Chapter 12: The Blame Game
Olivia laughed. She'd just had doubts about Fin, of all people. Fin was the toughest male cop on the team next to Elliot, and she knew in her head that he could take care of Munch as well as himself. She knew he was an experienced cop who could handle anything that was thrown at him. Still, she knew the risks, and they terrified her beyond belief. What if the guys who grabbed Hope got up their courage and came back, this time with a gun? What if they were looking for Hope? What if they could outsmart Fin and Munch somehow? These questions were racing through her mind when she heard Elliot's gentle voice.
"Liv?" he asked quietly. "What's goin' on?"
She sighed. "I keep playing the what-if game in my head with Fin, Munch, and those guys who grabbed Hope," she confessed as she glanced over at the young girl, who had fallen asleep on the couch across from them.
Elliot wrapped his arms around her, quietly shushing her sudden sobs. "Don't beat yourself up, Liv," he soothed. "You didn't see this coming. You couldn't have. The good news is, Hope's safe now. Munch scared them off."
"Are you sure?" she asked shakily. "I mean, what if they came back?"
"If they did, I'm sure Munch and Fin took care of them.," he replied as he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"How can you be so sure?" she questioned. "What if they managed to outsmart them somehow?"
"Livia, they can take care of themselves,' he told her gently. "They're experienced cops. They can handle anything."
Olivia nodded. "I know that in my head, but in my heart, I can't help feeling like they're in danger," she confessed.
"You
wanna go back them up?" he asked.
She nodded again. "But
what about Hope?" she wondered.
Elliot speed-dialed Cragen's office, but Olivia stopped the call from going through. "What gives?" he asked.
She laughed. "A, Cragen's right down the hall, and B, she may not trust him," she answered.
He nodded. "Good point, but what can we do?" he questioned. "I mean, we can't put her in the line of fire,"
Olivia agreed with him, but she still felt confused. What could they do, really? They were stuck. They couldn't leave Hope alone, but they desperately wanted to help their friends. They'd never been so conflicted over a case in all the time that they had worked together.
