Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken Arms

-Part XI-

Alex felt the smell of antiseptic hit her first as she stepped through the automatic doors of the emergency department. She paused at the entrance, her eyes darting around the sea of bustling hospital staff and unattended patients milling around in the waiting room. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight, but the usually confident ADA was suddenly at a loss for words, unable to think about what she should be doing next.

For one, she wasn't here on business and that fact alone made Alex all that more lost.

Fear hit her head on, the whole morbid atmosphere playing into her worst nightmares. It was different from the time she rode in the ambulance with Casey to the hospital. The redhead had still been conscious that time. Not coherent, but definitely conscious. Now, Alex had no idea what to expect. Was Casey alright? Was she in surgery?

Was she still alive?

The most horrible thoughts came to mind, her experience as a sex crimes ADA just adding to the catastrophizing.

Did something happen to Casey to have SVU involved?

It was a break-in. How long had the assailant stayed with Casey before the police showed up?

"Alex, are you alright?"

A hand jolted the blonde lawyer out of her thoughts and she looked over to Olivia who had nothing but concern on her face. "Why don't we find out which room she's in?" The detective gestured to the registration desk.

"R-right." Alex felt her breathing come in ragged breaths, struggling to keep her composure. It took a few shaky steps before the lawyer made it to the nurse's desk, clearing her throat.

"Excuse me, we're looking for Casey Novak."

The portly woman sitting at the computer glanced up at the two women from over her rounded glasses, arching her eyebrows as if to ask why.

Olivia stepped up a little closer, flashing her badge as she leaned on the counter. "It's police business. She should have come in about an hour ago by ambulance with a police escort."

At that, the nurse conceded and Olivia though she almost saw the woman roll her eyes.

"She's in bed 45C. Just down the hall, third on your left."

"Thanks."

Alex bolted off with another word, giving into her slowly growing panic as her legs carried her down the corridor with Olivia trailing behind her.

"Alex, wait!"

The blonde maneuvered her way through the narrow hall cluttered with people and empty stretchers, her heels clacking obnoxiously as she quickened her pace. It wasn't long before Alex reached room 45, a small section partitioned off by a few flimsy curtains. She paused before she walked in, the room abuzz with conversation, a doctor and a few nurses standing in between one of the curtains discussing their patient. Alex peered over, catching a glimpse of a person lying in the bed who definitely wasn't Casey. She moved past them quickly, heading to the inner part of the room. The curtains were drawn around the last few beds and she called out, trying to hide the apprehensive waver in her voice.

"Casey? Casey, are you in here?"

There was a slight pause, but Alex's question didn't go unanswered for long.

"Alex? Is that you?"

A wave of relief washed over the blonde once she heard the other woman's voice and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

The curtain at the inner end of the room scraped along its metal rail and Alex whirled around to come face to face with Finn, clad in his usual leather jacket-business casual wear.

"Cabot, that you?" The detective gave Alex a worried, but slightly judgemental look in his usual manner. "You look worse than Novak over here."

Offering a weak smile, Alex chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I guess it's been a rough week." The tall blonde took a few steps towards Finn and the hospital bed. A real smile spread across her lips as she locked eyes with an equally ragged looking Casey sitting up against the bedframe. A dark stain had seeped through her light blue shirt, dyeing it a dark blue. The blood stain spread from her collar down to her chest. Smudges of red still visible along the nape of Casey's neck where the nurses must have hastily wiped away the blood.

Coming a few steps closer, Alex's smile faltered, seeing the quickly darkening discoloration on Casey's right brow, her eye and cheek starting to swell. A bulky pad of gauze was taped to the side of her head, covering a good part of her right forehead.

"Hey…how are you holding up?" Alex closed the distance between them almost instantly, taking a half-seat on the space beside Casey on the bed. The blonde felt for Casey's hand, feeling the redhead clasp their fingers together tightly. There was a silent desperation in Casey's eyes as she looked up, her face ashen white, her lip split and bleeding slightly.

Alex felt her heart ache.

Casey tried to smile, but managed a half grimace instead, wincing at the pain any movement in her face gave her. "Been better. Definitely not the worst, but they say I probably have a broken cheek and maybe a fractured eye socket."

"I'm so sorry…If it weren't for me…" Without thinking, Alex raised a hand, cupping Casey's left cheek, gingerly stroking the redhead's face.

Finn watched the scene in silence, arching an eyebrow to himself at Alex's overly friendly gesture. There was a strangely intimate atmosphere in the room and the detective didn't know if his senses were deceiving him.

"Hey, you can't blame yourself for any of this. I was just being stupid. I should have left the house if I really suspected anything." Casey laughed weakly, convincing herself that it was just some freak happenstance.

"I still can't help but feel responsible. I mean I'm the one who spilled the coffee on you and I'm the one who-"

"Alex."

With that, the blonde lawyer stopped. Casey had fixed her with a glare that said she was winning this argument regardless of the facts.

"Yeah, it was the middle of the day. That's prime time for burglars, you know? I think you just struck out with that violent son of a bitch. You bled so much you almost gave me a heart attack…Thought you were a goner." Finn gestured with his hand to his own head as he leaned against the wall, trying to feign indifference, but both lawyers knew he was concerned. "It wasn't anything like last time someone beat your ass, but you should probably get a bodyguard if this is gonna keep happening."

Casey grimaced again, another attempt at a smile, but decided that that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. It wasn't like she was accident prone or an easy target or anything, but…at this point, it was highly debatable. She still remembered the event Finn was talking about, the time she was in hospital for almost a week, having to use a crutch for a few months after. The sympathy she got from jurors and judges helped her cases at the time, but there were some downsides to not being able to climb stairs.

It was at that point that Olivia had finally caught up, slightly annoyed at Alex's disappearing act. On the way over, she was nearly run down by a few stretchers.

"Alex."

Olivia came into view, the curtain still open. Finn looked over, acknowledging Olivia's presence with a nod.

Sighing, Olivia smiled with relief, glad to see that Casey was awake. When the officers radioed her earlier, the report made it seem like Casey was in critical condition. The detective made her way around to the far side of the hospital bed.

"Elliott wanted to come see you right away, but one of us had to wrap up the search and seizure. He is really worried about you though." Olivia gave Casey's hand a gentle squeeze.

Again, with another grimace, Casey squeezed Olivia's hand back. "I know. I remember how he was the last time this kinda thing happened."

"Yeah…"

"I really need to thank you, Liv. I don't know where I'd be if the officers hadn't found me in time." Casey paused, sensing a change in Alex's demeanor. The blonde lawyer had suddenly tensed, catching the redhead's attention.

"I'm just glad you're alright, Casey." Olivia's voice adopted her usual motherly tone, making the redhead feel slightly embarrassed with all the attention.

"Thanks, but I guess I should be smarter about things next time. If I were in a horror movie, I'd probably one of those side characters who gets offed in the first thirty minutes." Casey managed a weak chuckle, but instantly regretted it, her face aching with the movement.

Olivia and Finn smiled, knowing that Casey was going to be alright if she was already cracking bad jokes about almost dying. Alex, however, had a stern expression on her face.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go back to the crime scene to see what CSU's picked up." Fin left his perch by the wall, stuff his hands into his pockets as he nodded to Alex. "Cabot, you want a ride home? Maybe grab some things so you can stay with a friend for a few days."

Alex looked at Finn with a blank expression, but snapped back to reality when she realized the detective was asking her a question. "No, that's alright. I'll drop by later. I'm just going to stay here with Casey until she gets discharged, but thanks, Finn."

There was a slight pause, but Finn shrugged. "Alright. You two take care of yourselves." The cryptic detective waved a goodbye to Alex and Casey, noting that their hands were still clasped tightly together on Casey's lap, but gestured to Olivia. "Liv, can I talk to you for a sec?"

The two detectives walked a good distance away from the two lawyers, leaving them in semi privacy.

"Am I missing something here?" Finn gestured off-handedly to what was behind the curtains, genuinely curious, but also concerned. He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"I think…you'll catch on sooner or later. It's not really my place to comment on it." Olivia looked a bit flustered at the question, but avoided it with tact.

"Right, right. That's cool." Finn nodded in understanding as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He was brimming with questions, but he knew it was neither the time nor the place for that kind of thing.

"What was the scene like? Did you find anything odd about the break in?" Olivia was suspicious from the get-go, wondering if the blackmail was related.

"There were no signs of anything missing. The perp tossed the place to make it look good, but a ton of valuables were still lying around. Something just doesn't feel right about this."

"Finn, someone's been after Alex. They might have been trying to get to her instead of Casey."

"Damn. Any ideas who it is? The scene was clean. There weren't any usable prints on the weapon used to knock Casey out. The scumbag wore gloves." Finn look troubled, but tried to hide the fact that he was a bit annoyed at being left out of the loop.

"How did he get in? Alex's place has pretty sturdy doors and a state of the art alarm system." Olivia was getting more convinced by the second that this had something to do with the blackmail.

"Yeah, that's the thing. The phone line was tampered with, so even though the alarm was tripped, the signal didn't get to the call center."

"And the weapon?"

"It was a wooden chopping board. The corner of the board pretty much split her head open. CSU's snapping some pictures of the scene, so they'll be ready when we get back."

Olivia sighed, shaking her head as she wondered how this could have happened.

"Girl's got a thick skull, you know? Doctors said that she's lucky that the breaks weren't worse or else they'd have to operate."

"Yeah, I don't know if Casey's lucky or unlucky. She's had so many strange run-ins recently. I'm pretty sure she took a bad tumble down a flight of stairs a few months ago too."

"That's some bad karma there."

"Yeah, I don't know if that's enough to explain everything…but thanks for taking care of her, Finn. I know today was your day off."

"Hey, Casey's one of us. There's no way I'd take that kinda thing lying down." Finn nodded as if to emphasize his words.

"Of course. I'll see you back at the station then?"

"Yeah, and tell Cabot to look after herself, will you? She was white as a sheet when she came in. I thought she was gonna go and faint on me. I don't think we need any more ADAs in the hospital this week."

Olivia chuckled, having exactly the same concern when she told Alex the news. "Will do. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again, Finn."

With that, the detective took his leave. Olivia was left standing in the middle of the room, debating whether or not she should check on Casey again. Glancing back at the semi-drawn curtains, she decided that she'd give the two some privacy for a while. After all, she did need to let Elliott know that everything was okay on her end. Deciding to do that, Olivia left the room to find a place to phone her partner.

While Olivia and Finn took their police business out of earshot, the two lawyers sat in silence for a few minutes.

Alex had a pensive look on her face, her fingers tracing a pattern lazily on the back of Casey's hand.

"Are you sure you don't need to go with Finn, Alex?"

Casey's question hung in the air, unanswered for a few seconds before Alex looked up.

The blonde smiled weakly, almost apologetically as she shook her head. "No. I'm sure they can handle everything there. I want to make sure you're alright first."

"I…" Casey started, wanting to fight Alex on this, but thought better of it. She wanted the other woman here with her. She could deny it all she wanted, but the calming effect Alex's presence had was unmistakable. With the blonde at her side, Casey felt like nothing was impossible. Sure, she was waiting for the doctors to rule out a traumatic brain injury, but aside from that, the redhead knew that since Alex was here, things were going to be alright.

"I want to stay with you, Casey. I…I just don't want to let you out of my sight right now…" Alex grit her teeth together, feeling regret and anger flush through her. There was guilt as well, but it settled in her stomach, refusing to leave.

"Alex…I-I'd like that. I do want you here." Casey sighed as she leaned against the blonde attorney.

Alex shifted slightly, gesturing for Casey to move over as she climbed onto the hospital cot with the redhead. They two women lay on the bed, propped up against the metal frame and the endless pillows, staring at their shoes. Casey's were blood stained and scuffed, earning her a grimace from Alex.

Casey nestled closer to Alex, but was wary of getting blood on the lawyer's presumably expensive blazer. After settling on a position, Casey closed her eyes, feeling the exhaustion sink in.

The buzz of hospital machines and idle chatter filled the room, but there was silence between the two. It was comforting in a way, making Alex hesitate to break the calm. However, she knew it was for the best. It was a decision she had no regrets making, especially if it would spare Casey from being collateral damage.

"Case, I'm going to ask Jack to settle that malpractice claim. I…think it's the only way to stop this."

Casey sat up at that, wondering if she imagined Alex saying those words. She had been drifting off to sleep and she wasn't sure what was real.

"Alex, you can't." The redhead furrowed her eyebrows with all the strength she could muster up, feeling the slight effort take a toll on her.

"I just want to get them to leave me alone, to…not involve the people I love."

Casey flinched at the latter part of Alex's sentence, feeling her stomach twist with anxiety. She swallowed the jolt of excitement that had run through her, feeling the fatigue overtake her again. The redhead put a hand to her temple, feeling suddenly dizzy as her vision started to swim.

"Casey, are you alright?"

Alex reached out, placing her hands on the other woman's shoulders. Casey was hunched over, her face getting paler by the minute.

"I…" Casey blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to fix her blurry vision. She wanted to lay down, to close her eyes and just go to sleep, but she knew she couldn't. The doctors had told her to stay awake.

A sudden wave of nausea overcame the petite redhead and with the remaining bit of consciousness she had in her, she thrust her head over the side of the bed opposite to Alex, retching loudly as she emptied her lunch onto the floor. After that, Casey could feel her senses fading.

"Casey?!"

Her entire upper body slumped forward and it was only Alex's quick reflexes that saved Casey from falling headfirst from the hospital bed.

"Hey."

Alex flinched at the gentle pressure on her shoulder that roused her from a light sleep. Her glasses askew and her blonde tresses disheveled beyond belief, the blonde lawyer raised her head from her position at Casey's bedside. She had pulled up a chair to the side of the bed, ready to spend the night at her post, eager to be there when she woke up.

Unfortunately, as Alex adjusted her glasses and glanced frantically at Casey, there was no change in the redhead's position from a few hours ago when they wheeled her out of surgery. She was still fast sleep, the heart monitors beeping in response to Alex's apprehension.

"Alex."

Alex whipped around, realizing that it was someone else who had tried to get her attention.

"Olivia." The blonde lawyer couldn't hide her disappointment, unable to make herself care enough to put on airs.

"I'm sorry. I just brought you some things from your place before I locked up." Olivia handed Alex a large paper bag filled with what Alex assumed were spare clothes and some toiletries.

Mustering up the best smile she could, Alex nodded in acknowledgement, trying not to be the world's most ungrateful friend at the moment.

"Thanks, Liv."

There was a long pause between the two, the beeping of Casey's machinery filling the silence.

"How is she doing?"

"I-" Alex started, the anxiety apparent in her voice. "The doctors told me that the surgery went well. They stopped the bleeding...but they admitted to missing it on the initial imaging somehow…" The blonde trailed off, finding Casey's limp hand and giving it a squeeze to reassure herself.

"We'll find whoever did this, Alex."

Alex didn't reply, sceptical that solving the case would change anything at this point.

A/N: Hello, hello to those of you who have come here from a story alert. I decided to stop this story 2 years ago due to a lack of motivation, but I might be picking this up again just to finish it off and to give myself some closure.

As always, thank you for reading and reviews/comments/etc are welcome!