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.
Author's Note: I would like to take a minute to clear up something. No matter how it may look, this is not, and I repeat not an E/O story. I am not an advocate for them getting together romantically; sorry if that disappoints. The actions in the previous story done by Olivia (i.e. kissing Elliot on the lips and temples) are the product of a best friendship, and will continue throughout this story as well. I am writing the reactions of a nurturing and loving female when her best friend has had trauma. My best friend is a male and I often use gestures like kisses and hugs to comfort him when he is extremely upset. Clear as mud? Alright….whew. Let's get on with it, shall we?
The phone rang in Olivia's apartment at 7 am, and she lunged for it, knowing who it was. "Captain, hello?" she asked quickly.
"Olivia," he said quietly. Too quietly…her heart raced suddenly.
"What's wrong?" she asked, fighting tears.
"Nothing, Olivia. Relax," Cragen answered calmly. "I just don't want to wake up Elliot."
"Where are you?" she asked.
"I'm sitting beside his bed," he answered. "He didn't want me to leave him."
A minute of silence passed over the phone and she suddenly asked, "Captain, how is he? I want the truth."
He sighed. "He's terrified," he said heavily. Olivia felt like she had been sucker-punched. "He woke up early this morning screaming, and wouldn't sleep unless he had physical contact."
Olivia went completely silent, tears seeping from her eyes.
"You can come down anytime," he continued. "The staff understands."
"I'm on my way," she whispered finally, before hanging up. She sat still in her bed a minute, absorbing the emotions that were coursing through her, before swinging her legs over the side and standing.
Munch had held his emotions in check in front of the others at the hospital. Once he was in the privacy of his home that night, he broke. He slumped to his kitchen floor and cried like there was no tomorrow. He saw a little bit of hell on earth every day as an SVU detective….knowing the victim always made it harder. But when the victim was a friend, a fellow detective, a brother practically……the rules were changed.
He had seen the aftermath of torture and kidnapping since he was 25 years old and a beat cop. Over time, he found he had become horribly jaded when it came to dealing with the victims. But this twisted his entire soul and wrenched it inside out. He felt such overwhelming pain for Elliot, and a raw rage that he had never experienced before against the man responsible for this.
He wasn't a violent person. People certainly never associated him with physical intimidation and anger. Ironically enough, that field was dominated hands-down by Elliot Stabler. The tables had been ruthlessly turned, and John found that he wanted nothing more than to indulge in it.
Fin left his apartment ten minutes after the captain's phone call and headed for the hospital. The morning sun was blinding, and he flipped the visor down quickly. He felt spited by the cheery morning. With the way he felt, it should have been storming. Why did this have to happen to Elliot? Of all the people in the world, he was the least to deserve what he had to go through.
When he first joined the squad, he was intimidated by Elliot. He'd sooner chew off his arm than tell anyone that, and never did. The way the others just seemed to naturally gravitate to him and he seemed to not notice. The way the captain let him get away with so much stuff that would have any other detective back in uniform in two seconds. The way he could walk into the room and the noise level would drop as they tried to gauge his mood. It drove him freaking nuts.
The longer he was with them, the more he noticed their personalities and talents. Elliot became the one that everyone hated and loved at the same time. He was the best detective in the unit, and the captain talked to him like a second-in-command most of the time. Fin spent a good portion of his time when he first arrived secretly trying to figure out what it was that this guy had that made him stand out among 100 police officers. He soon discovered that underneath his tough exterior, Elliot was a great guy and the most loyal friend that anyone could have. He considered Elliot a close friend after a month of working with him, and he didn't have too many in that category.
Cragen paced the small hallway outside Elliot's room. The doctors had asked him to wait outside while they conducted a final test. This would be the determining factor in whether his arms could be saved. He found himself praying fervently for a miracle. He honestly didn't know if the unit could survive without Elliot.
