So I'm obviously not a doctor, nor am I going to pretend to be. I still try to be as accurate as I can be, while also doing what I want with this story and taking it int he direction I want it to go in. And also some of this is from experience. Not me personally, but my sister gave birth to her twin boys at five months. And although my sister lost one of her boys, Olivia and Fitz's twins are kind of an homage to my nephews. So I'll be telling my nephews story through my story, in some ways. Also, I'm pretty sure there isn't a Levine Children's Hospital in California. But that's the hospital my nephews was at for the first few months of his life. So in my story world, there is. Anyway, enough ranting, for those who actually read this part lol enjoy...
Chapter Eighteen: It's Gonna Be Alright
Fitz stood in front of the incubator in the NICU looking down at his son. After waiting for what felt like hours, the family was finally informed about Olivia. The c-section had been successful. The doctors were able to get the babies out and assess damage that nor had left went on Olivia. Nora, obviously, had no idea what she was doing. So the incision wasn't clean or precise. The incision or left Olivia stomach was more of a cut a butcher believe on a cut meat. The doctors were able to stop the bleeding, and close the wound. The internal damage would heal, but the external damage will leave a terrible scar.
As soon as the doctors told them they can see Olivia, everyone went back to Sierra. They could care less about the two person limit. When they went back to see her, they were all expecting the worst. But when they finally laid eyes on Olivia, they were pleased that she didn't look as bad as they had been imagining for the past few hours.
Olivia was in the bed with her eyes closed. The doctors told them that Olivia will be out for a few hours, due to her trauma and the medication they given her during the surgery. If it wasn't for the oxygen tube in her nose, the IV in her arm, and the fact that she was in a hospital room; one would think that Olivia was just taking a nap.
The family spent a few hours in Olivia's room, mostly quiet, just watching her breathing in her bed. All of them just anticipating, waiting for her to open her eyes. After a while, another nurse came into the room to check on Olivia. Then she told Fitz he could go to the NICU to see the twins, but only if it was allowed to go back right now.
Fitz was excited to see his boys. His boys. he loved the way that sound. His boys, he finally had his boys and with the woman he loved. And just as before, when he went to see Olivia, he was expecting the worst. After washing his hands, thoroughly, and putting on a gown, Fitz was allowed to go and see the twins. Since they didn't have names yet, their incubators were labeled Pope, A and Pope, B. The first task for he and Olivia, when she was finally awake, were to pick names for the boys.
When Fitz first saw the boys, he noticed how small they were. Fitz went to see baby a first. The nurse already told him that baby A was 3 lb 1 oz and baby B was only 2 lb. They both had a little wires stretching over their body, with a tube in their nose. And he had little black cutouts covering his eyes. Although they had all the wires and tubes, they looked comfortable, nestled in the cushions in their incubators.
Fitz wished he could hold them. He wanted them to know he was there, that they weren't alone. He was elated, when a nurse came by and told him he could put his hand in the small opening on the side of the incubator. Fitz quickly washed his hands again in the small sink in the corner. He went to baby B first. He could barely contain his excitement enough to open the small circular door on the side of the incubator. When he finally did, he reached inside and grazed his finger against the babies stomach. He put his finger in the baby's hand, he smiled when his son closed his small hand around it. Fitz still wished he could hold them, but he knew as a doctor he couldn't. This was going to be the hardest times resisting the urge.
"Hey little man." Fitz spoke quietly. There were a lot of other babies in the NICU and he didn't want to disturb them. "I know you and your brother came earlier than expected, but I'm so glad you both are here. And although your mommy isn't here right now, I know she's glad you're here too."
X
"Do we have anything on Nora?" Captain Jackson asked out loud.
A dozen officers were crowded around a large board with Nora's face on it. They were all working on Olivia's case. Their main and only objective right now was Finding Nora. It had been hours now, since she disappeared. They already released Nora's picture to the public and opened a hotline for tip calls. Nora was running on Instinct right now. she didn't know what her next move was, and neither did the police. They did, however, know that Nora was mentally unstable and she obviously was a danger to others. They needed to find her as soon as possible.
"Nothing yet. We canvassed the woods surrounding the home and turned up nothing. We're not sure how she managed to evade us and slip away."
"A woman does not just disappear into thin air." Captain Jackson said.
"We checked her financials, she hasn't made any recent purchases or withdrawals." Jake said. " we have officers stationed outside her apartments in case she goes back. But-"
"But in other words you don't have anything." Captain Jackson cut in. " Ballard you wanted this case. You wanted to take lead on this, and you got it. Now you don't want to make me regret giving you this case. I want answers Ballard, not just a bunch of I don't knows! I've got a woman fighting for her life in a hospital bed, because this nutcase tried to cut her babies out. I want her found and I want her found now!"
"Yes sir." Jake hate it being scolded in front of the entire department. It was degrading.
After the captain dismissed them, Jake went back to his desk. His partner, officer Montgomery, and a few other officers assigned to Olivia's case followed behind and surrounded his desk.
"We have got to find this woman." Jake said.
Nora was a danger to society in the long as she stayed out there, the greater the chance of someone else getting , the longest she stayed out there, the more pissed off Captain Jackson and got at Jake. and if he wanted to get on the captain's good side and make detective, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
"We put out alerts to all bus and train stations. And all airports have a description and photo, Nora Trenton is not leaving the state." Officer Montgomery said.
"She never should have been able to leave Santa Clarita. how'd she even managed to get back to Los Angeles?"
"We're not sure. But however she's getting around, it's either on foot or hitchhiking. Her car is at the police impound lot."
"Well let's hope she is hitchhiking, maybe someone will recognize her and call the tip line."
"Hey Ballard!" One of the officers manning the phones, yelled out from his desk. He'd been answering calls from the tip line all day. Most of them are from nutjobs or just people giving random information, hoping to get the reward money.
"I think I got something." Jake and officer Montgomery jogged over to the officer by the phones. "I've been listening to calls all morning and they've all been dead ends. Except for this one."
"Talk to me."
"I've got a call from a truck driver. He said he picked up a woman on i - 5 and brought her to Los Angeles."
"How do it was her?" Officer Montgomery asked.
"The trucker said he didn't recognize her at first. He said he dropped her off at a gas station, and saw her picture on the news inside the station. He called as soon as he recognized her."
"He could still be mistaking."
"I don't think so. THe station this guy mentioned is only a block away from from Nora Trenton's apartment. I think this is one worth checking out."
"I think you're right."
X
It took Jake and Paige about twenty minutes to reach the gas station Nora was last seen at. They spoke to the owner, and requested his security tapes and he happily cooperated. The watched the tapes, and although the woman in the tapes fit the description of Nora, they couldn't see her face. She was wearing a baseball cap and held her head down. The security cameras caught her crossing the street, and that was the last they saw. There were no other security cameras to catch where she'd gone to, so Jake and Paige didn't have much to go on.
Deciding to just go off in the direction they saw her heading in, Jake and Paige got back in their squad car and drove off in the same direction. They rode slowly, paying attention to every individual on the street. The were only driving for a minute or two, when they pulled up to Nora's apartment. It was a straight shot from the gas station. They spotted the squad car outside her building, the officer still keeping watch. They pulled up beside his car.
Officer Montgomery was in the passenger seat. "Anything yet?"
"No ma'am." The young officer replied. He'd been parked in this same spot for hours, and he hadn't seen Nora. "It's been quiet."
"We got a tip that the suspect was seen in the area."
"I haven't spotted her ma'am."
"Just make sure you keep your eyes open. I know it can get pretty boring but-" Officer Montgomery stopped talking, when she felt Jake nudge her arm. "What?"
Jake pointed across the street. He'd been surveilling the area, while his partner talked to the other officer. He had probably glanced at the park across the street five times, before he really paid attention. "There on the bench. Tan jacket, black cap. I think that's her."
Officer Montgomery looked in the direction Jake was pointing. "Fuck. I think it is." Paige agreed, that the woman fit the woman they'd seen on the gas station security cameras. "Newbie call in for back up." She told the young officer.
"Back up?" Jake said. "We don't have time to wait for backup, we have to go in now."
"No. We can't risk it. There are too many civilians around."
"Yes, which is why we need to go in now, before she takes off."
"If she does, then we will just follow her. I'm pretty sure she can't outrun our squad car. Newbie call in for back up." This time, the officer radioed in for back up. "We already know she's dangerous. We can't risk her hurting someone else."
"Which is why we're going in now." Jake commanded, then got out of the driver's seat with his gun in hand.
"Ballard! Goddammit!" Paige had no choice now, but to get out the car and follow after Jake to the park across the street. This was a bad idea. She hated when Jake went in his hero mode and goes rogue. His instincts weren't always the best. "Ballard!" Paige tried to get him to wait. At least until they could get a plan together, but Jake ignored her and continued on.
When they got to the park, Nora hadn't spotted them yet. She was facing them, but they did not have her attention. She was focusing on the kids playing on the playground. She hadn't even moved. Officer Montgomery noticed that Nora's hands were in her jacket pocket, and she felt uneasy, not knowing if something was in her hands. Jake didn't even register it.
"Nora Trenton!" Jake yelled out, once they were close enough. Paige rolled her eyes. That was dumb. Their best bet would have been to approach from behind Nora and catch her off guard.
When Nora heard her name been shouted with authority, she broke from her thoughts and staring at the kids playing. She caught a ride with a trucker and planned on going back to her apartment, not thinking about cops being there. She just needed somewhere to hideout for a while, until she could go get her babies from the hospital. But when she saw the single squad car outside of her apartment building, she quickly changed direction. She was running on impulse alone, not having a plan or thought for what she was going to do next. As she walked away from her building, she heard the kids playing and she naturally walked towards the park. She sat on the bench and just watched the kids play, she wasn't even sure how long she'd been sitting there.
"Nora Trenton." Someone called her name again. Followed by another voice telling everyone to clear the area. When her name was shouted for a third time, Nora reacted. Doing the first thing that came to mind. She reached out and grabbed the first kid she could reach and pulled the box cutter from her jacket pocket.
"No!" The boys mother screamed, seeing a woman grab her child and holding a box butter to his neck.
"Shit!" Paige hissed. This was exactly what she was worried about. The mother tried to go back for her son, but Paige pulled her back and told her to stay clear. The kid look as if he was about five or six. Aprige just hoped that he could stay calm, until they diffused the situation.
"Back up!" Nora yelled to Jake. The other officer had left his squad car as well, and was standing next to Jake. Nora was slowly back away from the two of them, she was really paying any attention to Officer Montgomery. Paige took advantage of the fact that Nora was paying her no attention. She slipped away and circled around the playground, so that she would come up behind Nora.
Seeing the box cutter against the kid's neck, Jake decided to soften his approach. "Hey, hey relax okay. Let's just relax."
"Back up!"
"Okay." Jake took a few steps back. "Nora let's talk through this okay. I don't want anyone to get hurt here."
"I won't hurt him if you just leave."
"I can't do that. You know I can't do that."
"Why are you here?"
"You know why I'm here." Jake responded. "Ms. Pope almost died because of what you did to her."
"I didn't want to hurt her. But she had my baby. I couldn't just let her take her away from me."
"I know." Jake could see the wheels turning in Nora's head. She was momentarily distracted, caught in her own thoughts. She still held the box cutter to the boy's neck, but she wasn't as alert. "When you get a shot take it." Jake spoke to the other officer, while he himself held his gun up, waiting for a chance to shoot.
Before either of them could shoot, Officer Montgomery fired her taser gun into Nora's back. Nora started to convulse. The box cutter fell from her hand, and she fell to the ground taking the boy with her. Paige rushed over, to get Nora off the boy and to kick the box cutter away so she couldn't reach for it again.
After Officer Montgomery got the boy, Jake and the other officer were on top of a screaming Nora, handcuffing her hands behind her back. Not too long after, they heard the sirens of back up finally joining the party.
X
After giving their statements and being cleared, Jake and Paige made their way back to their squad car to head back to the station. Nora had been taken away by ambulance with a police escort to the hospital. It was clear she was mentally unstable, so she was being admitted to the psych ward.
"What the hell was that Ballard?" Paige angrily asked. Once again, Jacob Ballard had to be robocop and go off script. This time, his wanna be heroics almost got a kid killed.
"What?" Jake said, feigning ignorance.
"What the hell was that? I told you we should wait for backup and you go out there guns blazing with sight."
"Look Montgomery this job is all about instinct. We don't have time to think, I was going off instinct."
"No, this is about you always trying to be super cop. YOu always do this, you act before you think and this time, you almost got a child killed."
"The boy is fine." Jake scoffed.
"No thanks to you!" Paige yelled. "You were about to fire at a suspect while she was holding a kid hostage. What if you had missed? What if the kid had moved? You didn't even have a clear shot, but did you even think about that? You were acting like a rookie back there."
"Look, I don't have time for this. We are two different cops. I work on my instincts and you like to plan shit."
"This job is not all about instincts Ballard. You also have to think things through, before you act on impulse. Acting on impulse alone is what gets people killed. Innocent people, like that boy, who could have lost him life today because you don't think. You are never going to make detective, if this is how you act as an officer." She was going to make sure of that.
X
The Next Morning…
The morning after her cesarean, Olivia finally woke up. She was unconscious when they put her under for her surgery. Her trauma, the medication and the fact that she was already unconscious caused her to not wake up until the next day.
When she opened her eyes, the first things she noticed was how incredibly dry her throat was. IT felt like she hadn't taken a sip of water in days. She noticed she was in the hospital, the IV in her arm and the oxygen tube in her nose gave way to that. She pulled the oxygen tube from her nose. She tried to sit up, but the pain in her stomach, forced her to lay back down.
Across the room, she saw her mother sleeping on the small window seating sofa. THen she looked to her left, and saw Fitz sleeping on the single chair beside her bed. He was facing her, but his eyes were still closed, and his hand was resting on her thigh. Even in his sleep, he still reached for her. Olivia loved that no matter what, she could always count on Fitz to be there for her.
She reached for his hand, caressing the back of it, hoping to wake him up.
"Fitz." She spoke softly. Mostly because her throat was so dry, it hurt to talk. "Fitz." This time, Fitz roused out of his sleep.
At first, Fitz thought Olivia's mother or one of the nurses was waking him up. He was pleasantly surprised, when he looked over to see Olivia gazing back at him. He was out of his chair and at her side in seconds.
"Hi."
Olivia smiled weakly. "Hi."
"I'll page your doctor." Fitz went to move, but Olivia held onto his hand, stopping him.
"No." She didn't feel like having a doctor come in, poking and prodding her with a bunch of questions. She didn't feel like being fussed over right now. Now, all she wanted was to know what happened to her babies. She knew that Nora had cut her, but she didn't know how much. She'd passed out, before the officers got to her and before Nora could do any permanent damage. Olivia just needed to know her babies were still alive.
"Fitz." Olivia touched her stomach. She didn't have her stomach anymore, it wasn't flat, but it was obvious that she as no longer pregnant. "What happened?" Olivia had already began to softly cry. She was scared of what Fitz was about to tell her. "Did.. Did she-" She couldn't even say it.
Fitz knew what she was trying to ask him. He grabbed his phone off the table beside the bed and opened his gallery. He didn't have to scroll, because the plast pictures he took on his phone were of the boys in the NICU. He showed her the phone and watched the worry and fear escape her face and be replaced by elation and joy.
"Fitz." Now Olivia's tears were tears of joy. They were alive. She knew it was too early for them to be born, but they were still alive. That was all that mattered to her right now. She scrolled through the numerous pictures smiling at each one of them. They were so tiny. Their little hands look like the size of her thumb. She hated seeing all those wires attached to them and she hated, knowing that they were probably in a lot of pain that she couldn't soothe. She also hated that they were upstairs by themselves, and she wasn't with them.
"They're still here. Fighting. They're strong boys."
Olivia looked up from the phone. "Boys?"
"Yeah. Two boys. Identical."
"Our boys."
"Yeah." Fitz smiled. "Our boys."
"I need to see them." Olivia once again tried to sit up, but instead of the the pain, this time it was Fitz keeping her in bed. Fitz had his hands on her shoulders, lightly pushing her back against the bed.
"What are you doing?" Fitz looked at her like she was crazy. "Liv you know you can't do that right now."
"What are you talking about? I'm their mother, I need to be with them." Olivia was still trying to get up, but she was no match to Fitz right now.
"And you will. But not now. Liv you can barely sit up. There's no way you can walk."
"Then push me in a wheelchair Fitz. I want to see my babies. Now."
Their going back and forth, woke Adelle on the couch. "Olivia baby. You're awake." She dashed across the room, similar to how Fitz had when he saw she was awake. Adelle hugged Olivia's shoulders tight, kissing her forehead several times. "Oh my God, you scared me half to death. I'm so glad you're okay baby."
"I'm going to go get your doctor." Fitz announced, just before leaving, so Adelle could have a moment alone with her daughter.
"Can I get you something?" Adelle asked, and Olivia asked for some water. Hoping that would cure her cottonmouth.
"Where's daddy?" Olivia asked after drinking the entire cup of water.
"He's at home getting some rest. Everyone was here, but I sent them home last night to get some rest." Olivia was in a hospital in Santa Clarita, but it was only about a forty minute drive back to Los Angeles. "They said they would be back in the morning. I can call them-"
"No, it's okay." Olivia didn't want them all rushing up there. "Where's Sophia?" Olivia felt bad for not asking about her daughter sooner. She was too distracted with worry for the twins.
"She's with your father. He'll bring her when they come in a few."
"Have you seen the twins?"
A smile immediately formed on Adelle's lips, at the mention of her new grandbabies. She'd been so eager to meet her grandbabies. And although she shed a few tears, she was glad that they were here and still breathing. "I have. Your father and I went last night, before he left. Daddy's finger was as long as one of their little arms."
"I want to go see them."
Adelle wasn't certain, but she was sure it wasn't a good idea for Olivia to get out of that bed right now. "Let's just see what the doctor says okay."
Just like clockwork, the door opened back up and Fitz came in followed by Dr. Parks. He was the surgeon that operated on Olivia last night.
"Good morning everyone." He spoke to the room. Adelle was the only one who spoke back. "Olivia, how you feeling."
"Like someone has cut me in half."
"We can try changing your dosage of pain meds." Dr. Parks went to the small sink to wash his hands before putting gloves on and grabbing some fresh bandages from a cabinet. "Other than your abdomen are you experiencing any pain anywhere?"
"No." Olivia did feel a dull ache in her nose, from when Nora had hit her. But she didn't think it was necessary to mention that.
"Okay, let's have a look at your incision." Dr. Parks pulled the sheet away from Olivia's stomach and lifted her gown to reveal her bandaged stomach. Her incision was bigger than a normal incision for a cesarean would be. That was only because Nora had made her cut way too long. It was almost reaching Olivia's hip.
Dr. Parks removed the old bandages, setting them to the side. He checked her incision. Making sure her stitches looked fine and checking there there were no signs of infection. Adelle looked away, she had a weak stomach, she could barely even watch horror movies with fake TV blood. Fitz, however, was almost hovering over Dr. Parks shoulder. He was double checking everything Dr. Parks was checking. And he was also making sure Dr. Parks was doing his job correctly. Doctors really were the worst patients, and Fitz wasn't even the patient.
Oliva winced as he pushed on her incision. "As you know, tenderness is to be expected. You'll be tender for about three weeks maybe four. But your pain should subside in three to four days. And your stitches will began to dissolve within the next few days." Dr. Parks dabbed her incision clean and began redressing it with the new bandages.
"How long are you keeping me here?" Olivia asked. She knew what the normal time frame would be, but she wasn't a normal case.
"Well normally I would keep you here between two to three days. But I might keep you four to five, depending on how well and quickly you heal."
"When can I see my babies?"
"I know you're anxious to see them, but-"
"But?" Olivia didn't want to hear a but.
"I want you to rest for now. Take a day to rest and tomorrow we can try to walk around and visit the NICU."
Olivia didn't like that she would have to wait another day, but she was glad he didn't give her more time. "Fine."
"Perfect. Now I know you must be hungry. I want you to try something light."
"I can go get you something Liv." Fitz already knew Olivia wasn't about to eat anything that came from the hospital's cafeteria.
"Great. And I'll be back to check on you in a few."
X
"And when I finally got her back to sleep, I couldn't move. Every time I did, she would start whining. She was laying on my chest in some weird position, her foot was almost in my mouth." Curtis said, making everyone in the room laugh again. Curtis, CJ, Althea and her family had gotten to the hospital about an hour ago. Curtis was in the middle of retelling his night with Sophia and how much of a hassle she was. Olivia was glad for the laughs and the distraction. Although it hurt to laugh right now, it was better to her than thinking about the twins or Nora or anything else.
She was sitting up in bed, she'd raised the bed, making it easier for her to sit up. She was enjoying the soup Fitz had brought her from Mcalister's. Sophia was sitting next to her on the bed. She'd eaten her breakfast already, Curtis had brought breakfast for everyone, and now she was working on a gogo squeez applesauce. She'd become obsessed with those things. Her favorite was the banana. And although Sophia had already eaten her breakfast and was now eating again, she would occasionally open her mouth for Olivia to feed her some soup.
"I'm sorry daddy." Olivia smiled, Sophia turned her opened mouth to her again. Olivia feed her a spoon of soup. When she'd swallowed, she put her applesauce packet back in her mouth.
"I'm not complaining. I love my grandbabies. They just tire an old man out."
"She is a wild sleeper." Olivia agreed. "Even as a baby she was wild. I remember one night, I went to check on her and found her face first in her stuffed animals. I panicked, thinking she was suffocating herself, but when i moved her she was still snoring. I stopped putting all that stuff in her crib after that."
"So Liv how long will you be here?" CJ asked.
"The doctor said he wanted to keep me a week possibly." Olivia answered. "But even after I'm discharged, I'm staying in Santa Clarita." This was the first Olivia had announced this news.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I'm not going back to Los Angeles until I can bring the twins with me. I'm not leaving them up here."
"Liv LA isn't that far away."
"I don't care how far it is. I'm not leaving here without my kids." Olivia was dead set on this. There was no way she was leaving Santa Clarita without her boys. "I'll find a rental house or apartment close by and I'll stay there until the boys can leave the hospital and I can bring them home."
"You know they'll be in the hospital for a while right." Fitz said. "It could be months before the leave."
Oliva was aware. "I know. And I'll be here everyday until then."
"What about Sophia?" This time it was ALthea questioning her choices.
"Obviously she'll be here with me. What's the problem?"
"Olivia, honey you just had major surgery. You are in no condition to be caring for a child all by yourself. You'll be up here alone."
"Mom, Thea, I can't believe you two are questioning this. As mother's you should understand. If one of your kids were in the hospital, would you be okay leaving them? Being almost an hour away from them?" They didn't answer, because no, they wouldn't be okay leaving their child.
"This is my decision, and my mind is made up. And I really don't want to talk about it anymore."
"We didn't mean to upset you."
"I'm not upset. I just don't want to talk about it. I don't want to keep thinking about the boys having to be in this hospital for a day yet alone months." They sat in silence for a moment. "Someone change the subject please." Olivia needed anyone to talk about anything else. They could talk about blue's clues for all she cared. Thankfully Althea started talking about a dance recital Alecia had coming up.
They sat in Olivia's hospital room talking for about another hour, when there was a knock on the door. Fitz assumed it was Olivia's doctor, but was surprised, when Officer Ballard and his partner walked in the room. He hoped they were here to deliver good news.
Jake didn't expect Oliva's room to be packed. Every eye was on him and Paige, when they walked in.
"Good afternoon Ms. Pope." Jake spoke first, but Olivia didn't respond. SHe didn't want so see jake nor his partner unless they were coming to tell her they'd caught Nora.
"You have news?" Adelle asked.
"Yes ma'am." Jake stood proudly. "I just wanted you to know that I have apprehended Ms. Trenton and she is now in police custody." It wasn't lost on Officer Montgomery how Jake spoke as if he acted alone in capturing Nora. It wasn't the first time a male officer had taken all of the credit for a joint victory.
"Oh thank God!" It seemed everyone in the room spoke simultaneously or at least some variation of it. Olivia still sat quietly in her bed. She felt Fitz looking at her and she turned to look back. He wordlessly asked her if she was alight, with a gentle squeeze on her leg. Olivia nodded that she was okay.
"So what now?" Olivia asked.
Before Jake could answer, Paige spoke up. She was tired of Jake behaving as if she wasn't there. "Well the ADA has already filed charges against Ms. Trenton. But before trial can begann, Ms. Trenton has to be proven competent for trial. Then if and when she is proven competent, a trial date will be set."
"Will Olivia have to testify?" Curtis asked.
"Yes sir." Paige answered, she still wasn't going to let Jake speak over her. "But a trial is some time away, right now we have to take your statement Ms. Pope. We never officially got your statement."
Fitz felt Olivia tense under his touch. She hadn't spoken a word about what happened when she was with Nora, and she didn't want to start now. "Is that really necessary? I mean you have her on video tape drugging Olivia. We all know what happened."
"I understand that this is difficult for you Ms. Pope. But I'm afraid it is necessary."
"Kids how about we go get some ice cream downstairs?" Thea suggested. She didn't think the kids needed to hear all the gory details of what Olivia went through. Jason took Sophia from Liv, and he and CJ followed behind Althea and the kids. Adelle and Curtis didn't leave, but Adelle did move across the room to be next to him. Fitz didn't plan on leaving either, but Olivia reached out and grabbed his hands keeping him there anyway. He loved that Olivia still needed him, and could depend on him.
Jake moved to sit in the chair beside bed. Paige remained standing, and took out her notepad. Jake was tired of the two minutes he spent taking a back seat to Paige. So he started questioning Olivia before Paige got a chance to.
"So Olivia, let's start from the beginning." Jake said. "What were you treating Ms. Trenton for?"
"That's privileged." Even after everything that's happened, Olivia wouldn't break doctor patient confidentiality. Jake would never understand, but he moved on anyway.
"Okay, why don't you tell me what happened the day Ms. Trenton approached you in the parking garage."
Olivia sighed. "Fitz said you saw what happened on the security tapes. Do I really have to do this?"
"Yes you do." Jake answered rudely. Everyone in the room picked up on the short tone he was taking with Olivia. Fitz was shooting daggers at him.
"I'm afraid so." Paige answered softly.
Olivia squeezed Fitz's hand a little tighter. That's where she was getting all her courage and strength right now. "I had just finished running a few errands. I was putting my things in my car, when I heard Nora call my name. I asked her what was wrong, but she didn't answer. She… said she was tired of waiting, then she stuck a needle in my arm. I tried to get away from her, but whatever she stuck me with was strong. I was out in seconds."
"What happened after that?" Jakes asked. "Details."
"I- I was passed out. When I woke up, I was handcuffed in some shed. Nora said that I… she said I had her baby and she wanted it back. I panicked and I got scared and I got upset with her. I yelled at her and she hit me." Olivia stopped talking. She was staring at the intricate threading in her blanket. She was buying time, until she could get her courage back to talk.
"Keep going."
"I tried to stay calm, to calm her down and to get her to let me go. But I was just… so scared. And I was scared for my babies. I called her a crazy bitch and she got pissed off. Then she…"
"What happened next?" Jake asked, but Olivia didn't want to talk about happened next.
"I don't want to talk anymore."
"I need you to finish." Jake pushed. He never knew how to deal with alive victims. He wasn't a people person, and he was worse when he had to question kids.
"No, I can't. Please stop."
"I need you to tell me what happened-"
"She said enough." "Officer Ballard." Both Fitz and Officer Paige spoke up at the same time.
"I think the both of you need to leave." Curtis said, watching his daughter with tears fallen down her cheeks.
Jake was about to protest. After all, he was the law, he told people what to do not the other way around. But Paige spoke before did. "We can finish this another time. When you're more up to it." Paige dismissed both their departure and walked out the room with a reluctant Jake following behind her.
"What the hell was that?" Jake growled at Paige, the moment Olivia's room door was shut behind them. He was pissed that Paige shut him down. "You do not shut me down, you don't have the authority. I have seniority."
"You were berating a victim. A victim that's just woken up, I might add. She wasn't ready and you were pushing her too hard. She was about to shut down. Then we'll never get to talk to her."
"I am the lead detective on this case, which means I call the shots."
"Don't pull that lead detective bullshit on me. I'm your partner, your cases are mine."
"Incorrect." Jake corrected. "I asked for this case, and I alone was given this case. You may be my partner, but I am still lead on this. Which means you follow my lead."
Paige rolled her eyes. She was so tired of men trying to silence her and put her in the background, while they ran the show. "Well your lead wa getting us nowhere in there."
"Listen-" Jake stopped talking, when the room door opened back up. He rolled his eyes, when Fitz came out looking real issed off.
"Hey, I want to know what the hell that was back there. Have you forgotten that Olivia is the victim in this matter, you were practically interrogating her like she was the perp."
"Apologies Mr. Grant." Paige spoke up. Fitz acknowledge her apology, but he wasn't looking for one from her. He wasn't to hear Jake apologize to Olivia. But that wasn't going to happen. but it better not happen again. "I can assure you we are on Ms. Pope's side."
Fitz turned his attention back to Jake. He walked up closer to him, almost touching. "I don't know if you need to go back to training, or take some sensitivity classes, but that better not happen again. My father plays golf with the police commissioner, and I can assure you he will be hearing all about this." Fitz didn't like uses his father's friends and connections, but when it could work in his favor, why not?
X
The next morning, when Olivia woke up, she was determined to see her babies. The doctor had told her to wait a day, and she had. She was still in pain, but she was feeling a lot better. And even if she was feeling worse than yesterday, she wasn't going to let anyone keep her from seeing her babies. Not this time. When she woke up, it was much like the day before. Fitz was sleeping in the chair beside her bed snoring. She smiled at him, watching his nose twitch in his sleep, like it always did. Her mother, however, wasn't sleeping on the other couch this time. Yesterday, Olivia and Curtis had convinced her to go home to get some sleep. She couldn't stay at the hospital everyday, she needed rest too. And so did Fitz, but olivia knew better than ti try and get him to leave. She knew there was no way he was leaving that hospital.
Around eleven o'clock, a nurse came in to help Olivia bath and get dressed. Fitz would have offered to help her, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, so he let the nurse take care of it. Olivia was grateful to Althea for bringing her some of her pajamas from home. She hated wearing those hospital gowns, they were about as comfortable as a paper bag dress. After her quick wash up, the nurse helped Olivia back into bed and then Dr. Parks came in to check on her.
"Well don't we look refreshed this morning. He smiled, seeing Olivia sitting up in bed, snacking on some crackers. She looked much better than the pale and clammy looking woman yesterday. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better." Olivia answered.
"How's your pain?"
"Five. Yesterday you said you'd let me see my babies."
Dr. Parks chuckled. Eager mothers were always adorable. "Let me check you out first, and then I will personally escort you up. Deal?"
Olivia's smiled almost reached ear to ear. She eagerly nodded her head, "Yes, deal."
X
Thirty minutes later, Olivia was washing her hands as Fitz tied her gown behind her back. She was finally going to see the boys. Being a doctor herself, she knew what to expect when she finally saw the boys. She knew it wasn't going to be a sight she wanted to see. But since she knew what to expect, she could prepare herself. After Fitz tied her gown, he washed his own hards and put own his gown.
"You ready?" He asked Olivia, when he was finished. Whens he nodded, Fitz wheeled her chair through the NICU doors. He passed by the incubators and straight down the hall, until he reached the last curtain. The NICU didn't have rooms, each section was blocked off with curtains on every side. Fitz parked Olivia's wheelchair, and locked the wheels before he helped her stand. There was a nurse inside, checking on the boys, but she smiled and stepped to the side to allow Olivia to meet her boys for the first time.
Olivia walked up to the first incubator, resting her hand flat on the top. Baby A was the label. "Hi." Olivia whispered. Partly because she didn't want to disturbed any of the babies in the NICU, and because her voice was clogged with so much emotion. On one hand she was glad her boys were finally here and she could finally meet them. But on the other, of course she didn't want to meet them this way. She wanted to carry her babies as long as she could, and be able to take them home when she did. She already knew it was going to kill her, when she was discharged to go home and won't be able to take the boys with her.
Though baby A was bigger than his younger brother, he was still small. The little heart shaped sticker on his chest, his heart monitor, practically covered his entire torso. The nurse told her that she could put her hand through the opening on the side and Olivia wasted no time putting her hand through. She used her pinky to stroke his little arm. His arm flinched a little at the contact, and his skinny arm stretched out. Olivia smiled. They may be small, but their limbs were long.
"He's going to be tall like his daddy." Olivia spoke, as the baby wrapped his langy, skinny fingers around her pinky.
"Well good. Women like tall men." Fitz joked.
The nurse and Olivia both laughed. "They're not even a week old, and already he's talking about girls." Olivia said.
"Well It's true. How do you think I got you?"
Olivia looked up at him. "You think it was because you're tall?"
"Well that, my looks and my charm." Fitz winked and smirked at her.
Olivia jokingly rolled her eyes, and went to the other incubator. She didn't wait to be told this time, and opened to side door to feel her boys hands. When she rubbed this baby, he didn't flinch, he didn't even act like he knew she was there. When Olivia put her finger up to his little hand, he didn't react. His little hand stay motionless. Olivia began to internally panic, but she quickly glanced at the monitor above her and calmed her nerves. His heartbeat was steady and for extra reassurance, she could still see his little stomach rise and fall with every breath he took. She didn't realize she was crying, until a single tear dropped down on the top of the incubator.
"Don't worry little man. You're going to be okay." Olivia felt Fitz come up behind her, and drape his arm on her shoulder. He leaned in a softly kissed the side of her head. She'd been reassuring her babies that everything was going to be okay. And Fitz was confirming to her that in fact everything was going to be okay.
X
Okay, so Nora got caught yay! The next time we see Nora, will be for her trial. And the twins are here bittersweet yay! As always feel free to leave a review. Maybe leave name suggestions for the twins :)
UnTiL neXT tiMe...