Beautiful Stranger

(Chapter Twenty One: Fate And The Devil)

Elliot was sitting in an interrogation room with Fin working over a suspect in a murder case when his cell phone began to ring. He moved his hand to his side and pressed the button to silence the ringer as he stood up and looked over at Fin, who nodded at him.

He stepped into the hall and opened the phone.

"Hey baby, did you miss me that much already?" He joked before he realized his wife was crying on the other end of the phone.

"Elliot, we need help. There is a man with a gun shooting people down the hall. Lizzy is hiding in the closet with the little kids and Dickie is here with me. We're trapped."

"What…a gunman at the school?" he asked loud enough that Cragen could hear him. "Six foot two inches, thin with dark hair," he repeated as Cragen scribbled down the details. "He has some kind of rifle and a hand gun and has fired several shots already, she is pretty sure at least one teacher is dead."

"Hang in there, sweetheart," Cragen said so she could hear him over the phone. "I am sending help, right now."

"Help is on the way, baby. How are you doing?" Elliot asked as he followed Cragen out to the car.

"Okay," she said softly trying not to break down, "just scared."

"What about the baby?"

"He's fine," she said smoothing her hand over her belly.

"No contractions or anything?"

"What? No. El, I am not even eight months, yet."

"I know, baby. But sometimes stress or traumatic events can cause preterm labor. Try to stay as calm and relaxed as you can."

"I will."

"I love you."

"I love you too, El."

"Are the kids all alright."

"Yeah, I think Elizabeth is telling them stories and Dickie is sitting here with me. He hung a red table cloth from the window, so that when help arrived they could tell what room we were in."

"Why don't you guys get into the closet with Elizabeth and the kids?"

"There isn't enough room in there. I told Dickie to get in there, but he refuses to leave my side. He is stubborn like you."

Elliot chuckles a little. "That's my boy. Look, I think maybe it would be better if he was right there with you. Just in case."

"I guess so. Elliot, I am so scared."

"I know, honey. We're on our way. I love you so much, Olivia."

"I love you, too."

Olivia heard a loud crashing sound as someone began to bang against the outside of the classroom door.

"God, Elliot, he's here."

"Hide, baby. Get into the closet or under the desk or anywhere. Just try to hide. We are on our way."

Olivia looked around the room frantically searching for a place to hide. Finally she and Dickie climbed behind her desk in the corner. Just as they did the man kicked through the door and stepped inside the classroom.

Olivia held tight to the cell phone and Elliot listened as she hid from the intruder. All he could hear was her rapid breathing and the sound of the stranger's footsteps as he closed in on them.

"He's here," she whispered into the phone.

Olivia closed her eyes as the man's boots appeared beside the desk. She looked up at Dickie with tears in her eyes as he raised his fingertip to his lips to try to quiet her whimpers. She took a deep breath and held it for a moment as she placed her hand on her belly and closed her eyes to pray that God would help them through this. She waited silently for the demon to leave.

The watched from under the desk as the boots turned and walked back toward the door of the classroom. She gasped quietly and looked over at Dickie in relief as the man's boots disappeared from view. They sat quietly in their hiding place waiting for some sound to let them know where the stranger had gone. But they only heard silence.

"Do you hear him?" Olivia mouthed breathlessly to Dickie.

He shook his head and looked through a small space in the desk.

"We should check on the kids," he mouthed in reply.

"Not yet," she said softly. "We should stay here until we know where he is for sure."

Dickie nodded and placed his hand over hers.

"Dad will be here soon," he whispered as he squeezed her hand.

Olivia nodded as she wiped tears from her face, all they could do now was sit and wait.

Things were quiet for several more minutes as they just stared at the floor trying to focus on the sounds around them. But there were no sounds. Only silence and it was the most terrifying thing she had ever heard.

Just as they had thought the man was gone for sure, the desk raised up from above them and flipped over. Olivia screamed as they scrambled across the floor to escape the man.

"Get up!" He growled as tears streamed down her face.

But Olivia couldn't move, she was frozen in fear.

"I said get up!" He yelled again grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet.

"Okay, okay," she gasped.

"Where is my son?"

"I…I don't know your son," she replied trying not to cry.

He shook her hard and shoved her up against the wall.

"What is his name?" Dickie asked from across the room as the man grabbed Olivia and raised his hand back to hit her.

The stranger turned and looked at Dickie over his shoulder.

"I go to school here. I can help you if you tell me his name. I will help you find him. She is new. She doesn't know anyone."

The man looked at Dickie and dropped Olivia to the floor.

"David. His name is David Brandt."

"The name sounds familiar. How old is David?"

"He is six. The man said holding back tears. His bitch mother took him from me and I have not seen him in three years. He is here. I know he is."

Dickie watched as the man pulled a picture of a three year old child from his pocket.

"He goes to school here. But he isn't in this class. He is in the morning class, they are already gone for today. But they will be back tomorrow."

"No," the man waved the handgun at Dickie. "No! I need to see him now. You take me to him," he said pointing the weapon at Dickie. "I have to find him! I have to get him away from his crack whore mother and her pedophile boyfriend today!"

"I can help you. My father works for the Special Victim's Unit. If you tell me her name and let me call my dad, he will find your son. He will make sure your little boy is safe."

"No phones!" The man yelled as he waved the gun and it accidentally went off shooting Dickie in the chest.

"No!" Olivia screamed as she watched her son collapse in front of the closet door. "Oh my God," she cried as she crawled across the floor to the boy's side.

Dickie cried out in pain as Olivia applied pressure to his chest wound to try to keep the blood from seeping out.

"What did you do?" She gasped as she stared up from the floor at the man. "He was trying to help you."

"I didn't mean to. I swear," he replied. "It just went off."

He stood in front of Olivia pacing the floor nervously as they began to hear sirens outside. Olivia shifted her attention to the window as police cars began to surround the building.

"Someone called the cops. Someone called the cops!" He yelled as he paced the room.

"If you hurry, you can still get out of the building. Go down the back stairs and take the back road behind the school. Take my car. The keys are in my purse, on the desk," she said pointing. "It is a black Camry. There is cash in there, too. If you need it."

"Why are you helping me?"

"You said it was an accident," she said softly with tears in her eyes, praying this monster would believe her and just leave.

Olivia watched as the man dumped her purse on the desk and grabbed her keys. He opened her wallet pulling out what cash she had and tossing it aside. He turned to look out the window as he stuffed the cash in his pocket.

"Fuck!" He shouted waving the gun around once more as Olivia jumped. "There is no time. They have the place surrounded."

He began to pace the floor rambling random things as Olivia felt the cell phone vibrate beside her. She must have lost signal and the call was disconnected. She pressed the button to turn the phone back on as she tucked it under the skirt of her sundress, so that Elliot could hear what was going on in the room.

"Why don't you just talk to them?" She suggested as the man ranted. "I saw what happened. You didn't mean to shoot Dickie in the chest," she said hoping Elliot would hear her and have an ambulance waiting. "I know it was an accident. But he is still alive. He needs medical attention. But he is still breathing. If you help him, I am sure they will help you. You are only worried about your son. If you talk to the police, they can help you."

"No! Shut up so I can think!" He shouted waving the gun around as Olivia looked down at Dickie.

Dickie's eyes were closed and his breathing was slowing. She pressed down on the wound as she noticed the blood in the floor around her. He must have been bleeding more than she had once thought.

She raised up and scooted closer to him, only then realizing that the blood in the floor around her didn't belong to Dickie, it was hers.

"No," she whispered placing her hand in her lap to see the blood.

Olivia closed her eyes and breathed through a hard contraction, she if she didn't get out of here soon, she was going to lose her baby. She reached for the phone pushing it over beside Dickie. As she raised up she felt a hot gush of fluid and thought that her water had broke. But when she looked under her all she saw was blood.

"I'm in labor," she said so that Elliot could hear her over the phone.

"What?" The man asked looking over at her.

"I really need a doctor. We both do. Look at all of this blood. If we don't get out of here soon, he is going to die and I am going to have my baby right here." She was crying now and practically pleading with the gunman. "Please," she gasped.

"I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do. Go," he said looking over at her. "Can you walk? Just get up and go. I wont stop you."

"I can't leave him," she said with tears as she looked down at Dickie. "And he can't walk."

The man turned and looked toward the closed door as they heard men walking around outside the door.

"I killed those people," he said as he began to cry. "I just go so angry. They wouldn't help me find David. And I shot them. Two teachers and some kids because they wouldn't stop crying. Promise me you will find David for me. Promise me that you will make sure he is safe," the man said as they heard officers outside the door.

"I promise," Olivia gasped.

She watched as the man paced the floor and she waited for him to put down the gun and surrender. But that is not what happened at all.

"Tell David that daddy loves him," he said crying. "I am so sorry."

Olivia watched from the floor as the man raised the gun to his head and shot himself.

She broke down into tears and gasped for air as she felt his blood fall upon her.

"He killed himself," she yelled out to the officer's outside the door. "He's dead!"

The door opened and officers rushed in to secure the scene. Moments later Dickie was rushed out on a stretcher and Elliot walked in. Munch and Cragen helped some of the uniformed officers to quickly remove the unharmed children from the closet as Elliot held tight to his wife.

Paramedics loaded Olivia onto a stretcher and Elliot climbed into the back of the ambulance to ride to the hospital with her. He kissed her and held her hand as Olivia blacked out.

Several long hours later she opened her eyes in a dark hospital room. Elliot was resting beside her with her hand in his. Olivia moaned softly as he raised his head to look at her.

"Hey, baby."

"El, how is Dickie?" She whispered softly.

"He lost a lot of blood and they had to do surgery to remove the bullet. He will be in a lot of pain for a while, but he is going to be okay."

"The baby?"

Elliot shifted his eyes to the monitor beside the bed. "The doctor said something about the placenta tearing, that is what caused all of the blood. Much longer and you would have bled out or lost the baby. But your water didn't actually break and they were able to stop the contractions. For now."

"Is Bentley going to be alright?"

"You will have to stay here for a few days and be on bed rest for a while, but yes. So far, the baby is okay. And you're okay."

"The other kids?"

"Lizzy and the little kids are all going to be fine. A few of them are being treated for shock, but no one was seriously hurt. But the gunman did kill six other kids and two teachers, before he took his own life. Two more kids from the second grade class are in the ICU and there were several others with less severe gunshot wounds. We got lucky."

"What about that boy? David Brandt? Are you guys checking on him? What if what that man said was true?"

"We are looking in to that now. Munch and Fin are checking it out. They are going to go by and check on the boy and look into the mother and the living situation. I don't really know if they have found anything out yet, I have been sitting here with you and Dickie all evening."

"I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life. I really thought I was going to die. Or that we would lose Dickie and the baby. Dickie was so pale and there was so much blood, everywhere. I didn't know what to do," she began to cry.

"You did good. You hid the kids and that kept them safe. And you and Dickie looked out for each other. He kept that man from hurting you and you kept him alive when he had been shot."

"Maybe it would have been better if Eli had been put into a different class."

"No. I think it was fate that put him in yours. If he had been in another classroom, God only knows what may have happened. But he was with you and you protected him. You protected all of them. There was a reason you were all together in that room. You were together to protect each other. You should try to get some rest, now. I'll be right here beside you," Elliot said holding her hand in his.

"What about Dickie?"

"Kathy is staying with him tonight. And Maureen has the other kids at home. Everyone is safe now."

He kissed her tenderly.

"I love you, baby."

"I love you too, El."

Olivia yawned and closed her eyes to try and get some sleep.