A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!
"Olivia," Cragen spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had begun to settle. An indistinguishable look passed over him, and his shoulders sagged. Cragen ventured closer and decided to break professionalism, giving up the charade that any of this was typical. "How are you holding up Olivia?" He asked, looking at her with a concern that went beyond professional relations.
The question seemed to be the right one as Olivia let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, letting her façade drop as well. "I've been better," she admitted, glancing downward. Feeling uneasy at her admission Olivia looked back up at Cragen.
"Are you ready for me to do the lineup now?"
"Let 'em sweat," Fin cut in, "They aren't going anywhere. Novak's on her way. Whenever you're ready Liv."
A hint of a smile appeared on her face at Fin's protectiveness. "Thanks Fin, but I'll be ok," she added, "I want to do this now." Before she could lose her nerve, Olivia headed towards the hallway, leaving Fin, Munch, and Cragen to trail behind in her wake.
Elliot hung back, wishing he could go with her but knowing he couldn't due to having his own charges against them. He idly milled around the bullpen, absentmindedly flipping through the files on his desk. The longer he waited the harder it was to resist the urge to join Olivia. Knowing the repercussions he would face, Elliot opted to further distance himself and headed for the cribs instead. He took the stairs two at a time, too focused on his destination to pay attention to his surroundings.
Thwack!
Elliot stumbled backwards, catching himself on the railing with one hand and instinctively grabbing at the lapel of the person he collided with, breaking his fall. The man fell to the ground with a soft cry, and papers from the file his nose had been buried in fluttered down around them.
Elliot bent down, apologies on the tip of his tongue and found himself looking into the dazed eyes of one George Huang.
"Elliot. Just the man I wanted to run into," Huang frowned, "although not literally." Sheepishly Elliot helped the diminutive doctor to his feet and crouched back down to gather his papers.
"Huang, what brings you here?" Elliot questioned. It wasn't often that Huang came around, usually only when they were really stumped.
'I was consulting on a case," Huang seamlessly informed the man, adjusting his grip on the folder. A solemn look slowly appeared on the doctor's face. "How are you doing Elliot?"
The question took Elliot by surprise. It wasn't an unusual inquiry, but something about the doctor's tone unsettled him. Elliot narrowed his eyes, suddenly suspicious of the file in Huang's hand. A seed of worry began to grow in his gut.
"Which case?" Elliot brusquely fired back, blatantly ignoring Huang's question.
Huang picked up on Elliot's agitation, and correctly surmised its cause. He tried to diffuse the tension. "Robbery needed assistance with a profile. I only stopped by to say hello on the off chance that any of you were around. No one here called me." Huang realized his mistake a moment too late.
"Called you?" Elliot demanded, his brows furrowing. Huang's words set him even more on edge. "So you know what happened-about Olivia?" Elliot tentatively probed, desperately wishing Huang would be clueless. Instead a sad smile appeared on Huang's face. "Word gets around."
Elliot felt his face heat up, and his fingers curled into loose fists at his side. He snarled at Huang.
"So that's it is it? The whole damn story gets out and you leap at the chance to play shrink!?" Elliot was seething. It was bad enough that someone had leaked the news about Olivia, but now he had to deal with the department forcing therapy down their throats before they'd even had a chance to breathe.
Elliot tried to curb his temper- not wanting to attract attention- but his words were still laced with venom. "You're wasting your time. I haven't even asked to come back to work yet, and neither has Liv. Your evaluative services will not be needed." He finished with a sneer.
The words had no effect on Huang. He remained as unfazed as ever, and looked as though he had anticipated this. Instead of backing away as most people did when Elliot's temper flared, he moved closer.
"I'm not here as a shrink Elliot. I'm here as a friend. I know these last few days everyone has been worried about Olivia which is certainly understandable, but you were there as well." Huang paused, seeing Elliot tense, before pushing on.
"Has anyone asked how you are?
It was such a simple question, yet it set off a whirlwind inside of Elliot. In truth, no one aside from Kathy had expressed much concern for him. Which was the way he thought it should be. I don't deserve their sympathy because I'm not the victim.
"No they haven't because they don't need to. Olivia was the one who was-, who got hurt," Elliot backpedaled, looking down at Huang.
"Elliot," Huang said patiently, "I know you don't want to accept it, but you are just as much a victim as Olivia. You were held at gunpoint, and forced to watch your partner being raped." Huang saw Elliot flinch, and he skipped to his final thought before the man walked away.
"I think you should talk to someone. It doesn't have to be me," Huang hurriedly added at the look of displeasure that came across Elliot's face. "If I may, I have a few suggestions." Huang reached into his jacket and pulled out a list of names of therapists that he had tucked into pocket on the off chance that he ran into Elliot or Olivia.
Huang handed the paper to Elliot who reluctantly took it. "I'm here if you ever want to talk," was Huang's final comment before he maneuvered around Elliot and down the rest of the stairs. He was halfway out the door before Elliot regained his bearings. He looked at the slip of paper in his hand scrawled with the doctor's unusually neat handwriting. Elliot walked to the nearest trashcan, but at the last moment he crumpled the paper and stuck it in his pocket.