Once Upon a Dream 27/?
Title: Once Upon a Dream 27/?
Author: Kelinswriter
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia
Rating: NC-17 (for lots of things)
Summary: Starts with the infamous scene with the OPT Pregnancy Test. Spins off from there into its own little universe.
Disclaimer: CBS, P&G, Telenext et. al. owns these characters; I'm just taking them off the shelf and playing with them for a while.
Chapters 1-11
Chapters 12-19
20
21
22a
22b
23
24a
24b
25a
25b
26
"Breathe."
Olivia inhaled, then exhaled, trying not to fidget.
"Again."
Olivia took another breath, the stethoscope cold against her chest. Rick pulled the instrument away, then shifted to sit beside her on the cot, urging her to turn so he could listen again, this time against her back.
"Sounds good," he said after a moment, the words grudging. He took her wrist, feeling her pulse, then pressed his fingers to her cartoid artery.
"I'm fine, Rick," Olivia said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. She gestured toward the bed, where Natalia lay unmoving. "And I'm not the person you need to be worrying about."
"You can say that all you want, but I know the kind of strain you've been under." Rick gave her a considering look. "How much sleep did you get last night?"
None, Olivia thought, fighting hard to keep her face neutral. She had drowsed at times, her mind flitting through restless half-dreams, but she had never truly slept, not with Elena just outside, waiting for a chance to create more misery. I've got to find a way to neutralize that bitch, Olivia thought, her head aching from lack of sleep. Maybe someone will cough on her and she'll come down with the flu.
It was a lame solution, but most of her options when it came to Elena were weak. Edmund had been very clear - try to get the nurse replaced and Natalia would not survive the night. Empty though the threat might be, Olivia couldn't take the chance. She would put up with the woman, hoping that along the way she could learn something that might be useful. If that meant she didn't sleep, so be it.
Rick, who had been waiting for an answer, cleared his throat. "Olivia? Still in there?"
"What - I - yes." Olivia shook her head. "I'll rest when Natalia's better." She did her best imitation of someone who was out of the loop, a skill she had practiced many times over the years under far less noble circumstances. "Have you been able to learn anything about why this happened?"
"The neurologist will be running a series of tests today. Maybe we'll discover something that will be useful." Rick clasped his hands in front of him, clearing his throat like he always did before he was about to deliver bad news. "In the meantime, we have to start adjusting to the possibility that this might not be a short-term condition. We've already started that process."
Olivia felt a surge of anger as she recalled how she had been rousted out of Natalia's room the night before so that Elena and another nurse could set Natalia up with a catheter. The hated plastic pouch now dangled near the foot of the bed, mute testimony to Natalia's inability to care for herself in even the most basic of ways. Olivia had spent the next hour holding Natalia while talking to her in a soothing voice, hoping that if Natalia had been aware during the procedure, the calm tone and physical closeness would be enough to settle her. I don't know how to make this better for you, she had whispered at the time. I can tell them you're aware of what's going on, but the ones who don't want to believe aren't going to.
She had talked to Rick about the possibility of Natalia retaining some awareness of her surroundings when he first walked in. "It's not unheard of," had been his response. "The research is iffy on the subject, but there are cases of long-term coma patients who report far more awareness than anyone had anticipated based on their recorded brain activity. I think it's important to behave with the same respect and consideration you would offer if a patient were awake. It's just good manners." He gave Natalia an affectionate look and added, "Besides, I don't think it's ever wise to treat Natalia like anything but a lady."
Now, Olivia listened as Rick rattled off a list of changes that they would be making in Natalia's care routine, such as physical therapy and alternative sources of nutrition. "Some of these steps are long-term, but I'd rather we get going now. The longer she stays like this, the more difficult things will be after she awakens. Every step we take to keep her healthy and help retain her muscle tone will help the recovery process."
"I had talked to Christina about working with Natalia when she got out of the hospital," Olivia said. "Could we have her do the physical therapy?"
"Christina's one of our part-timers and an excellent physical therapist. If you want to arrange for her to provide Natalia's care through our PT department, that's great." Rick lowered his voice, his tone becoming more serious. "The other thing you need to be aware of is that Natalia is at increased risk for infection, particularly with her lung injury. Pneumonia is a real concern, so we're going to have to be vigilant about that."
Olivia nodded. "What's your honest opinion, Rick?"
Rick hesitated, glancing toward the bed before returning his gaze to Olivia. "Natalia is a fighter, and she's got you pulling for her. That counts for a lot." He looked like he was about to say more, but before he could, there was a rap on the door. Heels clattered on the tile, and a moment later, Doris stuck her head in. "Hi."
"Come join the party," Olivia said, waving her inside. She turned back to Rick. "The neurologist is scheduled for when?"
"Eleven." Rick patted Olivia's wrist. "Eat something and get some sleep." He got to his feet, saying, "Mayor Wolfe, good to see you," as he slid past her.
"Doctor Bauer." Doris waited for Rick to leave, then held out a to go coffee cup from Company. "Blake doctored it for you since I have no clue."
"Thanks." Olivia accepted the caffeine, feeling a rush of relief as it hit her system. "Where's my breakfast?"
"Blake will run it over when it's ready." Doris sat down on the cot next to Olivia. "I wanted to talk to you in private anyway."
"So now you have Blake making deliveries for you?" Olivia was unable to disguise the amusement in her voice.
"She said she wanted to see Natalia." Doris gave a nonchalant yet unconvincing shrug. "Listen, I got some good intel when I was at Company last night."
"Intel?" Olivia shot her a disbelieving look. "What are you, Harriet the Spy?"
"Shut up, Olivia." Doris crossed her legs, smoothing her A-line skirt - black this time, a perfect complement to her pleated gray blouse - as she leaned against the wall. "Ashlee was talking about how Daisy got this mysterious check for college tuition in the mail. She assumed it was sent by her mother, but there was no name on the envelope, and it was a cashier's check."
"Unless Harley suddenly developed a talent for not running businesses into the ground, I don't think she has the kind of cash to hand Daisy a year's tuition. Besides, she's too busy getting laid every five minutes by some hot Greek stud to pay attention to what's going on in Springfield. She didn't even come back when Coop died." Olivia glanced over at Natalia, guilt washing over her, then turned her attention on Doris. "I'm sorry, that was kind of rude. Even if it is true."
Doris gave her a considering look, those pale blue eyes narrowing. "Do you think she can hear you?"
"Harley?"
"No." Doris rolled her eyes. "Natalia."
Of course she can hear me, Olivia said, but decided it was best to hedge. "Look, if it were possible that your girlfriend could hear everything you said, wouldn't you be careful?"
"Good point." Doris took a sip of coffee. "The Harley theory sounds like BS to me too. But that brings me to this morning, when I stopped to put in our breakfast order. There's a work crew at the boarding house fixing that godawful eyesore of a roof. I asked Blake about it, and she said that Buzz got a gift too - enough cash to get the roof repaired, plus a new stove."
"I saw the new stove. It got delivered right before the Fourth." Olivia narrowed her eyes at Doris. "You can't possibly think that Buzz has something to do with this."
"Buzz doesn't exactly have a spotless track record," Doris said. "Plus his late wife Jenna was, if memory serves, a jewel thief. It's possible he might have some contacts that would be useful to Cyrus Foley."
"No, that's not right." Olivia jumped to her feet. "Doris, I know Buzz way better than you do. If he were involved, the last thing he would do is start flashing money around town. He'd stash it in some cupboard and keep it for a real emergency."
"Well, then, where is all this mystery money coming from?" Doris waited while Olivia paced to the window and back. "Is it Remy?"
Olivia shook her head. "Remy is friends with the Coopers, but he's not invested in them." She clutched at her hair, her mind racing. "Cyrus is, though."
Doris thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, I have seen him hovering a lot."
"He's been helping out at the restaurant," Olivia said. "Plus, he dated Harley, and I think he feels responsible for Daisy and that disaster with Grady."
"May that creep never crawl out from whatever rock he's under." Doris glanced at her watch. "So if Cyrus is the Coopers' mysterious benefactor, it strengthens the possibility that he has the diamonds."
Olivia nodded. "But without a paper trail, we're dead."
"Maybe I can get copies of the delivery receipts," Doris said. "Odds are Blake has access to them."
Olivia halted and looked at Doris, raising one eyebrow.
"What?" Doris arched a brow in return. "I didn't say I was going to seduce her on her desk, then rifle the filing cabinets."
"You're presuming you'd make it as far as the office." Olivia smirked. "I'd say she'd be willing to go for a little counter action if you pushed it."
"If who pushed what?" Blake bustled into the room, both hands filled with paper bags that rustled against the folds of her dark blue cotton dress. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get over here. We got an eight-top just as you left, Doris, and -" She froze, her gaze locked on Natalia. "Oh dear."
Doris got up from the cot, her face filled with concern. "Blake? You all right?"
Blake tore her gaze away, her pale green eyes looking a little wild as she relinquished the bags of food to Doris's grip. "I just didn't expect it to remind me of when I was -" Her face crumpled. "Oh, poor Natalia."
Olivia couldn't help but roll her eyes as Doris guided Blake over to the chair and urged her to sit down. Doris opened the bags of food and pulled out a bottle of water, handing it to Blake before unearthing their breakfasts. She passed Olivia her scrambled egg platter, then peeled the top off a carton of raspberry yogurt and stirred it with a plastic spoon. Glancing over at Natalia, she said, "Is it me, or does having our breakfast in Natalia's room feel a little weird?"
Olivia sat down on the edge of Natalia's bed, pausing to squeeze her love's hand before she dug into her breakfast. "If she's aware, I think she's just happy that I'm eating."
"Oh she's aware." Blake took a sip of water, the color coming back into her face. "When I was in my coma after the -" She hesitated, glancing at Doris, then Olivia. "After all that mess, I could hear people talking and feel them touching my hand, and even smell things. It actually drove me a little crazy. I would start craving the most unusual foods."
"So you were aware when you were in your coma?" Olivia asked, relieved to hear her beliefs confirmed by someone with firsthand experience.
"I'd fade in and out, but yes." Blake accepted an apple muffin from Doris, who took another for herself and began to lavish it with butter. "I would hear such interesting things. It actually would have been really handy if I'd still been running the Web site." She noticed Olivia's pointed glare and had the sense to look chagrined. "Except, of course, that I'd learned my lesson about how destructive gossip can be. But anyway, yes, I'm sure that Natalia can hear us a lot of the time."
Olivia set her plate on the tray table, then leaned over, pressing a kiss to Natalia's cheek. She hovered over her ear, whispering, "See? I knew you were telling me the truth." Sitting up, she turned her attention back to Blake. "Is there anything that helped you feel better when you were in your coma? The TV being on or something like that?"
"Being stuck in your head can get really boring," Blake replied. "There was this one orderly, though, who would come in late at night to clean my room. He would sing to me while he took care of me. I liked that."
"So music helps." Olivia glanced down at Natalia. "I could get you an iPod."
"Ashlee has this docking thing that you can plug it into, with speakers and everything," Doris said. "She uses it all the time."
"Do you think she'd be willing to help me set one up?" Olivia asked. "Get the music loaded, things like that?"
Doris licked a stray dollop of butter off her index finger, her eyes straying to Blake. "I'm sure she'd be happy to help." She glanced back at Olivia, her eyes widening when she realized she'd been caught checking out the redhead. "I - uh - will call her later."
"It just seems so strange, doesn't it?" Blake said, her gaze thoughtful. "Natalia improving so rapidly, and then this."
Olivia threw a wary glance at Doris as Blake made the abrupt pronouncement. She finished off her forkful of eggs before saying, "Rick said sometimes this just happens."
"Yes, but, when they can't find a medical reason." Blake met Olivia's annoyed gaze. "Lillian told me they haven't been able to figure it out. It just seems like something would have to cause this, you know?"
"Well, I have to get to City Hall." Doris tossed her muffin carton into the empty bag, then patted Blake's shoulder, waiting for her to look up before adding, "Why don't we let Olivia finish her breakfast before the next round of doctors shows up."
"Oh yes, of course." Blake got to her feet, walking over to the side of the bed. She took Natalia's hand. "You keep hanging on, Natalia. It might take a while, but I know you can pull through this." With a last squeeze, she stepped back from the bed, lifting her gaze to meet Olivia's. "If you need food deliveries or anything else, let me know. I'm happy to help."
"Thank you, Blake." Olivia waited until Blake had stepped away before turning her attention to Doris. "I'll call you this afternoon."
Doris nodded. "I'll see what else I can find out."
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Olivia called out as the mayor followed Blake out the door. She heard Blake say, "What is it she doesn't want you to do?" to which Doris replied, "Oh, just a private joke," and then the two of them were gone, leaving her to the relative peace of Natalia's room.
"They're going to end up on that counter sooner or later." Olivia hesitated, then added, "And then we're never going to want to eat at Company again."
She put her empty breakfast carton on the tray table and leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to Natalia's lips. "Okay, time to make some phone calls, and then I'm afraid there will be another doctor coming by to take a look at you."
She stroked the hair away from Natalia's forehead, wishing she could see Natalia's answering smile. Still, Olivia could feel some sense of her - a lucid, listening presence crackling in the air.
"So calls, doctor, and then after that..." She couldn't help but grin. "After that I get therapy in the form of kicking an Australian's ass."
Author: Kelinswriter
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia
Rating: NC-17 (for lots of things)
Summary: Starts with the infamous scene with the OPT Pregnancy Test. Spins off from there into its own little universe.
Disclaimer: CBS, P&G, Telenext et. al. owns these characters; I'm just taking them off the shelf and playing with them for a while.
Chapters 1-11
Chapters 12-19
20
21
22a
22b
23
24a
24b
25a
25b
26
"Breathe."
Olivia inhaled, then exhaled, trying not to fidget.
"Again."
Olivia took another breath, the stethoscope cold against her chest. Rick pulled the instrument away, then shifted to sit beside her on the cot, urging her to turn so he could listen again, this time against her back.
"Sounds good," he said after a moment, the words grudging. He took her wrist, feeling her pulse, then pressed his fingers to her cartoid artery.
"I'm fine, Rick," Olivia said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. She gestured toward the bed, where Natalia lay unmoving. "And I'm not the person you need to be worrying about."
"You can say that all you want, but I know the kind of strain you've been under." Rick gave her a considering look. "How much sleep did you get last night?"
None, Olivia thought, fighting hard to keep her face neutral. She had drowsed at times, her mind flitting through restless half-dreams, but she had never truly slept, not with Elena just outside, waiting for a chance to create more misery. I've got to find a way to neutralize that bitch, Olivia thought, her head aching from lack of sleep. Maybe someone will cough on her and she'll come down with the flu.
It was a lame solution, but most of her options when it came to Elena were weak. Edmund had been very clear - try to get the nurse replaced and Natalia would not survive the night. Empty though the threat might be, Olivia couldn't take the chance. She would put up with the woman, hoping that along the way she could learn something that might be useful. If that meant she didn't sleep, so be it.
Rick, who had been waiting for an answer, cleared his throat. "Olivia? Still in there?"
"What - I - yes." Olivia shook her head. "I'll rest when Natalia's better." She did her best imitation of someone who was out of the loop, a skill she had practiced many times over the years under far less noble circumstances. "Have you been able to learn anything about why this happened?"
"The neurologist will be running a series of tests today. Maybe we'll discover something that will be useful." Rick clasped his hands in front of him, clearing his throat like he always did before he was about to deliver bad news. "In the meantime, we have to start adjusting to the possibility that this might not be a short-term condition. We've already started that process."
Olivia felt a surge of anger as she recalled how she had been rousted out of Natalia's room the night before so that Elena and another nurse could set Natalia up with a catheter. The hated plastic pouch now dangled near the foot of the bed, mute testimony to Natalia's inability to care for herself in even the most basic of ways. Olivia had spent the next hour holding Natalia while talking to her in a soothing voice, hoping that if Natalia had been aware during the procedure, the calm tone and physical closeness would be enough to settle her. I don't know how to make this better for you, she had whispered at the time. I can tell them you're aware of what's going on, but the ones who don't want to believe aren't going to.
She had talked to Rick about the possibility of Natalia retaining some awareness of her surroundings when he first walked in. "It's not unheard of," had been his response. "The research is iffy on the subject, but there are cases of long-term coma patients who report far more awareness than anyone had anticipated based on their recorded brain activity. I think it's important to behave with the same respect and consideration you would offer if a patient were awake. It's just good manners." He gave Natalia an affectionate look and added, "Besides, I don't think it's ever wise to treat Natalia like anything but a lady."
Now, Olivia listened as Rick rattled off a list of changes that they would be making in Natalia's care routine, such as physical therapy and alternative sources of nutrition. "Some of these steps are long-term, but I'd rather we get going now. The longer she stays like this, the more difficult things will be after she awakens. Every step we take to keep her healthy and help retain her muscle tone will help the recovery process."
"I had talked to Christina about working with Natalia when she got out of the hospital," Olivia said. "Could we have her do the physical therapy?"
"Christina's one of our part-timers and an excellent physical therapist. If you want to arrange for her to provide Natalia's care through our PT department, that's great." Rick lowered his voice, his tone becoming more serious. "The other thing you need to be aware of is that Natalia is at increased risk for infection, particularly with her lung injury. Pneumonia is a real concern, so we're going to have to be vigilant about that."
Olivia nodded. "What's your honest opinion, Rick?"
Rick hesitated, glancing toward the bed before returning his gaze to Olivia. "Natalia is a fighter, and she's got you pulling for her. That counts for a lot." He looked like he was about to say more, but before he could, there was a rap on the door. Heels clattered on the tile, and a moment later, Doris stuck her head in. "Hi."
"Come join the party," Olivia said, waving her inside. She turned back to Rick. "The neurologist is scheduled for when?"
"Eleven." Rick patted Olivia's wrist. "Eat something and get some sleep." He got to his feet, saying, "Mayor Wolfe, good to see you," as he slid past her.
"Doctor Bauer." Doris waited for Rick to leave, then held out a to go coffee cup from Company. "Blake doctored it for you since I have no clue."
"Thanks." Olivia accepted the caffeine, feeling a rush of relief as it hit her system. "Where's my breakfast?"
"Blake will run it over when it's ready." Doris sat down on the cot next to Olivia. "I wanted to talk to you in private anyway."
"So now you have Blake making deliveries for you?" Olivia was unable to disguise the amusement in her voice.
"She said she wanted to see Natalia." Doris gave a nonchalant yet unconvincing shrug. "Listen, I got some good intel when I was at Company last night."
"Intel?" Olivia shot her a disbelieving look. "What are you, Harriet the Spy?"
"Shut up, Olivia." Doris crossed her legs, smoothing her A-line skirt - black this time, a perfect complement to her pleated gray blouse - as she leaned against the wall. "Ashlee was talking about how Daisy got this mysterious check for college tuition in the mail. She assumed it was sent by her mother, but there was no name on the envelope, and it was a cashier's check."
"Unless Harley suddenly developed a talent for not running businesses into the ground, I don't think she has the kind of cash to hand Daisy a year's tuition. Besides, she's too busy getting laid every five minutes by some hot Greek stud to pay attention to what's going on in Springfield. She didn't even come back when Coop died." Olivia glanced over at Natalia, guilt washing over her, then turned her attention on Doris. "I'm sorry, that was kind of rude. Even if it is true."
Doris gave her a considering look, those pale blue eyes narrowing. "Do you think she can hear you?"
"Harley?"
"No." Doris rolled her eyes. "Natalia."
Of course she can hear me, Olivia said, but decided it was best to hedge. "Look, if it were possible that your girlfriend could hear everything you said, wouldn't you be careful?"
"Good point." Doris took a sip of coffee. "The Harley theory sounds like BS to me too. But that brings me to this morning, when I stopped to put in our breakfast order. There's a work crew at the boarding house fixing that godawful eyesore of a roof. I asked Blake about it, and she said that Buzz got a gift too - enough cash to get the roof repaired, plus a new stove."
"I saw the new stove. It got delivered right before the Fourth." Olivia narrowed her eyes at Doris. "You can't possibly think that Buzz has something to do with this."
"Buzz doesn't exactly have a spotless track record," Doris said. "Plus his late wife Jenna was, if memory serves, a jewel thief. It's possible he might have some contacts that would be useful to Cyrus Foley."
"No, that's not right." Olivia jumped to her feet. "Doris, I know Buzz way better than you do. If he were involved, the last thing he would do is start flashing money around town. He'd stash it in some cupboard and keep it for a real emergency."
"Well, then, where is all this mystery money coming from?" Doris waited while Olivia paced to the window and back. "Is it Remy?"
Olivia shook her head. "Remy is friends with the Coopers, but he's not invested in them." She clutched at her hair, her mind racing. "Cyrus is, though."
Doris thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, I have seen him hovering a lot."
"He's been helping out at the restaurant," Olivia said. "Plus, he dated Harley, and I think he feels responsible for Daisy and that disaster with Grady."
"May that creep never crawl out from whatever rock he's under." Doris glanced at her watch. "So if Cyrus is the Coopers' mysterious benefactor, it strengthens the possibility that he has the diamonds."
Olivia nodded. "But without a paper trail, we're dead."
"Maybe I can get copies of the delivery receipts," Doris said. "Odds are Blake has access to them."
Olivia halted and looked at Doris, raising one eyebrow.
"What?" Doris arched a brow in return. "I didn't say I was going to seduce her on her desk, then rifle the filing cabinets."
"You're presuming you'd make it as far as the office." Olivia smirked. "I'd say she'd be willing to go for a little counter action if you pushed it."
"If who pushed what?" Blake bustled into the room, both hands filled with paper bags that rustled against the folds of her dark blue cotton dress. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get over here. We got an eight-top just as you left, Doris, and -" She froze, her gaze locked on Natalia. "Oh dear."
Doris got up from the cot, her face filled with concern. "Blake? You all right?"
Blake tore her gaze away, her pale green eyes looking a little wild as she relinquished the bags of food to Doris's grip. "I just didn't expect it to remind me of when I was -" Her face crumpled. "Oh, poor Natalia."
Olivia couldn't help but roll her eyes as Doris guided Blake over to the chair and urged her to sit down. Doris opened the bags of food and pulled out a bottle of water, handing it to Blake before unearthing their breakfasts. She passed Olivia her scrambled egg platter, then peeled the top off a carton of raspberry yogurt and stirred it with a plastic spoon. Glancing over at Natalia, she said, "Is it me, or does having our breakfast in Natalia's room feel a little weird?"
Olivia sat down on the edge of Natalia's bed, pausing to squeeze her love's hand before she dug into her breakfast. "If she's aware, I think she's just happy that I'm eating."
"Oh she's aware." Blake took a sip of water, the color coming back into her face. "When I was in my coma after the -" She hesitated, glancing at Doris, then Olivia. "After all that mess, I could hear people talking and feel them touching my hand, and even smell things. It actually drove me a little crazy. I would start craving the most unusual foods."
"So you were aware when you were in your coma?" Olivia asked, relieved to hear her beliefs confirmed by someone with firsthand experience.
"I'd fade in and out, but yes." Blake accepted an apple muffin from Doris, who took another for herself and began to lavish it with butter. "I would hear such interesting things. It actually would have been really handy if I'd still been running the Web site." She noticed Olivia's pointed glare and had the sense to look chagrined. "Except, of course, that I'd learned my lesson about how destructive gossip can be. But anyway, yes, I'm sure that Natalia can hear us a lot of the time."
Olivia set her plate on the tray table, then leaned over, pressing a kiss to Natalia's cheek. She hovered over her ear, whispering, "See? I knew you were telling me the truth." Sitting up, she turned her attention back to Blake. "Is there anything that helped you feel better when you were in your coma? The TV being on or something like that?"
"Being stuck in your head can get really boring," Blake replied. "There was this one orderly, though, who would come in late at night to clean my room. He would sing to me while he took care of me. I liked that."
"So music helps." Olivia glanced down at Natalia. "I could get you an iPod."
"Ashlee has this docking thing that you can plug it into, with speakers and everything," Doris said. "She uses it all the time."
"Do you think she'd be willing to help me set one up?" Olivia asked. "Get the music loaded, things like that?"
Doris licked a stray dollop of butter off her index finger, her eyes straying to Blake. "I'm sure she'd be happy to help." She glanced back at Olivia, her eyes widening when she realized she'd been caught checking out the redhead. "I - uh - will call her later."
"It just seems so strange, doesn't it?" Blake said, her gaze thoughtful. "Natalia improving so rapidly, and then this."
Olivia threw a wary glance at Doris as Blake made the abrupt pronouncement. She finished off her forkful of eggs before saying, "Rick said sometimes this just happens."
"Yes, but, when they can't find a medical reason." Blake met Olivia's annoyed gaze. "Lillian told me they haven't been able to figure it out. It just seems like something would have to cause this, you know?"
"Well, I have to get to City Hall." Doris tossed her muffin carton into the empty bag, then patted Blake's shoulder, waiting for her to look up before adding, "Why don't we let Olivia finish her breakfast before the next round of doctors shows up."
"Oh yes, of course." Blake got to her feet, walking over to the side of the bed. She took Natalia's hand. "You keep hanging on, Natalia. It might take a while, but I know you can pull through this." With a last squeeze, she stepped back from the bed, lifting her gaze to meet Olivia's. "If you need food deliveries or anything else, let me know. I'm happy to help."
"Thank you, Blake." Olivia waited until Blake had stepped away before turning her attention to Doris. "I'll call you this afternoon."
Doris nodded. "I'll see what else I can find out."
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Olivia called out as the mayor followed Blake out the door. She heard Blake say, "What is it she doesn't want you to do?" to which Doris replied, "Oh, just a private joke," and then the two of them were gone, leaving her to the relative peace of Natalia's room.
"They're going to end up on that counter sooner or later." Olivia hesitated, then added, "And then we're never going to want to eat at Company again."
She put her empty breakfast carton on the tray table and leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to Natalia's lips. "Okay, time to make some phone calls, and then I'm afraid there will be another doctor coming by to take a look at you."
She stroked the hair away from Natalia's forehead, wishing she could see Natalia's answering smile. Still, Olivia could feel some sense of her - a lucid, listening presence crackling in the air.
"So calls, doctor, and then after that..." She couldn't help but grin. "After that I get therapy in the form of kicking an Australian's ass."