Author's note: Thanks to you guys, I've topped 100 reviews! The audience loves me! And I love them. And they loooove me for lovin' them, and I looove them for lovin' me. And we loooove eeaach other. And that's 'cause none of us got enough love in our childhoods. And that's showbiz…kid.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, nor do I own any rights to most of my author's note. I'm a crazy person at two in the morning.

"Liv, I really think you should see a doctor about it."

"No, I'm fine, Elliot! I just need to ice it once we get back to the hotel."

Elliot gripped the steering wheel in frustration, then forced out a short, "Fine," before letting the subject drop.

Reynolds and Curry, for their part, said nothing as they sat in the back seat watching the exchange.

They pulled into the hotel parking lot, and Elliot cut the engine and got out of the car, moving around to the passenger side and opening Olivia's door, offering a hand. She took it without a fuss and allowed him to pull her arm around his shoulders and drape his arm around her waist.

She limped along, supported mostly by Elliot, and when they got into their room, she flopped onto the bed, heedless of the caked-on mud covering her clothes.

Elliot stared at her for a moment, then went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet on the bathtub. He came back out while the water was running and knelt down to carefully remove her shoes and socks. The only indication she gave that she was aware of what he was doing was a short gasp at the pain when he pulled off the shoe on her bad foot.

"Sorry," he mumbled, gently cradling the affected foot as he pulled off the sock. When her feet were bare, he got up to check on the bath. He turned off the faucet and came back to help Olivia up.

He tugged her arm, but she wouldn't budge.

"C'mon, Liv, the bath is nice and warm," he said.

"I don't wanna get up," she said sleepily.

"There are bubbles," he answered coaxingly.

She just turned over. Elliot rolled his eyes, bent down, and picked her up. She didn't make any objections to him carrying her into the bathroom. He put her down gently, allowing her to hold onto him while she balanced on one foot.

Once she felt steady enough, he stepped back and moved over to the sink.

"Okay, I'm gonna go pick something up for that ankle, and grab us some dinner. If you need anything, I'll have my cell," he said, grabbing a washcloth and lathering it up with soap to get at the mud on his face, arms, and neck.

He glanced over when she didn't reply, and saw that she had taken her shirt off, and was now standing there in jeans and a sports bra.

"Liv? Did you get that?" he prompted.

"Yeah, yeah, call if I need anything," she rattled off, her hands moving down to the fly of her jeans.

"And stay off that foot," he lectured, turning away as she unzipped.

"Yes, Doctor Stabler," she answered sarcastically, hesitating as she was getting ready to pull down the waistband of her jeans. "Can you help me with this?" she asked.

He glanced over the top of the washcloth and said, "Huh?"

"Just come over here," she said impatiently.

He stepped closer and she put her hand on his shoulder for balance. He held her arm and tried to look away as her jeans slid to the floor and she gingerly stepped out of them.

"Thanks," she said as she dropped her hand from his shoulder. He turned and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He realized that he hadn't finished wiping off the mud, but then decided that he would just use the restroom in the hotel lobby as he quickly changed into clean clothes.

An hour later, Elliot opened the door to their room and set down the bags he was carrying on the table. Liv was in pajamas, lying on her bed, snoozing quietly.

Elliot took the opportunity to jump in and out of the shower and put on his own pajamas. By the time he got back out of the bathroom, Liv was sitting at the table eating.

"What did I tell you about staying off that leg?" he scolded.

"I hopped over here," she answered without looking up.

Elliot heaved a sigh and grabbed the plastic grocery bag lying next to the paper take-out bag. He pulled out an ice pack and an Ace bandage. "I'll be right back," he said, picking up the ice bucket and walking out the door. She waved her fork in indication that she'd heard.

He came back in a few minutes later with the bucket brimming with ice. He sat down at the table and proceeded to fill the ice bag up. When he was done, he screwed the cap on and leaned over and picked up Olivia's leg. She winced at the contact, and he gently lay her foot in his lap, placing the ice pack on her swollen ankle.

They ate in silence, each too tired to carry on a conversation, but neither regretful about it. When they had eaten their fill, Elliot pulled the ice pack from Liv's ankle and put her foot gently back on the floor. He then told her to hold on as he dragged her chair to the edge of her bed.

She crawled onto the bed and he returned the chair to its place at the table before moving to her bed and sitting next to where her foot was.

"The swelling has gone down," he said optimistically. "How does it feel?"

"Better," she answered. "Thanks."

He carefully wrapped her ankle with the Ace bandage, then grabbed an extra pillow and propped it up.

Olivia was leaning against the headboard, and that's where Elliot joined her. They sat side-by-side and turned on the TV. They settled on a channel showing Pirates of the Caribbean.

When it became too much of a struggle to keep her head up, she leaned it on Elliot's shoulder. He responded by picking up his arm and bringing it around behind her.

After about a minute, he said, "Wanna go get a drink?"

She just chuckled.

To be continued…

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