When Liv faced a loss that would rewrite her entire life, she stepped away from her work. A year and a half later, she returns to the BAU in search of normalcy; so she can finally move on. On a new team, Liv is immediately thrown into the game of ca...
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"No, Tate. It's Olivia Tate, look again. Or try her maiden name, Oliv-"
"Excuse me," Hotch's hand found the shoulder of a very frantic looking older woman, who looked like she had gathered herself in a hurry. "You're looking for Agent Tate?"
She turned to him, the desperation in her causing her to nod with much force. The nurse that was behind the counter, watching them, was probably just thankful that he didn't need to try to coax the scattered woman anymore. "Yes, yes, I'm her mother- I was told she got hurt, w-what happened?"
"Why don't you come sit down with us, we've recently gotten an update." Hotch met Morgan's eyes, and with a single nod, Morgan was rising out of his chair and walking over to the small coffee station in the corner of the waiting to fix the woman a cup.
By the time Morgan had helped run through the whole series of events a recall the doctors words, Liv's mothers hands had not started shaking any less. She was rubbing her head as if a headache was coming on, the same habit Liv had. "I told her this would happen. Time and time again." She massaged her temples. "She couldn't let it go."
Hotch didn't know what to say, and even Morgan grew quiet at her words. Liv was stubborn, they all knew that. She was determined on helping as much as she could, and she couldn't seem to settle for any less. Look where it had gotten her.
Silence hung in the room grimly as the minutes ticked by. When the time came they could finally see her, the team hung back in the waiting room, giving Liv's mother the chance to do so first.
Her mother sat next to her bed, watching her fall in and out of consciousness from the pain medication they had pumping through her.
Each time Liv's eyes lifted, she was met with a blurry and distorted picture of the room, like her brain couldn't quite digest the way the sun made everything glow. It was no surprise her mother had already opened the blinds in the room.
Her head hurt, probably from the strain the whole debacle had put on her body, and she tried not to move despite the pleading in her aching muscles because of the pain radiating from her abdomen. She was sure if she turned too far she'd be in need of a whole new round of doses.
Too impatient to let her eyes adjust, she instead only opened one, squinting in curiosity at her mother who was parked in the stiff arm chair at her bedside. She grunted at the sight. "It must be bad if they called you."
"Nothing the doctors couldn't fix, dear." Her mother smiled at her reassuringly, extending a hand out to brush the hair off Liv's forehead. live studied her frown lines, so vivid considering the worry coursing through them. She couldn't help but in that moment realize how much her mother had aged, and she hadn't even realized.
