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"You doing okay Amanda?" Olivia asked her friend who was scowling lay in her hospital bed. "Can't wait to get outta here."
"Come on let's get you home, back to mine I mean." Liv smiled at her friend.
"Look Liv if we just check that Kim and Trey Aren't at mine then I can go back there."
"Amanda, I told the doctor you were coming back to mine for a week, so you are. Plus Noah is loving having the girls round. And Frannie. And you need to rest. I can see you're in pain."
"I'm okay Liv." Amanda snapped.
"Have you forgotten I had broken ribs. I get it, it hurts to breathe and it's not like you can avoid breathing." Liv said which elicited a small smile from Amanda. So she broached a more sensitive subject. "Amanda, at some point over the next few days I'm going to have to take your statement." Liv said carefully.
"I already said I'm not pressing charges. So long as Kim is outta my apartment I don't care." Amanda snapped.
"Amanda think of Kim. Do you really think she's safe with Trey?"
"Safer than in prison."
"Do you really believe that?" Liv asked.
"You're the one who was nearly raped in Prison." Amanda snapped. That was like a slap in the face to Liv. It wasn't a case of being reminded, you never forget something like that, but she told Amanda what had happened in confidence, and now it seemed her friend with using her trauma against her. Amanda saw her friends face and felt awful. "M'sorry Liv, that wasn't fair. I shouldn'a said that."
The assault that had happened when Liv was undercover in a woman's prison had been brutal. The closest she'd ever come to being raped up until that point in her life. It was also her first real experience of PTSD. She'd had difficult experiences before and found herself having to take a breath but nothing like the intense flashbacks and nightmares. They'd almost made her kill a man for goodness sake. And Fin had to talk her down. Something he was surprisingly good at. Cragen had made her take some time off then. Get her head together, But Harris, and that time in the basement, would always be in her mind. Just like Lewis, just like Joe, just like her father. Her Demons.
"Liv... Olivia...are you okay?" Amanda asked bringing Liv back to the present. "I'm fine Amanda." Liv replied. Amanda had know Liv long enough to know that when she said she was fine, she was absolutely not fine and Amanda felt awful for bringing it up so changed the subject. "Hope my little rascals have been good for their Aunt Livia?"
"Oh they've been good as gold. Although Billie was very unimpressed with my lack of yoghurt flavours." Liv smiled thankful for the change in subject. Just then there was a knock on the door. "Detective Rollins. How are you feeling?" The doctor asked.
"Better. Can I go home now Dr Hartley?"
"Yes, and detective Rollins is still going to be staying with you for her convalescence Lieutenant Benson?"
"Yes that's still the plan." Liv smiled at the small, gray haired, male doctor.
"Your vital signs all look good." The man said looking at Amanda's notes. "For the concussion make sure you take it easy, avoid alcohol and no strenuous exercise for at least 3 weeks, if any of the symptoms return then please come back in to the hospital. And for the broken ribs you can use ice packs to help with the pain and swelling. You must take at least 3 weeks off work. Take some time to relax. Make sure you're breathing deeply and walking around a little to help clear your lungs. No lifting heavy objects and if you start to feel unwell come back in as it could be a chest infection. I've got a script for you for some painkillers, make sure you take them.
30 minutes later Liv and Amanda were walking out of the hospital, albeit it slowly ,meds in hand. Amanda was in pain but as ever was trying not to let it show. "Let's get a cab to mine. Then I'll pop into work for a few hours, and I'll try and be home before Lucy gets the children. Just relax Amanda."
"I'm not so good at relaxing."
"Then nap, or I've got disney plus and Netflix so watch some mindless TV." Liv smiled.
"You know what a chick flic and some chocolate sounds good." Amanda said.
"I'm sure I've got some of that nice European chocolate hidden from Noah in a high cupboard somewhere." Liv smiled passing a bar of Lindt chocolate to Amanda. "Now Amanda, relax!" Liv mock scolded her friend.
Liv went off to work and Amanda settled herself on the sofa and found a Netflix show called 'Emily in Paris' she found it an easy watch and was pretty sleepy. She soon dropped off into a dreamless sleep.
Liv managed to cut out of work early, despite being short staffed it was a quieter day. As she let herself into the apartment she was worried to see her friend unconscious on the couch. "Amanda. Amanda? Are you okay?" She went over to shake her friend. "What the hell Liv." Amanda yawned sleepily "I was napping like you suggested."
"I'm sorry," Liv said taking deep breathes "just seeing you unconscious, It reminded me of yesterday...sorry." Liv had seen people dead and unconscious often enough but everytime it was someone she cared about she had to try hard to stay calm. She wasn't an anxious person but seeing all the evil she'd seen on the job had made her worry.
"No m'sorry Liv." Amanda said. "Didn't sleep too well in the hospital."
"Are you sure you don't want me to take a statement. Just to put aside in case you wanna use it?" Liv asked and Amanda thought for a moment. "Fine." Amanda answered as Frannie the dog sat at her feet. "Fine?" Liv asked. Expecting a straight no.
"So long as I reserve the right to never use it."
"Of course." Liv smiled "I'm really proud of you for doing this Amanda." She grabbed a yellow legal pad and a pen and sat in the armchair across from the sofa where Amanda sat. "Okay, tell me what happened?" Liv asked professionally.
"My sister Kim and her boyfriend Tray were stayin' at my appartement with me, my 2 young daughters and my dog. Urm. I asked them to leave a couple'a times but they said they had no place to go. I wanted my daughters to see me helpin' out my sister in the hope that they'd do that when they've grown up. But anyway. Jess my older daughter was missin' the dog who was at the neighbours, because Trey kept tellin' us he was allergic. So I said to Jessie. That I'd go get the dog, then my sister said that I had'ta choose between her and Trey and the dog. So I told her that I choose the dog. Then Trey went mad. Yellin and sayin' how can I choose a dog over my sister. I love my sister but I didn't want her or Trey in my home. They were hurtin' me and scarin' my girls. Anyway he kept yellin and then started hittin me. I told Jessie to get outta the kitchen and go mind her sister. I tried to fight back. I really did Liv." Amanda said trying to fight back the tears and stroking her beloved pet. "I know I should be able to. I'm a cop, I'm trained to keep myself safe. But he's huge. He did boxin' and wrestlin' back in high school. He's huge, and real strong."
"Amanda, you're here, you survived, you're okay and you're girls are okay that's what matters." Liv said full of empathy and Amanda had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at Liv. She knew the ways to taught to victims and hated Liv speaking to her in that way. But continued. "Kim was scared she was just standin' there watching' he pushed me onto the floor and I hit my head on the kitchen counter then again on the floor. He started kickin' me I put my hands up by my head and he started kickin' my front and my back. After that everythin's a bit of a blur. I think I remember you tellin' me the girls are okay and then I remember being' at the hospital. That's all. Sorry Liv" Amanda finished.
"No, that's great Amanda! I'm gonna put it in my desk draw when I get into work tomorrow and if you want to use it that's great but it can stay in my desk draw if you want it too. Well done."
Just then the three Children and Lucy blew into the appartement and Frannie rushed over to them. "I beat you." Jessie gloated. "Nuh uh. I totally got here first." Noah replied. "I'm gonna have to declare it a tie!" Lucy laughed placing Billie who she had been carrying onto the floor. "Hi Fwannie" Billie started petting the dog. She walked over to her mom and stopped in front of her staring at her face. "I thought you was better now mommy, but your face still has an owie?" Billie asked confused. Amanda's face looked even worse than when her daughters has seen it the previous day. The bruises had darkened and swollen a little more. "I'm gonna have an owie for a little while but I'll be okay Billie, don't worry about me." Amanda smiled at her littlest girl. "Don't worry mom, you're still the prettiest lady in the world." Jessie smiled and leaned over to kiss her mom's swollen cheek. "You're second Auntie Livia!" Jessie added not wanting to offend her honorary aunt. "You're the sweetest girl Jessie." Liv smiled kissing the little girls blonde head. "If I let you sleep in Noah's room do you promise you'll go to sleep and not spend all night playing and chatting?"
"Promise Aunt Liv."
"Noah"
"Sure mom."
"Ok I've made up a camp bed for you in Noah's room Jess. Amanda is it okay if you and Billie take my room and I'll sleep in the spare room?" Olivia smiled.
"Liv, I'm not kickin' you outta your own bed. Let me and Bill take the spare room." Amanda argued.
"Amanda, you have broken ribs and the spare room is a sofa bed, I'll be fine! But first, pizza or Chinese?"