(Disclaimer in part one.)
The Very Thought Of You 3
8:45 A. M.
Special Victims Unit
Captain Cragen's Office
"It can't be Richard White he's in jail doing 35 to life. He's only served 5 of those years there is now way they would let him out." Elliot reasoned. Olivia just sat quietly next to him. Fin entered the office and closed the door behind him. "We got a positive match on the DNA." Cragen hung up the phone and shook his head. "He escaped." "What! How?" "He was supposedly having heart problems and was transferred from Elmira to Bellview. He was one of several patients in one room. He switched charts and id bracelets with some nobody and at the shift change just got up and walked out." "When was this?"Elliot asked unbelieving. "Yesterday around 3pm." "What!?" "They think he left sometime after the 7am shirt started yesterday, but it wasn't until 3 or so that they figured out who actually escaped." "So from 3 o'clock yesterday they knew he was out there and they didn't think to call us and warn us!" " No." Cragen said solemnly. "No of course not they were to busy covering their asses!" Munch interjected. Elliot was in a rage now. He stood up and started pacing angrily. "One fucking phone call from them would've prevented this. I never would have let her walk home! Hell, I wouldn't have left her alone at all! White would've never had a chance to put his filthy hands on her!" He wanted to hit something and settled for kicking the door instead. The glass cracked with the impact. Cragen was about to yell at him to calm down. When he suddenly noticed that Olivia was by his side. She put a hand on his back gently. Instantly the anger drained from him. "I'm sorry." He whispered. Cragen noticed red streaks of blood across the back of Olivia's shirt. He came around his desk. "Olivia, your bleeding." He said with concern. Elliot looked at her back and felt a pang of guilt. He wondered if he had done that when he had hugged he so tightly earlier. Olivia spoke quietly. "It's nothing, just some cuts from when he dragged me down the alley. The pavement was rough. It's alright." No, it's not." Elliot and Cragen said in unison. Cragen pointed to the bathroom that was connected to his office. "There's a first aid kit in there." He realized that she would need help and was about to suggest maybe calling a paramedic for her, but Elliot was already guiding her into the bathroom himself. He wondered for a moment if having Elliot do this was such a good idea, but he realized that Elliot was probably the only person she would let touch her. "Have you gotten any rest." Cragen asked gently. She shook her head no. "After Elliot fixes you up I want you to go up to the crib and get some sleep. Both of you." Fixing his gaze on Elliot, who nodded. He had no plans to leave her side anyway. Munch handed Olivia a clean sweatshirt and Elliot shut the door behind them.
He found the first aid kit and a couple of hand towels. He opened the kit and took out the scissors and proceeded to cut one of the towels in half. Then he put the drain plug in the sink and filles it with cold water. Olivia was once again trying to work the buttons on her shirt with her obviously sore hands. He saw her struggling and made a cutting motion with the scissors. Indicating that it wasn't worth the trouble. He cut the back of her shirt up the middle and peeled it gently away from her skin. He had seen the damage to her back when he first laid eyes on her in the hospitals, but not this close up. He couldn't help remembering the few times he had seen her in a backless dress. How amazing she looked. Even Cragen, who thought of her as a daughter, seemed to appreciate the view. He wetted one of the cloths and placed it against her bare back. She flinched and inhaled sharply from the cold as much as the pain. She swayed a little, unsteady on her feet. Her shirt was still buttoned in the front and her arms still in the sleeves. He placed a steadying hand on her shoulder which was bare since the material had fallen away. She trembled a bit at his touch, but otherwise didn't make a sound. He tried to think of something else other than what he was doing. He thought of the time when she had gone to the opera, by herself of course. She had come back to the unit because she had forgotten the ticket in her desk. She had been wearing the most beautiful dress he had ever seen. It was emerald green with spaghetti straps. It clung in all the right places, knee length with a slit coming up about mid thigh. She had been wearing a shall, but you could still see that the back of the dress didn't even start until her waist. Munch had been the first to notice her. He had actually fallen out of his chair at the sight of her. She of course looked at him like he was nuts. Fin had whistled admiringly. Cragen and I just stood there like a couple of idiots. He had managed to say was WOW. And I was still dumbfounded. She rolled her eyes and said. "You guys act like you've never seen me in a dress before." She grabbed her ticket and left. I had lost my chance to tell her how beautiful she looked. Now I wondered if she would ever dress up like that again. If the marks White had left on her ..... He was done. In another situation the sight before him would be funny. She looked like a half wrapped mummy. Guess I over did it. He thought to himself.
He picked up the sweatshirt that Munch had given her. He turned her around to face him and slipped the garment over her head. She barley acknowledged his presents. He adjusted it around her to give as much coverage as possible when he took the other shirt off of her. She moved automatically to put her arms through the sleeves. She blinked slowly like she was trying to come out of a fog. He thought for a moment that she might faint and he brought a wet cloth to her face. He eyes closed and he changed the bandage on her face. The mark beneath it didn't look as though it would become a scar. He hated the thought of a scar on her beautiful face. She looked as though she was asleep standing up and he voiced his concerns. "Olivia, I think you should go back to the hospital." She was already shaking her head no. "Tiered" was all she managed to say. She leaned into him and rested her head on his chest. Putting his arms around he held her gently. She suddenly went limp in his arms. Had he not been holding her she would have hit the floor. "Olivia." He shouted. Cragen burst into the room at the sound of Elliot's voice. "What happened?" "I think she needs to go back to the hospital." Olivia tried blinking but couldn't focus. "NO. Tiered. I'm ok." she mumbled. "Take her up to the crib. We'll get someone to come and check her out." Elliot wasn't totally convinced. "She's alright. Just exhausted." Cragen tried to reassure him. Olivia attempted to walk, but was failing. Elliot picked her up and carried her upstairs. Everyone in the bullpen had stopped to watch them. Many people in the unit were envious of their relationship himself included. And as he looked around he saw someone in particular that was more jealous than envious. Elliot's wife, Kathy Stabler had just witnessed her husband's gallantry and she did not look as impressed as everyone else. In fact she looked very pissed.
