A/N I'm sorry it took me this long, but there was a new chapter that kept screaming inside my mind for the newest story I'm writing. I had to get it out of my head and posted before I could write and post this chapter.
Y'all keep surprising my, positively, with all the reviews and followers and fav's this story already has. It means a lot to me that y'all like this story. It makes me feel better in my personal life. So keep R+R.
Chapter 7
It was an hour later when Jennifer came back and knocked on the door.
"Alex, Detective Benson is at CCU now. I can bring you to her if you want to." Jennifer says.
Alex jumps up from the couch.
"Bring us to her, please." Alex says.
Jennifer nods and the three women walk to Olivia's room. When they are there Jennifer turns around.
"Detective Benson is hooked to a lot of machines. So there are a lot of wires. It's not a pleasant sight. She probably looks worse than the last time you saw her. I just want to warn you. It is very important that you stay calm once you are inside. If it becomes too much for you, which is perfectly normal, step outside for a moment, just until you are calm enough to go back inside. Ms. Novak, you need to leave after those 10 minutes I mentioned earlier. Maybe you can go back inside later today but that depends on how Detective Benson is doing. Now are you ready to go inside?" Jennifer asks.
"Alex, why don't you go inside alone first, so you can be alone with Liv? You can call me inside when you are ready." Casey asks.
"Thank you for offering, Casey. But I would like it if you come inside with me now. After that I can be alone with Liv." Alex answers.
"I'll do what you want me to do. If you want me to go inside with you now, I'll do it. But don't feel like you have to, I can wait." Casey says.
"I know. I'd like you to come inside with me now." Alex says.
"Alright, lets go inside then." Casey answers.
Alex takes a deep breath and opens the door and walks inside, Casey follows right behind her. Alex gasps when she sees Olivia. She needs a moment to collect herself and walks to Olivia's bed. She takes a seat in the chair next to Olivia's bed and takes Olivia's right hand in her own. Casey is visibly upset too but stays calm. She walks next to Alex and stands behind the blonde attorney and lays her hand Alex's shoulder. Casey nods at Jennifer who nods back and then closes the door and walks back to the reception desk. After Jennifer closed the door Alex leans over and kisses Olivia's forehead.
"I'm here now, Liv. I'm not leaving your side. Casey is here too. She only stays for 10 minutes but she'll stay close after that. She stays in the room next to yours. So we are both here with you." Alex says softly.
Casey stayed for 10 minutes before she leaves.
"I'm just next door Alex, if you need me just call me. You and Liv are not alone." Casey says softly.
"I know. I call you if needed. Thank you for being here for Liv and for me, Casey." Alex answers.
"No need to thank me, Alex. That's what friends are for." Casey says.
Casey squeezes Alex shoulder and then leaves the room. She goes into the next room and calls her secretary to bring her some files. She's not leaving soon anyway and she needs to work on Olivia's case. Prepare for tomorrow morning. She is working for about one and a half hour when there is a knock on the door and Melinda steps inside. She closes the door behind her.
"How's Liv doing?" Melinda asks, taking the seat next to Casey.
"It's not looking good, Melinda. To tell you the truth, the Doctors don't think she's gonna make it. The didn't say it specifically but with what they did say I know that's what they think. The next 45 hours are extremely critical. When she makes it trough that, she has 35% chance. When she makes it through the next 77 hours, she has a 55% chance. All of this depending on her condition. If her condition improves the chances improve. If her condition goes worse her chances will get lower than they already are. They were able to stop the bleeding but they lost her once on the table again, took them 3 minutes to get her back." Casey explains.
"Damn, that doesn't look good at all. The way I see it, judging on what you told me, there is a miracle needed for Liv to make it. I know she is a fighter, but to tell you the truth, we can only pray that she's gonna make it. How is Alex holding up?" Melinda asks.
"Barely holding it together. I can tell you this, if Liv's not gonna make it we're not losing one person, we lose two. There is no way Alex will survive it if Liv dies." Casey answers sadly.
"Not to mention she'll beat herself up for the rest of her life. I know she blames herself for what happened. How are you doing? This can't be easy for you too." Melinda says.
"I just want to nail the bastard to the wall and get his ass in Rikers for the rest of his life. Don't get me wrong, this isn't easy for me either. But it's not as hard for me as it is for Alex, and I'm not the one fighting for my life. I need to keep my head together till after the trial. There is no way I hand this over to someone else. Not to mention that someone needs to keep the guys in line if Liv's not gonna make it. What about you? You know Liv and Alex the longest of the two of us. How are you doing?" Casey asks.
"Same as you. I do what ever I can to help you nail this asshole. I processed everything myself. Made sure that this has priority in the lab. It is hard though, to see Liv so broken, literally. And to see Alex in so much pain. It's obvious that they mean a lot to each other. Now, is there something I can do for you while I'm here?" Melinda asks.
"Well, they took the rape kit but I need photo's of Liv's body from the assaults. I need Alex's official statement too. But there is no way she'll leave Liv's side now. So I don't know how to get that done." Casey answers.
"How about I'm gonna sit with Liv while you take Alex's statement and in the mean time I take the photo's of Liv's body? I know she don't want anyone to see it. And it's the least I can do for her and Alex." Melinda asks.
"If we can convince Alex to leave Liv for about 20 minutes, I'm game. But that's gonna be the hardest part, convincing Alex." Casey answers.
"Not that it matters to me, and considering the state Alex is in, it's probably a stupid question. But why are you trying this case and not Alex, isn't that what Liv would have wanted, if she was conscious?" Melinda asks.
"Liv has been conscious before she got a cardiac arrest. She asked me to prosecute this case. She doesn't want Alex knowing the details from what happened to her. Prentiss raped her badly and she is convinced she will lose Alex if she knows the details. We both know that's never gonna happen but you know Liv. She's afraid of losing me when I know them. If it wasn't for this it would have been Alex trying this case." Casey answers.
"Yeah, I know Liv. I never have met anyone more stubborn and hard headed than Badass Benson, not even Alex. And you and I both know how she can be. But I think we might have the answer at how we are going to convince Alex. Liv doesn't want her to know the details, so she definitely doesn't want Alex to see her body like this. That's how we can get Alex out of the room for 20 minutes and to give her statement to you. But that's probably the most you can get, 20 minutes I mean." Melinda says.
"You are probably right about that. Alright, lets try it." Casey answers, standing up from her seat.
Casey and Melinda went outside their room and Casey asked Alex to step outside for a moment. It took both women some time but in the end they managed to convince the blond attorney to leave Olivia's side for 20 minutes, and not one second more. So Alex went into the next room with Casey and Melinda arranged a photo camera to take the photo's of Olivia's body before she went into Olivia's room. The medical examiner walks Olivia's bed.
"Hey Liv, it's Melinda. Don't worry, Alex is in the next room with Casey. I need to take the pictures from your body and I didn't think you would Alex to be here for that. So she's gonna stay with Casey and give her statement in the meantime. Alex will be right back at your side as soon as she and I are done. There is nobody else in your room but you and me. Nobody will see your body, nobody but me. That's the best I can do for you now." Melinda says.
She keeps talking to Olivia as she takes the photographs of the Detective's body. When she's done she puts back the blanket over the brunette's body and takes a seat in the chair next to her. 15 minutes later Olivia's blood pressure and heart rate are getting higher in a fast tempo and she calls the Dr. and nurses. They try to get her blood pressure and heart down but no matter what they do they can't get it down. Melinda decides to get the one person, she knows can make it happen, back into Olivia's room. She walks into the next room. Alex is just finished with her statement when Melinda gets inside.
"Alex, Liv's blood pressure and heart rate are dangerously high right now and they can't get lower, so I need you to go back into her room and talk to her." Melinda says calmly.
"What makes you think I can get it down? What do I say to her?" Alex asks panicked.
"Just talk to her. You'll know what you need to tell her." Melinda answers.
Alex glares at Casey before looking back at Melinda.
"Don't glare at Casey, what ever it is you told her, she didn't tell me it. Now get your ass in that room and talk to her, Counselor." Melinda says sternly, but with a soft tone in her voice to let Alex know that she's not mad.
Alex jumps up out of her chair and runs to Olivia's room, with Melinda and Casey on her heels. Alex wants to enter the room but one of the nurses stops her. Melinda speaks up.
"Let her trough, she is the only one that can get Detective Benson's pressure and heart rate down. So unless you want her death on your conscience I suggest you let her through." Melinda says.
The nurse starts to protest but Alex has enough and pushes her aside and makes her way trough the nurses and Dr. in the room. The Dr. wants to call security but the death glares he receives from Alex and Casey stops him. Alex walks to Olivia quickly and bows her head to Olivia's ear and starts whispering in the Detective's ear. As soon as Alex is finished and sits down in the chair, Olivia's blood pressure and heart rate are going down. She takes Olivia's hand in her own and keeps whispering in the Detective's ear. One minute after the blonde ADA came bursting into the room, Olivia's vitals are on a normal level again. The Dr. and nurses are stunned. They don't know what happened, what the blonde attorney said, but what ever it was it helped. What they had tried to do for minutes, Alex did it in about 30 seconds. It's clear to them that if they want the Detective to make it they need to let the blonde stay at her side at all times. Casey and Melinda shake their heads, they don't know exactly what Alex said but they know that it will make Olivia keep fighting for her life and now probably harder than she ever had done before.
After 2 minutes the Dr. leaves Olivia's room. The nurses already had left it. After he closed the door behind him he turns to Casey and Melinda.
"We tried to get her vitals back to normal or at least less dangerous. But whatever we tried it didn't work. And she burst into the room talks to her for what, 30 seconds, and got the Detective's pressure and heart rate back to normal. So what did she say? What the hell just happened?" The Dr. asks.
"I think I have a pretty good idea what she said to Liv, but it is not my place to tell you that. And no matter what you try, you won't get it out of me. The only thing you need to know is that if you want Liv to make it, you need to leave Alex at Liv's side. What Alex said will keep Liv fighting and I'm convinced that she will make it now, no matter what you think." Casey answers.
"You now what Ms.? I'm sorry, I don't know your name." The Dr. says.
"I'm Casey Novak. And you are?" Casey asks.
"I'm sorry for not introducing myself, I'm Dr. Patton. Ms. Novak, I think you might be right. I really thought that we were gonna lose her again and this time wouldn't be able to get her back. I wouldn't have believed it, if I didn't saw it with my own eyes, what just happened. Ms. Cabot must mean a lot to Detective Benson, they must have a really special connection, because I have never seen this before. I'm a Dr. for quite some years and I never have seen a person in a coma and critical condition react like Detective Benson just did. Detective Benson isn't out of the woods yet but I start to think that she actually can make it. Her chances are definitely increased, I think. Now if you will excuse me, I need to contact her Captain and inform him about Detective Benson's condition." Dr. Patton says.
"I'll contact the Captain, Dr. Patton. I'm the squad's ADA as is Alex. And this our medical examiner Dr. Warner. So if it's alright with you, I'll inform them about Liv's current situation." Casey answers.
"Yes, of course. Do you stay here in the hospital, Ms. Novak? And are you too, Dr. Warner?" Dr. Patton asks.
"Yes, Dr. Warner will stay for now and I'm staying here. Jennifer has given us that room to stay in. The squad and Captain Cragen will come to visit Liv or Alex and I from time to time. There will always be one of us staying here to support Alex and Liv. If I'm not here, one of them will be." Casey answers, pointing at the room behind her.
"May I ask why Jennifer has authorized you to stay, you are not a relative of Detective Benson are you?" Dr. Patton asks.
"Dr. Patton, Liv has no family, blood relatives I mean. We are her family. And you were right about the connection between Alex and Liv. They have a very special bond. So to answer your question, that's why Jennifer agreed with this." Casey answers.
"I understand. So is it safe to assume that you will keep the Captain and her squad up to date? It's easier for us this way." Dr. Patton asks.
"Yes I will. May I go to Liv and Alex for a few minutes, Dr. Patton? I won't stay longer then 5 minutes tops." Casey asks.
"You both may go inside for 2 minutes together. If it wasn't for the two of you, we wouldn't have let Ms. Cabot inside and we probably would have lost Detective Benson. So I can give you 2 minutes together. But after that you have to go back to the other room." Dr. Patton answers.
"Thank you Dr. Patton, we will leave after 2 minutes. It's just that I want to be there for my friends for a moment." Casey answers.
"I understand. Now if you will excuse me this time, I have other things I need to do. I'll keep checking on Detective Benson every other hour, as long as nothing changes of course." Dr. Patton says.
"Yes, of course. And thank you Dr. I'm sure we will see you again." Casey answers.
Dr. Patton nods and walks away. Casey looks at Melinda who nods and opens the door and walks inside Olivia's room. Casey walks to Olivia's bed and stands next to Alex, Melinda closes the door behind her and walks to the end of Olivia's bed.
"You told her it, didn't you?" Casey asks softly.
Alex turns her head around and looks at Casey.
A/N 2 Sorry for an other cliffhanger, although I don't think this one is as worse as the other ones were. What did y'all think Alex whispered in Olivia's ear? And will it keep Olivia fighting for her life and make it?
