Olivia headed to the nearest road to catch a cab. She had no luck, so she decided to walk. She could see the precinct from where she was standing. After a few minutes of walking, her ribs started to ache. She looked at how far she had to go and it was still several blocks down the road. "Damn it." She muttered.
"Olivia!"
Her heart stopped. She grabbed her gun whipped around to see Alex jogging toward her.
"Alex, you scared the hell out of me." Olivia said, her heart still racing.
"I could say the same." Alex said, glancing at the gun. "What are you doing walking by yourself?"
"Melinda had to go do something, so I figured I'd walk back to the precinct." She said putting the gun back in its holder.
"From where?"
"Uh, the hospital." Olivia said, looking forward.
"What?" Alex stopped and grabbed Olivia's hand to stop her too. "What happened?"
"I cracked some ribs." Olivia said calmly. "Let's keep walking, it's freezing."
"How did you do that?" Alex asked, still focused on Olivia. Olivia didn't say anything. "Liv, was it Elliot?"
"Yeah." She said. "He kicked me last night."
"What happened?"
"Oh, Alex, it's a long story." Olivia complained.
"Well, we have a long walk to the precinct." Alex pointed out.
Olivia sighed and went on to tell Alex what happened the night before. "It's my fault. I was stupid enough to go see him."
"You didn't ask him to attack you like that. You were trying to work things out; he's the one who's at fault." Alex said, nudging Olivia.
"Thank god, we're here." Olivia had her arms wrapped around herself, partially from the cold, but mostly from the pain. She walked back into the squad room and looked up to see Cragen facing her.
"What happened? I didn't hear from Melinda and I got worried." Cragen said.
"I walked back. Melinda had to go do something." Olivia explained.
"You what?! Why didn't you call? I would have come picked you up."
"Well, I'm safe, so it's okay." Olivia snapped at him. She was sick of everyone treating her like she was fragile.
"So, what did the X-ray show?" He asked, sitting back at his desk.
"Two cracked ribs." She said.
"I knew it!" Fin called, walking in and over hearing her conversation.
"Spare me the 'I-told-you-so', Fin. I'm not in the mood." Olivia snapped. She stepped further into Cragens office and shut the door behind her. "Anything else?" She asked him.
"Did you get anything to help with the pain?" He asked.
She lifted her hand with the bottle of pills and shook it. "I'm going to the cribs." She said, turning around and walking across the squad room, without looking at anyone. She was still holding her ribs limping slightly.
She woke up and felt slightly better. She figured it was the pain medication finally working. She went downstairs to see a blonde standing in the doorway, looking lost.
"Can I help you?" Olivia asked.
"I'm Amanda Rollins. I'm a new detective here." She said, making eye contact and held out her hand. "You must be Olivia Benson. I've heard a lot about you." She smiled. Olivia just barely picked up her southern accent.
"Oh, uh. Okay. Um, I need a word with the captain, go ahead and sit there." Olivia said pointing at Fin's desk and she walked into Cragen's office. "Captain? Why didn't you tell me we were getting a new detective?"
"Must have slipped my mind. We're been so busy and all." He glanced at Olivia. "You okay with that?"
"I'm going to have to be, I guess." She shrugged.
"Good. While we're on the subject, she's not the only newbie. Nick Amaro starts next week."
"Guess Munch, Fin and I have our hands full training for the next while." Olivia said, starting to head back out the door.
"Just Munch and Fin."
"Excuse me?" Olivia said, turning to face her captain.
"You're on desk duty, still, Olivia." He said, leaning forward.
She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Right." She walked out of his office and sat at her desk. Fin showed up a few minutes later and was surprised to see someone sitting at his desk. "Fin, this is our new detective, Amanda Rollins."
Amanda stood up to shake hands with him. "Nice to meet you." She said, smiling. He noticed that she made herself comfortable at his desk, so he went to Elliot's old desk. He glanced at Olivia, who was staring at nothing.
"Liv?" He said quietly. She didn't respond. "Olivia?" He said a little louder, getting her attention and that of Rollins as well. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, Fin." Olivia said, readjusting and wincing slightly.
"You don't look fine." He said, noticing that she looked exhausted.
"Drop it." She said lowly, shooting a glance at Amanda. "I'm going to lay down for a few. Wake me if we get anything, okay?" She stood up and felt light headed. She tried walking it off but her vision started getting fuzzy. "Fin." She mumbled, while holding onto a table.
Fin stood up and saw that Olivia was wobbly; he walked over to her and helped her walk to the cribs. When he walked back out, he noticed the concerned look on Amanda's face.
"Don't ask." He said, and sat back down. The two sat in silence for a while until the phone rang. "Fin. Where? Yeah, on my way." He hung up the phone and looked at Amanda.
"Rollins, do me a favor and go wake up Olivia for me, I need to speak with the captain." He said, rushing into Cragens office.
Rollins found her way to the cribs and called, "Benson?" Before peeking inside. Olivia was sitting up on a bed, but was in the middle of changing her shirt, when Rollins saw the bruise. "Olivia?" She said, a little louder. Olivia jumped up with her hand on her gun.
"Jesus, Rollins. You scared me." She said, pulling her shirt over herself.
"What happened?" She asked, motioning to her ribs.
"Uh," Olivia started before Fin rushed in.
"Liv, we gotta go." He said.
"I can't." Olivia said, with arms out. "Captain stuck me on my ass, remember?"
"I just talked to him. Let's go." She looked at Amanda, shrugged and gave a half smile before following Fin out the door. She was so relieved not only to be out of the precinct, but out of that awkward situation with Rollins.
On the way, Fin explained that there had been several 911 calls for domestic violence. Olivia took a deep breath as they approached the house. There were kids toys in the front yard and they heard a scream coming from inside. They pulled their guns and rushed in. There were two kids in the front room. One a toddler and one who looked to be maybe 8.
"It's okay, kids. Come with me." Olivia said, scooping up the toddler and taking the other by the hand.
Fin hunted through the rest of the house and found a woman beaten in a corner. "Liv, we're clear, send a bus!" He shouted. Olivia put the kids in the squad car and turned back to go inside the house. She had put her gun away and stepped into the living room, when a man turned the corner and ran into her. "Police don't move!" She shouted, pulling her weapon. He turned around and without giving her a chance to shoot; he lunged at her, smacking the gun from her hands. He wrapped his hands around her neck and kneed her in the stomach, just below her ribs. She was struggling to fight back and was in so much pain.
Fin came running into the room and put his gun to the back of the man's head. "Let her go! Now!" He yelled. The man easily threw Olivia onto the floor. "What are you an idiot?" Fin said, decking him square in the nose, knocking him out, before cuffing him. "Liv, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Olivia said shakily, holding her head in her hands, sitting on the floor. I just need a second. Once the ambulance got there, another squad car came to bring the husband into custody. Olivia and Fin dropped the kids off at CPS before heading back to the station.
Olivia was leaning heavily on Fin and taking deep breaths.
"What happened?" Cragen asked, watching Fin walk Olivia into the squad room.
"The perp attacked her." Fin explained, helping Olivia sit at her desk.
"Are you okay, Olivia?" Cragen asked, kneeling in front of her.
"I-I'm fine." She stuttered out. "I just… I couldn't."
"I know, Liv. It's okay." Cragen said.
"It was my fault. I went into the house without my gun in my hands. He ran into me and knocked the gun away before I could shoot him. He punched me in the stomach and was choking me, when Fin came in and he knocked me down."
"Olivia, you know this isn't your fault." Fin said.
Olivia pretended not to hear him. "I'm just going to go lay down." She pulled herself up, wincing and trudged off to the cribs. She took one pain killer and lay down on her back. She couldn't get comfortable, but eventually fell asleep.
The next day, Amanda was on her way to work when a stranger bumped into her. "Oh, excuse me." She said.
"It's no big deal." The man said. "Where you off to…?" He held out the pause as in asking her name.
"Amanda, and I'm just heading to work." She said simply.
"What do you do, Amanda?" He asked.
"I'm a cop." She said, laughing.
"Oh really?" He seemed intrigued. "Me too. You work over at the 1-6, right?" He questioned casually.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Lucky guess. Would you mind giving this to detective Benson for me?" He asked, handing her an envelope.
"Uh, sure." She said, taking it from his hands.
"Well, I gotta get going, have a good one, Amanda." He nodded and smiled then turned and walked away. She tucked the envelope into her purse and continued on her way to the precinct. She walked in and saw Olivia at her desk with a cup of coffee.
"You stay here all night?" She asked.
"Yeah." Olivia replied, seemingly exhausted.
"Uh, some guy asked me to give this to you."
"What is it?" She asked, not looking up.
"Just an envelope." She said, and set it on Olivia's desk. Olivia looked at it and noticed on the front it had her name written. She recognized the handwriting. She slowly opened it and read it. It was just a small message; "I miss you. I'll call you sometime. –El."
"When and where did you run into this person?" Olivia asked, slowly beginning to shake.
"Uh, just down the road at the coffee place maybe 25 minutes ago. Why? What is it?" Amanda asked.
Olivia ignored her and called Cragen, who has yet to show up.
"Cragen."
"Where are you?" She asked quickly.
"I'm almost there, why, what's wrong?" He asked.
"Uh," She glanced over at Amanda, who was slightly paying attention. "I'll explain when you get here, it's important."
"Okay. I'll be there soon." He said, hanging up the phone.
Olivia just stared down at the note. "Olivia?" Rollins called.
"Hm?"
"What's wrong?" She asked, walking over to her desk.
"Was this the man who gave you this?" Olivia reached over and picked up a framed picture of Elliot holding Eli and showed it to her.
"Yeah, that's him. Who is he?" Amanda asked.
"He's uh, my old partner."
"What happened? Things just not work out?"
"That's an understatement." Olivia chuckled as Cragen walked in the door.
"Olivia, my office." He said.
She got up, with the envelope and rushed into Cragens office, shutting the door behind her. "He gave this to Rollins and asked her to give it to me."
Cragen read over the note and looked up at her. She was shaking and holding back tears. "You are not to leave this building without someone with you and your gun on you." He was just trying to protect her.
"My gun didn't stop yesterday's perp, and it sure as hell didn't stop Elliot before." Olivia said, wrapping her arms around herself.
"He said he'll call you. When that happens, hopefully he'll stay on the line long enough so we can trace him." Cragen said.
"He was a cop for 12 years. He's not going to be that stupid." Olivia said, opening the door to leave.
"Liv." Cragen said, and she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry."
"I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me, I just need to feel safe again." She said and walked back to her desk, quickly realizing that Amanda heard what she just said to Cragen and was looking at her with a concerned expression. "It's not what you think." She tried.
"He's stalking you?" She assumed.
Olivia just sighed and sat at her desk. She put her head in her hands and started thinking. What am I going to do. I can't stay at the precinct forever. What does he want from me?
Olivia waited for that phone call. It hadn't come. Nick Amaro had started working with them a few days ago. They were working a case about a little girl who got kidnapped and it was really getting to Nick, being that he had a daughter. He was snapping at everyone.
Olivia walked out from the cribs and said, "How's the case going, guys?"
"You would know if you would have been out here." He glared at her.
"Watch yourself, Nick." Fin warned him.
"Is the captain in his office?" Olivia asked, ignoring Nick. Fin nodded and she headed over. She knocked and walked in, without waiting for him to let her in.
"Olivia?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I am not going to work with another detective with an anger issue." She stated. ." She stated. Her phone started ringing. She looked at the screen. ELLIOT.