"You're never home anymore, it's like you don't even exist!" Kathy Stabler screamed at her husband.
"Well, I'm sorry, I can't control the sick perverts of New York, and I'm sorry I have to work my ass off to pay for everything in this house!" Elliot Stabler yelled back.
"It's not just that, it's well it's the fact that we don't even talk anymore."
"Listen" Elliot yelled but he lowered his voice when he saw that Maureen, their 10 yr old daughter was in the next room. "it's not like I don't want to, it's…what am I supposed to say,' Hi honey today we found a teenage girl dead n the gutter." He replied sarcastically.
"I know it's hard but" Elliot interrupted her
"Look I gotta get to work, maybe I'll tell you about it when I get home." He said snidely as he slammed the front door behind him.
"Hey, El, what's up?"
Elliot put on a smile as he was greeted by his partner Olivia Benson of 4 years at the New York Special Victims Unit.
"Hey, nothing much, just the usual."
"Kathy at you again?" Olivia asked sincerely.
"You better believe it." Elliot threw his coat over his chair, and then slumped into it.
"What's Cragen got for us today?" He asked Olivia.
"Dunno, he was waiting for us all to get here." And just as if he heard them talking, the door to Cragen's office opened and Captain Donald Cragen walked out. "Benson, Stabler, get in here!" he called.
Olivia and Elliot immediately walked into Cragen office, with Elliot placing his hand on the small of Olivia's back as he led her in. John Munch and Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola were already in the office waiting for them.
"So, what's up?" questioned Munch leaning against the wall.
"Well it's like this Richard White's parole officer has just told me that he has skipped town."
"Yeah so?" questioned Fin.
"Yeah I remember that name, he's the guy that Elliot and I collared, raped two women didn't he? And he told El he'd…" Olivia trailed off as she looked at Elliot.
Elliot remembered it all too well, they caught him after he fixated on Liv (which he was surprised she didn't mention it) he also remembered what he had said to him through the interrogation room window once he confessed. 'How's your wife and daughter detective Stabler, don't worry I'll see all of you soon. Don't you worry about that'
"I gotta make a call" he said as he jumped up and raced over to the other side of Cragen's desk. As he dialled the number to his home he said a silent pray to himself 'Please pick up Kath' the phone rang eight times before the answering machine picked up. ' Hi this is Elliot, Kathy and Maureen's house, we're not home right now, so please leave a message and we'll try and get back to you' "Sandra I'm worried, call me back as soon as you get this."
Maureen could here the phone ring from her bedroom but she hurt too much to move "Daddy" she called as the answering machine picked up and his voice played through the quiet house. "Help." She was scared that the man would come back and hurt her like he had just done, she vaguely remembered what happened, but she knew that a man with a face like a devils had come in and started hitting her on the face, he mum had tried to stop him but he hit her too "Mummy are you alright?" she murmured, but no one but the silence of the house answered her cries.
"Are you alright?" came John's voice from above his head. Elliot looked up and saw John standing over him.
"Yeah, sure" he lied
"Come on Stabler, I've known you long enough to know when you're lying"
"It's Sandra" he caved in and began to tell him everything from the fight this morning to the threat White had uttered to him.
"Elliot, I think you and Liv should get down there and check on them that's a pretty serious threat, I'll cover for you with the boss"
"Yeah, I know" he stood up and looked in Olivia's direction and without having to say anything she new exactly what he wanted and she followed him out "thanks John"
"Kathy, Maureen" he cried as he and Olivia walked through the silent house, their hands out in front holding their guns just in case.
"Daddy" came Maureen's faint voice from her bedroom.
Elliot filled with panic as he looked at Olivia who looked equally as panicked.
"The bedroom" said Elliot as he ran towards it. "Oh god Maureen." He almost broke down as he saw his little girl lying helpless and beaten on her bed. "Baby, what happened? Are you ok?"
"The man hit me, then he hit mummy"
As she said the words mummy Elliot shot back to reality "Where's mummy Maureen?"
"I don't know" and she began to cry.
"Ssshhh, don't worry" he stood up and told Olivia to stay with Maureen
"I just called an ambulance they'll be here in a few"
Elliot didn't answer he was already out the bedroom door and walking towards his and Kathy's' bedroom not sure if he wanted to see what he dreadfully expected. As he steeped through the door way his eyes welled up with tears and anger as he saw his wife unconscious and half naked on their bed. He rushed to her side. "Kathy, speak to me, come on please answer me" His voice was shaking with fright for his wife. She didn't answer him she lay motionless on the bed. He could here the ambulance sirens as they pulled up in front of their home, he covered her up with a light cotton blanket so he didn't disturb the evidence that this bastard had left behind and held onto her hand.
"Elliot, shit man, are you alright?" he barely looked up but he knew it was Fin and Munch.
"Check on Maureen" was all he could say.
He held her hand as the ambulance officers put her on a stretcher and wheeled her out onto the street where a crowd was already gathering. Maureen was brought outside on a stretcher soon after.
"Daddy" she called out to him.
Elliot put on a rave face and walked over to her, "Yeah Baby, what's wrong? I'm here now"
"I'm scared"
"Hey it's alright, Olivia's gonna ride with you in the ambulance ad you can tell me all about it later okay."
"Where are you going daddy?"
"I'm riding in the ambulance with mummy okay"
She was lifted into the ambulance as he kissed her on the forehead, the only place not bruised and swollen.
"Hey is anybody riding with her, we gotta get to the hospital quick." Shouted one of the ambulance officers. Elliot rushed to the ambulance and jumped in just before the door was shut. As the ambulance drove the streets Elliot prayed for his wife and then he looked straight into her eyes. "Please don't leave me, I need you." He whispered to her and hoped she would hear.
"Elliot, how are you?" came fins voice from down the hospital hall. Elliot didn't look up cause he had been crying and he didn't want anyone to know.
"Liv, Munch and Cragen are on their way, man I can't believe this happened, I mean how's Maureen?" His face showed so much concern that he had to answer him.
"She's sleeping; I just came out to get her a drink, for when she wakes up"
"What about Kathy"
"They won't let me see her…" He paused and they sat in silence for a few minutes. "I see this every day and it hurts to see people I don't even know go through this, but this is my family who are in pain, I don't know if I can do it anymore"
"Don't worry about anything they're both fighters"
"It's my fault" Elliot muttered "It's all my fault"
"No way is this your fault, you did nothing wrong."
"I didn't protect them, I can protect anyone else every day but when it comes to my own family I'm never there. Well that's what Kathy said. She said I was never there anymore, and she's right I wasn't there when they needed me most." He couldn't help it but his eyes began to fill with tears again.
"There is no way you could of predicted this, this guy is sick."
"But its true isn't it"
"What?" Fin looked puzzled
"I am never there, I'm always out solving everyone else problems but my family comes second to my job. Do you know what the last time I saw Kathy we were fighting? There is no way I can ever forgive myself if she doesn't pull through."
"First of all Elliot you have a job, you have to make some sacrifices but that doesn't mean you love Kathy and Maureen any less. Secondly she will pull through and you're gonna have to be there for her because she loves you and you love her." Just as he finished speaking a nurse came out from a room down the hall. "You can go in and see her, but I must warn you she's not awake and there are some things the doctor will have to tell you about your wife's condition."
"What do you mean, can't you tell me?"
"I'm sorry, I don't have that information." She said sympathetically.
Elliot was confused and scared. "Which room is it?"
"That one, just there" she motioned with her head.
"I'll wait outside for the others, okay" said fin
"Yeah sure" he said as he opened the door to her room, "Kathy, it's me Elliot how are you?" she lay motionless unaware of his presence beside her bed. He grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed it. "What happened to you? I promise I'll catch him no matter what it takes, he hurt you and Maureen and he'll pay for it." He sat in silence for awhile watching as the machines controlled what little life seemed to be in her. "Kathy, I'm so sorry I haven't been there for you and Maureen, and I swear when you get through this I'll give up my job and spend more time as a family. I just more than anything want you to know that I love you and Maureen, more than anything in this world. He was interrupted y a knock at the door and a familiar face appeared at the door.
"So it's true" said Julie Smith who was a nurse at the hospital, she had known Elliot for years through his work through the SVU. "I spoke to Fin outside how you holding up?"
"Julie this is torture, I'm so scared" he murmured.
"It must be terrible for you; Fin says Maureen's calling for you."
"Jesus Christ, Maureen, I forgot, how could I forget what kind of father am I?"
"He, hey calm down." She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder "You're not a bad father or a bad husband."
His gaze shifted towards the container in her hand. "What's that?' Julie followed his gaze and looked slightly ashamed,
"It's…well it's a rape kit, I'm sorry el but you know ii have to do it."
"You can't touch her Julie, Please."
She could tell he'd been through enough already, and she too felt like crying, "Listen El, why don't you go in and see Maureen, I'll only be a little while, I promise."
He knew it was going to have to happen, whether he wanted it to or not, and besides Maureen needed him so he left. On his way to Maureen's room he saw Cragen, Olivia and Fin waiting for him.
"Munch is asking around you know seeing if anybody saw or heard anything that might help." Elliot didn't say anything.
"How are you' asked Cragen, "Actually don't answer that one , look if you need a month or so off you're more than welcome to it.." Still he said nothing.
"How Kath?" asked Olivia he looked up and saw that she had been crying as well, and he didn't blame her she was there with him when he found them and she was also really close to Maureen.
"Unconscious, I'm waiting for the doctor; he's supposed to tell me what's happening."
"We're gonna get him Elliot I swear we won't stop until he dead or behind bars." Elliot looked up and saw that they were all nodding in agreement with what Fin had just said.
"Thanks but I promised, Kathy and Maureen that I'd get him." He knew what was coming next.
"You know I can't let you get involved, and anyway you need to be here for Maureen and Kathy." Cragen said apologetically.
"I've gotta go and see Maureen.
