Author's Note: This is a pretty tame (sexually) chapter, although I think you'll like the subject matter. As a teacher, I encounter experiences like SVU only very occasionally (Thank God). I can't imagine what it's like to have a full-time career that deals with the horrible parts of teaching like abuse, etc.
This chapter is dedicated to all the people who work to help victims of abuse and help find justice.
We see Badass Benson in this chapter. Please favorite, follow and review. Your words mean the world to me.
Also, I am thinking of ending this at 10 or 11 chapters.
Enjoy!
7
OOO
Olivia slowly entered a waking mode and opened one eye as she heard her iPhone's alarming, shrill sound in the distance. The ring tone she recognized was set for when Elliot called and there would be only one reason for him to be calling her at…she lifted her head slightly to peer at the alarm clock to her right…5:13 a.m.
Mother fuck, she thought, as she quietly moved the covers off of her and strolled naked into the living room to retrieve her cell phone from her clutch.
Once she opened her purse and took it out, it stopped ringing, going straight to voicemail. She waited a moment for the message to complete. Elliot was going to give her shit about not answering it, knowing that she always had it on her, beside her, or at least within grabbing distance. She chided herself for the irresponsibility of not having it with her. That phone was her communication lifeline and she had completely abandoned it last night in the heat of passion.
Olivia took a deep breath and pressed the green phone icon that would dial Elliot and waited for him to pick up.
No greetings were necessary. Right away, Elliot answered and stated, "Liv, we've got a case. Victim's at Mercy being examined. Her parents are at the hospital, too. I'll meet you there in thirty."
"OK, see you there." Olivia ended the call and began walking back to the bedroom. She hated to do it but she had to wake Alex to borrow some clothing. The clothing from the day before reeked of the outdoors, ducks, and the French fries and hash browns from the diner where they had eaten brunch. She needed fresh clothes.
To be at the hospital in thirty minutes would have been easier from her apartment but, here she was, further away from Mercy and her tight red dress and stilettos from last night weren't going to do for interviewing a victim at the hospital. She had nothing clothing-wise at this apartment at all—no robe, no underwear. Her rekindled relationship with the attorney had only just begun and Olivia was still without the basic creature comforts of home and the basic overnight necessities. She felt momentarily lost and flustered all at once, not to mention slightly panicked at the vulnerability of it all.
She approached Alex's side of the bed cautiously. "Alex…" she whispered.
"Don't worry, Liv. I'm awake. Barely, but I'm awake."
Olivia knelt down next to the bed. "I am so sorry. I have to be at the hospital in thirty minutes. Elliot called and there's a girl—"
Alex sat up and smiled, stopping Olivia by placing her index finger on her mouth and then leaning into her and kissing her gently. "You need some clothes. Let me get you some jeans and a shirt. Ankle boots are in the closet, they'll be slightly big but wearable. Fresh underwear and socks are in the top right drawer of the bureau."
As Alex picked out a pair of jeans and button down navy shirt for the detective, Olivia got the underwear and socks. Then, her mind froze for a moment when she thought of her badge and gun.
Shit! Had she left them at her apartment?
Then, relief washed over her as she remembered she had left them in the drawer in the entryway table by the front door for safe keeping when she and Alex had come back after the park to shower and change.
She exhaled a deep breath as she put the panties and socks on, grabbing her bra off of the floor. Alex placed the shirt and jeans on the bed and walked up to Olivia.
"Hey…" she began. "…it's OK. You've got twenty-five minutes to make it there…" Alex placed a quick, soft kiss on Olivia's mouth.
Olivia nodded. She grabbed the jeans and hurriedly put them on, took the shirt and slipped it through her arms and began hastily buttoning it. "Alex, my…"
"I'll get them. You put your shoes on and wash your face." Alex ran her hand over Olivia's messy hair. As Alex left to get Olivia's service items, she called over her shoulder, "The brush is in a basket with ponytail holders on the lid of the toilet."
"Got it," Olivia called. She tucked her shirt in on the way to the sink. The jeans were tight, there was no doubt, but they still fit and she could, thankfully, button them. The shirt, however, was a size small and fit Olivia everywhere except along the breast and shoulder regions. The fabric pulled at the bust, slightly exposing her pink bra but, thankfully, she had her leather coat from earlier to wear over it.
Alex entered with Olivia's duty belt, badge, and gun. She placed the gun and badge on the bed and took the duty belt into her hands. Olivia exited the bathroom, hair brushed and in a ponytail, blotting her face with a pale yellow face towel.
Olivia walked toward Alex and stopped. Alex took the detective's belt and started on Olivia's first loop and continued to snake her way around the brunette's waist. Olivia watched her, arms on Alex's elbows. Olivia could feel the burning sting in her eyes.
Once finished with the loops and buckle, Alex looked up, concern on her face. "What is it, Liv?"
"You're wonderful…," was all she could say. "Thank you." She placed a soft, slow kiss on Alex's left cheek, then right cheek, then lips, letting her wanting to relish the softness briefly. She pulled away resting her forehead against her girlfriend's, "I gotta go…"
"Yeah…I'll see you soon…"
Olivia picked up her badge from the bed and clipped it on her thick, black belt. Then she picked up the gun and began walking down the hallway, simultaneously placing it into her holster. She put her on leather jacket from the coat rack, patting the pocket to make sure her keys were there and then turned to Alex at the door. "I'll call you, OK?"
"OK…" Alex's eyes dipped to Olivia's mouth and one more beloved kiss was had.
Olivia pulled away, smiled and then opened the door and left, off to Mercy Hospital and a new victim to help.
… … … … … …
Olivia strode into the Mercy Hospital waiting room of the ER just shy of 5:45 a.m. Elliot was already waiting outside the private examining room, his back to Olivia. She could tell he was deep in thought, rubbing the stubble on his chin as he so often did when thinking. "Hey, El. What've we got?"
He turned and instantly began speaking. "She's in there now. Audrey McAdams, nine years old. She was brought in for pains in her lower belly and vomiting. She was examined and her hymen is not intact and there's vaginal tearing but no semen. So, obviously, she has been raped because nine year-olds don't have sex." Elliot cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. "Her parents say she hasn't been herself for a while, they just have been too preoccupied to really take notice. They claim they thought she was just growing up."
"She's nine?" Olivia asked incredulously.
"Nine years old in the third grade," Elliot confirmed.
Olivia nodded and peered through the oblong, rectangular window of the room, "OK, what are the things they've noticed that are different?"
Elliot sighed, "Bed wetting, crying and whining—which she never used to do—loss of appetite, sadness, scratching and/or rubbing her privates, complaining of burning during urination, withdrawing from family and friends. Mom says she used to be outgoing and the entertainer of the family and now, they can barely get a smile from her."
Olivia felt the fury rise in her being, "Fuck," she whispered.
"Liv…," Elliot tried, realizing her emotions were becoming more and more combustible.
Olivia looked back through the window, "Growing up? That's what they said? All of those signs and that's what they have to say? How long have they been observing these signs, Elliot?" She looked back at him, scowling.
Elliot paused, looking Olivia dead in the eyes, unwavering. He waited, knowing that what he was about to say would enrage her beyond belief. "About eight months."
Olivia took a deep breath and drew her lips inward. She could feel her nostrils flare on their own volition. She folded her arms, looked up at the ceiling briefly and moved her neck around to stretch. "OK…I'm going in…"
Elliot stopped her with a hand clutching her bicep lightly. "Maybe you should take a few minutes, first."
Olivia pulled her arm away, not forcefully, but enough to let Elliot know to release her. "I'm fine, El. It's OK. I got it under control." She proceeded to turn the knob to the room and enter, Elliot following a safe distance like he always did with young girls, in case they had become leery of men.
Elliot and Olivia introduced themselves to the parents first, flashing their badges. Olivia walked up to the little girl in the bed and put on her best smile. She was so tiny in that bed, it seemed to engulf her. She definitely didn't seem nine years old. To Olivia she looked underweight, perhaps malnourished. Maybe it was the enormity of the situation but she seemed frail, almost fragile. "Hi, Audrey…my name is Olivia. I'm a police officer. She held out her badge for Audrey to hold. The little girl took it and held it in her tiny hand, running her fingers over the gold shield. She looked at Olivia and handed it back. As Olivia clipped it back on, she spoke again, "Honey, your mommy and daddy say that you've been very sad lately. Is that true?"
The little girl looked at her mother and father first and then back at Olivia before giving a very small nod.
Olivia smiled, her mouth shaking from the disingenuousness of this whole situation. She felt that something was definitely off here. This little girl had too many things that didn't seem right for her parents to bring her to the hospital eight months later and suddenly be concerned at 5:45 in the morning.
"What have you been sad about, Audrey?"
Audrey said nothing.
"Have you been sad about something at school? A friend? A boy? A teacher?" Olivia tried.
Still nothing.
"Is it something at home, honey, that's making you sad?"
Mr. McAdams stepped forward and out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw him bring his mouth in close to Elliot's ear and in a hushed voice he spat, "I don't like what she is insinuating! There is nothing at home that could be making her sad."
Olivia took another deep breath and closed her eyes, willing the anger down. When she opened them, Mrs. McAdams spoke from her position on the other side of the bed next to Audrey, "We just can't seem to think of what's wrong with her. We have a very happy home."
Olivia lost it on the petite woman. Glaring, she requested, "Mrs. McAdams, can I speak to you in the hallway?" Olivia began walking to the door, Mrs. McAdams starting to follow when Audrey screamed out, "No! Mommy. Don't leave!"
"Mommy will only be a minute, baby," Mrs. McAdams tried to reassure her. "Daddy's with you."
"Noooooo!" she shrieked louder, flailing in her bed. Sheets flying. Olivia rushed to the bed on one side and the mother on the other.
They both attempted to hold the flailing nine-year-old down, carefully yet securely and without hurting her. Olivia whispered soft, "Shhhh's" and the mother stroked the girl's hair as she seemed to calm slightly. As Olivia had the little girl's arm, she saw a small amount of bluish color peeking out from underneath her pink long-sleeved, pajama shirt. Carefully, she inched the shirt upward to reveal horrible red welts, and blue and purple bruises, obviously freshly made.
Olivia's anger rose like a bubbling volcano, building and building until she walked around the bed, grabbed the mother by the elbow and escorted her from the room. Once in the hallway, Olivia shoved Mrs. McAdams forcefully backward. "Eight months, Mrs. McAdams? Eight months?" She shoved her shoulders again, the woman stumbling backward.
By this time Elliot and Mr. McAdams had come out of the room, a nurse rushing in to shield the little girl from the sight. Elliot was on high alert mode as he watched his partner, waiting, just in case he needed to intervene.
"You bring her in after eight months of knowing something is wrong with her and not doing anything about it?" Olivia brought her face in within inches of Mrs. McAdams', "How'd she get those bruises, huh? And don't you dare tell me you don't know." She grabbed the woman's shirt, clenching the fabric at the shoulders. "I swear to God if I find out that you and your husband have been abusing that little girl I will make sure your asses sit in prison until you need adult diapers."
Mrs. McAdams began crying and shielding her face from Olivia's pulsing forehead vein. "Please don't hit me!" she wailed.
Olivia stood, opening and closing her fists as she stepped away from the mother.
From behind her, the father broke his silence, and belligerent rage suddenly bellowing from him, "That little girl is ruining everything! Christopher has a basketball scholarship and is going to be in the NBA. She'll ruin everything for us with her little stories! If anyone finds out, our dreams are ruined!" he yelled.
As if guided by an unknown poltergeist, Olivia flew at Mr. McAdams and swung a weighty punch into his nose. Instantly, he grabbed his face, blood spilling from his nostrils. Before Elliot could grab his partner by the waist, the detective swung once again, her fist coming in contact with his left eye, and she heard a crack. Mr. McAdams began to retaliate, stepping forward and bringing his fist back, "You bitch!"
Two burley men suddenly came up behind Mr. McAdams and held his arms so that he was powerless to move, much less punch Olivia.
Elliot's arms pulled the brunette firmly back away from the scene, her feet skimming over the floor as he practically lifted her and rushed with her about ten feet to clear her from the area, "Hey! Stay here. Calm down, Liv. Calm down!"
She didn't look at Elliot, only continued to glare at the father, now bloodied and starting to swell, the two men making sure he didn't advance and now two nurses at his sides, checking on his injuries.
Elliot moved in front of her glare to try and make eye contact. "Hey, Liv. Deep breaths."
She slowly looked up and into his blue eyes. "I can't do this, anymore, El." Her lower lip trembled and she could feel the tears filling her eyes. "I can't…"
Elliot walked her to a chair and she sat, staring at the floor, holding her right hand by the wrist. She didn't want to look down but knew her hand was ripped up, she could feel it. She had hit bone on both punches and she could feel the bruising and torn skin begin to pulsate and throb.
She heard Elliot talk to the burly men guarding Mr. McAdams from doing anything, "Watch him and make sure he doesn't go anywhere." Then he punched a button on his cell phone, "Fin, I need you at Mercy as soon as you can make it. Thanks man."
He closed it and knelt down in front of Olivia, resting his hands on her knees and urging her to look at him, "Liv? Fin is coming down. Maybe you should take a couple of days off and figure out what's going on. I'll tell the Cap'n."
Olivia didn't argue. The emotions of the last hour had exhausted her mentally and physically. The case she had before it lasted a full 78 hours. It had taken its toll. She felt like a different person—like she couldn't do her job any more. She hadn't been impartial and just listened and questioned like she usually did at first meetings with victims and victim's families. Something had taken hold of her and inhabited her body, some unknown force. Something had to give. She just wasn't sure what it was.
She didn't know how she got there, but she found herself standing in front of the hospital, Elliot holding her by the waist, her right hand bandaged. A black BMW convertible pulled into the drop off area where she and Elliot were standing. A tall blonde in jeans and a beige v-neck sweater got out and headed towards her.
"Alex?" She looked at Elliot and then back at the statuesque blonde.
"Cragen told me. I went to the station to see what we had so far. When you were getting your hand wrapped, Elliot called Fin and Fin told Cragen and Cragen told me to come pick you up to take you home, since I happened to be available."
"Oh," was all Olivia could manage."
Elliot ushered Olivia into the car and closed the door.
AAA
Alex walked around to the driver's side and Elliot followed. Alex opened the door and Elliot motioned for her to lean closer.
Whispering, Elliot stated, "Make sure she gets home OK. I don't think she's OK right now." He pointed to his head. "She was talking about quitting…" The pain in Elliot's eyes was almost unbearable.
"You have my word. I will take her home and make sure she's taken care of. I'll let you know how she is once we're settled."
"The captain said for her to take a few days off after this incident. There might be repercussions…but don't tell her that, please. Not yet," Elliot pleaded.
Alex slipped into the driver's side and Elliot closed the door.
The blonde turned to Olivia who was staring straight ahead, through the windshield. Alex put her hand on top of her uninjured hand that was on her thigh, squeezing gently. "Hey…"
Olivia turned to look at her, an immense sadness in her deep brown eyes. "I just want to go home, Alex." Her eyes filled with tears, "Please take me home."
"You got it, Baby." Alex shifted into gear and pulled out of the parking lot, ready to be available to Olivia, however she needed her to be.
