A/N: Okay, so the story's starting to wind down now. I'm thinking that it'll probably be one more chapter. It's winter vacation now, so I'm finding fewer excuses to be delayed in posting. I hope to have the last chapter up within the next few days. Please don't hate me too much for this chapter. I know, I'm evil.
Once again, many many many thanks to all my reviewers. I'm going to take the time to recognize them all now, and I hope to see any new and returning readers to be added to my last. Happy Holidays to all!
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Candy Canes to all!
Chapter 9
Elliot fucking hated the waiting game. That was the game that he had to play while he watched his partner be a prisoner of a psycho and almost everyday on the job while trying to crack a case. There was always waiting, and he hated it. Munch and Fin had arrived shortly after Cragen did. They'd made numerous attempts to offer Elliot food and coffee, but to no avail. It was probably good though. Elliot certainly didn't need any more fuel to encourage his pacing. Cragen meanwhile was on and off the phone making arrangements to get the station cleaned up.
Three hours had passed since Olivia had been brought in and nobody had given them any word on her condition. Munch would have punched Elliot for not sitting down a long time ago, but he knew how upset Elliot was at the moment and the chance of any of them calming him down was slim. A steady click of a woman's shoes came towards the group of men, but unfortunately, from the wrong direction.
"Casey," Cragen said, standing up to meet the District Attorney. She was dressed in jeans for once, which seemed very out of place to her dress suites, but at the same time just as flattering. Her shoulder length reddish-brown hair fell to her shoulders in a sleek fashion, just as it normally did; not a single strand out of place.
"It's all over the news. Is Olivia okay?" Casey demanded. Elliot stopped his pacing upon her arrival.
"We haven't heard anything yet," Munch responded.
"Detectives?" The whole group turned around to face a woman in a white coat. Her brown hair was tied back in a tight French braid. She stood with a clip board in hand.
"I'm Captain Don Cragen, head of the Special Victims Unit. How is she?" Cragen said introducing himself. The others stood up and gathered around him, waiting for an answer.
"I'm Dr. Tracy Fisk, head of surgery," she said introducing herself. "Ms. Benson had several broken ribs that were set, some lacerations on her wrists that needed stitches, as well as a concussion." She paused as if preparing how to say what she had to say next. "We've been unable to determine the severity of her concussion. X-rays shows that she suffered significant head trauma, however, there is nothing to make us believe that any motor functions were affected by this injury, but the next twenty-four hours will tell us more of what we can expect when she wakes up."
"What do you mean what to expect?" Elliot demanded trying to see through the doctor's carefully chosen words.
Dr. Fisk sighed. "With this kind of injury, there are many things that can affect recovery. A blood clot or even bleed outs are not so uncommon with this sort of injury, but would be detrimental if not caught in time." Eliot's eyes went wide, but she rushed on. "We're monitoring her very closely, and at this moment, we have no reason to believe that they might be an issue."
"Say none of that happens, what can we expect after the twenty-four hours are up?" Munch asked.
Dr. Fisk gave a slight nod. "Assuming nothing happens, there's a very good chance there will be a full recovery. However, even in the event that nothing happens, there is still a chance for various forms of amnesia or in extreme cases, a coma."
"But this is not an extreme case," Cragen struggled to clarify and wipe the looks of horror off his companions faces as well as calm his own sense of anxiety.
Dr. Fisk gave them a sad smile. "I can give you a more positive outlook when the twenty-four hours are up, but not before then, I'm sorry."
"Where is she?" Elliot's question was almost at a whisper, so quiet that even he was surprised that anyone heard it.
"Fifth floor, ICU. Just tell the people at the desk who you are." Cragen muttered a thank-you as Dr. Fisk walked away. Meanwhile, Elliot already took the initiative to summon the elevator. A high pinched ring announced its arrival and Elliot immediately stepped in. Munch and Fin made a move to go forward, but Cragen held them back.
"We'll take the next one," Cragen stated, despite the fact that Elliot was the only occupant in the elevator. Cragen gave Elliot a look almost as an approving father. Elliot, though slightly confused, gave an expression of thanks anyway, the elevator doors closing before he could say another word.
The strain of the pulleys echoed loudly in the elevator mixed with the intermittent beeps announcing the passing of each floor. The elevator pulled to a stop and Elliot took a deep breath before stepping out.
9999
Dr. Stratham carefully adjusted his name tag over his left breast pocket so that it could easily be seen by anyone who walked by him. He had just completed his residency and wore his white coat proudly. He placed a black gel pen in the pocket underneath his name tag, slung his stethoscope around his neck, and closed the door to his locker. The twenty other lockers vibrated and reverberated a sound equivalent to a smack of a snare drum. Dr. Stratham walked over to the rectangular mirror that hung over a small white sink and checked his hair. He had long thick black curls that often protruded from his head in a disorderly manner. Today, he thought the wildness suited him. It made him look more mature. He smiled at his reflection, but then quickly turned around, startled. He had just caught a glimpse of someone entering the room, but when he turned around, no one was there.
He swallowed with uncertainty. His locker was located in the middle row that served as an island or barrier to the lockers located on either side of the walls.
"Hello?" Dr. Stratham called. He waited expectantly for an answer. If it was another doctor, he would immediately expect a reply, but none came. He shrugged with unease. He could easily push it out of his mind and say that he had just imagined it, but he really believed he had seen someone enter the room. It didn't matter anyway, he realized looking at his watch. It was time for his rounds.
Dr. Stratham made his way towards the door when he suddenly felt something catch him by the ankles and the ground quickly rose up to meet him. Before he knew what happened, the world went dark around him.
9999
Elliot looked through the glass with a feeling of déjà vu. The ICU was one large room with many beds. Each bed gained its solitude with a flimsy blue curtain. Elliot found himself back at the station watching Olivia helplessly. Her curtain remained open. He could see her limp form resting there, a white bandage wrapped around her head. If he didn't know everything that had happened to her, he could almost see it as a halo.
Needing now more than ever to be by her side, Elliot reached for the door and walked into the room taking a steady pace to her bedside. He paused there for a moment looking at her. She looked the same as before. The black eye hadn't been visible from where he stood, but it didn't make her look any less of an angel.
The white bandage covered most of hair and successfully kept it away from her brow. Her eyes remained shut. A white sheet covered her body and hid her other wounds. Elliot wished he could imagine that they weren't there, that the whole night had never happened, but it did, and Olivia was proof of that.
Elliot reached over and gently took her hand. He just held it for a moment, relishing in the closeness for a moment. Her hands lacked warmth, but somehow remained soft and almost delicate despite their line of work. He carefully brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. Then, ever so tenderly he pulled her fingers away from her palm and placed it next to his gruff cheek and held it there.
Elliot remembered reading somewhere that sometimes, even in sleep; people could hear you when you speak to them. He hoped some truth existed in those words because if he didn't talk to her and let her know how sorry he was, he would never forgive himself. He already questioned his ability to protect her as a partner and as a friend after everything that happened. He would do everything in his power to see that something like this never happened again, but seeing how Morgan had gotten around his watchful eyes and had specifically targeted Olivia, he wondered if it were possible to protect anyone any more.
"Olivia," he whispered, hoping that maybe she might in some way acknowledge his presence there, but her expression remained unchanged. "Olivia, you're so strong. You don't see many women out there doing what you do, but you take whatever is thrown at you and you fight back two-fold." Elliot closed his eyes. "I need you to be strong, keep fighting, Liv. I keep feeling like I let you down. You're not Superwoman, as much as you try to be," Elliot mumbled with affection, focusing on the touch of her hand as he spoke.
"You fought the whole time, Liv, and all I did was watch," Elliot pulled her hand away from his face as if punishing himself. "Don't—" Elliot whispered not even able to murmur the words. "Just don't— You have to let me make it up to you. Never again, Liv. Never again…" Elliot tried hard to keep the moisture in his eyes. He once again placed a gentle kiss on her hand before putting her hand back on her stomach gently.
Olivia remained silent and unresponsive the whole time. Elliot subconsciously allowed his thumb to travel over the plains, ridges and valleys of her hand. Before he even realized it or could stop himself the pools in his eyes over flowed as a steady river formed down his cheeks and disappeared in between the valley of her hand.
9999
Dr. Stratham stood up and brushed off his coat before once again adjusting his name tag. He glanced at the ground and found his stethoscope lying against the lockers. He bent down and picked it up and then double-checked his reflection in the mirror. Despite his moment of clumsiness, he looked good, and no one would ever know what took place. Dr. Stratham gave one last satisfied look in the mirror before making his way into the hall.
With a well placed smiled, he went up to the nurse's station and began to rummage through the charts there like he belonged there, like he did this all the time. Not finding the chart he was looking for, he looked up and his eyes met up with those of one of the female nurses working at the desk.
"Can I help you, Doctor?" She inquired, not even bother to look at his name tag. In fact, she only looked up long enough to ask the question before turning her attention back to the computer.
"I was asked to be a consultant to a patient's file, but I don't see her chart here," he said, still keeping his smile large for her benefit.
"Name?" the nurse asked, still not noticing any of his advances, or blatantly ignoring them, he couldn't be sure.
"Olivia Benson."
"S-O-N?" she asked.
"Yes." He tried desperately to keep the excitement out of his eyes, but he wasn't sure whether or not he fully succeeded, thankfully, she didn't seem to notice.
"She's in the ICU. Her chart's with them,' the nurse replied without even looking up. He felt his smile fade a notch. He needed to play this a little more carefully.
"Sorry, I'm new. Where's the ICU located?" The nurse gave him an odd look and glanced briefly at his nametag. He wondered if she knew him or he was supposed to know her, but she didn't seem to give any sign that she did.
"Upstairs, fifth floor." Dr. Stratham nodded his thanks. He didn't notice the confused look she gave to his back, as if something had just transpired that made her uncomfortable. However, a few seconds later the alarm went off signaling that someone was going into cardiac arrest and the meeting with Dr. Stratham slipped out of her mind.
9999
Elliot looked at his phone, startled by the interruption. His hand had not left Olivia's from the moment he took a seat by her side. The sound of the ringing however caused his hand to shoot quickly from hers to his phone so that he would not obstruct the silence of the room.
"Stabler." He stood up and turned away from Olivia briefly.
"This is Dr. Stratham calling from the Emergency Room where Olivia Benson was admitted. Are you still at the hospital?"
"Yes," Elliot answered, his brow furrowing in confusion. He thought Dr. Fisk was Olivia's doctor.
"We just need to have you verify some paperwork on her admittance. Do you think you could come down here, it'll only take a moment?" Elliot glanced at Olivia, not having any desire to leave her side. "I'm really sorry, but I promise it won't take long. It's just a few signatures."
"Alright, I'll be right there." Elliot slammed the lid to his phone closed and bent down to give Olivia a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving the room.
9999
Cragen, Casey, Munch, and Fin stood in the elevator on their way up to the fifth floor. Cragen felt he'd given Elliot enough alone time with Olivia. Once Munch and Fin got the opportunity to see her, he would suggest that they all go home and get some rest. It would take a lot of coaxing for Elliot, but he needed the sleep most of all.
"What's the situation with Morgan?" Casey asked as they passed the third floor.
"As far as I know he's in the examining room. They won't let us place a man in there, so I told them to call me as soon as he is moved to a private room." Casey nodded thoughtfully. The elevator gently surged up before settling back down at the entrance to the fifth floor. With a quick gentle "bing" the doors opened and they stepped out onto the floor in the direction of the receptionist's desk.
"Captain Cragen of Special Victims Unit, I'm here to see one of my detectives, Olivia Benson," he said, flashing his badge for verification.
"Right in there," she said, pointing to the glass room to her left. "No more than two at a time, though, I'm sorry." Cragen nodded his understanding.
"Munch, Fin," Cragen said with a quick gesture of his head towards the room.
"You sure, Cap?" Fin asked.
"Yeah, just don't take too long," Cragen said jokingly. Munch waved him off before heading into the room.
Munch and Fin walked over to Olivia's bedside and did a quick intake of breath. They didn't know the extent of her injuries. They hadn't seen everything she went through, but what they could see, horrified them.
"What did he do to you, baby girl?" Fin asked affectionately taking the hand Elliot had been treasuring and holding it in his own.
"You're going to get better and we're going to see that this guy goes away for a long time," Munch said while placing his hand gently on her shoulder.
"He won't get away with this," Fin agreed gently running circles with his thumb on the top of her hand. "He won't touch you again."
9999
"I'm sorry, Sir, but we didn't make any call to your cell phone," one of the nurses at the station on the first floor protested.
"The call wasn't made by a nurse. It was made by a doctor; Dr. Stratham," Elliot said slightly flustered. So much for only taking a moment, Elliot thought. Once he reached the nurse's station on the first floor, they kept giving him the same story. No one had made a call to his cell phone and there were no forms for him to fill out.
"Detective." Elliot looked up into the eyes of Dr. Fisk with recognition and relief. "What can I do for you?"
"I was told to come down here by a Dr. Stratham. He said some paper work needed to be filled out for Oliv—Detective Benson," Elliot said quickly correcting himself.
Dr. Fisk looked at him with confusion. "I'm Detective Benson's primary doctor. There are no papers for you to fill out. There must have been some misunderstanding. Dr. Stratham should never have seen her chart." An icy chill suddenly traveled down his spine and he paled.
"Detective, are you alright?" Dr. Fisk asked.
"Tell me, does a Dr. Stratham actually work here?" Elliot asked his expression urgent.
"Yes, actually, he just finished his residency," Dr. Fisk reassured. "There must have been some misplacement with her chart. It's nothing to be concerned about." Elliot liked to believe that but something didn't feel quite right.
He fumbled for his cell phone, searched through the history and held the number up in front of Dr. Fisk's nose. "Is this a number within the hospital?"
Dr. Fisk took the phone from Elliot's hand and looked at the number closely, thinking. "Yes, it's the number for one of the pay phones. They all have three-nine-four as the second set of numbers." She glanced at the number puzzled. "Why would he call from a pay phone? The phones at the desk are free."
Elliot felt his heart stop. None of this made sense. It seemed like a ploy; a way of luring Elliot from Olivia's room. Morgan, Elliot realized with horror. Without another moment's hesitation he grabbed his cell phone back from Dr. Fisk and ran to the elevators, frantically pushing the up button. Dr. Fisk was yelling something at him but he had no idea what.
"Call security!" Elliot shouted back. "Get security to the fifth floor now!" The door opened and Elliot rushed in while dialing his phone. He hoped Cragen by now, had already reached Olivia's room and that she wasn't alone up there. He pushed the button for the fifth floor and waited. Seconds later an automated message came on.
"I'm sorry, but the number you're trying to reach is currently in use. If you would like—" Elliot shut his phone angrily and opened it again. Come on Capt, get off the phone! Elliot pushed the redial button but got the same message and the elevator had just passed the second floor. Who the hell is he talking to?
9999
Morgan turned gently around the corner. He could see from where he stood two figures heading for the door of the ICU. As soon as they were outside, they met out with a short balding man and a pretty woman with reddish brown hair. He didn't understand why so many people were here. He looked down at Olivia's cell phone which he had found with the help of one of the nurses in an inpatient storage room. He wished he knew who this man was, because from where he stood, it looked like he intended to enter the room. He had to assume that he might recognize him.
Just then the tall skinny man with glasses called out as he and the black man walked away, "Hey Cap, can we get you anything?" The balding man shook his head and the other two men continued on their way. Morgan opened the phone eagerly and scrolled down Olivia's contact list. He paused over the name "Cragen." He seemed to remember that name. He thought over the time he had spent at the office as a lock smith. "Captain Don Cragen" was actually his full title, if he remembered correctly from the name plate on his door. That would mean the other guy's usage of "Cap" most likely was in reference to Cragen. With a smile he opened Olivia's phone and pulled up the number while he inserted some coins into the nearest pay phone. He watched in satisfaction as Cragen answered his phone.
"Cragen."
"Hi, Don Cragen?" Morgan confirmed in order to further his ploy.
"Yes, and this is?"
"This is Dr. Stratham from the ER. We need to discuss the procedure you want to take to secure a Mister Gregory Morgan. If you could come down to the first floor immediately we'll get everything taken care of." Morgan watched as Cragen nodded and covered his hand over the phone in order to whisper something to the woman standing next to him before making his way to the elevators.
"Alright, I'll be right down." Morgan hung up and waited till Cragen had entered the elevator before appearing. The woman meanwhile had already taken the opportunity to walk into the ICU. Morgan gritted his teeth. It would take too much time and be too difficult to try and lead this unknown woman away. He needed to act now. If this woman recognized him, he would just have to kill her.
Morgan felt his hand tighten on the syringe in his pocket. Yes, he was going to take care of Olivia Benson once and for all. She had lied to him and deceived him too many times. It was all going to end now.
9999
"Can I help you?" A nurse asked Cragen at the nurse's station on the first floor.
"Yes, I'm looking for a Dr. Stratham." The nurse gave Cragen a funny look.
"Dr. Stratham? You're sure?" She asked in a sort of disbelief.
"Yes, I'm sure. Why? Is there a problem?"
"No, there's no problem. Just Dr. Stratham apparently called another man down here a few minutes ago, but he's scheduled to work the second floor."
Cragen raised an eyebrow. "What man?"
"I'm not sure, he didn't give me his name," the nurse said thoughtfully. "But he was inquiring about a patient's file. A, um, Olivia Benson, I think."
Cragen's eyes widened at the news. "Tall man, short dark hair, sorta long tan forehead?"
The nurse thought for a moment. "Sounds about right."
Elliot, Cragen realized, but why would a doctor summon them both here and then not be here himself? Something felt off, but Cragen had to attend to Morgan at the moment. Once he did that, he could find Elliot and straighten things out.
"Well, I was just informed that Gregory Morgan was just finished being examined. Could you tell me what room he's in please?" The nurse went over to the computer and let her fingers fly across the keys.
"Room 135, down that hall to your right," the nurse said pointing down a long white corridor.
"Thank you." Cragen turned away from the desk and headed down the hall. He paused in front of the room, preparing himself to face the man who had put one of his best detectives in a hospital bed four floors up. He knew he kept telling Elliot to contain himself and to keep his cool, but would he fully understand the reasoning behind his own words when he found himself alone with the man? With a deep breath he placed his hand on the door knob and turned it.
The room was small, a one person room, just like he'd requested. A heart monitor reflected the life that unfortunately existed within Morgan, but what was peculiar was that Cragen couldn't see Morgan himself. The same hospital issued white sheets that existed on Olivia's bed were present on Morgan's, except, they had been pulled completely over Morgan's head.
Cragen walked over to Morgan's bed with a feeling of foreboding. He didn't know what to expect when he reached the blanket, but he knew for some reason, he wasn't going to like it. With a slow movement his fingers closed around the gruff sheets and he yanked it away, from what would be Morgan's face. Cragen's eyes quickly scanned the man laying there and felt his blood run cold. Without a sound he pushed the red emergency button on the wall by the bedside. Seconds later a nurse appeared.
"What's wrong?" The nurse asked walking over to check the patient over. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed, bringing her hand to her mouth in surprise. "Dr. Stratham!" she said, immediately recognizing the dark curly hair.
"This is Dr. Stratham?" Cragen cried in disbelief. The nurse nodded in horror as she bent down and felt his pulse.
"He's alive," she said with visible relief.
"There was supposed to be another man in this room; Gregory Morgan. Where is he?" Cragen demanded urgently.
"I don't know. I thought they brought him in here a couple of hours ago," the nurse stated as she began looking over Dr. Stratham for any visible wounds.
"A couple of hours ago!" Cragen repeated angrily. "But I was supposed to be informed--" Cragen froze. If Morgan had been brought into the room two hours ago, odds were that the real Dr. Stratham had not made that call to his cell phone or Elliot's cell phone, which meant that Morgan was somewhere in the hospital posing as Dr. Stratham.
"I need you to contact hospital security and send them to the ICU," Cragen said, looking the nurse right in the eyes so he instantly knew whether or not she understood his instructions. "I also need you to send out an alert to all floors. There is a man by the name of Gregory Morgan posing as Dr. Stratham. He must be apprehended immediately but by security only. He's to be considered dangerous." Cragen grabbed a magazine that had been on the desk and quickly scribbled in the white area around a model's face. "If you see him, call this number and then call security, is that clear?" The nurse nodded. Cragen didn't hesitate a moment longer. If Morgan had gone through all the trouble to bring him and Elliot down here, he must have only one target: Olivia.
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Casey Novak looked in surprise as a doctor in a white coat came to the other side of Olivia's bed. She hadn't heard anyone enter the room. She studied him for a moment. He actually didn't have the look of a doctor. His blond hair was cut short, military style and close to his head. Even the white lab coat he wore didn't look fitted to his muscular figure. The sleeves were short and revealed a good portion of his wrists while sections of cloth around the biceps seemed to pull at the seams of his every movement.
"I'm sorry, we haven't met. I'm Casey Novak," she said stretching out with her hand for him to shake it. He looked at it dismissively as he walked to the front of Olivia's stretcher and began pulling it away from the wall.
"Nice to meet you, I'm sure." Without any regard to whether or not Casey stood in the way, the doctor began pushing Olivia's bed from its resting position as Casey was forced to jump backwards to avoid being hit.
"Excuse me, but I thought her primary doctor was Dr. Fisk Where are you taking her?" Casey asked slightly alarmed.
"Dr. Fisk asked me to take her to have some x-rays done. Will only take a moment," the doctor said over his shoulder wheeling towards the door. Casey hurried to the side of the stretcher.
"I'd feel better if I accompanied—"
"No!" he interrupted, a little too harshly it seemed for as he did a full turn to face her he caused her to step back in surprise. "I mean," he recovered, "you're not allowed to be in the room and the procedure will only take a moment."
"Okay," Casey said with uncertainty as she glanced at the doctor's name tag. He followed her gaze briefly and then looked into her eyes, relieved to see no signs of recognition. It would make things move more smoothly if she didn't recognize him. He paused to open the doors before rolling the stretcher out. Casey watched him move Olivia's stretcher down the hall, turn a corner, and disappear down the next hallway, all while repeating the doctor's name in her head. Dr. Stratham…