Title: Cor Meum
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia

Summary: What happened to Doctor Erica Hahn.
Disclaimers: P&G, CBS, Tele(is it Next) etc. own these characters, as well as ABC, I don't.

"Where is she, where is she?"

Natalia's eyes were wild, she whirled and nearly smacked the person behind her. "Where is she? Where's Rick?"

It was a blonde woman in a white coat that Natalia had nearly hit. She spoke in a calm, unhurried tone. "I'm not sure to whom you're referring. Who are you looking for?"

"Uh... Olivia Spencer, I mean, she had a heart transplant, I don't think that's why she's here, but she did, previously I mean..."

The Doctor put an arm around Natalia's shoulders and guided her to a seat. "Are you, family?"

A choked half laugh, half cry came from Natalia's throat, "Everyone in Springfield is related, you must be new. Please, please tell me is she okay Doctor...?"

"Doctor Hahn, and yes, Ms. Spencer is currently stable." The breath drained from Natalia, "May I ask your relationship to her?"

Natalia opened her mouth, closed it, and finally spoke, "That's... a hard question."

Doctor Hahn frowned, "It shouldn't be."

"Ah.. friend, Doctor Hahn, please, she... she has two daughters. They... I'm." Natalia trailed off and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Take your time."

Natalia nodded, "I know I'm not family, but, we're very good friends, we live together, could you tell me what happened?"

Understanding seemed to dawn on Doctor Hahn's face, "Oh, of course, you're partners." Natalia opened her mouth to object, to state that they were just friends, but she found that she couldn't. She told herself it was the fastest way to get the information, that she needed to find out how bad it was before Emma got there. Doctor Hahn continued speaking, not seeing the hundreds of thoughts swirling around Natalia's brain. "She had an MI, a heart attack."

"What, no, that's... a heart attack?"

Natalia tried to get up, but Doctor Hahn stopped her, "She is alright. We stabilized her with no complications. It was a mild one."

"Are you her doctor?"

Doctor Hahn shook her head, "No, no, I was in the ER when she came in. I'm a surgeon. Would you like me to see if you can see her?"

Natalia nodded as both s he and Doctor Hahn stood. Doctor Hahn started to walk away, but Natalia stopped her with a question. "Who signed the... was someone here with her?"

"There was a large, gray haired man who seemed to think he ruled the place?"

"Alan..." Natalia sighed, "Thank you Doctor."

The Doctor inclined her head and left the area. Natalia sank back down, her head between her legs. It felt like forever before she heard footsteps.

She looked up as Emma came running towards her. "Natalia, where's Mom? Natalia..."

Natalia hugged Emma to her as hard as either of them could take. "She's okay Em. I'm gonna see if we can see her."

Emma mumbled, "You'll be there too?"

"Every moment Em, right by your side." Natalia paused, "Right by Olivia's side."

Olivia jerked awake, there was pressure on her chest, as her eyes flew open the pressure disappeared. She stared up at a startled Natalia. She was in the hospital, again. "Nat... Natalia, what..."

Natalia took a step back, "I'm sorry, I woke you up, I'll..."

"No." Olivia managed to capture Natalia's hand before she escaped the room. It was a toss up who was more surprised that Olivia succeeded. "Why..." She let go of Natalia's hand, "Why were you feeling my heartbeat?"

Natalia stared down at her hands. "I don't know... we are so..." Natalia took a deep breath and looked back at Olivia, "Hey, the 'my two mommies' phenomenon came in handy... The doctor thought that we were partners, girlfriends, whatever you call it."

Olivia's eyes got heavy. "That's... that's good. Emma..."

"Ava took her. I... I know that you don't want her to see you like this, but..."

Olivia closed her eyes, "She saw me."

Natalia nodded, "She was worried about you Olivia. When she saw you okay, asleep, breathing and not dead, it helped. I have..." Natalia straightened up a bit, "I am a mother too Olivia. She'll be okay, and she was relieved when she saw you were okay."

Olivia stifled a yawn. "I'm sorry I..." The owner of the Beacon didn't get much farther than that as sleep claimed her. Natalia stood there for a bit longer, and after a long few minutes she finally gave in. There was this one strand of hair that hung over one of Olivia's eyes. She pushed it gently to the side and sighed.

"Here's the thing Alan. She's not like other people."

"She's worse."

Natalia closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck. "That's... why am I explaining this to you of all people?"

"How am I different?" Both Alan and Natalia looked down at the bed. Olivia was awake. "Enlighten me."

Natalia swallowed and blinked, she couldn't meet Olivia's eyes. She shook her head and fell silent. Alan chuckled, "Yet again, you cheat death, perhaps you and I are more alike than you'd like to admit Olivia."

"She cares. She loves."

Alan's head turned towards Natalia. "Excuse me?"

"No one, even those who have claimed to love her, they don't. You think she's like you, but she's not. She... she doesn't know how to care properly, sometimes it comes out as yelling, sometimes it takes longer, sometimes... sometimes..." Natalia trailed off. "Jeffery and Reva. Olivia survived, she could have put up a stink, could have tried to get Jeffrey back for herself, given Reva grief, but she didn't... And, the..." Natalia glanced over at Olivia and quickly looked back at Alan, to her, right at that moment he was the less scary person in the room. "I made a bad decision, I put all my money from the sale of Gus's house into a Hedge Fund that tanked spectacularly, and she... Olivia got it all back for me. She gave up a job that she loved, she gave up..."

Natalia shook her head, "I find it amazing that even after all she's been through, she still loves, she just... needs to be given time to get it right."

Alan looked between Olivia and Natalia, and back to Olivia. He shook his head, and left the room without another word. A snort of laughter came from Olivia. "You are not the Natalia I first met."

Natalia sighed and leaned against the chair in the room. "Is that a good thing?"

"Yes." Olivia paused, "Did you mean it?"

Natalia was silent for a moment before she looked up and into Olivia's eyes. "I'll answer that if you answer a question for me."

Olivia had a feeling she knew what it was going to be. "Okay, I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

"Why did you kiss me?"

"To shock you."

"Olivia..."

Olivia tried to push herself up in the bed, but it didn't quite work. "Really, you were being quite dense, I decided to do something about it. My turn. Did you mean it?"

Natalia closed the distance to the bed. "You are an amazing woman, and I... I think that you kissed me because you like me."

Olivia blushed. Natalia was so surprised at the woman's reaction that a laugh escaped her lips. "Sorry..." She held her hand up in front of her and laughed again, "I'm so... I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh, but, you're Olivia Spencer..."

"...I don't blush. I thought that you said I wasn't that person."

Natalia sighed, "Well, I believe I explained that you were not... just... what other people see. How many times have you yelled at me since we've met?"

"That's not fair, you're infuriating."

"You're infuriating."

Olivia looked down at the bottom of the bed. "I think I am in love with you."

Natalia whispered something. Olivia frowned, "What?"

Natalia moved so that she was right next to the bed. She leaned down and engulfed Olivia in a hug, her head to Olivia's chest. She could hear the heart, beating away as regular as it should be. She whispered, "I think I love you too..."

Olivia let out a breath that tickled the top of Natalia's head. She gently raised Natalia until they were face to face. "I don't know where this will go. I've been married five times, and drama seems to follow me around."

Natalia leaned forward and their mouths joined in a kiss that didn't end until Natalia pulled away. Olivia got the sad little look that she often gave Natalia when she didn't want to do the laundry or some other household task. The woman on the bed knew that Natalia was nearly helpless against it. "No..." She stood, though she left her hand over Olivia's heart. "Not here... they have to do more tests, and then you have to ask the nice doctors whether or not..." It was Natalia's turn to color, "You can... ah... you know..."

"Have wild hot monkey sex with my... roommate?"

"Oh my..." Natalia tried to take her hand away from Olivia's heart.

But Olivia held it there and spoke. "I promise on Gus's heart, I am not doing this for any other reason than I... I've found I can't live without you."

Natalia blinked and stared at Olivia for a long moment before she nodded. "We need... I need to go slowly, this is... new, and entirely out of my realm of being."

Olivia let go of Natalia's hand and Natalia took it off of Olivia. "Well, fast has worked oh sooo well for me in the past right? Slow it is."

Fin ~ January 30th, 2009