No cop lets her guard down. You can't afford to. Not when you're hunting down a suspect in the busy downtown streets. Not when you're at the station arguing with your partner about how a case should be run. Not when your boss calls you into his office and you have no idea why. Not when you're in court testifying. You can't afford to.
You can't afford to let your guard down when you answer the phone. Not when you open the door, when you walk home at night. You don't let your guard down when you go to the store. When you drive your car. You're a cop. You're a female cop.
I worked hard to get where I am. I am one hundred percent cop. Whatever I do, wherever I am, I am always a cop.
But he didn't care that I was a cop. He didn't care to know my name. My mother's name. Where I grew up. It didn't matter, I wasn't human to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Daddy, can't I watch TV with you?"
Elliot looked at his little girl and scooped her up, "Sweetie, it's time for bed."
"But I don't want to go to bed!" She protested as he carried her to bed. "I'm not tired."
Elliot set her down and kissed her on the forehead, "Come on, you have school tomorrow. It's too late for you to be up-" Suddenly he heard a beep and sighed as he looked down at his beeper. Work. Again.
"Daddy, you're not leaving, are you?" She pouted.
"I don't know. But you're going to be asleep, so it doesn't matter.... right?" Elliot looked his daughter and she knew he meant busisness.
"Right." She replied half heartedly.
Elliot said goodnight to her and left her room, turning the light off and closing the door behind him. He walked to in his bedroom and looked at his wife who sat on their bed reading something.
She looked up at him and as soon as she saw his face she knew. "Have to go to work?"
He nodded.
She looked back down at her book. "Right. Go."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Somebody found her in the park unconscious. Pants torn, face bruised up. Doctor just did a rape kit. She's still not conscious."
Elliot rubbed his eyes. It was too late at night for this. "Did she have any ID on her?" He asked the nurse. He had never met this one before. So many of the nurses and doctors at Mercy were new, he didn't even try to keep them straight anymore.
"Nope. None. We're hoping she'll wake up soon. Then we'll know who she is." The plump little nurse tucked her greasy brown hair behind her ears and pointed to one of the exam rooms, "She's in there."
"Ugh, have you seen my partner around here?" Olivia was normally the first one to arrive.
"No, sorry," the nurse answered just as a young doctor exited the exam room.
"Detective Stabler?"
"That's me. And you are.....?"
"Dr. Colleen McIntyre."
"Give me the bullet."
"34 year old female. Head abrasions, superficial lacerations. Just finished the rape kit, going to send it off to the lab." Dr. McIntyre led him into the exam room.
"Oh my God." Elliot gasped as he entered. He suddenly felt paralyzed as he saw the woman lying on the gurney, beaten and bruised.
The doctor looked at him, cops didn't normally react like that. "You know her?"
"Olivia...." He sighed.
You can't afford to let your guard down when you answer the phone. Not when you open the door, when you walk home at night. You don't let your guard down when you go to the store. When you drive your car. You're a cop. You're a female cop.
I worked hard to get where I am. I am one hundred percent cop. Whatever I do, wherever I am, I am always a cop.
But he didn't care that I was a cop. He didn't care to know my name. My mother's name. Where I grew up. It didn't matter, I wasn't human to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Daddy, can't I watch TV with you?"
Elliot looked at his little girl and scooped her up, "Sweetie, it's time for bed."
"But I don't want to go to bed!" She protested as he carried her to bed. "I'm not tired."
Elliot set her down and kissed her on the forehead, "Come on, you have school tomorrow. It's too late for you to be up-" Suddenly he heard a beep and sighed as he looked down at his beeper. Work. Again.
"Daddy, you're not leaving, are you?" She pouted.
"I don't know. But you're going to be asleep, so it doesn't matter.... right?" Elliot looked his daughter and she knew he meant busisness.
"Right." She replied half heartedly.
Elliot said goodnight to her and left her room, turning the light off and closing the door behind him. He walked to in his bedroom and looked at his wife who sat on their bed reading something.
She looked up at him and as soon as she saw his face she knew. "Have to go to work?"
He nodded.
She looked back down at her book. "Right. Go."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Somebody found her in the park unconscious. Pants torn, face bruised up. Doctor just did a rape kit. She's still not conscious."
Elliot rubbed his eyes. It was too late at night for this. "Did she have any ID on her?" He asked the nurse. He had never met this one before. So many of the nurses and doctors at Mercy were new, he didn't even try to keep them straight anymore.
"Nope. None. We're hoping she'll wake up soon. Then we'll know who she is." The plump little nurse tucked her greasy brown hair behind her ears and pointed to one of the exam rooms, "She's in there."
"Ugh, have you seen my partner around here?" Olivia was normally the first one to arrive.
"No, sorry," the nurse answered just as a young doctor exited the exam room.
"Detective Stabler?"
"That's me. And you are.....?"
"Dr. Colleen McIntyre."
"Give me the bullet."
"34 year old female. Head abrasions, superficial lacerations. Just finished the rape kit, going to send it off to the lab." Dr. McIntyre led him into the exam room.
"Oh my God." Elliot gasped as he entered. He suddenly felt paralyzed as he saw the woman lying on the gurney, beaten and bruised.
The doctor looked at him, cops didn't normally react like that. "You know her?"
"Olivia...." He sighed.