Chapter 46 - Olivia
W hen Olivia walked into the hospital room, Fiona was asleep, surrounded by family. Philip and Cassie, Olivia’s mom, Cassie’s parents, and Philip’s mom were all there, filling up the tiny space. Olivia made her way around the room, giving hugs to each of the people who loved Fiona best.
“Any news?” she asked tentatively.
The group looked at each other. Cassie’s face was white with worry and exhaustion, and her eyes were red-rimmed.
She cleared her throat and said, “She’s in stable condition, but she’s still in a coma. They have a few theories about what happened, but they won’t know for sure until the blood test results come back. For now, they’re monitoring her. They’ve got her on an IV drip, and they’ve intubated her.” Cassie’s voice cracked, and Philip put his arm around his wife’s shoulders.
They held each other, crying. Olivia hated everything about that moment, watching them suffer. But she also admired and envied the love and support they had for each other—they weren’t facing this alone.
Olivia sat on the bed next to Fiona and rubbed her hands. She told Fiona that once she got better, Olivia couldn’t wait to have another slumber party at her house. She told her they could braid their hair and practice tricks with Ms. Darcy, and they could watch Frozen one hundred times in a row if Fiona wanted. Olivia kissed her on the forehead before walking over to perch on the arm of her mom’s chair.
An hour later, a knock sounded on the door before it slowly opened. Fiona’s family looked up hopefully, waiting for a doctor with news. Instead, Olivia was stunned to see Aiden. He looked like he'd come straight from work in his button-down and slacks. He stood hesitantly in the doorway.
“Hi,” he said tentatively.
Cassie took the lead as Olivia stood, mouth agape. “Aiden, hi. Come on in.”
He was so goddamn beautiful, and she had missed him so much. In true Midwest fashion, he hadn’t come empty-handed. He was holding two bags full of Jimmy John’s sandwiches, and tucked under his left arm was a small stuffed rabbit he must have bought at the hospital gift shop.
“I thought you all might be hungry, so I just got a bunch of sandwiches. I hope that’s okay. If not, I’m happy to run out for whatever sounds good.”
Philip spoke this time. “Thank you so much, Aiden. We appreciate it.” Philip took a bag from Aiden and shook his hand in welcome gratitude .
Aiden was there. With food and a cute stuffed animal. At that moment, Olivia realized she didn’t have to go through this alone either if she didn’t want to. She had someone who would stand with her in hard times. All she had to do was figure out a way to make it work, and she could see by his presence that Aiden was willing to work for it, too.
The little flicker of hope in her chest grew to a warm flame, and she beamed at him, so proud to be associated with this man who was so kind and thoughtful in a crisis. When he made his way to Olivia, she gave him a big hug, and she felt the tension release from his body, as though he had been waiting to hear the verdict of whether or not she wanted him there. She did. She was so fantastically happy to see him, and she desperately wanted him by her side.
Olivia didn’t want to let go of him. She wanted to stand there all day hugging him, but her basking was interrupted by a gentle pinch on her butt—her mom’s not-so-subtle way of telling her to simmer down because they were in a room full of family. She’d have to get her mom back for that one.
They pulled apart, but in the transition, their hands intertwined. The room fell back into silence, and despite the gratitude for Aiden’s thoughtful gesture, the bags of sandwiches sat untouched on the table.
After an eternity and several nurse check-ins, a doctor came in to give them an update. She was tall with brown hair worn in a pixie cut. Her dark-rimmed glasses and pants suit beneath her white lab coat, along with her no-nonsense attitude, exuded competence.
“Hi there, I’m Dr. Richardson. Thank you for your patience, Mom and Dad.” She addressed Philip and Cassie. “First of all, let me say your Fiona is a very strong little girl, and we think we have some answers for you.
“Fiona’s blood work results show she is Type 1 Diabetic. We believe her blood sugar became dangerously high, which may have led to status epilepticus, also known as a prolonged seizure. Sometimes, when a body experiences status epilepticus, the brain goes into a coma in an effort to protect itself.
“While we won’t know for sure until it happens, I believe once we get her glucose levels stabilized along with a good bit of rest, she should regain consciousness and be back to herself soon after that.”
Huge sighs of relief and “Oh, thank god” echoed through the room. Aiden squeezed Olivia’s hand and smiled down at her. Her mom rubbed her back.
“In the meantime,” the doctor continued, “we’ll have a nurse and a dietitian teach you how to help Fiona manage her diabetes. I’m not saying diabetes is an easy road, but it’s definitely something you can learn to manage. And it’s good to see you have a strong support system.” The doctor gestured toward Fiona’s family. “She’s a lucky little girl to be so loved and well cared for.”
The doctor’s final statement sent half of the group over the edge, and they cried happy tears. Cassie and Philip gently hugged and kissed Fiona around her tubes and cords, patting her head and telling her how much they loved her.
As the doctor took her exit, Olivia pulled Aiden into the hallway.
She waited for the door to close before asking Aiden, “Is this good?”
“Yeah. It sounds like her doctor is taking good care of her, and she thinks Fiona is going to make a full recovery. ”
“And the diabetes? How bad is that?”
“Unfortunately, diabetes is more prevalent in children with Down syndrome. It’s never ideal, but her doctor’s right—it’s manageable, especially when parents have the resources and time to be attentive. I think Fiona’s going to be okay.”
“Thank you.” Olivia wiped away the last of her tears. “Thank you for being here for my family…and for me.”
He hugged her again and said softly, “Of course, I’ll always be here for you.”
Pulling back, she met his gaze.
Without thinking, the words slipped from her mouth, “Aiden, I’m in love with you.”
His face transformed from dim to brilliant, radiating hope and joy. He pressed his lips to hers and overwhelmed her with his kisses, in the best way possible.
“Excuse me?”
They jumped apart, looking toward the nurse standing next to them with a cart. Laughing, they apologized and found a corner waiting area that was mercifully empty.
“Olivia, I love you so much.” He kissed her briefly once more before pulling back and becoming serious. “There’s something I need to tell you.” He sounded nervous.
Olivia held up a hand to shush him. “Wait, I have something I need to tell you first. I’m sorry for everything. I was mad at Sam and myself and the whole stupid situation. I gave up on us too quickly, and I promise I won’t do that again. I will make more of an effort, and I’ll try my hardest not to shut you out again.”
She gasped a breath. “The drive up with my mom, seeing Fiona, your text…I’ve been selfish. I don’t know how we’ll do it, but if you need to be in St. Paul, if that’s where your work is, if that’s where your heart is… I’ll get someone to run the CSA so I don’t have to be there day to day. I’ll work remotely to help Phillip with the business side of the farm. I love you, and I’ll—”
“Olivia.” Aiden pressed his lips against hers, quieting her. He pulled back and said, “I’m moving back to Gresham.”
“What?” Olivia exclaimed. “How? Why?” Unable to help herself, she added, “Who, when, where?”
He laughed, shaking his head at her, and said, “What am I going to do with you?”
“You tell me! Seriously, are you really moving to Gresham? What about your fellowship? I have so many questions.”
“You’re right.” He nodded. “The biggest challenge I was having when trying to figure out whether we could make this work was the distance and my fellowship. I technically still have to take my medical board exam in a few weeks before it makes sense for me to transfer, and I’ll have to wait a month or two to get my results. But I thought a lot about what you said…about being there and showing up for Fiona and how she’s not afforded the same opportunities as other kids. It made me realize my impact in Gresham could be much larger than if I were to stay in Saint Paul, where there are hundreds of great specialists to choose from. I also want to be there for my dad and my family. And most importantly, I want to be with you, Olivia. I’m so in awe of you and your drive and your talent. I’m happiest when I’m with you. I think I might be a little bit addicted to you.”
“I think I might be a little bit addicted to you, too. Seeing you today. I guess it really hit me…I grow vegetables. You help people like Fiona and Cassie and Phillip every day. You save lives! ”
He flashed a sheepish smile. “Well…vegetables help make my job easier.”
Olivia laughed loudly, tears once again pouring from her eyes. She reached up, put her arms around his neck and kissed him, vaguely wondering where the nearest supply closet might be.
He pulled away first. “As much as I want to take you home right now, you should be with your family. I’ll take care of Ms. Darcy until you get back. When things settle down here, we can figure out what the next few months will look like. We’ve got time.”
She threw back her head and laughed from the overwhelming joy bursting inside of her chest. She was so intoxicatingly happy. With one last kiss, she pushed away from him, and they returned to Fiona’s room. Aiden waited a beat before popping his head in to say goodbye. He received a chorus of “thank you again” before making his exit.
Philip looked at Olivia with a knowing grin on his face. “So, did Aiden decide he wants to be a farmer after all? Am I gonna need to look for a new job?”
“Ha ha.” Olivia tried to keep a straight face but failed miserably. “He’s moving back to Gresham.” Her joy was contagious. Everyone was smiling.
“Yay!” her mom whispered happily, clasping her hands together against her chest.
“Oh, thank God,” Cassie said. “We could really use a doctor in the family.”
They all laughed, and Philip reached for a sandwich. Olivia and the rest followed his lead. With each bite of food, Olivia’s pride in Aiden grew. She had to admit it felt good to be taken care of every now and then, and she looked forward to returning the favor .
After an hour of hashing out a round-the-clock schedule to be with Fiona, Olivia drove her mom to her hotel a few minutes away.
Before stepping out of the car, her mom asked, “Honey, are you or are you not engaged to Aiden?”
“Not.”
“Well, are you at least boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“Yes!” Olivia let out a quiet "Eeek," unable to contain her joy.
Her mom kissed her on the cheek.
“Mom," Olivia said.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for always taking good care of me.”
“Oh, well now. Of course, I’m your mom.”
“I know,” Olivia said. “Just thank you.”
“Oh, okay, you’re welcome, sweetie.”
Olivia got out of the car to help unload her mom’s luggage and gave her one last hug, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Sounds good.”
Olivia’s mom squeezed her hand before heading through the automatic sliding doors into the carpeted lobby.
Olivia got back in the car and drove to Aiden’s. The only thing keeping her from speeding to his apartment as fast as she could was the stop-and-go traffic. But the traffic didn’t bother her because she knew where she was going and how she was getting there.
Olivia stood in front of Aiden's apartment door, bouncing on her toes and fidgeting with the edge of her phone case. When he finally opened it, his hair was wet, and he had a bath towel around his waist. His bare arms and chest did Olivia in.
“Hmmm, this should be fun.” She reached out for the hem of his towel and unhooked the knot, letting it fall to the floor.
Aiden laughed and pulled her into his apartment, closing the door behind them.
“Such an exhibitionist,” he muttered as he pulled Olivia toward his bedroom.
They made up for lost time, and fortunately, there was a lot of time to be made up for. Afterward, Olivia lay next to him, naked and happy and curious.
“So, what happens now?” she asked.
“We live happily ever after?”
“I’m not sure that’s how it works.”
“We try to live happily ever after?”
“That sounds more realistic.”
With a laugh, he pulled her tight against him and kissed the tender spot on her neck, just below her earlobe.