What Might Have Been

(Chapter Two: Lightning)

"Detective Stabler?" The judge's voice boomed from the stand in the front of the room.

"You're on," Casey said nudging Elliot in the side with her elbow. "Are you sure you're okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine. I just need some sleep, that's all. I've got this."

"Good. Your testimony is really important to this case."

"Casey, I know what I'm doing."

"Alright," she said as he stood and walked to the front of the room.

Elliot gave his usual flawless performance and the man was sentenced to twenty two years in prison for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn child. Later he sat in a bar celebrating the victory with Casey and some of the guys she worked with.

"I was worried when you came back after the break. You were soaked and looked like hell. What is going on with you?" she asked.

"Something strange happened."

"Strange? Like you had an epiphany?"

"No, it wasn't like that. I ran down to that little place around the corner and grabbed a late lunch. And on the way back something just happened."

"Yeah, it started raining and you got soaked."

"It was like I blacked out or something."

"You blacked out? Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should see a doctor."

"I don't think I so much blacked out as…."

"As what?" she asked leaning in with a worried look in her eyes.

"Casey, I think I was struck by lightning."

"Lightning?"

"I don't know how else to explain it. I was walking along feeling fine, then boom. I lost fifteen minutes."

"Did you pass out?"

"I don't think so. When I came to I was just standing on the courthouse steps in the rain and it was fifteen minutes later."

"You should get checked out. What if something is wrong? And if it was lightening, you would have burns or something, wouldn't you?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just going crazy. I mean I have been going for a while, maybe I am finally there," he said rubbing his face.

"Maybe it is something stress related. I mean with work and everything else that's going on….."

"Well, I haven't been sleeping much lately."

"I really do think you should see someone though. Just in case."

"Maybe I will," he agreed as he exhaled and picked up his beer. "But tonight is about you winning this case."

"I didn't think we were going to pull it off," she confessed as she took another sip of her beer.

"It should have been an open and shut case. He was the only suspect and all of the evidence pointed to him."

"Still, that judge looked a little weary when I brought the baby up. I was afraid he was going to have the pregnancy stricken from the record."

"It should have been brought up. Me murdered that baby, too."

"You know that and I know that. But it is like splitting hairs. New York state law says that baby is not a living human being until it draws breath. I he was going to throw it out. That would have killed my murder case and the most I could have gotten for the pregnancy was unlawful termination of a pregnancy."

"He beat her. He beat her all of the time. The man kills his girlfriend because she was trying to leave him to protect their child. He should burn in Hell."

"He should. Unfortunately, I have no say in that. So rotting away for fifteen years in a cell with Bubba and Bruno will just have to serve as justice for now."

"Fifteen? I thought he got twenty two?"

"With good behavior they'll shave a few years off. It's the best we could do, El. But we did it. And now because of the work we did in court today the murders of that woman and her baby will not go completely without justice."

"I guess you're right. I just think he got off way too easy."

"They never fully get what they deserve. Not in life anyway. Sometimes I like to think that it will all catch up to them on judgment day. Sometimes, that is the only thing that keeps me going. Especially when someone does something like this and we know without a doubt they are guilty, yet somehow they are still acquitted. "

Elliot exhaled trying to find some peace in the situation. Sadly, she was right and in many cases this was the closest they would ever get to justice.

"It just gets so frustrating sometimes," Elliot said finishing his beer.

"I know what you need," she said flagging the bartender to their table.

Four shots and two beers later, Elliot sat rubbing the back of his head. He'd Casey had almost managed to clear the court case from his mind, but the other events of the day still puzzled him.

"Are you okay? You look like Hell," she said returning from the ladies room and taking the seat beside him.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about that episode I had earlier."

"Episode. Right. You mean when you were struck by lightning?"

"You don't believe me?"

"I would just think there would be more evidence. People who millions of volts of electricity travel through their bodies usually have burn marks, blisters or the pungent aroma of burnt flesh," she said sounding just a bit tipsy and trying not to laugh. "I'll bet that's hard to get out of your clothes," she mumbled.

Elliot stared at her as he wrinkled his brow.

"Or worse," she added.

"Worse?"

"They don't make it through at all. El, I am not saying I don't believe you, just that it is highly unlikely. Besides, when was the last time you heard of someone being struck by lightning in the middle of New York City?"

"I guess I haven't," he said scratching the back of his head.

"And you're sure it wasn't some type of seizure or something?"

"I don't have seizures."

"Are you diabetic?"

"No," he said beginning to get a little annoyed.

"Maybe you just aren't getting enough sleep. I know how you get when we're in the middle of a big case. You don't sleep, you don't eat….and when you do it is junk. You sometimes go days running on caffeine alone."

"I do not."

"You do! Elliot I have known you for years and I know you well enough to know that when a big case, a case like this one comes along you tend to…."

"Tend to what?"

"Well, you sort of zone out on everything else in your life. Like that case is all you see for days, weeks or even months if that is what it takes. And there is nothing wrong with that, it is part of what makes you such a great cop. But you have to take care of yourself. Your body can only run so long on crappy coffee and those energy drinks. Eventually it shuts down. Between that and stress at home…. Maybe you just need to get some sleep."

"Maybe," he agreed.

"I'm gonna get us another drink."

"Thanks, Case. I think I'm gonna turn in," Elliot said tossing some money on the table in front of them. "That should cover a few rounds. Congrats on the win."

"Hey thanks," she replied patting him on the back. "It was your win, too. Are you sure you don't want to have one more beer?"

"No. I have had way too much already."

"Alright. Well you get some sleep, okay?"

"Yeah."

Elliot stepped out onto the sidewalk and flagged a cab. Back at home he stumbled up the front steps and staggered into the house. He kicked off his shoes and dropped his keys on the small table by the door. Elliot made his way through the dark to the bedroom falling across the bed and passing out cold.

The light through the window was blinding and his head was pounding when he finally opened his eyes. Elliot groaned as he sat up on the edge of the bed and smoothed his fingers over his face. He made his way to the bathroom, opened the medicine cabinet and popped a handful of aspirin into his mouth.

"Shit," he grumbled dropping his clothes into the floor and stepping into the shower.

After twenty minutes under the hot water hadn't helped, Elliot walked back into the bedroom. Still half asleep, he rubbed his eyes and stared at the alarm clock.

"Barely six," he groaned. "On a Saturday. Screw it," he said falling back into bed naked.