Don't Leave Me
Elliot looked up as his partner came through the door. "Hey. Cragen was looking for you when we left," he said. Olivia smiled.
"So I heard."
"Detectives, you're going to want to see this," Warner said, sticking her head out of the lab door. Elliot got up and went in, followed quickly by Olivia. She knew she was off the case, but this was her daughter they were talking about. "I don't see how that kid's lived as long as she as," Warner said, showing them several x-rays. "These aren't even the worst." It was obvious from the pictures they were looking at that she'd been abused for several years. "She's got at least two fractures on the right side of her lower jaw alone. Everything on her face has healed, but I found a pretty recent fracture to her third vertebrae."
"What the hell was the bastard doing to her?" Elliot asked. It was a rhetorical question, but Olivia couldn't help herself.
"Being the same damn bastard he always was," she said. She didn't even realize she'd let it slip.
"What did you say?" Elliot asked. Olivia looked away. "Liv, if you know something, you sure as hell better spill it." She sighed.
"Kaitlyn's my daughter. Her father's a bastard; he ran off with her when she was six months old. Until a few hours ago, I didn't even know she was still alive," she told him. Elliot just looked at her, stunned. She looked around anxiously. "I need to get her home. Can we talk about this later?"
"Yeah. I'll call you when I get off," he said. Olivia nodded, walking back out to where Kaitlyn was waiting.
"Can we go now?" Kaitlyn asked. Olivia nodded.
"Yeah, let's go."
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"Benson," Olivia said, answering her ringing cell phone.
"It's me."
"Hi, me. I suppose you want me to explain, huh?"
"I'd kind of like to hear it, considering I'm now working your daughter's case, and I didn't even know you had a daughter," Elliot replied. Olivia could hear that he was upset.
"I didn't think it mattered. Like I said, before today I didn't even know she was still alive," Olivia replied.
"What did you mean when you said he was being 'the same damn bastard?' Did he hurt you?" Elliot asked. Olivia knew it would get personal.
"By the time I married Nicolai, I didn't even feel it any more. We were married for two months before he started hitting me. He quit while I was pregnant, but after she was born… he was worse after that. He turned into my mother," she said. She was having a hard time keeping her composure as she spoke.
"Your mother… Liv, why didn't you tell me?" he asked. He wasn't accusing. She could hear the worry in his voice.
"It's personal, El," she whispered. Tears were streaming down her face already.
"Don't cry, Livia. I'm coming, okay?" he asked.
"Please."
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Olivia laid her head gently on Elliot's chest, glad to feel comforted again. "I'm sorry, El. You should go check on your kids," she said, not moving.
"They're fine. Kathy's mom has them for the week," he said. "We'll get him, Liv. We'll make him pay for what he did to you. Both of you."
"Thank you," she whispered. She gently leaned up and kissed his cheek, before pulling away. "We shouldn't." She quickly sat up.
"Olivia," Elliot whispered.
"We'll get in trouble, El. We'll lose our badges," she said. Elliot sat up and wrapped his arms around her.
"You're worth it, Liv. I can't help but love you," he told her. She relaxed and leaned back into his embrace. He gently kissed her on the cheek.
"I love you too," she whispered.