GL - A FEW DAYS MORE - Chapter 2
TITLE: A Few Days More
FANDOM: Guiding Light
PAIRING: Otalia
SUMMARY: Set mid-friendship, this will contain elements of hurt/comfort as I'm a hurt/comfort junkie. Olivia, Natalia and Emma have returned from their few days away and follows canon around the 'Decker days'...hopefully more interesting than the summary suggests. Please request before archiving.
RATING: PG for now
AUTHOR's NOTE: This is my second attempt at fanfic and I have to say I am more nervous with this one than the first, partly because I fear there could be a level of expectation to overcome. So please be gentle with me, I hope you enjoy the formula I have decided to go with this time because personally, I think the best Otalia story and in particular ‘hurt/comfort’ story was the one shown on TV. As always my thanks to my Canadian Buddy, Critic2000, who read this through and offered useful suggestions and insight, let alone put up with my endless angst and anguish as to whether this story would be worth posting, bless ‘er.
An additional thanks to those of you who have actively encouraged me to right this sequel and offered your support, it truly is an inspiration
ADDITIONAL NOTE: This does loosely follow on from my first story 'A Few Days Away' hence I have said it is a sequel but as I never fully intended to write this, it’s been an interesting experience to find a way to make it fit within the time period I wanted to cover, therefore please gloss over any inconsistencies from one story to the next. It is not essential to have read the first story, but some things may make more sense if you do.
DISCLAIMERS: I do not own Guiding Light or any of the characters.
( Chapter 1 )
Chapter 2
Checking that the rotas had been completed for the next month and then having to deal with a staffing issue where one of the Beacon employees had provided a less than tolerated level of customer service, Natalia was almost startled when the phone rang and she found herself in the middle of a conversation started by Olivia over an hour earlier.
Her own words regarding customer service ringing in her ears, Natalia smiled and used her natural people skills to calm the gentleman on the end of the line before proceeding to have a semi-intelligent conversation with him which resulted in a mutually agreeable compromise.
Pleased with the outcome of the call and happier still to know it was one less burden on Olivia’s plate, Natalia checked her watch. Time to wake the sleeping beauty.
Knowing from experience just how difficult it was to wake Olivia and hopeful that she had managed to sleep deeply enough to do some good, Natalia decided to personally ensure Olivia made it to the fundraiser.
Knocking on the door to Olivia’s suite at a little past 4pm, Natalia was not surprised when no answer was forthcoming. Using her own master keycard she entered the room to find Olivia still curled on her side, sound asleep in the semi-darkness.
Moving over to the bed she watched her for a moment before reluctantly acknowledging she had to wake her. Reaching a hand to Olivia’s shoulder, Natalia gently shook the older woman, “Hey Olivia, time to get up now, come on.”
Something unintelligible was mumbled that Natalia couldn’t make out and Olivia shook off the offending hand to turn over and cuddle onto her other side.
Charmed but knowing Olivia would be spitting mad if she missed the function and worried not only about how it would look but what it could mean for her contract with Decker, Natalia tried again. “Olivia! You have to wake up now.”
A more decisive nudge and Olivia’s eyes started to flutter open, “Just five more minutes.” She started to burrow into her pillows again.
“No Olivia, you have to get up now! You have to get ready.”
Not to be deterred, Natalia reached for the switch by the bed to activate the main light in the room and dispel the hazy comfort of nighttime. For her part, Olivia squeezed her eyes shut tighter before squinting at the brightness and rousing herself awake.
“Hey, no fair.”
“I’m sorry Olivia but you haven’t got much time to get ready and I know how important this is to you.”
Pushing herself to sit up and rubbing her face, Olivia drew her hair back with both hands and blinked in the brightness, “What time is it?”
“Nearly ten past four.”
Shocked now at how little time she actually had, Olivia swung her legs from the bed to the floor and almost in a panic accused, “I thought you were going to wake me at four?”
“Well I tried!”
Standing to go into the bathroom and engage in a high speed shower and change, she called back, “Could you lay my clothes out on the bed? Should be in the garment bag just inside the closet.”
“Okay.”
Hearing the sound of the shower running, Natalia did as instructed then stood there contemplating whether she should have brought coffee with her or make a pot now to fully flush Olivia’s cobwebs away.
When Olivia appeared the next moment wrapped in her bathrobe and obviously anxious, the flushed and heated pink tinge to her skin made Natalia rethink and consider if she should just leave Olivia to finish getting ready.
“I’ll leave you to um...”
“Hey, don’t go I’m going to need your help.” Olivia couldn’t understand why Natalia looked like she was ready to bolt, this was the first time in a while they had had a moment to chat, even if she was rushing to get ready. “Take a seat; tell me what I’ve missed.”
Sitting in the chair in the corner of the room Natalia felt strangely nervous as Olivia continued to prepare for her evening out. It wasn’t as if only recently Natalia had had the responsibility of undressing this woman several times to deal with various injuries and ailments, heck, she had even supported her as she lay sprawled in the shower stall for all intents and purposes naked.
Yet watching Olivia glam herself up, Natalia felt a little like she was intruding and part of that she reasoned, was because she wanted to watch. She just loved watching this woman, she was fascinating and full of contradictions, filled with so much spirit and joy and yet so much sadness and anger.
Realising her companion had not said anything for a while, Olivia turned from her mirror where she was carefully applying eyeliner to ask, “Hey, did you fall asleep over there?”
Reacting as if caught in the act, Natalia gulped and using her quick thinking responded, “Hm? No I was just trying to um...” She found her subject, “The ballroom’s all set, Greg’s happy anyway. I checked in with him earlier and he was only having a minor meltdown about some table arrangements so be sure to compliment him on them when you see him.”
Olivia just nodded an ‘uh huh’ as she continued to apply her make-up. Well she stayed and she’s talking, guess it was bound to be about work.
“That call came in...”
Olivia was instantly alert and rounded on her, “And?”
“Well, I think we’ve managed to come to an arrangement.”
“What does that mean? An arrangement.” Olivia looked suspicious.
Natalia affected a slightly hurt look and pouted, “What? You don’t trust me now?”
There was something about the way she said it. Was she joking with her? Testing her? Because there was almost an edge to the question, an undercurrent of doubt and need to be reassured which had Olivia wondering if she had given her reason to think otherwise, when truthfully she couldn’t remember ever not trusting her…
There was a knock on the door, she was sure she heard it but she wasn’t ready yet. Panic was setting in.
“That's Decker,” she informed her ‘partner in crime’ who was currently zipping up one of the substantially filled cases and maintaining an air of being annoyingly calm and collected.
“Okay, I'm willing to do this for you, but there's a condition: You have to go to the doctor and make sure everything is okay.”
Her eyebrows rose as she objected, “I'm fine, okay? I've been under a lot of pressure.” When was Natalia going to back off and leave this alone? Yes, she wanted her help but really?
The case was lifted down off the bed and Natalia persisted, “Do we have a deal?”
Knowing at some deeper level she was not going to win this one, especially as she was the one in the weaker position needing help, she acquiesced and hissed through clenched teeth, “Alright.”
There was another knock at the door, louder this time and as Olivia levered herself with difficulty off the bed, Natalia ran to the closet to grab an appropriate jacket to effect a personal assistant’s ensemble ingeniously calling out, “Err…coming!”
Olivia drew in a breath and watched, propped up in the bathroom doorway, as Natalia threaded her arms into the jacket before tying the belt around her to completely cover her ‘Company’ t-shirt. Concerned at the amount of time it was taking, Olivia gestured at her to get a move on and silently mouthed, “Hurry up.” Natalia scowled back and fumbled with the belt before smoothing down her clothing as the knock at the door tapped out the caller’s impatience, “One second.” With final touches, that included releasing her hair trapped inside the newly adorned jacket, Natalia pasted on a smile and opened the door, “Mr. Decker, how are you?”
“Fine, thank you.”
“Come in.”
Olivia had retreated fully into the bathroom and heard Natalia ask, “Can I get you something to drink?” She mentally applauded her new ‘assistant’ for the delaying tactic but closed her eyes in frustration when she heard Decker’s reply, “Actually, no. I'm actually a little late for a flight so I don't have much time. Is Olivia ready?” There was to be no reprieve.
“Let me check,” Natalia responded and then there was a knock on the bathroom door and Natalia entered with a smile which immediately fell as her eyes met with Olivia’s.
Olivia braced herself against the sink, fingers tapping the bowl as Natalia stepped up to her and placed her hand so close to her back that Olivia could feel the warmth of her palm even without the contact. Ready to catch her if she should fall, which was looking more likely by the second, she was struggling to breathe and the prospect of doing anything beyond being able to lie down and relax was causing her anxiety to rise again.
“I don't think I can make it.” Her eyes closed as she took another breath and made the statement she should have told Decker hours ago before this nightmare evening started, “I can't get on that plane.”
“I know.” Natalia could probably have told her that hours ago but her stubbornness would have ignored her.
“Okay. So just stall him. Alright? I'll think of something to say.” She was swaying now, hanging onto the sink, very aware it was ‘crunch’ time and her reputation was on the line and she had no idea how on earth she was going to get through this.
“He's waiting.”
“I know.” It was almost a whine. All she wanted to do was sit down, her energy levels close to zero. She was aware of Natalia beside her watching her distress, fingers tapping her upper lip in thought.
“Do you trust me?”
Olivia was surprised at how little she had to think about the answer.
Their eyes locked.
Panting heavily now, Olivia nodded her head, “Yeah,” and Natalia nodded back. A small, barely heard response of “’kay, thanks,” before Natalia was reaching for her arm and indicating it was time to go, “Come on.”
Olivia couldn’t help rolling her eyes as she dug deep to find whatever energy she had left to maintain her pretense but although she had no idea what Natalia had planned, she realized she had put more than trust in her apparently stalwart companion, it was her career, her reputation, her life. Needing the physical support she wrapped her arm over Natalia’s shoulders as Natalia put a reassuring arm around her waist and together they exited the bathroom as if they were girls out on the town giggling over some shared joke.
“Olivia, you look wonderful,” Decker complimented her suited attire. She had changed earlier; while Natalia had folded away her clothes Olivia had felt the need to continue her travelling ritual and ignored the dubious looks she received when she announced she was going to shower.
Re-entering the room, Olivia felt the loss of Natalia’s arm as they pulled apart and Natalia walked away from her. Trust Olivia, trust.
Decker was clearly hyped, “Are you ready for a whirlwind tour of China?”
Raising her hands and flapping them at Decker as if to ward off any delay, Olivia was impressed when Natalia maneuvered her flight case in front of her and raised the handle to its full height so she could grab hold of it and use it as support. “I can't wait,” she enthused and masked her stumble forward in what appeared to be a smoothly orchestrated move.
Decker, oblivious to the show he was witnessing continued on about all they had planned, “I've lined up my top executives for a party in our Beijing hotel. Sort of a meet and greet, but it's also a chance to introduce you to the press, and get that beautiful face in front of the media.”
Olivia shrugged coyly at the praise even though she was trying to hold it together and not give away the fact her legs were ready to give out on her.
“Oh, can I get that for you?” Decker pointed at the case in Olivia’s grasp.
“Oh, no…”
“We've got it…”
They said together, Olivia wishing this night would end.
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” they replied in unison.
“Well alright,” Decker hardly drew breath as he continued on, detailing what sounded to Olivia an extreme form of torture, “Well, then after the party, I'll take you to some of the construction sites so you can actually see the quality and design of the hotels you'll be representing. But we can talk about all of this in the car.”
Olivia was sure Decker’s voice was picking up speed as the man gathered momentum for his cause. She smiled and hoped it didn’t look too much like a grimace as she gripped the flight case handle tighter.
“Excuse me, but aren't you building family resorts?”
Olivia looked at her companion and felt another moment of fear. Trust! Wait and see where she’s going with it.
Decker seemed pleased, hotels were his favourite topic after all, “Yes. As a matter of fact, I just came from a presentation where we unveiled our newest resort. A very successful presentation, I might add.”
Continuing to smile but really unable to contribute for fear of giving herself away, Olivia nodded, “Nice.”
“Congratulations,” Natalia added.
Decker had the decency to look modest, “Thank you.”
“And-- maybe it's not my place to say,” Natalia continued and Olivia watched, unable to keep the look of worry from her face, “But I wonder if it's not a mistake to have Olivia getting on a plane when her daughter, Emma, is playing the good witch in the "Wizard of Oz" tomorrow.”
Olivia looked around at Decker and smiled again, her hands practically white knuckles on the suitcase handle.
“The good what?”
“Yeah. She has a role in the school play, and Olivia will be missing it.” Olivia wasn’t sure but was Natalia pouting slightly as she pulled a sad face at the idea of Olivia missing out.
Catching on quick though and joining in on the ruse Olivia spoke up, “I just have to tell her... I don't have the heart to tell her.”
“The courage,” Natalia quickly interjected.
“The courage, I don't have the courage to tell her.” Her eyes opened wide as she threw a look at Natalia having realized her vocal slip. “I…” she pointed at Decker, an idea forming in her own mind, “Try this on: Didn't you do the Spaulding presentation via satellite?”
“Yes.”
“What if, when you introduce me to everyone, you do it from my daughter's school?” Please say yes, please!
“Oh!” Natalia chimed in, nodding her head in agreement of the idea.
“I mean, think about it. They would see me as a mother first, and not just some...” It was too much, she was feeling faint again and her head was starting to pound, her hand which had released its death grip from the suitcase to gesticulate in support of her idea made its way to her forehead while the dizziness forced her to close her eyes.
Natalia attempted to fill the unnatural pause and complete the sentence, “Not just some glamorous mannequin.”
“No,” she tried to bat the idea away, her hand coming to rest on her neck as she rubbed her tense neck and shoulder.
“Are you okay, Olivia? You seem a little...”
“I'm great.” She nodded confidently and smiled, seamlessly fitting in with Natalia’s laughter as she picked up the ball again, “Yeah,” Natalia said, “Whenever she's excited, she...”
They were looking at each other now, finding that synergy and reading each other’s minds. “I'm always saying…”
“…sloooow down and breathe.” They finished together.
“Yes,” Natalia hammered her point home.
They were giggly and Olivia was starting to think they could really pull this thing off. Continuing on with enthusiasm, Olivia emphasized to Decker, “And I am, I'm so excited. What better way to demonstrate that Galaxy is all about family values?”
“Yeah, and kids,” Natalia carefully modulated her tone to one of seriousness and respect, “Kids are the most important thing ever, you know?”
They were nodding at each other again now, so in tune with what the game plan was.
“And Emma will be so thrilled. She'll be over the moon.”
“Oh, she would.”
It was almost like Decker was no longer there and they were having their own private conversation but then they remembered and turned away from each other to face Decker again, the smiles plastered on their own faces a huge contrast to the somber faced man with his arms crossed. Maybe it didn’t work, maybe it was too much.
They waited.
“I like it,” he pointed at Olivia. “I like it a lot.”
“How much do you like it?” Natalia appeared very surprised and asked for validation purposes.
“It's a go. Let's do it.” Their laughter this time aided masking Olivia’s complete relief, “Olivia, I've told you, you have a special one here.” He pointed at Natalia, “Don't let go of her.”
Reaching over to grab Natalia’s shoulder for support Olivia responded, “Oh, I won’t.” She was starting to sway again; thankfully Natalia was there, her arm wrapping behind to brace her.
“Alright,” he looked at his watch, “I've got to get going. When I land, I'll call you with all of the details. We'll work them out, okay?” He was nearly out the door as he finished talking.
Olivia leaned heavily toward Natalia as she called after him, “Have a safe flight.”
“Okay. Good-bye, Mr. Decker. Bye.”
“Bye.”
The moment the door clicked shut Olivia turned and widening eyes telling of her relief, collapsed backwards onto the bed.
“Okay. I am taking you to the hospital.”
Olivia waved her arm at her from her position of repose and huffed, grateful to be horizontal. They had managed to pull it off; she didn’t have to go to Asia and she still had her job.
From her position on the bed she watched as Natalia circled the bed, removing the jacket to return it to the closet, the same closet she had sat in just over two hours ago when she took a chance and made a call.
Natalia was moving back towards her now, looking down on her with an expression of barely masked concern.
“You,” she said, “need to go to a hospital.”
Olivia closed her eyes, hoping it would have the desired effect.
“Olivia.”
Nope, not going away.
“We had a deal.”
Olivia acknowledged Natalia was right and that without her she would currently be on a tour which would most likely have killed her. Resigned to the fact she had no choice if she didn’t want to be taken away by an ambulance, she began to push herself up from the bed, dismayed at how weak she actually felt.
“Here,” Natalia bent down to put her arms around her again, “let me help you.”
Trust.
Swallowing, Olivia blinked and stuttered, “Huh... um... of course I do. Why would you think...?”
“It’s alright Olivia.” Natalia was surprised how much her question had obviously sent a storm of thought chasing behind Olivia’s eyes. She had asked primarily in jest but recognized a part of her wanted an answer; she just wasn’t prepared for the look of hurt confusion and decided to let Olivia off the hook, “Basically they intend to have them to us by the end of next week,” Olivia moved to jump in but Natalia forestalled her, “Which means it’ll still be in time for the convention event and they’re going to give us a twenty percent discount for the additional inconvenience.”
Olivia looked impressed. “That’s my girl.”
Natalia felt her heart swell with pride at having done something so right she had managed to impress Olivia but a part of her was also thinking how much she wished that statement were true.
“Okay, this is where I need your help.”
Natalia looked up having drifted away again, lost in thought.
“Could you zip me up please?”
Olivia stood in a gorgeous, figure hugging midnight blue dress that had the effect of looking both stylish and sophisticated and as if it was made to be worn by her. Her hand was currently attempting to zip the dress and she was twisting her body in a manner only contortionists should attempt.
Her mouth dry, Natalia stood and moved over behind Olivia and batted her hand gently out of the way.
“Let me.”
Olivia could feel Natalia’s breath across her neck and goose bumps descending down her back and arms. She could hear the sound of the zip rising up and then the sensation of Natalia sweeping her hair from her neck and over her shoulder to avoid getting caught, her hand skirting over her suddenly sensitive skin before the zip continued its journey to its final destination.
Looking ahead to see her reflection in the mirror, Olivia’s eyes caught Natalia’s and held.
Natalia studied her, wanting so much to say something to her, to suggest they have lunch or… she noted her cheeks were high in colour and frowned, “Are you sure you’re okay now?”
Olivia nodded her head, thinking the answer should be in the affirmative even if her heart seemed to be beating very fast. She had sensed Natalia was about to say something but the moment was gone.
“Time to get Cinderella to the ball.”
To be continued...
Flashback scene from episode 10th Oct 2008
FANDOM: Guiding Light
PAIRING: Otalia
SUMMARY: Set mid-friendship, this will contain elements of hurt/comfort as I'm a hurt/comfort junkie. Olivia, Natalia and Emma have returned from their few days away and follows canon around the 'Decker days'...hopefully more interesting than the summary suggests. Please request before archiving.
RATING: PG for now
AUTHOR's NOTE: This is my second attempt at fanfic and I have to say I am more nervous with this one than the first, partly because I fear there could be a level of expectation to overcome. So please be gentle with me, I hope you enjoy the formula I have decided to go with this time because personally, I think the best Otalia story and in particular ‘hurt/comfort’ story was the one shown on TV. As always my thanks to my Canadian Buddy, Critic2000, who read this through and offered useful suggestions and insight, let alone put up with my endless angst and anguish as to whether this story would be worth posting, bless ‘er.
An additional thanks to those of you who have actively encouraged me to right this sequel and offered your support, it truly is an inspiration
ADDITIONAL NOTE: This does loosely follow on from my first story 'A Few Days Away' hence I have said it is a sequel but as I never fully intended to write this, it’s been an interesting experience to find a way to make it fit within the time period I wanted to cover, therefore please gloss over any inconsistencies from one story to the next. It is not essential to have read the first story, but some things may make more sense if you do.
DISCLAIMERS: I do not own Guiding Light or any of the characters.
( Chapter 1 )
Chapter 2
Checking that the rotas had been completed for the next month and then having to deal with a staffing issue where one of the Beacon employees had provided a less than tolerated level of customer service, Natalia was almost startled when the phone rang and she found herself in the middle of a conversation started by Olivia over an hour earlier.
Her own words regarding customer service ringing in her ears, Natalia smiled and used her natural people skills to calm the gentleman on the end of the line before proceeding to have a semi-intelligent conversation with him which resulted in a mutually agreeable compromise.
Pleased with the outcome of the call and happier still to know it was one less burden on Olivia’s plate, Natalia checked her watch. Time to wake the sleeping beauty.
Knowing from experience just how difficult it was to wake Olivia and hopeful that she had managed to sleep deeply enough to do some good, Natalia decided to personally ensure Olivia made it to the fundraiser.
Knocking on the door to Olivia’s suite at a little past 4pm, Natalia was not surprised when no answer was forthcoming. Using her own master keycard she entered the room to find Olivia still curled on her side, sound asleep in the semi-darkness.
Moving over to the bed she watched her for a moment before reluctantly acknowledging she had to wake her. Reaching a hand to Olivia’s shoulder, Natalia gently shook the older woman, “Hey Olivia, time to get up now, come on.”
Something unintelligible was mumbled that Natalia couldn’t make out and Olivia shook off the offending hand to turn over and cuddle onto her other side.
Charmed but knowing Olivia would be spitting mad if she missed the function and worried not only about how it would look but what it could mean for her contract with Decker, Natalia tried again. “Olivia! You have to wake up now.”
A more decisive nudge and Olivia’s eyes started to flutter open, “Just five more minutes.” She started to burrow into her pillows again.
“No Olivia, you have to get up now! You have to get ready.”
Not to be deterred, Natalia reached for the switch by the bed to activate the main light in the room and dispel the hazy comfort of nighttime. For her part, Olivia squeezed her eyes shut tighter before squinting at the brightness and rousing herself awake.
“Hey, no fair.”
“I’m sorry Olivia but you haven’t got much time to get ready and I know how important this is to you.”
Pushing herself to sit up and rubbing her face, Olivia drew her hair back with both hands and blinked in the brightness, “What time is it?”
“Nearly ten past four.”
Shocked now at how little time she actually had, Olivia swung her legs from the bed to the floor and almost in a panic accused, “I thought you were going to wake me at four?”
“Well I tried!”
Standing to go into the bathroom and engage in a high speed shower and change, she called back, “Could you lay my clothes out on the bed? Should be in the garment bag just inside the closet.”
“Okay.”
Hearing the sound of the shower running, Natalia did as instructed then stood there contemplating whether she should have brought coffee with her or make a pot now to fully flush Olivia’s cobwebs away.
When Olivia appeared the next moment wrapped in her bathrobe and obviously anxious, the flushed and heated pink tinge to her skin made Natalia rethink and consider if she should just leave Olivia to finish getting ready.
“I’ll leave you to um...”
“Hey, don’t go I’m going to need your help.” Olivia couldn’t understand why Natalia looked like she was ready to bolt, this was the first time in a while they had had a moment to chat, even if she was rushing to get ready. “Take a seat; tell me what I’ve missed.”
Sitting in the chair in the corner of the room Natalia felt strangely nervous as Olivia continued to prepare for her evening out. It wasn’t as if only recently Natalia had had the responsibility of undressing this woman several times to deal with various injuries and ailments, heck, she had even supported her as she lay sprawled in the shower stall for all intents and purposes naked.
Yet watching Olivia glam herself up, Natalia felt a little like she was intruding and part of that she reasoned, was because she wanted to watch. She just loved watching this woman, she was fascinating and full of contradictions, filled with so much spirit and joy and yet so much sadness and anger.
Realising her companion had not said anything for a while, Olivia turned from her mirror where she was carefully applying eyeliner to ask, “Hey, did you fall asleep over there?”
Reacting as if caught in the act, Natalia gulped and using her quick thinking responded, “Hm? No I was just trying to um...” She found her subject, “The ballroom’s all set, Greg’s happy anyway. I checked in with him earlier and he was only having a minor meltdown about some table arrangements so be sure to compliment him on them when you see him.”
Olivia just nodded an ‘uh huh’ as she continued to apply her make-up. Well she stayed and she’s talking, guess it was bound to be about work.
“That call came in...”
Olivia was instantly alert and rounded on her, “And?”
“Well, I think we’ve managed to come to an arrangement.”
“What does that mean? An arrangement.” Olivia looked suspicious.
Natalia affected a slightly hurt look and pouted, “What? You don’t trust me now?”
There was something about the way she said it. Was she joking with her? Testing her? Because there was almost an edge to the question, an undercurrent of doubt and need to be reassured which had Olivia wondering if she had given her reason to think otherwise, when truthfully she couldn’t remember ever not trusting her…
There was a knock on the door, she was sure she heard it but she wasn’t ready yet. Panic was setting in.
“That's Decker,” she informed her ‘partner in crime’ who was currently zipping up one of the substantially filled cases and maintaining an air of being annoyingly calm and collected.
“Okay, I'm willing to do this for you, but there's a condition: You have to go to the doctor and make sure everything is okay.”
Her eyebrows rose as she objected, “I'm fine, okay? I've been under a lot of pressure.” When was Natalia going to back off and leave this alone? Yes, she wanted her help but really?
The case was lifted down off the bed and Natalia persisted, “Do we have a deal?”
Knowing at some deeper level she was not going to win this one, especially as she was the one in the weaker position needing help, she acquiesced and hissed through clenched teeth, “Alright.”
There was another knock at the door, louder this time and as Olivia levered herself with difficulty off the bed, Natalia ran to the closet to grab an appropriate jacket to effect a personal assistant’s ensemble ingeniously calling out, “Err…coming!”
Olivia drew in a breath and watched, propped up in the bathroom doorway, as Natalia threaded her arms into the jacket before tying the belt around her to completely cover her ‘Company’ t-shirt. Concerned at the amount of time it was taking, Olivia gestured at her to get a move on and silently mouthed, “Hurry up.” Natalia scowled back and fumbled with the belt before smoothing down her clothing as the knock at the door tapped out the caller’s impatience, “One second.” With final touches, that included releasing her hair trapped inside the newly adorned jacket, Natalia pasted on a smile and opened the door, “Mr. Decker, how are you?”
“Fine, thank you.”
“Come in.”
Olivia had retreated fully into the bathroom and heard Natalia ask, “Can I get you something to drink?” She mentally applauded her new ‘assistant’ for the delaying tactic but closed her eyes in frustration when she heard Decker’s reply, “Actually, no. I'm actually a little late for a flight so I don't have much time. Is Olivia ready?” There was to be no reprieve.
“Let me check,” Natalia responded and then there was a knock on the bathroom door and Natalia entered with a smile which immediately fell as her eyes met with Olivia’s.
Olivia braced herself against the sink, fingers tapping the bowl as Natalia stepped up to her and placed her hand so close to her back that Olivia could feel the warmth of her palm even without the contact. Ready to catch her if she should fall, which was looking more likely by the second, she was struggling to breathe and the prospect of doing anything beyond being able to lie down and relax was causing her anxiety to rise again.
“I don't think I can make it.” Her eyes closed as she took another breath and made the statement she should have told Decker hours ago before this nightmare evening started, “I can't get on that plane.”
“I know.” Natalia could probably have told her that hours ago but her stubbornness would have ignored her.
“Okay. So just stall him. Alright? I'll think of something to say.” She was swaying now, hanging onto the sink, very aware it was ‘crunch’ time and her reputation was on the line and she had no idea how on earth she was going to get through this.
“He's waiting.”
“I know.” It was almost a whine. All she wanted to do was sit down, her energy levels close to zero. She was aware of Natalia beside her watching her distress, fingers tapping her upper lip in thought.
“Do you trust me?”
Olivia was surprised at how little she had to think about the answer.
Their eyes locked.
Panting heavily now, Olivia nodded her head, “Yeah,” and Natalia nodded back. A small, barely heard response of “’kay, thanks,” before Natalia was reaching for her arm and indicating it was time to go, “Come on.”
Olivia couldn’t help rolling her eyes as she dug deep to find whatever energy she had left to maintain her pretense but although she had no idea what Natalia had planned, she realized she had put more than trust in her apparently stalwart companion, it was her career, her reputation, her life. Needing the physical support she wrapped her arm over Natalia’s shoulders as Natalia put a reassuring arm around her waist and together they exited the bathroom as if they were girls out on the town giggling over some shared joke.
“Olivia, you look wonderful,” Decker complimented her suited attire. She had changed earlier; while Natalia had folded away her clothes Olivia had felt the need to continue her travelling ritual and ignored the dubious looks she received when she announced she was going to shower.
Re-entering the room, Olivia felt the loss of Natalia’s arm as they pulled apart and Natalia walked away from her. Trust Olivia, trust.
Decker was clearly hyped, “Are you ready for a whirlwind tour of China?”
Raising her hands and flapping them at Decker as if to ward off any delay, Olivia was impressed when Natalia maneuvered her flight case in front of her and raised the handle to its full height so she could grab hold of it and use it as support. “I can't wait,” she enthused and masked her stumble forward in what appeared to be a smoothly orchestrated move.
Decker, oblivious to the show he was witnessing continued on about all they had planned, “I've lined up my top executives for a party in our Beijing hotel. Sort of a meet and greet, but it's also a chance to introduce you to the press, and get that beautiful face in front of the media.”
Olivia shrugged coyly at the praise even though she was trying to hold it together and not give away the fact her legs were ready to give out on her.
“Oh, can I get that for you?” Decker pointed at the case in Olivia’s grasp.
“Oh, no…”
“We've got it…”
They said together, Olivia wishing this night would end.
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” they replied in unison.
“Well alright,” Decker hardly drew breath as he continued on, detailing what sounded to Olivia an extreme form of torture, “Well, then after the party, I'll take you to some of the construction sites so you can actually see the quality and design of the hotels you'll be representing. But we can talk about all of this in the car.”
Olivia was sure Decker’s voice was picking up speed as the man gathered momentum for his cause. She smiled and hoped it didn’t look too much like a grimace as she gripped the flight case handle tighter.
“Excuse me, but aren't you building family resorts?”
Olivia looked at her companion and felt another moment of fear. Trust! Wait and see where she’s going with it.
Decker seemed pleased, hotels were his favourite topic after all, “Yes. As a matter of fact, I just came from a presentation where we unveiled our newest resort. A very successful presentation, I might add.”
Continuing to smile but really unable to contribute for fear of giving herself away, Olivia nodded, “Nice.”
“Congratulations,” Natalia added.
Decker had the decency to look modest, “Thank you.”
“And-- maybe it's not my place to say,” Natalia continued and Olivia watched, unable to keep the look of worry from her face, “But I wonder if it's not a mistake to have Olivia getting on a plane when her daughter, Emma, is playing the good witch in the "Wizard of Oz" tomorrow.”
Olivia looked around at Decker and smiled again, her hands practically white knuckles on the suitcase handle.
“The good what?”
“Yeah. She has a role in the school play, and Olivia will be missing it.” Olivia wasn’t sure but was Natalia pouting slightly as she pulled a sad face at the idea of Olivia missing out.
Catching on quick though and joining in on the ruse Olivia spoke up, “I just have to tell her... I don't have the heart to tell her.”
“The courage,” Natalia quickly interjected.
“The courage, I don't have the courage to tell her.” Her eyes opened wide as she threw a look at Natalia having realized her vocal slip. “I…” she pointed at Decker, an idea forming in her own mind, “Try this on: Didn't you do the Spaulding presentation via satellite?”
“Yes.”
“What if, when you introduce me to everyone, you do it from my daughter's school?” Please say yes, please!
“Oh!” Natalia chimed in, nodding her head in agreement of the idea.
“I mean, think about it. They would see me as a mother first, and not just some...” It was too much, she was feeling faint again and her head was starting to pound, her hand which had released its death grip from the suitcase to gesticulate in support of her idea made its way to her forehead while the dizziness forced her to close her eyes.
Natalia attempted to fill the unnatural pause and complete the sentence, “Not just some glamorous mannequin.”
“No,” she tried to bat the idea away, her hand coming to rest on her neck as she rubbed her tense neck and shoulder.
“Are you okay, Olivia? You seem a little...”
“I'm great.” She nodded confidently and smiled, seamlessly fitting in with Natalia’s laughter as she picked up the ball again, “Yeah,” Natalia said, “Whenever she's excited, she...”
They were looking at each other now, finding that synergy and reading each other’s minds. “I'm always saying…”
“…sloooow down and breathe.” They finished together.
“Yes,” Natalia hammered her point home.
They were giggly and Olivia was starting to think they could really pull this thing off. Continuing on with enthusiasm, Olivia emphasized to Decker, “And I am, I'm so excited. What better way to demonstrate that Galaxy is all about family values?”
“Yeah, and kids,” Natalia carefully modulated her tone to one of seriousness and respect, “Kids are the most important thing ever, you know?”
They were nodding at each other again now, so in tune with what the game plan was.
“And Emma will be so thrilled. She'll be over the moon.”
“Oh, she would.”
It was almost like Decker was no longer there and they were having their own private conversation but then they remembered and turned away from each other to face Decker again, the smiles plastered on their own faces a huge contrast to the somber faced man with his arms crossed. Maybe it didn’t work, maybe it was too much.
They waited.
“I like it,” he pointed at Olivia. “I like it a lot.”
“How much do you like it?” Natalia appeared very surprised and asked for validation purposes.
“It's a go. Let's do it.” Their laughter this time aided masking Olivia’s complete relief, “Olivia, I've told you, you have a special one here.” He pointed at Natalia, “Don't let go of her.”
Reaching over to grab Natalia’s shoulder for support Olivia responded, “Oh, I won’t.” She was starting to sway again; thankfully Natalia was there, her arm wrapping behind to brace her.
“Alright,” he looked at his watch, “I've got to get going. When I land, I'll call you with all of the details. We'll work them out, okay?” He was nearly out the door as he finished talking.
Olivia leaned heavily toward Natalia as she called after him, “Have a safe flight.”
“Okay. Good-bye, Mr. Decker. Bye.”
“Bye.”
The moment the door clicked shut Olivia turned and widening eyes telling of her relief, collapsed backwards onto the bed.
“Okay. I am taking you to the hospital.”
Olivia waved her arm at her from her position of repose and huffed, grateful to be horizontal. They had managed to pull it off; she didn’t have to go to Asia and she still had her job.
From her position on the bed she watched as Natalia circled the bed, removing the jacket to return it to the closet, the same closet she had sat in just over two hours ago when she took a chance and made a call.
Natalia was moving back towards her now, looking down on her with an expression of barely masked concern.
“You,” she said, “need to go to a hospital.”
Olivia closed her eyes, hoping it would have the desired effect.
“Olivia.”
Nope, not going away.
“We had a deal.”
Olivia acknowledged Natalia was right and that without her she would currently be on a tour which would most likely have killed her. Resigned to the fact she had no choice if she didn’t want to be taken away by an ambulance, she began to push herself up from the bed, dismayed at how weak she actually felt.
“Here,” Natalia bent down to put her arms around her again, “let me help you.”
Trust.
Swallowing, Olivia blinked and stuttered, “Huh... um... of course I do. Why would you think...?”
“It’s alright Olivia.” Natalia was surprised how much her question had obviously sent a storm of thought chasing behind Olivia’s eyes. She had asked primarily in jest but recognized a part of her wanted an answer; she just wasn’t prepared for the look of hurt confusion and decided to let Olivia off the hook, “Basically they intend to have them to us by the end of next week,” Olivia moved to jump in but Natalia forestalled her, “Which means it’ll still be in time for the convention event and they’re going to give us a twenty percent discount for the additional inconvenience.”
Olivia looked impressed. “That’s my girl.”
Natalia felt her heart swell with pride at having done something so right she had managed to impress Olivia but a part of her was also thinking how much she wished that statement were true.
“Okay, this is where I need your help.”
Natalia looked up having drifted away again, lost in thought.
“Could you zip me up please?”
Olivia stood in a gorgeous, figure hugging midnight blue dress that had the effect of looking both stylish and sophisticated and as if it was made to be worn by her. Her hand was currently attempting to zip the dress and she was twisting her body in a manner only contortionists should attempt.
Her mouth dry, Natalia stood and moved over behind Olivia and batted her hand gently out of the way.
“Let me.”
Olivia could feel Natalia’s breath across her neck and goose bumps descending down her back and arms. She could hear the sound of the zip rising up and then the sensation of Natalia sweeping her hair from her neck and over her shoulder to avoid getting caught, her hand skirting over her suddenly sensitive skin before the zip continued its journey to its final destination.
Looking ahead to see her reflection in the mirror, Olivia’s eyes caught Natalia’s and held.
Natalia studied her, wanting so much to say something to her, to suggest they have lunch or… she noted her cheeks were high in colour and frowned, “Are you sure you’re okay now?”
Olivia nodded her head, thinking the answer should be in the affirmative even if her heart seemed to be beating very fast. She had sensed Natalia was about to say something but the moment was gone.
“Time to get Cinderella to the ball.”
To be continued...
Flashback scene from episode 10th Oct 2008