Chapter 11

Jackie opened her eyes when she heard the sound of people whispering. She noticed Olivia speaking to her nurse and she couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. The lieutenants gaze moved to her niece's.

"Hey," Olivia smiled at her. "I'm sorry to wake you."

"Oh, uh… It's okay," Jackie answered awkwardly. This must've had to do with the case, she knew.

"So, the doctor tells me you are doing much better. That's good news," Liv said as she made her way over to her and stood at the foot of the hospital bed.

"So I can leave from here soon, right?" Jackie asked as she looked at her monitor that was on her finger.

"Ummm…" Olivia began awkwardly. "No, not yet. They want to keep an eye on you for a little while longer in case there are any complications again."

"How long?" Jackie asked with a hint of worry in her voice. "I can't stay for too long. I need to be at home. With Jason."

Olivia nodded, unsure of how to tell her she wasn't going anywhere. "Are you two… a thing?" she asked awkwardly. She hadn't wanted to ask the question but she needed to know if she had to rule him out. Melinda still found the DNA of 7 men.

Jackie furrowed her eyebrows. "What? …No. That's gross. He's my best friend. He's like family."

"Okay," Olivia put her hands up in submission. "I understand. I just had to ask."

There was an awkward silence that filled the hospital room.

Jackie stared back at Olivia, unsure of what to say. "You know, you don't have to come here to check up on me. It's not like I'm going anywhere," she gestured to the room. "I mean, you already know where I live so…"

"Actually, I came to ask you some questions," Olivia lied. That definitely wasn't the only reason she came but she needed to get some answers first.

"Okay. What?" Jackie questioned.

"Do you remember if the tattoo of the spider you saw had a red ring around it?"

"Um," Jackie began. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "It may have. I wasn't really looking at his wrists. Why?"

Olivia nodded. "No reason," she answered, not wanting to get into too much detail or jeopardize her testimony. "Jackie–" she paused unsure of how to ask her next question. "I need to ask you something else and I really need you to be honest with me. I didn't want to have to ask you this, but it's really important."

"Okay?" Jackie answered.

Olivia tried to stand straight and it was obvious by the expression on her face that she felt incredibly awkward for even asking. "How many men did you have sex with that day… I mean, before the rape?"

The question caught the teen off-guard by the confused expression on her face.

The woman felt the need to explain. "I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important," she repeated. "I know you don't remember anything after you hit your head so I need to make sure we're getting all of the details here."

"Um," Jackie began nervously. "It was after ten so like … I don't know. Four maybe? Does that matter?"

"Did you know any of their names?" Olivia asked.

"Uhh, one guy. He's a regular. But I know he didn't do this. I see him all the time."

Olivia nodded again as if she understood, even though she knew that no one was out of the question. They were all rapists in her eyes. Jackie was still a minor.

"Do you remember his name?" Liv asked.

"Jay? But that's probably not his real name anyway. Everyone uses fake names."

"Do you remember anything in particular about any of these men? Like, did they have tattoos? Were they wearing any kind of uniforms?"

"I really don't remember their faces or any tattoos. There weren't any cops or anything like that either… Sometimes cops bust you and then you have to have sex with them or well. You know… But that hasn't happened recently."

"What cops? Do you remember the names on their badges? Or badge numbers?" Olivia continued to question.

"Look," Jackie began. "Forget I said anything about cops. That was a bad idea, okay?"

Olivia quickly noticed her hesitation and she knew why. "Wait," the woman began. "You can tell me the truth, Jackie. I promise you that anything you tell me won't get back to them."

"I made a mistake, Detective Benson. It must be the concussion. Cops have never done anything to me." She shook her head.

"Jackie," Olivia pleaded.

"Please just drop it, okay? Even if I was telling the truth, it wouldn't matter anyway. You and I both know that so… just let it go, okay?"

"I can't do that," Liv answered as she sat at the foot of the bed.

"You're a cop," Jackie told her. "Shouldn't you be trying to protect your own? That's what it will come down to. And besides, the cops I was talking about had nothing to do with what happened that night. I was just rambling things that don't make sense. I do that sometimes."

"Jackie, you can trust me."

"Why do you keep saying that?" the teen asked.

"Because I'm not just a cop," Olivia answered abruptly. She knew now that it was too late to go back.

"Really?" Jackie said sarcastically. "Than what are you?"

Olivia stared into Jackie's eyes and couldn't help but want to hold the truth back from her. She had no idea how she would react. What if the information just made her upset? What if she refused to speak with her again? What if she dropped the case out of spite?

"I'm… I'm your…"

The silence was answer enough for the teen. "You know what? It doesn't matter, Detective. I'm actually getting a little tired anyway," she lied. "Were those all the questions you wanted to ask me?"

"Umm…" Olivia began.

"Well if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep. And if you Detectives can share notes rather than bothering me at all times in the day, I would really appreciate it."

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean, other detectives? Did Amanda come back to check on you while I was gone?"

"No. But this is what I mean," Jackie shook her head. "I'm constantly repeating the same story over and over again and you act like you have no idea what I'm talking about."

"Jackie," Olivia raised her voice. "What other detectives?"

"Shouldn't you know?" she asked sarcastically "They're your friends."

"No," Olivia answered. "Amanda and I are the only ones on this case. Jackie, I need to know the names of these other detectives that came to see you."

"Why?"

"Because you might be in danger. Jackie, please just give me the names."

Author's Note: Hey Everyone. I need some advice. So should Olivia tell Jackie that she's her sister soon or should I build the suspense a bit longer. And if she does tell her soon, how should Jackie react? Should she be upset that Olivia has been lying to her this whole time? Should she stop trusting the woman and sneak back to Jason and go somewhere else for awhile? And then have there be a time jump a few weeks later and they come face to face again?