Immediate Danger

(Chapter Two: Devastation)

It was about six o'clock Sunday evening and Elliot was having dinner with his children after church when he felt his cell phone vibrating. He reached into the pocket of his black suit and looked down to see who it was. Elliot hated to be disrupted during his time with his children. Since the separation he only got visitations with them a few hours a week and he wanted to make the most of them. He hated missing out on their lives so much, but under the circumstances until a custody agreement could be reached between the lawyers and the divorce was final he tried to make the best of things for the sake of the children. It was Captain Cragen.

"Daddy?" Maureen said with disappointment. "You don't talk on your phone at the table, it's rude!"

"I will just be a minute honey." Elliot replied as he stood up and kissed her on the forehead. "I have to take this. Kathleen help your brother out," he said motioning for her to hand the Eli another breadstick from the basket on the table. Elliot walked toward the front door and opened his phone and placed it to his ear. He was about to ask what was going on when he heard the concern in Cragen's voice on the other end.

"Elliot, something has happened. You need to get to Bellevue as soon as you can. It's Olivia."

Elliot shut the phone in his hand and for a moment felt almost nauseous not knowing what was wrong with her. Cragen wasn't sure of the details himself, but had received a call after the first responder to a 911 dispatch had sent them to Olivia's apartment and they realized she was a cop. All they would tell him over the phone was that she was badly injured and was being taken to Bellevue. Cragen immediately called Elliot to meet him there. Elliot rushed back to the table. Their food had just been delivered and the kids were enjoying their meal.

"What's going on daddy?" Kathleen asked as the other four children looked up at him with questions in their eyes.

"I have an emergency at work and I have to go, now. I have called your mother and she is going to pick you guys up here. She is on her way. You guys just stay right here, finish your dinner and wait on her. If you need me call my cell," he replied.

Elliot felt a little uneasy leaving the kids in the restaurant like this. But they were in a upper-class restaurant in a good part of the city and Kathy was only a few blocks away when he had called her giving as few details as possible and she agreed to come get the kids. Besides Maureen was eighteen and Kathleen sixteen, both plenty old enough and responsible enough to sit with the three younger children for the twenty minutes it would take their mother to arrive. Elliot kissed the kids goodbye and paid the check then rushed to Bellevue to be with Olivia.

The twelve block drive across town seemed to take hours. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Every bad thing he could possibly think could have happened to her was rushing through his brain. Elliot had never felt so scared or worried about Olivia like this. He parked the car in on the third level of the parking garage and raced up two flights of stairs to the fifth floor Intensive Care Unit. Elliot couldn't even breathe until he saw Cragen standing in front of him. He felt his heart pounding as he walked quickly toward Cragen at the end of a hallway that seemed to grow longer in front of him with each step he took.

"Where's Liv?" Elliot said with tears welling up in his eyes. "What happened?"

"They have not told me anything. Just that the building super who lives in the unit across the hall came home to find Olivia's door standing open. Liv was unconscious on the floor and there was a lot of blood. He called 911. When the paramedics realized she was police they contacted me. I called you first thing," Cragen replied. Moments later a nurse approached the two of them. Elliot happened to notice the chart she held in her arms had Liv's name on it. Elliot raised his eyes to meet hers.

"Are you Elliot Stabler?" She asked politely.

"Yes, I am." Elliot answered nodding his head.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give your friend here any more information on Olivia Benson, but you are listed as her next of kin on her medical files. I cannot legally release the information to anyone but you. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience."

"Is she okay?" Elliot blurted out.

"I'm going to let you talk to the doctor on call, he is the one that has been monitoring you friends condition. If you would please follow me, the doctor is waiting."

Elliot was starting to get annoyed with the way these people seemed to be avoiding giving him the answers he so desperately needed. They followed the woman down another hall and around a corner. At the end of the hall was a hospital room. The blinds were closed, but Elliot could see the forms of a doctor and two nurses moving around inside the room.

"Wait here," the woman said as she walked slowly toward the room opening the door and speaking to the doctor inside. Within seconds a tall dark headed man came out of the room and was standing in front of them. The man appeared young, really young, twenty five maybe. Too young, Elliot thought to have already been through medical school.

"I'm Doctor Jacobs," the man said shaking Elliot's hand. "We have her stabilized for now, but she has lost a lot of blood. She's probably going to need more in the next twenty four hours. She has been fading in and out of consciousness since they brought her in and has not been able to give us any details on the attack."

"What the hell happened to her?" Cragen asked. Elliot was still trying to form words to speak.

"We're not completely sure. She was attacked and possibly raped. He beat her up pretty bad. My guess she put up one hell of a fight. She has several small defense wounds on her hands. I'm guessing he held her at knife point as he held her down and assaulted her. She has a small burn on her left cheek, it appears to be a carpet burn. Those are all minor scrapes and bruises. She also has a couple of broken fingers on her right hand. Our big worry right now is the head wound. He hit her at least twice with a blunt object, something heavy. This is what caused most of her blood loss. She sustained a severe concussion. I'm guessing the broken fingers were from her raising her hands to try and shield her face from the blow. It doesn't look good. You have to understand that even if she does survive this there is no telling how this kind of trauma could effect her brain," Doctor Jacobs stated.

Elliot looked up at him, unsure of what to say. "We have the same blood type," he mumbled as he placed his finger tips to his brow trying to remember the last time he saw her face. She was smiling at him, she had a beautiful smile. He needed that memory to help hold him together now. There was no way he could handle it if he lost her.

"That's good," said Doctor Jacobs. "It would be good if we went ahead and drew some, so we have it if she needs it. I can arrange it."

"Did they run a rape kit?" Cragen asked. At least one of them was thinking like a cop. Olivia needed them on her side right now and Elliot wasn't able to think of anything at the moment except that smile. Her beautiful smile and the way the sunlight beamed off her auburn hair as if setting it afire. Elliot had always thought that Olivia was one of the most attractive women he had ever seen. But, she was more than beautiful. She was smart and dedicated to the cause and he had never met anyone with her passion for life. Somewhere inside he knew he would never meet anyone like her ever again. He couldn't let her die. She would never give up on him. He had to fight this battle for her until she was strong enough to fight it on her own. She was counting on him and he was not going to let her down.

"Since she wasn't conscious long enough to consent, we couldn't run the rape kit with out permission from her next of kin. That is you Mr. Stabler," the doctor replied looking up at Elliot.

"Bring in Warner," Elliot said. "Let her do the kit."

Doctor Jacobs gave Elliot a strange look. "We have a full staff of medical professionals who are perfectly capable of taking care of your friend. I assure you she is in good hands."

"No offense to you and your staff doctor, but my partner was just assaulted and probably raped by a man who tried to murder her! I'm not going to let some complete stranger perform a very invasive procedure on her. Our department is handling the case and I want our people on the inside of this thing. Doctor Melinda Warner, has been a licensed medical examiner for over fifteen years and has assisted our department in hundreds of these types of cases. She knows what she is looking for and Olivia knows her. I would just be more comfortable if you allowed her to do this!"

Elliot glared at the young doctor with a very stern look. There was no way he was going to let some strange man examine Olivia. If she had infact been raped he knew that she would not be comfortable with a man she had never even met before completing a rape kit on her.

"This is against hospital policy," the doctor said shaking his head. "But I understand. I will allow your doctor to do the examination, but I want one of my nurses present. And I need a copy of the report to go into her file."

Elliot nodded in agreement. He actually felt a little accomplished that was easier than he thought it would be. He turned around to see Cragen staring him down.

"You are not on this case Elliot," Cragen said in a stern voice. "I know you want to help her, but you are too close to this. I can't allow it. I will make sure she is taken care of and I promise you that no one in this department will rest until justice is found for her. I want you to take some time off. Stay here and be with her. She needs you here. I will oversee things on the other side of these doors and make sure Olivia's case is in the best hands. I will keep you as up to date as I can, but I can't give it to you. I hope you can understand."

"I want to know what is going on! Get somebody out there and find this guy! I don't know if I can just sit here and wait for her to die! Sit here and do nothing!"

"We are doing everything we can do! Her case is top priority! I have only the best people on this! I will have Dr. Huang get started on some kind of profile for this guy, Munch and Fin are leading a team processing the crime scene and questioning in neighbors and anyone in the neighborhood who may have seen her attacker. Believe me Elliot, you are not the only one who wants to see this bastard caught and punished for what he's done to Liv." Cragen put his hand on Elliot's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Melinda Warner is on her way down here. After she finishes the examine hopefully we will have some sort of evidence to go on, something that will help us to catch this guy and put him away for good. Doctor Jacobs said you could go in and Olivia in a few minutes. I think she needs you with her right now. I'm going to get over to Olivia's apartment and see what I can find. We will make it through this if we all stick together. We will all make it through this. She needs us to be strong for her, Elliot. You call me if anything changes or as soon as you find anything out." With that Captain Donald Cragen patted Elliot on the back and headed back down the hall.