Disclaimer: SVU and its characters belong to Dick Wolf. I own nothing.


Elliot didn't know what to say. The question he most wanted to ask was on the tip of his tongue, but he was afraid to put voice to it. Reason dictated to him, though, that if the worst had indeed happened, they wouldn't break it to him over a phone call. Taking a deep breath, he tried to focus. Fin was talking again.

"Olivia's all right. Well, she's been injured, but she's going to be okay."

The breath that he hadn't aware he'd been holding since he first got the call left Elliot's lungs in a rush of air. He never wanted to see any harm whatsoever come to Olivia, but he would handle whatever it was. He would take care of her. Still, that didn't explain why Fin was calling. Why couldn't she call and tell him herself? As though he had read Elliot's mind, Fin began to explain.

"Liv would have called you herself, but her phone was broken beyond repair. TARU is transferring all her information to a new one right now."

Elliot began to relax more as the tension and panic began to leave his body. While he still considered it an emergency, he knew Olivia was already being taken care of. He began to consider another reason Fin may have called.

"I'll be there to get her soon, Fin. Does she need me to bring her a change of clothes?"

"That would be great, Elliot. We're at Mercy General. She's still with the doctors right now."

Hanging up the phone, Elliot headed for Olivia's bedroom. Any previous nerves or anxiety about overstepping boundaries had long since evaporated. What mattered was he do what was necessary to take care of her. Seeing her duffle bag from this past weekend on the floor by her closet, he grabbed it. Looking inside, he noticed that she hadn't completely unpacked, and the bag still contained some clothing. Fresh underclothes, along with a pair of drawstring pants and a tee shirt were safely nestled inside.

Satisfied that he wouldn't have to rifle through Olivia's dresser drawers, Elliot took the bag and headed for the door. Even though he knew there was no immediate need for urgency, he still managed to forget his coat in his rush. He barely even felt the chill in the air as he made his way to the car. The last thing he was worried about right now was his own well being. He just wanted to get to Olivia.

Elliot made it to the hospital in record time, even with fighting with traffic. For the first time in ages, he had longed for the privilege of having lights and sirens in his car to navigate faster through the city streets. The time seemed to tick by so slowly as he had inched his way along. When he arrived, he parked the car as quickly as he could, knowing the last thing he needed today was to get towed. Then he hurried inside to the waiting room.

Fin was there waiting, and that was a surprise. Now that he took a breath to think about it, why hadn't her partner been the one to contact him? Where was Nick Amaro in all this? He was trying not to feel anger toward the man. Twelve years as Olivia's partner had taught him she was headstrong and brave - she wouldn't wait if she felt she could make the collar or save the victim. She also wouldn't take any unnecessary risks. Whatever had happened today, neither Olivia nor her partner were at fault. He was about to talk to Fin when they were interrupted by a woman in scrubs.

"Excuse me, Detective? The doctor is through examining Detective Benson. You can go in and see her now. She's in room eight."

Fin turned to Elliot, and with a gesture of his arm, waved him toward the back.

"Go ahead, man. I know you want to see her. I'll wait here until you let me know how she is."

"I will. Thanks again for calling."

There was no need to thank the man for staying with Olivia, he knew Fin cared for her a great deal. Elliot shouldered the bag he held once more, and headed back to find Olivia.


Elliot walked down the corridor, easily finding room eight without a problem. He only hesitated outside because the curtain was drawn, and he didn't want to intrude on Olivia's privacy. Knocking once on the glass partition, he called out her name.

"Liv? Is it all right if I come in?"

"Elliot? Of course you can come in. What are you doing here?"

There was no mistaking the pinched sound in her voice. Even though he had yet to see her, he could tell she was in pain. Again his anxieties began to rise as he wondered just what he would be walking into. But, she was alert and talking to him, so whatever it was couldn't be that bad.

Pushing aside the curtain, he stepped into the room. He set the bag down on a chair and stepped toward where Olivia lay on the hospital bed. His eyes swept over her hastily, trying to take inventory of any injuries he could find.

"El, stop. I'm fine."

He silenced her with a look. On one side of her face, there were bruises along her jaw and cheekbone, and a small cut above her eyebrow. Her right arm was secured in a sling and draped across her chest. Elliot wanted nothing more than to hug her in that moment, but didn't want to cause her additional discomfort. Instead, he moved closer to the bed an placed a kiss to the crown of her head as he took her free hand in his.

"What happened, Liv?"

Olivia sighed. She knew there was no way she could get around not telling him the truth about her injuries. Perhaps she could omit a few details though, and spare him some worry.

"I was chasing a perp who was resisting arrest. Nick had gone around the opposite direction to prevent him from leaving from the other exit."

Upon hearing this news, any residual anger he might have had toward Nick Amaro began to evaporate. This sounded like any routine situation that could have happened during an arrest, even when he and Olivia had been partners. How often had they split up to ensure things went smoothly?

"I was coming around a corner in a stairwell leading to the other exit when he ambushed me. We got into an altercation, and he punched me a couple of times."

That explained the bruises and cuts on her face, but not why she was sitting so gingerly. It also didn't make him understand why she needed the sling. She was holding something back.

"What else, Liv?"

Sighing, Olivia cast her eyes away. She should have known better. Elliot could always read her.

"He got the upper hand, and landed a couple punches to my ribs. When I was off balance, he tossed me down the stairs."

"YOU WERE THROWN DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS?"

Elliot tried to keep his raised voice to a minimum, but he couldn't contain his shock. She could have been killed. This time he wasn't able to help himself, and swept her up into his arms. He kept his hug gentle, but he really just needed to hold her in that moment.

Withdrawing from his hold he pulled a nearby chair closer to the bed and sat down, taking her hand in his once more. He was about to say something else, but she spoke before he had the chance.

"Elliot, it's fine. I'm okay. Even better, Amaro arrested the perp. Besides his initial charges, he's facing more for what he did to me."

Before she could say anything else, there was a knock at the door, and a doctor entered. After briefly conferring with his patient and making sure he could speak freely with Elliot in the room, he began to discuss his reason for being there.

"Your results from the CT scan are negative, Detective. However, we still recommend you stay overnight for observation. You were unconscious when you were brought in."

Elliot's eyebrows lifted high at this news. This was something Olivia hadn't revealed to him. What else was she trying to protect him from? How serious had the situation really been? He tried again to focus on what the doctor was saying, but Olivia interjected with something of her own.

"I understand what you are saying, doctor, but I really want to go home."

Olivia could be so stubborn. Not that he wanted her to be in the hospital for any reason, but knowing the doctors wanted her to stay, Elliot decided he would try and convince her. He reached out and rested his palm lightly on her cheek.

"Liv, please. It's only for one night. I know how much you want to go home, but what if something happens? Let them observe you here."

She couldn't ignore the pleading of his tone, and ultimately nodded her consent. Yes, she would stay.


It was going to take a little bit of time to move Olivia upstairs to a room in the hospital's observation unit, and before they did that, the doctor decided he wanted to run one more test. Elliot was asked to step outside to the waiting room for the time being. He told Olivia he would go and update Fin as to what was going on. As a favor, he took the duffel bag with him, along with the plastic bag containing the clothes she had been wearing when she was brought in. As he was putting them in the duffel bag while walking out to the waiting room, he couldn't help but notice that her shirt was stained with blood – quite a lot of it. She'd clearly been hurt far worse than she'd let on. What else was she keeping from him?

"Fin."

Elliot called out to his friend as he approached, causing the other man to look up in his direction. Fin started to stand, but he held up his hand, silently telling him to remain seated. He took a seat of his own nearby, placing the bag next to him.

"How is she doing?"

"They're going to keep her overnight. Olivia was almost going to refuse to stay, but I managed to convince her."

Both men were silent for a moment as they considered Elliot's words. They knew had Elliot not been in the room, Olivia likely would have tried to leave the hospital. It also wouldn't have been a surprise if she would have tried going to the station instead of going straight home.

"Fin, I know Amaro was with her today, but were you with her, too?"

"Yeah, Elliot. It was all hands on deck."

Elliot tried to find a way to phrase the question so that he wouldn't sound accusatory. He wasn't angry, just worried. Especially now that he'd seen her shirt stained with blood. He already knew for certain that she'd been pushed down the stairs. He wanted to know the rest.

"What really happened out there? I saw blood on her clothes. That wouldn't have come from just a fall."

Fin hesitated, but realized Elliot deserved to know the truth. He remembered the moment he had found Olivia at the bottom of those stairs – she had been bleeding, and so pale and still – he'd immediately thought the worst.

Not wanting to talk so openly in the hospital's waiting room, and knowing that it would still be some time before Olivia was settled in her room upstairs, the two men decided to go to the cafeteria. Both were in need of a cup of coffee.

Settled at a table in a quiet corner, Fin was about to relate the details of what had happened to Olivia. First, he wanted to know just how much Elliot knew.

"What all did she tell you, Elliot?"

"She said she got into it with a perp. That he pushed her down the stairs."

Fin nodded. That was all true. However Olivia had omitted a few details. He understood that she was likely trying to protect him, but he deserved to know the truth. Especially since he was staying with her, and would likely be the one taking care of her while she recovered.

"We don't know what all happened, our guy isn't talking. We found her at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious and bleeding. She had been stabbed."

A vein on Elliot's forehead began to throb and stand out as he tried to reign in his anger. Stabbed? She had been stabbed and didn't tell him? He wasn't angry with Olivia, he was angry at the person who had hurt her. In a way, he was almost relieved he was finding this bit of news out after the fact. If he had heard that she had been stabbed before coming to the hospital, his mind would have run away with him with worry and fear. Now, after he had already seen her alive and whole, he knew that she would be all right.

He listened as Fin described that he had immediately called in an officer down, then began applying pressure to her wounds. Munch had joined him and found her destroyed cell phone nearby. By the time the ambulance had arrived, she still hadn't woken up. Again, Elliot felt the anger flare.

"You told me on the phone that she would be fine."

He had spoken through clenched teeth, but managed to keep his voice low. Why was everyone so hell bent on keeping all the details from him? He deserved the truth! Olivia may no longer officially be his partner, but he still cared about her.

"I was telling you the truth. I hadn't received a lot of information on her condition by then, but they had told me she was awake and out of immediate danger."

Now Elliot felt apologetic. They weren't keeping things from him intentionally – at least Fin wasn't. Olivia on the other hand, he was still convinced was trying to protect him. He'd have to talk to her about that later. It wouldn't exactly be a confrontation, but he did plan to discuss it with her.

A chime from his cell phone caught his attention. He glanced down at the device to read the message, then looked back up at Fin.

"That was Olivia's nurse. She's settled in her room, and can have visitors."

"Is it all right if I come with you? I'd like to see her before I leave."

Elliot nodded, and the two men stood to head to the observation unit. Both had their own reasons as to why they were looking forward to seeing Olivia. Fin wanted to replace the images haunting his memory, and Elliot just needed to see her again. Talking could come later.


When they walked into Olivia's room, she was sitting up in bed. A tray was in front of her, and she was studying it with disdain. Upon hearing their footsteps she looked up.

"El, Fin – you're still here."

Both men looked at each other, then back at the woman in the hospital bed. Where else would they be? Elliot had even told Olivia before he left that he would see her once she was settled. Had she forgotten? Trying not to be concerned, Fin answered.

"Of course we're still here. We've been worried about you."

Olivia couldn't make eye contact with either one of them. She knew then, that they had been talking about her. That meant that by now, Elliot undoubtedly knew the truth about the rest of her injuries. At least that meant he knew she'd been stabbed. She'd had an inkling he was going to be suspicious when he spied her bloody blouse among her belongings down in the ER.

Fin sensed the unspoken energy in the room. He realized that the two would need to talk. When he saw yet again the way Olivia was giving her dinner tray the evil eye, as though she hoped it would disappear, he had an idea.

"Liv, why don't I run and grab you something else to eat? While I'm out, I can see if TARU is done with your phone."

At first, she was silent for so many moments that both men thought she was going to refuse Fin's offer. Then, when she answered, they each had to hide their groans of frustration.

"Can you also find out how the questioning is going, too? See if he's been charged yet, or if an arraignment has been set?"

"Liv -"

Elliot began to admonish her gently with a hint of a warning to his voice, but Fin held up his hand to stop him.

"Of course. Now, what would you like for dinner?"

Satisfied that Fin was going to still answer her questions about how the case was going, Olivia agreed to let him pick something up for her. She asked for a simple meal of chicken noodle soup, explaining that she was feeling nauseated – likely from hitting her head when she had fallen. Fin nodded, then asked Elliot what he wanted, stating that he was picking up dinner for all three of them. Elliot could barely think of food right now, but managed to request a turkey sandwich from the deli he figured the man was going to be stopping at. He did, however, know better than to try and pay for his and Olivia's share. The tone in Fin's voice had already told him it would be his treat. Minutes later, the man left the room, leaving Elliot and Olivia alone together.

Elliot took a seat next to Olivia's bed, grateful for the fact that rooms in the observation unit were all private. He took her hand in his, just as he had done downstairs in the ER. What he wanted to convey most was that he wasn't angry with her. He just needed to know why she hadn't told him the truth about her injuries, even if deep down he already knew the answer – she had been trying to protect him.

"Olivia, I need you to trust me when I say I'm strong enough to handle this. You can tell me everything that is going on. You've taken care of me for months – let me take care of you now."

Even though she was consumed with pain, and her mind was a haze, Olivia knew he was telling her the truth. She hadn't been intending to keep the news from him forever, she was just trying to find a way to break it to him gently. Then the doctor had come in the room and insisted that she stay here overnight. That had made her so distracted. She squeezed his hand where it was clasped in hers, and started to tell him what really happened that day.

"I'm sorry, El. I was just trying not to worry you. I promise I'll answer any questions you have."

He brought their joined hands up, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. With his free hand, he brushed her hair off her forehead. Making sure she was comfortable, he started with what was at the forefront of his mind.

"You mentioned to Fin you were nauseated, are you in a lot of pain? More importantly, are they giving you anything for it?"

She shook her head to indicate the negative, and he wasn't quite sure what she was saying 'no' to. Then he noticed the grimace that fell across her facial features, and he knew. She was in pain – a lot of it.

"You should take something, Liv."

"I'm not refusing medication, I promise. They just can't give me anything too strong just yet – not until they completely rule out a serious injury. The first tests have come back negative, they are just waiting on a few more."

Now, he understood. The doctors didn't want the pain medication to mask any injuries. He felt bad that she had to hurt until everything was ruled out, but he knew they wouldn't make her suffer unnecessarily.

"Okay. Next question – what happened to your shoulder? Is that where you were stabbed? Is that why your arm is in a sling?"

Again, Olivia shook her head in answer to his question. So far he had been wrong on both guesses. His anxiety began to ratchet up again. Where on her body could the knife have hit her, then? He'd been hoping it had been the shoulder, because while still painful, it wasn't in a vital area.

"When I was tossed down the stairs, he held me by the arm before letting go. The action dislocated my shoulder from its socket. The doctors here at the ER popped it back in place. I only have to wear the sling for two days or so until the swelling goes down."

They were getting somewhere. He now knew more than he did when he first arrived. Granted, this was also the most they'd been free to talk since then, too. Now, there was just one more piece of the puzzle he needed to learn.

"Liv, where were you stabbed?"

"I wasn't stabbed. It was more like slashed. I only needed twenty-five stitches to close it up."

Even though the situation wasn't the least bit funny, Elliot had to resist the urge to laugh. Leave it to Olivia to argue about semantics. Plus, twenty-five stitches? That wasn't exactly a trivial number. Keeping his voice low, he prompted her again.

"Where, Liv?"

"My shoulder blade."

Oh God. The back. She had been stabbed in the back. So many things could have gone wrong. If the blade had penetrated deep enough, it might have struck a lung. She could have bled out, or suffocated to death on her own blood. There were so many variables as to how the situation could have ended. Did she not realize how immensely lucky she really is?

Memories hit him then, of another time, just a few years ago. They'd been working the case where an imprisoned Robert Morten was suspected of involvement and one of the other suspects, a comic book geek named Harrison Thomas had become fixated with Olivia. Not only had he sent a pipe bomb to the station under the guise of a pizza with her name on it, but he had followed her home one night and attempted to attack her. Her call over the radio of "10-13, I've been stabbed!" had haunted his dreams for months after the fact. However, he hadn't been able to get to her place right away, and when he'd arrived there were so many personnel on scene, he couldn't run to her like he'd wanted. She had been holding a piece of gauze to the bleeding cut on her arm when all he could remark to her was how she'd kicked the guys ass. Afterward, he'd wanted to kick his own for sounding so heartless and not even asking her how she was doing.

As though reading his mind, and intuiting the direction his spiraling thoughts had taken, Olivia squeezed his hand again.

"El, stop. Don't go there. I'm okay."

He just nodded. He was about to say something else then, tell her that he would skip Partial the following day so he could bring her home from the hospital, when it seemed she had read his thoughts a second time.

"No, Elliot, you won't. You will go to your program tomorrow. I'll be fine here. They said they were keeping me for twenty-four hours anyway. That means they won't release me until at least six."

Again, he had to admit she was right. Plus, perhaps it would do him some good to vent about these most recent developments in group. Though, he'd have to discuss that with Olivia first. While he knew confidences were kept, he didn't know if she wanted him talking about her personal business, even if it did effect him personally.

Later that night, after Fin had left, Olivia was trying to convince Elliot to do the same. She knew she wouldn't be allowed to sleep tonight, but she wanted him to go home and at least try. She did worry for him though. It would be his first night by himself at the apartment since he had begun staying with her. She wasn't worried for his physical safety, more that the anxiety would get the better of him and keep him awake. Finally, Elliot had to leave, even though the choice was not his own. Visiting hours were coming to an end.

"I'd tell you to get a good night's sleep, but I know that's not going to happen."

"I could say the same to you."

Olivia responded to Elliot's parting words with a smile, but her face was full of concern.

"I promise, Liv. I'll take care of myself tonight. You have your phone now, maybe I'll even call you before I go to bed, if that's okay?"

"That would be great. We both know they're not going to let me sleep."

He reluctantly stood then, and bent low toward the bed. This time, he didn't kiss her on the forehead, or on the crown of the head, as had become his habit. He crooked his index finger under her chin, avoiding the bruise on her jaw. Turning her head gently to the side and tilting it up, he brushed his lips gently across her cheek, lightly caressing the other bruise on her face. Elliot wasn't sure what had prompted him to do that, but when he pulled back to look in her eyes, there was a warmth in them that echoed the one in his heart.

"I'll be here tomorrow as soon as my group is done. I'll call you on the way, see if you need anything."

"That sounds great. Thanks, El."

Before he left the room, Elliot grabbed the clear plastic bag holding her torn and soiled clothes she had been wearing that morning. He stored the duffel bag in the room's closet, so she would have those items to wear home tomorrow. He also made a mental note to bring her a pair of comfortable shoes.

"Good night, Liv,"

"Good night, El."

Elliot made it back to Olivia's, trying to ignore the feeling of immense loneliness he felt at having to come back on his own. He reminded himself that she only needed to stay in the hospital for observation, and would be back home by this time tomorrow night. Still, the memories of the past few hours began to replay themselves in his mind, and he couldn't help but think of the way it all could have gone.

Instead of a phone call, it could have been Fin – or even the Captain – showing up on the doorstep. Telling him that Olivia wasn't coming at all. What would he have done without her? All because one person thought they could get away with it.

Shaking his head, he tried to push those thoughts away. Olivia was fine. Injured, but fine. He would take care of her for as long as she needed. Instinctively, he knew it wouldn't be easy for her to ask for his help, but he would be there to offer it anyway. He also reminded himself of what Fin had told them earlier during dinner. In addition to the other charges, the DA was going for attempted murder of a police officer for what had happened to Olivia. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the man's intent had been to kill her.

Before getting ready for bed, Elliot spent some time on the phone with Kathy. Though he'd just seen her earlier this afternoon, he needed to talk with her again. Not only was she concerned about Olivia, but she offered to help in any way she could.

Once he was settled under the covers, Elliot picked up his phone and dialed Olivia. She answered on the second ring. Her voice still had the pinched quality that told him she was hurting. Though he didn't comment on it, he hoped that they would be able to give her something for the pain soon.

Even though they were speaking from several miles apart, the conversation was reminiscent of the ones they'd had the past weekend on their vacation. Late at night before falling asleep, they would lie awake in their room and talk until one or both fell asleep. Tonight, it was Elliot who fell asleep first, but when he did, Olivia waited a few moments before ending the call. She lay there in her hospital bed, listening to the sound of his breathing on the other end of the line. She said a brief prayer, not for herself, but for him. One that would ensure his night would be a peaceful one, and that his sleep would be untroubled. With a final whisper, she hung up.

"Good night, El. I'll see you tomorrow."