Heartbeat

1

Bruises

People in tailored suits, with briefcases clutched in their hands, rushed up and down stairs leading to New York's Manhattan criminal courthouse, barely noticing the boy sitting against a pillar. He'd been sitting in that position for over two hours, his eyes fixated on the main entrance to the building.

"Fifteen minutes of deliberation, I'm impressed counselor," said a tall, brunette man as he exited the courthouse, flanked by two women. The boy's eyes suddenly brightened as he saw the tall, strawberry-blonde woman to the left of the man.

The counselor shrugged her shoulders and murmured something that the boy could not hear.

The man and the other woman looked at each other worriedly, as if the lawyer's behaviour was unusual.

The boy jumped up from his sitting position and cautiously approached the three figures, suddenly feeling nervous. He knew she would ask tons of questions, it was in her job description after all.

The tall man noticed the boy first. "Shouldn't you be in school?" he asked suspiciously.

The child bit his bottom lip and shifted his feet as the taller woman looked down at him.

"Aidan, what are you doing here?" exclaimed the lawyer.

"I-um-there was a school trip, to the museum, it's boring, I didn't want to go and dad said it was okay."

"So instead of staying at home you trekked through Manhattan by yourself?!"

"It's not that far, Aunt Casey," reasoned Aidan, even as he shrank away from his aunt.

"Well, forgive me if I don't like the idea of 11-year-olds riding the New York City subway alone. What if something happened? After everything…." Her voice trailed off as she noticed her nephew's lip quivering slightly.

"I just wanted to see you," he whispered.

Casey's face softened instantly as her companions watched the exchange curiously. "You should have called me, I would have come."

"You're always busy…mom…mom complained about it all the time."

Casey looked away and then at her colleagues. "I'm sorry," she said. "This is my nephew, Aidan. Aidan, these are two detectives I work with, Detective Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler."

"It's nice to meet you, Aidan," greeted Olivia, in that voice that made any child feel accepted.

xoxoxox

Aidan sat in the precinct as Casey discussed a current case with the detectives, her mind barely registering Elliot and Olivia's words.

She nodded absently as she watched her nephew from the corner of her eyes.

"Casey? Casey!"

Casey snapped her eyes into attention. "What?"

"Have you been listening to a word I've been saying, Casey?" asked Elliot.

"Huh? What? Oh right, can I get back to you on that?"

"Is everything okay, Case?" asked Olivia, worriedly. "You've been acting differently lately."

"Fine," she lied as she approached Aidan, who was seated a few feet away from John and Fin, who were at their desks, working through mounds of paperwork. He was staring at the two detectives.

"What's up, kid?" asked Fin.

"Why does my aunt work with detectives? She's a lawyer."

Fin laughed at the way the boy said the words detectives and lawyer. He obviously thought that detective work was the most exciting thing imaginable while law was as boring as watching paint dry.

"Well, kid, she's a prosecutor, she needs us to make her case."

"And what would you do without me interrupting judges' porker games for warrants?" said Casey, smiling softly.

"Minor technicality," smirked John.

"If only," she replied before looking down at her nephew. "All right, Aidan, let's go for lunch. You have a lot of questions to answer."

Fin gave the boy a sympathetic look.

"But first I'm calling your dad," continued Casey.

Aidan's shook his head quickly. "Don't Aunt Casey, please. He won't even notice I'm gone. He's at work."

Olivia watched the boy carefully as he stared up at his aunt, imploringly.

"That's no excuse, Aidan, you shouldn't have come out here by yourself. I've told you how dangerous this city can be."

"I thought you would understand!" he shouted. "I thought you cared! I'm tired of being there all alone with him. I miss mom! I thought you would understand!"

Casey looked like she had just been punched in the stomach. Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. "Aidan…"

The boy turned away from his aunt and tried to run to the stairs. Elliot quickly stepped into his path and grabbed him by the arm.

"Let go of me," he yelled angrily.

Casey knelt in front of Aidan and took a hold of his hands. "I miss her too, Aidan. I know it's hard…"

"You don't know," he whispered.

Casey closed her eyes, trying desperately to keep herself together. She wrapped her arms around the child and he collapsed into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably, his inhibitions finally overcome by a wave of grief.

"S-she said, said you and me, we were the only people in the world she trusted one hundred percent. I just don't want to stay at home, Dad…he…" Aidan hesitated momentarily before continuing. "he's been distant ever since…since mom…d-died…I'm so lonely, please don't make me go home."

Casey knew he wasn't telling her everything and she was slowly coming to the realization that her personal life was being laid out for everyone in the precinct.

She looked up at her colleagues. "I'm just going to talk to him in one of the rooms."

The detectives nodded mutely and watched as she gently led the boy away.

xoxoxox

"The kid's lying," said Fin as Elliot and Olivia sat down at their desks. "Or he's leaving something out."

"How many times have we seen it," muttered Olivia sadly.

"You don't think…" started Munch.

Olivia shrugged her shoulders, a horrible feeling gathering in her gut. "Casey never said anything about a sister, or that she died."

"Must have been recent," said Fin.

"Explains the change…lately she's been…"

"Distant?" suggested Olivia.

"Not that she's ever been particularly open about anything outside the job."

"But that's it; she's been detached, even on the job."

"She hasn't snapped at me in the last month, not once," said Elliot.

The detectives sat silently, contemplating the revelations about their A.D.A. when a man entered the room.

"Is Casey Novak here?" he asked impatiently.

"Yes, but she's busy, you can wait out here, or leave a message," answered Elliot.

"My son, Aidan, he's missing…he might have come to see his aunt, Casey."

Instantly, the detectives eyed him suspiciously.

"I'll go get her then," offered Olivia, albeit reluctantly.

Olivia knocked on the door to the interview room softly before entering. "Case, can I speak to you for a second."

Aidan was sitting at the desk, doodling on a piece of paper.

"What is it?" whispered Casey, as she stood at the doorway.

"Aidan's father is here."

"Damn," muttered Casey.

xoxoxox

"Aidan, how could you just run off like that," exclaimed the boy's father as Casey and Aidan walked towards the man. "I panicked when I called home and you didn't pick up."

Aidan stayed close to his aunt, refusing to look his father in the eyes.

"How did you know to find him here?" asked Casey.

"He's always been very fond of you, Casey. I went to the courthouse and they told me to check the 1-6 precinct."

"Well, now that you're here, maybe the three of us can go for lunch," proposed Casey as she placed a reassuring hand on her nephew's shoulder.

"I haven't got time for this nonsense. I have to get back to work. I just came to take Aidan home," he replied, irritably.

Aidan tensed and drew nearer to Casey.

"Let Aidan stay with me for the weekend then. I haven't seen much of him lately and I think he might need a change of scenery. After everything that's happened…"

"Aidan's coming home with me," he said, cutting Casey off mid sentence.

"Tim, be reasonable."

"He's my son and he isn't going off with you."

"It's just the weekend."

"I won't lie, Casey. I've never liked you. Always thought I wasn't right for Jenny. I was never good enough for the all mighty Novak family, was I? Well, Jenny's gone now and I don't have to deal with you anymore."

Casey glared at Tim angrily, some choice words on the tip of her tongue. She glanced down at her wide-eyed nephew and caught herself before she totally lost it.

"We're standing in the middle of a squad room with detectives at every corner. So unless you want them to arrest you for keeping my child hostage, we'll be off."

"I'm not coming home," said Aidan, defiantly. "I'm staying with Aunt Casey."

"I'm not asking, son. Get over here now."

"You can't make me," he said, feeling bravery with every moment.

"I can pick you up and carry you to the car if I have to."

"You'll do no such thing," snapped Casey. "I don't know what's going on in that house of yours but he's not going anywhere with you until I get to the bottom of this."

"We've been through this, you've got no right. You're the lawyer, shouldn't you know this?" retorted Tim.

"We're putting him in protective custody until we can ensure that you're a fit father," said Elliot.

"This is bullshit. You have no evidence to take him away."

Olivia walked over to Aidan and bent down. "Honey, if your father has hurt you in any way, tell us. He can't hurt you here. You can trust us. You can trust your aunt."

Tears ran down his cheeks as Casey crouched down in front of him. "Aidan?" she asked, unable to hide the fear in her voice.

He shook his head. "I-I can't," he cried.

"Please buddy. Remember what your mom said. She trusted me one hundred percent. Just you and me, Aidan. I love you and you can tell me anything."

"He can't do anything, Aidan," said Elliot. "I promise."

Casey pulled him close and hugged him tightly. "Please," she whispered into his ear.

Aidan hissed softly and broke away from his aunt, a flicker of pain crossing his face.

Casey looked at him worriedly. "Did I hurt you?"

"No..no…I…no," he stumbled.

Casey took a hold of his shirt gently and lifted it up a few inches before she gasped. His lower stomach was littered with black, blue and red bruises.

Olivia closed her eyes and Elliot clenched his fists.

Aidan grabbed his shirt away from Casey and stepped away as the lawyer's expression turned from worry to anger.

"Don't be angry," he said, his body trembling.

Casey couldn't think. The anger was clouding her mind as she stared at her sister's son. She flung around to her brother-in-law as Olivia ushered the child out of the room.

"But Aunt Casey?" she could hear her nephew saying.

"It's okay sweety. You're Aunt Casey is not mad at you. Let's get you something to drink, shall we?"

"You fucking bastard," Casey screamed as she shook with anger.

Tim stepped back and bumped into Fin who was pulling his hands behind this back.

She vaguely heard, "You have the right to remain silent…" as Elliot stepped in front of her.

"Casey, go on and see your nephew. We'll take care of him."

Casey was shaking her head unable to comprehend what she had seen. She'd seen so much over the years with the SVU. She'd seen the black and blue bruises in her own reflection. But to see her own nephew, her eleven year old nephew made black and blue by his own father…

"He'd only lost his mother a month ago…how could he do this to him," she murmured, staring at Elliot and Munch as Fin led the man out of the squad room.

Elliot squeezed her shoulder. "Go see him."

xoxoxox

Casey slowly pushed the door open to see Aidan sitting quietly at a table, staring off into the distance. Olivia sat at the other side of the table.

"Aidan?"

His eyes snapped instantly at the sound of his aunt's voice.

"Don't be mad," he said instantly.

"I'm not mad, honey. Well, no, I'm very mad. I've never been so angry in my life. But not with you, Aidan," she explained as she approached her nephew. "Never with you."

"I didn't want you to know. I just wanted to get away from him."

"You should never be afraid to tell me anything," she said, soothingly.

He shook his head. "I didn't want to upset you," he said softly.

"I'd rather be upset than have him touch you one more time."

Aidan drew into himself and shuddered.

"Did this start after…" Casey knew she didn't have to finish the sentence. Aidan knew what she meant. Her sister would have known if Tim was hurting her son. What if he was hurting Jenny too? She closed her eyes. If she wasn't so wrapped up in her own life maybe she would have seen that something was wrong.

"After."

Casey nodded sadly. She should have taken him away the minute her sister passed. She'd always felt that Tim wasn't right for Jenny. If only she'd know to what extent.

"What's going to happen to him?" asked Aidan, suddenly.

"Fin arrested him and I'll make sure he doesn't come near you again."

"And what about me?" he asked timidly.

"You're coming home with me, of course."

"You don't mind?"

"Aidan, you're my nephew."

"And he's my father," he said, bitterly, sounding older than his eleven years for the first time.

Casey closed her eyes, not having anything reassuring to say to that statement.

"Let's get you to a doctor and then we'll pick up some items from your place," said Casey after a few moments of uneasy silence.

"I don't need a doctor."

"Those bruises…"

"They'll go away on their own. They always do."

Casey let out a small sob. "They always do."

Disclaimer: I own nada, zilch, nothing.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

This is un-beta-ed. Also, I am not very familiar with New York law, law jargon and the like, so I apologize in advance for any regression.