Daddy's Girl
(Chapter Four: Blame)
Olivia was sitting at her desk checking her email when Elliot sat down in front of her.
"What are you doing here? You are supposed to be taking some time off."
"Time off doesn't help, Liv. I just sit around and think about her and get depressed all over again. I need to just pour myself into work. It is the only way I am going to get through this. So is there any update on the case?"
"El, you know I am not supposed to tell you that."
"Olivia, please. This kid killed four people that night. One of them, my little girl. I need to know that we are going to get him."
"He is being charged with four counts of vehicular homicide, second degree murder," she said looking at him. "He is nineteen years old, Elliot."
"Old enough to know that when you drink and drive people get hurt. Four people will never see their families again because of him. Wait a minute, he is being charged…. It has been four days, why hasn't he been to court already?"
Olivia took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Because, Casey isn't ready yet."
"Why isn't she ready?"
"Elliot….the D. A. wants her to try to flip the kid for the person who provided the alcohol at that party."
"They are gonna let him go? He murdered four people and they are just going to let him go?" Elliot shouted and slammed his fists down on the desk as he stood there glaring at her. "He's just going to get away with it."
"No, they are not going to let him go. They are going to make him a deal for a lesser charge. He will be sent to a rehabilitation facility and then serve jail time. But they will cut him a deal and reduce his sentence. El, I know it is hard to hear, but this way we get both people responsible. Four people are dead and several others injured, because someone thought it was alright to provide for a party, a party where underage students were served. Then one of those students chose to try to drive and caused a horrible accident. We need this person, Elliot. This nineteen year old kid was not even old enough to purchase alcohol."
"Let me guess. Rich kid, he comes from a good home and has never really been in any trouble."
Olivia nodded.
"He'll probably serve about three years for each count. Nothing compared to what he should serve."
"I'm so sorry, Elliot. I can only imagine how hard this must be on you," Casey said from behind him.
"The cop in me wants to see that giving this kid a break is for the greater good, but the father in is heartbroken and just wants the bastard to pay for what he did to my daughter and those other people. I know why, Casey and I understand it. But that doesn't make it any easier to accept."
"How are Kathy and the kids doing?" Casey asked him.
"Dickie wont talk about it or her, Elizabeth sits in her room and cries non stop, Kathleen wont talk to anyone about anything and Eli keeps asking for sissy. How do you explain to an eighteen month old that his older sister is never coming back? Kathy is worse off than I am. She has given up on the idea of sleep, instead she walks the floor every night going room to room and checking on the other children."
"And how are you doing?"
"I'm breathing. Taking it day by day. Thanking God for every day I wake up and feeling guilty for living it, because my daughter isn't. I try to spend as much time with the kids as I can."
"Elliot, I promise you that I am not going to let this kid walk with out doing some time. The time at the rehabilitation center is non-negotiable. He has lost his drivers license until he is at least twenty one years old, no matter what the outcome of the trial. If he will cooperate and give me the name of the person or persons who provided the liquor for the party, then I am willing to work out something on the time."
"Casey, four people lost their lives. How much are you willing to bargain with a killer?"
"Killers, Elliot. And bargaining is the only way I am going to find the other people responsible. That nineteen year old boy was driving the car, but a gun is no use without bullets. Whoever allowed this boy to drink that night provided him the ammunition, that kid never would have left that party drunk if someone hadn't been serving alcohol to underage students. I promise I will get justice for Maureen and the other victims of that night. I wont stop until I do."
Casey stared into his foggy eyes as Elliot nodded and forced a timid smile. "Thanks, Case."
Casey nodded back to him as she walked back toward the elevator with her files in her hand.
Later that afternoon Elliot stepped into the elevator at Mercy General and pressed the button for the fourth floor. He walked down the hallway counting the room numbers until he had reached number four twelve. He took a deep breath and sighed fighting back tears as he knocked on the door frame of the opened door and stepped inside.
"Mr. Stabler?"
The dark headed girl in the bed was bruised and broken. It killed Elliot to even see her, especially like this, knowing she was the last one to see Maureen before this nightmare had taken place. He had thought long and hard about what he would say to her when he saw her. But now, as he stood before her with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, he could offer no words at all.
Part of him wanted to scream at the girl for not being a better driver. Or to reprimand her for being at that party in the first place, knowing very well that she was not of drinking age either. But he knew that she was not responsible for the accident. Part of him wanted to hug her, to just wrap his arms tightly around this girl and hug her until they had both cried out all of the sorrow and regret they held inside.
Instead, he just stood there. Feet locked in place and knees trembling, threatening to give way at any moment. With a knot in his throat the size of a golf ball and tears now streaming down both sides of his face, he just stood there and looked into her blue eyes.
"Mr. Stabler? Are you alright?"
Elliot shook his head and gulped, feeling as if her would throw up or pass out at any moment. But he didn't.
"No," he whispered as he shook his head. "I don't think I will ever be alright again," he said softly as he stared at the girl in the bed.
She didn't even blink. She just stared back. Her eyes locked on his, blue on blue until they were both crying.
"I am so sorry," she sobbed softly as she began to break down.
Elliot walked over to the side of her bed and hugged her.
"It wasn't your fault," he said softly. "None of this was your fault. I know that. No one blames you, Maddie. You need to know that."
"I do," she said tipping her head and forcing a smile. "But I can't help but feel guilty. I was driving the car."
Elliot laid the flowers on the bed beside her and squeezed her hand.
"She was my best friend, Mr. Stabler. I was driving the car and I wrecked and my best friend is now dead, because I…."
"No! Maureen is dead because some nineteen year old kid was drinking at a party and thought it was okay to get behind the wheel. Three other people died in that accident and you and several others were hurt. The only people at fault here are the boy who was driving and those people who provided alcohol and let a bunch of teenagers drink at a party."
Maddie stared at him for a moment then buried her face in her hands. "But Mr. Stabler…."
"Madison, you and Maureen have been friends since nursery school. Honey, you have slept over at my house so much I could have charged you rent," he laughed. "Call me Elliot."
"Elliot, Maureen and I knew there would be alcohol at that party when we went."
"You can go and not drink."
"But we did drink. Well, she did. That is why I was driving. Maureen drank a couple of beers at the party. She never drank. But there was this guy that she liked. He was there and they were talking. I would have been drinking too, but I was having a fight with my boyfriend. We only stayed an hour or so. Maureen was bored and I was depressed because I had just broken up with David, so we decided to head back to the dorm. Maureen wanted to call a cab, but I hadn't been drinking at all….I swear. So she gave me her car keys and I drove the car. Now I wish I had just let her call a cab."
"Honey, you couldn't have known anything was going to happen. You girls did the right thing. She shouldn't have been drinking, but she did and she was responsible about it. She knew not to drink and drive. That if she ever got into a situation, to call a cab or call me and I would pick her up."
"Just before…." she took a deep breath and started again, "we were talking about the guy she liked from the party. He had asked her out and she was excited. Then a song came on the radio and we were singing along. She was laughing and smiling. I looked over at her and she smiled at me, that was when I saw the headlights through the window behind her. The driver of the other car ran the red light and hit her side of the car hard. I tried to stop the car, but we spun and slid on the ice. I swerved to try to keep from hitting another car and the car flipped and rolled down that hill. I could hear her scream. Then I heard a loud crash and that's all I remember. When I woke up here….the doctor told me that my best friend since preschool was dead."
She was quiet for a few minutes as she cried. Elliot just held her hand and stared down at her fingers locked between his. She had a French manicure with glitter nail polish, just like Maureen had her nails done when Elliot had noticed her ring back the night of the accident.
"I miss her so much," Maddie confessed as she looked up at Elliot.
"So do I, honey. So do I."
The room was quiet for a moment, then Elliot stood to go. "Listen, Maddie. If you ever want to talk….about Maureen or the accident or anything, give me a call. Just remember that none of this was your fault and nobody blames you. It was an accident. A terrible, tragic accident and I know that you did everything that you could to help her. You were her best friend and she loved you very much."
"I loved her, too. Like she was my sister."
"She wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over this. She would want you to try to move on and be happy."
"I know," she whispered.
"Take care, sweetheart."
Elliot hugged her again and turned to go.
"You too, Mr…. Elliot."
Elliot smiled at her and watched as she wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled back at him.