Author's comments: Thank you to everyone still following, and thanks for comments! I have written up to Chapter 15 so far, but I may have to slow down soon [cough, never!]. I am having serious back issues, and there's a chance I might have to have surgery soon. I am having some of the same symptoms as Olivia, so I guess the story karma has hit me, lol.

Twenty-four

Chapter Eleven

Elliot waited in the hallway for Nick, having driven to the hospital together. He wanted to punch something, but didn't want to get kicked out of the hospital altogether, after being thrown out of her room. He heard them talking but not what they were saying, and then Nick came out, looking humble. "Hey," he said, "I'm sure she didn't mean it. She's probably just overwhelmed."

"Oh, she meant it," said Elliot, rubbing the back of his neck. "She just didn't mean to say it, especially in this state of mind."

Day Two

Part 1.

Sleep came to Elliot in bits and pieces. With less than two hours of it under his belt, he gave up and went back to the station. He wasn't the only one there too early—most of the team was already present, looking at leads and searching records in an unlikely attempt to find Lewis.

Cragen gathered everyone together and said, "He's jumped the state line into Jersey. No longer our jurisdiction, but we're not giving up yet, folks. Munch and Amaro, locate every homeless shelter and halfway house in the vicinity of the ATM where Lewis cashed out. I'll call the authorities in Jersey and see how willing they are to let us in on their territory."

"Captain," said Elliot, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "Isn't there any other way to track this guy down?"

"Like what?" said Cragen.

"Well, like did he take anything out of Olivia's apartment? Are we sure there's nothing else stolen besides her wallet and checkbook?"

Cragen stared him down. "How can we know that, Elliot? She hasn't been able to go back to her apartment."

Elliot fell silent. He was right—only she would be able to identify missing items, and she was in no shape to make that trip right now.

Nick's phone made a buzzing noise. He picked it up and looked at it, his eyebrows lowering, and then threw it onto the desk like it was a hot potato. He looked up at all the faces staring at him, and shook his head.

"What is it?" asked Fin.

"I think somebody else needs to take a look, and see if that is what I think it is," said Nick.

Elliot picked up the phone off the desk. It was a text from an unnamed number, with a picture attached. He had to rotate the picture and squint before it occurred to him what he was looking at. When he finally comprehended it, he shoved the phone away and said, "Ah, God."

Nick put his hand to his face and said quietly, "Pictures of Olivia, apparently taken just after he was done with her."

Fin groaned, and Amanda rolled her head back. Cragen sighed, and then said, "Alright, let's use this against him."

"You know we're not going to be able to get a trace on that phone, Captain," Munch said. Then he mumbled under his breath, "I bet if we had the NSA's resources we could track him down. Too bad we don't have CIA connections."

Cragen said, "I know it's probably a disposable phone. He's too smart to get caught that way. But we have to at least try."

Elliot stood, and began to pace. He glanced around for a convenient target to punch, even knowing he wouldn't do it in front of witnesses. And then Amanda was at his side, standing closer than for casual conversation. "Elliot," she said softly.

"Yeah," he said, forcing himself to focus on what she had to say instead of the image he had just seen.

"Hey, I know it's none of my business, but I heard about how things didn't go so well last night."

He rolled his eyes at her. "So I guess gossip gets around quickly in this office." He added, "Not much has changed.

"No, not really," she said. "But me and Amaro are friends, and he was worried about Olivia and needed a sounding board."

"Great."

"I think you should go talk to her."

"Well, like you said, it's really none of your business."

He glanced at her to see irritation creeping into her eyes. "Wow, you really are as bull-headed as they say you are," she said. When he refused to respond to her, she said, "Olivia was out of her head when she said those things. She really cares about you. She's told me as much, in her own way. I think it would really mean a lot to her right now—"

"Look," Elliot said. "I appreciate the concern, but she really doesn't want to see me." With that, he stood and walked away.

Part 2.

But Elliot knew Amanda was right. He couldn't abandon Olivia in her time of greatest need, even if she claimed she didn't want him around. He decided to try and arrange a visit, and see if she would agree to meet him. He called Warner first, not wanting to surprise Olivia with an unannounced visit. To his surprise, Warner reported that she had agreed to see him.

His surprise grew into astonishment when he entered her room. She looked weak, her face pale and her head glued to the pillow, but she brandished a huge smile when she saw him. "Are you—are you on some pretty heavy medication?" he said, unable to keep a smile from creeping onto his face.

"No, just the usual," she said, her voice cracking. "Morphine, that's all."

"That's all," he said, suppressing a chuckle.

He pulled up a chair next to her and sat down, leaning forward after realizing she really wasn't going to bite his head off, after all. "About what you said last night," he started, his smile fading away.

"What did I say last night?" she said, and for a minute he thought she was joking. "I don't even remember . . . did you come by?"

He sighed and leaned back. Clenching his jaw, he said, "You said some things." He shook his head. "It's not important right now."

"What did I say . . ." Her voice started off weakly, and trailed off. Her eyes slowly closed.

Elliot leaned forward. "Olivia, are you okay?" he asked.

She didn't respond, and he began to get concerned, but remembered that she had been exhausted lately. He picked up her hand and patted it. "Olivia?" he said.

A beeping monitor made him flinch, and he turned his head just in time to see several flashing lights and buzzing noises all going off at once. He sprung out of his seat and dashed into the hallway. "I need help in here—she needs help!" he said in the direction of the nearest nurse.