Disclaimer: I own only Belinda! SVU and all recognizable characters belong to Dick Wolf.

A/N: Many thanks to both of my betas! And a huge thank you to my friend, TStabler, who is screening this fic as a special favor to me! :~D

Yes, Elliot and Olivia are married, very much in love AND are still partners in this fic. I know that married couples are not allowed to be partners in the NYPD, but this is fanfic land!

I'm going to rate this as T for now. I may change it to M later, not necessarily for explicit material, but for material that may be highly emotional and/or triggering.

That being said… I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, please leave me a review and let me know what you think!

Chapter One

"Yes, thank you for calling," Detective Elliot Stabler sighed as he replaced the handset of his desk phone on the cradle.

"What is it?" his partner of over a decade and wife of the past two years, Detective Olivia Stabler, asked without looking up from her paperwork.

He paused, watching her cautiously, for a moment before speaking. "Belinda Hensley's in the hospital," he spoke softly, knowing how attached she had been to the 15 year old victim that they had worked with a couple of times before.

She dropped her pen and looked up at Elliot across their joined desks. "What?" she asked, only slightly surprised. "Where? What happened?" she fired the questions off rapidly, already on her feet and reaching for her jacket.

Elliot stood, grabbing his jacket as well. "Mercy General, Burn Unit," he answered as he followed her out of the squad room.

"What?" Olivia stopped short and whirled around to face her partner, shock written all over her face.

He stumbled as he nearly ran into her, thanks to her sudden stop.

"Burn Unit? What the heck happened?" she asked, her slight surprise now registering in the higher end of the spectrum.

"The nurse didn't say," Elliot responded as he led Olivia toward the elevator.

"Well what did the nurse say?"

"Just that Belinda has been admitted, showing signs of being attacked. And that she refuses to talk to anyone, except you."

Olivia sighed. "I was afraid this would happen again."

Fifteen minutes later, they rushed into the Burn Unit. "Belinda Hensley…" Olivia asked, slightly out of breath as she and Elliot both showed their shields to the nurse behind the desk.

The nurse glanced down at a chart before looking back up at them. "Room 214."

The two detectives were running down the hall before the nurse could say anything more.

"You'll have to put on gowns before you go in!" She called after them.

Elliot raised his hand and waved without looking back, letting the nurse know that he heard her instructions.

After quickly pulling on protective gowns, masks and hair nets, they hurried into Belinda's hospital room.

Olivia gasped, almost silently, when she got her first glimpse of the young girl. "Oh, Lindy…" the nickname, that she had given the girl shortly after they met, slipped easily from her lips.

Belinda turned toward the voice that she barely heard and slowly opened her eyes. She recognized the detective immediately, despite the protective coverings. "Olivia…" the pain was evident in her voice as well as in her eyes.

Olivia quickly crossed the room, tears in her eyes as she took in the sight of Belinda's numerous burns and injuries.

"Careful," a nurse warned from the other side of the bed. "Don't touch any of her burns."

Olivia nodded as she reached out and gently wiped away the young girl's tears, being careful to avoid the burns on her cheeks.

"You came…" there was a note of surprise in Belinda's pain and tear filled voice as she inhaled raggedly.

"Of course I came, Sweetheart," Olivia answered quietly through the protective mask that covered her nose and mouth. "I came as soon as I got the call that you wanted me."

Elliot stepped up behind his wife as he took in the sight of the battered and broken girl for himself.

Belinda's eyes flitted up to Elliot's face momentarily; then returned to Olivia as more tears rolled down her burned and bruised face.

"What happened, honey?" Olivia whispered, her voice full of compassion. "Tell us what happened. Who did this to you?"

Belinda's eyes slowly closed as her breathing became even more ragged than it was before.

"Lindy…" Olivia called gently.

The young girl made no move to open her eyes or to respond.

"Lindy…" Olivia called again, a little louder. Her voice took on a slightly panicked sound as she still received no response. "Belinda! Open your eyes, Belinda!"

The young teen forced her eyes open even more slowly than the first time.

A small sigh of relief escaped Olivia's lips at her obedience. "There you are, that's my girl," she gently and lightly laid her hand on Belinda's forehead, being mindful to avoid her injuries. "Talk to me, Sweetheart. Tell me who did this."

Belinda opened her mouth to speak as she shifted uncomfortably, but a cry of pain came out instead. She bit her bottom lip, trying not to scream, as her movements sent searing pain through her splinted and hastily bandaged limbs.

The nurse spoke again from the other side of the bed as several more medical personnel entered the room. "This will have to wait, detectives. We have to get her into surgery, right now."

"Surgery?" Elliot spoke up as he and Olivia were quickly moved to the side by the nurses. They unlocked the wheels of Belinda's gurney and moved it toward the door.

"She has multiple fractures in her left arm and in her right leg. Surgery is the only option, the doctor has to pin the bones back together."

Elliot and Olivia followed Belinda's gurney out of the room and down the hall as far as the medical personnel would allow them.

Reaching a set of double doors, one of the nurses turned around and held her hand out to stop the two detectives. "This is as far as you go. You'll contaminate our sterile field."

"I'll be here when you wake up, Sweetie," Olivia called just before the double doors closed and Belinda's gurney was rushed toward the operating room.

Once she was out of sight, Olivia and Elliot peeled off the protective gowns, masks and hair nets; then tossed them into the designated receptacle. They returned to the front of the Burn Unit and approached the woman, who was working busily behind the nurses' desk.

"Excuse me," Elliot spoke apologetically. "Sorry to bother you, but is there a doctor around? Or can you fill us in on the situation with Belinda Hensley please?"

"Sure," the cheerful nurse replied with a smile. "Go have a seat in the lobby and I'll page the head of the unit for you."

The two detectives moved to the empty lobby and slowly lowered themselves into the large plush chairs.

"I knew something else was gonna happen to her," Olivia mumbled.

"There was nothing else we could have done," Elliot said as he reached over and patted her shoulder gently. His wife was hurting; he could see the devastation in her eyes. He wanted to pull her into his arms and just hold her until her pain stopped. But they were on the job. The only two reasons they had been allowed to remain partners after they married was their high case closure rate and their ability to separate their personal life from their professional lives. It was mandatory that their personal relationship never crossed the line into their work lives.

"I shouldn't have let her go back to them," Olivia shook her head and quickly wiped away her tears before they could fall.

"You had to, Liv. The judge gave custody back to her parents." he said softly, trying to assure her that Belinda's injuries weren't her fault.

"Well, it won't happen again," her voice was laced with determination. "It won't happen again. I won't let it."

Elliot's forehead wrinkled slightly in a frown of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"We're licensed foster parents, El."

He nodded as he watched her face closely.

She sighed before continuing, "I want to take Lindy home with us."

Elliot nodded again. He knew his wife's heart; and he had know ahead of time that she was going to want to take the young girl away from the abusive home she was trapped in.

"We can't let her go back to them again. Next time, she won't survive…"

~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~

Only a few moments passed before a tall, blonde lady walked into the lobby.

Olivia spotted her first and quickly stood.

"Hi," the blonde approached with a kind smile. "I'm Dr. Clanton."

Olivia nodded, "I'm Olivia… uh… Detective Stabler." The nervousness was evident in her voice and in her flustered speech. She motioned to Elliot as he stood and stepped up at her side. "This is my husband… uh… partner, Detective Stabler."

"I'm Elliot," he said as he extended his hand.

The pretty doctor smiled reassuringly as she shook his hand. Then she reached over and took ahold of Olivia's hand. "Breathe, Detective," she spoke softly as she gently squeezed the other woman's hand. "Belinda's going to be fine… physically. It's going to take her awhile to heal, but I expect her to make a complete recovery."

Olivia quietly blew out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. "What happened to her?"

Dr. Clanton gently dropped Olivia's hand and sighed. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "All she would say is, and I quote, 'Olivia, I want Olivia.' I tried everything I could think of to get her to talk, but nothing worked."

Olivia nodded. "Lindy's very withdrawn. She's been through way too much for her age… for any age really."

"It took a lot of time and even more patience, but she finally got to where she will talk to me," Elliot added with a sad smile. "For the longest time, Liv was the only one who could get her to talk."

"You're both detectives…" Dr. Clanton said, letting her question hang, unfinished.

"Yes," Olivia answered. "Special Victims Unit."

The doctor nodded slightly. "It seems like she has been sexually assaulted."

Olivia sighed quietly as she closed her eyes, trying to hold back her tears.

"Did you run a rape kit?" Elliot asked after a moment of silence.

"No - -" the doctor started to respond but was quickly cut off.

"What? Why the heck not?" Olivia practically yelled.

"Because her other injuries, the burns and the multiple fractures in her arm and leg, were more urgent. They needed immediate care."

Olivia sighed, knowing the doctor was right. She looked up at Elliot. "No need in doing a rape kit later. They'll wash all evidence away in surgery."

"I'm sorry, Detectives."

Elliot shook his head. "It's ok, don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure we know who raped her anyway."

Dr. Clanton tilted her head slightly to the side as she looked at Elliot and Olivia with a sad smile. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I wish I could help more… it's just out of my hands."

Olivia swallowed back tears. "It's ok, we understand."

"After surgery, Belinda will be in recovery for a short period, then moved to ICU. When she's well enough, she'll be moved to a regular room," the doctor began to explain.

"ICU and then a regular room?" Olivia questioned. "She won't be moved back to the burn unit?"

"No," Dr. Clanton smiled. "Her burns are not as serious as we first thought. Most of them are just first degree burns, only a couple of second degree."

"But it's serious enough for her to be in ICU?" Elliot asked.

"Yes, her other injuries could potentially be life-threatening."

Olivia gasped. "Life-threatening?"

"It appears that she took quite a nasty blow to the head. I suspect she has a concussion."

"You suspect?" Elliot frowned.

"I didn't get a chance to thoroughly examine her," Dr. Clanton admitted.

"So…" Olivia's voice turned icy. "Not only did you NOT examine Belinda properly… you also allowed her to be put under anesthesia, knowing that she most likely has a head injury!"

"I know it's not the best possible option," the doctor replied kindly. "But Belinda needs immediate surgery. Not only to repair her arm and leg, but she's also bleeding internally. They have to go in, find the source and stop the bleeding."

Olivia sighed as tears filled her eyes once again. She couldn't stop them this time. She reached up and brushed the tears, almost angrily, from her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Detectives," Dr. Clanton apologized again. "We're doing the best we can. And at the moment, the best thing for her is surgery. In light of her head injury and possible concussion, they are using the mildest anesthesia and giving her the lowest possible dose."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be pushy or rude," Olivia began. "It's just…" her voice trembled as she tried to explain. "Lindy's just…" her voice trailed off as she shrugged, not knowing exactly how to explain.

The blonde doctor nodded in understanding. "Belinda's special," she said. "She's more than one of the victims you work with everyday."

"Exactly," Olivia replied as tears poured freely from her eyes and rolled down both of her cheeks.

Elliot reached over, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

Olivia turned into her husband and buried her face in his chest as she cried.

In a highly unusual behavior, Elliot and Olivia allowed the line between their professional lives and their personal lives to blur. He held her close as she allowed herself, just this once, to break down. Tears pooled in his own eyes as he rubbed his wife's back. "It's ok, Love."

"Come on," Dr. Clanton's voice was soft. "I'll walk you to the OR waiting room and make sure the surgeon knows to come speak to you when surgery is over."

Elliot nodded and followed the doctor out, holding Olivia close as they walked.

A few minutes later, Dr. Clanton stepped into the OR waiting room where Elliot and Olivia sat. "Ok, I left a message for Dr. Williams to talk to you and fill you in once she finishes with Belinda's surgery."

"Thank you," Olivia answered as she exhaled slowly, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you more," the petite doctor said as she shook hands with both of them. "But I think you'll like Dr. Williams. She's a great doctor and a highly skilled surgeon. She's kind and is very good at what she does. She'll be straight with you about what's going on and what to expect."

A few minutes later, Elliot and Olivia sat in the waiting room alone.

Olivia gripped her husband's hand as she stared straight ahead, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

"Sweetheart…" Elliot spoke softly, trying not to startle her but wanting to draw her out at the same time.

She turned to look at him, tears still shimmering in her eyes but not falling. "I want her, El."

"I know, Love."

"Child Protection Services has to take her away from them now. They have to see what's going on now."

"We don't know for sure what happened. Lindy hasn't said anything yet," he reminded her gently.

"You and I both know who did this to her."

Elliot nodded silently in agreement.

"We're licensed foster parents, El. We could take her in."

"Liv… I know how much you love this little girl and how attached you are to her. But that's no guarantee that CPS will place her in our care, no matter how much we love her and want her."

Olivia smiled through her tears as she looked up at him. "We."

"Huh? We what?" he frowned slightly, confused about what had apparently delighted his wife.

"You said 'we'… you said 'we love her and want her'."

"Oh," he smiled as it suddenly dawned on him. Now he knew what had make his wife happy. "Yes, we. I love Lindy too, honey. It's hard NOT to love her. She's a good kid."

"She needs parental figures who love her, not abuse her."

"I know."

"We can give her that," she said, squeezing his hand.

"Yeah, we can…" he sighed and leaned over, maintaining direct eye contact with Olivia. "But CPS is gonna make us jump through hoops."

She bit her bottom lip, almost nervously, before asking hopefully. "So we can try?"

A/N 2: So, will Liv and El be allowed to foster Belinda? Why is Belinda so withdrawn? Why will she only talk to Liv and/or El? What exactly does Belinda have to face and deal with?

These answers and more coming up next… if you want. Let me know! Please review!