Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.
She stood still, shaking, as the flashlight beam fell away and the man crashed to the floor. She pointed the gun toward the man and stepped closer, tightening her finger on the trigger. Her breath was coming loud and angry through her nose as she clenched her jaw.
The sound of whimpering from behind her cut through her angry haze. She whirled around.
"Elliot!" she cried, running up to him. Tears flowed from her eyes as she threw her arms around his middle and squeezed harder than she ever had in her entire life. "Elliot," she sobbed. "Oh, thank God. Thank God."
He whimpered again, and she suddenly came to her senses. "Oh, God," she said, grabbing the flashlight. "Hold on, sweetie. Hold on." She traced her hands over the tape, her fingers shaking. She peeled it away as gently as she could, wincing as it stuck to his skin.
She smoothed her hands over his mouth gently, moving up to stroke his tear-stained face.
"Olivia," he sobbed hysterically.
"It's ok, baby," she gasped. She shined the flashlight up to his wrists and saw the straps. "I'm going to get you out of here."
Olivia stretched on her tiptoes, but was unable to reach his wrists. Huffing in frustration, she realized that she was going to need help. Abandoning his wrists, she picked up her radio.
"Captain," she said. It crackled, the static indicating no frequency. Damn it! She stepped over in front of her partner. "I'm going to go get some help."
Terror overtook his face. "No!" he cried, his body shaking. He started to cry hard. "Don't leave me. Please don't leave me!"
Her heart shattered. She quickly shot forward and hugged him. "I'll be right back, Elliot," she sobbed, hating herself. He was shaking. "I promise; I'll be right back."
The panic in his eyes made her flinch. "Don't go," he gasped weakly. "Please don't leave me!" Shaking with sobs, she cupped his face and kissed his lips before forcing herself to turn around and go back up the ladder.
Olivia sprinted toward the cellar door as if the devil was after her.
Cragen and the others were trying to locate where she was. A sudden bang had them reaching for their guns. Olivia appeared from under the ground.
"Someone get down here now!" she screamed.
Fin was dialing for a bus the minute she spoke. Cragen and Munch took off toward her voice, leaving the other officers to find their own way. "Hurry, hurry!" she cried, when they reached her. They jumped down and followed her through the dark, wet drain.
Halfway to the sewer, she heard Elliot screaming. Eyes wide, she picked up the pace. Forgoing the ladder, she leaped to the ground. Fury filled her when she saw that the man had somehow gotten up and was coming at her partner with the knife.
With a yell, she rushed the man, tackling him to the ground. As soon as he was down, her hands were over his throat in a crushing grip.
"Olivia!" Cragen yelled, running to her. He got behind her and had to pull her away from the man.
Fin leaped down to join them, and together he and Munch snapped handcuffs on the wounded man harder than necessary.
"Elliot," Cragen breathed, going to him.
Munch jumped up and hurried over to assist the captain. They tugged on the leather straps, but were unable to loosen them.
"Fin, the knife," Munch said.
He picked up the man's knife and tossed it to Olivia, who handed it to Munch. Putting his hand between Elliot's skin and the strap, he sawed through it. Going around, he quickly did the same to the other one.
Elliot whimpered as he collapsed weakly. The three men jumped to catch him and lowered him gently to the ground as Olivia watched in horror.
Taking his flashlight out, the captain directed it over his detective.
"Dear God," he breathed, seeing his wounds. The others looked sickened.
The sound of a helicopter above them caught their attention, and Cragen looked up. "Go; tell them we need help getting him out."
Munch and Fin took off, but Olivia didn't move. She stood stock-still, staring at Elliot with her hand over her mouth in horror. We should have looked harder, she thought. Tears coursed down her face. We could have saved him from this hell!
The captain heard Elliot moan weakly and quickly returned his attention to him. Shining the light down on him, he saw blue eyes looking at him, wide with terror. He bent down and wrapped his arms around him, his heart quickening when he felt his freezing skin. "It's going to be alright, Elliot," he murmured, squeezing tight. "We're here. Everything's alright now."
Tears slowly slipped from the captain's own cheeks as he held the man he loved like a son. Please let us help him, God, he prayed silently. He's been through enough. He slipped his arms free of his coat and wrapped it around Elliot as the other two came back, accompanied by three paramedics.
"Get ready to lift on my count," one of them said.
Olivia broke free from her paralysis and rushed to help as they all lifted him as gently as possible and prepared to get out of there.
Elliot was half-conscious as the team boarded him into the helicopter. "We'll be taking him to Mercy General," a paramedic told the detectives.
Cragen nodded. "We'll meet you there."
The words cut through Elliot's foggy state. He cried out and struggled wildly, catching them off guard.
"Don't leave me!" he cried weakly. "Olivia…please don't leave me, Liv."
His words were like a jackhammer through her heart, and she threw caution to the wind as she ran up to the helicopter and prepared to get inside.
"Hey!" one of the medics cried. "You can't go in there; there isn't enough room!"
She turned to him, and the man visibly flinched at the ferociousness in her eyes.
"Try to stop me and I'll hand you a body part," she growled at him.
The young paramedic backed off without a word, and she pulled herself inside.
"Elliot," she said, coming next to him. He was struggling with the men trying to strap him to the stretcher. He jerked his head towards her voice and reached for her, clutching her with all his might.
"Let me take care of this, alright?" she asked the medics softly. "Just get us to the hospital."
The men nodded sympathetically and hopped out, shutting the door. They boarded the front of the chopper, and the pilot signaled that they were ready. A minute later, they were airborne.
Olivia settled into one of the cushioned seats attached to the wall of the helicopter and pulled Elliot into her arms. He flung his arms around her neck and pressed himself so close to her that it was almost suffocating. She hugged him tight, feeling his tears soaking her neck.
"It's ok, baby," she soothed softly, rubbing his back. "I've got you. I've got you."
"Stay," she heard him say tearfully, his voice muffled in her shoulder. "Please don't leave me."
"I'm not going to leave you, sweetheart," she said, her voice choking. She moved her hand up to cradle his head, stroking through his short hair. "I'm right here." She placed tender kisses on his temple, gently wiping some of the tears that were soaking his face.
He was beyond exhausted. She felt his body going limp as he began to succumb to the overwhelming fatigue. He gasped in a breath between sobs and dropped his head onto her collarbone tiredly, using the last of his strength to keep his hold on her neck.
She shifted slightly so that he could stretch out beside her with his upper body cradled in her arms. Reaching below the seat, she pulled out three heavy emergency blankets and maneuvered herself so that she could wrap him snugly in them.
He was asleep within seconds, and she relaxed slightly before tightening her protective hold on him. Her heart was completely broken at the state of him. His face was splotchy, his arms were bleeding, his wrists were swollen, and a look of utter terror was fixed in his features, even while asleep.
But he was alive. Her best friend was alive and safe in her arms. She hugged him fiercely as her own fatigue and emotions came crashing out. She rubbed his back in soothing circles and rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes in relief and heartache. His tears mixed with her own and splashed onto the metal floor as she fell asleep.
This has been quite an emotional journey for me…I am drained. Please stay tuned for the sequel, coming next week. Thank you for reading!