1She smacked his hand out of the way. "Stop the car Stabler. Now!"
He pulled over to the curb as she flung open the door. She didn't get out. She leaned over the side of the seat and began throwing up onto the sidewalk.
Elliot grabbed some napkins and made his way to the other side of the car. He crouched down and began wiping her mouth. She was breathing fast. He held her hands, "Liv, look at me." She slowly raised her head so that their eyes met. "Everything's going to be okay. Just try and relax."
She began crying. "Oh El, what am I going to do?" Her tears splashed onto their hands. "He's everywhere. Innocent people are dying and it's all my fault."
He looked at her sternly. "Olivia, you know none of this is your fault. Lowell Harris is a sick bastard. Their deaths had nothing to do with you."
Just then, Elliot's phone rang. "Stabler." He answered.
"Hey Elliot, it's Melinda. I ran the sperm sample and it's an exact match to Harris.
He was definitely in that apartment watching Olivia."
He drew in a slow, deep breath. "Thanks Mel, I'll let her know." He closed his phone. "Liv, that was Melinda. She said Harris was definitely in that apartment." She dropped her head back into her hands. He stood up and walked around the car. As he sat behind the wheel, he looked at her and said, "Buckle up."
She looked over at him, "Where are we going?"
"Target. We're buying you some curtains."
She wanted to laugh, but instead she closed the door and let her head fall against the headrest. He put the key in the ignition and pulled away from the curb.
LATER THAT NIGHT . . .
Harris looked up at her window. He could see shadows moving behind the curtains. "Well, well, looks like someone went shopping. That's fine, my sweet Olivia. We'll be together soon."
Olivia's Apartment . . .
Elliot sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. "Come here babe."
Olivia smiled and sat down next to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She laid her head on his chest. She felt safe in his arms. Elliot leaned down and kissed her forehead.
After a while, they had both fallen asleep. Their positions had changed slightly. Elliot lay on his back and Olivia was passed out on top of him. His eyes fluttered open and he gazed at her. She looked peaceful. He smiled and closed his eyes, letting sleep overcome him again.
At 3 am his phone rang. Elliot fumbled with it trying to find the mute button so that Olivia would not wake up. He pulled the phone to his ear, "Stabler." The familiar voice on the other end was in hysteria. "Kathy calm down. What's wrong?" He raised up abruptly when he heard Kathy's explanation, which startled Olivia. "Elliot, it's Eli. He's been throwing up since 8 last night. He's lethargic and can't keep anything down, not even water." Olivia could see the concerned look in his eyes. She raised up and sat there watching him as he talked to his ex-wife.
"Kathy, take him to Mercy General. I'll be there in 20 minutes." He closed his phone and looked at Olivia. "It's Eli. She said he's been throwing up for 7 hours straight."
Olivia rubbed her tired eyes. He looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry honey. I need to get down there right away."
She placed her hand on his. "It's okay El, I understand." He squeezed her hand. "Go ahead and take care of your son. I'll be fine." With that, she laid back down on the couch and curled up into a ball. Just as her eyes slowly closed, he pulled her back towards him. Confused she let out a whimper. "Come on El, I'm so tired. Please just let me sleep."
"Earth to Olivia Benson! Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you alone with Harris still roaming the city."
"Okay," she pushed herself up off the couch and headed to her bedroom. "Let me get dressed."
Twenty-Five minutes later, they arrived at Mercy General. As they walked into the ER, a familiar voice called out to them. "Elliot, over here." Kathy ran up to him from the hallway. "He's in room 102."
Elliot looked at Olivia. "Are you coming with us?"
"No El, if it's okay with you I'm going to stay in the waiting room. I don't belong in there."
His concerned and disapproving look made her let out a loud sigh. "Elliot, we're at a hospital. There are security cameras and a lot of people. I'll be okay. Go be with your son. I'm fine. Really." She pushed him toward Kathy. "Go."
"Alright, I'll go, but promise me you won't go anywhere."
"I promise."
TWO HOURS LATER . . .
Olivia shifted her weight in the uncomfortable waiting room chair. She finally realized that she wouldn't be getting to sleep any time soon. She rose from the chair and walked towards the vending machines. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out 75 cents and fed the coins into the machine. She yawned as she watched the cup drop down and slowly filled with coffee. Grabbing the hot cup, she made her way through the double sliding glass doors and stepped just outside the ER entrance. She took a few sips of the coffee and leaned against the building. Various thoughts swam through her head. She felt her body shiver and decided to go back inside to the warmth. As she turned to walk back inside an arm wrapped around her chest. She dropped her coffee and as she reached up, she saw a hand with a handkerchief cover her nose and mouth. Just as her eyelids fell and her body went limp she heard his faint words, "Gotcha now my sweet Olivia."