This was my brainchild, and SVUproductions stepped in to lend a hand, because she loves torturing El and Liv as much as I do! Hehehe. She wrote El and Max, and I wrote Liv and the hospital personnel. Oh, how we enjoy messing with them. LOL. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not ours!

SVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVU

Olivia Benson chuckled as her date, Max Landon, told her a joke about his work. They had met weeks ago, and he had asked her out the first day they met. But her job was unpredictable, and her schedule impossible. They were here now, though, after several canceled meetings, and she was truly enjoying herself.

"So it sounds like you have a pretty crazy schedule," Max noted, looking Olivia up and down.

She nodded, sipping her red wine and secretly enjoying his admiring look. She had bought a daring red dress just for this date, and she hoped it would be worth the money she spent. "I do. But I love my job."

Max nodded and took a long sip of his wine. "I bet you do great."

"Most of the time." Her cell phone started to chirp, and she growled softly. Not now... Shaking her head, she reached into her purse. "I'm so sorry, but this might be work." She opened the phone. "Benson."

"Is this Olivia Benson?"

She brushed her hair back. "Yes."

"My name is Becca Adams, and I'm a nurse at Mercy General. We have you listed as the next of kin for a patient," the woman said.

Olivia felt her stomach drop as she stood up. "Who?"

"Elliot Stabler."

Her knees buckled. "What happened to him?" She grabbed her purse and rushed out of the restaurant, leaving behind her confused date.

"Ma'am, you really should come down here. We can explain his condition then."

"What happened?" she snarled, racing to her car.

"He was hit by a car a few hours ago..."

"What?" She yanked open the door of her SUV. "And you're just calling me now? Is he okay?" She got into the driver's seat.

"Just come as soon as you can, please."

Olivia nearly screamed in frustration when the line went dead. "Shit!" She tossed the phone aside and started the engine, then peeled out of the parking lot of the restaurant.

By the time she reached the hospital, Olivia was frantic. What had happened to Elliot? Was he okay? Why wouldn't the nurse tell her about his condition? She got out of the SUV and hurried into the hospital, ignoring the looks she received. She hurried to the front desk and spoke to a nurse. With a flash of her badge that she always carried in her purse, she found out Elliot was upstairs. She nodded and hurried upstairs.

It was easy enough to find the room, and when she got to his door, she ran into a man walking through the door.

The doctor nodded and smiled at her.

"Are you Olivia?"

She nodded breathlessly. "Yes."

He offered her a reassuring smile. "Your husband is going to be fine."

"What happened to him?"

"According to eyewitness accounts, a small child ran into the middle of a street to get a ball. Elliot followed the child and put himself between her and a speeding car. The child is fine, but Elliot sustained a broken leg, a concussion, and numerous scrapes and bruises from hitting the pavement."

Olivia choked on the air she was breathing. Of course Elliot would put his own life in danger to save the life of a child. "But he's going to be okay, right?"

He nodded reassuringly. "We put a cast on his leg and had to stitch several lacerations. But he will only have to be here a few days."

A feeling of immense relief swept through Olivia. "Is he awake?"

"He's drifting in and out of consciousness, and due to the large amounts of painkillers in his system, he probably won't be very coherent tonight."

Olivia nodded shakily. "Can I see him?"

"Of course." He opened the door for her. "If you need anything or have any questions..."

"I'll let you know." She hurried into the room.

The lighting in the room was dim, and she approached the bed slowly. "El...?" She kept her voice soft in case he had fallen asleep.

"Liv?" Elliot called, his voice slurred.

She set her purse down and stepped up to his side. "I'm here." She raked her gaze over his form, and a lump formed in her throat. His left leg was in a traction, and white gauze was wrapped around his head. Even in the dim light she could also see the cuts and bruises he had sustained from hitting the harsh pavement.

Elliot was staring at his leg intently, as if he had no idea he had ever had it attached to his body.

She reached out and lightly touched his hand where it rested on his abdomen.

Elliot glared at the cast on his leg, and his eyes finally lit up. "There's a cast on my leg," he finally noted.

She nodded, noting the clouded look in his cerulean eyes. "Your leg is broken."

"Take that thing off me," Elliot demanded.

She gently closed her fingers over his hand. "You need it, El."

Elliot pouted. "Why?" he whined.

"Because your leg is broken."

"Then fix it."

"The cast will do that." Her thumb gently stroked his skin.

"The cast isn't working," Elliot insisted. "It won't fix my leg."

"Yes, it will," she patiently assured him.

Elliot shook his head. "Make it hurry."

She smiled a little and sat down beside his bed. The doctor wasn't kidding... She wondered just how much drugs Elliot had been given.

"What's funny?" Elliot asked.

"You." She reached out and affectionately smoothed her hand over his hair.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Even if I am, you won't remember in the morning."

"Do I have amnesia or something?"

"No, El. But you are on some serious painkillers."

"Oh," Elliot said simply. He stared at Olivia intently, then at a marker lying on the nightstand. "Sign it."

"Sign what?"

"The cast."

She chuckled softly. "Fine." She grabbed the marker and pulled the cap off.

"Write 'I love you,'" Elliot begged.

She paused, her breath hitching in her chest. Elliot's divorce had been finalized for nearly a month, but despite her feelings for him, she hadn't said anything for fear of ruining their friendship and partnership.

"Please?" Elliot stuck his bottom lip out.

A slight tremble went through her. Finally she moved to the foot of the bed and placed the tip of the marker to his cast. I love you. Liv.

Elliot smiled proudly. "You're pretty," he said hazily, drawing out the e and the y.

Chuckling, she put the cap back on the marker before returning to the chair. "I hope so. I spent a lot of money on this dress."

"My leg itches," Elliot stated out of the blue.

She reached into her purse and retrieved a pen. "I think I can help." Leaning over, she inched the pen into the gap between the cast and his leg and moved it gently. "Better?"

Elliot nodded. "Can I go home?"

"In a few days."

"Will you go with me?"

"Go with you where, El?" But it didn't really matter. She would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked her to.

"Home."

She nodded. "When you get out of here, I'll go with you." He would probably need someone to go with him for a few days to keep an eye on him, anyway.

"Good," Elliot said. "Would you give me a sponge bath?"

She laughed. "I'll let a nurse do that."

"But I want you to," Elliot whined. "The nurses aren't as pretty as you!"

A light blush colored her cheeks. "Maybe not, but I'm not going to give you a sponge bath."

"That's mean."

She leaned closer to him and gently pulled his blanket tighter around him. "You should try to sleep, El." Even though he was going to be fine, she was still worried about him.

"I don't wanna," Elliot protested.

"But you're tired." She allowed herself a moment of weakness and ran her fingertips over his cheek.

"No, I'm not." Elliot reached for her hand and grabbed it.

She let him hold her hand. "You've had a long day. You need to rest."

Elliot played absently with her fingers. "Could you shampoo my hair?"

She snickered. "El, you don't have much hair to shampoo."

"You're not being nice," Elliot accused.

"So?" she teased.

"I'm being nice to you!"

She took him by surprise and pressed her lips to his forehead. "Better?" she whispered.

Elliot nodded. "Yep. Do it again."

Her lips touched his skin again. Then she rested her forehead against his. "I'm so glad you're okay, El," she murmured, her expression suddenly serious.

"I am, too," Elliot said simply.

She inhaled deeply. "Don't ever scare me like that again." Her voice was thick with emotion.

"I won't," Elliot said. "I scared you?"

"Yes, you did." She perched herself on the edge of his bed. "I was in the middle of a date with a great guy I had been trying to arrange for weeks. But when I got that call..." When she had gotten the call, her world had caved in. "I had never been so afraid, Elliot."

"Did you freak out?" Elliot asked, his tone surprisingly serious.

"I thought I was going to lose you." She lifted her hand and placed it against his cheek. "There was no way I could have survived that."

"I didn't die," Elliot whispered.

She rested her forehead against his. "But you could have. And for a minute... I thought you would." Her thumb slowly stroked his skin. "And the worst thing was... you wouldn't have known..."

Elliot rose his eyebrows and looked at her. "Known what?"

Her hand moved to rest against the back of his neck. "How much... I need you."

"Why do you need me?"

"You're my best friend." Hot tears gathered in her dark eyes. "You're everything to me, El."

Elliot rested his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Why are you sorry, Elliot? You didn't do anything."

"I made you worry."

"It's... it's not a terrible thing. I care about you." She swallowed hard. "It's nice to have someone... that I can worry so much about."

"Don't you have somebody?" Elliot whispered.

"El, you're it." She gently took his face in her hands.

Elliot ran his fingers over her knuckles. "I am?"

"Yes." She kissed his cheek.

Elliot absently twirled his fingers through Olivia's hair.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. Tonight her world had almost fallen apart, because she thought that she was losing this man. Without a word she pulled him into her arms and held him as tightly as she dared.

Elliot slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

She trembled and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Elliot rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Shh."

"I could have lost you, Elliot," she murmured against his skin. "I can't lose you..."

"You won't lose me. I'm here."

Her grip tightened on him. "I love you, so much," she choked out, unable to keep it to herself any longer. She had been in love with him for so long, and she was tired of holding it back. And since his divorce was final, there was nothing keeping her from saying those words anymore.

"I love you, too," Elliot whispered.

Those words, his confirmation, left her head spinning. "Really?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah."

She took him by surprise and pressing her lips firmly against his in a sweet, chaste kiss.

He closed his eyes and found himself kissing her back and savoring the passion.

Finally they broke apart, and she watched him, feeling a mixture of amazement and disbelief. For twelve years, she had been dreaming of this, and here they were. She ran her fingers lightly through his hair and smiled the sweetest smile he'd ever seen. "You should try to rest, El." He was happy but clearly exhausted. "I'll stay with you."

Elliot nodded slowly. "Night..." He allowed sleep to wash over him.

She stayed on the bed with him for several minutes, until his breathing was deep and even and she was certain he was sleeping soundly. Then she reluctantly moved back to her chair, still reeling with disbelief. He loved her. He actually loved her. She couldn't wrap her head around that amazing fact. She loved him, and he truly felt the same way. Sighing softly, she made herself as comfortable as she could in the uncomfortable chair and watched him sleep.

"I love you, Elliot."

The End!

A/N: Ah, we are so evil. LOL. But we could never split them up... or could we? *evil laughter* Thanks for reading, and please remember to drop us a line!