Elliot Stabler shook his head as he searched through the paperwork on his desk once again. This case was not making any sense.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Elliot looked up, meeting the glance of his partner, Olivia Benson. She was watching him curiously from her desk across from his. "I keep going through this case, but none of the clues left behind are making any sense." He frowned.
"Okay, a woman is left for dead in an alley. She claims she's raped, but there's no evidence. Then she claims that she tried to commit suicide, but some of her injuries couldn't have been caused by herself."
"Yeah, the bite marks on her elbow, for example," Olivia almost smiled. "Can you believe that she actually thinks she can tell us that she did that to herself and that we'll believe it?"
"Well, what doesn't make sense is that she claims she tried to kill herself in her apartment, but we found her on a street. There are no fingerprints, no DNA, no evidence that there was a perp involved. And then she says she was raped in a church sanctuary, but there was service being held in the sanctuary during the time she gave," Elliot leaned back in his chair and rubbed her eyes.
Olivia stifled a yawn and checked her watch. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm too tired to spend all night wracking my brain over something that we can't solve without more evidence."
"Why don't you go home? I'll probably be here for a while," Elliot said. Olivia watched him for a second. "You're not making excuses to not go home, are you?"
Elliot smirked. "You are so blunt, do you know that?"
Olivia shrugged and kept her expectant gaze on him. She wasn't going to give up without an answer. Elliot sighed. "Okay fine. Yes, I'm making excuses not to go home."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"I thought you were leaving?"
"I am. But this is going to bug me all night until you talk."
Elliot smiled a little and fiddled with his paperwork. "It's nothing. Kathy and I had a fight this morning, and I just don't want to continue it. Not necessarily for our sake, but for the kids. It's tough on them when we fight."
Olivia nodded. "Maybe you two can work it out? I mean, if it's so tough on the kids, that should be reason enough for the two of you to make up and stop."
"Well, thank you for the advice, Dr. Benson. I'll keep that in mind."
Olivia rolled her eyes and stood up. "Okay, that's just fine with me. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you." Elliot sighed and rubbed his eyes again. This was going to be a long night.
It took him two hours before Olivia's words finally sunk in. Why did Kathy and him keep fighting when it just hurt their kids? He checked his watch. It was 1 AM. Too late to probably do much then, but he might as well go home and face the music.
Elliot made his way out to his car, feeling groggy. His exhaustion was beginning to get the better of him. *Wake up, Stabler,* He scolded himself. *The last thing you need is to fall asleep behind the wheel.*
And he almost succeeded. But several blocks later, his fatigue showed up again. He caught himself beginning to doze off. "Goddammit!" He banged his hands against the steering wheel. "Stop it, Elliot!"
Who caused the accident, the woman in the red Chevrolet or Elliot, no one could tell. Between the woman's intoxication and Elliot's drowsiness, it was disaster waiting to happen. Elliot couldn't even remember that intersection. He could vaguely remember that his light was green. Maybe it was yellow. He wasn't sure. The only thing he accurately remembered was waking up on the concrete in the rain before the darkness settled over him...
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Elliot looked up, meeting the glance of his partner, Olivia Benson. She was watching him curiously from her desk across from his. "I keep going through this case, but none of the clues left behind are making any sense." He frowned.
"Okay, a woman is left for dead in an alley. She claims she's raped, but there's no evidence. Then she claims that she tried to commit suicide, but some of her injuries couldn't have been caused by herself."
"Yeah, the bite marks on her elbow, for example," Olivia almost smiled. "Can you believe that she actually thinks she can tell us that she did that to herself and that we'll believe it?"
"Well, what doesn't make sense is that she claims she tried to kill herself in her apartment, but we found her on a street. There are no fingerprints, no DNA, no evidence that there was a perp involved. And then she says she was raped in a church sanctuary, but there was service being held in the sanctuary during the time she gave," Elliot leaned back in his chair and rubbed her eyes.
Olivia stifled a yawn and checked her watch. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm too tired to spend all night wracking my brain over something that we can't solve without more evidence."
"Why don't you go home? I'll probably be here for a while," Elliot said. Olivia watched him for a second. "You're not making excuses to not go home, are you?"
Elliot smirked. "You are so blunt, do you know that?"
Olivia shrugged and kept her expectant gaze on him. She wasn't going to give up without an answer. Elliot sighed. "Okay fine. Yes, I'm making excuses not to go home."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"I thought you were leaving?"
"I am. But this is going to bug me all night until you talk."
Elliot smiled a little and fiddled with his paperwork. "It's nothing. Kathy and I had a fight this morning, and I just don't want to continue it. Not necessarily for our sake, but for the kids. It's tough on them when we fight."
Olivia nodded. "Maybe you two can work it out? I mean, if it's so tough on the kids, that should be reason enough for the two of you to make up and stop."
"Well, thank you for the advice, Dr. Benson. I'll keep that in mind."
Olivia rolled her eyes and stood up. "Okay, that's just fine with me. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you." Elliot sighed and rubbed his eyes again. This was going to be a long night.
It took him two hours before Olivia's words finally sunk in. Why did Kathy and him keep fighting when it just hurt their kids? He checked his watch. It was 1 AM. Too late to probably do much then, but he might as well go home and face the music.
Elliot made his way out to his car, feeling groggy. His exhaustion was beginning to get the better of him. *Wake up, Stabler,* He scolded himself. *The last thing you need is to fall asleep behind the wheel.*
And he almost succeeded. But several blocks later, his fatigue showed up again. He caught himself beginning to doze off. "Goddammit!" He banged his hands against the steering wheel. "Stop it, Elliot!"
Who caused the accident, the woman in the red Chevrolet or Elliot, no one could tell. Between the woman's intoxication and Elliot's drowsiness, it was disaster waiting to happen. Elliot couldn't even remember that intersection. He could vaguely remember that his light was green. Maybe it was yellow. He wasn't sure. The only thing he accurately remembered was waking up on the concrete in the rain before the darkness settled over him...
