In the Woods
Summary: Casey's condition in "Night" is much more serious than anyone realized. CO. Slight crossover with other Law and Orders.
Author's Note: Something I've had the idea for since the beginning of January to cure some slight depression. Read, review. On a more story-related note, starts in "Night" where Olivia is coming into Casey's office.
Spoilers: "Night", slight "Loss".
Disclaimer: Star light, star bright and all that jazz. I wish I could have all these magnificent Dick Wolf characters. No? Darn. Worth a shot.
For Bex
Chapter One
Darkness loomed in the hallway leading to Casey Novak's office. The only spots of light were from underneath the office doors of the few very dedicated ADAs left in the building. Olivia Benson frowned as she realized that Casey's was not one such office. She had walked three blocks to find a decent open place that sells coffee. The line was not the shortest considering there was only one employee managing the cash registers. It was also a three-block walk back to the District Attorney's office. If Casey had the nerve to leave…
Olivia stopped as she came to Casey's office. Something just did not feel right. She tried to ignore that feeling as she twisted the metal doorknob open. She muttered something about her trek to get the coffee and how Casey better be inside when she had finished opening the door. As soon as she finished her statement, Olivia wished she could take it back. The sight in front of her frightened Olivia. She could not remember being that afraid since the night Alex was shot.
As an involuntary reaction to seeing Casey lying there on the floor, Olivia dropped the two coffee cups to the floor. Cleaning that mess was the farthest thing from her mind. She rushed over to Casey. She already feared for the worst. Tears formed in her eyes. "Casey?" she called.
Olivia's hand grabbed Casey's wrist. She placed one thumb on it to feel for a pulse. "Come on, Case," she begged. Relief filled her body once she realized Casey had one.
Her eyes scanned Casey's body. Bruises covered the young woman's face. She did not know what else was injured, so she did not dare move Casey. She could only stare. "Why?" she asked. "Why you?"
She craned her neck up to look for Casey's office phone. It was not in its usual position on her desk. Come to realize it, nothing was in its usual spot on her desk. Nothing on the floor or the desk was where it had been only about twenty minutes earlier. One hell of a fight took place in this office, Olivia realized.
Olivia gingerly ran her fingers down Casey's arm. "It's going to be ok," she promised. With her right hand, she kept rubbing Casey's arm. With her left, she attempted to find her cell phone. "It's going to be ok."
Outside in the hallway, the aroma of fresh coffee was strong. Very strong. That scent combined with Olivia's constant repetition of the words "It's going to be ok" was enough to attract the attention of Tracey Kibre. The elder ADA poked her head into the room. Like Olivia, she was taken aback by what she saw. Tracey made her way over to Casey and Olivia. "What happened?"
Olivia was trying hard to keep her resolve. She had to be strong for Casey. She did not need Tracey holding her hand through all of this. "Honestly, I was hoping you'd know," she responded.
Tracey nodded slightly. Unfortunately, her office was not close enough to Casey's. She was on her way out when she heard Olivia's voice. She knew that she could not say anything to help. Instead, she took her cell phone out of her coat pocket and handed it to Olivia. Olivia gratefully accepted it and dialed 911.
It took two rings before she got an answer. "911, what is your emergen--"
"It's my girlfriend," Olivia interrupted. Her heartbeat was racing like a tardy intern on his first day. "Someone attacked her. She's unconscious, and I don't know how long she's been like that." She proceeded to give the address to the D.A.'s office. Once she could hang up, she did. She promptly returned to rubbing her fingers along Casey's arms. She placed a gentle kiss on Casey's forehead. "It's going to be ok," she whispered.
The room fell silent. Neither Olivia nor Tracey dared to say anything. Nothing needed to be said. They could only wait. The only noise at all in the room came from Casey's office clock ticking out the seconds. The silence between each tick was hollow and creepy. Time almost seemed not to exist at all.
"How long is this damn ambulance going to take?" Olivia asked bitterly. She did not know the extent of Casey's injuries. Although her girlfriend's condition did not seem to be life-threatening, looks could be deceiving. Olivia needed to hear about Casey's condition from a medical professional. She could not sit there in uncertainty.
"Liv, it's only been ninety seconds," Tracey noted as she placed a comforting hand on Olivia's shoulder.
Olivia frowned as she grabbed Tracey's wrist. She looked at the watch above it and frowned. Of course Tracey was right. Tracey was always right. She dropped Tracey's wrist and returned her focus to Casey. Her girlfriend was breathing on her own, but she looked pained. It hurt Olivia to see her like that.
"What about now?" Olivia asked.
"Two minutes," Tracey responded with one look at her watch.
The sound from the ambulance was getting louder. Olivia knew exactly where it was. It would only be another minute or so until it was in front of the D.A.'s office. She looked down at Casey again. "I don't--I don't want to leave her," Olivia whispered.
"I'll wait for them," Tracey assured Olivia as she stood up and rushed for the stairs. She did not hear Olivia's grateful response.
Olivia rubbed her fingers along Casey's arms. She leaned over her girlfriend and placed a small kiss on her forehead. "Hang in there, angel. Help is on the way."