Chapter Text
"I’m not here to ask you to help stage another intervention.” Kathleen laughed nervously and Olivia smiled.
“Olivia, I just want you to know, no pressure or anything, on either of you… but…” Kathleen’s eyes drifted to Olivia’s shoes and she chewed on her bottom lip.
“Honey, it’s ok you can tell me.” Liv spoke softly.
Kathleen took a deep breath, and locked eyes with the older woman.
“I just want you to know... you’ve always been a part of this family.”
Olivia's eyes widened almost imperceptibly as her jaw clenched. If Kathleen noticed, she didn’t react.
“I just want my dad to be happy. I know mom would want that too. And I don’t want to ruin anything by saying this, but, just know, that we, Maureen, Dickie, everybody… we love you, and you… you make dad happy.”
Olivia knew she should say something, that she should breathe. She was sure her face was frozen in the same expression she couldn’t shake the moment, that night Elliot had said…
She shook her head.
One thousand thoughts raced through her mind, but they moved too fast to focus. She felt a little like she was on the verge of a panic attack. She was looking at Kathleen, but couldn’t really see her.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she cleared her throat, took a deep breath that raised her chest and shoulders before dropping them, and nodded her head twice.
“Olivia, I’m sorry-”
“No, it’s ok.” Olivia interrupted her. She blinked and let her eyes jump around the edges of Kathleen’s face without ever connecting to the girl’s own.
Girl.
Kathleen was a woman now. God, when had that happened? And she had her dad’s eyes. Liv couldn’t meet them head on, for fear that Kathleen would be able to read her the way Elliot could, a magnet energy that communicated more than words ever did.
She forced an almost-smile and tilted her head.
“Come here,” Olivia held out her arms, and Kathleen, sighing with some sense of relief moved to return the embrace.
“I mean it Liv,” Kathleen spoke into Olivia’s shoulder as she clasped her hands behind the woman’s back. She had never called her by that name before. “No matter what, you are a part of this family.”
Olivia stroked her hand down the back of Kathleen’s head and looked up at the ceiling to keep tears from falling. She didn’t have words.