"Finally, a sunny day in New York!" Munch said as he entered work. He
slammed his briefcase down on the desk and started to sip his coffee.
"Not for long. The weather reports say severe thunderstorms for all of tomorrow and the rest of the week. By the way, Detective, you are late." Captain Cragen came out of his office and over to Munch's desk. "Fin already is waiting outside for you."
"Sorry." Munch threw on his coat.
"Don't be sorry. Be punctual." Cragen said, checking his watch.
Munch was on his way down the stairs when a college girl came into the precinct. She looked very upset. "Excuse me?"
"Yes?" Munch asked her.
"There is a black trash bag sitting on the bench in the park. And there is a dead body in it."
.
"Okay everyone, step aside. Coming through." The SVU had arrived and was going to open the bag. Olivia Benson was putting on the gloves. "Are you sure that there is a body in here?"
"That's what the girl said." Munch pulled the bag open. "Oh my god. There is a dead body in here. But the baby is the size of my hand."
"It's a baby?" Detective Elliot Stabler asked, looking just as surprised as everyone. Everyone watched as Munch excavated the small body from the bag.
"I haven't ever seen a baby that small." Olivia said. Elliot and Fin nodded.
"Looks like the mother had some problems." Fin said.
"Did you track her down?" Munch asked.
"No, we still have to check the hospital records." Elliot rolled his eyes. "Fun, fun, fun."
"Part of the job. Look for anyone who still-birthed or delivered premature. She looks about six or seven months early." Munch held the tiny, tiny corpse in his hands.
"I didn't think it was possible to deliver that early." Olivia said as she pulled off her gloves and climbed into the car she and Elliot shared.
"Yeah it's really odd. I wonder who the mother is." Elliot said. He was thinking about his children.
"I don't know."
At the hospital, Olivia and Elliot were going through all the OB files. "Sometimes I wonder how I got into this job." Elliot commented, going through another file. Olivia snapped another closed and opened another.
"Hey, Elliot, I think we may have something here. The baby belongs to Ashley Mansfield. 14 at the time of the baby's delivery." Olivia read from a file. She delivered a baby girl 7 months premature. The baby died four hours after she was born. And the chart says she goes to Wellington High School."
"Well what are we waiting for?" Elliot asked. He pulled on his coat. Pulling his cell phone from his belt, Elliot dialed Captain Cragen. "Captain? It's Stabler. We think we may have and ID on that premature baby found in the park. A 14 year old named Ashley Mansfield. Goes to Wellington High School." Elliot listened on his phone for a few minutes. "Yeah, we're gonna go talk to her. Okay, we'll tell you how it goes. Sure thing. Bye."
Wellington High School
"Ashley, cradle the ball! No, not that way! Don't score yet! You're halfway across the field! Christy, check her! Ashley, run! Where is your head today?" The coach's voice hollering to the running girls on the lacrosse field. Olivia and Elliot stepped onto the grassy field.
"You think that's our Ashley?" Elliot asked.
"I don't know, you tell me." Olivia was carefully picking her way through the damp grass. "Shit. These are brand new shoes."
"That's why you don't wear new shoes to work." Elliot said. "If that's our Ashley Mansfield, she sure seems distracted."
Elliot stepped over to the coach, a tall man with thinning gray hair. "Excuse me, sir. I'm Detective Stabler; this is my partner Detective Benson. Do you have Ashley Mansfield on the field right now?"
"Yeah, she's been playing like shit lately. ASHLEY! Get over here right now!" The coach turned to Elliot. "She's been distracted lately."
A short, petite blonde girl holding an expensive lacrosse stick came over to the detectives. She had blue eyes with dark circles underneath them and they were red-rimmed. She looked upset and was very pale. Something wasn't right with her.
.
Ashley's POV: I saw the SVU detectives and my heart slid to my feet. They were talking to the coach and Mrs. Brooks, our assistant. I felt the other girls' eyes on me as I walked to them.
"Ashley, these are Detectives Benson and Stabler to talk to you. Remember to wear your uniform tomorrow because we have a game!" The coach hollered after her as I walked away with and the detectives.
"Let's go sit down, Ashley." Detective Stabler led me over to a set of silver bleachers. I pulled my mouth guard from my mouth and bit down on it hard. The female detective sat first.
"Ashley, I'm Olivia. We were wondering if you could tell us anything about a seven-month premature baby that was found in a trash bag on a bench in a park. The baby matched the description of your baby that you delivered last month."
I grew tense. I bit down on the mouth guard and I bit it through. "I never had a baby." I felt like I was going to be sick. I pulled my legs up to my chest. No way on the face of the earth was I going to tell these detectives about what had happened.
"We saw the file on you in the hospital." Detective Stabler said. I looked at my shoes. My face was growing red. My cheeks were hot.
"I'm not the only Mansfield in New York."
I felt relieved when my best friend Dana came over to me. "Ash, we need to get to cheerleading practice." Dana eyed Olivia and Detective Stabler.
"Okay, I'm coming. Do you know if we're learning anything new for nationals this year?" I asked. But before I left, I turned around. They were still watching me.
. "Well, did you figure anything out?" Munch asked Olivia and Elliot. He was paging through Ashley's hospital file.
"No. She was real defensive. Tense, choking back tears. Her friend came over and took her to cheerleading practice." Elliot said. "What about you?"
"Well we met her boyfriend Justin. He says Ashley has been distracted lately and fearful of men."
"Well, I think we should talk to Ashley. You have her address?"
"Not for long. The weather reports say severe thunderstorms for all of tomorrow and the rest of the week. By the way, Detective, you are late." Captain Cragen came out of his office and over to Munch's desk. "Fin already is waiting outside for you."
"Sorry." Munch threw on his coat.
"Don't be sorry. Be punctual." Cragen said, checking his watch.
Munch was on his way down the stairs when a college girl came into the precinct. She looked very upset. "Excuse me?"
"Yes?" Munch asked her.
"There is a black trash bag sitting on the bench in the park. And there is a dead body in it."
.
"Okay everyone, step aside. Coming through." The SVU had arrived and was going to open the bag. Olivia Benson was putting on the gloves. "Are you sure that there is a body in here?"
"That's what the girl said." Munch pulled the bag open. "Oh my god. There is a dead body in here. But the baby is the size of my hand."
"It's a baby?" Detective Elliot Stabler asked, looking just as surprised as everyone. Everyone watched as Munch excavated the small body from the bag.
"I haven't ever seen a baby that small." Olivia said. Elliot and Fin nodded.
"Looks like the mother had some problems." Fin said.
"Did you track her down?" Munch asked.
"No, we still have to check the hospital records." Elliot rolled his eyes. "Fun, fun, fun."
"Part of the job. Look for anyone who still-birthed or delivered premature. She looks about six or seven months early." Munch held the tiny, tiny corpse in his hands.
"I didn't think it was possible to deliver that early." Olivia said as she pulled off her gloves and climbed into the car she and Elliot shared.
"Yeah it's really odd. I wonder who the mother is." Elliot said. He was thinking about his children.
"I don't know."
At the hospital, Olivia and Elliot were going through all the OB files. "Sometimes I wonder how I got into this job." Elliot commented, going through another file. Olivia snapped another closed and opened another.
"Hey, Elliot, I think we may have something here. The baby belongs to Ashley Mansfield. 14 at the time of the baby's delivery." Olivia read from a file. She delivered a baby girl 7 months premature. The baby died four hours after she was born. And the chart says she goes to Wellington High School."
"Well what are we waiting for?" Elliot asked. He pulled on his coat. Pulling his cell phone from his belt, Elliot dialed Captain Cragen. "Captain? It's Stabler. We think we may have and ID on that premature baby found in the park. A 14 year old named Ashley Mansfield. Goes to Wellington High School." Elliot listened on his phone for a few minutes. "Yeah, we're gonna go talk to her. Okay, we'll tell you how it goes. Sure thing. Bye."
Wellington High School
"Ashley, cradle the ball! No, not that way! Don't score yet! You're halfway across the field! Christy, check her! Ashley, run! Where is your head today?" The coach's voice hollering to the running girls on the lacrosse field. Olivia and Elliot stepped onto the grassy field.
"You think that's our Ashley?" Elliot asked.
"I don't know, you tell me." Olivia was carefully picking her way through the damp grass. "Shit. These are brand new shoes."
"That's why you don't wear new shoes to work." Elliot said. "If that's our Ashley Mansfield, she sure seems distracted."
Elliot stepped over to the coach, a tall man with thinning gray hair. "Excuse me, sir. I'm Detective Stabler; this is my partner Detective Benson. Do you have Ashley Mansfield on the field right now?"
"Yeah, she's been playing like shit lately. ASHLEY! Get over here right now!" The coach turned to Elliot. "She's been distracted lately."
A short, petite blonde girl holding an expensive lacrosse stick came over to the detectives. She had blue eyes with dark circles underneath them and they were red-rimmed. She looked upset and was very pale. Something wasn't right with her.
.
Ashley's POV: I saw the SVU detectives and my heart slid to my feet. They were talking to the coach and Mrs. Brooks, our assistant. I felt the other girls' eyes on me as I walked to them.
"Ashley, these are Detectives Benson and Stabler to talk to you. Remember to wear your uniform tomorrow because we have a game!" The coach hollered after her as I walked away with and the detectives.
"Let's go sit down, Ashley." Detective Stabler led me over to a set of silver bleachers. I pulled my mouth guard from my mouth and bit down on it hard. The female detective sat first.
"Ashley, I'm Olivia. We were wondering if you could tell us anything about a seven-month premature baby that was found in a trash bag on a bench in a park. The baby matched the description of your baby that you delivered last month."
I grew tense. I bit down on the mouth guard and I bit it through. "I never had a baby." I felt like I was going to be sick. I pulled my legs up to my chest. No way on the face of the earth was I going to tell these detectives about what had happened.
"We saw the file on you in the hospital." Detective Stabler said. I looked at my shoes. My face was growing red. My cheeks were hot.
"I'm not the only Mansfield in New York."
I felt relieved when my best friend Dana came over to me. "Ash, we need to get to cheerleading practice." Dana eyed Olivia and Detective Stabler.
"Okay, I'm coming. Do you know if we're learning anything new for nationals this year?" I asked. But before I left, I turned around. They were still watching me.
. "Well, did you figure anything out?" Munch asked Olivia and Elliot. He was paging through Ashley's hospital file.
"No. She was real defensive. Tense, choking back tears. Her friend came over and took her to cheerleading practice." Elliot said. "What about you?"
"Well we met her boyfriend Justin. He says Ashley has been distracted lately and fearful of men."
"Well, I think we should talk to Ashley. You have her address?"