Unrequited

Chapter 28

"Knock knock," the perky female voice says as she opens the door. "I need to check your vitals and give you more pain medication." Olivia groans as the nurse checks her temperature and blood pressure while Elliot checks his phone in case he got an email from work. The nurse quietly excuses herself and he crawls back in bed beside her. He hasn't gotten fully back into position before she speaks up.

"So you were saying?"

Elliot lets out a frustrated sigh, caressing her hair. "I'm sorry baby. I tried to get out of it. They said they could postpone but....probably no longer than a week at the most."

Olivia is silent and snuggles into him closer. Fuck it. He'll just quit his job. With his experience and connections he could find something else.

"I could quit. Y'know I could find something else."

Olivia gently tugs his arm. "El," she says softly looking up until he meets her eyes. "You should go to Denver."

{-}

She couldn't believe the words the second they left her mouth. Did she really tell him to leave? But they were better now. Dumb arguments aside and growing pains of the new state of their relationship, it was okay for him to go.

"What did you say?" he asks again, confusion etched in his features.

She tries to fight the smile on her face. "I said you should go. I'm going to be fine."

Elliot sighs again rolling his eyes.

"No no this is not my normal I'm fine," she pulls his hand closer. "I mean I have the squad to look after me, I'm sure you've already put in calls to Kathleen and Maureen." The bewildered look on his face is priceless and she can't help but smile. "I'm willing to accept the help. I'm just sorry I didn't realize it sooner."

"Are you sure your nurse didn't say you were running a fever?" Laughing he holds her tighter placing another kiss on her forehead. "I guess we've been apologizing to each other a lot lately hunh?"

"Who knew it would take me taking a bullet to finally come to our senses?"

"I'm sorry that we spent the last couple of days arguing. We could've been doing something much more productive," she says suggestively, her hand moving dangerously low near the waist of his jeans.

Elliot groans in frustration. "I'm really sorry that you aren't going to be able to give me a proper goodbye."

Olivia laughs into his side, placing a kiss on his chest. Her fingers play along his torso while she thinks about how much she's going to miss him. There's so much she needs to say that normally she would keep to herself. Maybe it was the pain meds making her a little loopy or his imminent departure but suddenly she felt the need to say things she had been holding back. "I'm sorry that I haven't said as much as I should. When I should. It's always been...hard for me....to say things," she admits and Elliot stiffens beside her. "I know that I have a wall up but if there is anyone worth me tearing it down for it's you. I'm sorry if I haven't made you feel that way."

Thankfully she's not looking into his eyes or she would lose all her courage. Focusing on his T-shirt while feeling his heartbeat beneath her fingers and the uneven rhythm of his breathing makes it that much easier.

"I'm sorry too that I didn't talk when I should have. There's been so much I wanted to say over the years Liv. After Gitano, I should've explained things better. Hell...I was just so wrapped up in my own head that I let you walk away from our partnership."

Olivia doesn't take the time to absorb the words before she's speaking again. "I'm sorry that I was so mad at you when I came back from Oregon. I just...didn't know what to do with my feelings."