her.
"What? Look at her legs Liv. One of her legs has more rolls than the Michelin Man."
Olivia couldn't help but laugh, although she was trying to act mad. "You better stop talking about my baby." Olivia went to snap Fitz with her towel, and slipped on something on the floor. Luckily, Fitz was right there and she fell right into his arms.
"Woah, shit. Careful baby."
"I'm okay." Olivia quickly recovered, and removed herself from Fitz's arms. "What is that in the floor?"
"I don't know, this is your dirty ass kitchen."
Olivia laughed again. "Shut up. And don't curse in front of my baby."
"Excuse me Sophia." Soph wasn't paying either one of them one bit of attention. She was too busy stuffing another piece of the sweet yams in her mouth. That was one thing Olivia could count on with her baby. Although she still made quite a big mess when she ate, she didn't waste food. Yu would never catch Soph throwing her food on the floor, unless it was something she didn't like. Which has happened before. Apparently Soph wasn't a big fan of her Aunt Abby's mac and cheese.
Fitz took a look at his watch and discovered that he'd stayed longer than he'd anticipated before and should probably get going. "Liv I think I'll head out now."
"Oh, well thank for stopping by."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes."
Fitz turned and grabbed his jacket off the table. "See you later Miss. Soph." Fitz pinched at her cheeks, which Sophia did not appreciate while she was eating.
"No!"
"Alright, I'll leave you alone. I'll see you later Liv." Fitz went to walk out the kitchen, and after checking that Soph was securely strapped in her highchair, Olivia followed after him. He was just at the door, when she caught him.
"Hey Fitz." He turned around. "Thanks again for coming over, I really mean that. And thank you for what you said. I appreciate it." Fitz wasn't expecting Olivia to reach out and hug him, but he was delighted when she did.
"Bye."
"Bye."
X
Two Months Later, May
"Mama san!"
Olivia looked behind her to her daughter, who was happily playing in her sand box in the back yard. Olivia has taken Soph to the beach plenty of times, and every time they go, the little girl just gets so happy about all the sand. She gets so excited to fill her little bucket up with sand, just to dump it back out into a lopsided pile at her feet.
Olivia eventually got the bright idea to just bring the sand to Sophia, instead of having to travel to the beach every time Soph wanted to 'pay in san'. Olivia had bought everything she'd need to make a sandbox in her backyard and both Fitz and Curtis came by one Saturday and set it up for her.
Sophia loved that sandbox, she always wanted to play in there, and didn't mind that every time she got out, she was covered in sand. And Olivia loved it, because it kept her daughter occupied while she worked in her garden, or just wanted to relax outside with a good book.
Today, however, Olivia was thankful for the distraction, so she could get a little work done in her garden. Olivia had sadly been neglecting her garden lately. Olivia was now seventeen weeks pregnant with the twins and she was certainly feeling it. On most days, Olivia was so tired and fatigued that she just wanted to stay in bed all day with Soph. She could feel her energy just draining form her body. And although Olivia was when most morning sickness would have stopped, Olivia still spent most of her mornings with her head buried in her toilet. Her morning sickness was an all-day affair.
Olivia was so grateful to her family; they were all being so helpful for her during this time. At first, her family was more than shocked that to learn Olivia was pregnant by her ex-husband. Althea got all judgmental in pure Althea fashion. Olivia's parents made her sit through an uncomfortable conversation bout the importance of condoms and other forms of birth control, as if they hadn't had this conversation years ago when she was sixteen years old. And Curtis might have been the harshest, considering her still wasn't a big fan of Fitz's. It took a miracle for Olivia to convince him to help Fitz build Sophia's sandbox.
Eventually, Olivia's family came around. Althea started coming by to help Olivia with Sophia or to help clean the house. Adelle came by to cook dinner some nights, or to bring by an already prepared meal for dinner. Fits stopped by most of the time as well, he'd even spent the night in one of the guest bedrooms a few times. All in all, Olivia was so grateful for all the support she had around her.
Olivia was also very grateful that this morning she woke up with zero morning sickness, nor did she feel the urge to release later that afternoon. She was able to get up, with a pep in her step. Get Soph up, bathed and dressed and fix her breakfast, all without the normal fatigue she felt every day. And now, she still had enough energy to work a little bit in her garden. She'd planted some snap peas and carrots that were now ready to pick. She'd woken up with the taste for roast, and these snap peas and carrots would go nicely with roast and potatoes.
Olivia rubbed at her growing belly. At four months, Olivia definitely had a belly and it was growing by the second it seemed. Olivia couldn't express how happy she was to be experiencing this feeling right now. Although she tried her best to hide it, Olivia was so nervous about carrying her babies to term. She breathed the biggest breath of relief, when she was finally able to have the cerclage to help ensure a healthy pregnancy. Olivia knew that didn't mean she was out of the woods, and that anything could still happen, but she as more optimistic than ever before.
"Mama yook." Olivia looked down to her daughter's hands to find a small pile of sand clenched in her fist with a ladybug perched on top. "Yook."
Olivia lived Sophia's baby talk, it was the cutest. "I see. Did you find a ladybug?"
"Bug!" Sophia poked at the ladybug with her free hand, and Olivia expected the bug to fly away, instead it stay motionless.
"Soph honey I'm pretty sure that ladybug is dead." Sophia didn't understand what her mother just said. She just kept proudly showcasing what she'd just found. "How about you make mama another sand castle?" Olivia plucked the ladybug from her daughter's hand and flicked it somewhere.
"San cas?"
"Yeah baby."
"San cas!" Sophia ran back to her sandbox as fast as she could. She looked too adorable in her pink romper with ruffles on her pamper clad tush. Olivia laughed, watching how her bottom switched as she ran away. Olivia couldn't wait until she learned whether she'd have two more Sophia's running around or two miniature Fitz's.
Olivia was just about at the point where her doctor could tell the sex of her baby. By time Olivia went back to another appointment, she'd be four and a half months pregnant and should be able to find out the sex of her babies.
X
Back on the outside of Olivia's home, two unwanted visitors made their way to Olivia's front door. Frederick and Whitney Foresmith stood outside Olivia's front door, waiting to ring the doorbell. About three months back, the Foresmith's had gotten back in touch with their daughter Jazmine. Their relationship with their daughter had been pretty nonexistent since they learned their daughter had gotten knocked up by some stranger at a frat party.
They obviously didn't handle the news well and turned their backs on their only child. It took months for Whitney and Frederick to realize what they did was wrong. Turning their backs on their child in her desperate time of need was not was parents did.
After their initial realization, they tried to get back in touch with their daughter, Jazmine, they knew she was staying with her grandmother, before she put her in a home. They had no idea that Jazmine was off to school at UCLA, although Jazmine had told them. They'd just forgotten.
Eventually, they tracked her down at school and tried to get her to talk to them. But it was of no use at first. Jazmine wanted nothing to do with them. She was doing well in school, she had friends and her grandmother was doing well in the home Olivia had gotten for them. Her life was good, and on track, she didn't need her parents there messing with her head.
It took Jazmine an entire month, before she finally accepted a lunch invitation from her parents. It surprisingly went better than she'd thought it would. After their first meal, they made it a weekly thing. Every Saturday they would have lunch at Jazmine's favorite place for hot sandwiches.
After a while, Whitney and Fred brought up the subject of Jazmine's baby and what happened to it. Jazmine told her parents that she'd given the baby up for adoption. Her parents were saddened that they had a grandchild out there that they could have had a relationship with had they been more supportive of their daughter. And now, their grandchild was out there in the world and they had no idea where.
Imagine their surprise, when Jazmine told them that not only did she know the family that adopted her baby, but she lived in Los Angeles. Jazmine wouldn't tell them anything else other than the fact that their grandbaby was a girl. She didn't even know the girl's name. But she did know the one piece of information Fred and Whitney wanted to now; Olivia's address.
Jasmine didn't tell her parents Olivia's address at first. Mostly because she didn't think her parents deserved to meet the little girl. She also didn't want to open that can of worms for her own benefit. Jazmine would always think about her child, not a day went by that she didn't think about the baby and what it would have been like if she had decided to keep her baby. Jazmine knew she did the right thing, but it didn't stop her from thinking what if.
But after weeks of hounding her, Jazmine finally gave in and gave her parents Olivia's address, which led to Whitney and Fred being outside Olivia's door now.
"Ring the bell Whitney." Fred nudge his wife.
"I am." Whitney took a breath and rang the doorbell. Her heart was beating faster than she could count. She'd adjusted the bow on the bear in her arms at least five times while she waited for someone to answer the bell.
"Ring it again."
Whitney pushed the button again, and then once more and still no one can to the door. "What if they aren't home?" Whitney asked nervously.
"Then we'll come back tomorrow." Fred answered. Just as they were about to head back to their car and try again tomorrow, they heard the sweetest sound. A child squealing a giggling made them turn back around. They walked to the light gray painted fence. As soon as they reached the fence, they could see a woman kneeling on the ground, tending to her garden. And beyond her, they saw a small child playing in a sandbox by herself, but having the time of her life.
Whitney and Fred melted on sight, watching the child fill her little bucket up and get so tickled when she'd dump the sand back out onto her chubby little legs. She was the most adorable thing they'd ever seen in her little romper and matching headband. They couldn't believe that they'd forfeited a life without their precious grandbaby for so long.
"She's so beautiful."
Olivia had the feeling that she was being watched. As sure enough, when she looked up, she spotted two people standing on the other side of her fences watching. Olivia immediately stood up, as fast as she could with her belly, and made her way over to the fence; wiping her hands on her pants as she went. The couple didn't seem to notice her walking their way, they were too busy watching Sophia playing in her sandbox.
"You mind telling me why you're peeping into my backyard?" Olivia spoke when she reached the couple still stalking in her backyard.
"Oh I'm sorry." The man spoke first, the woman was still looking at Sophia. "My name is Frederick and this is my wife Whitney."
"Congratulations Fred and Whitney, now are you going to tell me why you're you peeping in my yard, or do I need to go get my gun?" Olivia didn't have a gun, she hated guns.
"That won't be necessary, we-"
"That's our granddaughter." The woman finally spoke up.
"Excuse me?"
"Jazmine Foresmith is our daughter." Whitney revealed. "We've recently gotten back in touch with our daughter, and she gave us your address."
"Why are you here?" Olivia asked, she in no way wanted Jazmine or her family here near her daughter. Jazmine didn't want to be in contact with Olivia after Sophia was born and Olivia liked it that way. There was no need for her family to be sniffing around now.
"We just wanted to see or daughter's daughter."
"She's my daughter." Olivia quickly corrected the woman. Sophia was hers.
"She's our grandbaby."
"No. No you gave up the right to call her that when you neglected your only child in her time of need. My daughter has grandparents and you are not them."
"Look, I'm sure you have a nice family. But the fact is, is that that is our blood running through her veins, not yours."
Olivia was half way to yanking this woman through her fence. "Blood or not, Sophia is mine and-"
"Sophia? Is that her name?" Frederick asked.
Olivia cursed herself for letting Sophia's name slip out. "I think it's time you both go." Olivia turned to go away, but the man stopped her.
"Please wait. We just- we just wanted to see her. Please. After that we'll leave." Olivia was seriously considering letting them both see Sophia just for a little while, but then the woman Whitney opened her mouth again.
"Like hell we will." Whitney growled. "That is our grandbaby, and we're not just going to let you take her."
"Okay. Now I'm sure it's time for the both of you to leave. Now." Olivia walked away towards Sophia to take her back inside.
"She has family! You can't keep her from her family!"
"I am her family!" Olivia yelled back. "I am her family! I've raised her since the day she was born, she calls me mama, I am her mother whether you like it not. And I will always be her mother!" Olivia could feel her heart pumping faster, her breathing was becoming staggered, and she could fell her skin getting clammy. She was getting herself worked up and she knew she needed to calm down. She needed to get away from Whitney and Fred.
Olivia quickly made it to Sophia and scooped her up from the sandbox, much to her displeasure.
"This isn't over! You can't keep her from us forever!"
Olivia picked up her pace to her back door. As soon as she was inside, she slammed and locked the door. She was sure Whitney and Fred heard it. The nerve of them, just showing up at her house unannounced, demanding to see her daughter. They may have been Jazmine's parents, but they forfeited being Sophia's grandparents, the day they turned their back on their daughter. Sophia was hers, and there was no way in hell she was going to let anyone take her away.
Olivia was still worked up, she could feel herself getting more and more worked up. She knew she needed to calm down, but she couldn't. The more she kept thinking about her altercation with Jazmine's parents the more upset she became. Olivia walked to Sophia's highchair and snapped her in. She headed to the fridge to get a bottle of water, but her legs felt like jelly.
"Calm down Olivia." She spoke to herself over and over, but it wasn't working. She just kept visioning Jazmine's parents coming back or even Jazmine coming back because she'd changed her mind and wanted Sophia back. And although her adoption had been finalized for months' now, Olivia kept picturing in her head, Sophia being ripped from her arms kicking and screaming.
Olivia's breathing was now faster than she could count and she was sweating profusely. Olivia knew what was happening, she was having a panic attack, she'd seen more than enough patients of her having a panic attack on her couch to know when it was happening. And although Olivia knew what was wrong, she couldn't help herself. She tried to walk towards a chair, she never made it.
She took a couple of steps until she slumped backwards onto a wall. He legs were of no use, and she slid down the wall onto the floor, breathing hard and heavy. She slumped to her side, finally slumping to the floor. She could hear Sophia crying form her highchair, but she couldn't do anything about it. Her limbs felt like cinderblocks. And as hard as she tried to fight it, she couldn't help it when her eyes slowly closed and everything went black.
X
"This was nice. I've never seen the Hollywood sigh that close before." Erika put her water bottle down on Harrison's island in his kitchen. They had just spent the afternoon hiking up the Canyon Drive Trail to the Hollywood sign.
"I still can't believe you've lived in LA your entire life and you've never seen the Hollywood sign."
"I've seen it, I've just never been that close. I've never hiked that trail before either."
Harrison laughed. "You could've fooled me. You were ahead of me, most of the time I was just trying to keep up with you."
Erika laughed with him, because she knew he wasn't lying. She'd looked behind her more than once to find Harrison trudging behind her. He didn't look too winded, but she could tell he was out of practice. "Yeah, I love to run and hike. I'm kind of a health nut as my brother likes to call me. He use to run with me, but he told me I was 'too extra' for him and he stopped running with me." Erika laughed again. "he won't even come to my house for dinner anymore, because he doesn't like my cooking."
"Well you he won't be complaining when you live to 104."
"106," Erika playfully corrected.
"Oh my apologies."
"Forgiven."
Both Erika and Harrison laughed out loud at their corny encounter. Over the past few months since Abby's wedding the two of them had gotten closer and closer. Harrison was Erika's first real boyfriend, although neither of them had officially put any labels on their relationship. All their friends and family knew they were a couple, even if they didn't. Or more like Erika didn't. If it were up to Harrison, everyone in the world would know she was his, but he knew how shy and withdrawn Erika could be at times, and he didn't want to move too fast and scare her off.
With that being said, calming his raging libido was getting harder and harder. Erika was a beautiful woman, even if she didn't know it. She didn't have the confidence or carry herself like the beautiful woman she was, but that was only because she hadn't met the right man to show her just how beautiful she was, but Harrison was determined to change that.
The most the two of them had done was kiss, albeit passionately, but kissing was all they did. Harrison managed to get a few caresses in, but Erika would always stop them before things got too far. But right now, as Harrison watched Erika walk over to his couches, her ample behind switching in the running tights she was wearing, he didn't know if he'd be able to hold back anymore.
Harrison followed her to the couch, when she sat, he sat right beside her; barely any space between the two of them. He was staring intently and she was getting embarrassed.
"What?"
"You are so beautiful."
Erika blushed bright red. She could feel the heat rising on her cheeks and other places she wouldn't mention. Erika wasn't a virgin, but she'd only been with two men at twenty-six. And neither of those men were masters at sex.
"Can I kiss you?" Harrison asked, and instead of answering, Erika nodded her head. Harrison didn't waste any time closing the distance between the two of them. He cupped Erika's cheeks in his hand and held her in place. He could feel her responding to him and it got him even more excited. He pushed them back on the couch, resting Erika on her back and leaning on top of her. He expected her to push him away or resist him when he pushed her back, but she did neither one. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.
Harrison's hands were everywhere. Her hips, stroking her legs, then back up and snaking their way to her breast. He squeezed one of her ample breast in his hand and Erika trembled at the contact.
"Harry."
God he loved when she called him that. "I want to make love to you."
This wasn't how Erika saw their first time going. Sweaty, in the middle of the day on a couch. It was hardly the most romantic thing in the world, but she didn't stop herself from speaking a very confident "Yes."
X
Fitz parked his car in Olivia's driveway, checking his appearance before he got out. Fitz had been coming by more and more since Olivia got pregnant. He came by most the times after work. He mostly just came by to make sure Olivia was taking good care of herself, which she was. He made sure her fridge was stocked, that she had her medications she was taking and sometimes stayed for dinner if Olivia wasn't feeling too hot that day.
And on several occasions, Olivia has called him, wanting him to make a run to the grocery store for the many cravings she'd had. This time, he made a trip to the grocery to grab a few mangoes. Olivia had been craving fruit for a few weeks now. She'd sent him to the store before, for strawberries and sun butter.
Fitz rang the bell again, since Olivia hadn't answered yet. Fitz rang the bell again. He knew she was home, when she called and asked him to bring by some mangoes on his way home from work, she told him she'd be home all day. Fitz tried the door handle, but it was locked.
Fitz remembered that they use to keep and spare key hidden under a flower pot, and decided to try his luck, maybe it was still there. When he got to the fence, he opened the latch on the other side and pushed it open, making sure to close it on his way in. He walked to the back door, and when he got close, eh could hear Sophia screaming her head off. Fitz was immediately worried; he knew Olivia would never just let Sophia cry like that. Something had to be wrong. He sped up towards the back door. When he got to the kitchen window, he quickly peaked in and stopped dead in his tracks.
Fitz saw Sophia in her highchair crying, and beside her on the color was Olivia presumably passed out. Fitz dropped the bag of mangoes on the ground and dug his phone out his pocket, as he rushed to the back door. He found the key under the flower pot and hurriedly opened the back door. He wished he could take Sophia out her highchair and soothe her, but he had to make sure Olivia was still breathing.
"Liv?" Fitz rushed to her side, gently turning her on her back. "Liv?" Fitz called out her name, but she didn't respond. He almost forgot that he had his phone in his hand. He called 911.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"My wife is unconscious on the kitchen floor."
"Is she breathing sir?"
Fitz felt for a pulse, and thanked the Lord when he felt one. "Yes, but it's weak. I'm a doctor, she's four months pregnant, high risk. I just found her on the floor, I don't know how long she's been like this."
"What's the address sir?" Fitz quickly rattled off Olivia's address. "An ambulance is on the way sir."
"Thank you, please hurry!" Fitz tried again to wake Olivia up. He called out her name and patted her cheeks. He finally got a response out of her, although she wasn't fully awake, her eyes slowly opened halfway and Fitz could feel her squeezing his hand in hers.
"Livvie? Stay with me baby the ambulance is on the way." Fitz was so happy she was showing some signs of life, although he'd felt her pulse earlier. You're going to be okay, just stay with me." Olivia's eyes closed back just moments later, despite Fitz calling her to stay with him.
Fitz left her for a moment, to take Sophia out her highchair, he couldn't take hearing her screaming anymore. He knew she must have been so scared being stuck in that chair, with Olivia just laying on the ground. He didn't even know how long Olivia had been like this.
"It's okay sweetheart. Mama's okay." Fitz cradled the child in his arms, softly bouncing her up and down. He'd seen Olivia do it may times before, and it seemed to calm her down whenever she did it. "It's okay."
X
"No Soph, let's not put that in our mouth." Fitz quickly swiped some crumbs from Soph's hands and out the chair she was leaning against. They had been at the hospital for a little over half an hour now. The doctors had taken Olivia back to run some test and see what had caused her to faint. She had woken up for a short while during the ride in the ambulance, but just like before, she went back out.
Fitz wanted to stay with her in the room, but Sophia was getting antsy so he took her out to the waiting room and used that time to call Olivia's family and his parents as well. He'd forgotten to grab Sophia's diaper bag from the house before they left or anything she might need, so he bought her some Cheetos and a yahoo from the vending machine and that seemed to keep her happy for a while.
Fitz just wanted to know how Olivia was doing. He wanted to know what caused her to pass out. And he also wanted to know if she'd gotten hurt when she passed out. He had checked her before the ambulance arrived and didn't see any signs that she'd fallen hard, or hit her head on the way down, but it wasn't a full and thorough exam.
"Meme!" Sophia face burst into a smile, when she spotted her grandma, grandpa, aunt and uncles make their way down the hall towards them. Fitz hadn't seen the Pope's down the hall, so when Sophia took off in that direction, he tried to stop her. But when he saw Olivia's family, he backed off and watched as she used her short legs to run into her grandma's arms.
"My baby. Are you okay?" Adelle looked the little girl over and found nothing wrong with her. Sophia just rest her head on her grandma's shoulder. She hadn't even noticed any of the other Pope's. Sophia was wish washy on who was her favorite, at any given time it could change at the drop of a hat. One day she was all over her grandmother, then her Pop-pop, and Curtis and Althea were left for a rainy day.
After ensuring that their grandbaby was okay, they made their way to Fitz, who was still waiting for them in the waiting room.
"Fitz." Adelle hugged him and thanked him for calling and taking care of their grandbaby.
"What happened?" Curtis Sr. asked.
"I'm not really sure yet. I was stopping by to check on Liv and to bring her some things from the store. She didn't answer the door, so I went around back and I saw her just laying on the kitchen floor and I called 911."
"Have they said anything yet?" Althea asked.
"No. They're still running test I suppose. I was in there with her, but Soph got a little restless, so we came out here to burn off some energy and wait for you guys."
"Fitz." Everyone turned to see Carol and Gerry coming down the same hall the Pope's took. Carol had started walking towards her son, but when she saw Adelle, she changed course. "Adelle honey I am so sorry, we came as soon as we heard." Carol hugged Adelle tight, squishing Sophia between the two of them. "How is she Fitz?"
"We haven't heard anything yet." Fitz answered.
"I'm going to go see what the hold up is." Curtis Sr. announced.
"I'll go with you." Gerry gave Adelle a quick hug, before walking off with Olivia's dad to get some more information on Olivia's status.
Now that Olivia's and his family were here, Fitz felt like he could relax a little. He didn't really get a chance to process what could possibly be happening since he found Olivia. He was by himself, trying to worry about Liv and worry about Soph, he didn't have time to worry about his own feelings. But now that their family was here, that's all he could think about. Fitz had to sit down as everything came crashing down at once. Things were going so well. Olivia was healthy and at every doctor's appointment, the babies were given a clean bill of health. They had just gotten over a big hurdle with the cerclage, now they were at another impasse in the road. It seemed if it wasn't one thing it was another. Fitz leaned over, putting his face in his hands. He felt the seat next to him dip and a hand on his shoulder.
"She'll be alright." Curtis said reassuringly. The two of them may not be too fond of one another, but they both cared and loved Olivia. And although Curtis was not the biggest Fitz fan, he knew he cared about his sister. "Liv's a fighter. And stubborn as all get out, she'll pull through just fine."
"Thanks."
"Oh doctor, there you are." Everyone turned their attention to the doctor walking back with Curtis and Gerry in tow. "Any news about my daughter?"
The doctor looked around to all the worried faces staring back at him hoping for some good news. "Are you all family?"
"Yes." Everyone replied rather impatiently.
"Well. We've run a few test and it seems Olivia's fainting spell was primarily brought on by a panic attack. Olivia regained consciousness for a short while and was able to go through the events she remembered that lead up until now."
"So it was just a panic attack that's it?" Adelle asked.
"Not necessarily. During her exam and test, we discovered Olivia has a condition called twin to twin transfusion or TTTS."
"What the hell is that?" Althea asked annoyed. She hated when doctors used big words or words she, or anyone else who wasn't a doctor wouldn't understand. Fitz was the only other person in the room who knew what it meant.
"It's a condition disease of the placenta that affects identical twin pregnancies, who share a common monochorionic placenta. The placenta is being shared unequally by the twins. One twin may have a share too small to provide the necessary nutrients to grow normally, and the other twin is being overloaded with too much. And that is causing his or her heart to work faster, putting too much strain on the baby's heart to the point where it could develop heart failure."
"Oh my God." Adelle was halfway to tears. She was not only worried about her future grandkids, but she was also worried about what this would do to her daughter. Olivia had come so far, she'd be heartbroken if she were to lose her babies now.
"What are our options?" Fitz asked from the back of the group. "What are we thinking, reduction amniocentesis or Fetoscopic laser photocoagulation?" Althea was all the way confused now.
"Well for right now we think that reduction amniocentesis is our best bet. And of course if she doesn't respond to the treatment we can move forward to other options."
"Hold on, what does that mean?" Thea asked.
Instead of the doctor answering, Fitz did. "They're going to drain some of the amniotic fluid from the twin with too much."
"Yes, well we've already taken Olivia for the procedure, Curtis gave us consent, so unfortunately you can't see her at this moment. But I promise as soon as the procedure is complete I'll let you know and you'll be able to see her then."
"Thank you doctor."
X
Erika was late to the party. Fitz and Olivia's mother had just about called every single family member and all of Olivia's friends letting them know Olivia was in the hospital and asking for prayers. Olivia hated when her mother did that. Not asking for prayers, but letting everyone in the world know all her business. Especially her old friends at the church. They may call themselves a child of God, but church women gossip more than a fourteen year old girl.
Fitz had called Erika to let her know about Olivia, but he'd gotten her voicemail instead. Erika was a little too busy with Harrison at the moment to answer anyone's calls. She'd seen her caller ID with Fitz's name, but she didn't answer. Nothing would kill the mood faster than a call form her brother, unless her father suddenly called.
When Erika did decide to check her phone, she saw that Fitz had left her a message. Fitz hardly ever left messages, if he had something to tell you, he'd just wait until you called back or he'd send a short worded text message to call him.
As soon as Erika listened to the message, guilt seeped in. She hoped out of the bed, and quickly redressed in her hiking clothes that were scattered around the room. She was frantically trying to find her sports bra, rattling off what Fitz said in the message, to a very confused Harrison. Erika felt to guilty for not answering her phone when Fitz called. Harrison tried to reason with her, that even if she had answered, there was nothing Erika could have done to prevent anything. Olivia was already in the hospital.
Harrison eventually got Erika to calm down enough to get dressed and offered to drive her to the hospital.
When they finally arrived, they spotted the family in the waiting room. She hadn't thought much about her appearance and how it looked that she was showing up with Harrison, until she saw the surprised, yet, confused look on her mother's face. Gerry just looked confused.
"Hey." Erika hugged her brother first. "Sorry I missed your call." Erika ignored the looks her parents were giving her, and the laughing expressions on CJ and Althea's face. "What happened?"
"Olivia had a panic attack and fainted. They also say she has TTTS…" Fitz trailed off. He too, was wondering why Erika and Harrison had shown up together and why Erika looked like she'd walked passed a leaf blower before she got here. "Were you two already together when I called?"
"Oh uh… yeah. We went on a little hike this afternoon." Erika answered.
"What like a date?" Gerry asked.
"Well…"
"Yeah." Harrison answered, while Erika sought the right words.
"So you two are dating? This is a thing?" Gerry asked again. Erika was a grown woman, but she was still a little girl in Gerry's eyes. And although Erika has dated before, Gerry still didn't like it. He was never this way when Fitz started dating, because men are such hypocrites.
"Yep." Harrison replied, proudly draping an arm on Erika's shoulder.
"Daddy this isn't the best time to talk about this. We're all worried about Liv right now."
"Actually the doctors' are pretty confident that Olivia is going to be just fine." Adelle spoke up. She, just like every other Pope in the room, was enjoying the show at Erika's expense.
"So how long has this been going on?" Gerry continued on with his investigation. He really was overreacting. As if Erika was a child, or as if he didn't know Harrison or like him.
"Not long." Erika answered.
"And how long is not long?" Gerry wanted to know exactly how long his baby girl has been lying to him about a boyfriend.
"Nine months." Erika glared at Harrison, he obviously wasn't picking up on her cue to shut the hell up. "But only about five months of that was real serious."
"Huh."
"That's when she met my folks."
"Oh really?"
Erika was now giving Harrison the shut the hell up face, and he still wasn't catching on.
"So you've meet his parents?"
"It was just lunch daddy."
"And dinner last week."
"Really?" Erika snapped at Harrison. Could he really be that clueless? Surely he was just messing with her. Luckily, before Harrison could open his big mouth about the Sunday dinner Erika spent at his parent's house the doctor came back.
He told them the procedure was smooth and easy without any problems and that hopefully in a few days they could see some change in the pregnancy. He told them they could go back and see Olivia now, but obviously, they all couldn't go back at once.
Curtis and Adelle were seeing their daughter no matter what, and they went ahead and walked back to Olivia's room. Fitz went with them and took Sophia with him, because he knew Olivia would want to see her daughter.
X
"Mama." The minute Soph saw her mother, she struggled to get free from Fitz's grasp. She didn't even pay attention the oxygen mask Olivia had. Or the fact that her mother looked as pale as a ghost. She was just happy to see her mother. And Olivia was just as happy to see her.
"Hi peanut." Olivia pushed the button on the side of the bed to sit her upright. She reached out for her daughter, and Fitz gently put Sophia on Olivia's side. "Hi baby." Olivia removed the mask so she could kiss Soph's cheek.
"Leave that on." Fitz cautioned her. He took it from her and tried to put it back on, but she kept moving.
"I'm fine. I just want to kiss my baby." Olivia smushed her lips onto Sophia's cheeks, followed by several pecks that made Soph giggle.
"Okay, now put it back on."
"Fitz I'm fine." She was still dodging his hand with the oxygen mask.
"Olivia."
"Fine!" Olivia grumbled, and kept her head still long enough for Fitz to put the oxygen mask on her face. "Happy now?"
"Yes, I am."
"Olivia what happened?" Adelle asked.
"I don't know mama. I just got upset about something, and I got worked up. I thought I was having a panic attack at the time, but now I don't feel like that's what happened."
"Your doctor hasn't spoken to you yet?"
"No. I've kind of just regained consciousness. He said I was in an out, but I don't remember talking to him earlier. Has he told you anything?" Olivia asked, waiting for someone to answer. But no one did. Curtis and Adelle didn't quite know how to explain Olivia's condition. And Fitz, we Fitz just wanted to stand quietly in the corner, watching Olivia like a hawk.
"Knock Knock." Olivia's doctor knocked on her door a few moments later. "I see you're awake now." He took out his little light from his lab coat pocket and checked Olivia's eyes. When he was satisfied that she looked just fine, he put it away. He then went on to explain to Olivia everything that happened while she was unconscious; including the amniocentesis and TTTS.
"Okay, so what now. They're fine now right? I feel much better, better than I've felt in a few days actually."
"Well it's a little too soon to show real progress right now, but the procedure went well and the babies vitals are strong post-op. Going forward, I'm putting you on bedrest. I want you to take time off from work, and I cannot stress enough that you need to stay away from all stress and extraneous activities. And it wouldn't be a bad idea to have someone stay with you for a while, especially since you have a small child in the house."
"How long are you talking about?"
"About four to six weeks for now."
"Six weeks of sitting on my ass." Olivia remembered Sophia was still sitting next to her. "Booty."
"Six weeks of taking care of yourself, to ensure a healthy birth yes." The doctor could see this wasn't something Olivia wanted to hear. No one wanted to hear that they had to take weeks off from work and lay in a bed doing nothing.
"I'll do it obviously, but it's going to be hard. I have a lot of people who depend on me."
"Yes. Well now you have two very important people who are depending on you most."
X
Until Next Time...