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.

Standard procedure had him sign out a sedan with a cage screen backseat for the trip to Buffalo in the incident of a safety issue but Fin knew inwardly that it wasn't needed. The young man hadn't resisted being led outside and had placed his hands behind his back to be handcuffed before even being prompted.

Casey had gone ahead of them a few hours earlier, after going home to pack a small duffle bag out of uncertainty about what awaited her or if she would have to stay. They would meet with her later after getting the prisoner through.

There hadn't been a sound from the backseat in the hour they had been on the road and the detective accompanying him hadn't said one word to him since they had left Manhattan. He hadn't been with the squad long and all Fin knew about him was his name.

Just as well. He wasn't in the mood for conversation anyway.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Six hundred seconds.

Six hundred seconds in the bathroom, hunched over the sink, grasping the corners of the counter so hard that her palms now had indentations.

Six hundred seconds to make herself stop shaking, to make her stomach stop spinning. To look in the mirror and command herself to breathe.

Just. Breathe.

Two hundred seconds to get the first aid kit from the medicine cabinet and walk back into the living room.

Three hundred and fifty seconds of sitting beside him on the couch and talking to his back.

And counting.

"Elliot," she pleaded desperately. "Honey, I'm so sorry. Please look at me." His wet

heave of breath into the back of the couch made her heart throb. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, baby…I'm sorry if I scared you. I…I just-"

She lost her breath again, her throat closing in terror once more without being able to help it.

She had been so certain….Jesus, she had been so certain he was going to bleed to death right in front of her….that she was holding his veins in her hand.

That she was going to die right beside him.

Olivia swallowed hard and exhaled a deep breath. She carefully inched closer to him and placed a hand gingerly on his back, feeling him flinch and become tense.

"You scared me," she whispered painfully. "You…just really scared me, Elliot."

It was almost like a dam had broken. She heard him sobbing hard then and could feel his back shaking under her hand.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Yeah…alright," Don said into the phone, nodding. "Yeah….yeah, we've got it. Uh-huh. Bye."

He hung up and pursed his lips a moment before walking around the desk.

"John," he called, stepping through the open doorway

The detective hadn't said a word to anyone since walking in that morning. He knew the man was still pissed at him for making him stay behind and having the empty desk across from where he sat only made it more obvious.

His head come up and Cragen saw the coldness behind the glasses as he silently looked at him.

"Central Park Mounted Patrol reported two bodies found in a car parked in the woods," he said, holding out a piece of paper with the address of the crime scene. "Male and female…said it looks like one for us."

John stared at him silently. The defiance in his eyes was obvious and Don felt his anger instinctively rising.

God damn it, Munch…don't make me regret letting you come back on duty. Don't.

He saw the other man's jaw twitch slightly and his eyes narrowed.

Then he stood to his feet. His face was still stony but he walked towards the captain and reached for the address.

"Sure," he said quietly.

Don held on a moment longer than necessary, forcing them to lock eyes before releasing the paper to him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He pulled out his badge and extended it out the window.

"Detectives Tutuola and Justice," he said. "Manhattan Special Victims Unit….suspect in transport."

The guard sitting inside the small booth hardly glanced at the identification as he pressed a button. A loud buzz preceded the gate opening to allow them entrance into the back lot of the building.

The silence inside the car remained boisterous as he drove around and he glanced into the rearview mirror to see the backseat. The young man was still slumped against the seat, his head lying carelessly against the upholstery as he looked out the window with a blank expression.

He couldn't hold back his sigh of relief as he turned off the ignition and took his foot off of the brake. His butt was numb and he was sick of sitting in the damn car.

He was surprised when Detective Justice swiveled around to look at the backseat after unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Thanks for flying with us," he said sarcastically. His expression was disgusted. "Hope you enjoy your stay."

Madison sneered at him as he straightened to sit upright but said nothing.

Fin opened up the back door and unbuckled the man's seat belt. Though he realized he shouldn't have, he couldn't deny once again being surprised by the compliance. The young man slid over without a word, allowing him to take him by the arm before getting up out of the seat. He placed his hands behind his back and Fin turned him around to fasten the handcuffs onto his wrists once more.

Justice came around to take him by his left arm and he was escorted between them into the back door of the building.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

An embarrassed flush came over her face when she came back into the living room with the pills and water to see him struggling with the blanket.

She had gone a tad overboard in making sure the cuts were all cleaned and covered. His upper arm had so much gauze wrapped around it that it almost rivaled the other one in the sling.

Oops.

"Need some help?" she asked kindly as she walked over to the couch.

Elliot stopped moving and looked at her warily. He swallowed.

"Cold," he mumbled, his gaze darting away as he fumbled awkwardly with the blanket again. "It's really cold."

Olivia set the glass down on the coffee table and laid the pills carefully next to it so that she could have both hands free. She took the end of the blanket he was struggling with.

"Here, I'll get it," she said.

His hand fell away as she straightened it out and pulled it up to his chest. It trailed on the floor and was difficult to keep in place since he was sitting up, but she tried her best to cover his upper body as much as she could.

"There you go," she murmured, tucking the edges around his middle hoping it would stay. "How's that?"

He inhaled shakily before abruptly leaning into her side, lowering his face against her neck. She started for a brief moment and then wrapped her arm around his shoulders, bringing him close to her.

He was shaking. Olivia kissed the side of his head, knowing that both of them couldn't stop thinking about the morning but neither wanted to bring it up.

"So I've got some good news," she said after a minute. His eyes came up slightly towards her. "I talked to Kathy….she said she's going to bring the kids over with her tonight."

It wasn't a lie. After her three calls and three urgent messages to Doctor Olivet's office that morning, she had called Kathy at work and asked if she would mind bringing them.

Thankfully, the other woman hadn't asked why. She didn't know if she would have been able to tell her. It was still too raw for words.

He swallowed deeply and sniffled. His eyes were wet, but she could tell he was trying to hold in the tears.

She stroked his hair and allowed the silence to continue. He seemed to want it.

"You want to take your pills?" she finally murmured after a few minutes, not moving.

Elliot inhaled deeply and then sighed. She leaned forward to scoop up the pills before he could say anything, holding them out near his chest and waiting.

He sighed again and then his arm came out from the folds of the blanket to slowly reach for them.

She smiled tenderly and reached for the glass of water, wrapping her fingers around it securely as she tipped the straw toward him.

He drained it slowly and then turned his head, burrowing his body tighter under the blanket and shivering again.

"It's too cold," he said. She could hear the tears creeping into his voice. "Olivia…Olivia, I'm so cold."

He dropped his head then and began to cry painfully. She leaned back beside him and took him into her arms, rocking him sadly. His face disappeared in her neck and they sat silently.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She could her breakfast rise in her stomach and gripped the edges of the armrests with clenched fingers as she kept her face composed.

"Now, as I said before," Judge Verella continued. "Out of compassion for the victim, I'm not going to allow eight separate hearings to accommodate each individual." He looked to the defense attorney. "Mr. Haskins, you will be expected to divide up the defendants at your discretion in such a way that will allow all eight to stand trial within three separate hearings."

"Yes, your Honor," Haskins said, nodding obediently. "It won't be a problem, sir."

"Make sure it doesn't become one," the judge said sternly, eyeing him a moment longer before turning his attention to Casey.

"Now, Ms. Novak…I have the fullest sympathy for Detective Stabler and would hate to do anything that would cause him further turmoil." He pursed his lips hesitantly before continuing.

"But seeing as it has now been almost two months since the original accusations, I have to insist that you go forward with the grand jury testimony by the end of the week next Friday or I will have to allow the defendants the opportunity to set bail."

Casey swallowed.

"Yes, your Honor," she replied softly.

"Also, remember that the change of venue stands at this time unless there is sufficient reason to file anew." Judge Verella went on. He looked at both of them. "Is that amendable to anyone?"

"No, your Honor," Haskins said.

She shook her head sadly, feeling so much pain at the thought that she almost couldn't speak.

"No, your Honor," she echoed quietly.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The atmosphere of early dusk was just beginning when she made her way up the steps and into the building. She checked her watch as she hit the elevator button.

She was meeting her sister at seven for dinner. Hopefully, she would have enough time to go home and change….that is if the elevator ever arrived.

It seemed to take fifteen minutes, but finally she heard the ding and she rushed in, pressing the button for the fifth floor several times in vain attempt to make the doors close faster.

No luck. It still took a good two minutes before them to decide no one else was coming in and closed. She rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall as the car ascended, rubbing her forehead.

She was tired, she was cranky, and she really didn't feel like going back out tonight. The day had been long and she just wanted to go home to a pint of Ben and Jerry's and maybe a movie to unwind. But she had blown her sister off the last time she had been in town…Emily would kill her if she did it again.

The elevator stopped and Elizabeth sighed as she stepped off. She began the walk down the hall to her office, digging into her purse for her keys as she went. She unlocked the door and dumped her work bag on the table with a relieved sigh.

The light on her phone was blinking to indicate messages were waiting and she leaned over to press it as she began taking files out of the bag.

"You have… five… new messages," the automated voice informed her.

Dr. Olivet's head snapped up in surprise at the unusual amount. She had been out of the office all day but her cell had been on in case of emergency…no one had called that she knew of.

Abandoning her bag, she walked closer to the phone and listened as the messages began.

"Doctor, it's Larry Burkheind…"

She groaned inwardly at her colleague's voice, remembering she still owed him copies of the funding request she had put in earlier that week. She pressed the skip button and moved on, vowing to call him in the morning.

"Hey, Liz, it's me…" Emily. "I forgot the name of the street you said the restaurant was on…I'm at the hotel so give me a call whenever you get in."

She rolled her eyes with a smile and pressed the skip button again.

"Hi, um….Doctor Olivet."

The woman's voice was hesitant and she frowned instinctively, not recognizing it.

"This is…Olivia Benson. Captain Cragen told me that you had been talking to him about possibly seeing Elliot Stabler…."

Her chin jerked up as she listened more closely, her brain focusing at once.

"Well, he's um…he's staying with me right now and um…" There was silence for a moment. "Just please give me a call….646-3212. Thank you."

Swallowing, Elizabeth waited until the message ended itself. She reached for the phone immediately only to stop when the next message began.

It was Olivia again, saying pretty much the same thing as before.

Same with the last message.

Dr. Olivet shook her head slightly, all thoughts of her plans leaving her mind as she again reached for the phone.

It was almost quarter after six but the woman had sounded desperate.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Her siblings rushed in at once, nearly trampling Olivia when she answered the door, but Maureen held back.

She was nervous and didn't know why. All day she had been hardly able to concentrate because she was anticipating this moment and yet here it was and she was nervous.

"Come on in, Maureen," Olivia said brightly when she saw her still standing by the closed door. She waved her hand toward the living room invitingly as she walked over and the young woman was slightly stunned to receive a hug. "How have you been?"

"Um…okay, I guess," she said, forcing a smile.

"Hi, honey."

Her mother came in from the living room wearing a smile that Maureen hadn't seen in….she couldn't even remember when.

"Go on and see your dad," she said, cocking her head. "He should still be there…that is if your sisters and brother haven't smothered him."

The young woman swallowed hard as she nodded. She stepped past the other women to the doorway of the living room and found herself closing her eyes before she could see inside.

She wasn't aware of her mother watching her in concern.

Taking a deep breath, Maureen opened her eyes to see her father sitting on Olivia's couch. He was surrounding by her siblings on both sides and smiling so hugely that she could see light reflecting off of his white teeth.

Her dad had always had the most beautiful smile.

She studied him discreetly with a lump in her throat. He was so caught up listening to Elizabeth chattering that he had yet to notice.

There was a blanket over his legs and two huge pillows propped behind his back. Her eyes were automatically drawn to the white sling around his neck, nestling his right arm over his sweatshirt.

The sweatshirt swallowed him. It was obvious even with the little she could see of his upper body and she found herself frightened. Never, in her entire twenty and a half years on this planet, had she ever seen her father so thin.

His face was unnaturally pale and she was startled to see large bruises around his nose and eyes.

Had they been there when she saw him in the hospital? How could they not have been?

"Maur."

The excited, breathy sound of her name made her brain snap back to attention and she found herself looking right into blue eyes shining with delight.

Those were her eyes. Those were the eyes and the strong jawbone she had inherited that was so unlike the rest of the family's. Those were the eyes she saw in her dreams at night when she tried not to focus on how much she was hurting.

"Dad."

She was rushing into the room before she realizing it, the surroundings and her sibling's faces a blur as she wrapped her arms desperately around the strong neck of the man she would love more than any other in the world.

"Oh, Dad," she whispered, embarrassed to feel the tears streaming down her face but not wanting to let go of him long enough to wipe them away. She laughed and nuzzled his neck with her nose, breathing him in. "God, I love you….God, I love you so much."

She could feel his arm over her back, pressing into her flesh hard with the force of his grip. She felt wetness drop onto her neck and realized that it hadn't come from her.

"Hi, baby," she heard him rasp tearfully. "Hi, my love….my sunshine love." The use of the nickname she hadn't heard since she was in diapers made her chuckle with affection. "I missed you so much, baby."

She buried her face in his shoulder, feeling him stroking her hair, and sighed happily.

"Alright, guys…." Her mother's chuckling voice was heard dimly from somewhere behind her. "Let your dad breathe, huh? You're going to suffocate him."

When Maureen reluctantly forced herself to pull away, she realized that her siblings had somehow all managed to squeeze themselves into the hug around her. They were nearly pinning him to the back of the couch.

A flush crept over her face as she got to her feet quickly, straightening her sweater. Olivia was smiling in amusement from where she stood beside her mother.

"What have you guys been up to, huh?" Elliot asked excitedly, looking around at Elizabeth and Kathleen, who had refused to move away from his side on the couch. His eyes came up to her and then went to her brother as well.

Her youngest sister's eyes darted to her hopefully and she shrugged slightly, nodding.

"Dad…we, um…." Elizabeth said nervously. "Well…we-we made something for you."

The surprise in his eyes was obvious, as was in the eyes of her mother as well when Maureen glanced at her.

"We all did," Dickie added.

He looked at them in happy surprise, raising his eyebrows. It became quiet then and Maureen suddenly realized her siblings were all looking at her urgently. She furrowed her brow in confusion for a second before remembering she had put it in her purse.

"Oh," she said, scoffing at her own stupidity. "I have right, that's right….sorry." She slid the bright oversized bag off of her shoulder and rifled through it until she pulled it out. She turned toward Olivia uncertainly. "Um…do you…?"

"Sure," she said quickly, taking the video tape from her. "I'll set up the VCR."

She smiled and nodded her thanks as she turned back to the couch. Her sisters were both looking at her father with amused grins, seeing his mystified look. Their mother also looked perplexed as she crouched down next to the foot of the couch.

Kathleen smiled wider. "When Mom told us you were coming home, we wanted to give you something to make you feel better," she explained, as Olivia quietly took a seat on the floor beside her mother. "Liz came up with the idea…"

The youngest Stabler was blushing furiously, her face so red that she looked to be on fire.

"And Kat did all the editing and stuff in her film class at school," Maureen chimed in.

She saw her mother's face look shocked before she controlled it.

Maureen looked to Olivia. She pressed the play button on the remote control and the room filled with silence.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He waited, shocked and surprised and pleased all at once, as they all stared at the television. For a moment there was static and then suddenly his youngest daughter's face was filling the screen.

Maureen's voice came in the background. "What is your favorite thing about Elliot Stabler?"

Elliot felt his throat tighten in surprise and emotion, a stunned smile crossing his face.

Elizabeth smiled brightly on-screen and off.

"The way he smiles and says my name," she said. "It always comes out like it's the most beautiful word he's ever heard."

Dickie face filled the screen next, the background and noise making it obvious that he is near the school football field. Kathleen's voice was heard this time, asking the same question.

He watched his son on the screen, appearing to mull this over hard, his brow scrunching comically. The expression made Kathy laugh from where she sat and Elliot started, almost forgetting for a moment where they were.

"His laugh," he finally answered. "It's so contagious that everyone around him will start once they hear it."

Olivia chuckled inwardly.

So true.

The video continued, each of the twins repeating the process for the older girls. When her portion ended after revealing how she thought his best quality was the amazing role model he had provided for them, Kathleen glanced over to see her father silently crying.

A twitter of nervousness began forming in her stomach.

Maureen believed his best quality was the way he always acted like seeing them was the most anticipated part of his day.

He smiled slightly, swallowing quietly.

A series of candid photographs came floating on the screen next, each featuring Elliot and one of the kids. Olivia laughed out loud when she saw the one where they were at the beach. Her partner was buried up to his neck in sand and a very young Kathleen was squatting next to him, her chubby baby tummy poking out of a floral-patterned bathing suit as she painted shapes on his face with sun block.

"My favorite thing about Elliot is his heart."

The sound of his captain's voice filling the air made Elliot's eyes pop in surprise. A minute later, the camera zoomed in on Cragen, sitting in the chair in his office.

"I've met very few good men in my lifetime," he continued, shaking his head with conviction, "but Elliot Stabler is one of a kind. If ever there was a person to make the world brighter, it's him….and he does it without even realizing it."

Kathy looked to Olivia in stunned surprise to see the exact same reaction on her face.

Elliot watched, absolutely floored, as twelve of his colleagues each offered up an opinion about what his best quality was. Fin was last and the answer he gave shocked him so much that he was speechless.

"Elliot," the black man said seriously, "is the best person I have ever had the honor to know. I love him like blood and every day we work together provides another reason to admire him."

The camera panned out a moment and then zoomed back in to a group shot of the squad room, including Fin and the captain, all telling him "welcome home" in unison.

The tape stopped.

Silence filled the room again as they all sat still. Elizabeth looked slowly to her father and saw him with his head down, crying quietly. She looked worriedly to her sisters before turning toward her mother.

She was also crying and Olivia was glassy-eyed.

Maureen was quietly holding her breath, not sure if she should speak as she looked at the adults. Dickie looked worriedly at his twin and back again.

"You guys," Kathy finally managed to say shakily. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

Olivia swallowed and nodded.

"It was beautiful," she added. "Fantastic."

Kathleen looked to be letting out a huge breath as she looked at her.

Nervous silence filled the air as they all tentatively looked at Elliot then.

All they could hear was the sound of his quiet sobbing as he kept his head down. He sniffled and exhaled tearfully a few times as the kids looked at their mother worriedly.

He swallowed, trying to breathe, and finally raised his head. His face was twisted as he stared into the worried faces of his children.

"Come here," he managed to whisper, extending his arm out pleadingly. "Please…"

Maureen was the first to get up. She sat down beside him and immediately leaned against his chest. He rested his face on her head and stroked her hair again as he cried.

The twins looked nervously at their mother to see her close her eyes.

Kathleen followed suit, jumping up on his other side and hugging his neck. After a moment, the youngest two squeezed in as well.

Olivia swallowed hard at the scene, heartbroken.

The ringing of the phone broke through the room suddenly. Reluctantly, she got up and hurried toward the kitchen, reaching for the cordless receiver she had left on the counter.

"Hello?" she answered quietly.

"Olivia?""

She recognized the soft, melodic voice immediately despite having not really worked with the woman in almost five years.

"This is Elizabeth Olivet," she continued.

"Doctor Olivet," Olivia said quickly, leaning against the counter. "Hello…" She sighed in relief. "Thank you so much for calling back."

"I'm sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner," she said. "I was away all day and didn't get your messages until just a few minutes ago." She paused. "You sounded urgent…is everything all right?"

She scoffed sadly, closing her eyes.

"No," she said after a moment. "No…it isn't."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sighing sadly, Kathy got to her feet and went towards the kitchen.

"Olivia," she said as she entered. "We need some tissues-"

She trailed off when she saw the other woman hunched over the counter, her head buried in her hands, and stopped.

"Hey," she said softly, slightly hesitant. "Are you okay?"

Olivia's shoulders bunched as she sighed heavily. She lifted her face up out of her palms and the expression Kathy saw made her stomach clench instinctively.

"What's wrong?" she asked warily.

The other woman shook her head slowly and rubbed her eyes. She inhaled shakily, the desperation obvious in the sound.

"He's been cutting himself, Kathy," Olivia said softly, her voice flat.

Her heart stopped. She would have sworn by it. Conscious thought and functioning flowed out of her like liquid and she was left standing frozen in the middle of the floor.

Olivia inhaled again and shook her head, looking at her but not seeing her. Her voice was dull, sounding almost tired.

"I found him this morning with my razor," she continued. "I don't know how he got or how long it's been going on…." Her eyes were shining. "When I first saw him…I thought he had slit his wrists."

Her voice caught and dried up painfully.

Kathy felt herself trembling. She swallowed, trying to unglue her tongue from the roof of her mouth so she could speak.

She couldn't. She couldn't even move.

"The captain…" Olivia kept on in the same tired, whispery voice. "Wanted me to ask him about seeing a therapist that works with us." She swallowed. "I never did it. I thought….I didn't want him to…to feel-"

The tears suddenly were sliding down her cheeks and her chest began shaking. She shook her head in agony.

"That was just her," she said, gesturing absently toward the phone. "She says that we need to get him in with her as soon as we possibly can."

She shook her head again and fell silent.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He heaved a huge sigh as he unlocked the front door and trudged inside. He shut the door behind him without pausing, merely kicking out his foot halfheartedly.

His hand automatically went to his hip to take off his gun and he snapped on the safety as he walked toward his bedroom, tossing it on the bedside table.

Yawning, John slid off his shoes and padded into the bathroom.

Why am I tired? What the hell did I do all day?

He stared at his reflection in the mirror with disgust for several minutes. Then he sighed and turned away.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

His head settled on her shoulder and she reflexively cradled his neck, sighing quietly. She felt him move his arm around awkwardly, pressing the rabbit he was clutching against her face without realizing it.

He nuzzled his face restlessly against her collarbone several times and whimpered, making her wince in sympathy.

"Oh, baby," she said sadly, rubbing his back slowly. "You're so tired." Olivia brought her face down against his head, trying to keep him still as she soothed into his ear. "It's alright…shut your eyes, sweetheart."

He started to cry from pure exhaustion, making her chest shake slightly with each breath he gasped against her skin. Her heart ached as she continued to rub his back gently and she brought the blanket further up his back.

Her eyes could hardly focus on the numbers on the VCR anymore, but the last time she had looked it had been nearly 2 am. Three hours since she had gotten him settled in for the night and he still wouldn't stop fighting sleep.

"Shh…shh, Elliot." She forced her eyes to remain open as she nestled her nose against the side of his cheek. "Sweetheart, you're exhausted."

She began rocking him slightly, her eyes closing out of their own volition. She yawned and swallowed, opening them again painfully. A sharp pain in her arm made her wince and she shifted, gently taking the rabbit out from between them so that she could move.

He whimpered again and she stroked his back with her other hand as she found a more comfortable position. The new angle created a perfect natural resting place for his face and he leaned into it wearily.

Sighing in relief, she brought the rabbit back against him so he could hold it once more and she could wrap both of her arms around him.

She stroked his hair and listened to his breathing evening out as his fatigue began forcing him to shut down.

Before long, his breaths were coming in slow repetition as he passed out against her.

Olivia stared up at the ceiling and relaxed her muscles, allowing herself to feel the sensation of having him in her arms.

I'm so sorry to do this to you. I'm so sorry I've failed you, Elliot.

Tears filled her eyes and she lowered her head back down to rest on his.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Casey looked at the phone on the counter, squinting in the unnaturally bright morning sunlight streaming through the window next to the sink.

Cragen or Olivia….

Who should I call first?

She had a feeling neither was going to take the news well.

Her eyes darted up to the clock when she heard the coffeepot perk. She had an hour to get ready for work.

Sighing, she shook her head and reluctantly picked up the phone.