A mother for Bella
Sequel to A home for Nathan
2 of 5 in series
DISCLAIMER: Not mine I just use and and sometimes abuse the characters and story lines belonging to Dick Wolf
Chapter One
"Nathan Benson if you don't get your backside out of bed in the next ten seconds I will be in there with a bucket of ice water!" Olivia called, she'd been trying to get her adopted son Nathan was Phelps now Benson out of bed for nearly half an hour.
Nathan had been adopted six months previously and everything was going perfectly for them.
"I'm up." Nathan groaned as he entered the kitchenette from his bedroom.
"Good, now eat your breakfast, shower and then I'll drop you off at school on my way to work seeing as now we're both running late." Olivia said only half angry, even if she tried she couldn't be angry with him.
"Yeah ok…" Whatever else Nathan was going to say was interrupted by the shrill ring of her phone.
"Benson." She answered as she continued to make Nathan's school lunch for him to take with him. "Yeah… shit… uh no I'll be there as soon as… ok bye."
"Work." Nathan said before Olivia could.
"Yeah, will you hurry and make it for the bus?" Olivia asked knowing he was going to be close.
"Yes I will Mom the bus stop is just outside the door, I won't leave the apartment until five minutes before and I'll make sure to double check I've locked the door."
This was a routine if Olivia was called in after they were up. If she was called in any time before seven then Mrs Blackwell her neighbour would be informed and she would wake him for school and make sure he got breakfast, to Olivia, the woman was a God send.
"Ok, your lunch is done your school bag packed." Olivia said before kissing the top of his head. "Have a good day and call me if there's a problem."
"Have a good day. Bye Mom." He smiled as she clipped on her badge and holstered her gun.
"Bye son." She smiled before grabbing her car keys and hurrying out the door.
Olivia arrived the crime scene and Elliot was quick to fill her in.
"Ms Hammersmith, she was raped and killed, her five year old daughter Isabella is missing. Amber alert went out first thing. No father on scene from what we've heard from the neighbours he's never been around. Apartment isn't much, we found a nice big bag of ecstacy though so something tells me there may be something to do with the drugs involved."
As they entered the premises Olivia and Elliot began looking around for more clues. They'd been there about fifteen minutes when Olivia heard a noise that sounded much like a whimper.
"Did you hear that?" She asked Elliot who shook his head. "Everyone quieten down!" Olivia called and all the units instantly shut up making the whole house quiet.
Olivia and Elliot were in the little girl's room which wasn't much of a room but it was clearly hers. When a second whimper was heard Olivia looked at Elliot who gave her a nod confirming he'd not only heard it but had the same suspicion as to where it was coming from.
"Isabella?" Olivia asked as she slowly opened the door of the wardrobe.
She saw a pair of bright brown eyes looking at her before the young girl bowed her head and squeaked.
"Isabella? My name's Olivia, and I'm a police officer." Olivia said kneeling down beside the wardrobe close enough to Isabella but far enough away that she wasn't intimidating either. "Isabella, me and my friend Elliot, we want to help you but first you're going to have to come out of there, can you do that?" Olivia asked and the little girl lifted her head and scanned Olivia's face before giving a weak nod.
Olivia smiled reassuringly before reaching out her hand and Isabella took it just to pull herself out a little bit before she threw her arms around Olivia and began to sob.
"You're ok Isabella, you're safe now sweetie." Olivia reassured as she picked the girl up and managed to push herself to standing.
"I'll call Cragen, why don't you take her down to the EMT's." Elliot told her softly as she comforted the sobbing five year old.
"Meet you at Mercy." Olivia said before walking off.
When Elliot finally got to Mercy hospital he found his partner, best friend and sort of girlfriend pacing the floor.
"What's wrong?" He asked her as he grabbed her shoulders to stop her pacing.
"They had to sedate her. The doctor came in and she started screaming and all these… all these nurses had to restrain her while she was sedated." Olivia said with only a hint of tears in her eyes and a quiver in her voice that no one but Elliot would ever notice.
Elliot didn't care about the risks and pulled her into an embrace knowing she needed to be comforted.
"They're doing a rape kit, obvious signs of abuse." Olivia said just as the room door opened and a doctor exited.
"Detectives?" He enquired as the two jumped apart.
"Benson, Stabler." Olivia said pointing to each of them.
"Isabella has obvious signs of long term physical abuse. However she has a fixed hymen and no signs of trauma to the vaginal area." The Doctor told them and Olivia let out a small sigh of relief, at least this young girl had some part of her innocence left. "Once she's awake I'm happy to discharge her."
"Thank you doctor." Olivia smiled, she was very grateful.
"You're welcome Detective as soon as she's awake the papers will be ready." He said before walking off.
"I'll call Cragen, why don't you go sit in there with her?" Elliot suggested and Olivia nodded, ever since she'd had Nathan child cases had become harder on her and Elliot knew and understood that, at least she wasn't sobbing every time now like she had when she first adopted him.
Olivia went into the room and saw Isabella looking so small in the hospital bed. She was filthy and the little Olivia could see of her was covered in bruises beneath the dirt.
She sat beside the bed and watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she slept wondering how long she would be out for.
Responsibility of Isabella until after the case would lie with her. She knew that because she had been the first one responding to the girl. The first thing she planned on doing was taking Isabella to have a bath and something to eat and then it would be time to put the five year old through the gruelling task of giving a statement, it was going to be horrifying.
"Liv?" Elliot said coming into the room.
"Yeah?" Olivia asked.
"Cap says do what you gotta do." Elliot said and Olivia knew that meant she had her superior's permission to take the girl home for a bath and food to slowly build the young girl's trust before putting her through the ordeal of giving a statement.
It was two hours later when Isabella finally woke up. Olivia and Elliot signed the girl out and the whole time Isabella clung onto Olivia for dear life.
"Isabella, you're going to come to my place to have a bath and then we'll have something to eat how does that sound?" Olivia asked as she carried the girl out of the hospital.
Isabella nodded against Olivia's shoulder and Olivia smiled softly and rubbed her cheek into the girl's dirty hair trying to bring her some comfort.
"Oh Liv I need to take a DNA swab too for Warner to run through the system and look for any family." Elliot informed her as she buckled the child into the back seat of the car.
"Yeah pass us a swab and gloves." Olivia said.
Isabella was very nervous about everything but she complied without much fuss. Elliot was quick to bag up the swab and label it ready for it to be dropped off at the ME's office.
"I'll drop you off at your place." Elliot said and Olivia noticed he had her car. "Then take a cab back to the squad room."
"Thanks." She smiled and the whole ride over she watched the five year old in the mirror who looked terrified and upset.
"I'll bring her in as soon as she washed and fed." Olivia said as Elliot handed her keys over.
"Ok, don't hurry though." Elliot laughed. "Cragen's telling you to build up her trust knowing it could be vital to our case so do it."
"I don't want to get attached." Olivia said.
"And you won't, you know you can't keep her." Elliot explained as she picked up the little girl who was half asleep from the back of the car.
"I know." Olivia chuckled. "But I wish I could, Nathan would love a sibling."
"Go on. Hop to it." Elliot smiled before kissing her softly.
Olivia waved at him from the top of the steps before entering the apartment block and taking the elevator up to her floor. She opened the door and was shocked to see Nathan sitting in his school uniform on the couch where he had been watching TV now looking shocked at her.
"Nathan Benson why aren't you in school?" Olivia asked trying to keep calm because of the shaken five year old on her hip.
"I missed the bus, I knew you were busy Mom so I didn't want to call you." Nathan explained getting to his feet. "I'm sorry."
Olivia gritted her teeth.
"We'll talk about this later." She said calmly as she stroked her hand through Isabella's hair.
"I am sorry Mom." He said bashfully and Olivia knew he was genuine.
"It's ok Nathan." Olivia said as Isabella looked at Nathan from Olivia's shoulder.
"So Mom who's this?" Nathan asked staying where he was as he knew what type of victims Olivia dealt with and guessed it was one of those.
"Isabella, this is my son Nathan, Nathan this is Isabella. We've come for a bath and something to eat haven't we sweetie?" Olivia smiled softly and Isabella nodded against her shoulder. "Now Isabella, will you stay in here with Nathan while I go run you a bath?"
Isabella looked nervously at Nathan.
"I can put on some cartoons and get out some colouring books, do you like to colour Isabella?" Nathan asked the caring and loving nature of his adopted mother had really rubbed off on him.
Isabella nodded and Olivia took her over to the couch and put her down.
"Do you want some juice Isabella?" Olivia asked and the young girl nodded softly.
"Nathan get her one of the juice boxes from the fridge, then once she's bathed and you're both fed I am taking you to school for afternoon classes, I'll get you there before end of lunch bell." Olivia warned and he nodded knowing he was in no way off the hook for missing the bus.
Olivia went through to the bathroom and ran a bath and made sure she had a large fluffy towel to wrap the child in afterwards. As she closed the taps and checked the water temperature she heard Isabella's laughter piercing the air and it brought a smile to Olivia's face.
She went into the living room and saw the little girl with a juice box sat beside Nathan on the couch who was reading her a story. Olivia smiled as she listened to her son put on voices making the five year old laugh hysterically.
"Isabella your bath is ready." Olivia smiled extending her hand.
She passed her juice box to Nathan who smiled and helped her off the couch and she ran happily over to Olivia who scooped her up and kissed her cheek in a caring manner.
Olivia stripped her from the hospital scrubs and gently placed her into the water. Isabella was already far more relaxed than she had been at first.
"Olivia?" She asked as Olivia began to wash her bruised and scared back.
"Yeah baby?" Olivia asked.
"Am I staying here?" Isabella asked innocently.
"Oh Bella…" Olivia sighed. "You're not allowed too baby, you remember when I used that horrible stick in your mouth… well we're going to use that to try and find your family."
"Ok." Isabella sighed. "Bella." She smiled.
"What?" Olivia asked as she put some shampoo in the palm of her hand.
"You called me Bella… no one ever called me Bella before." She said with a huge grin on her face.
"Do you like being called Bella?" Olivia asked as she rubbed the shampoo into the little girl's dark brown hair.
"Yeah only from you." Isabella replied and Olivia smiled.
"Ok it will be my little nickname for you then." Olivia laughed softly and Isabella smiled, for a few moments she wasn't an abuse victim whose mother had been murdered.
Once out of the bath Olivia took a wrapped up Isabella into her bedroom and wondered what on earth she was going to do about clothes.
Remembering the bag of Dickie's things that Elliot had given her when she first got Nathan she remembered how some of Lizzie's things were in the bag and how she hadn't had the heart to throw any of them out.
She found the bag in the drawer at the top of her closet and emptied it on the bed while Isabella shivered under her towel.
She found one pair of Barbie panties that would do with a pair of dungaree's that Olivia knew she could make fit and a pink t-shirt to go underneath it.
Isabella allowed Olivia to dry her and change her and she even laughed softly when Olivia rolled up the bottom of the ten year old size dungaree's and put safety pins in the straps.
As she went through to the kitchen with Isabella perched on her hip her phone rang interrupting the moment.
"Benson… what? You can't be… ok… no no… now? What? Ok… I'll see you in a minute Cap." Olivia hung up the phone and looked at the screen in shock.
"Mom?" Nathan asked coming over to her and Bella. "Is everything ok?"
"I don't know. Nathan my boss is on the way here so can you take Bella into your bedroom to play, share your lunch box with her for now and I'll take you both out for proper food later, just don't make a mess." Olivia said putting Isabella on the floor and watching her happily take Nathan's hand.
What did Cragen say on the phone? Why is he on the way over? What happens to Bella?