He reached into his pocket for his phone to call for emergency services, then realized that his phone was lying in the parking lot. So he used the phone behind the counter, pulling it down so he could crouch next to Olivia while he used it.
"I'm sorry, Liv," he whispered to her, "I am so sorry."
**********
Dr. Charter found Elliot pacing in the hospital waiting room.
"Detective Stabler?" Elliot was standing in front of the doctor before he finished saying it. All the possibilities for Olivia flashed through his mind, the main one being that she might be in a coma.
"What happened? Is Olivia all right?" The doctor's face was inscrutible, but he nodded.
"Detective Benson suffered multiple concussions. It looks like she was hit with something from behind, then fell forward and hit her forehead on a countertop or another edge. She'll be all right."
"Can I talk to her?" Elliot asked.
"She's still unconcious right now and I don't want to wake her up before I finish my tests. Her scans will be back within the hour. She was very lucky. If the angle on the first blow had changed slightly, it would've killed her then and there."
"Can I sit with her?" Elliot asked, wondering where she was in these white, sterile halls.
"I think that would be fine," Dr. Charter smiled. "Two-ten. Just down the hall on your left."
**********
Olivia's eyelids flutterred and she cringed as an intense white light filled her vision. She blinked the light back until she could make out the surroundings. She tried to move her head slightly but the pain was so incredible that she nearly cried out. After a time, she managed to move her head and she saw Elliot, who had fallen asleep in his chair, his head leaning on her hospital bed. She took her hand and rested it on the back of his neck, smiling down at him. It woke him up and he raised his head.
"Hey," he whispered, as if speaking loudly would shatter her. "How are you feeling?" She grimaced.
"I feel like I just got my ass kicked. What happened? I can't move my head." She could see a frown forming on his face.
"You don't remember anything?" Elliot asked, stalling.
"Just getting out of the car at the gas station. That's it."
"You don't remember finding the body?"
"Body?"
"The gas station had been held up. You found the cashier dead. Someone hit you, probably the same guy, and when you fell, you hit your head again," Elliot said, "When I found you, I thought you were dead." Emotion broke into his voice. "I'm so sorry, Liv."
"It's not your fault," Olivia said. "Did you get through to Kathy?" Elliot looked at her, surprised. She had almost died, and now she was concerned about him. He shook his head.
"No. But it's okay." She raised her eyebrows and he smiled. "Don't worry about me." He stood up to kiss her but when he pulled back, he saw her wince in pain. "I'll go get someone."
He returned with a nurse.
"Doctor Charter will be here when he's done his rounds," she explained, "How are you feeling?" She asked Olivia. Olivia repeated what she had told Elliot. "All right," the nurse replied, going to a cabinet and filling a syringe. She returned to inject it into Olivia's IV tube near the wrist. "The pain should get better soon, but you might feel a bit drowsy," the nurse said.
"Thank you," Olivia answered. "When can I go home?"
"You'll have to ask Dr. Charter, but he'll probably want to keep you for another day," the nurse finished as she headed back out into the hall.
"That bad, huh?" Olivia asked Elliot.
"You're going to be fine," Elliot reassured.
"Do I look awful? Tell me the truth."
"You've got a pair of black eyes and a large green bruise on your forehead. You've probably got another one on the back of your head, too." Seeing the look on her face, he added, "You look terrific."
She stifled a yawn after a while.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Eighteen hours, thirteen minutes," Elliot replied. She was obviously getting tired from the painkillers, but he was just tired from anxiousness and staying up. He rubbed his eyes. Olivia yawned again.
"I'm getting really sleepy," she murmured, eyelids closing slowly.
"That's okay. Go to sleep," he said.
**********
Two days later, Olivia was released from the hospital and Elliot took her home.
She took her key out of her pocket, but it took her three tries before she got it in the lock.
"Need any help?" Elliot offered.
"I'm all right. Just a little dizzy." She had been having problems since the attack, but she had lied to Dr. Charter, faking away what she could - the stars behind her eyes, the ringing in her ears, so she could go home.
She turned on a couple of lights and Elliot followed with his bags.
"You can just put your bags in my room. Unless you'd rather..."
"No, I'm okay," he said, following directions. When he returned, Olivia was sitting at the table, squinting at a list from Dr. Charter of symptoms of post-concussional syndrome. She set it down, a look of frustration on her face.
"Could you read this to me? I'm having trouble seeing," she admitted.
Elliot sat across from her and took the paper.
"Well, I think you know about most of these."
"Read them anyway."
"All right. Persistent headaches, nausea, vomiting, loss of coordination, momentary loss of vision or hearing."
"Sounds like me, all right," she interjected.
"Loss of emotional control. Extreme apathy, irritability, anger, or depression."
"Lots to look forward to."
"Hmm. Sarcasm's not on here," Elliot said with a smile. Olivia bopped him on the arm. He continued, "Loss of sex drive. Increased sex drive."
"That doesn't make sense," she interrupted.
"I think it's one or the other, Liv."
"Oh. Well for your sake, let's hope it's not the first one," she grinned, "Is that it?"
"Fatigue and loss of appetite," he finished.
"Yeah, about that fatigue item," she said, "Is it too late to take a little nap?"
"I have to go to the precinct and pick up something. Will you be okay?"
"Sure."
**********
"How's she doing?" The question came from Cragen, who stood in the doorway of his office as Elliot came out of the incident room. Elliot felt a flash of guilt, hoping the Captain wouldn't ask about the files he was holding.
"Not too bad. The doctor says she can be back to work by next week if she keeps improving."
"Well, tell her I'm thinking about her."
"Sure. Thanks, Captain."
"Elliot," called Munch from his desk. He was leaning back in his chair casually. "The two-two called. They got the guy who attacked Olivia. Do you think she can ID him?" Elliot walked over to him and stood, arms behind his back, phrasing his answer carefully.
"She never saw the guy."
"Is there something you didn't tell us before?" Fin asked. Elliot let out a breath and decided to come clean.
"She's having....memory lapses. Mostly about the incident." Fin nodded sympathetically. It was obviously freaking Elliot out.
"Well, he's getting a needle in his arm for the cashier here and another at a gas station he hit last month, and he's on the surveillance tape for both attacks, so he'll go down for this," Munch stated, dangling a pen between his fingers. Elliot nodded.
"What's going on with Greg Collins?"
"He got indicted today. We had him meet with Huang. Cabot says it looks good if none of the victims pull out," Munch informed Elliot.
"How many were there?"
"Three more boys and Jack's sister, Kathleen," Fin listed. Elliot mentally flinched at the coincidental mention of his daughter's name.
"So we've got him. Good. Can you keep me posted?" The two detectives nodded to him.
"Say hi to Olivia," Munch called after him.
**********
Elliot opened the door and walked into the apartment quietly, assuming Olivia would be asleep. He looked into her room, but she wasn't there. Then he heard the toilet flush.
"Liv?" He called. The bathroom door opened and she came out, wiping her mouth with a cloth, looking extremely pale. "Aww, Livvy," he said, pulling her weak body into a hug. She didn't even protest at the baby name. Instead she just stood limply, spent, leaning into his chest. He rubbed her back in steady circles until she pushed him off with a strangled noise.
"I'm going to throw up." She ran back down to the bathroom.
Elliot went into the kitchen and started boiling water for tea. She came and found him when she was finished and he handed her a mug. She took it into her bedroom and he followed. "Thanks," she said finally when she had climbed under the covers and he lay beside her on top of the blankets.
"It's gingko tea. Munch sent it It's supposed to be good for....you," he said. He had been about to say it was good for your memory, but he could tell this whole thing scared her more than it scared him, especially when she had blanks in her memory, or uncontrolled emotional outbursts. She seemed lost.
"Could you pass me a T-3?" Elliot picked the bottle of painkillers out from the row of medications on the bedside table. She downed the pill with a sip of tea and then moved to lie down. Elliot helped her with her pillows and sat with her until he was sure she was asleep, running a hand lightly over the bruise on her forehead.
**********