Olivia was grateful for the relative lack of enthusiasm that Lita gave her for finally making it up to the third floor. As much as she hated being away from Maizie just then, she had a feeling that her friend -- more than friend, whatever they were calling themselves these days -- would've been a lot more of an obvious cheerleader than Lita was right now. The last thing she wanted right now was a big display of positivity to celebrate the fact that she'd just dragged herself up the stairs and struggled all the while. It would've felt like a mockery, plain and simple.
She relished the pause Lita gave her before that old competitive streak kicked in and, despite how tired her arms and hands already were, she started to follow the woman down the hallway. Despite the lack of elevation climb, it proved to be the most difficult part of their journey. Olivia's breath was coming fast and hard; each inhale and exhale felt like pins and needles radiating outwards from her bruised ribs, though it was duller than it had been just a few hours ago thanks to those painkillers. Perhaps it was for the best, in a weird way. The pain was enough of a distraction for her to not entirely rise to the challenge she perceived in Lita's words, though her eyebrows knit together and a surly look crossed her face. Still, she couldn't help but give some sort of response.
"Okay, so what, I could've died, I know. That's the worst that could've happened and it didn't." Instead she'd basically commanded Rodeo to murder the men who would've used her and Nadia and then tossed their lifeless bodies aside. She could hear the voice of their leader again, as loud as though it was him in front of her instead of Lita, speaking words she couldn't understand in that languid, menacing tone of his. The greedy way they'd looked at them both. The laughter they'd shared after she'd crumpled onto the ground. Olivia tilted to one side, then caught herself by adjusting one of her crutches and bit her lip hard. The doorway they seemed to be navigating to was so close, yet so far.
"Fine. I'm glad I have this fucking beautiful cast on my leg instead of that. Dead or worse than dead. I'll take a picture of this cast on my phone later so I can remember it always." Despite her blustering bravado, her voice was shaking. "Are you happy now? Is that what you want?"