Author's Note: WARNING, there is brief mention of rape in this chapter. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. It makes my day!
"Are you sure you want to hear this Olivia?" Elliot asked.
"I need to hear this," Olivia countered.
"Ok," Elliot replied, still hesitant. "Mason molested Calvin pretty bad Liv," Elliot said quietly. "He forced Calvin to perform oral sex on him. He took..." Elliot paused when he saw Olivia's knees shaking. He reached his arm out to Olivia and she grabbed on to him for support.
"You ok Liv?" Elliot asked.
"Mhmm," Olivia moaned, painfully. "Keep going."
"Are you sure?" Elliot asked.
"Please El."
Elliot sighed before continuing. "Mason took photographs of himself, with Calvin. Calvin said something about a scrapbook."
"Did he..." Olivia paused, unable to finish her sentence.
"Yah. He raped him Liv."
Olivia went limp and her body fell to the floor. Elliot dropped to the floor next to her, scooped her into his arms and held her while she sobbed. He ran his fingers through her hair and rocked her gently.
"The nurse got fluids for the rape kit Liv. We're gonna nail this bastard," Elliot whispered. "Calvin is going to need some counseling but he's going to be just fine. He'll get through this. He's a strong kid."
"Ma'am? Are you ok?" a concerned nurse asked as she was doing her rounds.
"We're ok," Elliot answered. "Just got some bad news."
"Ok," the nurse said before she carried on her way.
"I'm sorry El," Olivia whispered weakly.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Elliot said, pulling Olivia's head into his chest and holding her tight.
"I didn't mean to make a scene," she sniffed. She felt perfectly comfortable in Elliot's strong embrace but really wanted to get back to Calvin. She knew her time with him was short and she didn't want to miss any of it.
"I need to get back to Calvin," she told Elliot, standing up and adjusting her twisted clothing.
"Ok," Elliot said. "Are you ok?" he asked concerned.
"Yah El, I'll be ok. Thanks."
Olivia returned to Calvin's bedside. She pulled a chair up next to his bed and sat looking at him, remembering all the fun times they shared. She tried not to think about what Robert Mason had done to him, what he had stolen from Calvin.
Elliot laid his hand on Olivia's shoulder, startling her. "It's just me," he whispered.
Olivia reached up and rested her hand on Elliot's.
"Are you tired?" he asked. "You can sit next to me on the couch and rest your head on my shoulder," he offered.
"Thanks El. I want to sit here with Calvin a little longer," she told him.
"Ok," Elliot said, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "I'm going to watch some TV."
Elliot flipped the TV back on and before he knew it an hour had passed. He looked over at Olivia and saw that she had laid her head on the bed next to Calvin and fallen asleep. He went to the nurses station and got a warm blanket and wrapped it around her before lying down on the small couch in the room and falling asleep.
The nurse came in at 7:00 to check Calvin's vital signs. Olivia woke up when Calvin started to stir.
"Good morning Sunshine," she said to him. "How do you feel today?"
"Sore," Calvin moaned.
"I've got your pain medicine here Sweetie," the nurse told him.
Olivia went into the hall to call Calvin's grandparents while the nurse took his vitals. She offered to drop him off. It wasn't much, but she knew it would give them a little extra time together. Calvin's grandmother agreed, grateful for Olivia's offer.
"Good morning Livvy," Elliot said, sneaking up behind her. "Calvin's asking for you," he smiled at her.
"Thanks El," Olivia smiled back at him. "Is it ok if we take Calvin back to his house when he's released?"
"Of course," Elliot said.
"Thanks," Olivia whispered before heading back into Calvin's room.
Calvin was released from the hospital shortly before 9:00am. The hospital gave him a pair of oversized scrubs to wear since the clothing he came in with was taken into evidence.
"Well Calvin," Elliot said once they got into his car. "I'd give you my change of clothes, but I don't think they would fit you any better than those goofy scrubs. How about we go get you a new outfit and then we can grab some breakfast? Or do you guys want to eat first?"
"I don't want go out in public like this," Calvin said, embarrassed.
"Ok, clothes first," Elliot concluded.
Olivia rode in the backseat with Calvin. She felt kind of silly but she wanted to be as close to him as she could for the small amount of time they had left. She was dreading dropping him off. She didn't want to leave him again.
They went to the clothing store and let Calvin pick out a new outfit. Then they headed to get breakfast. They took their time eating, doing their best to delay the inevitable but the time came for Olivia and Elliot to part with Calvin so they made their way back to Newark, NJ.
Olivia practically had to drag Calvin, kicking and screaming, from the car to his grandparent's house. Elliot ruffled Calvin's hair and did his best to encourage him. Olivia hugged him tight and kissed the top of his head. When it was time for them to go Calvin stormed off to his room.
Elliot grabbed Olivia's hand and squeezed it as they were walking from the house to the car. He was proud of her for not breaking down in front of Calvin. She was strong and he admired that. Olivia let him hold her hand and open the car door for her. They hadn't turned off Calvin's street before her tears began flowing freely.
Elliot slipped his hand behind her neck and lightly massaged it. Neither of them said anything for a while. After they got out of town Elliot spoke.
"You did good Liv," he encouraged her.
Olivia wiped the tears from her face. "I'm really worried about him, El."
"I know," Elliot said, "I am too."
"Calvin! You come out of there right now!" his Grandfather yelled, pounding on his bedroom door. It had been a month since Calvin had come home from the hospital and his grandparents were having a lot of trouble with him. He wasn't eating, he refused to leave his room, his grades were slipping, he was getting in fights at school at least once a week, if not more. About a week after Olivia and Elliot dropped him off, he ran away from home and the police found him at the train station. He wouldn't hardly talk to anyone, and when he did he would only talk about Olivia and moving back to New York City.
Calvin's school counselor had called a meeting with his grandparents, and after he had tried to catch a train to the city, they didn't leave him home alone anymore.
"I am not putting up with this any longer young man!" his grandfather bellowed, beating on the door again. Calvin finally opened the door and pushed past his grandfather without saying a word.
"Let's go Honey," his grandmother said, trying to be patient with him. They all got in their car and headed for Calvin's school.
Calvin waited outside his counselor's office and listened to his mp3 player while his grandparents talked to his counselor.
"I am very worried about Calvin," the counselor said. "Over the past month he has grown more and more despondent."
"We don't know what to do," Calvin's Grandmother said, worried.
"My concern is all the fighting," his counselor continued. "He has been in 6 fights in the past month. We've been lenient with him because of everything he has been through but there is only so much more we can do. His grades are slipping, he's not doing his homework, and sometimes he skips school altogether."
"What?" his grandfather questioned angrily. "We drop him off here every morning," he added, confused.
"Sometimes he doesn't make it into the building," the counselor said hesitantly. "I've spoken with the principal and he said anymore fights and Calvin will be suspended. And if he doesn't get his grades up we're going to have to hold him back. I'm sorry. I've already spoken with Calvin about this but I wanted to notify you guys as well."
"Thank you," Calvin's grandfather said as he extended his arm to shake the counselor's hand. "We'll take care of this."
"Thank you Counselor," his grandmother added weakly.
Calvin's grandfather grounded Calvin. He took away all of his privileges, which didn't feel like very much considering the only thing Calvin usually did was watch TV or listen to his mp3 player, but he didn't know what else to do.
Two days after the meeting with the Calvin's counselor, he got into another fight at school. His grandparents were called to come pick him up and he was suspended. Calvin's lack of caring about his actions or the consequences was driving his grandfather crazy. He had done everything he knew to do but nothing seemed to be getting through to the boy. His wife's compassion wasn't having any impact, neither were his punishments.
Calvin locked himself in his room when they arrived home.
"I'm really worried about him," his grandmother told his grandfather.
"I don't know what to do with him anymore," his grandfather said, defeated. "Maybe we should call Detective Benson."
"Oh no!" his grandmother said, worried. "I don't want to lose him."
"I'm at the end of my rope with him! It's gone beyond him just being unhappy here. He's been kicked out of school, he might not pass to the next grade in the fall, he has no friends, no privileges and he doesn't seem to care about anything. What are we supposed to do?" his grandfather asked, obviously very frustrated.
"Keep your voice down. I don't want him to hear."
"I don't want to lose him either, but it feels like we already have," his grandfather confessed. "Maybe if Olivia takes him, he'll want to see us sometimes."
Calvin's grandmother started crying softly. "Do you think Olivia will take him again?" she asked, sadly.
"I don't know. All we can do is ask," he concluded, reaching for the phone.