As Fin and Carisi arrested Gunner and dragged him off, Elliot stayed with Amanda, waiting for help to arrive. When it did, he'd just seen her ambulance off when his phone rang.
Olivia's name was on his Caller ID.
She spoke without any preamble when he answered.
"El, I need you and Amanda back here, pronto. Fin and Carisi are on their way here with Gunner DiMaggio."
"I can come back, no problem, but that's going to be easier said than done for Amanda."
"What? Why? She's as good as my baby, and if that son of a bitch hurt her…"
"Actually, Amanda hurt herself."
"What?" Olivia yelped. "How?"
"I didn't see it happen because she was running behind me a ways in The Ramble, but she sprained her ankle pretty badly, tripping over a tree root."
"Is she on her way to Mercy?"
"Uh-huh. Do you still want me to come back?"
"Yes, I do. Dansforth and Jeffers are still here, in the kitchen, to be exact. It would be a good idea if you showed your face here since you officially answer to them." Olivia decided. "Can you get hold of Yardley?"
"Mhm. Is she with Elizabeth? I've put the pieces together about why my kid wound up in the hospital."
"Yardley is with Elizabeth, yes, and she's overseeing the rape kit. Make sure she touches base with Maureen or Kathleen so one of them can trade places with her when she's done with Elizabeth. Tell her to get back here, ASAP after that."
"Got it. Did Elizabeth already disclose?"
"She did, so there's no reason to bring her here."
"Noted. What about Amanda?"
"I'm going to make some calls, but don't worry—I'll make sure she isn't alone."
"Okay, Olivia. See you soon."
"See you soon." she echoed.
When they hung up, Olivia's next call was to Doctor Larom, proposing an idea she'd thought of. Surprisingly, she didn't have any objections and even volunteered to help.
After that, Olivia's next call was to Sophia.
"Hey, mom!" chirped the younger woman. "What's up?"
"I'm going to preface this call by saying that if you follow through on what I'm about to say, Alex and I will owe you a free night of babysitting, so you and Casey can get over yourselves and go on a date."
"You're on. What's happening?"
"Amanda just tripped over a tree root while in pursuit of Gunner, and she sprained her ankle pretty badly, from what I hear. Where are you?"
"At the Manhattan Mall. I just finished eating."
"I need you to get over to Mercy now, and look for Doctor Larom, okay? She's going to take you to be with Amanda, and I want you to stay with her until one of us comes."
Sophia gathered her things from the empty food court booth she'd been sitting in and started heading for the nearest exit.
"I understand, mom."
"Good girl. I'll make sure you know when someone is coming."
"Alright. See you later."
An Uber ride and one escort later, Sophia was at Amanda's room door. Amanda was in standard hospital clothes and hooked up to a few things that were keeping track of her vital signs. For good measure, she was even hooked up to a short-term IV system that was boosting her electrolytes, and her damaged ankle was already being confined in a medical boot. Even still, Amanda looked sad and was just staring at the ceiling.
"Amanda?" Sophia called.
The blond turned at the sound of her name and sat up in her bed. When she saw her friend, she motioned for her to enter.
"Sophia? What are you doing here?"
Sophia entered her friend's room, sitting her things aside and closing the door before sitting in a chair at Amanda's bedside.
"Olivia sent me to look after you. I think everyone else is busy, and she just didn't want you to be alone."
"I'm glad for the company. Did she tell you what happened?"
"You tripped over a root and sprained your ankle." Sophia's eyes flickered towards Amanda's foot. "First Elizabeth's leg, and now your ankle. How are you, all things considered?"
"Achy and embarrassed. Getting shot hurt more than this."
"Wait—you've been shot before?"
"Yeah." Amanda admitted. "It was three years ago, and I got hit in the shoulder. Morphine was my friend after the surgery that removed the bullet."
"Are you on morphine right now?"
Amanda nodded and indicated the IV equipment. "Yes, but even still, the pain is dull and that's just irritating."
Sophia wrinkled her nose. "I've had my fair share of injury stories over the years, and only a few of my scars I earned from doing something fun. One of the worst scars is from when I was shot."
"Excuse me? Does anybody know?"
"Just you, for now. I'll tell Olivia and Alex eventually."
"How old were you?"
"Eighteen." Sophia sat back in her chair and steepled her fingers. "It was in my last foster home—my foster parents were arguing, and there was a gun involved. I was literally about to walk out the door for good because it was the week after my birthday, and I'd officially aged out."
"I take it your foster parents didn't care much for you, did they?"
"Just the money they made off me. That night, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"So it was an accident… Where were you shot?"
Sophia rolled back her left shirt sleeve and pointed to a spot just below her shoulder."Here, and I still remember the doctors telling me that even though it was a through-and-through, if it had been any worse, I would have lost use of my arm; amputation would have been on the table. I do have a scar from where the doctors went in to remove the bullet, but I covered it with a tattoo."
Amanda saw 'Melissa' inked in fancy purple script in the spot her friend was indicating.
"And you chose to cover the scar with a reminder of something beautiful."
"Yep, and since Melissa is my firstborn, I decided after she was born that I'd get the names of any of her siblings inked on, too."
"Aww, that's really nice." Amanda grinned. "Hey, if you don't my asking, what happened after you got out of the hospital?"
"My foster parents pushed me and my things out of the car the night I arrived, but they never came back for me. Last I heard, they both got busted for owning an obscene amount of heroin that I never knew about. I was directed to a shelter that was run by nuns after I got out of the hospital, and I lived there while I healed."
"Rehabilitation?"
Sophia nodded. "The nuns encouraged me try different things that would help the rehabilitation process."
"Like what?"
"Drawing, painting, things like that. I still do both, and I knit and crotchet, too."
"Are you musically inclined at all?"
Sophia blushed. "The schools I went to all had strong music programs, and I discovered I can sing well. I've been able to develop my talent, and now I'm a mezzo-soprano."
"That's amazing."
"Thanks, Amanda. When it came to rehabilitation, I decided to learn how to play the violin, and I've been playing for eight years now."
Amanda grinned. "You know who else plays?"
"Do tell."
"Casey."
Sophia instantly turned beet-red. "She does? How do you know?"
"Casey Novak is my friend, too, but I'm not the one with a whopping crush—that's all you."
If possible, Sophia went redder. "How did you know that?"
"Intuition. Your face totally just gave you away, though."
Before Sophia could say anything, the door to Amanda's room opened to reveal Doctor Larom.
"Do you want me to leave to the hallway?" Sophia asked Amanda.
"No." Amanda said, feeling worried again. "I want you to stay. Please."
"Then I will."
Seeing that her patient was as pacified as she could be for the time being, Doctor Larom entered the room and approached the bed.
"I understand from these notes and from that boot that you've seen Doctor Murphy about your ankle?"
Amanda nodded. "She said she's confident that I can leave here today, and she also put my ankle in bindings under the boot."
"And what did she say about work and getting around?"
"Strict desk duty and no fieldwork at all until I'm completely healed. For mobility, she said I have to use a wheelchair and forearm crutches."
"Very good. I'll bring those things up for you within the hour." Doctor Larom became thoughtful. "You know, detective, I've been interacting with your squad since 1999, and out of all of them who have been through here for their own injuries, you are the most resilient one to date."
"Thanks, doc."
"Things could have been a lot worse—you should count your blessings, especially considering the baby."
Sophia felt her heart turn over in surprise, but she knew the surprise she was feeling was nothing compared to what Amanda was feeling at that moment.
"I-I beg your pardon?" Amanda stuttered. "I'm pregnant?"
Doctor Larom nodded. "Yes, and I thought you knew—I'm sorry for dropping this on you."
Already doing math to figure out how far along she was, Amanda nodded vaguely, so the the doctor spoke again.
"According to the blood work my nurse did, you're six weeks along. Is the father in the picture?"
"Yes, but we're not exactly together." Amanda spoke, but the words felt foreign on her tongue, heavy and thick. "Is the baby okay? I wiped out pretty hard."
Doctor Larom nodded again. "From what I understand, you were in and out of it on the ambulance ride over, but you also underwent an ultrasound because one of the paramedics had a hunch."
"But is the baby healthy?"
"Yes."
Amanda leaned back on her pillows and rubbed at her eyes with one hand, trying not to cry. Wanting contact, she held her free hand out to Sophia, who took her hand.
"What are you thinking, Amanda?"
"That I have a baby already, and she isn't even one yet."
"Do you want this new one?"
"Of course, because I want my daughter to have a playmate."
"Do you want to see the new one right now?"
Amanda shook her head. "Not yet. It's still a lot to process."
"I understand. I really do." Sophia patted Amanda's hand. "Anything else you need right now?"
"Jesse is on her way here here because my aunt is watching her, and I asked her to come stop by. Will you still stay?"
Sophia nodded. "Of course. I can't wait to meet them."
"They're going to love you."
Amanda turned her attention back to the doctor.
"Is there anything else you need to tell me?"
Doctor Larom shook her head. "No. Do you know how close your aunt and your daughter are to the hospital?"
"They should almost be here, actually."
"Then I'll go keep an eye out," the doctor decided. "And send them here when they arrive."
"Thank you."
The doctor gave a bob of her head and showed herself out, closing the door behind her.
When she was gone, Sophia said, "Is Dominick the father?"
"Yes, and he's my best friend." Amanda said honestly. "I'm not with Jesse's father, and he knows about her, but he was out of the country when she was born."
"Have they ever met?"
Amanda shook her head. "He hasn't even tried to see her. Dominick, on the other hand, has been looking after Jesse and I since I was about seven months pregnant. I adore him for it, especially because Jesse and I both almost died when I was in labor."
"But…?"
Amanda tapped her middle. "I don't know how he'll feel about this."
"At least he's a stand-up guy, anyway. Gunner walked away from us when I was barely even at the seven week mark." Sophia patted Amanda's hand again. "I think you're going to be fine, and that you and your kids are going to be happy."
Amanda offered her a smile, even though it was feeble. "Thank you, Sophia. I bet you weren't expecting anything like this when you woke up this morning, huh?"
"Definitely not, but I've already learned that when you roll with SVU in any way, you learn to expect the unexpected."
"Ain't that the truth?"
"I already had business here, anyway."
"What—"
Amanda began to ask what else it was that Sophia had to do, but she was interrupted by the arrival of her aunt, for whom she was named. The older Amanda was dressed for the autumn weather outside, but she was also dressed in a distinct bohemian style that Sophia found herself liking. Another thing she noticed was that the newcomer had a prominent streak of navy blue hair on the right side of her head, starting at her forehead and going all the way back. It was also clear that the younger Amanda had gotten her looks from this one because it was almost like looking identical twins, with the exception of one being slightly more aged than the other. Sophia was intrigued immediately.
The newcomer was pushing a stroller in front of her, and at once, Sophia saw a baby girl sitting up in her seat. She was dressed for the weather outside, but she had her little hands on the handlebars of the stroller for balance as she looked around at everything in the room, eyes wide with excitement. When she spotted Amanda on the bed, she immediately began babbling and clapping excitedly as she reached for her. This was Jesse.
The older Amanda greeted her niece as she entered the room, parked the stroller by the hallway window, and extracted Jesse, settling her on her hip.
Noticing Sophia, she approached her and held out a hand, saying, "You must be Sophia Benson."
"Yes," the brunette confirmed as she returned the handshake. "But how did you know?"
The older woman winked. "You came up in conversation last night. Amanda described your arrival as 'falling from the sky,' but she's always gotten her best colorful descriptors and euphemisms from me, her namesake."
Sophia started. "Wait—you're both called Amanda?"
"Uh-huh. Pipsqueak was born when I was five, and her mother and I were so close at the time that she named her firstborn after me. Amanda's mother, Beth Anne, is my older sister, but since our family name is Blue, like the color, I took to calling myself that. Thirty-five years later, the name is just stuck now. Even my husband calls me Blue."
"But I bet the name helped when Amanda was little, huh? So she could tell the difference?"
"It especially came in handy when Beth Anne started raising me alongside her babies. That, however, is another story for another day."
She turned to Jesse, who had been waiting patiently in her arms, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Thank you for waiting, baby girl. Let's go give you to mama now."
Jesse giggled, and Sophia watched as Blue set her on the bed.
"Hi, baby bird." Amanda greeted her daughter. "You been having a fun day with Auntie Blue?"
Jesse beamed at her mother and then crawled forward and proceeded to lean on her, arranging herself so that she was in a very comfortable reclining position. After that, she sucked on a thumb and closed her eyes, content and at peace with the world.
Amanda felt like her heart was going to explode with love and affection for her daughter, and as she pulled her daughter close in a hug, Jesse moved so that she had one ear against her mother's heart. Already asleep, Jesse had sought out her mother's heartbeat. In that moment, Amanda realized that she could also accept the baby that was growing inside her, too. Suddenly, she wasn't as anxious or worried anymore.
She gave Jesse a kiss on the top of her head and looked to the lone brunette in the room.
"Sophia?"
"Hm?"
"This is my girl, Jesse Olivia."
Sophia lit up. "Did you her for my mom?"
Amanda nodded. "I did, because she's been a better mom to me than my own has ever been, and because she's always had my back, being my friend when I need one or else my good conscience to steer me away when I do something stupid. I want my own daughter to be strong, just like your mom is. Olivia is even Jesse's godmother, and I'm Noah's."
"Then I'd say all of that makes us bonded for life, then. I've always wanted a big sister."
Amanda just grinned and turned back to Jesse, showering her with affection. Blue fussed over both of them.
Sophia watched them, and suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to both go hug Melissa, but also see Casey.
Puzzled by her feelings, Sophia didn't pay too much attention as she heard Amanda explaining her injuries to Blue. She did, however, jump when Blue raised her voice in surprise.
"You're pregnant?"
Amanda nodded and sighed. "It's complicated, and I'm going to talk to the father later."
"So it isn't Declan's?"
"No, and he lost his chance." Amanda nodded in Sophia's direction. "But Sophia's been here since just after I called you, and she's keeping me company until someone from the squad comes to get me. Sophia understands my situation firsthand."
Blue looked at Sophia with renewed interest. "You do?"
"Mhm—I have a three-year-old named Melissa, and she's getting a brother or sister in April. I'm divorced from their father and not on good terms with him, but I understand raising even one by yourself, like how Amanda's done with Jesse."
Blue looked from Sophia to Jesse and spoke in a motherly fashion.
"Are you two going to keep an eye on each other?"
"Yes." Amanda nodded.
"Absolutely," agreed Sophia. "And like I said, Amanda and I are bonded for life now."
Blue nodded approvingly and turned to her niece.
"Pipsqueak, I know Bethie turned on you and that Kim is of two minds about you and your squad, but I'm on your side and so are Zoltan, Jubilee, and Phoenix. Even Riversong will be happy just to meet you—she's been talking nonstop since we left Georgia last week about meeting her Aunt Amanda."
"Really?"
Blue nodded and gave Amanda's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Really. You've still got me, your uncle, and three cousins who love you and your kids unconditionally. Speaking of family, I expect to meet the rest of your squad family before long, besides Sophia."
Hearing her name in reference to being part of Amanda's 'squad family,' Sophia perked up and started to say something, but she was interrupted by her phone lighting up, showing that she had a text from Olivia.
Carisi is on his way to sit with Amanda & sit with her. Tell her?
Will do, Sophia sent back.
You alright?
Just thinking about where to take Casey on a date & when :D catch you later
Sophia pocketed her phone and looked over at the bed.
She hadn't even known Amanda for a week yet, and she's still seen her go through an extreme range of emotions already. Right now, seeing her happy with her baby girl in her arms and chatting with her aunt who adored her made Sophia relieved for her friend.
She'd wait to tell Amanda that Carisi was on his way.
But she'd only wait for a minute or two.
