Her Boy [A Benson Fan Fic]

Twenty-Eight

Olivia was hospitalized for a few days. While she was there, she spent most of her time in the NICU with Hadley snuggled against her chest. Hadley was doing much better and had been transferred to oxygen instead of a breathing tube. She was slowly being introduced to eating from a bottle, which Olivia got to feed her at least twice a day.

"Hey, Olivia! Ready to go home?" Casey asked as she walked into Olivia's hospital room.

"Once we take a brief pit stop I will be," Olivia replied, as she slipped her shoes on.

"Pit stop?" Casey asked nervously. Standing outside was Calvin, and she was worried that whatever this pit stop was would make things awkward at least.

"I have to say goodbye to Hadley. Do you want to join me?" Olivia questioned.

"O-of course... Liv, Calvin is waiting outside in the hall..." Casey trailed off.

"Oh... I guess it's time he meets his little sister then," Olivia replied bravely. She was scared of her son, but she tried her hardest to not show it. 

Olivia walked from her hospital room and looked at where Calvin leaned against the wall and looked at the small watch on his wrist. 

"Hey," Olivia spoke.

"Mom," Calvin replied.

"I'm going to see Hadley with Aunt Casey. Do you want to join us? If you wash your hands, you'll be able to feed her a bottle."

"Really?"

"Really. She isn't using a tube to help her breathe anymore, just oxygen in her nose. C'mon, it'll be quick, then we can go home."

///

Olivia sat in a rocking chair with Hadley nestled against her bare chest. Calvin stood to the side and hesitantly ran his fingers over her brown hair. He took a shaky breath and fought off tears when his baby sister's eyes opened and moved to his face.

"Hi, Haddie," Calvin whispered, his hand shaking as he moved it from her hair.

"Hadley, this is your big brother Calvin. He has been looking forward to being your big brother for a very long time, and he loves you so much. Let's just hope he is kind to you," Olivia breathed, as she turned to look at her son. Calvin took a shaky breath and looked at his mother.

"I'll be a good brother to her, I promise," Calvin replied. 

"Good, because if you ever treat her like you have treated me, there will be bigger consequences. I will not allow you to hurt your sister as you have hurt me, especially since she is much younger than you. Do you understand me? If you even lay a hand on her in a bad way, there will be more than just a grounding," Olivia replied sternly. Calvin swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Do you want to hold her?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, I do."

A nurse came over and took Hadley into her arms while Olivia stood. She buttoned up her shirt as Calvin sat down in the rocking chair. The nurse laid Hadley in his arms and showed him how to support his baby sister without tugging on any of her IVs.

"I was so jealous of you, Haddie... That Mom had you in her belly when I got back. I thought she wouldn't want me and didn't love me anymore... She loves us both so much, even if I don't deserve it," Calvin whispered to his sister. Olivia turned quickly to look at her son and let out a slow breath.

"You deserve my love, no matter what. Sometimes I don't like you, but I will always love you. We have things to work through, but if you are willing to work with me... Calvin, we can get back to what we used to be," Olivia breathed.

"I could have killed you," Calvin choked out.

"Are you sorry for what you did? That will never happen again, right?" Olivia asked slowly.

"I'm so sorry, Mom! I promise to never hurt you again!" Calvin cried, his cheeks growing wet with salty tears.

"It's okay, Cal. I forgive you," Olivia replied as she stepped closer to the rocking chair and smoothed her son's hair.

///

Casey drove Olivia and Calvin home after they all got to hold Hadley. On the ride home, Calvin slept with his head against the window. Casey kept glancing at him through the review mirror before speaking to her best friend.

"Do you really forgive Calvin for hurting you? Liv, he put you in the hospital after having a c-section," Casey breathed. Olivia sighed softly before shrugging slowly.

"Not completely, Case. He is all over the place, and I hate it. As long as we both try, I think we can figure out how to make things better," Olivia frowned.

"I'm still staying with you for a while. I refuse to leave you alone with Calvin after he literally could have killed you," Casey whispered.

"Casey-"

"No, this isn't up for discussion. We can spoon at night," Casey smiled. Olivia rolled her eyes and let out a quick breath. She didn't want to rely on Casey to protect her if Calvin decided to snap again. Yet she knew it was the best, even if her friend annoys her sometimes.

They spent the rest of the day relaxing. Olivia helped fold laundry, but mostly sat around and read a book. Calvin kept close and told his mother about the classes he was able to start early, along with the fact he had been doing all his chores and didn't watch TV, play video games, or ate dessert. Olivia kept thanking him for not fighting her decision to ground him.

At bedtime, Olivia walked into her son's room, awkwardly leaned down, and turned on his nightlight.

"Are you ready for bed? Brushed your teeth and washed your face?" Olivia asked as Calvin kicked his slippers off before climbing into bed.

"Yup."

"Good. Now get comfy and try to get some sleep," Olivia replied. She waited for Calvin to get under the sheets before leaning down and placing a light kiss on his forehead.

"I love you, Mom," Calvin yawned.

"I love you too, Cal. Get some sleep," Olivia breathed, before turning and walking to the open door.

"Do you really forgive me?" Calvin asked as he held his stuffed duck to his chest.

"Calvin-"

"I heard you talking to Aunt Casey."

"Oh... Well, what did you expect? You shoved me just days after I had surgery to bring your baby sister into the world. You didn't want to apologize for hurting me, so I'm having a hard time moving past what has happened. I can get past what happened, but only if you keep being a good boy and don't hurt me again," Olivia replied.