HAVEN, chapter 6
**Please review! Thanks!**
Elliot ran to the playground. A teacher was already there and was yelling names. "Ben Cooper! Peter! Get out of the way!" The woman shouted. "Dickie Stabler!" Elliot boomed. Everyone quieted and separated, some kids just backing away, eager for another confrontation, some completely fleeing. Sure enough, on the bottom of the two-kid brawl was a head full of brown hair.
In the principal's office, it was Elliot, Dickie, and then a tall, blonde- haired boy named Steven West, who had to be at least two years older than Dickie and his father. Although both were holding ice packs to their faces, it was clearly Dickie who had "lost" the fight.
"Steven, this is your third fight this semester. I'm afraid I'm going to have to suspend you," the principal remarked. After little groaning from he and his father, Steven gave up and trudged out of the office, all the while his dad yelling at him.
"Now, Dickie, this is the first time I've ever had trouble with you. So, I will not suspend you or anything. But you will be on cafeteria duty next week-meaning you have ten minutes to eat, and the other twenty-five minutes will be spent meeting the needs of Miss Rose, whatever that may be."
"I'm terribly sorry about this. Is it still possible for me to visit his class?" Elliot asked. "Of course. Dickie, you stay out of trouble, or the punishment will be far more severe next time."
Back in the classroom, Dickie walked to his seat. He exchanged a small smile with a tiny girl in the front. She was barely 4'5 and weight maybe forty pounds. Elliot and Olivia stood in the front.
Elliot thought of what to say. Two years ago, it was easier. The situation wasn't, but he could say 'bad people' without them giving him weird looks. He decided to be as outright as possible. He whispered this to Olivia.
"Okay, guys, some of you may remember me. I'm Detective Elliot Stabler, and this is my partner, Detective Olivia Benson. We work with the NYPD, but we do a specific kind of work within it. We're part of the special victims unit."
A girl immediately raised her hand. "Sarah?" the teacher, Mrs. Parker, called on her. "What do you do that's so different? Do you work with murders?" She asked.
Olivia took this one. "Yes, we work with murders. But the main part of our job is abuse and sexual crimes. Anyone want to take a guess on what that is?" A boy raised his hand. "Like, rape and crap," he answered. "Right. We work with people who may have been assaulted. We also work on solving cases of child abuse. A lot of our job is gathering evidence to convict a person. Today, we're going to tell you what to do if you know of someone who may be being hurt by someone. This isn't meant to scare you, but you need to know, right?" Elliot asked. The class nodded.
"Unfortunately, a lot of kids are hurt by their parents a lot. They may be touched wrong, in the wrong places. That's called sexual abuse, or child molestation. This is wrong, no matter what anyone tells you. You don't let anyone touch you in places you do not want to touch. The child may be being hit. This is called physical abuse. Physical abuse includes any kind of harsh punishment-biting, punching, slapping repeatedly, kicking, and etcetera. This is also terribly wrong. Another kind of abuse is emotional, or verbal, abuse. This may not sound as bad, but it can do as much damage to a child as if a parent was hitting or molesting them. If a kid is verbally abused, the guardian or whoever verbally attacks the child. Calls them names, puts them down, neglects them, etc. Any questions so far?"
"How is yelling at a kid a crime?" a boy that Elliot recognized as Mark Thomas asked. Mark had been Dickie's friend since they were three. "Not necessarily yelling. Every parent yells. But yelling all the time, or calling a name. Like if a parent calls you a bad word, or calls you stupid." Mark nodded in understanding.
Elliot talked a bit more and then Olivia went into her part.
"What I'm going to tell you sounds easier than it is. If you know someone that may be being abused, tell someone. Tell your teacher; tell a school counselor. You can give Dickie your number to talk to us, if you want to. If you see a mommy or daddy hitting their child, tell someone. If you see a classmate or friend that has a lot of bruises, tell someone. If your friend tells you someone is touching them, please tell someone. You may think that that's very easy, but if you were ever placed in that situation, it's a bit harder. Just use your best judgment, okay?"
The class nodded. The tiny girl still fiddled with her pencil, clearly uncomfortable. "Guys, can you think Detective Stabler and Detective Benson?" A chorus of thank-you, Detective Stabler and Benson soon erupted, as well as a voice Elliot again recognized that chirped "bye, dad, bye Olivia!"
Elliot and Olivia walked by to their car. They were both thinking about the one little girl when Olivia's phone rang.
"Oh, no," she said. "What?" Olivia asked.
"Kristyn's in labor; and the ten-year-old boy is missing."
**Please review! Thanks!**
Elliot ran to the playground. A teacher was already there and was yelling names. "Ben Cooper! Peter! Get out of the way!" The woman shouted. "Dickie Stabler!" Elliot boomed. Everyone quieted and separated, some kids just backing away, eager for another confrontation, some completely fleeing. Sure enough, on the bottom of the two-kid brawl was a head full of brown hair.
In the principal's office, it was Elliot, Dickie, and then a tall, blonde- haired boy named Steven West, who had to be at least two years older than Dickie and his father. Although both were holding ice packs to their faces, it was clearly Dickie who had "lost" the fight.
"Steven, this is your third fight this semester. I'm afraid I'm going to have to suspend you," the principal remarked. After little groaning from he and his father, Steven gave up and trudged out of the office, all the while his dad yelling at him.
"Now, Dickie, this is the first time I've ever had trouble with you. So, I will not suspend you or anything. But you will be on cafeteria duty next week-meaning you have ten minutes to eat, and the other twenty-five minutes will be spent meeting the needs of Miss Rose, whatever that may be."
"I'm terribly sorry about this. Is it still possible for me to visit his class?" Elliot asked. "Of course. Dickie, you stay out of trouble, or the punishment will be far more severe next time."
Back in the classroom, Dickie walked to his seat. He exchanged a small smile with a tiny girl in the front. She was barely 4'5 and weight maybe forty pounds. Elliot and Olivia stood in the front.
Elliot thought of what to say. Two years ago, it was easier. The situation wasn't, but he could say 'bad people' without them giving him weird looks. He decided to be as outright as possible. He whispered this to Olivia.
"Okay, guys, some of you may remember me. I'm Detective Elliot Stabler, and this is my partner, Detective Olivia Benson. We work with the NYPD, but we do a specific kind of work within it. We're part of the special victims unit."
A girl immediately raised her hand. "Sarah?" the teacher, Mrs. Parker, called on her. "What do you do that's so different? Do you work with murders?" She asked.
Olivia took this one. "Yes, we work with murders. But the main part of our job is abuse and sexual crimes. Anyone want to take a guess on what that is?" A boy raised his hand. "Like, rape and crap," he answered. "Right. We work with people who may have been assaulted. We also work on solving cases of child abuse. A lot of our job is gathering evidence to convict a person. Today, we're going to tell you what to do if you know of someone who may be being hurt by someone. This isn't meant to scare you, but you need to know, right?" Elliot asked. The class nodded.
"Unfortunately, a lot of kids are hurt by their parents a lot. They may be touched wrong, in the wrong places. That's called sexual abuse, or child molestation. This is wrong, no matter what anyone tells you. You don't let anyone touch you in places you do not want to touch. The child may be being hit. This is called physical abuse. Physical abuse includes any kind of harsh punishment-biting, punching, slapping repeatedly, kicking, and etcetera. This is also terribly wrong. Another kind of abuse is emotional, or verbal, abuse. This may not sound as bad, but it can do as much damage to a child as if a parent was hitting or molesting them. If a kid is verbally abused, the guardian or whoever verbally attacks the child. Calls them names, puts them down, neglects them, etc. Any questions so far?"
"How is yelling at a kid a crime?" a boy that Elliot recognized as Mark Thomas asked. Mark had been Dickie's friend since they were three. "Not necessarily yelling. Every parent yells. But yelling all the time, or calling a name. Like if a parent calls you a bad word, or calls you stupid." Mark nodded in understanding.
Elliot talked a bit more and then Olivia went into her part.
"What I'm going to tell you sounds easier than it is. If you know someone that may be being abused, tell someone. Tell your teacher; tell a school counselor. You can give Dickie your number to talk to us, if you want to. If you see a mommy or daddy hitting their child, tell someone. If you see a classmate or friend that has a lot of bruises, tell someone. If your friend tells you someone is touching them, please tell someone. You may think that that's very easy, but if you were ever placed in that situation, it's a bit harder. Just use your best judgment, okay?"
The class nodded. The tiny girl still fiddled with her pencil, clearly uncomfortable. "Guys, can you think Detective Stabler and Detective Benson?" A chorus of thank-you, Detective Stabler and Benson soon erupted, as well as a voice Elliot again recognized that chirped "bye, dad, bye Olivia!"
Elliot and Olivia walked by to their car. They were both thinking about the one little girl when Olivia's phone rang.
"Oh, no," she said. "What?" Olivia asked.
"Kristyn's in labor; and the ten-year-old boy is missing."
