Hi guys, here's the next chapter. The next 3 chapters should be comming quicker than they have in the past...sorry for the wait.
As always, thanks to all my loyal reviewers. You guys make my day.
Supreme Court - People vs. Hector and Juan Alvarez
Court was just about to start. Olivia and Serena were just outside the courtroom trying to calm Mackenzie down, Casey was sitting at the prosecutor's table jotting down some last minute notes and Hector and Juan Alvarez were sitting at the defense table with their attorney trying to figure out how they were going to manage to get out of this with their lives. Sergei and Stephan Markovic had plead out, so there wouldn't be a trial for them. With Casey's help, they would spend the rest of their lives in jail.
Elliot, the ER doctor who treated Mackenzie, Mackenzie's physiatrist, the paramedics who brought Mackenzie to the emergency room and the lab technician who ran the DNA tests had all testified on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The defense was scheduled to open their case next week. Olivia had testified yesterday, so today it was all up to Mackenzie.
"Alright Mackenzie, there are going to be federal agents all over the courtroom. They'll be in plain clothes because they're undercover, so you won't know who they are, but they're there." Olivia explained. The Feds knew full well how much danger Mackenzie was putting herself in by testifying, so they made sure that she was well protected, all the way down to the hidden Kevlar vest she was wearing and the paramedics outside the courthouse. True, you have to go through metal detectors and security guards to get into the courthouse, but a few have been known to manage to sneak in weapons.
"And we'll both be in there." Olivia said, motioning to herself and Serena. "So will Casey, Elliot, Munch, Fin and Captain Cragen." Cragen thought of his whole squad as his family. He had a special place in his heart for his lead female detective and SVU's first resident ADA. Since this case involved their daughter, it was given top priority and got the whole squad's attention.
Then the bailiff came out and called Mackenzie's name. It was time for her testimony. Olivia nodded and went in first, giving Serena a minute to speak with her client.
"Okay Mackenzie this is it. You know what to do. Casey and I have prepped the hell out of you, so you should be all set." That was an understatement. Being summer, Mackenzie didn't have school, so practically everyday since they had gotten an incitement, either Casey or Serena had been going over Mackenzie's testimony with her, grilling her with possible defense questions and getting her used to an actual courtroom. Serena had even brought her to watch one of Casey's trials, just so she could get a feel for the typical activity in a courtroom during a trial. She had been a little overwhelmed at first, but she got used to it after a few visits. That was exactly why Serena had brought her. It's better to be overwhelmed during someone else's trial rather that your own.
Unconsciously, Mackenzie's hands began to shake. Serena took her hands and made Mackenzie look her straight in the eyes. "Listen to me Mackenzie. You can do this. Just go in there and tell the truth."
Mackenzie shuddered and let out a long, staggered breath. "Tell the truth…okay…I can do that."
"Good." Serena moved aside. "Than let's go."
Mackenzie entered the room first. It was a lot more crowed that she had imagined it would be. Both sides of the aisle were almost completely filled. She didn't know anyone sitting on the defense side, but that was a good thing. As she walked, she realized that she hardly knew anyone on her side either. A few, she recognized from the precinct and around the DA's office. Like Bureau Chief Elizabeth Donnelly and District Attorney Arthur Branch. As she walked further, she saw Olivia, Elliot, Munch, Fin and Cragen all sitting in the front row. There was also her aunt Elisabeth and soon to be uncle David sitting with them. She had met her aunt for the first time, well the first time that she remembers, at her grandmother's funeral. Casey had turned her chair around and was talking with Olivia, but she stopped as Mackenzie neared.
The bailiff opened the gate and escorted Mackenzie to the witness stand where she was sworn in. Serena took a seat next to Olivia and whispered something to Casey before Casey stood up to begin her examination.
"Please state your full name and birthdate for the record." Casey asked as she crossed over to the left side of the witness stand.
"Mackenzie Paige Cabot, June 22, 1989."
"Alright Mackenzie, we're going to start at the very beginning. What do you remember about the day you were kidnapped?"
The defense attorney, Trevor Langan, stood up. "Objection, leading."
"Your honor." Casey pleaded.
"Overruled." The judge ordered. "Take it easy Mr. Langan." She turned to Mackenzie. "You may answer the question."
Mackenzie nodded and looked over at the defendants, the two men responsible for turning her whole life upside down and causing her all sorts of pain, and she became very nervous. Casey caught this and moved in front of her, blocking her from seeing them and vice versa. Then Mackenzie seemed to gain a little confidence.
"Well, I was getting into a cab and then I felt a sharp pain on the back of my head. Then I passed out." Mackenzie began.
"What happened when you woke up?" Casey asked.
The defense attorney stood up again. "Objection, leading."
"What?" Casey asked in disbelief. "Since she's here right now, I'm guessing that she did, at some point, wake up."
"Overruled." The judge ordered, again.
"Go ahead Mackenzie." Casey instructed.
Mackenzie explained everything, from the time she woke-up in the warehouse until she was taken into the smaller room. "It was a small, dark room. I remember there being a camera in one of the corners by the door. This guy…he…he…he gave me a shot that…it sort of paralyzed me. I couldn't…I couldn't move or talk, but all of my senses became like a hundred times better." Casey handed her a tissue and gave her a minute.
"Who gave you the shot?" Casey asked, moving over toward the jury box.
Mackenzie swallowed hard. "Juan Alvarez."
Casey nodded. Go on."
"Then he asked me where my mother was, my biological mother…And I told him that I didn't know, that I was trying to figure that out before they took me…He asked me that question everyday and I still gave him the same answer." She paused for a minute. "And…when I told him that…he gave me the shot and he and this other guy…they raped me…It was like he expected my answer to change."
Casey gave Mackenzie another minute to collect herself before she asked her last question. "Mackenzie…do you see the men who raped you in this courtroom today?"
"Yeah." Mackenzie nodded and pointed to the defendants.
"Let the record reflect that the witness has identified the defendants, Hector and Juan Alvarez." Casey said, making her way back to her chair.
"The record so shall reflect." The judge ordered. "Court will be in recess until 2pm."
-Later that Day-
"Objection!" Casey nearly yelled as she stood up and slammed her hands down on the table. She, Judge Petrovsky, the jury and everyone else in the courtroom were all disgusted and fed up with the way the defense was treating Mackenzie. "Defense is essentially accusing the victim of kidnapping, torturing and raping herself!"
"I am simply saying that she may have hired someone to do this to her." Mr. Langan explained.
"What would she gain by doing that?" Casey stared at him in disbelief. "Look at her!" She gestured toward Mackenzie, who was no longer confidant, but had her knees up to her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks and was rocking back and forth in the stand. "She is scared to death. She's so scared in fact, that she's having a panic attack…And you think that she did this to herself?" Casey was fuming, she had heard a bunch of ridiculous explanations, but this one took the cake. She was glad that Olivia, Munch, Fin, Cragen and Elliot had been called away because of another case and were not in the room right now.
The defense attorney was at a loss for words. Just as Judge Petrovsky was about to speak, Mackenzie passed out and fell out of the witness stand. "Bailiff, clear the courtroom, we're in recess. Have the defendants brought back to Rikers and Mr. Langan here arrested for contempt of court." Petrovsky ordered.
With all the agents in the room, everyone was out in a matter of seconds and the paramedics were on their way in.
Casey was the first to get to Mackenzie's side, then Serena. "Not again Mackenzie." Serena said.
"What do you mean not again?" Casey asked. She and Serena were doing everything they could think of to wake her up.
"She did this once in the hospital, when Olivia was first getting her statement."
"How long did it take her to wake-up?"
"I don't know? The doctor said that she was fine a minute or so after we left, but…" Serena trailed off and listened to Mackenzie's chest. "Shit, she's not breathing. Case, her bag is on the front bench right next to where I was sitting, her epi-pen is right in the front pocket." Casey ran across the courtroom as Serena began CPR.
"Serena." Casey found the epi-pen and threw it to Serena. Within seconds of her jabbing the epi-pen into Mackenzie's thigh, Mackenzie regained consciousness and began coughing. Then Casey brought her inhaler over and helped her to sit up and use it. She was somewhat able to breathe after that, but she had a nasty gash on her forehead, right above her right eye, from the fall and was very confused.
Just then, the paramedics' barged in. "Well it took you long enough." Petrovsky fumed. In all the commotion, Serena and Casey had forgotten the judge's presence.
"Sorry your honor." One of the paramedics apologized.
"Where the hell were you for the past six minutes? If it hadn't been for these two's fast actions, this girl would be dead."
The paramedics quickened their pace to Mackenzie. They weren't about to tell an angry judge that they had walked three blocks away from the courthouse to get a cup of coffee and that's why they took so long getting into the courtroom.
Luckily for Mackenzie, both of the paramedics were females. She still has some serious male trust issues and refused to let any man, save for Elliot, Munch, Fin and Cragen, within ten feet of her.
After a few minutes, it became apparent to the paramedics that Mackenzie needed to be taken to a hospital.
"No." Mackenzie breathed through the oxygen mask.
"Ms. Cabot, you need to be checked out by a physician. That gash on your forehead needs to be sutured and you have a mild concussion."
"I'm not going."
The paramedics looked to Serena in a silent plea, but it was no use. This girl had inherited her mother's stubborn streak and when her mind was made up, there was no negotiating.
Serena sighed and turned to the paramedics. "Can't you do it here?"
Reluctantly the paramedics agreed, although not before briefing Serena and Casey on treating head wounds and dealing with concussions. After another fifteen minutes with the oxygen mask, a nebulizer treatment and sixteen stitches, Mackenzie was a little shaky, but other than that she was as good as new.
Once assured that Mackenzie was going to be fine, the paramedics left and all the agents and court officers went to stand guard in the hall outside the courtroom, which was now filled with reporters trying to get in. It was well known that news travels fast through the criminal justice system. But it wasn't known how fast until the incident had been on every news channel and radio station only ten minutes after it began.
"Are you alright sweetheart?" A worried Judge Petrovsky asked. It wasn't everyday that you had the most popular courtroom in the whole courthouse.
"I'm fine your honor, just a bit confused." Mackenzie answered as she tried to stand up.
"Maybe you should sit for a little longer." Casey said at seeing how much trouble Mackenzie was having trying to stand up.
"No, it will be better once I start moving around." She explained, finally getting to her feet.
Petrovsky laughed. "Every bit as stubborn as her mother."
Mackenzie grimaced. "And darn proud to be." She hadn't meant it to be funny, but everyone was laughing, so she decided to go along with it…until Olivia came running into the room.
"Mackenzie!" She ran over to Mackenzie. "What the hell happened? You've been on TV and the radio and no two have the same story-"
"Hey!" Mackenzie yelled to get her attention. "Easy, mild concussion here." She, Casey and Serena then proceeded to tell Olivia everything that had happened.
"And that's how I got this." Mackenzie pointed to the wound on her forehead.
Olivia took a minute to take it all in and then she hugged her daughter. "You sure you're okay."
Mackenzie signed. "Yes mother."
"Olivia, why don't you go home and get some rest." Casey interrupted. "Mackenzie can spend the day with Serena and I and I'm sure that Cragen will let you take the rest of the day off."
"No he won't." Cragen said as he walked through the courtroom doors. "He's ordering you to take the rest of the day off and rest."
"And Casey," Petrovsky began. Casey was shocked. She used her first name. It was well known that Judge Lena Petrovsky only used first names with people she had the utmost respect for and it takes a lot to gain her respect. Apparently, saving someone's life did it. 'I should have thought of this a while ago.' Casey thought. "We'll put off the trial for the rest of the day and reconvene tomorrow. That was we can all have a break."
On the way out of the courtroom, Mackenzie was bombarded by reporters. Finally, on the courthouse steps, Serena agreed to let Mackenzie answer a few questions. Cragen announced that a formal conference would be held later.
Apartment of Olivia Benson
Olivia was glad to have the day off, but what she wasn't glad to have was all this time alone. Already today she had cleaned her apartment, done her laundry, done the dishes that had somehow managed to take over her sink, gone grocery shopping, finished reading a few books and went for a long run that would cover her for the next two weeks. She knew that she was supposed to be resting, but she couldn't. She was too worried about Mackenzie. The fact that she had little time left with her newly adopted daughter was weighing heavily on her mind.
The ringing of her telephone pulled Olivia from her thoughts.
"Olivia Nichole Benson! What are you doing? You should be asleep or at least resting." Olivia had to laugh at her daughter's mock seriousness.
"Said the one with the concussion." Olivia retorted.
"Ha! I can't sleep for at least six hours, so there."
Olivia yawned. "And what makes you think that I wasn't."
"Because I know you. You can't stand not having anything to do. And-if you had been resting, you wouldn't be tired."
The detective knew when to admit defeat. "Okay, okay you caught me. I've just been thinking."
"About?"
"About you and your mom."
Mackenzie knew where this was going. "Olivia listen to me. I'm not going to be away that long. I leave when the trial's over, right? That means that the Alvarez's will join the other two in jail. That means that one very powerful Columbian drug ring and the one very powerful Russian drug ring will be with out their leaders. That means that they will be unable to get the stuff they need to make money and therefore, we will have put a very serious dent in their plans. That means that they will blame each other. That means that there will be a huge fight. That means that most of them won't make it out alive. That means the two groups will fall apart. That means that, more than likely, all the remaining people will all be killed in a power war or join other groups, but either way, both groups are gone." She paused for a moment to make sure that Olivia was following her. "That means that I will be able to come back soon and so will mom. You just have to believe it Liv." She paused and let out a long sigh. "And stop crying."
Olivia didn't know how they did it, but both of her Cabot girls could always tell when she was happy or sad, laughing or crying. All without her even making a sound. So, she followed her daughter's advice and stopped crying.
"You feel better now?"
"Yeah." Olivia sighed. "I do." Truth be told, just hearing her daughter's voice made her feel better, another trait shared by both Cabot's. But Mackenzie had made a lot of sense. "I just wish that I could believe as much as you do." She muttered.
"It's not easy Liv, but what else do we have to believe in?"
Olivia thought...She was right.
"Okay well, I have to go now, but Casey wants to talk to you."
"Okay then I guess I'll talk to you later."
"No you won't. As soon as you're done on the phone, you're going straight to bed…Got it?" Mackenzie instructed.
"Yes mom." Olivia joked.
Mackenzie laughed. "Night Liv."
"Night sweetie. Love you."
"Love you too. Here's Casey." She said as she turned the phone over to Casey.
"You hear that detective? No dessert and go straight to bed." Casey joked.
"Geeze, she's worse than her mother."
"You're all she's got Olivia." Casey said, turning the tone of their conversation. "She wants to make sure that you'll be okay."
"Yeah, I know." Olivia admitted.
"And besides, I do believe that you were given a direct order to get some rest. You wouldn't want me to have to report you to your superior officer now would you?"
"Okay, okay…fine, I get the hint." She shook her head and sighed. :"So, what's up councilor?"
"I just wanted to let you know that the trial should be over in four to five weeks."
Olivia knew that it would be sooner, but she wasn't supposed to, so she pretended to be surprised. "Wow…why so soon?'
"Well everyone wants this case over fast. And since Langan made Mackenzie pass out, actually stop breathing and get a concussion, Petrovsky is denying every motion her makes as well as keeping his ass locked in Rikers." The both laughed at the last bit of information.
"Well he deserves that, but how can you be so sure that the jury will make-up their minds that fast?"
Casey hesitated, which was duly noted by the detective. Casey knew that Olivia would not like what she was about to tell her. "We're considering a plea bargain."
"Excuse me!" Olivia couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Before you say anything, it was Mackenzie's idea. I've offered them both life without any possibility of parole. It's not a good offer, it's actually a pretty shitty offer, but they'll get away with their lives. But if we continue with the trial and the jury finds them guilty, I'll definitely go for the death penalty, no questions asked." Casey explained.
"It was Mackenzie's idea?" Olivia asked, making sure that she heard right. "Since when does Casey-no deals-Novak let anyone tell her what to do with a case, let alone a fifteen-year-old?"
Casey didn't reply. She knew that Olivia was just upset and needed to release her anger on someone. "Okay, well I better get going or we'll be late."
"Late for what?" Olivia asked curiously.
"For our manicures of course." Casey stated, like they'd be doing anything else.
"Oh, why didn't I think if that?" Olivia said, playing along.
Casey laughed. "See you tomorrow detective."
"See you tomorrow councilor." Olivia was about to hang up, when Casey's voice came back through the phone.
"Oh and Liv, Mackenzie says go straight to bed."
"Yeah, yeah, tell her I'm going."
"Alright, bye."
"Bye." Olivia hung up the phone and headed down the hall to her bathroom. After a nice, long, hot bath she would go to bed and try sleeping…But she wasn't promising anything.