I worked hard to get this one ready, because I may have given the impression that I would update again on Monday.
Note to reviewer Faith Ann Tucker: a funeral? I know I'm evil but I'm not that cruel! Lol.
I actually used a few lines from the show in this chapter, so see if you recognize the episode. The context of this story is entirely different of course, but it was fun to use these lines while introducing a new character in the story. I'll post the corresponding pictures on Twitter with the update notification tweet. Enjoy!

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36. Reunited

Olivia had seen worry flit across the older man's face and stood up slowly when he ended the call with Elliot's partner. What was going on?

"That was Elliot's partner," Munch said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "They're at the hospital. Elliot was stabbed."

Olivia covered her mouth with her hand. Stabbed? Kathy was next to her in a second and grabbed her other hand. Both women looked at Munch.

"How bad?" Olivia managed to whisper.

"He was stabbed in his right arm,"" Munch explained quickly. "He's at the ER now but he wouldn't shut up about you and Kathy, that you're counting on him to be here, so that's why Fin called. I'll take you to him now."

Both friends looked at each other and Kathy squeezed Olivia's hand.

"In the arm. That's not so bad," Kathy said encouragingly, and Olivia nodded.

She was still a little shaken up, and suddenly it wasn't so cool to have a boyfriend who was a cop. It was a dangerous job. John Munch went into the Captain's office to tell his commanding officer what had happened, and that he wanted to take the ladies to see Elliot. Captain Cragen came out of his office with Munch and smiled sadly at the two women.

"I'm Donald Cragen and I'm so sorry that you're getting such a scare on your first day in town."

He shook their hands and Olivia forced a smile, but she really wanted to get out of there and to the hospital. Turning to Munch, Cragen said,

"I'll take them to see Elliot. I want to see for myself how he's doing anyway. The suspect is en route?"

Munch nodded, saying two uniformed officers were bringing him in and Fin was on his way too.

"Good. You and Fin can interrogate him. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Yes sir."

Olivia was relieved when they finally started walking out of the squad room. During the drive to Mercy General Hospital they were quiet. Elliot's boss was nice enough, but they were all worried about Elliot. She was glad once again that Kathy was with her. Just having her friend near helped her to keep her balance and not freak out. Cragen flashed his badge when they got to the ER and both friends glanced at each other. That badge seemed to do the trick and they were brought to the doctor that was treating Elliot's injuries immediately.

"Doctor. You have detective Stabler here?" Cragen asked. "His girlfriend and her friend are anxious to know how he's doing."

The blonde doctor, a handsome man in his thirties who clearly knew the Captain, shook Cragen's hand and then turned to the two women.

"I'm doctor Kyle Beresford and I've just checked and cleaned detective Stabler's wounds. He will need a few stitches but you can see him now if you want."

They wanted that, and they all followed doctor Beresford to a treatment room right next to the ER area. Olivia's stomach clenched and she bit her lip when they filed into the room and she saw him. Elliot, in the flesh. The first thing she saw was his broad, bare chest and the second, the big gash in his right upper arm. Then their eyes met and she wanted to cry from relief.

"Liv," Elliot mumbled and she rushed to his left side, ignoring all the other people in the room for the moment.

Elliot reached for her with his left arm and when she sat down on the edge of the bed, he pulled her into him immediately, making her lose her balance and collide with his bare chest. Olivia wrapped her right arm around his neck and hid her face in the crook of his neck. She inhaled, taking in his familiar scent. Elliot kissed her neck and she did the same before sitting upright. She didn't want to knock his injured arm and make things worse.

"I'm so sorry," Elliot started, but Olivia shushed him immediately.

"No, I'm just glad you're going to be okay."

Elliot looked over Olivia's shoulder at Kathy and Cragen then, and waved at them.

"Hey guys. Not the best place for a reunion, right?"

Kathy chuckled and just waved back at him. Dr. Beresford moved to Ellíot's right side to sedate him locally and then start stitching him up.

"You'll feel a slight pinch, and then in a few seconds your arm will be numb," he told Elliot, who replied,

"It's already numb."

"How are you feeling?" Cragen asked.

"Like a million bucks," Elliot answered, winking at Olivia, who had moved away from the bed to let the doctor work.

Cragen pulled up two chairs for Olivia and Kathy to sit while he stood.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Olivia asked the doctor.

"The knife came close to severing his radial nerve. He's lucky," doctor Beresford explained while dabbing the cut with alcohol one last time.

"I'll be ready for work," Elliot said, looking at his boss.

"Not until you regain full feeling in your arm and hand," the doctor told him.

"Puts you on the DL," Cragen said firmly.

"You're gonna put me on the DL with our caseload?" Elliot asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Cragen exchanged a glance with Olivia and then told his detective,

"Elliot, I'd rather lose you for a few weeks than go to your retirement party. Two weeks doc?"

"At least," doctor Beresford confirmed while getting his needle and thread ready.

Kathy was watching the doctor's every move and Olivia realized she had a professional interest in what he was doing. Kathy loved working in the ER herself. Olivia looked away though, not needing to see the man sow Elliot back together, and she looked at Cragen in stead.

"Looks like he'll have a longer vacation than we planned," the older man remarked. "Good thing you're here to look after him."

"Yeah," Olivia said, smiling.

She looked at Elliot again, who was now grinning at her.

"Right," he said. "I'm off duty Liv. We have all the time in the world to hang out."

Before Olivia could respond, Elliot looked at the doctor.

"So doc, any restriction on activities while I recover from this?"

Kyle Beresford stopped stitching for a moment and looked up at his patient.

"You know, I haven't seen my girlfriend in weeks so ...," Elliot clarified, moving his eyebrows up and down twice to make his point.

Captain Cragen was suddenly very interested in what was going on in the hallway but Kathy just grinned and punched Olivia in the arm. She frowned at her friend, but both Elliot and the good doctor seemed to be completely okay with the subject.

"You want to know if you can have sex," doctor Beresford said. "Well, I don't see why not. The only thing to keep in mind is that you can't lean on your right arm, so take that in to consideration when choosing a position."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Elliot said happily, winking at Olivia. "We'll figure it out."

Olivia rolled her eyes and decided that this was okay. She wasn't a prude, she was just a little off her game with all the drama that had been going on, and she hadn't expected him to bring something like that up in front of his boss. Elliot reached for her and she put her hand in his, smiling at him. Seeing him again had not made her doubt their relationship at all. He was still the wonderful guy he had been when they were together before. And now he'd be off duty for at least two weeks. Maybe she could stay a while longer too ...

When the doctor was finally ready and Elliot had been bandaged up, Cragen headed back to the office after making sure they would all get home safely. They'd take a cab and the women would make sure that Elliot took it easy for a while. The doctor left to get Elliot his discharge papers and Kathy left the two lovebirds alone for a bit. Olivia sat next to Elliot on the bed again.

"Hey," he said softly, taking in her beautiful appearance once more.

She was wearing a soft, light blue V-neck sweater over a white shirt, and tight jeans that looked great on her. He loved that she was still growing out her hair, that was now reaching her shoulders. She kept swiping her bangs out of her eyes to one side and it looked like she was going to grow them out as well. She looked absolutely stunning. And she was actually here in New York.

"Hey," Olivia replied, smiling and rubbing his left shoulder gently.

"Welcome to New York."

"Thank you."

"How 'bout a kiss?"

Her eyes sparkled when she leaned in to kiss him, and he wrapped his left arm around her waist to hold her close while their lips finally met after five long weeks. Olivia moaned softly and Elliot closed his eyes, deepening their kiss and reveling in the feeling of her soft lips and tongue against his, and her warm body against his chest. Their suspect had taken him completely by surprise, whipping out a knife just when he thought they had him cornered against a wall. Fin had been quick to react and had shot the man in the thigh, bringing him to his knees at last, literally. Elliot had registered the sharp pain in his arm and had sagged against the wall. All he could think about in those moments was Olivia. He needed to get to her and he couldn't get injured. Only he had been injured.

Now, she was finally in his arms again, and it felt so good. He rubbed her hip gently with his right hand. He was glad he was still able to move that arm. When they broke off the intense kiss, Olivia leaned her forehead against his and sighed.

"This wasn't how we'd planned this, is it?" he asked her, and she shook her head.

"No. But I'm really glad to see you again."

"Will you two come to my place with me when I can leave here?"

"Sure. I want to see where you live. But maybe afterwards we can take you with us to Rafael's condo? I don't want Kathy to feel like the fifth wheel, and there's plenty of room at the condo for all of us."

She smiled seductively when she added,

"So I'm sure I'll be able to take care of you there."

Elliot smiled as well. He loved Olivia's flirty side. Holding back had served its purpose. It had convinced Olivia that he hadn't just come back to her for sex. But if she would try to seduce him now, he knew he wouldn't be able to resist.

"How were you planning to take care of me, Olivia Benson?" he asked, equally suggestively.

"You just wait and see, Elliot Stabler. Just know that I have plans for you."

"You know I'm not allowed to lean on my arm, right? So I'm afraid you'll have to do all the work."

He had to make an effort to keep a straight face, but Olivia saw right through him.

"You wish!" she exclaimed, swatting his chest. "There's more ways than one to keep the weight off your arms, detective. Be creative."

"I'm sure we'll figure it out," Elliot promised.

She leaned in to kiss him again and it was quiet for a while in the treatment room, except for a few soft sighs and moans and moist lips mashing together while they made up for lost time. After several minutes, Olivia rested her head against Elliot's left shoulder, her face turned away from him. Elliot caressed her back. She was finally here and he never wanted to let her go again. He hoped they would be able to build their relationship this week, and find ways to see each other more often. He kissed the back of her head and then looked at the doorway of his room. What he saw was very interesting and he nudged Olivia.

"Hey Liv, look."

Olivia lifted her head to look at him, and then looked behind her, following his gaze. Kathy was in the hallway, talking to doctor Kyle Beresford. They were standing close together and Kathy was all smiles. So was the doctor for that matter.

"Oh my," Olivia said softly.

"Yeah. Oh look, here come the phone numbers."

And sure enough, Kathy was scribbling something on the doctor's notepad while he fished a business card out of his pocket and wrote something on the back. Their faces were almost touching while they checked out each other's notes, but they didn't seem to notice. Or they didn't mind.

"Kathy is landing herself a doctor," Olivia said. "Good for her."

"He's a great guy," Elliot said. "Hard worker, good with the patients. He loves the ER."

The two people in the hallway turned to return to the room, and Olivia turned back around to face Elliot. She put a finger over her lips quickly before moving off the bed and turning around again. The doctor approached Elliot and handed him his discharge papers and a prescription for painkillers.

"Don't stop using these too soon," he warned Elliot, and he glanced at Olivia. "Remind him of that, okay?"

"Of course," Olivia said.

Kathy stood next to her but only had eyes for the doctor. Typical, Olivia thought. Kathy was an all-or-nothing type of person. She would jump in head first, as usual. She remembered the words of John Munch. When you find someone to love, never run away from it. Run to it and embrace it. It is the only way to truly be alive. The man knew what he was talking about, and so did Kathy. It was time for her to leave Dean behind her and start living again.

Elliot caught her staring at him and wondered what she was thinking. He moved his legs off the bed after listening to the doctors instructions patiently, and reached for his t-shirt that was at the foot of the bed. His shirt had been ruined and he'd asked Fin to toss it in the trash after a nurse had cut it off him. Olivia stepped forward quickly to help him put his t-shirt on. He pulled her closer to him until she was standing between his knees. She smiled at him then, and he could see it was a happy smile.

"Ready to get out of here?" she asked him while helping him get his wounded arm through the sleeve carefully before pulling the shirt over his head.

"Absolutely. Let's go home."

Olivia smirked.

"Your place or mine?"

"Oh, that sounds so good," he sighed.

She kissed him softly on the lips before helping him stand up, and whispered,

"Yes, it does."

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A/N: Well, I hope I made up for the evil cliff hanger of the previous chapter. All is well with our lovebirds and Kathy may be finding a love interest in New York as well. How 'bout that? Please leave a review, it motivates me to keep writing!