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Author's Note: Once again I've tried to fix up the paragraphs according
mostly to Justin's suggestions. Thanks for all the suggestions, keep them
coming, I hope you're all looking forward to chapter four as much as I am.
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Olivia stared through the window with her arms crossed and her face stripped of emotion. In the room that Detective Benson was staring into was the body of a young girl, lying in a hospital gown, her eyes closed and her breathe raspy. Olivia wanted to pull her eyes away, she had been standing there for while, she didn't know how long. She wanted to just leave, but she couldn't, she didn't think she would be able to just walk away from all this.
"Olivia!"
Olivia pulled away from the glass and turned slightly to see Casey running down the hall.
"Casey." Olivia forced the word out of her mouth, having all the difficulty doing it.
"Yeah I know." Casey breathed out, her voice coming out in gasps. She pressed her hands against the window. "How's she doing?"
"Good." Olivia said at once. "She's resting right now but she'll be fine...I mean..." Olivia's face made a pained expression. "After she recovers physically the scars won't be that noticeable."
Casey put her hand over her mouth to hold back a sob as she chocked out, "You know this was one of Jessie's worst fears...to be raped by a man...and now it's happened and I don't know what to do, I don't know what to tell her or how to..." Casey stopped talked as she couldn't hide her sobs anymore and she started to cry.
Olivia's heart went out to her like never before and she pulled Casey to her in a tight hug. Olivia closed her eyes as she felt hot tears on her shoulder.
After a little while Casey pulled back, wiping away the tears quickly and not meeting Olivia's eyes. "I'm sorry," Casey started to say, embarrassed.
Olivia reached forward and took Casey's hand in her own and squeezed tightly. "Don't be sorry, don't ever be sorry for tears."
Olivia's voice was so strong with emotions and so genuinely honest and caring that Casey looked up at her with surprised eyes.
Olivia felt her checks getting red as Casey looked at her, that look that she and Jessie both had. The look that made it seem like you were naked and anyone could look right into your soul. Olivia looked away quickly and back at Jessie's form. "You know what really makes me sick..." Olivia said tensely, changing the subject so she wouldn't have to think about the look that Casey had given her and how it made her feel. "Bad enough he raped her, ripped her up but he didn't stop there. He cut up her thighs too...like he couldn't stop.
Casey took a small sharp intake of breath, which made Olivia look at her. "The cuts, were they...long...thin at the top and then thicker in the middle and then thin again? Kind of like a razor blade?"
"Yes why?"
"Huh!" Casey breathed out hard and shook her head, looking back to her niece.
"Casey what is it?"
"Damnit!" Casey suddenly exploded and pounded her fist against the window. "Damnit Jessie Bear." Casey said again, softer now. Casey turned to see the detective looking at her with wide questioning eyes. "The perp didn't do those...they were self inflicted."
"Oh..." That was all Olivia could say.
"Jessie's been cutting since she was ten years old."
"That's a long time." Olivia wondered at that moment why anyone would want to do that.
"She stopped doing it so much about two years ago, after she came here and finished up high school. Things got better. She came to me and we talked instead of her cutting. But she does it ya know?" Casey shook her head sadly, "When life gets to hard or she can't handle it, she can't-"Casey paused, biting the inside of her check hard, trying to think of the right words. Casey turned and looked at Olivia, fresh tears were in her eyes, "She said it was like an old friend who would always be there."
Olivia wanted to comfort her, she wanted to pull her into another hug, she wanted to hold her, she wanted to kiss her? But before Olivia could do anything or even think about the new thoughts that had come to her, Casey went into the room. Olivia watched through the glass as Casey sat down in the chair next to Jessie and took her hand.
"Hey." A voice said behind Benson and she jumped. "Sorry." Elliot said, handing her a cup of coffee, "Didn't mean to startle you."
"No it's fine. Thanks." Olivia took the drink.
"Okay tell me we got something." Elliot said.
Right, get back to the case. Olivia had to take her mind off of Casey, off of Jessie and her fucked up life, off of how she didn't deserve any of the shit that had been force-feed to her. Mind back on the case. "Right we had blood on the door but that turned out to be Jessie's."
"Where was the roommate during all of this?"
Olivia could feel her throat closing up, "She was out getting pizza." It sounded so pathetic almost. "She couldn't find her house keys so she left the door unlocked, so we have no forced entry."
"Damn." Elliot muttered, then almost as an after thought, "Under her nails or anything?"
"No clean just like Robyn. I'm thinking it's the same guy."
"But he left Jessie alive."
Olivia felt a smile coming to the corner of her lips. "No he didn't get a chance. She was able to grab her dumbbell her hit him on the head with it. He must have gotten scared or too dizzy and stumbled out."
"Blood on the dumbbell?"
"Lab's working on it right now." Olivia felt herself smiling, "If we got his blood we have a good chance of getting this guy."
"If he's in the system." Elliot pointed out, Olivia's hopeful grin faded a little.
"We should check hospitals for head injuries as well." Olivia turned back to the glass, "I can't let this guy get away Elliot." Olivia's voice was so quiet she wasn't sure she had spoken out loud.
Elliot watched his partner's face and then looked in on Casey and her niece. He could tell how close and emotionally involved in this case his partner was getting. "Remember how I told you once, 'we don't get to pick the vic'?"
"Yeah."
"Well maybe the vics get to pick us..."
Olivia turned to look at him, wanting him to say more, to explain. But she knew he didn't have to.
Elliot didn't say anything else and turned and strolled away.
After a moment Olivia forced herself to walk away and follow her partner.
Olivia stared through the window with her arms crossed and her face stripped of emotion. In the room that Detective Benson was staring into was the body of a young girl, lying in a hospital gown, her eyes closed and her breathe raspy. Olivia wanted to pull her eyes away, she had been standing there for while, she didn't know how long. She wanted to just leave, but she couldn't, she didn't think she would be able to just walk away from all this.
"Olivia!"
Olivia pulled away from the glass and turned slightly to see Casey running down the hall.
"Casey." Olivia forced the word out of her mouth, having all the difficulty doing it.
"Yeah I know." Casey breathed out, her voice coming out in gasps. She pressed her hands against the window. "How's she doing?"
"Good." Olivia said at once. "She's resting right now but she'll be fine...I mean..." Olivia's face made a pained expression. "After she recovers physically the scars won't be that noticeable."
Casey put her hand over her mouth to hold back a sob as she chocked out, "You know this was one of Jessie's worst fears...to be raped by a man...and now it's happened and I don't know what to do, I don't know what to tell her or how to..." Casey stopped talked as she couldn't hide her sobs anymore and she started to cry.
Olivia's heart went out to her like never before and she pulled Casey to her in a tight hug. Olivia closed her eyes as she felt hot tears on her shoulder.
After a little while Casey pulled back, wiping away the tears quickly and not meeting Olivia's eyes. "I'm sorry," Casey started to say, embarrassed.
Olivia reached forward and took Casey's hand in her own and squeezed tightly. "Don't be sorry, don't ever be sorry for tears."
Olivia's voice was so strong with emotions and so genuinely honest and caring that Casey looked up at her with surprised eyes.
Olivia felt her checks getting red as Casey looked at her, that look that she and Jessie both had. The look that made it seem like you were naked and anyone could look right into your soul. Olivia looked away quickly and back at Jessie's form. "You know what really makes me sick..." Olivia said tensely, changing the subject so she wouldn't have to think about the look that Casey had given her and how it made her feel. "Bad enough he raped her, ripped her up but he didn't stop there. He cut up her thighs too...like he couldn't stop.
Casey took a small sharp intake of breath, which made Olivia look at her. "The cuts, were they...long...thin at the top and then thicker in the middle and then thin again? Kind of like a razor blade?"
"Yes why?"
"Huh!" Casey breathed out hard and shook her head, looking back to her niece.
"Casey what is it?"
"Damnit!" Casey suddenly exploded and pounded her fist against the window. "Damnit Jessie Bear." Casey said again, softer now. Casey turned to see the detective looking at her with wide questioning eyes. "The perp didn't do those...they were self inflicted."
"Oh..." That was all Olivia could say.
"Jessie's been cutting since she was ten years old."
"That's a long time." Olivia wondered at that moment why anyone would want to do that.
"She stopped doing it so much about two years ago, after she came here and finished up high school. Things got better. She came to me and we talked instead of her cutting. But she does it ya know?" Casey shook her head sadly, "When life gets to hard or she can't handle it, she can't-"Casey paused, biting the inside of her check hard, trying to think of the right words. Casey turned and looked at Olivia, fresh tears were in her eyes, "She said it was like an old friend who would always be there."
Olivia wanted to comfort her, she wanted to pull her into another hug, she wanted to hold her, she wanted to kiss her? But before Olivia could do anything or even think about the new thoughts that had come to her, Casey went into the room. Olivia watched through the glass as Casey sat down in the chair next to Jessie and took her hand.
"Hey." A voice said behind Benson and she jumped. "Sorry." Elliot said, handing her a cup of coffee, "Didn't mean to startle you."
"No it's fine. Thanks." Olivia took the drink.
"Okay tell me we got something." Elliot said.
Right, get back to the case. Olivia had to take her mind off of Casey, off of Jessie and her fucked up life, off of how she didn't deserve any of the shit that had been force-feed to her. Mind back on the case. "Right we had blood on the door but that turned out to be Jessie's."
"Where was the roommate during all of this?"
Olivia could feel her throat closing up, "She was out getting pizza." It sounded so pathetic almost. "She couldn't find her house keys so she left the door unlocked, so we have no forced entry."
"Damn." Elliot muttered, then almost as an after thought, "Under her nails or anything?"
"No clean just like Robyn. I'm thinking it's the same guy."
"But he left Jessie alive."
Olivia felt a smile coming to the corner of her lips. "No he didn't get a chance. She was able to grab her dumbbell her hit him on the head with it. He must have gotten scared or too dizzy and stumbled out."
"Blood on the dumbbell?"
"Lab's working on it right now." Olivia felt herself smiling, "If we got his blood we have a good chance of getting this guy."
"If he's in the system." Elliot pointed out, Olivia's hopeful grin faded a little.
"We should check hospitals for head injuries as well." Olivia turned back to the glass, "I can't let this guy get away Elliot." Olivia's voice was so quiet she wasn't sure she had spoken out loud.
Elliot watched his partner's face and then looked in on Casey and her niece. He could tell how close and emotionally involved in this case his partner was getting. "Remember how I told you once, 'we don't get to pick the vic'?"
"Yeah."
"Well maybe the vics get to pick us..."
Olivia turned to look at him, wanting him to say more, to explain. But she knew he didn't have to.
Elliot didn't say anything else and turned and strolled away.
After a moment Olivia forced herself to walk away and follow her partner.