title: memory - chapter six
author: duck
rating: pg-13
author's note: see? i said soon!
disclaimer: ya know my 21st birthday is coming up in july...i sure know what i could use as a gift!
-----
The door to the Rivers' brownstone was answered by a maid who made Elliot and Olivia wait on the doorstep while she went to fetch their perp's girlfriend, Marna. Olivia watched Elliot take out his notebook and pen while they were waiting. He doodled in the margins until the girl got to the door. He reached into his coat pocket as she opened the glass-paneled oak and pulled out his badge.
"Marna Rivers?" The red-headed woman nodded, so he continued. "My name is Detective Elliot Stabler, this is my partner, Detective Benson. We're just checking on Sebastian Farley's alibi for yesterday. Where were you yesterday afternoon?"
The woman gave Olivia a quick glance before turning her attention to Elliot. "I was home with my boyfriend." Though her voice was steady, her eyes wavered slightly. Elliot scribbled something down in his notebook before continuing.
"Mm-hmm. Until when?"
"I guess about seven?" This time her voice wavered too. Olivia jumped in to press her further.
"'You guess?' What were you doing?"
"Look I already explained this when I came in to see Sebastian earlier," Marna said defensively. "Why do we have to go through this again? Seb didn't hurt anyone!"
"We're only trying to get to the bottom of all this. Now," Elliot said calmly, "just tell us what you were doing and we'll be out of your hair."
"That's none of your business," Marna snapped. Her eyes flew almost accusingly to Olivia. "You're a woman, don't you understand that?"
"Sure," Olivia answered, a sarcastic smirk twisting her mouth. "But what I do in my private time has no bearing on an investigation into a rape and assault. Unfortunately, what you do does, and we need to know."
"Fine," the other woman spat. "Sebastian came over to explain the situation. I was upset at first, but I know it wasn't his fault."
"Not his fault?" She wanted to say more, but she felt the brush of Elliot's fingertips across her sleeve. He wanted her to keep quiet and keep her furious disbelief under control. Okay, she could do that.
"What exactly did your boyfriend tell you?" he asked, not a hint of anger in his voice. Olivia shifted forward to scan his face and read the unmistakable signs of it there. Maybe they weren't obvious to someone who didn't know him, but she saw it in his narrowed eyes and in lips pressed tightly over teeth.
"He said he'd slept with another woman, that she was crying rape because of his money. I forgave him for that, and we made love. Are you satisfied now?" Without another word she slammed the door in their faces. Elliot turned to look at Olivia and she wasn't surprised to see a look of disgust on his face. Judging from the emotions that tugged in her gut, she didn't doubt it mirrored her own expression.
Her judgments were cut off as her cell phone rang. "Benson," she answered. It was Cragen.
"You and your partner get over to St. Katherine's. Lida Nichols just woke up."
"We're on it." She snapped her phone shut and met Elliot's curious eyes. "Our vic just woke up. Now maybe we can get some answers."
- St. Katherine's -
- 12:23pm -
Olivia cautiously poked open the door to Lida's post-op recovery room. She knocked lightly and watched the still form under the sheets for any signs of response. If it weren't for the monitors beeping reassuringly, Olivia could easily believe the girl to be dead. When no response was forthcoming, she stepped back in the hall to where her partner waited.
"It looks like she's asleep," she said.
Elliot grimaced and looked around the hallway. "Where's her doctor?"
"Guess we can ask at the desk," Olivia suggested, making a move to do so.
A voice from behind them halted their progress. "Excuse me." They both turned to face the owner of the voice. A dark-haired man stood behind them, one hand shoved deep in the pocket of his white coat while the other clutched a chart. He looked rather young; couldn't be more than 35. "Can I help you?" he asked blandly.
"We're from the Manhattan SVU," said Elliot as he flashed his shield. "I'm Detective Stabler, this is my partner, Detective Benson. We're looking for this patient's--" he pointed at Lida's door "--doctor."
"Well, you've found him," the man replied with an easy grin directed at Olivia. "Dr. Aaron Radhe." He offered his hand first to Olivia, who shook it politely. She was in no mood to both deflect flirtation or deal with a jealous Elliot. She remembered the last time a guy had asked her out in front of him. It hadn't been a pleasant experience for the other man involved, especially when the rest of the squad had gotten into harassing the poor kid. Or at least she suspected they had; she'd never found any direct evidence.
When the doctor offered his hand to Elliot, Olivia wasn't surprised to see Elliot give him a tighter squeeze than was his usual. Dr. Radhe frowned as he turned to face the observation window into Lida's room. Olivia elbowed Elliot in the ribs as the doctor launched into an explanation of her condition, earning a slightly contrite look from him.
"Lida suffered a great deal of trauma to the head when she was hit. She was thrown away from the car, so she wasn't run over, but she probably hit her head on the pavement when she landed. She has a broken arm and some fractured ribs, but her physical injuries could have been a lot worse. The head trauma is what worries me. I was anticipating some memory loss, and with her drifting in and out of consciousness like this, it's probably too soon to draw and definite conclusions."
"Are you saying she doesn't remember being raped?" Elliot asked.
"No, detective, that's the last thing she remembers," Dr. Radhe said, turning back to face them. His face was a mask of worry and concern. "I checked our records to be sure, but she came in yesterday morning reporting a rape."
"Yes, we're the detectives on her case," Olivia interjected.
"Well every time she wakes up, she tells us she needs to report a rape. That her boyfriend beat her up and took advantage of her while he was high on cocaine."
"Yes, we already have him in custody," Elliot said. Olivia could sense her partner's patience was wearing thin.
"Has she lost her memory of yesterday?" she quickly asked.
"Yes," the doctor confirmed. "But I think there's a more serious problem here. I'm going to have to run a few more tests and keep her under observation for a while to be sure."
"Out with it, doc," Elliot said. "What's wrong with her."
"I think she's lost the ability to form new memories."
"You mean the last thing she's going to remember for the rest of her life is...her rape?" Olivia asked, appalled by the horrifying prospect.
"Perhaps. It's not guaranteed, and I hope for her sake I'm wrong. This is only my preliminary diagnosis, but it's a strong possibility." He moved past them. "If you'll excuse me, her parents are in the waiting room."
"When will we be able to question her?" Olivia asked, hating the way her voice cracked and hating herself for having to ask the question.
"Maybe tomorrow, but I don't want to push her. Her mind's been through enough stress between a rape by a loved one and being hit by a car."
"We understand," Elliot said, nodding. "Give us a call when you think she's ready. It's got be soon, but I think we still have enough to charge her rapist." He handed the doctor his card.
"I thought you said you had him in custody?"
"We do, but we still have to charge him," Olivia explained. "We're nearing the 24 hour mark where we have to charge him or let him go."
"We should be able to charge him later with vehicular assault if it was him," Elliot added.
"You think her boyfriend did this? On purpose?"
"Yes, and we'd appreciate your discretion in not telling her parents," Olivia quickly said.
"Of course." The doctor looked visibly shaken. He waved Elliot's card and said, "I'll give you a call the instant I think she's ready."
"Thank you," Olivia said. She watched him turn and go before looking back at Elliot. She could tell all his jealousy was forgotten. "This case just keeps getting worse and worse."
[tbc]
a/n: inspiration for this was drawn from a star trek episode, not an adam sandler movie ;)
author: duck
rating: pg-13
author's note: see? i said soon!
disclaimer: ya know my 21st birthday is coming up in july...i sure know what i could use as a gift!
-----
The door to the Rivers' brownstone was answered by a maid who made Elliot and Olivia wait on the doorstep while she went to fetch their perp's girlfriend, Marna. Olivia watched Elliot take out his notebook and pen while they were waiting. He doodled in the margins until the girl got to the door. He reached into his coat pocket as she opened the glass-paneled oak and pulled out his badge.
"Marna Rivers?" The red-headed woman nodded, so he continued. "My name is Detective Elliot Stabler, this is my partner, Detective Benson. We're just checking on Sebastian Farley's alibi for yesterday. Where were you yesterday afternoon?"
The woman gave Olivia a quick glance before turning her attention to Elliot. "I was home with my boyfriend." Though her voice was steady, her eyes wavered slightly. Elliot scribbled something down in his notebook before continuing.
"Mm-hmm. Until when?"
"I guess about seven?" This time her voice wavered too. Olivia jumped in to press her further.
"'You guess?' What were you doing?"
"Look I already explained this when I came in to see Sebastian earlier," Marna said defensively. "Why do we have to go through this again? Seb didn't hurt anyone!"
"We're only trying to get to the bottom of all this. Now," Elliot said calmly, "just tell us what you were doing and we'll be out of your hair."
"That's none of your business," Marna snapped. Her eyes flew almost accusingly to Olivia. "You're a woman, don't you understand that?"
"Sure," Olivia answered, a sarcastic smirk twisting her mouth. "But what I do in my private time has no bearing on an investigation into a rape and assault. Unfortunately, what you do does, and we need to know."
"Fine," the other woman spat. "Sebastian came over to explain the situation. I was upset at first, but I know it wasn't his fault."
"Not his fault?" She wanted to say more, but she felt the brush of Elliot's fingertips across her sleeve. He wanted her to keep quiet and keep her furious disbelief under control. Okay, she could do that.
"What exactly did your boyfriend tell you?" he asked, not a hint of anger in his voice. Olivia shifted forward to scan his face and read the unmistakable signs of it there. Maybe they weren't obvious to someone who didn't know him, but she saw it in his narrowed eyes and in lips pressed tightly over teeth.
"He said he'd slept with another woman, that she was crying rape because of his money. I forgave him for that, and we made love. Are you satisfied now?" Without another word she slammed the door in their faces. Elliot turned to look at Olivia and she wasn't surprised to see a look of disgust on his face. Judging from the emotions that tugged in her gut, she didn't doubt it mirrored her own expression.
Her judgments were cut off as her cell phone rang. "Benson," she answered. It was Cragen.
"You and your partner get over to St. Katherine's. Lida Nichols just woke up."
"We're on it." She snapped her phone shut and met Elliot's curious eyes. "Our vic just woke up. Now maybe we can get some answers."
- St. Katherine's -
- 12:23pm -
Olivia cautiously poked open the door to Lida's post-op recovery room. She knocked lightly and watched the still form under the sheets for any signs of response. If it weren't for the monitors beeping reassuringly, Olivia could easily believe the girl to be dead. When no response was forthcoming, she stepped back in the hall to where her partner waited.
"It looks like she's asleep," she said.
Elliot grimaced and looked around the hallway. "Where's her doctor?"
"Guess we can ask at the desk," Olivia suggested, making a move to do so.
A voice from behind them halted their progress. "Excuse me." They both turned to face the owner of the voice. A dark-haired man stood behind them, one hand shoved deep in the pocket of his white coat while the other clutched a chart. He looked rather young; couldn't be more than 35. "Can I help you?" he asked blandly.
"We're from the Manhattan SVU," said Elliot as he flashed his shield. "I'm Detective Stabler, this is my partner, Detective Benson. We're looking for this patient's--" he pointed at Lida's door "--doctor."
"Well, you've found him," the man replied with an easy grin directed at Olivia. "Dr. Aaron Radhe." He offered his hand first to Olivia, who shook it politely. She was in no mood to both deflect flirtation or deal with a jealous Elliot. She remembered the last time a guy had asked her out in front of him. It hadn't been a pleasant experience for the other man involved, especially when the rest of the squad had gotten into harassing the poor kid. Or at least she suspected they had; she'd never found any direct evidence.
When the doctor offered his hand to Elliot, Olivia wasn't surprised to see Elliot give him a tighter squeeze than was his usual. Dr. Radhe frowned as he turned to face the observation window into Lida's room. Olivia elbowed Elliot in the ribs as the doctor launched into an explanation of her condition, earning a slightly contrite look from him.
"Lida suffered a great deal of trauma to the head when she was hit. She was thrown away from the car, so she wasn't run over, but she probably hit her head on the pavement when she landed. She has a broken arm and some fractured ribs, but her physical injuries could have been a lot worse. The head trauma is what worries me. I was anticipating some memory loss, and with her drifting in and out of consciousness like this, it's probably too soon to draw and definite conclusions."
"Are you saying she doesn't remember being raped?" Elliot asked.
"No, detective, that's the last thing she remembers," Dr. Radhe said, turning back to face them. His face was a mask of worry and concern. "I checked our records to be sure, but she came in yesterday morning reporting a rape."
"Yes, we're the detectives on her case," Olivia interjected.
"Well every time she wakes up, she tells us she needs to report a rape. That her boyfriend beat her up and took advantage of her while he was high on cocaine."
"Yes, we already have him in custody," Elliot said. Olivia could sense her partner's patience was wearing thin.
"Has she lost her memory of yesterday?" she quickly asked.
"Yes," the doctor confirmed. "But I think there's a more serious problem here. I'm going to have to run a few more tests and keep her under observation for a while to be sure."
"Out with it, doc," Elliot said. "What's wrong with her."
"I think she's lost the ability to form new memories."
"You mean the last thing she's going to remember for the rest of her life is...her rape?" Olivia asked, appalled by the horrifying prospect.
"Perhaps. It's not guaranteed, and I hope for her sake I'm wrong. This is only my preliminary diagnosis, but it's a strong possibility." He moved past them. "If you'll excuse me, her parents are in the waiting room."
"When will we be able to question her?" Olivia asked, hating the way her voice cracked and hating herself for having to ask the question.
"Maybe tomorrow, but I don't want to push her. Her mind's been through enough stress between a rape by a loved one and being hit by a car."
"We understand," Elliot said, nodding. "Give us a call when you think she's ready. It's got be soon, but I think we still have enough to charge her rapist." He handed the doctor his card.
"I thought you said you had him in custody?"
"We do, but we still have to charge him," Olivia explained. "We're nearing the 24 hour mark where we have to charge him or let him go."
"We should be able to charge him later with vehicular assault if it was him," Elliot added.
"You think her boyfriend did this? On purpose?"
"Yes, and we'd appreciate your discretion in not telling her parents," Olivia quickly said.
"Of course." The doctor looked visibly shaken. He waved Elliot's card and said, "I'll give you a call the instant I think she's ready."
"Thank you," Olivia said. She watched him turn and go before looking back at Elliot. She could tell all his jealousy was forgotten. "This case just keeps getting worse and worse."
[tbc]
a/n: inspiration for this was drawn from a star trek episode, not an adam sandler movie ;)