Surprise! Long time no see ...

Hudson University Medical Center/ December 3/ 8:23 PM

As the two detectives hurried down the echoing PICU hallway toward Nina's room, they were surprised to see a small figure sitting all alone in a chair just outside the door, swinging her legs and humming softly.

Olivia bent down before her. "Maya? Sweetie, where's your mom and dad?"

The little girl pointed over her shoulder toward the closed door into her sister's room. Her face was solemn, her dark eyes large and lovely. "Nina woke up," she said after a moment.

Elliot smiled down at her. "We heard. We're glad she's feeling better."

But Maya wasn't finished. "A bad man hurt my sister," she said. "My mom said. She's sad." Her bottom lip pushed out and the tears began to fill her eyes. "I want my mom," she cried.

Olivia's heart felt like it was about to burst in her chest. "Oh, honey," she said, gathering the three-year-old into her arms. She stood up and Maya wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck and buried her face in the leather of her collar.

Elliot raised his eyebrows. "What's she doing out here all by herself?" he wondered aloud.

His partner shook her head. "Let's find out." She motioned at the door.

Inside the room, the detectives found Eric and Melanie on either side of Nina's bed, where the five-year-old didn't look much different than the last time they had seen her, except that the tube that had been helping her to breathe earlier was gone. Her parents' faces still looked weary and drawn, but a small measure of light had returned to their eyes. Both looked up as the door clicked shut behind Olivia and Elliot, a sound that interrupted the steady, rhythmic bleeping of the machines.

Alarm crossed Melanie's face when she saw Maya. She rose and looked sharply at Eric. "I thought you left her with one of the nurses!"

He sighed, but did not move from his chair next to Nina's bed. "I did."

Olivia gently pulled Maya's arms from around her neck and lifted the little girl into her mother's embrace. Maya stuck her thumb firmly into her mouth and gave a great, shuddering sigh. Melanie sat back down next to Nina.

Elliot pointed toward the bed. "Mr. and Mrs. Pressman, how is she doing?"

Eric looked to his wife, who nodded hopefully. "Better than this morning," she said. "She's fallen asleep again now, but it isn't coma anymore. She was awake about twenty minutes. She's breathing well on her own so Dr. Long extubated her. Temp's still a little high but not like earlier. Her bloodwork is looking about as good as it can."

Elliot wondered, not for the first time, if Melanie's expert perspective on her daughter's health made this experience harder or easier for her. There was none of the bewildered panic that he often saw from parents of injured children, but he knew that Melanie could envision every possible horrific scenario. She certainly knew just how precarious Nina's condition was.

Melanie shifted her sleepy three-year-old to a different position on her lap. Eric looked across the bed. "I can take her if you want, Mel."

"No. You can't," his wife replied resolutely. Her voice was cool and calm. Eric studied her face for a moment, then looked down at his hands.

Elliot shot a glance at his partner, but she was peering at Nina's small, white face. "Look," she whispered.

Nina's eyelashes fluttered lazily. She swallowed twice. Finally, her eyes opened. Her gaze shifted around the room quickly, then fixed on her father to her left.

"Hi there again, baby," he said, his voice sweet and tender. "Did you have a nice nap?" Nina nodded slowly, then looked over at her mother on her right side.

"Hey, ladybug," said Melanie, reaching out to smooth back the fine dark hair from Nina's forehead. "How are you? Do you hurt anywhere?"

The little girl's brow furrowed, but she shook her head slightly. She finally noticed Elliot and Olivia standing at the foot of the bed and frowned again, puzzled.

"Nina, I'm Elliot and this is Olivia and we're police officers. We came to see you and we're so glad you're awake," said Elliot, pulling up a chair and smiling.

Olivia watched in wonder as the brutalized, wounded five-year-old smiled back at her partner. "Hi, Nina," she said.

Nina tried to reply but the only sound she made was a reedy whisper. Melanie said quickly, "It's from the tube. It'll take a little while for her voice to come back."

Elliot nodded. "I know this is going to be difficult, but we need to ask Nina a few questions about what she remembers."

Eric sighed. "Now? I wish you didn't."

Melanie's jaw stiffened. "I know," she said. "Go ahead, detectives."

Olivia took a deep breath and leaned forward. "Nina, do you know where you are?"

The little girl nodded. "Hospital," she whispered.

"That's right," said Olivia. "Do you remember what happened to you last night, why you're here in the hospital?"

Both detectives tried not to cringe, watching the transformation of Nina's face as the wheels in her head turned and some of the trauma returned to her consciousness. With the memories came some of the pain in her body, and her eyes shone with tears. She nodded.

"Was there somebody in your bedroom?" asked Elliot.

"A man," she said.

"You must have been scared," Olivia said. "Do you remember what the man looked like?"

Nina squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "Didn't see."

"Please," said Melanie, and they could see that she was nearly in tears. Eric was cradling his forehead in one hand.

Elliot had at least a dozen more questions for Nina, but her eyes were beginning to close again. Olivia hoped her sleep would be dreamless.

TBC