Disclaimer: This is the sequel to I'll Be Here To Catch You. It picks up where the other left off. Read and review! Oh yes. Anything that is known to be someone else's isn't mine. I hope that you like this one. I had a lot of fun writing the first one, and I am really glad that ya'll liked it. I would like to personally thank EOSVU4Eva, onetreefan, Rhonda Roo, mrslee, icedogfan, xox-BenslerBaby2008-xox for reviewing my first. I would especially like to thank EOSVU4Eva, because she actually did what I was hoping someone would. You have no idea how happy that made me. OK. On with the story! And if anyone else reviews, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Heartbeat
By Julia
Their apartment was full of people. The EMTs were trying to stop Olivia's blood-loss before they took her down to the bus, because it was excessive. The other EMTs were making sure that El was still alive. They managed to wake him up and put him on a stretcher. They took him down to one of the buses and headed off to the hospital. One of the EMTs was saying, ''She's lost a lot of blood. I don't know if she's going to make it.''
Fin Tutuola was standing in the apartment, his partner Chester Lake beside him. After Lake had called, it had taken them about twenty minutes to get there. Olivia had lay there bleeding all that time. And Elliot had been unconscious. It was not looking good. Fin looked at Lake. ''You are so dead. When Elliot finds out that you were behind this, and you are basically the reason that Olivia is bleeding out right now, and possibly going to die, he won't worry about getting put in jail. He will kill your ass.''
Lake looked nervous. ''Don't let him kill me! I didn't know that Harris and his accomplice had that much information.'' He was still hesitant to tell Fin everything. It was already looking bad enough for him.
Fin watched as they loaded Olivia onto a gurney and took her down to the other ambulance. ''You are so dead. I can only back your play so much. I can't back you on this one. Olivia is dying, Lake. Dying. She's my friend, and so is Elliot. They have been in love for years, and they've been together barely a week, and you manage to get her stabbed? Yeah, you're one dead mofo. I'm going to the hospital. Are you going to come? Better explain yourself to Elliot as soon as you can. The longer you wait, the more dead you're going to become.''
At the hospital, Elliot woke up. ''Olivia.'' He said, as soon as he could speak. His nurse came in, carrying his chart. She was looking it over as he was taking a drink of water out of a full cup beside his bed.
''You're Elliot Stabler. You came in with the stab victim, right?'' She asked, never looking up from the chart.
Elliot looked around groggily. He ignored her, and turned to Lake, who was sitting next to his bed, looking apologetic. ''Where is Liv? Where's my girlfriend, Chester?'' He asked angrily.
Lake said carefully, ''Let me fill you in, El. I heard that Lowell Harris was getting out. Something about bribing one of the officers or something. I'm not sure, I just know he was getting out. So I was trying to keep him from getting to Olivia. I had heard that he was wanting to get revenge on her because she got him put away. He hooked up with this guy. They were stalking Liv. I've been trying to keep him from finding anything out about her. It just didn't work.'' He knew Harris' accomplice's name. He was still keeping quiet on that one. It might not be wise, but he was already in major trouble with Elliot as it was. He wasn't going to let on that he knew more than he was telling.
Elliot began pulling out all the tubes and things he was hooked up to and began attempting to get up. ''Where is she, Lake? Don't make me ask you again, damn you.'' He was desperate to know how and where Olivia was, so that last part was much louder than he had intended.
Lake knew Elliot was going to kill him. ''Well, after his accomplice knocked you out, Olivia must have tried to fight Harris, because she was stabbed. She's in the OR right now. She lost a lot of blood, El.'' He had gone white as a sheet from fear.
Elliot couldn't keep his anger to himself. ''This happened to us because you didn't fill us in! You didn't warn us! Harris found Olivia was able to hurt her because of YOU. Do you know how badly I'm going to hurt you? You will know the meaning of pain when I'm finished with you.''
The nurse was taken aback and stayed out of the way as Elliot punched Lake in the face and went out in the hall. He was by no means finished hurting him, but he had a killer headache, and he was in a hospital. Too many witnesses. He was going to the reception desk, and going to demand that they tell him where Livvy was.
The doctor was standing by the desk. The nurse had warned him about Elliot's temper. ''Dect. Stabler, go back to your room. We have to make sure that you don't have any serious injuries. You were hit on the head by a bat and you were unconcious for nearly a half an hour. It could have caused serious damages. You can't do anything for your girlfriend right now. She is still in the OR.''
Elliot braced himself against the desk. He hated to look weak any time. This was especially not a good time to look weak. ''Look, I want to stay right here until she comes out of surgery. I will be here for her. That's my job. She is counting on me. I don't even want to think...'' He had to stop, as tears were threatening to spill down his cheeks. He tried to steady himself and said, ''about what she's thinking in that room. She could...could be thinking I'm...dead. That I failed her.'' He couldn't keep his voice steady as the tears finally fell.
They were getting a tiny audience. Lake had entered the waiting room, going to sit down. He was carefully holding ice over his eye. Fin was coming back, carrying some paperwork, and he tossed it at Lake and went over to Elliot and the doctor, whose name was Taylor. ''Come on, El. You need to be strong for Liv. I'll take you back to your room. I'll make sure they tell me how she's doing.'' He told him, and after a silent fight, El let him lead him back into his room.
Elliot got back onto the bed, and the nurse hooked him back up, checked his vitals, and went off to order an x-ray. He grabbed tissues off the table by his bed and let it all out. Fin wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to let El know he was there for him, but he wasn't sure how El would react if the fact that he was crying was acknowledged. Elliot was so worried for Livvy. He didn't know what to do. He hated to be in this bed, while she was in surgery, possibly wondering if he was alive or dead.
Fin finally said, ''Cap says that he's got everyone he can after Harris. He and his mystery man better hide pretty damn good, because he's out for blood. I swear, I have never seen him angrier.''
Elliot sniffled and wiped off his face. ''That's good. All I'm thinking about is Livvy right now.'' He turned to look at Fin. ''You could do one thing for me, though, and I would be really glad.''
Fin wanted to anything he could for Elliot and Liv. ''Sure, anything. Cap said that he, Munch, and Lake will work on finding these guys so I could do whatever you needed. Munch said he's going to come and see Liv when she's out of surgery. He said he's worried for her, but he has to do something.''
Elliot understood that, and he knew that Munch really did care for Olivia. He was being killed with the waiting, too. The only difference is that he had to stay in this hospital bed, powerless to do anything. He said, ''All I need you to do for me right this minute is tell Lake that he better get as far from this hospital as he can, because if I see him again, head injuries or not, I will kick his ass as hard as I can. And he really better think about transferring. I don't ever want to see his ugly mug around that precinct ever again.''
Fin said, ''You bet I can do that. I personally am not going to get in the middle, but I will ask him to get the hell out of here. I already told him that he's in very hot water. Cap's really pissed off. He told me to keep Lake away from him. I'm going to send him with John. Do you want me to see if I can find anything out about Liv, too, before I come back?''
Elliot closed his eyes and lay back. His head was killing him. ''Yes, if you wouldn't mind. And if you could, call Kathy, and see if she can tell the kids. She can come if she wants, but I don't need her. I'm too worried about Liv to deal with her if she's going to be all passive agressive.''
Fin nodded. ''Sure, I can do that. I'll be right back. El, keep yo' ass in that bed.'' He said, using a stern tone, but wearing a kindly expression, so El knew he was just doing it to help him, show him he cared. Elliot just nodded as Fin left the room.
Fin entered the waiting room, finding Lake sitting nervously in a chair. Munch was there, too, talking to a doctor that Fin hadn't yet met. He went to Lake. ''You go wait for Munch at the car. I'll tell 'im. Get yo' ass out there.'' Lake got up to go, and Fin added, ''You'd better be thinking about transferring back to Brooklyn SVU. Elliot doesn't want to work with you anymore. And neither do Cap, John, or I. Liv's the only one who can't speak up. She's having emergency surgery.''
He ignored him after that and went to join Munch. He had just finished talking to the doctor. Fin asked, ''So what did the doc say about Liv? Is she out of surgery?''
Munch's eyes were wet. ''I would hold off on telling Elliot this. He said that Liv's in a coma. The surgery went fine, she just didn't wake up after. The doctor thinks it's from the loss of blood. He thinks that she'll wake up, though. It's just a matter of when.''
Fin tried not to let his emotions show. ''I can't keep something like that from Elliot. Especially with him here in the hospital. He's going to ask someone, or hear someone talking. It's gonna be hard.''
Munch said, ''Oh, you're not going to be here. Casey's coming to relieve you. You are coming with me, and we're dropping Lake off at the precinct. He's going to tell us everything he knows. Cap wants him on desk duty. I'm going to go see Liv, and you can fill El in and then see Liv, while we wait for Casey. She'll be about a half hour.''
Fin said, ''I'll go back and tell El she's stable after her surgery. That should hold him off for awhile. I guess I'll see you when Casey gets here. I'll see Liv later. I need to get myself ready.'' They shared a look, and Munch headed off to ICU.
Elliot was asleep when he got back in the room. It was all the pain meds they'd given him. Fin sat down and pulled out his cell. He figured he could let Cap know what was going on. He hated all of this. Something had never happened like this to them before, and it was fucking awful.
Munch was sitting in Liv's room, watching the machines helping her breathe. She looked peaceful, like she was just asleep. He tried to keep the tears from falling as he prepared to tell her something. He knew there was a possibility that she could hear him. He wanted to make sure that he told her what he had never been able to say. ''Olivia, it's John. You're in a coma, and they aren't sure when you're going to wake up. I wanted to tell you that I love you very much. Not in the same way Elliot does. More like a brother. I don't have much family, so you guys are it for me. I don't see my actual family that much. Jordie is the only one I really have a lot of contact with. I really don't think that we could lose you. You are the glue that holds our precinct together. Elliot is going to completely lose it if you don't ever wake up. I know that's a lot to put on you. But if you really love him, you'll try your hardest not to go into that white light. The rest of us would be sad, and we'd miss you, but Elliot, I don't think there'd be anything left of him. That's not something he'd be able to come back from. Please wake up.'' John wiped tears from his eyes, kissed her hand, and left the room to collect Fin.
Casey strode into the hospital, looking like hell. Munch had filled her in, and she was upset. She had managed to calm herself down enough to sit with Elliot. John had told her that he was barely keeping it together, and she didn't want to be the one who made him completely lose it. He had to be strong so he could get better.
She reached the waiting room, and found Munch sitting there. He got up as she approached. ''Fin still in with Elliot?'' She asked, as she pushed back a lock of her long hair.
Munch nodded. ''Yes. I talked to Olivia. She's still in the coma, but the doctor says that she can hear us talking to her. I told her to wake up, for Elliot.'' He kept the rest to himself. It was too personal.
Casey smiled softly at him. She knew Munch had opened himself up to Liv. She didn't pry, though. He was usually a private guy anyway. ''So, I hear that Lake is the one who caused all of this to happen by not filling you guys in on Harris' release.'' She said, changing the subject.
Munch nodded. ''Yes. Cap's got him in the precinct on desk duty. That's why I called you. So you could stay with Elliot, keep him briefed on Liv's condition. We're trying to keep him from finding out that Liv's in a coma as long as we can. Doctor Taylor says that it could be a few days before she wakes up, if she even wakes up at all. I want to make sure that we ease him into it. He needs to concentrate on taking those tests they want to take, to make sure that he doesn't have permanent brain damage. He won't do that if he thinks he's lost Olivia. So whatever you do, just tell him that she's stable. You'll have to get updates, of course, he won't let you forget about that, but don't tell him about the coma until you have to.'' He paused a moment. ''He's taking this really hard, Casey. Fin said he cried some, but if you can, get him to talk to you. He can't hold it in. It'll just hit him harder. Especially if she never wakes up.'' That was hard for him to say, and Casey saw some wetness in his eyes.
Casey nodded. ''I will do so to the best of my ability. I'll go in, and send Fin out.'' She touched John's arm and headed into Elliot's room. He was still asleep, and Fin was doing a crossword in the paper. ''OK, Fin, you can go and help Munch.'' She told him, placing her briefcase on the floor by the chair. She was glad she'd brought it. She could work on some of her paperwork while El was sleeping.
Fin said, ''Cool. Munch filled you in on Liv, right?'' He didn't wait for Casey's reply. ''Make sure that he lets the nurses and Dr. Taylor want him to do. He's going to want to make sure that they've got Liv covered, but he needs those tests, Case. You'll have to be firm wit him. Can you do that?'' He asked.
Casey said, ''I can try. I'll just remind him that Liv needs him to get better. That will probably help a lot.'' They shared a look, and Fin left to help Munch. Casey pulled out some of her papers as Elliot slept on. A nurse came and got him a half an hour later for another x-ray, and Casey took the opportunity to see Olivia.
She walked into Olivia's room, and tears dripped from her eyes. Olivia was lying so still, and while she was breathing on her own, machines were helping her do it. Casey could hardly believe her eyes. Olivia was such a strong woman, and to see her like this was a blow to her heart. She sat down in the chair by Liv's bed and took a deep breath. ''Hey, Liv, it's Casey. I hate that this happened to you, and as soon as Munch and Fin catch Harris and his accomplice, I will nail their asses to the wall. They will pay for what they did to you and Elliot. Speaking of that man of yours, he is a mess without you. We're trying to make sure that he does what the doctors tell him, but you know how stubborn he is. You've got to come back to him, Liv. He needs you.'' She paused to wipe tears from her face. ''I need you, too, Liv. I've never really had time for any friends I had outside of this job. You have a been a really good friend to me. Possibly my best friend. Just wake up, OK? I've got to go see if El's back from his x-ray. Just hang in there, and wake up. Just wake up, Liv.'' She wiped her face again and left the room, the machines beeping as they helped Liv breathe.
Casey walked back into El's room. He was back, and looking as upset as Casey had ever seen him. She sat down in the chair and asked, ''What did the doctor say?''
Elliot made a face at her. ''I'm fine. No permanent brain damage. They just said they want to keep me overnight for observation. They're worried about what I might do to myself since Liv is IN A DAMN COMA!'' He yelled the last part, making Casey flinch. ''Why did you or Munch or Fin tell me that? The fact that my girlfriend is in a coma is something that I might have wanted to know, dammit!''
Casey was about to reply when Dr. Taylor entered the room. ''Dect. Stabler, did you know your girlfriend is pregnant?'' Both Elliot and Casey gasped. This was news.
Elliot shook his head, feeling numb. If Olivia never woke up, she would take their baby with her. He knew he wasn't going to be able to handle that. ''No, no, I didn't. She hadn't told me yet. She must have been wanting to make sure that she was before she said anything.''
Dr. Taylor said, ''Well, this changes things. We ran another test, to see if there was anything else we might have missed, and we discovered that she's a few days pregnant. We've got to monitor her a lot more closely. It gives her less time to wake up. The baby is still going to grow, and be healthy, as long as she's on the machines, but it will still be better for both Olivia and the baby if she wakes up as soon as possible.''
Elliot tried to keep the emotion out of his voice. ''So what do you propose is done if she doesn't wake up in a day or two?'' This was just the worst thing that could have happened, short of Olivia dying from the stabbing.
Dr. Taylor replied, ''I think that if she doesn't wake up soon, it would be a good idea if you thought about pulling the life support. The longer she stays in the coma, the more likely she'll ever wake up.''
Elliot almost completely broke down again, and Casey thanked Dr. Taylor and ushered him from the room. Elliot sobbed, all the emotion hitting him at once. Olivia was carrying his child, and she was in a coma. He couldn't handle this. He couldn't do this alone. He was actually going to have to let his friends help him. That was a new thing for him, and he wasn't sure if he could do it. But he knew his own strength, and not even he could deal with this by himself. The urge to give up was going to be too strong.
Casey entered the room again, and handed him some tissues. To her great surprise, he buried his head in her shoulder and cried. She put her arms around him and patted his back. She had never seen him like this, but she was glad he was reaching out to her. She would try her best not to let him down.
In the ICU, in Olivia Benson's room, the machines beeped on, as one finger on her hand moved up and then down again...