A/N: Hey between losing the planning for this story and then starting a new job working 11 odd hours a day this story was kind of forgotten about. I can only apologise and hope that I can get this finished now I've written a new plan for it. Love Steff xx
Ps. Join me on facebook at SteffieDawn Fanfiction for previews to stories!
The next morning Olivia woke to Brian stroking her arm from the chair beside her bed. She gave him an impish smile which he returned at once. She wasn't in as much pain as she suspected she would be waking, it felt like a really bad stitch or cramp that wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
"Good morning Detectives." Brian's nurse came in with a bright smile. "Brian you should be in bed."
"No I shouldn't."
"Yes you should." Olivia chuckled.
"Detective Benson we're going to get you up and walking this morning, use the bathroom and eating then you can be discharged." She smiled to Olivia who beamed, she was really lucky that the bullet did very little damage.
"Can we do that now? Because I really need the bathroom." Olivia said sheepishly.
"Ok." The nurse smiled.
She walked around to the side of Olivia's bed and lowered one of the cot sides while Olivia pushed herself to sitting. It was agony to move the way she was, she could feel her stitches pulling too with each movement.
"Slowly does it." The nurse smiled reassuringly. "Now I'm going to support your weight on your right side."
"Ok." Olivia nodded allowing the nurse to take her arm and place it around her waist. "Just use me to move."
Olivia slowly slid off the bed, her feet hitting the floor causing a throb to surround her wound.
"Most of your weight on your right side, you might need a single crutch for a couple of days."
"Ok." Olivia replied as they began moving towards the bathroom.
The nurse walked Olivia all the way to the toilet and then left her alone and tended to Brian while she was there.
"You think she'll be ok to go today?" Brian asked, this woman had been his nurse since he'd been on the ward and so he had built quite a rapport with her.
"I think so." She replied honestly with a smile. "She'll be just fine."
"I know." He replied though he wasn't so sure. He'd had his own share of daemons to deal with since his shooting, flashbacks and nightmares to name a few and he couldn't help but worry about how Olivia would be out in the world especially with someone still out to kill her.
"Good morning." Cragen said as he stepped into the room.
"Captain." Brian said with a nod of his head as the nurse helped him back into bed.
"Where's Liv?"
"Bathroom." Brian replied as he tried to get comfortable.
"Captain Cragen?" The nurse asked, Don nodded his head slowly in reply wondering if this was going to be someone who had recognised him from the TV and was about to make a comment. "The doctor would like to speak to you as you're down as Detective Benson's next of kin."
It was a small surprise to the Captain to hear that but he didn't question it and instead followed the Nurse out of the room and down the corridor.
"Hi I'm Doctor Jacob Rooke." The doctor smiled as he saw the nurse with Cragen.
"Don Cragen." He replied shaking the doctor's hand.
"So I'm Olivia's doctor and as you're down as her next of kin it's only to you and her that I can discuss her medical condition."
"And this is something you don't want to discuss with her." Don commented yet the Doctor took it as a question.
"Not really, see as much as she's able to be discharged today with a single crutch I'm not happy for her to be on her own for the next couple of days. She's not going to be able to move around as easily and will need help with simple stuff like making a cup of coffee…"
"She can come and stay with me." Cragen said not even thinking about it.
"Are you sure?"
"It's no problem, I have a guest room that Olivia can have." He smiled reassuringly at the young doctor.
"Ok then I don't see a problem for us to get her out of here this morning if you'd like to fill out a couple of forms for me then I can explain everything about her medication and stuff so you can help her over the next few days."
Back in the room Olivia snuggled in bed beside Cassidy rather than returning to her own bed. It wasn't exactly comfortable, if anything it was painful to both of them but the comfort they shared from being in each other's arms was worth the little pain they felt.
"Marry me?" Cassidy blurted as he stroked Olivia's hair.
Her breath completely caught in her throat. Did he really just ask her that?
"What?" She asked as she tensed up completely.
"Come on Liv, I love you, you love me, let's stop pissing about. Marry me?" He asked again.
"Brian…"
"Just think about it. I don't want this to be like before. I don't want thirteen years to go by where I just think about you and wish we'd given things a real go. I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you Olivia and I want to commit to doing that. Just marry me."
"I…" Olivia was interrupted when the door opened and Don Cragen and the Doctor walked in together.
"Detective Benson, I have your discharge papers here. Before you sign them I'm going to let you in on something. You wouldn't be leaving here today if your Captain hadn't offered his guest room for you. You'll be using one crutch until you feel like you don't need it anymore and you will need to stay off your feet as much as you can for the next few days."
"I'm going to stay with you?" Olivia asked looking at her Captain who gave a small nod of his head avoiding her eyes. "Why?"
"I'm your next of kin." He shrugged. "You would have to stay here at least one more night if you didn't have someone to take care of you Olivia."
"Ok then." She nodded. She had always hated hospitals mainly because of the amount of time she spent in them as a child and the work visits she had made.
"Ok well I'll get a nurse to help you changed and then you can be on your way." The Doctor smiled before leaving the room.
"I'll be outside." Don said leaving Olivia and Brian alone again.
"You sure you're ok with going to stay with Cragen?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "Might be beneficial for both of us in all honesty."
"Ok." Brian nodded. "Just think about what I asked? Please?"
"Ok." She nodded before kissing him, reassuring him that she wasn't running or turning him down before she climbed off the bed slowly just as the nurse entered.
Olivia left the hospital a couple of hours later with Don Cragen. It was just a little bit awkward for her to be going to stay with her Captain but she was also very grateful to him, he didn't have to do any of this but he was.
"So how are you doing Liv?"
"I'm ok, any leads on the case?"
"I wouldn't know." He replied sadly, he wanted to be back at SVU making sure everyone was working around the clock to find Olivia's shooter but he wasn't and there was nothing he could do about it. "Fin and Rollins are coming around later to take your statement." He added.
"Ok." She sighed, that wasn't going to be fun at all but at least she was getting it out of the way.
Back at Cragen's she wanted nothing more than to take a shower but she realised she couldn't without any of her things and would have to wait. Cragen informed her that Amanda would be collecting some of her things from her apartment before coming over as Olivia had always kept a spare apartment key in her drawer and Cragen had known about it to tell the other female detective.
When Fin and Amanda arrived Don made them all hot drinks and sat to support Olivia as she gave her statement. She was grateful to him for being there beside her on the couch offering her support that she realised as she began to speak that she would need.
"So the silver Merc was tailing you all day?"
"Yes. I called Harris up and asked him if he'd put a detail on me." Olivia replied as she clutched to the mug in her hand. She felt so drowsy with the pain pills and wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and get some sleep.
"It followed you here?"
"Yes, I saw it when I caught a cab here." Olivia said glaring at Fin, for some reason, considering him and Munch was the Protective Detail she thought that he didn't believe her.
"And other than someone involved with Denzel or Delia you don't have an inkling who it could be?"
"No." Olivia sighed. "There's nothing more I can tell you guys and I'm exhausted." She told them struggling against the drowsiness.
"I think maybe if you have more questions you should come back." Don said in a protective manner.
"Of course we'll leave you to it. Thanks Olivia and I hope you feel better soon." Amanda smiled and out of character for both of them Amanda hugged Olivia who instantly hugged her back.
"We'll find this bastard Liv." Fin said hugging her too, not so out of character.
After they left Don helped Olivia to the guest room and left her alone to get changed and get into bed where she got some much needed sleep.
It was almost as if it was happening in slow motion.
"Police! Police! On the job! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" I yell as I see the standoff in front me.
"Liv get back! Liv get back!" Brian calls but I can't stop my legs from running towards him.
BANG! BANG!
"No! No!"
"Olivia! Olivia wake up!"
"No! No!" She trembled in her bed as Don watched her in a fitful nightmare.
"Cassidy! Cassidy! Ten thirteen, ten thirteen officer down, officer down, A PO was shot." My heart is hammering loudly in my chest so loud I hear it in my ears, Cassidy, the man I think I love is lying on the ground with two holes in his chest and blood quilting his sweater.
"Oh my god." A whisper passes my lips as I realise just how serious this is. "Call a bus!"
"Call a bus!" She screams as Don just sits there having failed to wake her deciding to stay there until she woke up of her own accord in case she needed comfort.
"Stay with me Cassidy ok?" I cry as he looks right into my eyes, those gorgeous blue eyes of his looking terrified. "You hang in there, you're going to be alright we're going to be there soon ok?" I say them to try and comfort myself as well as him.
He flat lines. My heart stops right along with his.
"Do something." I choke as the EMT moves to help.
"Clear…"
She startled awake, her hands clutching tightly to the bed sheets.
"Yes." She choked out as she caught her breath.
"Liv you ok?" Cragen asked setting himself beside her on the bed, he couldn't believe he'd just seen what he had. It was terrifying to see Olivia fitful replaying the moments Cassidy was shot, he knew that's what it was without her having to tell him.
"Nightmare." She gritted out.
"A very realistic one." Don replied and Olivia nodded.
"He asked me to marry him." She whispered and she eyes closed trying to rid the memory from her mind.
"He did? When he was shot?"
"No this morning." Don was shocked but he hid it well. "I think I want to."
"You think?"
"No I do. I want to marry Brian… I want to spend the rest of my life with him… however long or short that may be."