Emma stirred and blinked against the bright lights of the room. "Hey," Olivia said softly. She shot up in bed only to be pushed back down by the detective. "It's okay, Em. It's okay. Just calm down."
Emma closed her eyes, relaxing against the pillows. Olivia gently stroked her hair, calming her. "You knew it was Alex. You figured that out when you were put under by the medication." Emma nodded, tears filling her eyes.
"He killed Ellie," she whispered. "After our mom. He came over after mowing…it was hot. He asked for something to drink. I was…I had been in the pool, outside. I heard the scream and saw him through the window, holding this knife, covered in blood. He saw me, but I ran. There was this...hole under our fence. I managed to squeeze underneath. Hid in this place Ellie and our neighbor used to play in."
"And you thought hospitals were the only place you could stay safe." Emma nodded, tears falling down her face.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you," she sobbed, "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry." Her voice faded off as Olivia shifted onto the bed, letting Emma bury her face against her neck.
"It's okay," she said, reassuring the teen. "It's okay." She pressed a kiss to her forehead and held her close, rocking her gently. She stayed with the teen until she fell asleep and well after the visitation hours ended.
She was allowed home three days later, Olivia picking her up at the hospital. "This isn't the way to your apartment," Emma said, turning to the detective.
"You're right," she said, "We're meeting Elliot, Mo and Katie for dinner."
"Really," Emma asked, brightening up?" Olivia laughed and nodded, turning right to head towards Moon Sea, the best placed for Chinese food in Manhattan.
Emma's face broke into a smile when she saw Katie and Elliot, running forward to hug them. "Hey kiddo," Elliot said, "Glad to see they let you out." She grinned and pulled away, tucking herself in close to Olivia's side.
"Just got her out," Olivia said, hugging her close. "Thought we could all do with some dinner." They sat down at a table and ordered, Katie talking about her soccer games and Emma listening to the conversation around her. She asked all about soccer and what Katie was learning in school, interested in everything normal kids her age were interested in. Olivia watched on with a smile, talking with Elliot about his other kids and miscellaneous other things. When Emma began to yawn, they wrapped up their conversation. With a final hug Elliot watched the pair drive home.
Emma was half asleep when they arrived at Olivia's apartment. She sleepily walked up the stairs behind Olivia, leaning heavily against the wall while Olivia keyed in. "Go get ready for bed," Olivia said gently, pushing her towards the bathroom. She pulled out the bed and made it up, putting Moose on the bed. She thought idly that maybe it was time for a two bedroom. Emma walked out of the bathroom, wearing an oversized NYPD shirt, face cleaned and hair pulled back.
"You okay," Olivia asked, helping her get settled in between the sheets.
"Yeah," Emma said, "Just glad to be home." She nodded, smiling when Emma referred to her apartment as home.
"Me too," she whispered. She brushed a hand along Emma's cheek as she curled up, hugging Moose to her chest. "Get some sleep." She pressed a kiss to the girl's temple, smiling as the girl cuddled closer before dropping off to sleep. Before going to bed, Olivia grabbed the petition for guardianship papers from her bag and headed to her bedroom.