Disclaimer: Not mine! Would be nice if they were, but alas they're not. All recognizable characters belong to Dick Wolf. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.
A/N: First to the readers: Thanks for the great reviews! And please keep reviewing! Hang on tight, I'm not entirely sure how rough this ride is gonna be or where exactly it will take us!
To my betas: What a blessing you ladies are to me! I can never thank you enough for your unending patience, unmatched editing and unconditional friendship! I love you!
WARNING: If you are a child abuse survivor like me please, please, please, PLEASE use discretion in whether or not you read this chapter! The flashback in this chapter could potentially be triggering. It's not as graphic as it could be but it was still hard to write. There is no "active" abuse but it does deal with the aftermath of abuse.
Chapter Three
The next morning, long before the sun was up, Olivia was up and ready to get back on the road. "Are you ready?" she called to her husband through the bathroom door of their hotel room.
"Almost," he called back from the other side of the door. A moment later, he stepped out of the bathroom, buttoning his shirt.
Olivia smiled slightly as she briefly allowed herself to admire how handsome her husband always looked. She moved closer and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "Let's get going," she said as she pulled away.
Elliot nodded as he zipped up their shared overnight bag. "I'll get the car and bring it up to the lobby doors while you go check us out."
She was out the door and headed toward the lobby before he even finished speaking.
He shook his head with a small smile then picked up their bag and walked out to the car.
Less than two minutes later, Olivia exited the hotel lobby and got into the car with two cups of coffee.
"Where'd you find this?" Elliot asked as he gratefully accepted the cup that she held out to him.
"In the lobby, it's not very hot but it can't be any worse than the sludge that Munch calls coffee."
"True," he laughed. "Very true."
They rode in comfortable silence for awhile, each sipping from their cups of mediocre coffee. Time and miles seemed to drag as they drove through the early morning darkness.
Two hours later, just as the first pink fingers of light breeched the horizon, Elliot carefully rolled his neck while keeping his eyes on the road ahead of them. "Wanna stop and get a bite to eat?"
Olivia nodded in agreement. "Just something quick though."
"Of course, Love," Elliot answered with a quick glance in his wife's direction.
"I could use a cup of real coffee," she conceded.
"Me too. The hotel's was better than Munch's brew… but not by much!"
Flashback:
Ten Months Earlier
The ice clinked in her glass as Olivia set her iced tea down. "Are you kidding me?" she laughed. "He actually said that?"
"He actually said it!" her friend answered with a laugh.
"Casey! You've got to be kidding me!"
"No," the strawberry blonde ADA responded as she forked another bite of her salad. "He actually said it, I promise!"
A smirk spread across Olivia's face as she looked across the restaurant table. "I bet Donnelly didn't fall for that."
"Not even close. She chewed him up one side and down the other."
"She doesn't put up with any crap in her courtroom."
Olivia shook her head with a smile. "I would've loved to have been there to see that!" Her cell phone rang from her pocket and she pulled it out, glancing at the caller ID. Recognizing the displayed number immediately, she frowned as she pushed away from the table. "I have to take this," she held up one finger, motioning for her lunch companion to wait as she stepped away for privacy. She quickly hit the accept button and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello? Mom?" her heart pounded in her chest as she received no answer but heard the painful cries of her three year old sister. "Embree?" Again no answer. "Embree, sweetheart, can you hear me?" Her heart pounded faster as she still received no answer. "Hang on, baby. I'm on my way. I'm on my way right now." Deciding to stay on the phone, in case she could hear anything to let her know what was happening, she hurried back to the table. She grabbed her purse, her phone still held to her ear. "I have to go, sorry Case," she apologized to her friend as she pulled out some money and tossed it on the table. "Will you take care of my bill for me?" Then she turned and hurried away, rushing out of the restaurant without waiting for an answer.
The drive to her mother's house seemed endless. Her heart broke with every cry she could hear coming from her young sister. When she finally pulled up in front of the house, she threw the car into park and jumped out, not caring that she left the door open and the car running.
Olivia hung up the phone as she ran into the house. "Embree?" she hurried into the living room and found it empty. "Embree?" she called again. "Answer me, sweetheart. Where are you?" The sound of Embree's crying floated down the stairs and assaulted her ears. She turned quickly and rushed up the stairs to the second floor of the house. She ran down the hall, stopping momentarily at the master bedroom, just long enough to check on her mother. Realizing that Serena was passed out drunk, Olivia continued down the hall toward her little sister's room. She skidded to a stop in front of Embree's bedroom and looked in, surprised to find the room empty. She followed the crying further down the hall and into the guest bedroom. She gasped when she saw the tiny girl crumpled on the floor next to the closet. "Oh, darling," Olivia dropped to her knees beside the young girl.
Embree slowly opened her eyes, tears streaming down her small, pale cheeks. Seeing her big sister, she cried even harder. "Sissy…"
"Shhh…" Olivia whispered as she gently brushed the hair off of Embree's face. "I'm here, baby. I'm here," she soothed, trying to calm the child's fears as she quickly looked her over for injuries. She held back her own tears as she saw the cuts and bruises on her little sister's face. She ran her hands down Embree's tiny body as gently as she could, searching for any more injuries the girl might have sustained.
"Oww!" Embree sobbed when Olivia reached her lower right arm.
"I'm sorry," Olivia responded as she continued her quick exam.
Embree cried out in pain again as Olivia rubbed down her sides, over her ribs.
Olivia bit back the stream of expletives that ran through her mind and threatened to spill out of her mouth. She stood and crossed the room.
"Don't leave me, Sissy!" Embree's pleas broke Olivia's heart even more.
She moved to the bed and quickly pulled the comforter off. "I'm not leaving you, Little Love," she spoke softly as she returned to where the small girl laid and knelt down again. As gently as she could, she rolled Embree over onto her side and wrapped her in the comforter. She stood again then leaned over and as gently as possible lifted her sister's tiny, broken body into her arms.
An hour later, Olivia paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room with her cell phone held to her ear. "I'm at Grace Regional Hospital," she told her husband.
"In Jersey?" Elliot's voice flowed through the phone line.
"Yeah."
"How's Embree?"
"I dunno. They haven't let me see her since I brought her in," she sniffled, trying to hold back the sob that threatened to escape.
"They're getting worse instead of better as she gets older."
"They crossed the line this time. I know from looking her over real quick that they broke her right arm and probably cracked a few of her ribs too. We've got to step up our attempts to have their parental rights revoked and adopt her ourselves…" she swallowed hard and her voice shook as she revealed her deepest fear. "If we don't hurry, they're gonna end up killing her one day."
"I'll call our lawyer on my way there," he answered. "Which one of them did it this time?"
"I dunno. Serena was passed out drunk on her bed, Bruce wasn't there and Embree was in too much pain and crying too hard to tell me which one hurt her."
"Just wait until I get my hands on them," the anger was evident in his voice.
"El, no. Please no. You'll be arrested and thrown into jail!"
"We're cops, baby. That won't happen."
"Yes, it will! We're NYPD, not Jersey cops."
"Baby…"
"No, Elliot! Please! I need you with me! I can't afford to divide my attention between watching out for Embree and getting you out of jail. All my attention needs to be on her, right now."
"Ok, Love," he relented. "But I can't promise that I won't punch one of them if they show up and act out."
Olivia chuckled lightly. "And I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
"I'm on my way to you now. I told Cragen that we both needed a couple days off for a family emergency."
"You didn't tell him about Embree, did you?" there was an air of panic in her voice.
"No, Baby," Elliot quickly reassured her. "I know it's better if no one knows about Embree until we have full and legal custody of her."
"Thanks," she whispered into the phone.
"Just hang tight. I'll be there soon."
"I love you so much."
"I love you, too," he responded, the emotion audible in his voice.
Olivia sighed, feeling a little better, as she hit the end button and slipped her cell phone into her pocket. She wiped away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks; she turned and headed toward the nurse's desk as she fingered her badge in her pocket, determined to get some info, one way or another, on how her baby sister was doing.
"Liv?" her husband's questioning voice and his hand on her knee brought Olivia's mind back to the present.
She shook her head, shaking the memories away. "I'm sorry. What'd you say?"
"I asked if you wanted to just get breakfast to go and keep driving."
"Yeah, that sounds good. I don't wanna waste any time; I wanna get to Springfield as soon as possible."
He pulled into the drive thru lane of the fast food restaurant and glanced over at his wife, concerned. "Where'd you go just then?"
She was silent for a few seconds before answering quietly. "Just remembering things that should have never happened."
He reached over and squeezed her hand, knowing that whatever she had been remembering was disturbing and painful.
She gave him a watery smile as tears pooled in her eyes. "I love you so much. I'm so thankful for you," she said as she squeezed his hand in return. "I can't imagine my life without you, I'd never want to be married to anyone else."
Not having the words to express what he wanted to say, Elliot leaned over, choosing to show his wife through his actions. His lips touched hers gently then he deepened the kiss, pouring all of his emotions, heart and soul into it. Telling her without words how much he loved her.
A/N 2: What will they find when they reach Springfield? Will they find Embree easily or will the search test their patience? What condition will Embree be in when Olivia and Elliot find her? Want the answers? You know what to do! Review and let me know!