A/N: Thanks for all the reviews so far!! I love getting the feedback! It makes my day when I get one of those 'Review Alert!' e-mails! Anyways, enjoy! I finished this chapter up when I was supposed to be studying for finals… well, I guess I had better get back to that!
Disclaimer: Well, I still do not own them. Are you surprised?
Elliot hurried back to the hospital, running a few red lights and cutting several people off in the process. Doctor Swanson met him almost as soon as he had walked into the ICU. "Elliot…" he began slowly, "Your wife had a bad reaction to the anesthesia. She found out from one of the nurses that it was a vehicular homicide attempt, and she lost it. They had to give her a sedative, and for some reason she went into cardiac arrest. I think it was all the drugs combined with stress. We revived her, but she's in a drug induced coma right now."
"She's in a coma?" exclaimed Elliot, his eyes widening.
"Yes. We can wake her up, though. But for the moment, she is better off. I am prescribing some ongoing sedatives, so by this evening she should be calm enough to wake up and not do any harm to herself from stressing out again." Doctor Swanson said, "I am sorry, Elliot. She is a sweetheart though, even for someone having such an adverse reaction. Before she fell asleep she asked me to tell you that she was sorry… and not to blame yourself, because this is all her fault. She passed out after that, I didn't have time to argue and tell her it wasn't." Elliot bit his lip and took a deep breath. He put his hands over his face briefly and rubbed his eyes. Doctor Swanson looked away and then said softly, "Come with me."
Elliot followed Doctor Swanson into the newborn ICU room and over to a small little crib in the corner. "This is your son. He hasn't woken up since the surgery." He said, dropping the side rail. Elliot stepped towards him and reached in, running a hand down the little baby's cheek. He adjusted the blanket that was wrapped tightly around him and the baby suddenly kicked slightly. "Well that's the most movement he has made so far!" Doctor Swanson commented, looking quite surprised. Elliot didn't respond and just stroked the baby's face.
"So… what's the prognosis for him?" Elliot asked hesitantly, his eyes not leaving his son's face.
Doctor Swanson sighed and said softly, "About ten percent chance he will live through the night."
Elliot felt a horrible pain rip through him, an exquisitely poignant feeling of loss and his inability to do anything. He looked down, tears dropping slowly down his face. A light touch made him slowly look up. His son was gazing at him with wide brown eyes and stretching his little hand upward. Elliot heard Doctor Swanson gasp behind him and summon the neo-natal nurse. He held out his hand and the baby grasped his finger. Elliot smiled at the small baby through his tears. The baby held tightly to his father's finger as he relaxed his arm back to his chest. The nurse had hurried over and was staring at Elliot. Then she suddenly asked, "Do you want to hold him?"
"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt him."
"Nothing that you could do would hurt him. I think he would like to be held just once before…" she trailed off and then slowly scooped up the little boy. She eased him into Elliot's arms. Elliot gently cradled him in the crook of his arm, and the baby glanced up at him one last time. And then he yawned widely and closed his eyes. He turned slightly so that he was snuggled right against Elliot's chest and his breathing slowed. The nurse rested her hand on Elliot's back when the baby was still. Elliot gently laid his son back on his crib, pulling the blanket back over him. The nurse checked for a pulse and then pulled the sheet up over his face. "I am sorry Detective. He suffered massive head trauma. There wasn't anything anyone could have done."
Elliot slowly walked out of the room, his breathing quite unsteady. Doctor Swanson gently took his arm and said, "Let's go see your wife."
When Elliot walked into Olivia's room he found her laying on her back in a deep sleep. She had a couple bruises on her face and burns on her arms from airbags but he still thought she looked incredibly beautiful. An IV ran in one arm and the other had a bandage wrapped around it. He also noticed she was wearing scrubs. When he commented on this to Doctor Swanson, the doctor laughed and said, "I remembered from the last time she was in here that she hated hospital gowns. I thought navy blue scrubs fit her better!"
Doctor Swanson excused himself, leaving Elliot alone. He grabbed a chair and pulled it up to sit next to Olivia. He took her hand and kissed it. "Olivia… you will never know how bad I feel about what I said to you that night. I would have loved our son. You know that right? And I am going to find the guy that did this. He is going to be tried for the murder of our son and your attempted murder, you can count on it." Olivia, of course, lay quietly and didn't respond. Though Elliot could have sworn she squeezed his hand back.
"Elliot?" He turned and saw Casey standing in the doorway, holding Riley's hand. "I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, hurrying in. Elliot stood and she gave him a hug. Riley pulled away from Casey and walked over to her mother. She glanced over her and then stroked her arm tenderly. As Elliot and Casey broke their embrace, they watched as Riley leaned over and stretched her arm out, running it gently across Olivia's stomach. She then turned back to her father and asked, "Where is her bump? Did she have the baby already?"
"Yes, sweetie. She had it, but he didn't make it." Elliot told her, taking her into his arms. Riley started crying and held onto her father tightly. He hugged her back, running his hand through her thick brown hair. Casey couldn't stop from crying at that point and quickly excused herself.
She came back in after regaining her composure and Elliot said, "Thanks so much for watching Riley."
"No problem. I love this kid." said Casey, finally cracking a smile. Elliot smirked back at her, knowing exactly why she loved Riley. She had taken her to her two year old check up because he and Olivia were dealing with a huge case and had started dating Riley's pediatrician. They were going on two years strong. After a while, Casey took Riley back to her apartment to get some sleep.
Elliot dozed off for a couple hours in the chair until Doctor Swanson reappeared. He began to adjust her IV and then gave her a quick injection. "She should be waking up here within in the next half hour. Now, she isn't going to be acting normally, because she is still very drugged up. Probably it will seem like she is sluggish and lacking emotion." he told Elliot as he walked over to him. "Don't say anything to get her upset, alright? You can tell her about your baby, but nothing about the investigation so far."
"Okay. Is she in a lot of pain?" Elliot questioned, glancing over at her.
"No, not a lot. She's been on heavy painkillers since the surgery." answered Doctor Swanson, looking at Olivia, who was already beginning to shift a little bit in her bed.
Olivia could feel her deep sleep begin to slip away. She knew Elliot was there, she had heard him talking to her. She couldn't remember what he had said, but had taken great comfort in knowing that he was beside her. He had left once, and come back not long after, very upset. Now she was more aware of her surroundings and could feel him holding her hand. Olivia took a deep breath and then yawned. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. She returned it, rubbing her thumb gently back and forth against his wrist.
Elliot smiled despite everything when she did this, putting his other hand over top. Five minutes later, she opened her eyes and looked right over at him. "Hi, Liv." he said, his face still lit up in a smile. She smiled back. "Hey El." He stood and traced his hand across her face. She placed hers over his and held it to her cheek. Elliot leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Olivia was watching him intently when he pulled away. "El… what's wrong?" she questioned, reaching up and brushing a tear from his cheek. He didn't answer, and she then grew somber. "Our baby didn't make it, did he?"
Elliot shook his head, "No… he didn't." Olivia shut her eyes and put her hands over her face, crying quietly. Elliot watched and laid his hands on her shoulders, as he could find nothing comforting to say.
Olivia spent the next month in the hospital, leaving only twice. The first time was for the funeral of the firefighter who had died trying to catch the man who had nearly killed her. She felt terribly, after all, she was the cop and was supposed to protect him, not the other way around. She and Elliot had both gone to the funeral in full uniform and she was immediately sought out by the FDNY Commissioner. He gave her a hug and told her it wasn't her fault, but she knew it was. Elliot laid a comforting hand on her shoulder as she observed the fireman's two little children go up to his coffin to say goodbye. Olivia gulped back a sob and leaned her head against Elliot's shoulder, gripping his hand tightly.
The second time she left was for the funeral of her son.
Elliot sighed, leaning up against the wall of the interrogation room. Three weeks after his son had been buried they had received an anonymous tip and collared the man they suspected in the murder. Munch looked over at him and then turned back to the perp, "So… after you received all the photo's, what did you do next?"
The man stretched back in his chair. A smile crossed his face as he began, "I found out where she lived and what car she drove. I followed her to the courthouse that morning, and then I took a few side streets. I knew she was going back to the precinct, and so I knew where I could get her."
"Why did you decide to try vehicular homicide? You have a gun."
"Well, he told me to wait until she was seven months pregnant, and then strike her on the driver's side. That way, the odds were she would live but the baby wouldn't. He doesn't want her hurt physically. Emotionally, though. And so I did what he told me. Worked like a charm didn't it?" the perp said, smiling broadly at Elliot.
That was it. Elliot lunged forward and punched him in the face. Munch jumped up and attempted to restrain Elliot as he yelled, "Who is this 'he'?"
The man on the floor winced and spat, "I am never going to tell you."
Munch gave Elliot a good shove and glared at him. Then he turned back to the perp, yanked him to his feet and threw him into the chair. "Alright, buddy. You realize you are going to get a needle for the murder of a FDNY fireman and an innocent baby, correct? So I would recommend giving up whoever you are holding out for."
"I could care less. Honestly. The wait on death row is years." The man said, and Elliot hissed angrily.
"Fine. But tell me one thing. Why did you have a picture of her daughter?" Elliot questioned, glaring at the man.
The perp looked at him and then laughed, "Detective Stabler, I know it's your daughter as well. Believe me, I know all about how you married your partner. Though I can't say I blame you, for she is quite beautiful. But she is high-strung and fiery, needs a definite breaking. Which I assure you, she will get. In answering your question, I had the picture of the girl because he wanted to see her. But I am not working her case; I am not much good at kidnappings."
"What?" asked a startled Elliot.
"Just try to stop it, Detective. It is already to late." snickered the perp.
Elliot sprinted out of the interrogation room and dialed Casey's cell. No one picked up. Cragen walked over to him and asked, "What is going on?"
"I don't know!" exclaimed Elliot, panic rising in his voice. He walked out and looked over at Olivia, who was typing up a report. She had returned to work a week ago, and on the outside she seemed okay. But Elliot knew that she wasn't. He walked over to her and asked, "How are you doing?"
"Fine. Why?" she questioned, turning around to face him. He didn't respond and gently laid a hand on her thigh. "Elliot… what's going on?"
"Oh my God! That's her! Back to work so soon, aren't you? Little bitch." Olivia turned and saw Munch and Fin escorting out the man they had collared earlier. He was gazing at her with an insanely happy grin. She stared at the man who had killed her child and laid her hand on her 9 millimeter. Elliot grabbed her wrist and pulled her back around to face him.
"Don't you let what he said get to you, alright?" Elliot told her forcefully, holding her face in his hands. "Don't listen." Olivia nodded, though her eyes welled up with tears as she leaned up against his chest. Elliot looked over her shoulder and made sure he was gone before he pulled away. Olivia slowly released him, not wanting to lose the strength she felt in his arms.
"You two. In my office, now." Cragen's voice called across the hall. Olivia looked at Elliot in surprise and he seemed equally puzzled. They got up and went into his office, confused as they were.
"What's up, Captain?" Elliot questioned, glancing over at Cragen who was looking especially somber.
"Shut the door and have a seat." He instructed, and Olivia instantly collapsed into a chair next to his desk. Elliot clicked the door shut and sat down beside her. Cragen rubbed his forehead and then started, "Casey was shot about a half hour ago. They think she is going to make it, but… the gunman took Riley."
Two weeks later there were still no leads as too where Riley was. Elliot was in a positively lethal mood, no one got in his way. He spent extremely long days searching for any possible leads and was constantly exhausted. Olivia was both angry and bitter. She now felt that in addition to her sons and the fireman's deaths, Casey's severe injury and Riley's kidnapping were her fault.
One afternoon Elliot was out in the field as usual while Olivia was covering all the paperwork needed. Out of the blue Cragen called her into his office once again. When she walked in and shut the door she noticed a cop in uniform standing next to the wall. "Officer Nicholas Hunt, Detective Olivia Stabler." Cragen said, and the man stepped forward and shook her hand.
"Ah, the famous Detective Benson- well I guess it is Stabler now! I heard about your splendid undercover work in the Ortez case last year." Nicholas said enthusiastically.
Olivia smiled hesitantly back and Cragen quickly told her, "Officer Hunt is with the Denver Police Department. They have a lead on your daughter."
Her eye's widened and she stared at Hunt, who nodded, "Yes. She is in Colorado. I have private investigator's keeping tabs on her right now."
"Oh my God! She's okay?" exclaimed Olivia.
"From what we can see. However, we need your help. The man who has her is big in the Denver social scene, and we need you to go undercover."
Cragen looked at Olivia and said, "Olivia, you don't have to if you don't want to. I hesitate throwing you undercover so soon after your accident."
"No, Captain. I am going to get my daughter back. No matter what it takes." Olivia answered fiercely.
"Welcome aboard!" smiled Officer Hunt, "Now, I have tickets on the nine o clock flight out of here to Denver. We can run back to your apartment and grab some of your stuff if we hurry."
"Captain, don't call Elliot. I know he wouldn't want me to go. When he gets back from the field tell him about our daughter and as long as it's after nine, then tell him that I am going undercover." Olivia pleaded, "I have to do this. I have to."
Cragen watched as the two hurried out, Olivia clearing out her locker and then dropping the car keys onto Elliot's desk. As they ran out of the precinct doors, Cragen felt an odd sense of unease. He had just plunged her headfirst into a dangerous undercover mission when he knew she wasn't one hundred percent. If anything happened to her…
Elliot trotted back into the precinct late that night. He had gotten a number of decent leads as to Riley's whereabouts and collared a rape suspect all in one day. "Liv! Liv!" he exclaimed, and was surprised to find her desk empty. He looked at his own and saw she had put the car keys on top of his papers. A gnawing sensation rose in his stomach as he glanced around. He raced to her locker and quickly removed the combination lock. The locker was empty.
He heard someone walk up behind him and turned to find a very troubled looking Cragen standing there. "Cragen, where the hell is Olivia?"
Olivia sat impatiently awaiting the signal to begin boarding the United flight to Denver. She tapped her foot nervously and habitually rubbed her hands over stomach.
"You okay?" questioned Hunt gently.
"Yes, of course!" Olivia said, putting on a false smile.
"Okay, well hold on a second. I have to call my boss really quickly." Hunt said, patting her shoulder briefly. He then stood and walked out of her earshot and dialed a number. A very gruff sounding man picked up. "I got her. She is coming to Denver with me."
Hunt could tell the man on the other line was smiling as he answered, "Good. And she believes the daughter is here?"
"Oh yes. Thinks she's going undercover."
"Good man. Now get her nice and safe into Denver. Didn't I tell you she was quite the beautiful thing?"
"Yes, you did. And I now am glad I let you talk me into a cheaper money price and more of a… physical reward from her. But I thought I should tell you… I talked to her boss, and her husband is not the type to sit this type of thing out. He is going to come after her, I know it."
"Don't worry Hunt. I know exactly how we can detain him permanently in New York. Just get the bitch to Denver. The sooner you do, the sooner she's yours."
Hunt clicked his phone shut and walked back over to Olivia. "Sorry. Looks like we're boarding." he said, gesturing to the board. Olivia nodded and smiled at him. She stood and walked up to the stewardess, handing her their tickets. Hunt stepped up behind her, laying a hand on her back. He felt her tense slightly and smirked. She had no idea what was in store for her.