CHAPTER 21

(-Continued From Previous Chapter-)

Luckily, the seizure didn't last long this time. Several second later, the brunette collapsed in her partner's arms.

He swallowed drily. "Ok, ok, it passed. Liv, can you hear me?"

It seemed like every bit of energy had drifted out of her body. "Mmm... why... happened?" She tried to open her eyes, but felt the eyelids too heavy to lift.

"You had a seizure. But it's over...You're ok now... You can have a little rest now." He cupped her face in both hands feeling his heart still pounding like hell. And the way he soothing her, was more like soothing himself.

But just as his long held breathing coming out, Elliot realized that something must be wrong.

The brunette started to gasp, curling her body up with one hand griping on her belly tightly.

"What's wrong, Liv?... Olivia?..." His heart stopped beating as witnessing Olivia's lips turned deathly pale.

"H... H-Hur...ts..." Drops of sweat rolled down her forehead.

"Where hurts? Your belly? Li-"

Suddenly, her body weight sank as she passing out.

What's going on?

Elliot stunned, breaking out in a cold sweat. And the next second, his eyes stuck on the crotch of her pants.

There was blood.

Oh, shit!

He dug out his phone with trembling hand. "Alex, I'm, I'm taking her to the hospital now... She's... I'm running out of time! Meet me there."

Actually, Alex was just sitting on the front stairs of the apartment building when she got Elliot's call. It made her jump up and run back to the elevator before Elliot hung up on her.

She met him carrying her lifeless body as soon as the elevator door opened.

And, since the first look on the bright blood dyeing those baby-blue pajama trousers she gave her, Alex hadn't actually taken in any word coming from Elliot any more.

She didn't even know how they got the brunette into the car, or how they got the hospital.

Now, waiting outside the ER room, the two of them acted like strangers.

"Who's waiting for Olivia Benson?"

"Here!" Alex jerked her head up. "is she ok? And the baby?"

"Sorry, Miss. But you are...?" The middle-aged female doctor looked back and forth between Alex and Elliot.

"I'm... her partner."/ "We're partners." They answered together.

In the brief awkward, Alex felt the two men's eyes on her. "This is Detective Stabler. He and Olivia are NYPD detectives." She blurted before he could speak. "They're working partners. And me," she looked directly at the doctor, "I' Alex Cabot, her life partner." With that, she saw Elliot's shocking and confusing stare from the corner of her eyes.

"Ok, so," Doc cleared her throat a little, before continued. "She's lucky, for being taken here in time. It's hard to say what triggered the bleeding, but one thing we know it for sure: Another ten minutes later, she'll be in big trouble. Anyway, she's fine now, and the baby too. I keep her spend the night in hospital for observation, so we can run more tests on her."

"Thank God..." Elliot closed eyes in relief, ignoring the blond's glare. "May I see her?" when he reopened his eyes, Alex had looked away.

"Sorry. She's exhausted and weak. Honestly, for all my career, it's rare to see a pregnant patient as weak and skinny as she is. You'd better give her at least 10 hours to sleep without being disturbed."

Only if she can actually sleep. Alex sighed. "She uh... can you give her something to help her sleep? She's... She has problems with sleep."

"I'm afraid not. We have to be very careful with drugs, due to her condition. You know, now the baby is almost... touch and go."

"Ok... just," the blond nodded slowly. "tell her nurse to keep the bed-lamp on, for the darkness kinda... freaking her out."

"Sure." The Doc excused herself.

"What was that?" As they were alone, Elliot stepped closer.

Alex turned to him. "What was what?"

"You tell me. You said you'd take care of her, but look what you've done!"

"Me?" Alex felt her blood rushing upward immediately. "10 minutes I left her with you and she ended up in the goddamn ER. Tell me what you have done!"

He moved his eyes away briefly, before meeting her glare again. "It's killing me to see her looks even worse than the last time I saw her, Alex."

The heartache in his voice kind of softened Alex's anger. "It kills me, too..."

The two of them sat down in the cold hard chairs beside the wall.

"She's been having nightmare, flashback, no mention the physical pain and pregnancy reactions... which making her can barely eat or sleep. I tried everything, everything literally... It would be a long damn way to get her back on the right way, you know that, Elliot. So please, just give her a break, leave her alone for at least... a month or so. She's not made of iron, Stabler. Every time you showed up, you only brought chaos to her already painful life, don't you think?" She forced herself not to raise voice. "Seriously, Stabler, where have you been these days? Why,- What did you say to her?"

He kept quiet for a long while. "That night, after talking to you outside the bar, I felt like," his eyes lost focus. "I walked in a church and spent... I don't know how long, there. It's the most... painful time of my life. Yeah, it is. And the reason I finally dragged my pathetic ass out of the death wish, is... her."

It turned her stomach. "I asked what you said to her."

"No offence, Alex, but it's only between us." He rose to his feet.

Us.

Anger suddenly overwhelmed Alex. "I don't know where comes the 'us'." She was standing face to face with Elliot now. "You son of a bitch raped your partner and now it suddenly turned out some private issue?"

"I didn't rape her! She confirmed that."

It stung.

Though Alex didn't let it show. "She did? And you bastard buy immediately it without any bit of doubt in your few remaining conscience?"

"Screw you, Cabot! Tell you one last time: I, didn't, do that, and I will never, ever, hurt her! Cuz I fucking love her!"

"So do I!"

Those words dropped like a bomb.

Alex felt like she had just been struck by lightning.

What did I just say?

"Excuse me?" Elliot scanned the counselor, whose face was nothing but an unreadable statue.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

"I'm still in the hospital... She's fine now. I think..."

Alex walked away, knowing it must be his wife calling.

After the phone call, he left. With her eyes looking at everywhere but him, Alex didn't even know what the last sentence he said to her before left.

Now, she was alone, standing in the noisy ER hall filled with people coming and going, and suddenly felt like an alien, to this world, and to herself.

When Olivia waking up, the first thing she caught in her sight was an IV bag.

Hospital? So quiet?

She blinked. But no, it didn't clear her blurred eyes, nor her confusing mind at all.

How long have I been... Oh, no, wait.

She remembered everything soon. And almost immediately, all the environmental noises, smells and the physical pains, exhaustions... flooded over and overwhelmed her.

Oh, God, my baby.

It made her wide awake all of a sudden. She leaned up, using all her strength, trying to yank the needle out of her hand back.

"Hey! Don't do that!"

A strong power gripped her hand and pressed her body back down to the bed.

"I... c-can't... my b-bbaby..."

"Your baby is fine, relax. And this is just glucose. Stop fighting me!"

Now, Olivia finally got her focus back, seeing the annoyed nurse who was checking the IV needle for her.

Glucose?

She stopped moving, starting to look around. It seemed like a big room. Though the plastic curtains, she could hear people walking, talking, moaning and the beeps of machines.

"How are you feeling? Any pain or dizzy? Need anything?" The nurse yawned, doing her routine.

Somewhere inside her skull hurt like hell. But she was just too exhausted to say. The only thing she wanted is going home, back to her own bed, with...

Thinking about Alex, she took a quick look around once again. "What... t-time n-now?"

"What? You got problem with speaking?" Nurse didn't hear clear, leaning closer.

Never mind.

Olivia closed her eyes, shaking head slightly. Her body was screaming for rest now, and it felt like midnight anyway.

"Fine. Listen up. You're still with me?"

Olivia frowned, forcing her eyes crack open.

"This is the emergency pushbutton," the nurse thrust something in her palm. "If you need something or feel any uncomfortable, especially headache, press it. It is really important. Cuz the CT scan showed the intracranial hematoma is growing. You hear me?"

What?

(TBC)