Author's Notes: Nothing belongs to me, well, actually, I just made my final payment on my car, so that's now mine.
Thanks for all the support with this story!
This one's for Chantelle :D
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By Monday morning Olivia was back at her desk, ready to face the working week and whatever it would bring. Elliot sat at his desk, both Munch and Fin's remained vacant. Olivia had not spoken to Fin since Friday morning at Elliot's, she had not spoken to Casey since Friday. Don had called her Friday and Sunday trying to ensure she was well enough to come back to work and not overdoing it and Elliot had phoned her six times, each time on the pretense of something else; a missing jacket, a misplaced phone number, but Olivia was never fooled.
"Are you okay, Liv?" Elliot's voice echoed through her thoughts and she shook her head, staring down at the pen she was using; John's pen.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a little off track," she admitted without looking at him.
"You sure?" he asked moving around to her desk.
"Yeah, I'm sure." She picked up her phone and began dialling and Elliot returned to his seat. "Hi, it's Olivia Benson, can I speak to …." she continued, speaking to her own answering machine making Elliot believe she was working so he wouldn't press the matter, she couldn't handle it, not today.
The morning dragged by slowly with Olivia itching to get out of the squad room and away from the silence. There was no mention of Fin's absence and that in itself was proving difficult.
"Liv, I need to speak to you," Don said, gesturing for her to come into his office.
"Take a seat." Olivia did so and watched as he fidgeted on the other side of the desk.
"Something wrong, Don?" she finally asked, concerned.
"Liv…" He looked up at her and tapped his pen on the desk. "How are you doing?"
"Fine."
"Great." He continued tapping. "And your ribs?"
"Fine."
"Great." The tapping increased. "And your head?"
"Don, what's up?"
"Well, it's like this…" He threw down his pen. "What's happening between you and Fin?"
"What do…?" Olivia began.
"I know the two of you have been more than friends in recent times," Don answered, mildly embarrassed.
"How?" Olivia was stunned.
"I was a detective, you know?" Olivia's head started spinning; if Don knew and Casey knew, then in all likelihood Elliot probably knew or at least suspected. Don she could handle but Elliot…Oh, God Elliot…how would he react?
"Liv, Liv…" Don's face was in front of hers, she hadn't even noticed him move from his chair. "Liv, are you okay? You've gone very pale."
"I'm…I'm…" She tried to shake her head to gain some clarity but it caused pain to ricochet across her skull. .
"Elliot, get Liv a glass of water, quick." Don called out. Olivia shook her head again; she hadn't seen him move to the door. Her head began to throb and waves of nausea swept over her. She felt the cool glass being pressed into her hand and took a sip. She looked up at two very intense pairs of eyes and managed a small smile. Standing up, those eyes became unfocused and before she knew it she was staring up at them from the floor.
"God, what happened?" Olivia mumbled, trying to sit up.
"Don't move, Liv." Elliot was kneeling beside her and holding her arm.
"No, no, I'm fine." It was a lie, she felt anything but.
"Liv, we've already got a bus on the…" Elliot began.
"No way! I'm not going anywhere by ambulance," Olivia asserted, still struggling to get up.
"No arguments, Olivia. You've been unconscious for seven minutes, you're going."
Don ordered.
"Oh," murmured Olivia sinking back into Elliot's lap.
Two hours later, a battery of tests completed and feeling the worse for wear, Olivia lay on a trolley in the trauma room at Mercy General, surrounded by machines and the constant beeping from the heart monitor. Elliot and Don were in the corridor outside when Dr Andrews approached.
"Captain Cragen," he began. "I've got the results for Detective Benson; do you want to come in while I tell her?"
"Is it bad?" asked Elliot.
"Sorry, who are you?" Elliot had been in the bathroom when the doctor had previously spoken to Don.
"I'm Elliot Stabler, her partner." Elliot extended his hand and shook the doctor's. He never mentioned being a work partner and the doctor assumed he was family, so he answered the question.
"Look, Elliot, I expect Olivia to make a full recovery but she seems to have developed a subdural haematoma caused by the blows to her head last Thursday."
"Subdural what?" Elliot asked his heart beginning to race.
"Haematoma. She's bleeding into the brain and it's putting pressure on it – hence her collapse earlier today." The doctor explained.
"She's what?" Elliot said, eyes widening with fear.
"I know it sounds scary but…" the doctor began.
"How do you fix it?" Don asked his voice still calm.
"Surgery. We'll prep her soon and take her up. We'll drill a few burr holes to drain the fluid and within a few days she should be ready to go home." The words were a blur to Elliot after the word drill, he couldn't believe the man in the white coat in front of him was seriously talking about drilling into the skull of the woman he loved, actually getting an industrial tool and grinding it through the flesh and bone attached to the most beautiful face he knew.
"You alright, son?" He felt his boss' hand on his back.
"Yeah, sure." The doctor held the door opened and they walked in to Olivia's room. Elliot steeled himself to hear the details all over again. If it were at all humanly possible he would have this procedure for her.
Five painstaking hours after Dr Andrews had given them the news, Elliot was still pacing around the waiting room struggling with the length of time it was taking. True, she had come through the surgery an hour ago, true, the surgeon had reported she had come through well but until he actually saw her for himself, he wasn't taking anyone's word for it.
"You'll put a hole in the tiles if you keep walking around in circles, Elliot," Don commented.
"Huh?" Elliot said, realising his boss was still there.
"She's fine, Elliot, the doctor said so." Don said.
"I know, I know," Elliot muttered, slumping into the chair beside him and dropping his head into his hands.
"What's got you so wired then?" Don said, turning to his detective.
"If I hadn't been sick then…" Elliot began.
"Don't go there, friend. Don't blame yourself for this. It won't help matters." Don patted his back.
"If it had of been me and not Fin…" Elliot started again.
"Look El, Fin stuffed up big time, he knows that. He'd never do anything to intentionally hurt her…" Don said, trying to be comforting.
"Yeah, I know but … I wouldn't…" Again Elliot stopped without completing a sentence.
"I asked him to come in when I called him…" Don said.
"You what?" Elliot was back on his feet again.
"I asked him to come in," Don repeated in the same even tone. "But he said no."
"Good!" shouted Elliot drawing looks from the nearby nursing staff.
"Elliot, he should be here." Don said, quietly.
"Why? What right does he have? Hey?" Before Don could answer, the doctor came out.
"Olivia's settled back into her room, you can go and see her if you'd like." Both men walked in slowly. Elliot pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed, Don stood at the other side.
"When will she wake up?" Don asked the attending nurse.
"Within the hour. The anaesthetic has worn off but she's very sleepy. Buzz if you need anything." The nurse was gone and Don sat in the easy chair, Elliot picked up her hand and gently stroked her arm with his other hand. He said nothing and neither did Don.
Forty minutes later, Don left to get coffee and Elliot moved to sit on the bed. He watched as her eyes began to flicker, he reached out and caressed her cheek before brushing a fallen eyelash from her face. Olivia struggled to open her eyes, she knew someone was there but her eyes refused to focus.
"Fin?" she whispered.
"No Liv, it's me, Elliot." He replied in equally hushed tones.
"Fin?" she repeated again before drifting off again.
"She woke up?" Don asked putting the coffees down on the tray table.
"Yeah but she's fallen asleep again." Elliot reported.
"Did I hear right? Was she asking for Fin?" Don asked, sitting back down.
"Sounds like it. Why the hell would she be asking for him?" Elliot said.
"Because they've been together for the last month," Don finally admitted, he'd wanted to tell him all day.
"They what?" Elliot was off the bed and on his feet instantly. "No way! Who told you that crap?"
"Liv did, in my office earlier today. Well, I already suspected but she confirmed it." Don said slowly.
"How the hell did I miss my best friend screwing my partner?" Don shrugged. "They've really been dating?"
"Yeah!" Don nodded.
Betrayed and bewildered, Elliot rushed to the door. "Well, I guess you should call him in." He left not wanting to be in the same vicinity, the same city, as the two of them.