Prompt #35: Our Second Chance
Together At Last, Together Forever
~oOo~
Detective Elliot Stabler was eating dinner with his mom and son on a rare night off when his phone rang.
He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was his friend, Sergeant Odafin Tutuola.
"Fin? What's up?"
"Elliot. You need to get to Mercy Hospital right now."
Elliot's heart began to race at the tone of his friend's voice.
"Fin, what's wrong? Is it Liv?"
"Elliot, she was shot. She's in surgery. It…it doesn't look good," came the soft reply.
"I'm on my way," Elliot told Fin.
Then he hung up without saying goodbye.
"Liv's been hurt. I'm headed to the hospital. I'll call when I can," Elliot called to his family over his shoulder, as he grabbed his keys and ran out the door.
Meanwhile, Rollins, Carisi, and Fin were anxiously awaiting news from the doctor at the hospital.
Rollins was close to tears. "I can't believe this happened. Liv wasn't even supposed to be there. If McGrath hadn't insisted…"
"Manda, it wasn't his fault. The only one to blame is the bastard who shot her, and thanks to you, he won't ever hurt anyone again," Carisi cut in.
"That doesn't help Liv now, does it," Rollins snapped.
Carisi sighed. "No. No, it doesn't."
"Liv will be fine, Manda. She's as tough as they come," Fin tried to reassure Rollins.
"I hope so," murmured Rollins, uncertainly.
Then all three of them looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps.
Rollins huffed in annoyance. "What's he doing here?"
"I called him. He needs to be here," Fin explained calmly.
"Why?" demanded Rollins.
Fin met her fiery eyes. "He just does. Trust me. Anyway, Liv would want him here. You know that, Amanda."
Rollins shot Fin a frustrated look but said. Nothing else. He was right. Liv would want Stabler there. Rollins didn't have another argument.
Elliot rushed towards the group.
"Fin! What's going on? Have you heard anything yet?
Fin shook his head. "She's still in surgery. No word yet."
"What about Noah? Where is he? Is he ok?" was Elliot's next question.
"Um, Lucy, his nanny from the time he was a baby, has him. We told her what's going on but asked her not to bring Noah here until we know more about Liv's condition," Carisi answered.
Elliot nodded, but before he could respond, the doctor came in. "Family of Olivia Benson?"
Elliot stood along with Fin, Rollins, and Carisi.
The doctor looked skeptical. "You're all family?"
"Doc, other than her nine-year-old son, we're the family she's got," Fin informed the physician.
"Alright, well, we were able to remove the bullet from her abdomen. She coded on the table, but we got her back. However, she's in a coma. I'm sorry to tell you she may not make it."
"Don't say that, Doc! She's tough. She has so much to live for. She has a son, for god's sake!"
"I'm sorry I can't give you better news."
"Can…can we see her?" asked Rollins in a shaky voice.
"Yes. Only two at a time, though. She's in room 6313," the doctor told them.
Elliot's breath caught in his throat when he heard the room number. Was this a sign or a coincidence? Elliot had never really believed in coincidences. One thing he did know, though, was that when Olivia woke up, because she would wake up, he wasn't going to waste another moment. He was going to show her once and for all how loved she was. He wouldn't give up until Olivia, too, believed that they could have their forever.
Elliot came out of his reverie when he heard Fin say in a strained voice, "Thanks, Doc."
When Elliot looked up, Fin was noticeably fighting back tears, and Carisi was holding Rollins who was softly crying into his shoulder. He was trying unsuccessfully to hide his own tears. Elliot smacked the wall next to him, startling the others. Then he slowly sank into a nearby chair, burying his face in his hands.
A moment later, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
He slowly lifted his red eyes to meet Fin's.
"She's gonna make it, Man. If anyone can come out of this, it's Liv," the other man said softly.
"I know," Elliot rasped.
With a friendly squeeze of his friend's shoulder, Fin asked, "Do you want to go see her first?"
Elliot shook his head. "You or Rollins or Carisi should go. Once I get in there, I won't be able to leave until she wakes up."
Fin nodded and turned to Rollins and Carisi. "You two go in. I'm gonna go pick up Noah. I think I need to be the one to tell him what happened."
"Ok," was Carisi's soft reply.
Fin gave Elliot a rare hug which the detective returned, then he hugged Rollins and Carisi before walking out of the hospital.
Elliot stared after him for a moment, before turning to the other two.
"What actually did happen? How did Liv end up like this?"
Rollins sniffed and quickly wiped her eyes. "Um, we were going after a serial rapist. We're short-handed right now because Velasco is on vacation. McGrath's niece was one of the victims and he insisted that we needed to show them we meant business. Instead of borrowing a detective from another precinct, he said it would be better if our Captain herself showed up. When we got to the crime scene to bring the perp in, well, he wasn't going down without a fight. Liv tried to talk him down and we managed to get the victim out while he was distracted. Liv had managed to calm the perp down, or so we thought. He had kicked the gun over to her, so we thought he was disarmed. He had another piece hidden in his pocket. When Liv went to handcuff him, the bastard whipped out his other piece from his pants and fired before any of us could react. I shoulda seen it coming! Why didn't I see it coming? Why didn't I stop him?"
"Rollins, it wasn't your fault. Liv wouldn't want you to blame yourself," Elliot told the woman quietly.
"Stabler's right, Babe. And you got him. He's dead and he can't hurt anybody ever again," Carisi added, gently rubbing Rollins' back.
Elliot rose to his feet. "You guys go see Liv. I'm gonna call my family and update them."
"Thanks, Detective," Carisi replied.
The ADA led his girlfriend down the hall to the elevator.
On the way up to Olivia's room, he said, "You know, Stabler's a good guy and a good cop. It's pretty evident that he loves our captain more than anything."
Amanda sighed. "I'm beginning to see that. I'm just not sure I trust him yet. He broke her when he left, and she was a mess when he returned. And what about his reputation? Barba said he's a bully and that's what a lot of the brass has said too. IAB had investigated him multiple times."
Carisi looked Rollins in the eyes intently and told her, "When he and I went to meet that witness last week, we were shot at. The witness was killed, but Stabler shoved me out of the way. He risked his own life to save me. The bullet barely missed him. Honestly, the Brass didn't care about the success rate of SVU. IAB only cared about looking good themselves but bringing down another so-called 'dirty cop'. They didn't see his compassion and his loyalty. Liv worked closely with the man for 13 years. Fin worked with him for twelve. Barba only met him a couple of times and that was after the guy had just been through hell. I don't know about you but I trust Liv and Fin's judgment over the brass and IAB. I love and respect Liv and want her to be happy."
"I love and respect her more than just about anyone I know besides you, Sonny. Of course, I want her to be happy," Rollins assured him.
"Carisi smiled. "Well, I have seen her happier with Stabler lately than she's been in years. If we truly love Liv and trust her judgment, we should give the man she loves a chance."
"You're right. I'll do my best," Rollins agreed.
By this time, they were at Olivia's room.
Rollins was shocked when she saw how vulnerable Olivia looked in that hospital bed.
Carisi put his arm around his girlfriend as they slowly approached the bed.
With tears streaming down her face, Rollins spoke softly to her comatose friend. "Hey, Liv. You gotta wake up, ok? Noah needs you. My girls need their godmother…" Rollins was too choked up to continue so Carisi spoke up.
"Hey, Cap, we all need you. You are so important to so many people. So loved by so many people. Elliot's here. He was nice enough to let us come in first because, according to him, once he gets in here, he's refusing to leave your side till you wake up." Carisi chuckled a bit and continued. "You've got a good man, there, Liv. You deserve to be happy. Give yourself that chance when you wake up."
Rollins had recovered by this point and added, "We love you, Liv. Come back to us."
Then, hand in hand, the couple left the room so that Elliot could come in.
Elliot hadn't been sitting with Olivia for very long when Fin returned with Noah.
"Elliot?" said the boy timidly. Elliot looked up at him and wordlessly held out his arms. Noah slowly walked into them. Elliot pulled the boy onto his lap and they watched as Fin talked to Olivia.
"Liv, you better wake up soon, or I'll have to kick your ass. That is, if Stabler and Rollins and several others don't beat me to it. Anyway, you matter a whole lot to a whole lotta people. You have so much left to do on this earth. Don't leave us before your time. Love ya, Baby Girl."
Fin turned to Noah and Elliot and told them, "Hang in there. Have faith. She'll pull through."
With that, he quietly left the room.
Noah looked up at Elliot and asked shakily, "Elliot, will my mom be ok?"
Elliot tried to answer in a way that wasn't a lie. Finally, he answered, "Your mom's a fighter, Noah. She has a long road of recovery ahead, but I firmly believe that she'll make it. You can talk to her, you know. She can still hear you."
"Really?" questioned the boy.
Elliot nodded. Noah climbed off his lap and slowly approached his mom's bedside.
"Mom, I want you to know that I love you so much. When you wake up and come home, I'll help Elliot take care of you. You have to let him mom because he really loves you a lot. It's totally obvious. And it's also totally obvious you love him. You have to wake up so we can all be a family."
The young boy paused to wipe away tears. Elliot felt tears of his own, which had welled up when Noah had told Olivia that he wanted him to take care of her and that she should let him, spill over.
Noah laid his head on Olivia's shoulder and managed to choke out, "Don't die, Mom! Please don't leave me!" Then he resolved into sobs. Elliot let the little boy stay near his mother for a few moments before scooping him up and holding him tightly. Noah clung to the man just as tightly as he cried his little heart out.
An hour later, Rollins took Noah home with her, and Elliot was alone with the love of his life once more. It was his turn to plead with Olivia.
"Liv, you have to be ok! You have a lot of people counting on you. Noah needs you. Your squad needs you."
He paused before adding in barely a whisper, "I need you."
His voice grew stronger as he continued, "I lived without you for too long due to my own fear and stupidity. I don't want to lose you permanently. I love you more than life itself. Please give me the chance to prove it. Please come back to me. Please, Liv. Wake up."
Elliot bent down and placed a kiss on Olivia's forehead. Then he joined their hands and laid his head down on the blanket beside her. He must have drifted off because he was suddenly awakened by the most beautiful sound.
Olivia's voice was fragile but clear as she softly uttered, "E-El?"
"Liv? Thank God. Welcome back, sleeping beauty," Elliot responded.
Wh-where am I? What happened?"
"You're at the hospital. You were shot during a case."
"Noah?" Olivia inquired, feeling anxious.
"He's fine. He's with Rollins," Elliot was quick to assure her.
Olivia tried to respond but winced.
"Are you in pain? I'll call the doctor," Elliot said, immediately concerned.
Olivia held up a hand.
"Wait. First, did you really mean what you said earlier?"
"About loving you more than life? Every bit of it," Elliot replied earnestly.
Olivia smiled slightly. "And what Noah said? Is that true?"
"I want that more than anything. To take care of you and Noah. To be a family," Elliot admitted.
Olivia began to cry.
Before Elliot could ask what was wrong or apologize for causing her tears, Olivia managed to rasp out, "That's what I want too, El. I don't want to waste another moment being afraid. I almost died tonight. Our second chance could have been lost forever. I love you so much! I want Noah and I to be part of your family."
Elliot leaned down to gently kiss his partner for life and she returned the kiss.
They were unfortunately interrupted when the doctor barged in, and Elliot was asked to move so the medical staff could check Olivia out. As Elliot went to send updates to the others, he felt like he was walking on air. Something had happened that neither Elliot nor Olivia had ever thought possible. After almost twenty-five years, they were finally getting their second chance at love. Their second chance at forever.
Note: The author of this SVU: Fall in Love story will be revealed in November
