Life in the newly renamed Benson-Cabot household had changed in a drastic way.
Three days ago, it had just been Olivia and Noah, but then Alex had come back and was living with them now, upping the family to a family of three. A day later, Sophia and Melissa had also moved in, rounding the kin's number to five. It was hard to believe that in April, there would be two more people joining them. Even if Sophia and Melissa had moved in to their own place by then, there would still be seven people in the family.
Three years ago, Olivia had been totally alone, and now she had the woman she whom she knew she was going to marry, both of her children, a grandchild, a baby on the way, and even a second grandchild on the way. Olivia's heart was very full.
Olivia also realized, early in the hours of the next morning, that living with not only one but two pregnant women had its own unique set of challenges. Alex had morning sickness, yes, but it didn't occur as often as it had at the beginning of her pregnancy, prompting her to think that it was almost ever. On the other hand, poor Sophia was having a harder time of things because her morning sickness had a tendency to strike between five-thirty and six in the morning… every morning. When it struck her at the Benson-Cabot house, Olivia and Alex woke immediately and tag-teamed to take care of her until she was feeling back to herself again. It made Sophia feel incredibly loved.
Once Olivia, Alex, and Sophia left their children with Lucy when she came to start her nannying, the trio rode down in the elevator to the main lobby of their building before going their separate ways—Sophia for the nearest subway entrance because she was going to take it to Manhattan Mall to look for sales, while Alex headed to her car so she could make the trip to her office building, just as Olivia headed a different subway line that would take her straight for the precinct.
She was only at her desk for five minutes when she received a call from Doctor Larom.
"Is this about Elizabeth Stabler?" Olivia asked after they'd exchanged pleasantries.
"Yes—she's awake, but has been in quite a bit of distress."
"Was she raped?"
"We still don't know because she won't say anything like that, but I'm suspecting that she was."
Olivia felt sad for Elizabeth, but she still kept it together. "What about her leg? Did the swelling reduce?"
"Yes, and she won't need surgery, but she will be outfitted for a plaster cast later." the doctor sighed. "I understand that she is Detective Stabler's daughter, but I also understand that you and he parted ways in 2011. Yesterday, I heard through the grapevine that he came for a visit to see his daughter after she was admitted here, and that in the process, he ran into you and your team."
Olivia nodded even though her friend couldn't see her. "Yes, and his partner, Yardley Chung was with him; she's nice enough, but she's young and a bit of a greenhorn. Are you asking about my objectivity, or where I stand in rank as compared to my old partner?"
"Both, but I'm asking from a purely professional standpoint."
"I can be completely objective with him—you have my word, Jane. I outrank Detective Stabler now, but he technically belongs to the Queens Narcotics Unit. Our units are working together at the moment because of a case that we're working on."
"Okay. Thanks for helping me get all of that straight, lieutenant."
"You're welcome. Is Elizabeth sociable, all things considered?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll come down there with Detective Rollins right now." Olivia decided, already getting up and regathering her jacket and scarf. "Will you pass the message on to Elizabeth?"
"I will. What about Detective Stabler and his partner?"
"I'll call him, don't worry. See you see soon."
Doctor Larom bid her goodbye and hung up.
Olivia pocketed her phone, and making sure she had everything she needed when going out into the field, she headed out into the bullpen. Amanda, Fin, and Carisi all saw her and let out a collective sigh.
"We just got here, lieutenant!" protested Fin.
"I know, I know, but I just got off the line with Doctor Larom—she said Elizabeth is awake."
Amanda stood so fast that her chair almost fell backwards. "I'm ready to go!"
Olivia arched an eyebrow in amusement. "Everything okay, Rollins?"
"Jesse has colic, and she didn't start up until after my aunt stopped by for a visit last night." Amanda confessed. "Then the sitter had to take a raincheck because her boy came down with the chicken pox."
"But who has the baby now?"
"Aunt Amanda."
"And this morning, you're just itching to go out and be a detective?"
"Yes."
Olivia made a sweeping motion with her arm. "Then let's roll."
At the hospital, Olivia and Amanda found Doctor Larom very quickly. She led them back to Elizabeth's room, where they found Elliot and Yardley, both of whom were dressed in regular clothes this time and sitting on a bench on the opposite side of the hallway.
"I'll leave you four to do what you have to," the doctor said. "But I need one of you to page me after Elizabeth gives her statement."
"Will do." Olivia told her. "Thank you."
When she left, Olivia and Amanda looked at Elliot and Yardley expectantly.
"What?" Elliot squawked.
"When was the last time you saw Elizabeth?" asked Olivia. "Kathleen wasn't specific, but she made it sound like you and Yardley go undercover a lot."
"She isn't wrong. The last time I saw my family was over a month ago because of an assignment."
"We're technically still under now, but things are almost done." added Yardley.
"Is your case related in any way to this one?"
"It isn't, but we aren't jeopardizing anything by being here."
Amanda spoke to her. "Yardley, how old are you?"
Amanda could see easily that Yardley was the youngest of them, and that she was feeling nervous. The blond understood very well about being the youngest in a professional setting because she was the youngest on the squad. Even Carisi was two months older than her.
"I'm twenty-three, and I have a third grade rank, but I'm still only a month older than Elizabeth and Richard. He's indifferent about that, but she's never taken kindly to it."
Olivia turned to Amanda and tagged her. "Come on, Rollins. It's you and me."
Amanda bobbed her head. "Right behind you, lieutenant."
The partners entered Elizabeth's room, and while Amanda busied herself with closing the blinds, Olivia approached Elizabeth's bed.
"Elizabeth, it's Olivia."
Though she'd been cleaned up since being found in Central Park, Elizabeth still had a visible number of cuts and bruises that were peeking out from underneath her hospital garb and hardware. The only extra thing that Olivia noticed was that Elizabeth's damaged leg was in a splint and propped up on pillows.
When Elizabeth heard the other woman's voice, she turned her head in her direction and gave her a small smile. "Everything's all fuzzy because I can't see without my glasses, and they're broken, but I'm really glad you're here. I'll do anything to help."
Olivia smiled, relieved that Elizabeth was being so cooperative. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"Being on the ambulance, and that you were there. Did you find me?"
"No. That, uh, was my daughter."
Elizabeth was taken aback. "You have a kid?"
"Two, actually. My firstborn is named Sophia, and she's only two years older than you."
"How did she know I was gone?"
"She didn't—she found you by chance in Central Park West. It was Kathleen who came to me because she wanted help looking for you; she was really worried, sweetheart."
Elizabeth made a sad face. "The last time I saw her, we fought. Does she know I'm here? Does the rest of my family?"
"Yeah, they do, and your dad is out in the hallway with Yardley."
"Oh… I haven't seen either of them for over a month—are they back because of me?"
"They are, but they're working with the SVU to solve the case."
Elizabeth looked inquisitively at her. "Do you run the place now?"
"Mhm. I also know that the person who hurt you is the person we've been looking for in the first place."
Trying in vain to avoid the subject, Elizabeth looked in Amanda's direction.
"Who are you?" she called.
"I'm Detective Amanda Rollins." the southern belle answered as she came to stand beside her CO. "I'm Olivia's partner."
"And you want to know what I remember about the park?"
"That, and if you were raped."
"I remember everything, and yes… I was raped."
"Will you tell us what happened?"
Elizabeth hesitated. "Is my dad still in the hallway?"
"He is. Do you want me to get him?"
"No. Does he know yet that I was…?"
"He doesn't, but I'm sure he'll know before the end of the day."
Elizabeth became crestfallen, but conceded her defeat and turned in Olivia's direction."Has this ever happened to you?"
"No," Olivia admitted. "Eight years ago, something happened on the job, and I came pretty damn close to being raped. And then three years ago, I was taken against my will by a madman, and I was beaten and tortured."
"It happened to me." Amanda said softly. "It was some years ago, before I came to New York."
"Was he a stranger?"
"No."
"Was he caught?"
"Yes, and he is never, ever getting out. If you tell us what happened to you, we will work very hard to make sure that we catch the man who did this to you."
Amanda's words were spoken with such sincerity and what Elizabeth realized was motherly affection, that she immediately found herself placing her trust in the women beside her.
"Do you all know about what happened to my mom, and what she did to us?"
"Yes." Olivia said. "We know about Diane, too. We met her. Kathleen also came to tell me that she swore she saw Satchel DiMaggio."
Elizabeth sighed. "Then Kat also probably said that Satchel is the one who killed my mom and her boyfriend."
"Yes, again. Satchel also happens to be the guy we're looking for, and Sophia is his ex-wife."
"What?" Elizabeth asked in astonishment. "Does she know he's bad?"
"Yes, but they divorced before he went bad, and she had no idea what he was up to until I told her. She's genuinely horrified by what he's done."
"Okay." Elizabeth said, taking the information in stride. "Then I won't hold anything against her."
Olivia felt another wave of relief. "There's just one other thing I should mention before you keep going."
"Like what?"
"Satchel's real name is Gunner."
Elizabeth shivered. "At least he didn't have a gun. He just hit me with his fists."
Olivia and Amanda sat in the chairs at Elizabeth's bedside.
"Will you tell us what happened?"
"Yes. It goes like this…"
And so Olivia and Amanda listened as Elizabeth described her attack in detail.
"What scares me the most," Elizabeth said when she finished. "Is that he beat me up because I didn't respond kindly to him hitting on me when he saw me in the park. I also think that he has an agenda."
"That's no small claim, considering the other things he's done." Olivia said warily. "What makes you say it?"
"I know this happened yesterday, but before he knocked me out, he actually said, 'Now that I'm done with you, it's time to go find my wife.' Aren't Gunner and Sophia divorced?"
"They are."
Panic mounted in Elizabeth's chest. "If Gunner gets her, it'll be all my fault because I didn't try harder to stop him!"
Amanda immediately moved in to comfort Elizabeth, while at the same time, Olivia's phone rang. Moving quickly, she stepped out into the hallway to take the call.
It was Fin.
"What is it?" she asked. "Elizabeth just gave her full statement."
"Captain Dansforth just showed up here with her second in command, and we've just gotten reports that Gunner DiMaggio has been spotted in the park. Carisi and I are headed over there to check things out."
"Good call. You and Carisi keep heading there, and I'll come back to the station-house. I'll get Alex, Casey, and Barba in on the loop ASAP, too." Olivia decided. "Tell Dansforth for me?"
"Okay, lieutenant. I can do that."
When Olivia hung up, she extracted Amanda from Elizabeth's room and held a gathering in the hallway with her, Elliot, and Yardley.
"What's happening?" Elliot asked.
"Captain Dansforth is at SVU, looking for me, and she's with her second in command."
Elliot and Yardley groaned.
"Captain Charlotte Dansforth is a drill sergeant,and her partner, Ernest Jeffers, is basically her protégé." Yardley explained. "What else was that call about?"
"Gunner DiMaggio has been spotted in Central Park."
"Oh, God." Amanda said softly. "Are Fin and Carisi on their way to the park now?"
Olivia nodded. "Yes. I'm going back to the station-house to meet Dansforth and Jeffers, but I need for you to go with Elliot to the park now."
"I understand."
Amanda left with Elliot very quickly.
That left Olivia with Yardley.
"That leaves me to do the rape kit with Elizabeth, huh?" Yardley guessed.
"Yes, and I need for you to ask for Doctor Larom when I leave here so she can get the procedure started. I also need you to get in touch with Kathleen and tell her to come down here, pronto."
"Do you know how to reach her?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever helped a sexual assault victim go through a rape kit?"
"No—I went straight from the Academy to Narcotics. Elliot has been my first partner. Ever."
Olivia felt her heart tighten with emotion as she flashed back to 1999, and she'd been the newest member of the SVU squad at the Sixteenth Precinct. She'd technically been trained through her probationary phase at the Fifty-Fifth Precinct under Karen Smythe, but the SVU had been a brand new world. Elliot had been there, showing her the ropes; they'd been ride or die for twelve years, and she had adored him and thought of him as her teacher. Had she really been as bright and shiny as Yardley was now? Her beginnings in the SVU felt like another lifetime ago.
"I understand the emotions that come with having Elliot as a partner—he was mine for twelve years, and I met him when I was young, too." Olivia gave Yardley's shoulders a gentle squeeze and nodded towards her pregnant middle. "What are you expecting to have?"
Yardley framed her bump with her hands. "This is Emily. My wife is carrying her sister, Aubrey. They'll be here in four months, and we're so excited to meet them."
"Those are very beautiful names, and I'm sure that Emily and Aubrey will grow up to be strong and healthy. Go use that motherly love you feel towards your daughters with Elizabeth. It'll make things go easier."
"Do you have kids?" Yardley asked before she could stop herself.
"I have a twenty-five year-old daughter named Sophia, and a two-year-old son called Noah. My girlfriend and I also have a baby on the way, and we have grandchildren, too. There aren't enough words in the world to say how much I love my children and my grandchildren. I would move mountains for them, Yardley. Mountains."
The detective made a nervous humming noise and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I'm a very patient person, and I've been Elliot's partner for a few years now, but Elizabeth has always been jealous of me because of how much time I spend with her dad. This case, and the undercover one are my last with the NYPD, and then my wife and I are moving to Spokane. I don't want to leave with Elizabeth having a low opinion of me."
"I know exactly how you feel." Olivia told her. "Kathy was like that about me, and so were Maureen and Kathleen, to a lesser degree. You are going to be fine—patience is key, and I have a feeling that after today, Elizabeth will totally change her tune about you."
Olivia's words gave Yardley the confidence she needed because she squared her shoulders, turned and headed straight into Elizabeth's room.
Confident in her own right that Yardley had her part of the situation under control, Olivia left, preparing to head back to the precinct, although she found herself wishing that she could have gone out into the field with Amanda and Elliot.
THE RAMBLE/BOW BRIDGE
CENTRAL PARK
MANHATTAN
Gunner DiMaggio didn't have a lot going for him in life, what with all the criminal activity he had under his belt, but he'd always felt that with being well over six feet tall, and having a frame that was both muscular and lanky, this was what enabled him to move places quickly—or in this case, run.
After his attack on Elizabeth, Gunner had fully intended to find Sophia so he could finish what he'd started, but he was delayed, thanks to a rain pour that lasted most of the afternoon and into the night. By the time he got going the next morning, he found that every lamp post and notice board in the park was plastered with his picture. His mission immediately became getting out of Central Park undetected, and only that.
Gunner just hadn't banked on anyone recognizing him, even in spite of the posters—because New Yorkers were renown for the 'Hear no evil, see no evil' attitude—and he certainly hadn't counted on a whole platoon of park officers and NYPD SVU cops chasing him through the woods of The Ramble and out to Bow Bridge.
Fin and Carisi were in the lead, with Elliot just behind them and Amanda bringing up the rear.
Amanda was nearly to the pavement by the water when she tripped over a random upturned tree root and fell the wrong way.
"Elliot!" she cried out, eyes immediately watering with pain. "Elliot!"
He doubled back, and when he saw her, he immediately holstered his gun and sat on the ground beside her.
"What happened?" he asked as he helped her sit up. "Trip over a gopher hole?"
"A tree root, actually." Amanda let out a puff of air and then a whimper as she felt a strong throb of pain. "Lame, huh?"
"I've seen worse, believe me, and most of it's because I've got five kids. Let's have a look."
Gingerly, Amanda extended her injured leg and winced only a little bit as Elliot maneuvered her pant leg and sock to exposing her ankle.
"Well, the good news is that your ankle is definitely sprained, but not broken."
Amanda was breathing heavier now, but only because she wanted to scream. "What the hell is the bad news if that's the good news?"
"I don't know how sprained it is."
Amanda swore and then frowned, suddenly feeling foggy.
"Hey, stay with me, Amanda." Elliot patted her cheek when she started fading on him. "Olivia will kick my ass herself if she finds out you fainted."
Amanda tried even harder to focus. "We can't have that…"
Try as she might, though, Amanda fainted clean away.
Elliot pulled his radio from his belt and pressed the talk button, although instead of talking into it, he yelled into it.
"1013,1013! Officer down in Central Park! I repeat, 1013!"
