Chapter 30

About a month after that terrifying episode Olivia was at home convalescing in her bed. Abby had just left. She had come over with the speech that Mellie was set to give at the signing of the Nuclear Peace Treaty. Olivia was to look it over, and give her notes so that Abby could get the final draft ready for the signing.

Bed rest was a bit rough on Olivia. She was used to being mobile. She could, and would always get up and go at any moment. Now she was in the bed never leaving it. When she had first come she was on partial bed rest. She could go from the bed to the bathroom. However, she had started bleeding again, and the baby's heart rate had started to drop. So her doctor had put her on complete bed rest.

She was officially a few days away from being thirty five weeks pregnant. Her doctor had told her after the baby made it to thirty four weeks that she felt comfortable with Olivia delivering. Olivia had decided against inducing. She felt it best to wait, and let things unfold naturally. Olivia would be giving birth any day now. Her daughter had descended into position, and she was starting to dilate.

Olivia sat in her bed typing away on her laptop when her phone started ringing. She picked it up off of the bed, and saw that it was her father calling. Her parents had both been calling since it was leaked on the news that she had been hospitalized. Everyone assumed that she had had the baby. It had forced Fitz to release a statement saying that they were having complications from the pregnancy, and that they would appreciate it if their privacy was respected.

Olivia hadn't previously answered any of their calls. However, she answered and said, "What?"

"Olivia, why haven't you been answering your phone? You should always answer your phone so that we can know that you, and our granddaughter are ok," Rowan scolded.

Olivia rolled her eyes. She asked, "What do you want, dad?"

Maya took over the call saying, "Olivia, why are you like this? You know damn well why we are calling. We heard that you were in the your husband made that statement about complications with the pregnancy. What is going on? Can we come see you?"

Olivia closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths. She asked, "Why do you care? Why do you want to come see me?"

Rowan said, "Olivia we are your parents. We are the grandparents to that child you're carrying. The only grandparents that she will have. We have the right to know how both of you are."

Olivia replied, "We are both fine. I have what they call a placental abruption. They had to put me on bed rest. Now we are just waiting for her arrival. It actually might be any day now because she has moved into position as of earlier today. Is there anything else you need to know?"

Rowan said, "Olivia we aren't asking personal questions. We shouldn't have to ask you any questions. This is information that you should willingly share with your parents. Do you need anything? Should your mother and I make food and bring it over? How is Fitz? Where is he?"

Olivia pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a moment. She put it back to her ear and said, "Fitz is fine now that he is no longer caught up with you two. We have people to help, so we have had no trouble eating. I have a full time nursing staff. I've hired a nanny for when the baby arrives. We've chosen a name. I'm handling things. The only things I need from you two is to stop trying to corrupt my husband so that I turn against him."

Maya was next to speak, "Is that what you really think about us, Livvie? We weren't trying to get you to turn against him. We needed him. He wasn't even supposed to kill Jake. It just happened. Kind of spur of the moment. Beautifully spur of the moment, but spur of the moment nevertheless."

Rowan added, "Once Jake put his hands on you I gave up on trying to separate you, and Fitz. We needed his help. I know that you didn't want to harm Jake, but when he put his hands on you he showed that he was no longer loyal to me. He knew that everything that I've ever done was for your greater good. I would never actually hurt you. What do you do when your dog turns on you? You put them down. That's what I did. I am sorry that I had to get your husband involved, but Jake was a B613 agent. You may not have thought so, but even in custody he still posed a threat."

Olivia was quiet for a moment. Taking in all that her father had revealed. Could she trust him? She didn't know. Maybe just maybe everyone was changing and evolving. Maybe he and her mother were tired of living the lives that they'd been leading their whole adult lives. Maybe they really were ready to retire, and be normal grandparents.

Fitz walked into the bedroom and noticed Olivia on the phone in deep thought. He mouthed, "Who's that?'

She mouthed back, "My parents."

To her parents said, "Mom, Dad I would love to have you two as a part of the family that Fitz and I are building, but I am trying to build a different type of life from how I grew up. Fitz and I want to have lives that are as normal as possible. If you two don't think that you can do that, then I ask that you respect our wishes and stay away."

Maya said, "Girl, we know how to act with a baby. How do you think you got here?"

Olivia smiled. She said, "I don't exactly think that you two are exactly the perfect examples of-"

A sharp pain radiated throughout Olivia's midsection. She dropped her phone and reached for Fitz's hand. He had settled on the bed next to her. Fitz immediately called out for Olivia's nurse. Olivia said, "I feel wet, Fitz."

Fitz smiled at his wife and said, "There was once a time when you saying that would have started some naughty behavior."

Olivia winced as the nurse entered. She said to Fitz, "Do you ever not think of sex?"

The nurse came over to look at the fetal monitor. Olivia and Fitz heard muffled voices.

The nurse said, "It looks like you're in active labor, Ms. Pope. I'm going to check to see how dilated you are. The day nurse said that when she checked earlier that you were only about one centimeter dilated, but that she didn't see any contractions on the monitor."

Remembering that Olivia's parents were on the phone Fitz lifted it to his ear and told them, "Olivia is in labor. If she wants you can meet us at that hospital."

Fitz looked at his wife. He could see that she was visibly in pain. She nodded her head that it was ok for them to come to the hospital. Fitz said into the phone, "She's ok with you coming. You guys can come to the hospital. I'm becoming a dad. For the fourth time. It never really loses it's excitement."

The nurse said, "Ok, Olivia it looks as if you are about six centimeters dilated and eighty percent effaced. I paged the doctor so that she will meet us at the hospital. We need to hurry because it appears that your labor is progressing quickly."

At eleven forty two on the evening of August nineteenth Olivia gave birth to a baby girl who weighed five pounds and eight ounces. She entered the world with a fiery temper testing out her powerful lungs.

The next morning Olivia and Fitz were alone with the lactation nurse. The nurse asked, "So does baby Grant have a name?"

Fitz looked at Olivia. Olivia smiled. She said, "Yes. Her name is Ava Alexis Grant."

Olivia looked down into the face of her sleepy baby girl as she was latched onto her breast sucking greedily. The lactation nurse was there to make sure that the baby was able to nurse, and to help make sure that Liv was as comfortable as possibly while nursing. She said, "Well it seems like everything is going well so far. I'm going to leave you three alone. If you need anything else, or have anymore questions for me please don't hesitate to page me."

The nurse left the room. Both Olivia, and Fitz were in awe staring down at the beautiful baby. Olivia said, "I can't believe that she's mine. Like she actually came out of me. Now I am responsible for everything for her."

Fitz smiled down at his wife. He said, "When I decided not to go to Vermont back in January I never saw that our life would turn out like this. I was afraid that you would reject me. Then when we found out that you were pregnant I worried that you wouldn't want to go through with the pregnancy. Then with this Jake nonsense I thought that you would leave me when you found out. Now we're here. You're holding our baby to your breasts, and I can't think of a time when I was happier, or more content."

Olivia smiled softly. She said, "I'm sure that you had similar feelings with your other three children."

Fitz fingered Ava's black curls. He said, "I was in awe when I had my other children, but this is different. The difference is in my love and reverence for you. I have never loved anyone the way that I love you. That makes this so much more special for me."

Olivia stared down at her daughter. She said, "Well I never knew such happiness, and such joy could exist. I can't even verbalize the feelings that I'm feeling. I can't explain the way I love her, or how I love you so much more because you gave me such a beautiful gift."

They sat in silence for a moment. Each of them lost in their own thoughts. Olivia was the one to break the silence. She said, "Thank you, Fitz."

He looked at her with a look of surprise. He said, "I should be thanking you for giving me her. Why are you thanking me?"

"Because you never gave up on me. No matter what we've been through you loved me the entire way through. You never gave up on our love. Not even when it looked impossible. You loved me through the good, and the bad. You gave me this joy. Now I have my parents who actually seem like they're ready to be grandparents. I have her, and I have you," Olivia explained.

Fitz kissed her. He said, "I would do it all over again to feel this unspeakable joy."

Thank you for taking this journey with me. Do you all believe that Maya and Eli are able to be normal? Are they really willing to allow Olivia and Fitz to live happily ever after? What kind of parents will Olivia, and Fitz be together? There are so many questions to be answered. There may be a new story in the very near future. Again, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoyed it.