Author's Notes: ARGH! Watching the new season of SVU. Glad to see Liv has re-grown her backbone. About damn time. *grumbles* Anyways, I'm working on everything. Having a hard time figuring out what to work on next. Maybe some reviews would settle that huh? Hint hint. Anyways I'm going to the gym later so if there shall be lots of reviews I'd appreciate it. It will help me decide what to work on next.
Chapter 7
Kate quietly closed the door to the hospital room. The doctor was currently speaking to Julia and Kate thought it was best to leave and give her some privacy. She glanced over frowning when she saw someone sitting in the chair next to the door. "Can I help you ma'am?" She asked.
The woman looked up and she was immediately caught by her bright blue eyes. "I hope so." The woman's accent was distinct and yet she couldn't quite place it. "My name is Chrystelle Dickerson. I'm Audra's mother." She rose to her feet revealing her intimidating height. Like her daughter she was tall but she didn't have the full figure Julia sported. Rather she was reed thin though she had the same white skin and blue eyes as Julia; her hair was dark and cut short around her diamond shaped face. She was quite pretty even though Kate could clearly see the harsh lines of aging beginning to take their toll on her milky skin.
She was wearing a khaki colored pants suit with a jewel blue top underneath. "Is my daughter with her husband now?"
"No, Yoshiki hasn't arrived yet. She's in with her doctor."
Chrystelle frowned. "Do the police have any idea who did this to my daughter?"
"Actually I'm one of the Detectives working her case. Detective Kate Beckett." Kate held out her hand not surprised when the woman hesitated before holding out her own.
"I would say it's a pleasure to meet you Kate but given the circumstances I'm sure you can understand the lack of that sentiment."
"Yes ma'am. I can."
"Her husband said it was a mugging gone wrong. Is that what you've found?"
The woman's blue eyes bore into Kate's. She looked down and took a breath, "We're still trying to figure out what exactly happened. For now the pattern seems to suggest that it was a crime of opportunity but we'll know more once we've gathered more evidence."
The woman frowned but nodded, "Of course. Just please find who did this to my child? Her husband and I have talked at length and we think it would be best to take her back to Japan with us until she's fully healed."
"And I've told you before Mother it won't happen." The doctor had opened the door and come out of the room leaving it wide open for Julia to hear every word. "I'm content to stay here in New York. I have friends here and I refuse to play trophy on my husband's arm."
"Chérie surely you can see why we cannot agree to that." Chrystelle tried to appease her.
Julia glared and shook her head, "It's not happening. I'm not leaving and unless you two plan to drug me or incapacitate me in some way, it won't happen and even then neither of you have power of attorney over me. So it would be impossible to get me to leave New York anyways."
Chrystelle stared back at her for a moment before coming forward towards her bed. "You should rest Chérie. You need to heal from this awful experience."
Julia rolled her eyes but looked at Kate. "Come back tonight if you can?" She asked and Kate nodded. She gave her a small smile. "And tell Alex to bring me some damn lunch when she comes up here! I'm tired of eating this hospital food."
"Language Chérie. I know you didn't learn that from me." Chrystelle sniffed trying to hush what she saw as a totally uncalled for breach of etiquette by her daughter.
"Julia's mother is now at the hospital. We'll have to be even more careful if we want to speak to her about this girl. She didn't tell her mother or her husband what she's been up to." Kate explained.
Elliot frowned and sighed, "We still don't have anything on this girl. No name, no birth certificate nothing. It's like she doesn't even exist."
"In the documents Julia gave us the only name she has is Natara. When we look up Natara, nothing matches." Olivia sighed.
"And we can't get Julia to tell us anything else with her mother and her husband right there. She wouldn't tell me anything."
"She told me something." Alex spoke from the doorway.
Elliot smiled at her and she smiled back walking over she sat down on Kate's desk which previously had been abandoned. They'd pulled it out to give her something temporary to work with.
"What did she say?" Olivia asked, though she pouted at the way Alex was sitting on Kate's desk and not her own. Alex always sat on her desk.
Alex smiled and shook her head slightly at Olivia, signaling her silently to cut it out. Everyone who mattered though knew about their relationship and those that didn't; well they didn't need to know.
"She told me the girl in the photos. Natara. It's her half-sister on her father's side. Her mother probably doesn't know that's why she pushed it off today. And she doesn't want her husband knowing because…"
"Because he'd tell her mother." Olivia added and Alex smiled at her and nodded.
"So we need to start looking for Natara Dickerson?" Elliot asked, arching a brow.
"If he didn't use a fake last name when she was born. We still don't even know how Julia knows about her and with her mother and her husband guarding her pretty closely, it'll be impossible to get it out of her." Kate pointed out.
"We'll have to wait until she's healed enough to leave the hospital then and in the meantime see what we can find out about her father. Arthur Dickerson. He's a pretty prominent figure. Shouldn't be too hard to dig stuff up on him." Elliot shrugged looking at Olivia who nodded in agreement.
"Kate and I can go through his financials, see what we can find. Elliot can do some searching into his private life with Fin." Olivia offered.
Alex smiled, "Likely you're going to need a warrant or two to get at some of his records. Arthur Dickerson was a man with a hell of a lot of power and sway. Call me when you hit a roadblock and I'll see what I can do." She stood up pulling her skirt down slightly before heading towards the exit. Olivia smiled watching her go for a second before looking back at her temporary partner.
Kate smiled, "Go on, see her out. I'll go ahead and get started on this stuff."
Olivia nodded and went after Alex. Kate shook her head with a sad smile and went to her desk. Elliot catching the smile stood up and walked over to her.
"Hey, I don't know what's happened to make you sad but I know Julia really cares about you. I haven't known her that long but I can tell her eyes light up when you step into the room. Might just be me meddling but maybe you should talk to her if you know she's the one making you sad."
Kate looked up at the blue eyed ex-marine and nodded, "Yeah I guess I should talk to her huh." She wouldn't tell him that Julia wasn't the only one making her sad.
Author's Notes: I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to throw Kate and Julia together. They seem like they could head either. What do you guys think?
