Chapter 3

Olivia kept her promise. As Brian Cassidy began to drift off to dreamland, Olivia quickly silenced her phone. She wasn't up for taking calls at the moment, and she didn't want her ringer to wake Cassidy up.

She was exhausted herself and hadn't had a full night's sleep in days. Soon she found herself leaning her head against Cassidy's chest, though her butt was still on the chair. She was careful not to disturb the tubes that connected the heart monitor and the IV to his veins on his left arm.

When her head leaned against his chest, she could hear his thumping heart pound rhythmically into her ear. She buried her face into his chest. His skin was so warm.

Soon she found herself in a deep slumber. She dreamt that was back at her apartment. Cassidy was with her. They in her bed kissing. Then, he started to take her shirt off.

Her dream was interrupted when a nurse walked in the room. How long had she been sleeping? Olivia groggily rubbed her eyes, took her head off Cassidy and straightened her composure. She looked at the hospital clock. She'd been asleep for at least four hours. Then, she glanced at nurse who was checking Cassidy's IV, not sure how to explain what had just happened.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I was just checking his IV. I'm Nurse Emily, and you are?"

"Olivia. I'm a good friend of Brian's." The nurse didn't know her, so there was no need for further explanation. She looked young and most likely new to the hospital. She could possibly be an intern.

"Well, everything seems to be in check here. I'll be going now. If you need anything, just buzz."

"Thank you," Olivia smiled as the nurse left.

She knew she should check her phone to see if someone was trying to get ahold of her, but then she might have to break her promise to Cassidy and that was the last thing Olivia wanted to do right now. She wanted to keep a promise to him for once on her life. It just felt like the right thing to do.

She fell asleep again, this time just sitting upright in the chair. Her head drooped slightly. The next time she woke, she was met with familiar eyes. She perked her head straight; her neck was a little stiff. Oh shit, she immediately thought. Detective Nick Amaro stood next to her.

"So here you are," Nick said. "The whole precinct has been wondering where you're at, and you've been here the whole time. Never mind that, why are you here?"

She looked at her watch. Two hours had passed since the nurse left.

"As I'm sure you can relate, Nick, we're all rundown and tired. I just fell asleep… it's an honest mistake."

"Yeah, I can understand needing a nap, but here of all places? Is something going on between you and Cassidy?"

Before Olivia could even respond, she noticed Cassidy stirring in his hospital bed.

"Detective Amaro?" Cassidy murmured. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to see how you were doing and to apologize for being an ass before, and well then I saw your girlfriend was here."

Olivia gave Amaro a menacing look. Sometimes he could be so immature. Then again, he was around the same age Cassidy had been when he worked SVU. Amaro had about the same maturity level Cassidy had back then. It reminded Olivia of another reason, besides the whole 'I don't date colleagues' rule, that she had been reluctant to date Cassidy at the time.

"Aw, you're already telling people I'm your boyfriend, Livvy?" Cassidy's voice was groggy. He appeared to still be half asleep.

"So there is something going on here! I knew it!"

"Nick, just shut the hell up. What I do in my personal life is none of your business, or anyone at the precinct's business, for that matter."

"Don't tell me to shut up. And I think it's plenty of our business. I knew something was up when you acted like the world was about to end when he got shot. What the hell are you thinking, going out with white trash like him? Yeah, I know I came to apologize, but just because I apologize doesn't mean I like the man. Olivia, he's not the same person he was twelve years ago! What are you thinking?!"

Olivia's fists clenched. If she were Elliot Stabler or ten years younger, she would have whacked him right then and there.

"Um, hello, dude, I might be on drugs and stuff, but I'm still here listening. You're lucky I'm in this hospital bed, because if weren't, you'd be so dead about right now."

"Just leave now, Nick. Leave." Olivia demanded.

"Fine. I'll leave. But look at your damn phone. You've got a job to go to, and you can't spend the rest of your life sleeping with this bastard."

"Damnit, Amaro. Don't tell me how to do my job or live my life. I've been doing my job before you started the academy. And definitely don't tell me how to live my life."

Amaro let out a loud gasp. He didn't say another word and left.

"He had no right to show up here and say that shit to you and me," Cassidy growled. He was now fully awake.

"I'm sorry, so sorry. I can't believe he just did that."

"Me either. What is he, twelve?"

"I wonder sometimes," Olivia sighed. "I know he's going through a separation right now, so he's on edge and not thinking clearly. Elliot went through the same thing when Kathy and he were separated…"

"Wait a minute. Elliot got a divorce and you still never slept with him?"

"Elliot never signed the papers. They got back together and had a fifth child. And, for the last time, I promise that I never slept with him." Olivia firmly stated. She wondered why Cassidy had such an interest in her relationship with her previous partnership. It was almost like there was old tension Cassidy felt toward Elliot that he'd never let go over the years. It wasn't like any of mattered, though. Olivia had no contact information for Elliot, so it wasn't like she'd be in contact with him any time soon.

"I know, I know, I believe you," Cassidy assured. "But I think I understand now why you don't publicize your relationship at work, especially now, with that douchebag on your squad. I bet he's going to go tell the whole squad that he saw us together. Are you ready for that?"

"Isn't that what you want?" Olivia asked. "You said that if we got together, you wanted our relationship to be public."

"That's what I want, but I'm not sure that's what you want."

Olivia shrugged. Truth be told, she wasn't sure what she wanted. She just wanted life to be simple. She wanted to go to work during the day and come home to someone who loved her at night.

But it seemed that wasn't possible with her job, at least it hadn't been done yet.

Nick Amaro and Elliot Stabler were the only two colleagues she had worked with who had been married during the time she'd worked with them. Both had experienced intense marital issues because of their careers. Elliot's wife had left him for a period of time, and now Nick's wife was leaving him too. In some ways, Nick's life paralleled Elliot's. If that was the case, then, everything would work out for Nick and his wife. Eventually it had to, right?

Olivia had always been afraid of commitment. Maybe it was because she had seen the struggles her former partner had gone through with his marriage. She always seemed to back down when things got more serious, as she had with David Haden.

She gazed into Brian's weak but loving eyes. One thing was for sure, Olivia had plenty to think about.