Discovery
When 10:00 am rolled around and there was still no sign of Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler was worried enough to start going crazy. He had called both of her phones ten times each in the past hour and there was no answer at either. He decided to go to her apartment to check on her. Craigen would just have to deal with his absence. Besides, Fin and Munch were around to take any pressing matters.
He jumped into his car and started towards her apartment. He silently hoped that it was just a miscommunication, and that Olivia was fine, just taking a day off; but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't true. His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone ringing. "Stabler."
"Daddy, I need you to come pick me up."
"Maureen, You drove to school this morning. What happened?"
"I blacked out after gym. It was nothing really, I was just tired and I forgot to eat breakfast this morning. I'm really fine but the nurse wants me to go to a doctor."
"Well why can't you call…" He broke off, just then remembering that Kathy had served him with divorce papers only the weekend before, then called from Hawaii were she was with her "new boyfriend" to speak to "her" kids. They had had a lively argument at the end of which Kat had hung up on him, not once speaking to either of the kids, though all four of them were hanging on every word that Elliot was saying. "Alright, Maureen," he said, pulling himself out of his painful thoughts, "but your gonna have to give me about an hour. I have to check on someone at work." He pulled into Olivia's apartment complex.
"Don't worry about it, Daddy. I'll talk her into letting me go back to class. I don't need to miss Calculus anyway."
"Maureen, are you sure?"
"Yes, Daddy. Positive. Bye."
"Maureen if you need to be picked up, I will come get you."
"I know, Daddy." He heard the click as she hung up the phone at school. He almost heard her persuading the school nurse to let her go back to class. "She'd make a good lawyer someday," he said to himself as he stepped into the elevator. He rode it up to the fifth floor. As he rose, his anxiety level rose with it. If Olivia was ever late, she called to tell him. Even if she didn't call, she was always within reach. She had made extra sure of that, he knew, since he had called her Saturday night, confused about the legal papers he held in his hands, that stated that he was now a "free man." Even if she didn't answer immediately, she always called back within half an hour. The elevator stopped, momentarily releasing his stomach from it's nausea; but it returned as he stopped in front of Olivia's door.
He knocked three times and got no answer. By now his heart was pounding. He called her name, yelled it, and there was still no response. In his panic, he almost knocked the door down, and then remembered the key that she had given him when they were first partnered. He had never had a reason to use it before now. Thankfully, it was still on his key chain. He cautiously unlocked and open the front door. "Olivia? Are you here?" He closed the door behind him and went through the small apartment. He could count the number of times he'd ever been here on one hand in the entire four years of their partnership. He stopped in front of her bedroom door and knocked, "Livia? Are you in there?" When he got no reply, he opened the door. His stomach turned flips at the scene before him. Blood was everywhere. The carpet, the walls, dressers, everything was covered. And her bed. The acrid smell of blood clogged his nose as he ran to the side of her bed. "Oh my God. Son of a… Olivia?" he gently picked up her head and placed it in his lap. "Liv? Hey, Olivia, wake up. That's right, c'mon. Stay with me." He watched her eyes flutter open. She inhaled and attempted to speak, "El, My…he had….my….eyes…Elliot."
"Shhh, it's alright. Don't speak. Its gonna be okay." He dialed 911 from his cell phone. His mouth worked automatically, telling the operator where he was, what happened, and what he needed. He stroked Olivia's hair, hoping to calm her, or himself, he wasn't quite sure. As he hung up the cell phone his eyes strayed to the wall above her headboard. Written in blood was a message, "Like Mother, Like Daughter." He shook his head in disgust, wondering what kind of sick bastard would do this, and how in hell's name did he know about Olivia's mother. He looked down at Olivia, who was still struggling to breathe. "Hey c'mon. Stay with me." She nodded as he felt her breathing become even more labored. "Hold on, Liv. They're coming." He didn't hear sirens. Her grip on his coat slackened as her breathing quit altogether.
"Shit! No! don't do this!" He put her on the floor and started CPR, hoping to get her breathing again. "c'mon, Olivia. Damnit!! Breathe!!!" He finally heard sirens approaching. "Thank god! Liv, just hang in there."
The EMTs burst into the room. "She's not breathing, hasn't been for about 2-4 minutes. I'm following you to the hospital." Elliot informed the one who seemed to be in the lead. He nodded as they lifted Olivia onto the stretcher. They immediately started pumping oxygen into her lungs. They lifted the stretcher and carried it between them to the elevator, Elliot following like an anxious puppy dog.
He followed behind the ambulance, thinking about how he was going to tell Craigen the news. Olivia was one of their best detectives in the SVU; Craigen would want blood. "Not as much as I want, though. Don't let me see him face to face, god, please, I wouldn't want to kill him." He dialed the phone, and listened as Craigen answered, "Craigen."
"It's Stabler, there's a um, uh, a new case. One that needs immediate attention."
"How do you know? You should be at the station."
"I was worried about Olivia. So I, uh," Craigen interrupted him not giving Elliot a chance to break the news, "Have you seen her? Where is she?"
"On her way to the hospital."
"Why, what happened? Is she ok?"
"Just send Fin and Munch to her apartment. A few extra detectives too; it's kinda hard to see past the blood."
"Son of a bitch. Is she all right? Can she tell you what happened? Has she?"
"No, I don't think she'll be able to for a while. I gotta go, I'll call you when I find out." He hung up and concentrated on the ambulance in front of him. He spoke, to himself and to Olivia, "She'll make it. You're too strong to die; you can't give in to him. We need you to find this bastard. Oh God, please, Liv just hold on."
He wasn't aware of the tears trailing down his face.
When 10:00 am rolled around and there was still no sign of Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler was worried enough to start going crazy. He had called both of her phones ten times each in the past hour and there was no answer at either. He decided to go to her apartment to check on her. Craigen would just have to deal with his absence. Besides, Fin and Munch were around to take any pressing matters.
He jumped into his car and started towards her apartment. He silently hoped that it was just a miscommunication, and that Olivia was fine, just taking a day off; but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't true. His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone ringing. "Stabler."
"Daddy, I need you to come pick me up."
"Maureen, You drove to school this morning. What happened?"
"I blacked out after gym. It was nothing really, I was just tired and I forgot to eat breakfast this morning. I'm really fine but the nurse wants me to go to a doctor."
"Well why can't you call…" He broke off, just then remembering that Kathy had served him with divorce papers only the weekend before, then called from Hawaii were she was with her "new boyfriend" to speak to "her" kids. They had had a lively argument at the end of which Kat had hung up on him, not once speaking to either of the kids, though all four of them were hanging on every word that Elliot was saying. "Alright, Maureen," he said, pulling himself out of his painful thoughts, "but your gonna have to give me about an hour. I have to check on someone at work." He pulled into Olivia's apartment complex.
"Don't worry about it, Daddy. I'll talk her into letting me go back to class. I don't need to miss Calculus anyway."
"Maureen, are you sure?"
"Yes, Daddy. Positive. Bye."
"Maureen if you need to be picked up, I will come get you."
"I know, Daddy." He heard the click as she hung up the phone at school. He almost heard her persuading the school nurse to let her go back to class. "She'd make a good lawyer someday," he said to himself as he stepped into the elevator. He rode it up to the fifth floor. As he rose, his anxiety level rose with it. If Olivia was ever late, she called to tell him. Even if she didn't call, she was always within reach. She had made extra sure of that, he knew, since he had called her Saturday night, confused about the legal papers he held in his hands, that stated that he was now a "free man." Even if she didn't answer immediately, she always called back within half an hour. The elevator stopped, momentarily releasing his stomach from it's nausea; but it returned as he stopped in front of Olivia's door.
He knocked three times and got no answer. By now his heart was pounding. He called her name, yelled it, and there was still no response. In his panic, he almost knocked the door down, and then remembered the key that she had given him when they were first partnered. He had never had a reason to use it before now. Thankfully, it was still on his key chain. He cautiously unlocked and open the front door. "Olivia? Are you here?" He closed the door behind him and went through the small apartment. He could count the number of times he'd ever been here on one hand in the entire four years of their partnership. He stopped in front of her bedroom door and knocked, "Livia? Are you in there?" When he got no reply, he opened the door. His stomach turned flips at the scene before him. Blood was everywhere. The carpet, the walls, dressers, everything was covered. And her bed. The acrid smell of blood clogged his nose as he ran to the side of her bed. "Oh my God. Son of a… Olivia?" he gently picked up her head and placed it in his lap. "Liv? Hey, Olivia, wake up. That's right, c'mon. Stay with me." He watched her eyes flutter open. She inhaled and attempted to speak, "El, My…he had….my….eyes…Elliot."
"Shhh, it's alright. Don't speak. Its gonna be okay." He dialed 911 from his cell phone. His mouth worked automatically, telling the operator where he was, what happened, and what he needed. He stroked Olivia's hair, hoping to calm her, or himself, he wasn't quite sure. As he hung up the cell phone his eyes strayed to the wall above her headboard. Written in blood was a message, "Like Mother, Like Daughter." He shook his head in disgust, wondering what kind of sick bastard would do this, and how in hell's name did he know about Olivia's mother. He looked down at Olivia, who was still struggling to breathe. "Hey c'mon. Stay with me." She nodded as he felt her breathing become even more labored. "Hold on, Liv. They're coming." He didn't hear sirens. Her grip on his coat slackened as her breathing quit altogether.
"Shit! No! don't do this!" He put her on the floor and started CPR, hoping to get her breathing again. "c'mon, Olivia. Damnit!! Breathe!!!" He finally heard sirens approaching. "Thank god! Liv, just hang in there."
The EMTs burst into the room. "She's not breathing, hasn't been for about 2-4 minutes. I'm following you to the hospital." Elliot informed the one who seemed to be in the lead. He nodded as they lifted Olivia onto the stretcher. They immediately started pumping oxygen into her lungs. They lifted the stretcher and carried it between them to the elevator, Elliot following like an anxious puppy dog.
He followed behind the ambulance, thinking about how he was going to tell Craigen the news. Olivia was one of their best detectives in the SVU; Craigen would want blood. "Not as much as I want, though. Don't let me see him face to face, god, please, I wouldn't want to kill him." He dialed the phone, and listened as Craigen answered, "Craigen."
"It's Stabler, there's a um, uh, a new case. One that needs immediate attention."
"How do you know? You should be at the station."
"I was worried about Olivia. So I, uh," Craigen interrupted him not giving Elliot a chance to break the news, "Have you seen her? Where is she?"
"On her way to the hospital."
"Why, what happened? Is she ok?"
"Just send Fin and Munch to her apartment. A few extra detectives too; it's kinda hard to see past the blood."
"Son of a bitch. Is she all right? Can she tell you what happened? Has she?"
"No, I don't think she'll be able to for a while. I gotta go, I'll call you when I find out." He hung up and concentrated on the ambulance in front of him. He spoke, to himself and to Olivia, "She'll make it. You're too strong to die; you can't give in to him. We need you to find this bastard. Oh God, please, Liv just hold on."
He wasn't aware of the tears trailing down his face.