Dear mom

5. mother dearest

a/n- Long time, no see

Somewhere in Queens

Monday, November 10

9:47 am

After seeing the kids off to school, both Elliot and Olivia had made the drive over to her mother's house in the hopes of getting more clear answers. As angry and upset as she was last night, Olivia was glad that she had slept on it. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't even the slightest bit upset still, but the rage had calmed and she was willing to hear her mother out this time around. She wanted a relationship with Serena more than anything right now, and had just prayed that her mother wasn't back on her bullshit like always.

They had pulled up to the small meadow yellow house that had been surrounded by a dark wood fence and an impeccable garden. Olivia assumed her mother's new found love for gardening was another coping mechanism for her sobriety. Like always, Elliot had helped her out of the jeep and walked by her side as they stepped over the patches of ice that had froze over last night due to the cold weather. She took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell and hearing the sounds of her mother's feet shuffling across the floor.

"Olivia.." Serena appeared in the doorway dressed in pajamas still. Guilt flooded her when she seen her daughter standing in front of her.

"Serena," Olivia said coldly and pushed past her into the house. Elliot hesitantly followed behind only nodding at Serena when he walked past.

"You have every right to be upset with me-"

"Yeah-yeah I do," Olivia scoffed. "I don't know what kind of sick joke you think this is, but walking into my life just to do this to me all over again...I won't put up with it anymore!" her voice rose and Elliot began running his hand along her back as he stood next to her, hoping to keep her calm.

"Olivia, I swear to you this was never my intention. I've just been-"

"What? Drunk on your ass again?" Olivia had every intention of coming over here calmly, but the sight of Serena had triggered those same feelings she had last night.

"No, I-"

"You what!"

"Let her get a word in," Elliot said delicately.

"I didn't want to tell you like this at all," Serena's voice cracked as she tried to get the words out. "Olivia, honey your mom is very sick," Olivia's eyebrows knit together unsure what her mother meant.

"Sick?"

"God I wanted to wait to tell you," she wrenched her hands together. "My doctor found a tumor a few months ago. It's stage 4 brain cancer," her face became soaked with tears.

"Cancer.." Olivia stood frozen in place, trying her best to process the information just thrown at her.

"They've given me 6 months."

"No," Olivia went to lean against the wall for support, Elliot grabbed her hand to help steady her.

"It's true my love and I am so sorry," she cried into her hand in an attempted to muffle her sobs.

"Baby," Elliot called after Olivia as she started for the door.

"I-I have to go ," she charged forward and out of the house, noticing her surroundings beginning to go blurry from her tears. Olivia couldn't explain it but she needed to be alone in order to process this before she said another word. She was careful as she exited the house and crossed over the icy parts of the sidewalk.

Elliot looked solemnly at Serena and gave her a quick hug before running after Olivia, terrified of her slipping on the ice. He was stuck in the middle. He wanted for his wife to go back in there and make things right with her mother, to talk to her and get a better understanding of what was going on. But on the other hand he understood Olivia's reasons for walking away and needing to be alone for right now.