A cry in the night. A high pitch begging cry. A cry that would chill any one's heart.
To the crier's relief some one heard it. It sent a chill up Maria Long's spine. She picked up a phone and called 911. "Hello. 911 what is your emergency" The dull voice on the other end of the line sounded.
"Some one is hurt" Maria's voice was quick and jumpy. "Ma'am calm down. Who is hurt?" The woman on the other end of the line remained calm and tried to help the caller become composed. "I don't know, I heard a cry from the room next to me" Maria wiped the stray tears from her eyes.
"What is your name ma'am?" The operator's monotone voice cracked a little at the end. "My name is Maria Long. I'm not even from here!" Maria's voice got desperate. The skinny woman's frame shook. The small town girl from Indiana hadn't expected this.
"Where is your location ma'am?" The 9-1-1 operator had regained her composure. "I'm at the local motel on the corner of 48th and Scores Street. Please hurry" Maria heard the cry again and broke into another set of sobs. "An ambulance will be there momentarily ma'am, just stay put." Maria said her thank-you's and hung up.
When the paramedics came they found a boy naked and curled up in the corner. He was crying and covered in dirt. The first words spoken were: "Call the Manhattan SVU."
In five minutes flat Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler arrived at room 211 in the motel. "SVU" Stabler said flashing the badge he worked hard for.
The police officer lifted up the yellow tape that slashed across the doorway.
"What happened here?" Benson asked walking over to the M.E. Warner was looking over the bed with her UV light.
"Found a young boy curled up in the corner over there" Warner pointed over to the right. A small pile of blood dried on the cheap beige carpet. "Right now I am looking for any fluid over here."
"Is he at St. Alphonse?" Olivia asked knowing that was the closets hospital. Warner nodded and resumed looking for fluids.
Olivia and Eliot walked up to the woman behind the desk. Her pink scrubs blended all to well with the plain white walls.
"How may I help you?" The woman smiled flashing teeth stained with years of smoking. "I believe a young John Doe just arrived here" When Olivia said this a young boy curled up on a stretcher was being pushed down the hall by paramedics.
The white sheets on the stretcher were streaked with blood. Two words came out of the paramedic, "Internal bleeding?"
They could not afford to lose this patient. "No, the bleeding should stop soon" replied the other paramedic. A flood of relief overcame both of the detectives.
"We better go back to the precinct see if they got any leads from the hotel room." Elliot said walking towards the door.
Olivia grabbed Elliot's arm when she saw a man in a white jacket come toward them. "Detectives?" the doctor inquired.
"Yes" replied Olivia turning toward Elliot then to the doctor again.
"I am Dr. Jonathan Wilson. The young man is in room 111. He has been sodomized. We are doing a rape kit right now. You can take his fingerprints now" The doctor turned around and led the detectives down the plain white wall with a single blue stripe down the wall.
Elliot looked at the small fragile boy. The boy was just so small and innocent. Cases like this always pulled at Elliot's heart.
When he was a boy he couldn't even talk about sex. What would it have been like if something like that happened? Anybody that could make it through something like that was a hero in his book.
Olivia slowly picked up the boys hand and placed his finger in the black ink then placed it on the crisp, white paper.
The last words Olivia said before departing was, "Call us when he wakes." Tears raced down her face as she quickly walked out of the burdening hospital.