Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.
Sorry for the wait…I've been sick lately.
Just a reminder that strong stomachs are suggested. And for crying out loud… review people.
Thanks.
Gradually, she stopped swaying him and moved her hands to his shoulders, pulling him close for a hug. He sniffled and gulped, trying to get himself under control.
"There you go," she said tenderly, stroking his hair. "It's okay, honey. Relax." She nuzzled her face lovingly against his shoulder. "Relax."
Elliot let out a tearful breath and sniffled again. His gaze was averted as he pulled away from Olivia.
"Sorry," he mumbled, not meeting Cragen's eyes.
His heart was hanging by a thread, but Don did everything he could to appear composed. The last thing Elliot would want was to think he was being pitied.
"It's alright," he said with conviction, nodding.
His expression was warm and open, but his detective was refusing to look at him. Silently, Don battled with his options. The interview had barely begun. There were still deeper, more painful areas to get through before it was done. He had to do it; there was no choice about it.
He began to wonder if perhaps insisting that they be the ones to get him through everything had been a bad decision.
"Elliot," he said gently, biting his lip. "Would you like me to come back later?"
He blinked, tears falling from his lowered eyelashes, and looked up at Olivia pleadingly.
She looked at the captain with despair on her face, knowing just as well how much was still left to be done. Don raised his eyebrows slightly, revealing his own internal anguish. Her eyes lowered and she turned back toward her partner.
"We can do whatever you want," she said softly, framing his face gently as she stroked her fingers lightly into his hair.
"Will I still have to talk about it later?"
His voice was meek and small and hit Cragen the way a sledgehammer might, right in the gut.
"Yes," he said gravely. "I'm sorry, buddy….I'll still have to ask more questions even if I come back."
In the back of his mind, not nearly as important at the moment but beginning to alarm him all the same, was the direction of Elliot's responses. This was the best detective in his unit. He had conducted hundreds of interviews just like the one he was currently experiencing and yet the growing uncertainty that Don was seeing made it seem like he had no idea what was going on.
He had been through hell…worse than hell. He was traumatized. He was drugged. He was scared. He wasn't himself right now. He was a victim.
Cragen's mind fed him a plethora of reasons for Elliot's behavior and every one of them was absolutely true.
But even if it was irrational, Don was still beginning to grow nervous.
Elliot returned his gaze to the mattress and swallowed, shaking his head. "I don't want you to come back," he said softly. He paused. "Keep going, Captain."
Cragen felt tears burn his eyes again but didn't object. He exchanged another look with Olivia.
"You sure?" she asked softly.
Elliot nodded silently, not looking up. She closed her eyes for a moment but didn't persist further.
Don pressed the record button again and bit his lip, trying to think of a less stressful question to ease them back into it.
"Alright," he finally said gently. "Um…Elliot, let's go back to the beginning. I'm going to ask you some more about the van." He hesitated. "Is that okay?"
There was no response and he waited patiently, not wanting to push. After a minute, Elliot's head came up slightly to look at Olivia with a timid expression on his face. He said something quietly, tilting his face towards her so that the captain couldn't hear.
Olivia looked to be fighting for composure as she smiled gently and nodded.
Don watched, slightly puzzled, as she leaned back and began groping behind her. Tears swam in his eyes when she came back around and he saw what she had in her hand.
She placed the stuffed rabbit gently in his lap and stroked his shoulder lightly. Elliot reached out to grab onto it, squishing his fingers into the fur as he dropped his gaze again.
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"Hey, Liz." She brandished a pair of suede zip-up boots in her sister's direction, waving them slightly back and forth. "How about these?"
The younger girl continued shuffling slowly through the rack of clothes in front of her and didn't look up.
Maureen's brow furrowed in confusion. "Liz?" she asked again.
The holiday music filtering cheerfully through the large area was loud, but not overly so, and though people surrounded them left and right as they bustled about looking for after-Christmas bargains her little sister was close enough to be able to hear her.
Putting down the boots, she took a step forward. "Elizabeth?"
Her head snapped up fast, her expression like a deer caught in the glow of headlights. "Huh?" she asked, startled. "What'd ya say?"
The young woman approached the rack, resting her hand on the flimsy metal bar beside her sister's head. She gazed at Lizzie carefully, sucking on her lip.
"You want to just go get some lunch and head home?" she said softly.
"No," Lizzie said empathetically, shaking her head quickly in what she hoped was a convincing effort to get herself together. "No." She stepped away from the clothes rack quickly. "Sorry, Maur…no, show me what you were looking at."
"Liz-" she began hesitantly, eyebrows raised.
"Come on," the younger girl interrupted with fake energy, gesturing with her head back toward the shoe display. "I still want to look at the boots."
Her older sister stared after her, biting her lip, before slowly following.
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The room fell silent.
Cragen looked to be gathering his nerve. After a moment, he spoke carefully.
"Now, Elliot," he said. "I know this is going to be hard." As hard as he tried to hide it, the pain in his voice was raw. "But we need to talk more about things that happened at the house."
She saw the panic in her partner's features even with his head down. Her heart ached as she stood silently, tears wobbling in her eyes.
"We'll go slow," Cragen continued, his voice so delicate that Olivia was actually surprised. "You take as long as you need to….if you need a break, we'll take a break." He paused painfully, waiting for a response. "Okay?"
He didn't speak, but his slow nod confirmed his permission.
"What happened after the second man came into the bathroom?" he began gently.
Elliot kept his gaze on the stuffed animal in his fist. "He put the gun to my head and made me walk downstairs," he said softly. "We went out the back door and he hit me with the gun across the face…the next thing I knew I was lying in sand."
Freezing water washed up under his chest but the only thing he could feel was the white-hot pain rippling along his muscles as his arms were wrenched behind his back at an awkward angle. The sand stung his eyes as he lay helpless, the tight ache in his arms becoming unbearable at the same time he realized that he couldn't do anything to ease it.
His arms and back screamed as he was rolled over and then he found himself staring up at seven men hovering around him. Though his heart was pounding so hard he feared it would give out, Elliot sneered and gathered up as much saliva as he could. He spit in their direction, glaring at them.
As they laughed uproariously at him, his brain chose that moment to connect the dots and realize why two of them looked so familiar. One of them had his picture printed on the squad room chalkboard and the other he had sat across from in a lockup not two days ago.
Ethan Jones and Jason Evans.
Fear made his throat taste bitter and he had to swallow to keep himself from choking.
"So, guys." Jones looked at his buddies with a look of amusement on his face. "Guess what kind of crazy job our friend Elliot here has?" He looked back down at his captive, his smile widening. "He's a sex detective."
His eyes became positively predatory then and his face became hard.
"Let's see how good you are, Detective," he said harshly, getting on his knees.
He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. His muscles were goo as he felt his jeans being savagely pulled down.
The first two were rough, hateful, and greedy. They sucked on his penis to the point of making it sore and didn't even flinch at his screams while they took all they wanted.
By the time the fourth took his turn, they started becoming annoyed. Evans didn't even break his stride as one of the others bent over and forced Elliot to take the dirty rag into his mouth. It tasted like sweat and made him gag hard but the man held it in place firmly so that he couldn't spit it out.
His yells became muffled and when the tears came they laughed.
She couldn't bring herself to look at him. The tears streamed down her face and her hand shook as Olivia brought it up to wipe her nose quickly before a sniffle could escape.
Never in her nine years with the squad had she ever broken down during a statement. Her first rape case had her puking between interviews and popping chewing gum for almost the entire shift, but she had never lost it while she listened to the victim. She knew better.
She hadn't even made it past his first sentence before her tears had invaded.
Cragen cleared his throat roughly and when she glanced at him, she saw his eyes were glassy.
"I didn't want to," he whimpered. He looked at the captain with panic in his eyes, his face crumbled. He shook his head, beginning to sob again. "I didn't want to, really I didn't. I swear….I didn't want to." The expression of pleading on his face was evident.
Olivia waited for Cragen to say something and was startled when he didn't. When she looked at him, she saw his shoulders were shaking ever so slightly and his head was bowed.
Elliot cried painfully, burying his face into the stuffed animal he was clutching against his chin. Each agonizing sound tore at her insides to the point where she thought her heart was raw.
"Elliot," she said softly, risking a step towards him again. She swallowed. "Of course you didn't want to." The tears were threatening to overtake her again. "This was not your fault…no one thinks you wanted any of this to happen. No one."
Her words only seemed to make him more upset.
"Elliot." Her head whipped around, startled, when the captain finally spoke. She was relieved to see that he looked to be more composed now. "Elliot, listen to me."
His voice held a hint of authority yet was so gentle that it seemed almost breakable.
"Look at me, Detective," he said. He paused, swallowing. "Will you please look at me?"
Elliot sobbed again, shaking his head. Teary, red eyes gradually floated up past the stuffed rabbit's fur though he kept his face covered.
Watery brown eyes stared tenderly back at him.
"This is not your fault," he said. "Not one bit of it. No one is ever going to think you asked for any of this to happen." He saw pure agony in his detective's eyes as he looked at him and he softened his gaze almost desperately. "Why would you think that?"
His face crumbled again and Don almost lost it then himself.
"While they…they were…." They could hardly make out his words. "I…I got an erection." The shame in his voice rang clearly and he sobbed painfully. "I didn't want to…I promise I didn't."
Don's eyes squeezed shut in pain and sympathy.
"Elliot," he said softly. "Your body reacted naturally to the stimulation…it was absolutely out of your control. It's normal for a man to get an erection during an assault."
There was no response from his detective other than tears.
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"Kat, you got it?" he yelled, not taking his eyes away from the screen.
The phone rang once more. Twice more. Three more times.
Cursing, Dickie pressed pause on the controller and threw it to the ground, leaping up. Tearing down the hallway, he burst into his mom's room and snatched up the cordless receiver on its sixth ring.
"Hello?" he said harshly, annoyed.
"Hello?"
His mother's voice was cautious and confused at the fresh tone. Clenching his teeth, he took a breath and forced himself not to snap.
"Hello," he repeated, his voice calmer.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Playing Street Racer," he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She should know…he hadn't stopped playing it since he'd opened it Christmas morning.
"Oh," his mother said dryly, her tone teasing. "Of course. Silly me."
His face split into an instinctive grin at her tone and it showed in his voice the next time he spoke. "What are you doing?"
"Playing hooky from my boss," she replied, smiling. "I'm on my lunch break…I just wanted to call to see what you guys were doing."
He nodded and shrugged. "Well, now you know," he said smartly, leaning up against the bed and wishing she would get off the phone so he could go back to his game.
"Where are your sisters?"
"Maureen and Liz are at the mall," he said. "I don't know where Kat is."
"She isn't home?" Her voice became sharp all of the sudden, almost angry.
"No, she's here," he answered. "She's in her room, I think"
His mother exhaled. "Oh,' she said. "Well…okay. I was just calling to check up on you." He didn't say anything and waited. "I'll be home at about four…I'll see you later."
"Bye," he said.
"Dickie?" she said, before hanging up.
"Yeah?"
Her voice sounded sad. "I love you."
His brow furrowed in embarrassment, but he repeated the same to her before hanging up.
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He cried out desperately against the cloth but it was tied tightly against the back of his neck and doing its job effectively.
The man grunted throatily, pressing himself even harder against Elliot's body. He tried to keep his eyes closed but they stung so much that he couldn't.
The other man's pelvis was thrusting and grinding against his as he sucked on each of his nipples, biting down every few seconds to make him scream again. His hands came down to roughly squeeze his own penis, jerking it upward in fluid repetition as he groaned in ecstasy.
"Ummm," he moaned incoherently when the sweet release finally came. "Yeah…"
The man's head came down to rest on Elliot's abdomen.
He felt the man's hands on his penis then, squeezing and kneading roughly. He yelped in agony, writhing around in total panic at the extreme pain. The man was sprawled limply across him and the weight on his ribs was crushing.
"Good work, my boy," he panted. "Beautiful."
His head turned again and Elliot felt the man bracing himself against him as he pulled his body further up. The man began slowly licking up his chest and around his neck, his breath hot and wet.
He inhaled tearfully, shuddering.
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he bowed his head, shoulders shaking.
Hearing Elliot talk about the men assaulting him as a group had been bad…sickeningly bad.
Hearing about each man taking turns individually was worse.
"Tell me you want it," the man growled.
He thrust deeply into him, making him howl and choke on the gag. Whimpering, Elliot struggled to raise his face out of the sand enough to breathe.
Suddenly searing pain was ripping along his back. He screamed in shock and pain as the man brought the belt down across his skin again.
"TELL ME YOU WANT IT!" he screamed maniacally, bringing it down again and again. "SAY IT, FAGGOT!"
The pain rained down on his back over and over until he thought he would pass out. It felt the skin was being ripped off. Every breath he sucked in made the cloth choke him more and he gagged, his stomach rising.
"Piece of shit," the man growled. Throwing the belt to the ground, the man snagged him by the hair and lifted his head up. He yelped, his eyes squeezed shut.
"If you weren't such an easy piece of ass," he hissed in his ear. "I'd kill you right now, you worthless bastard."
His head slammed back down hard into the sand. Elliot sobbed as the man walked away.
Tears streamed down his face and he ducked his head in shame, listening to the silence.
"I can't," he whispered, bone-weary and broken. "I don't want to talk anymore."
Don's vision was blurry as he numbly turned off the tape recorder, his mind barely even comprehending the motion.
Two hours and almost one full cassette and he felt like his heart was gone. Completely gone, like nothing was left of his chest but hollow air.
"It's alright," he finally said weakly. "That's good enough, buddy. That's good enough."
His face went back into the fur again and he slumped down against the pillows, too exhausted to hold himself up anymore.
Don's legs felt like jelly as he struggled to his feet. His vision was cloudy, like he was underwater.
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"What can I do for you, Counselor?"
His voice was syrupy sweet and subtly mocking, just enough to make sure she was aware of it without it being too obvious.
She was already having a hard time conjuring up the kindness she had heard from him the day they had gone for the identification.
Try as she might, Casey just couldn't bring herself not to loathe him. Dwight Haskins made her skin crawl with every word that came from his mouth.
"I have the results from Detective Stabler's rape kit," she said briskly. "Let me know when you're available to go over it."
His half-smile was condescending and his expression exaggerated patience. "Oh, of course," he said, nodding. "Right away, Counselor. Anything you'd like."
It took an effort not to lash out something nasty at him. She glared at him nevertheless.
"Call me when you're ready," she said abruptly, turning away from him quickly.
She could feel his laughing gaze burning into her back as she walked back toward the front entrance of the holding center.
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The headlights bathed the garage door with bright light when she pulled into the driveway. She flipped them off and wearily shut off the car's ignition.
The streetlight next to the curb a few feet away flickered dingily, barely casting a glow on the dark pavement as she stepped out. She looked at the Nelson's house across the street and imagined them all sleeping, husband and wife preparing for another day at the office and the three children Kayla always played with tucked in bed, clothes picked out to wear to the baby-sitter's in the morning.
She stood staring at the dark windows, emotion rising in her chest that came out of nowhere.
Annoyed when she felt tears pricking her eyes, Melinda shook her head angrily and continued up the path towards the front porch.
It had been a long day. She'd had a long drive back from Buffalo. She was tired and her emotions were just high from exhaustion. A good night's sleep was all she needed.
She unlocked the front door quietly and tiptoed into the house, shutting it behind her. She slipped off her shoes and turned back, jumping in reflex at the form of Mike standing before her.
He looked at her warmly, not saying a word. He was in flannel pajama pants and she could see fatigue in his eyes. She swallowed hard as she stepped closer to him, letting herself collapse against his chest.
His body radiated heat as she sobbed into his shoulder.
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She was so surprised when she entered the room and found Elliot fast asleep that she actually double-checked her watch to see if she had seen the right time.
She had. 7:35.
Huh, she thought, slipping her coat off. That's weird.
The doctor wasn't due to give him his nighttime medicine for an hour and a half, and even after it was administered he would remain hyper tense and alert for a good while before settling. By the looks of him, he was knocked out cold.
That never happened so close to another dose.
Figuring Olivia had gone for coffee or to the restroom, Kathy sat down quietly in the chair. Despite her best efforts she could feel nervousness beginning to settle in her gut.
The other woman didn't appear for a good fifteen minutes and by then she was so tense with dread that the sound of the door opening made her spring to her feet.
Olivia eased the door open slowly, creeping inside, and jumped at the sound of Kathy's frantic voice.
"What's going on?" she asked, raising her eyebrows worriedly. "Is he ok? Did something happen?" Her words began becoming rushed with panic. She looked at Olivia warily, the fear becoming apparent. "He's never asleep this early."
The slight expression of guilt that she saw flash over Olivia's face did nothing to appease her anxiety.
"Kathy," she said uneasily, biting her lip. "I…I wasn't expecting you this early."
"I came straight from work," Kathy replied rapidly. "Olivia, tell me if something is going on…please tell me nothing's wrong." Her eyes went back towards the bed worriedly.
Olivia could see the glassiness in her eyes. "He's worn out." Her voice was faint with sadness. "Cragen had to get a statement from him this afternoon about the attacks."
Kathy lost her breath, feeling her heart shattering.
"Oh, no," she said softly, her face crinkling with emotion. Her expression was horrified as she approached the bed hesitantly. "Oh, God…Elliot, no. Oh, God."
She reached a hand timidly towards his cheekbone, stopping a hair's breath away from touching it. She shook her head, devastated, and slid her eyes closed.
Olivia watched her sadly and swallowed nervously.
"But, um-" Her voice caught slightly and she quickly cleared her throat. "The uh…the doctor does need to talk to us." She swallowed again. "I should let him know you're here."
She disappeared out the door again.
Kathy suddenly felt lightheaded.
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The soft knock on his door made him growl in irritation.
God damn it, what's it going to take for the man to take the hint?
Clutching the remote angrily in his hand, John increased the volume on the television, but he still heard the second knock and clenched his teeth.
His partner had relentlessly badgering all day. He knew by the caller ID who it was as he let the phone ring and had the machine turned off, but that hadn't seemed to make a difference. By the fifteenth call in a row John had angrily unplugged the phone only to hear his cell phone ringing shrilly as he backed away from where the phone jack was.
That still hadn't stopped Fin. As John took out the cell phone battery, his partner began sending him Instant Messages from the squad room computer. The god damned thing chimed seven times before he could make it back to the living room where the desk was.
Fin: WE NEED TO TALK.
Fin: WE NEED TO TALK.
Fin: WE NEED TO TALK.
Fin: WE NEED TO TALK.
Fin: WE NEED TO TALK.
Fin: WE NEED TO TALK
Fin: WE NEED
John had logged off of the browser rapidly. Thirty seconds later, an e-mail alert had flashed.
1 new message.
From: OTutu034 nypd.gov
He had turned off the computer so fast that he was afraid he had short-circuited the hard drive.
Twenty minutes later and he was finally starting to relax…and the man had driven all the way out here to come pounding on his door.
Swearing, John flung himself up from the recliner.
He was going to chew the asshole's head clean off.
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Cragen sighed in defeat when his third knock went unanswered and shook his head. Stooping, he laid the cassette tape on the front mat and turned away from the door.
He slid inside his car and started the ignition, backing out of the driveway.
His rearview mirror picked up the front door to the house being opened as he was driving away but he didn't slow down.
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She could sense Kathy's nervousness as they stood outside the door to his room and was fairly certain that her own was as easily readable.
Despite her cool façade, Olivia too was terrified over what the doctor could possibly have to say. He had insisted on waiting for them both to be there, saying it was important to talk to them at the same time.
"Important" means "bad" in medical terms, doesn't it? Or does "big" mean "bad"? Does "important" mean "big"?
The man stood patiently before them. His face didn't look upset, but it didn't ease her mind. Doctors had practice at composure.
"I apologize if this is an inconvenience," he began warmly.
Kathy suddenly cut in, her voice panicked. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Is something wrong with Elliot, Doctor Beck?"
His pause made Olivia's blood run cold.
Oh, God.
He looked at her for a moment and she couldn't read his face. She was good at reading faces…she couldn't read his at all and it scared her.
"Mrs. Stabler," he said carefully. "Are you aware of what took place this afternoon?"
Kathy's face was terrified for a few moments. "You mean the statement?" He nodded and she registered slight relief. "Yes, Olivia told me."
Olivia noticed relief on the doctor's face as well then and she realized suddenly that he probably had been worried about how to break that news.
He nodded again. "Oh, okay, good," he said, his eyes flickering back to her for a moment. "The emotional and physical strain took a pretty big toll on his body, that's the reason why he's already out. I am going to continue with the regularly scheduled dosage tonight anyway, just to be safe."
Beck stopped talking then and looked between them again. The two women looked at each other and back to him, clearly having the same thought.
That can't be what he needs to say.
He seemed to be reading their expressions.
"I'm going to be checking the surgeries again in the morning," he began. "But from what I've seen so far, he looks to be making good progress."
His face softened even more.
"The sutures have healed and the burns all seem to have scabbed over. The bones in his arm are healing nicely as well….he'll have another few days with the cast, but after that it's safe to say he'll be okay to have it taken off."
He looked at the two women sympathetically. "That man wants to go home," he said matter-of-factly. "And barring no sudden complications, it's safe to say I'd estimate he'll be able to within another week, maybe ten days."
Olivia felt her heart skip a beat with excitement and fear.
"Oh, God." Kathy's face was a mixture of joy and despair. "Oh, Jesus…thank you. Thank you, Lord." She smiled widely though tears began slipping down her face. "He's really going to be able to go home?"
Doctor Beck nodded affirmation, but his face was serious and worried. Seeing this, Kathy lost her smile.
"Then what's wrong?" she asked, dreading the answer.
The doctor paused, shaking his head slightly and sighing. He looked between the two of them again.
"You need to know that his release is not even going to start the road to his recovery," he said with trepidation. "The hurdles he'll be facing are serious."
"How serious?" Olivia's throat was clogged and she could barely croak the words out.
"His digestive system is damaged," he began. "He'll require a liquid diet while he tries to get his tolerance built again and he won't be able to keep much down. Urinating and defecating will be excruciatingly painful."
He sighed softly. "Mobility will be strictly confined," he continued. "Walking is going to be torture. He'll have very limited flexibility due to the injuries to his ribs and reproductive organs. His energy level will be minimal, he'll tire easily, he won't be able to take much exertion…."
The doctor trailed off uncertainly.
"In short, what I'm saying is someone needs to be with him around the clock," he said. "He's going to need tremendous amounts of help just for daily routines...frequent visits to his regular physician to monitor his health…"
He bit his lip. "And that's not even mentioning the emotional upheaval. He's been severely abused and it won't be easy for him to adjust."
The two women had been completely silent as he was speaking. When he paused to take a breath, he could tell that they were both shell-shocked.
"That's why I asked to speak to both of you," he said uncertainly. "The options for his care will need to be decided on meticulously before we start taking measures for his release."
Olivia couldn't keep the lump in her throat down. She kept swallowing and swallowing, but it wasn't budging an inch.
"What are our options?" Kathy asked softly.
Doctor Beck looked at her carefully.
"I have no doubts that the both of you care very deeply for Elliot," he said gently. "But his recovery is going to require tremendous responsibility and commitment."
He looked slightly hesitant. "Mrs. Stabler…I understand that you two are divorced…?"
He trailed off. Kathy exhaled heavily, nodding, and he looked to Olivia. "And you are…his partner at work, is that right?"
She nodded too. "Yes," she said. She hesitated, wanting to say something but not sure if she should. "But Elliot…he's my best friend, Doctor Beck."
The man exhaled slowly.
"It's not my place to decide what would be most beneficial to him," he said. "But I will strongly suggest allowing Elliot to offer input before making any final decisions. There are several in-home nurses on staff here at the hospital and his insurance plan can offer names of other physicians and practices as well."
"How…how much time do we have?" Olivia asked, finally able to speak.
"Well, technically," the doctor said hesitantly. "You don't have to make any decisions while he's here at all. His release is only pending his physical state of readiness and someone to sign him out...what happens after that is out of our hands."
He pursed his lips gently and looked at her compassionately.
"But at the risk of being crass," he went on softly. "I'm going to be bold and say that you both look too intelligent to make such rash moves knowing what could result."
Olivia swallowed hard, feeling like her heart was in her throat.
Beck gave them each a long, sympathetic stare. "Sleep on it…give yourselves time to consider the options," he said. "Whatever happens, please know that you are not alone. Please, if either of you needs to call me, don't hesitate to do so. This is a big decision and I will be more than happy to assist you in any way possible."
There was no response from Olivia or Kathy.
After a moment, he checked his watch and awkwardly cleared his throat. "I beg your pardon, ladies," he said. "But if you'll please excuse me, I have to make my rounds." He looked at them warmly. "I'll back with the Codeine in about forty-five minutes."
Kathy was the first to find her voice.
"Thank you, Doctor," she said softly.
Olivia was looking at the ground.
He nodded gently, smiling lightly, and left them alone.
Thick silence swirled around both of them as they avoided each other's eyes, each one's mind racing with anxious thoughts.
"He shouldn't be alone," Kathy finally whispered.
Swallowing hard, Olivia looked over at her. "I agree," she said weakly, nodding.
Their eyes flitted away from each other again. More silence.
Olivia bit her lip, looking at the ground.
"I…I don't like the idea of an in-home nurse," she said nervously.
Kathy nodded, also looking at the ground. "Neither do I," she agreed softly.
They fell silent again. Olivia's eyes darted to Kathy's nervously before ducking away, and Kathy mirrored the gesture. The movement repeated several times before Olivia finally sighed.
"This isn't about what either of us wants," she said, biting her lip. "We have to think about what's best for Elliot right now, don't you think?"
I'm what's best for him.
Kathy nodded slowly. "You're right," she said softly. "It's all about what's best for Elliot."
Me. I'm what's best for him.
"Let's just…" Olivia sighed wearily and shook her head. "Let's just sleep on it. We'll think better when our heads are clear."
Kathy nodded and she parroted her.
After a minute, she turned back towards the door to the room. Kathy followed without a word.