7. Olivia

Olivia rounded another corner in the old chicken house that had been converted into a flea market. Her arms were overloaded with doilies, glassware, and vases she could use as centerpieces for the wedding.

Lyric stopped a few paces ahead of Olivia and gasped. She pointed to a shelf covered in small, glass figurines. "Look at that!"

Olivia hurried over and immediately spotted the broach. "Oh, you have to get it."

Stepping over the tarnished silver tea set that was displayed on a low table, Lyric reached for the broach and turned it over. "It's twenty-five dollars."

"I don't care if it's fifty. We're getting this broach. It'll look amazing with your bouquet," Olivia said as she adjusted the items in her arms.

Betty stepped up beside Olivia and took a few things from the pile she carried. "What did you find?"

"This beautiful broach," Lyric said, holding it out to Betty, her future mother-in-law.

"Oh, I love it," Betty said.

Olivia had become friends with Lyric after she started dating Asa, but she'd known Betty since the diaper days. Olivia's diaper days, that is. Her mom had been best friends with Asa's mom, Betty Scott, for as long as the two could remember.

Until Olivia's mom had a heart attack. After that, Betty took it upon herself to be as much of a mom to Olivia as possible. Truth be told, she was still doing a fantastic job all these years later.

Lyric took a few things from Olivia's arms, dropping the broach into a blue-tinted vase. "Are y'all ready for supper? I'm starving."

"Yes, I need food," Olivia said.

Betty fell into step beside Olivia. "I made shrimp chowder last night if you two want leftovers."

Olivia hummed deep in her throat. "I love your shrimp chowder. Count me in."

Lyric gasped and squeezed Olivia's arm. "Oh, I forgot to tell you! I have an interview tomorrow for a dispatch job at the station."

"The police station? Are you serious? That's amazing."

Lyric and Asa first met a long time ago during a dark time in Lyric's life. Asa arrested her, then asked the judge to give her another chance.

It had taken more than a second chance, but Lyric found her way out of the darkness and met up with Asa again when she was clean and sober.

Talk about a success story. With the help of some friends, Lyric had made the turn-around of the century.

Lyric's smile stretched, and little lines crinkled beside her eyes. "I can't believe they're even considering hiring me. You know, with my record and all."

Olivia wrapped an arm around her friend. "I can believe it. You're not the same person as before, and everyone at the station knows you've proven yourself many times over."

"It still feels like a dream. I'll get to work with Asa and get to help people. I'm scared to hope–"

"None of that," Olivia interrupted. "I'll be praying they see the real you during the interview and you'll stay calm."

"Thanks. I could use all the prayers. If I get the job, I'll have to learn to stay calm in high-stress situations. Nancy already said she'd help me."

"See? You have lots of people in your corner," Olivia said. "This will be awesome. I can't wait to see you whenever I drop off lunch."

Lyric bumped her shoulder against Olivia's. "You're the best. Thanks for always taking care of the department."

"Their job is important. I just hope I can make things a little sweeter for them every now and then."

Dawson always made a scene when she stopped by the station, claiming she needed an excuse to see him. She didn't bring food for the entire police department just because she wanted to see him.

Though, it was definitely a perk. If she could ever catch a glimpse of him before he spotted her, she would see him determined and working hard for a brief moment, and she always got a warm surge of pride seeing her friend being a real-life hero.

Just her friend. And her brother's best friend. And Anna's wedding date.

Soon-to-be Anna's forever date?

"Trust me, Asa appreciates it," Lyric said. "He always tells me when you drop off goodies for them." She let out a deep breath and checked her watch. "I wonder if the guys will be home soon."

"Where are they?" Olivia asked.

Lyric pulled out her phone. "Beau's garage."

"I can take some soup over there if they want to stay," Olivia offered.

"Let me see what they're doing," Lyric said as she lifted the phone to her ear. Her eyes widened as she answered. "Hey. That was fast. The phone didn't even ring."

Lyric was quiet for a few seconds while they walked before saying, "Yeah, she's with me."

Olivia pointed at her chest. "Me?"

Lyric stopped walking and stared straight ahead. "Yeah. Sure. I'll tell her. Where is he again?"

Olivia's legs grew heavy, stopping her in her tracks. Bad news was coming, and she wasn't ready for her good time to take a dark turn.

"Okay, we're leaving now. I love you," Lyric said as she ended the call. "Dawson is at the hospital in Cody."

No, not Dawson. He was the one who kept everyone's hopes up. He was the one who spread joy when things looked grim. "What happened?" Olivia asked as she matched pace with Lyric.

"Dog bite."

"Again?" Olivia asked, a little too high-pitched. Dawson had a long list of dog attacks on his record. Well, one was a horse, and one was a squirrel.

Lyric huffed. "Again. What is that? Twenty-five?"

"Twenty-four by my count. I only remember because the last one was funny, not scary."

Lyric chuckled as they walked toward the check-out counter. "Was that one the pug that got his ankle?"

"I have never in my life heard of a pug attack, but Dawson must have a target on his back for dogs."

Betty started taking things out of Olivia's hands. "You two go on. I'll get this stuff."

"Let me give you some money," Lyric said as she reached for her purse.

Betty waved a hand in the air. "Oh no. It's one of my contributions to the wedding."

Lyric threw her arms around Betty's neck. "You're the best."

"I love you, sweetie," Betty whispered. "And I love you too, Olivia."

"Love you more," Olivia said as she took a step back toward the door. "Thanks for hanging out with us today."

Hopefully, Dawson's condition wasn't critical, but her body hummed with anticipation. She wanted to see for herself that he was okay.

Lyric set a quick pace for the door. "Let's go see your man."

Olivia opened her mouth to protest Lyric's choice of words, but her friend was already marching toward the car.

The sterile airhit Olivia first as she stepped into the hospital, and it made her stomach roll every time. It wasn't the smell that was terrible. It was the awful times she associated with it. You take enough blows in a doctor's office, and even the little things remind you of the times when the world was falling apart.

Lyric pointed to the right. "Asa said take these elevators. Third floor."

Olivia walked straight to the far wall of the small elevator and propped her backside against the rails. Hopefully, Dawson was fine. She tried to convince herself the overabundance of care she had for him was backed by selfishness. Who would feed the goats?

She would. As much as she tried to avoid the goat pens, she'd do all of the chores until he was better.

Who was she kidding? She cared about him, and it had nothing to do with the goats. Worry and fear overcame her every time Dawson was injured. It didn't help that he often found himself prone on a stretcher. It was a part of the job.

One she did not like one single bit, even if she loved him for getting back up after every hit and going back to work.

Olivia's knees buckled, and she slid down the wall a few inches. She loved him. She'd loved him for years. Aside from losing him to an on-the-job injury, her worst fear was Dawson finding out she was ridiculously and hopelessly in love with him.

"Liv, are you okay?" Lyric asked.

Olivia opened her eyes and nodded. "Yep. Just ready to throttle him if we drove all the way over here for a scratch."

Lyric stood beside her. "That'll be fun to watch. Glad I came."

The elevator dinged, and Olivia fell into step beside Lyric. If Dawson was coherent, he would have some clever comment about how they'd rushed over here to be by his side. Even the thought of the coming jokes had a smile blooming on her face.

Olivia knocked on the door of room 312 and leaned close to it.

"Come in!" said a gravelly voice on the other side of the door.

Olivia opened it and stepped in first. Dawson was lying back on a bed with sheets draped over his large frame. His hair was tousled, and his hand resting on the side of the bed had remnants of blood on it.

Jennifer Freeman sat in a chair by the window, and both of them had blistered red faces.

Swallowing past her constricted throat, Olivia looked back and forth between the police officers. "Are you two okay?"

Dawson pointed to his bloodshot eyes. "I got caught in the pepper spray." He jerked a thumb toward Jennifer. "She's crying because she's terribly worried about me."

"Shut up, Keller," Jennifer snapped. Her voice had the same rasp as Dawson's.

The female officer rested her head back and closed her eyes. Jennifer was the textbook definition of beauty. Blonde hair, green eyes, tall frame, fit build. She'd been at the department for years, and Olivia had never once heard her talk about a boyfriend or a date.

Intrusive thoughts won every once in a while, and Olivia assumed Dawson would fall for Jennifer. What man wouldn't? She was gorgeous, strong, independent, and though she didn't smile much, she was always kind and helpful.

"Thank you all for coming. I always knew I would be surrounded by beautiful women when my time came. I can die a happy man now."

Olivia scoffed. "Did you hit your head too? Where's your mom? Has someone called her yet?"

Dawson tilted his head toward the door. "She went to get coffee. I told her she needs to go home. It's boring sitting here."

"I second that," Jennifer said without lifting her head.

Olivia moved to his side and studied him from head to foot. "So they admitted you? That must mean it was pretty bad."

"Not terrible," Dawson said as he pulled the sheet away from his right leg, revealing bandaging that spread from his knee to his ankle.

The rest of his leg was crisscrossed with scars. Some were different shades of pink while others were pale.

Olivia's shoulders hunched in. She'd seen his scars plenty of times, but the shock never dissipated. Some were from other animal attacks. Some were childhood injuries. Whatever the causes, Dawson had never been easy on his body.

"Not terrible?" Lyric asked from behind Olivia. "It's half your leg."

"They just wanted me to have a few rounds of this antibiotic," Dawson said, pointing at the hanging bag attached to his IV. "I'll go home with some stitches, more meds, and burning eyes."

"Thanks for all the paperwork," Jennifer said.

"Oh, and I should have another nasty battle scar. The ladies are gonna love it."

The ladies. Most women already loved Dawson. He had more friends than Olivia had chickens, which was saying a lot.

But as far as Dawson's girlfriends, Olivia could count them on one hand. She'd gotten a front-row seat to a few of those relationships, and for some reason, he always seemed awkward on dates. It was as if he forgot how to flirt or carry on a casual conversation.

Maybe he got nervous when he liked someone. There were times she'd wondered if he actually liked her in more than a platonic way underneath all the flirting and banter. Then she remembered the way he was with the women he'd dated. He'd never been nervous around her, so that probably meant he only saw her as a friend.

"Whatever," Olivia said as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out the bag of Skittles she'd bought at the gas station on the way over. "Here's your ‘congrats on surviving' present."

Dawson caught the bag and ripped it open. "Yes! Finally, some sustenance."

Jennifer lifted her head and frowned. "I offered to get you dinner half an hour ago."

"I know, but I really wanted something better for me." He tipped the bag into his hand and tossed some in his mouth. "I'm watching my figure."

The door opened, and Dawson's mom walked in carrying a coffee cup. Her eyes widened, and she threw her free hand in the air. "It's a party!"

"Hey, Mrs. Keller," Lyric said as she went in for a hug. The two swung from side to side as they squeezed each other.

Dawson got his larger-than-life personality from his mom, and the woman knew how to work a room.

Olivia slid in for her hug next. "It takes a village to raise a kid, doesn't it?"

"That's the truth, and this one has been making me lose sleep for thirty years now." Judy Keller wrapped one arm completely around Olivia's neck, pressing their cheeks together. "I knew you'd be here," she whispered.

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away," Olivia whispered back. Dawson's parents had been like a second family to her growing up, and she'd drop everything in a heartbeat to help the Kellers.

Judy turned back around and grabbed Lyric's arm. "You tell that man of yours I appreciate him calling me so quickly."

A warm hand wrapped around Olivia's arm, and she turned to find Dawson looking up at her with those blue eyes that made her weak in the knees.

"Thanks for coming," Dawson said low. "You didn't have to, but I'm glad you're here."

His hand slid down her arm, leaving a trail of fire on her skin. He was her friend. Her body shouldn't react to his touch this way.

When he reached her hand, he turned it over and poured some Skittles into her palm.

Olivia's chest ached as she remembered the reason she loved the candy so much. They were Dawson's favorite, and he'd offered them to her once. She'd been ten, and Beau, being the typical older brother, didn't want her to play with him and his friends.

Dawson found her sitting on the back porch steps and shared his favorite candy with her.

Nothing had ever tasted as sweet as that candy. It wasn't the taste in her mouth, it was the way her heart recognized Dawson's kindness and wrapped it up in a memory.

She still got a rush every time she ate a Skittle. Dawson had given her a lasting happiness she could relive again and again.

She looked up at Dawson and swallowed past her burning throat. "Is this a bribe? Are you asking me to take care of you?"

"Would you please? I'll love you forever?" Dawson crooned.

Olivia grinned and shook her head. "You're terrible."

"If my mom stays much longer, I'm going to have to beg someone to bail me out. She says she's staying overnight. Spare me."

She chuckled and glanced at Judy Keller. "What's wrong with having your mom waiting on you hand and foot?"

Dawson leaned closer and whispered, "I love her, but she's smothering me."

Olivia covered her mouth to hide her laugh.

"You think I'm kidding, but she likes to watch General Hospital, and she talks through the entire thing. I now know Sonny Corinthos's entire life story."

"How are Luke and Laura doing?" Olivia asked with a smile.

"Luke died!" Dawson whisper-screamed.

"No! Not Luke."

Dawson slapped his forehead and let his hand slide slowly down his face. "Please, help me."

Olivia turned around to where Lyric and Judy were talking about the wedding. When there was an opening in the conversation, she stepped up to ask, "When did they say the patient could go home?"

"Probably tomorrow morning," Judy said.

"Why don't you go on home," Olivia said with a wave of her hand. "I'll stay with him tonight, and you can pick us both up in the morning."

Judy hugged her coffee to her chest. "Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that. I'll stay here with him."

No, but your son didn't have a problem asking.

"I insist," Olivia added. "You'll have all kinds of back problems if you try to sleep in that recliner over there."

All three women looked at the chair in question to find Jennifer lounging with her head back, sound asleep.

"Looks like it's not too bad," Judy said with a chuckle.

"I'll be fine. I'll run to the gift shop and get a toothbrush in a little bit. The goats and chickens are already cared for today. I'm free as a bird."

Judy leaned to the side to look around Olivia at Dawson. "Well, would you be okay with that, hon?"

"I don't need anyone to stay with me, Mom. Go on home."

Olivia tilted her chin down and gave Dawson a side glance. Of course he didn't need anyone, but he'd asked her to stay anyway.

Anyone would get bored sitting in a hospital room for hours on end. He just needed some company. Anyone would do. Why did it have to be her when spending time with him sent her heart into a tailspin?