A/N: Another chapter, another place I didn't expect this to go. I have semi ideas for the next three/four chapters, but our favorite detectives don't seem to play nice with me. They go where they want to go.
"So what brings you here today?" Dr. Rebecca Hendrix asked.
She'd come highly recommended by Huang. Former cop, currently works at Bellevue, and has an understanding of child psychology. The fact that she'd known Rebecca from the academy, and that the woman had quit the force because she couldn't hack it didn't sit well with Olivia, but George promised her if they wanted to do family therapy Rebecca was their best bet.
"We've had quite a few changes in our family in the last few years," Olivia said. "I started a new job in Special Victims almost two years ago and my mother died earlier this year."
"Congratulations on the new job and condolences about your mother," Rebecca said.
"Any other reasons? Chelsea? Mark?" Rebecca asked.
"No," Mark said, crossing his arms over his chest. Though he'd encouraged her to make this appointment after their fight, he'd been obstinate about going all weekend, which carried over into the actual session.
"Mommy says it's good to talk about your feelings and not keep them locked up," Chelsea said from her position on the couch between her parents.
"That's true, Chelsea," Rebecca said. "Talking about things can make you feel better, or understand things that sometimes don't make sense."
Chelsea smiled, like she'd said the right thing.
"Have any of you ever been to counseling before?" Rebecca asked.
"No," Mark said again, turning into a monosyllable man.
"I haven't either," Olivia said.
"Sometimes the guidance counselor comes and talks to us at school," Chelsea said.
"What about?" Rebecca asked.
"What to do if we're scared at home," Chelsea said. "And why bullying is bad."
"Wow," Rebecca said. "That's really important stuff to talk about. What does your guidance counselor say to do if you feel scared at home?"
"To tell a teacher," Chelsea said. "Or another grown up that you trust, like a police officer."
"Do you feel safe at home, Chelsea," Rebecca asked.
"Of course," she said, laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. "Mommy is a police officer, and she keeps everybody safe."
"Well that's good to know," Rebecca said. "So really our first session is just to have you get to know me, know the office, and fill out the intake forms so I can get to know your backgrounds a little better and be prepared for our first full session. Does that sound good?"
"Absolutely," Olivia said.
"Do you have a preference of who fills out Chelsea's form?" Rebecca asked.
"I'll take it," Olivia said, reaching for the three paper packets and handing one to Mark. "Chels, do you want to get your book or your coloring stuff out of your bag while we fill out papers?"
"Okay Mommy," Chelsea said, sliding off the couch and walking to where they'd left their bags. "I got a new American Girl book from the library at school today. I'm going to start it."
"Wow," Rebecca said. "Those are big books for a second grader."
"Grandma loved books, and Mommy loves books, and so do I," Chelsea said, settling back between Olivia and Mark on the couch and cracking the spine on her book.
Olivia looked at Mark out of the corner of her eye. He was already flying through the questionnaire. She wondered if he was even reading it. She looked down at the forms and started to fill them out for both her and her daughter:
Patient Name: Olivia Benson-Messer / Chelsea Messer
How Did You Get Here Today: Taxi / Taxi
Person Completing the Form (Relationship to Patient): Self / Mother
Problems (Check Any Mental or Emotional Problems You Have): Trouble Concentrating / Possible Anxiety, Mood Changes
The next question made Olivia freeze and her pen hovered over the paper.
Check Any Physical or Mental Conditions That May Apply To You
One of the choices was bipolar disorder. And for Chelsea, she knew she'd have to check that box, now that she knew about Elliot's mother. But what if Mark saw? What if he asked questions. Olivia wasn't sure what she should do. She supposed she could explain it away as a mistake, that she thought she was checking a different box. Or that based on Chelsea's behavior lately and everything she didn't know about her paternity, it could be possible. She took a deep breath and continued.
Check Any Physical or Mental Conditions That May Apply To You: War or Violent Crime Experience / Bipolar (Manic Depressive)
Marital Status: Married / Never Married
How Many Times Have You Been Married?: 1 / 0
How Many Children Do You Have with Ages?: 1 (Age 8) / 0
With Whom Do You Live?: Husband and Daughter / Mother and Father
Check Any Statement That Applies: My Father Died When I Was ?, My Mother Died When I Was 27, My Parents Never Married / I Was Raised By Both Parents
Olivia filled out the general information about their education, her job, and their psychiatric and physical health among other things. The questions about family history and health really concerned Olivia, partly because she couldn't answer all of them for herself, but because she knew some of Chelsea's answers might not match up with Mark's. She'd heard Elliot mention something about heart disease running in his family, but he also came from a line of people who loved to smoke. She was hoping Rebecca wouldn't read too much into it.
After they turned in their forms, Rebecca thanked them for coming and told Olivia she'd be in touch after reviewing their paperwork to set up their next appointment and a regular schedule. They shook hands and went home. Chelsea wanted to keep reading her book in the taxi, and Olivia and Mark didn't speak until they got home.
"You were awfully quiet at the office," Olivia said after Chelsea went to her room to do her math worksheet.
"It was just an introductory meeting," he said. "Wasn't much to say."
"Well you could have tried to at least be a little nicer to Dr. Hendrix," Olivia said. "We are going to be meeting with her a few times a month for the foreseeable future."
"I know you think we need therapy, but I think we're doing just fine," Mark said. "If you're having trouble coping with your mother's death or you want to find out why Chelsea is acting up before school, maybe you two can go alone."
Olivia threw her head back and sighed.
"That's not the point, Mark," she said. "We've been through a lot of changes lately. I've had to take on more at work so you've had to adjust your schedule, which I know is hard for you. Dr. Hendrix probably has some tips to help you cope with that."
"I don't need help coping," Mark said definitely. "There's nothing wrong with liking order."
"There's a difference between liking order and stomping and pouting around when you have to change your plans," Olivia said. "Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches in life. And you need help with that."
"Oh, what, you're a psychologist now, too?" Mark said. "And I'm the one with all the problems."
"This is exactly why we're going to family therapy," she said. "I fully admit that things have gotten stressful and some advice from a trained professional could help. It's not just you, but you're the one so resistant to it. Weren't you the one who finally gave it the green light?"
"Because I thought you'd blow it off, just like you blow off everything else," Mark yelled.
"What do you mean I blow everything off?" Olivia yelled back.
"You're never home," he said. "You never spend any time with your kid or your husband. I do all the work around here. I'm the one that makes this household run. I'm the one who makes enough money that we can live in a nice place and get our daughter everything she needs so you can go run around playing hero at some civil servant job."
"So what I do doesn't matter?" Olivia said, her voice taking on a higher register. "You 'let' me go to my job? Why even keep me around then?"
"I honestly don't know anymore," he yelled.
That hurt. And then Olivia remembered Chelsea was in the next room and could probably hear everything. She thought about Maureen, who said she could hear her parents fight at night when they thought the kids were asleep, and how scared she looked when she said it. She remembered the nights Serena would fight with herself or her ghosts or her demons on the nights when she was drunk enough but hadn't blacked out yet, how the muffled slurs and curses through the wall made Olivia plug her ears and rock back and forth in her bed.
"This just shows more of why we need the shrink," Olivia said in a terse whisper. "And I don't want to fight like this anymore when Chelsea's in earshot. You ever think she's so upset lately because she can feel the tension around here?"
"I'm not the one who brings the tension into the house," Mark said.
Olivia wanted to make a retort, wanted to say something to wipe the arrogant, smug look off of his face, and she knew exactly what she could say to do it. But telling Mark that he wasn't Chelsea's father would only hurt her little girl. It wasn't worth it to use as a dagger to win an argument.
"I think I'm going to go to the office for a while," Mark said, standing out of his chair. "When I'm there, people appreciate me."
"You do that," Olivia said as he picked up his jacket and briefcase and left without saying goodbye. Olivia didn't miss the fact that he didn't go say goodbye to Chelsea. Considering he seemed to think he was a contender for father of the year, leaving without telling your kid where you're going wasn't a good look.
Olivia dug the heels of her hands into her eyes to try to keep from crying. She couldn't deny the voice in the back of her head that was whispering "screw therapy, get a divorce." But how was she going to find a place for her and Chelsea close enough to work, where she wouldn't have to change schools, on a detective salary? And what if Mark sued for full custody. He wasn't her birth father but his name was on the birth certificate, which is all the more proof the government needs to say he's more fit to care for Chelsea than she is.
She took a deep breath and decided that she couldn't do anything about Mark right now, but she could make sure her daughter was okay.
"Baby," Olivia said, knocking on Chelsea's ajar door. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Chelsea said.
When Olivia walked in, Chelsea was sitting on her bed with her American Girl book next to her, clutching her new favorite stuffed animal, Ellie the dog. She had tear marks on her cheeks.
"Did you finish your math homework?" Olivia asked, sitting down on the end of the bed.
Chelsea nodded.
"Something you want to talk about," Olivia asked?
Chelsea shook her head no.
"What do I tell you about keeping feelings locked in your heart?" Olivia said.
"I'm sorry," Chelsea blurted out.
"For what, honey?" Olivia asked.
"For making you and Daddy fight," she said.
"You didn't make Daddy and me fight," Olivia said. "You should hear how everybody yells at each other at my work. Sometimes grown-ups just have to yell to get their frustrated feelings out."
"But Daddy said it's my fault," Chelsea said with a hiccup, trying to choke down a sob. "You're not home because of me. And I try to be good so you'll come home. But I just don't want to go to school in the morning. I want to stay with you until you leave for work."
"Wait, wait," Olivia said. "When did Daddy tell you it was your fault I haven't been home from work on time."
"Every day," Chelsea said. "When you call and say you can't come home, when Daddy hangs up the phone he says 'she knows you misbehaved at school today' or 'she knows you wouldn't get out of the car this morning' that's why she isn't coming home."
Olivia had never felt such rage pulsing through her veins. She didn't know what Mark's end game was, whether he was planning to file for divorce and turn Chelsea against her, or he just had a cruel manipulative side that she never knew about, but all she could picture right now was aiming her gun at his useless balls and shooting them clean off his body.
"Baby, I don't know what Daddy told you, but that is completely not true," Olivia said. "You know I love you more than anything and if I could spend every single second of every single day with you I would. But we've talked about why I go to work and do what I do. Because it makes New York a safer place for you, and all your friends and their families."
"I know Mommy," Chelsea said. "I just miss you when you leave. I'm afraid someday you'll go to work and then go to heaven like Grandma and I won't see you again."
"I promise I'm as careful as I can be at work," Olivia said. "And our friend Elliot, he's with me all day. He makes sure I'm safe, and I make sure he's safe, so he goes home to his kids at night too."
"I just want to spend more time with you," Chelsea said. "I liked the day you and Elliot took me to school and walked me to the classroom. He let me listen to Radio Disney in the car instead of boring classical music and I got to give you a hug before you left."
"Well maybe we can talk to Daddy about me taking you to school a few days a week," Olivia said.
"Really?" Chelsea said, her eyes lighting up.
"Yes, really," Olivia said. "Now, I'm thinking of quesadillas for dinner. What do you think? Want to help me make them?"
"Yes!" Chelsea said, dumping Ellie the dog on her bed and scrambling out into the kitchen.
What Chelsea didn't know was Olivia was going to tell Mark she was taking Chelsea to school from now on. She didn't know what game he was trying to play, but it was about to end now. She grew up with a manipulative parent and Olivia was damned if she was going to let her daughter do the same.
She pulled out her phone to call someone but it rang in her hands.
"Dr. Hendrix," Olivia said, answering the call. "How can I help you?"
"Hi Olivia," Rebecca said. "I finished going over your paperwork and I wanted to talk to you about a few things. I was wondering if you'd all be able to meet me for individual sessions before we dive deeper into family therapy. There are things I want to address with all of you alone before I bring them up in a group."
"Actually, we're not going to need the family sessions at all anymore," Olivia said. "My husband won't be joining us anymore. But Chelsea and I are still happy to meet for individual or mother-daughter sessions."
"Oh, wow," Rebecca said. "What changed in the last few hours."
"I think I'm finally coming to my senses," Olivia said.
"Well, you're the clients so it is up to you," Rebecca said. "I currently have a Wednesday block from five to seven open. Would you and Chelsea be interested in one hour individual sessions?"
"That sounds perfect," Olivia said.
"We can start this week if you're free." Rebecca said.
"Sounds good," Olivia said. "We'll see you then."
The women hung up and Olivia scrolled through her phone to make another call. She waited but no one answered, and she got a voicemail instead.
"You've reached the Offices of Attorney Trevor Langen," the recording said. "Please leave your name, number, and inquiry so we can return your call."
At the beep, Olivia asked for a meeting with Langen to discuss some non-SVU related case matters. Then she hung up and joined Chelsea in the kitchen. If Mark was planning something, she wasn't about to get blindsided by it.
A/N: So why are we calling Trevor? Guesses and reviews welcome.
