"Olivia... Olivia? Liv, can you hear me?"
Slowly, the words began to make sense. The detective forced her eyes open, meeting the concerned eyes of Elliot.
"Liv, are you okay?" Elliot asked, pushing a lock of hair off of Olivia's forehead.
"Yeah... I... I think so," Olivia said. "I feel all tingly, though, and my wrist hurts."
"I called a bus. They should be here any minute," Elliot reassured her.
"How long was I out?" Olivia questioned, willing the tingling sensation to go away. It was making her nauseous.
"About five minutes," Elliot replied.
Olivia nodded slightly, closing her eyes. Elliot had rolled up his coat as a pillow for her to which she was grateful. The ground was hard as it was and with her head spinning Olivia was glad to have some sort of stability.
"Liv, stay with me, okay?" Elliot said to her, hesitating only slightly before taking her uninjured hand in his.
"Where'd you expect me to go? A Yankees game?" she joked slightly, choosing not to chuckle when pain shot through her wrist.
"You know what I mean, silly," Elliot said lightly, brushing a hand affectionately across her cheek, trying to slow his racing heart. He wasn't sure if it was the fact his partner was laying on the cement, injured, or whether he enjoyed the feeling of taking care of her, albeit the frightening situation.
"What the hell happened anyway?" Olivia asked, opening her eyes again.
"Well, you, my headstrong partner, took off after Wald when he shoved me. I made a wrong turn, and by the time I got to you two he had shocked you with a Taser gun. I went after him but I lost him quickly. Besides... I... uh, I was more worried about you," Elliot concluded shyly, ducking his head.
Olivia opened her mouth to respond, only for the paramedics to round the corner of the alley. "Stabler, you pick the worst times to get sappy," Olivia said with a slight sigh. "We'll talk later."
Elliot nodded at her as he stood up to allow the paramedics to tend to Olivia. He stood back and watched as they asked her a few questions.
Elliot sighed.
God, he loved that woman.
~/~
New York Hospital April 12th, 2004 9:55 P.M.
"Son of a bitch!" Olivia cursed, resisting the urge to hit the doctor.
"I'm sorry, Detective," the doctor said patiently, probing her injured wrist one last time before turning to look at the x-ray. Olivia gave him the middle finger behind his back, and Elliot bit back a snicker. "Well, Detective, you definitely have a break in your wrist," the doctor concluded, circling the area with a black marker to show Olivia.
"No shit, you don't say," Olivia muttered. Elliot gave her a look mixed with amusement and chastisement.
Olivia frowned at her partner as the doctor turned around. He sat down next to her and said, "I have good news. I just saved a bunch of money by switching my car insurance to Geico." He saw the blank look on Olivia and Elliot's faces and smiled proudly. "It's a joke," the doctor explained. Olivia smiled slightly, and the doctor exclaimed, "Ah, a smile!" He grinned at Olivia before continuing, "Seriously, Detective, you have a broken wrist. The good news is that I don't need to put pins in it. It was a clean break. You do, however, need to wear a cast for at least two months, if not longer."
Olivia nodded, already hating the fact she was going to be restricted for the next two months. That meant that there would probably be no long soaks in the tub, very little field work, probably no interviewing suspects, and more paperwork.
"Hey, at least you didn't hurt the right hand," Elliot said lightly, almost as if he read her mind. "You can still do my paperwork."
Olivia glared at him for a moment, then said, "Remind me to smack Andrew Wald upside the head with my cast."
"As long as it isn't me," Elliot replied.
"Give me all your paperwork and you'll be the second," Olivia shot back.
The doctor, amused at their bantering, reluctantly cut in and said, "I'm going to give you a shot to numb the pain and then pop your bones back into place. Then, I'll set your wrist."
"All right," Olivia said, wincing slightly when the needle pinched her skin. She smiled to herself, realizing that Elliot was going to baby her for the next couple of months. She couldn't help but chuckle at the image of him bringing her coffee all day and feeding her strawberries... Wait, where the hell did that thought come from?
"Why are you turning red?" Elliot asked, concerned. The doctor looked up as well.
"It's nothing!" Olivia spoke quickly. "I'm just thinking."
"I'd hate to be in those thoughts," Elliot said, settling back.
"On that note, I think we are ready to pop the bones back in place," the doctor said, lifting Olivia wrist. "I'm going to warn you, detective. Sometimes there is a loud crack. I just wanted to warn you if you are squeamish. I've had quite a few people vomit all over me."
"That's gross," Olivia decided, trying not to imagine Elliot's reaction if she were to throw up all over the doctor. "Go ahead."
"All right," the doctor said, pushing on her hand. Sure enough, a loud crack rang throughout the room.
"That was actually kind of cool sounding," Olivia said with a slight smile. "Elliot?" she asked, hoping to get his opinion, only to look at him and see his face white. "Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed, frightened by the pale look.
"I'm okay," Elliot said, swallowing slightly. "That was disgusting."
"Wuss," Olivia teased slightly, relieved as some color returned to his face.
"I'm going to set your wrist now," the doctor said, wrapping gauze around her wrist and partway up her arm, ending a couple inches before her elbow.
"Uh, are you sure you need to go up that far?" Olivia questioned.
"Only if you want it to heal properly," the doctor said cheerfully.
Elliot started to warn Olivia to behave, only to feel the buzzing of his cell phone against his leg. "Excuse me," Elliot said, standing up and exiting into the hall.
"Stabler," he answered the phone.
"It's Cragen," the Captain responded. "How's Olivia?"
"She's all right. Her wrist is broken and the doctor is setting it now," Elliot replied.
"Any effects from the Taser gun?" Cragen asked.
"No," Elliot replied, trying to shake the vision of Wald shocking Olivia.
Cragen listened to Elliot's breathing for a few seconds before saying, "Elliot, I have some bad news."
"You forgot to switch to Geico?" Elliot asked without thinking.
"Excuse me?" Cragen asked.
"Nothing," Elliot quickly said, glad Cragen couldn't see him blushing over the phone. "Go ahead, sir."
"Well, thanks," Cragen said sarcastically. "We have another victim."
"Shit," Elliot sighed. It was going to kill him having to tell Olivia.
"We actually have a lucky break this time," Cragen informed Elliot. "The victim escaped. Her name is Holly Robbins and she is in the same hospital as you guys, getting checked out now."
"All right," Elliot said, then questioned, "Cap, how do I tell Olivia?"
"How do you tell her what?" Cragen asked.
"Her wrist is broken and she's not going to drop the case that easily," Elliot explained.
Cragen sighed, realizing what Elliot was implying, then replied, "As long as she's able to function she can still stay on the case. If she starts to overdo it I want her to stop."
"All right," Elliot said, secretly glad his partner was going to be with him. He'd be able to keep an eye on her, though he would never tell her that was the reason he was glad. It was so much more than that anyway. "I'll talk to you later, sir."
"Take care of her, Elliot," Cragen said, a fatherly tone overtaking his normal voice.
"I will, Cap," Elliot said, hanging up the phone before walking back into the room to see Olivia.
"Everything okay?" she asked Elliot, seeing his dark look.
"We've got another vic," Elliot said, watching her face sink, adding quickly, "She escaped, though. We're going to talk to her. She's at this hospital."
"We?" Olivia couldn't help but ask. She was expecting to be put on immediate desk duty. She now had a tiny sliver of hope that she would still be allowed in the field.
"Yes, we. As long as you can stand on your own two feet you can help me interview her," Elliot said gently.
Olivia nodded, watching as the doctor finished forming her cast. He then helped her into a sling, positioning her arm in a somewhat comfortable position. "Okay, Detective, keep the cast dry and in the sling. I want you on limited duty in the field. Try to stay at your desk as much as possible. I'm going to give you a prescription for pain pills, but here are some samples for now," he said, handing her a couple packets. "Take care, Detectives," he said, standing up and shaking Olivia's hand, then Elliot's and leaving.
"You ready?" Elliot asked, gathering Olivia's items for her.
"Yeah, let's go talk to her," Olivia said, walking out the door. Her wrist hit the frame, and she cursed loudly.
"Are you okay?" Elliot questioned, reaching hesitatingly for her.
"I'm fine," Olivia grumbled. "I hate this damn thing already."
Elliot watched as she stalked ahead of him, smiling slightly.
This was going to be very interesting.
~/~
End Part 5.
Slowly, the words began to make sense. The detective forced her eyes open, meeting the concerned eyes of Elliot.
"Liv, are you okay?" Elliot asked, pushing a lock of hair off of Olivia's forehead.
"Yeah... I... I think so," Olivia said. "I feel all tingly, though, and my wrist hurts."
"I called a bus. They should be here any minute," Elliot reassured her.
"How long was I out?" Olivia questioned, willing the tingling sensation to go away. It was making her nauseous.
"About five minutes," Elliot replied.
Olivia nodded slightly, closing her eyes. Elliot had rolled up his coat as a pillow for her to which she was grateful. The ground was hard as it was and with her head spinning Olivia was glad to have some sort of stability.
"Liv, stay with me, okay?" Elliot said to her, hesitating only slightly before taking her uninjured hand in his.
"Where'd you expect me to go? A Yankees game?" she joked slightly, choosing not to chuckle when pain shot through her wrist.
"You know what I mean, silly," Elliot said lightly, brushing a hand affectionately across her cheek, trying to slow his racing heart. He wasn't sure if it was the fact his partner was laying on the cement, injured, or whether he enjoyed the feeling of taking care of her, albeit the frightening situation.
"What the hell happened anyway?" Olivia asked, opening her eyes again.
"Well, you, my headstrong partner, took off after Wald when he shoved me. I made a wrong turn, and by the time I got to you two he had shocked you with a Taser gun. I went after him but I lost him quickly. Besides... I... uh, I was more worried about you," Elliot concluded shyly, ducking his head.
Olivia opened her mouth to respond, only for the paramedics to round the corner of the alley. "Stabler, you pick the worst times to get sappy," Olivia said with a slight sigh. "We'll talk later."
Elliot nodded at her as he stood up to allow the paramedics to tend to Olivia. He stood back and watched as they asked her a few questions.
Elliot sighed.
God, he loved that woman.
~/~
New York Hospital April 12th, 2004 9:55 P.M.
"Son of a bitch!" Olivia cursed, resisting the urge to hit the doctor.
"I'm sorry, Detective," the doctor said patiently, probing her injured wrist one last time before turning to look at the x-ray. Olivia gave him the middle finger behind his back, and Elliot bit back a snicker. "Well, Detective, you definitely have a break in your wrist," the doctor concluded, circling the area with a black marker to show Olivia.
"No shit, you don't say," Olivia muttered. Elliot gave her a look mixed with amusement and chastisement.
Olivia frowned at her partner as the doctor turned around. He sat down next to her and said, "I have good news. I just saved a bunch of money by switching my car insurance to Geico." He saw the blank look on Olivia and Elliot's faces and smiled proudly. "It's a joke," the doctor explained. Olivia smiled slightly, and the doctor exclaimed, "Ah, a smile!" He grinned at Olivia before continuing, "Seriously, Detective, you have a broken wrist. The good news is that I don't need to put pins in it. It was a clean break. You do, however, need to wear a cast for at least two months, if not longer."
Olivia nodded, already hating the fact she was going to be restricted for the next two months. That meant that there would probably be no long soaks in the tub, very little field work, probably no interviewing suspects, and more paperwork.
"Hey, at least you didn't hurt the right hand," Elliot said lightly, almost as if he read her mind. "You can still do my paperwork."
Olivia glared at him for a moment, then said, "Remind me to smack Andrew Wald upside the head with my cast."
"As long as it isn't me," Elliot replied.
"Give me all your paperwork and you'll be the second," Olivia shot back.
The doctor, amused at their bantering, reluctantly cut in and said, "I'm going to give you a shot to numb the pain and then pop your bones back into place. Then, I'll set your wrist."
"All right," Olivia said, wincing slightly when the needle pinched her skin. She smiled to herself, realizing that Elliot was going to baby her for the next couple of months. She couldn't help but chuckle at the image of him bringing her coffee all day and feeding her strawberries... Wait, where the hell did that thought come from?
"Why are you turning red?" Elliot asked, concerned. The doctor looked up as well.
"It's nothing!" Olivia spoke quickly. "I'm just thinking."
"I'd hate to be in those thoughts," Elliot said, settling back.
"On that note, I think we are ready to pop the bones back in place," the doctor said, lifting Olivia wrist. "I'm going to warn you, detective. Sometimes there is a loud crack. I just wanted to warn you if you are squeamish. I've had quite a few people vomit all over me."
"That's gross," Olivia decided, trying not to imagine Elliot's reaction if she were to throw up all over the doctor. "Go ahead."
"All right," the doctor said, pushing on her hand. Sure enough, a loud crack rang throughout the room.
"That was actually kind of cool sounding," Olivia said with a slight smile. "Elliot?" she asked, hoping to get his opinion, only to look at him and see his face white. "Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed, frightened by the pale look.
"I'm okay," Elliot said, swallowing slightly. "That was disgusting."
"Wuss," Olivia teased slightly, relieved as some color returned to his face.
"I'm going to set your wrist now," the doctor said, wrapping gauze around her wrist and partway up her arm, ending a couple inches before her elbow.
"Uh, are you sure you need to go up that far?" Olivia questioned.
"Only if you want it to heal properly," the doctor said cheerfully.
Elliot started to warn Olivia to behave, only to feel the buzzing of his cell phone against his leg. "Excuse me," Elliot said, standing up and exiting into the hall.
"Stabler," he answered the phone.
"It's Cragen," the Captain responded. "How's Olivia?"
"She's all right. Her wrist is broken and the doctor is setting it now," Elliot replied.
"Any effects from the Taser gun?" Cragen asked.
"No," Elliot replied, trying to shake the vision of Wald shocking Olivia.
Cragen listened to Elliot's breathing for a few seconds before saying, "Elliot, I have some bad news."
"You forgot to switch to Geico?" Elliot asked without thinking.
"Excuse me?" Cragen asked.
"Nothing," Elliot quickly said, glad Cragen couldn't see him blushing over the phone. "Go ahead, sir."
"Well, thanks," Cragen said sarcastically. "We have another victim."
"Shit," Elliot sighed. It was going to kill him having to tell Olivia.
"We actually have a lucky break this time," Cragen informed Elliot. "The victim escaped. Her name is Holly Robbins and she is in the same hospital as you guys, getting checked out now."
"All right," Elliot said, then questioned, "Cap, how do I tell Olivia?"
"How do you tell her what?" Cragen asked.
"Her wrist is broken and she's not going to drop the case that easily," Elliot explained.
Cragen sighed, realizing what Elliot was implying, then replied, "As long as she's able to function she can still stay on the case. If she starts to overdo it I want her to stop."
"All right," Elliot said, secretly glad his partner was going to be with him. He'd be able to keep an eye on her, though he would never tell her that was the reason he was glad. It was so much more than that anyway. "I'll talk to you later, sir."
"Take care of her, Elliot," Cragen said, a fatherly tone overtaking his normal voice.
"I will, Cap," Elliot said, hanging up the phone before walking back into the room to see Olivia.
"Everything okay?" she asked Elliot, seeing his dark look.
"We've got another vic," Elliot said, watching her face sink, adding quickly, "She escaped, though. We're going to talk to her. She's at this hospital."
"We?" Olivia couldn't help but ask. She was expecting to be put on immediate desk duty. She now had a tiny sliver of hope that she would still be allowed in the field.
"Yes, we. As long as you can stand on your own two feet you can help me interview her," Elliot said gently.
Olivia nodded, watching as the doctor finished forming her cast. He then helped her into a sling, positioning her arm in a somewhat comfortable position. "Okay, Detective, keep the cast dry and in the sling. I want you on limited duty in the field. Try to stay at your desk as much as possible. I'm going to give you a prescription for pain pills, but here are some samples for now," he said, handing her a couple packets. "Take care, Detectives," he said, standing up and shaking Olivia's hand, then Elliot's and leaving.
"You ready?" Elliot asked, gathering Olivia's items for her.
"Yeah, let's go talk to her," Olivia said, walking out the door. Her wrist hit the frame, and she cursed loudly.
"Are you okay?" Elliot questioned, reaching hesitatingly for her.
"I'm fine," Olivia grumbled. "I hate this damn thing already."
Elliot watched as she stalked ahead of him, smiling slightly.
This was going to be very interesting.
~/~
End Part 5.