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.
With an angry hiss, the man gingerly peeled off the Kevlar and pulled it out from underneath his poncho. He frowned at the huge bruises left on his ribcage and chest. That female cop had a good shot. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to detach his mind from the pain. In a few minutes, it passed, and he breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Reaching behind him, he carefully unearthed the police scanner from a pile of leaves. It was a good thing he had thought to grab it out of the Explorer before he took Elliot back with him. He had access to his squad's every move, and it had tickled him pink when they had been looking for his hideout. Like a dog chasing its tail, he thought gleefully. They'll never catch it!
He had to admit disappointment that they had come before he had a chance to display his prize for them. But he wasn't a pessimist by nature. After all, good things come to those who wait.
Olivia knocked lightly on the hospital room door with her foot, holding two steaming cups of coffee. She was surprised when the captain answered it after only a minute, dressed and looking surprisingly chipper.
"Good morning," she said, handing him one of the cups. "I didn't think you'd be awake this early."
He smiled, taking the offered beverage and sipping it with an appreciative sigh. "Thank you," he said. "And I'm not the only one who's up."
He opened the door wider to give her a view inside. Olivia's heart fluttered with happiness when she saw Elliot sitting up, looking groggy but content. He gave her a weak smile. "Hey," he said hoarsely.
She must have looked like an idiot with her ear-to-ear smile, but she couldn't have cared less. "Hey!" she said softly, her voice full of joy.
Cragen smiled as he stood by the door watching. Olivia had been a wreck for the past week, and it warmed his heart to see her happiness. She had finally gotten what she had been working so desperately for- her best friend.
The partner's were silent, their eyes locked on each other. Olivia hadn't moved. Much to her embarrassment, she could feel tears sliding down her cheeks. Don realized he would have to intrude on the moment, and cleared his throat.
"I'm going to go downstairs and see what they have for breakfast," he said. "I'll be back in a little while."
Olivia nodded absently, her gaze never leaving Elliot. Cragen chuckled lightly as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving them alone.
"You can come closer, you know," Elliot finally said, his voice raspy. "I won't bite."
Olivia shuffled next to his bed without speaking. Her eyes traveled slowly down to his upper body, uncovered now, and made their way back up, drinking in the sight of him. She stopped at his face and her eyes teared up as she looked into those gorgeous blue eyes that she thought she would never see again.
Without warning, she suddenly dove forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Elliot was surprised, but welcomed the embrace readily. He nuzzled his face into her neck, needing the contact as much as she did, and closed his eyes as emotion came rushing up.
Olivia didn't move for several minutes. She listened to his every breath, felt for every heartbeat, and relished the warmth of his body that proved he was indeed there and alive. She managed to stop the sobs from coming, but the tears had a mind of their own. She finally got them under control and pulled away, immediately clasping his hand so as not to lose the contact.
When she pulled back, she saw that he too had tears on his cheeks. He swallowed, looking embarrassed, and ducked his head to break her eye contact. "You need a shower," he finally said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the air.
She laughed and wiped her eyes. "So do you," she said, smiling. God, she had missed his smile! An awkward silence fell; neither knew what to say about the situation. He didn't want to think about it, and she didn't want to make him think about it.
He stifled a yawn. "Sorry," he said, grinning tiredly.
She chuckled at his droopy look. Whatever the doctors had given him had obviously not worn out yet. "So are you busting me out of here?" he asked.
Olivia nodded. "Yep," she said. "Just let me sign you out, and we can go."
He sat up straighter. "You're leaving?" he asked, his voice oddly pitched. She looked at him in surprise that turned to concern quickly. All traces of a smile had fled from his face, and she could swear his eyes held sheer terror.
"No," she said, bewildered. "Well….I have to go sign you out at the nurses' station, but that will only take a second."
Elliot struggled to move his body, frustrated when it wouldn't obey. "Don't go," he pleaded. His voice was bubbling with tears. "Please….please don't leave me."
The terrified look on his face cut her to the quick. She hadn't expected this kind of reaction from him. When she saw a tear slip from the corner of his eye, she quickly hugged him. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I won't leave. Ok? I'll wait until the captain comes back."
She held onto him, her heart racing. Elliot had his face pressed into her neck tightly. Olivia was heartbroken, scared, and caught off guard all at once. This could be bad, she thought in shock, as she gently cradled him. This could really be bad.
Munch yawned as he walked into the precinct. A few officers were upstairs, but he was the only one in the bullpen. He went to the coffeepot and started a fresh brew, then went to his locker to retrieve his mail. He turned around, and when he looked up from the envelopes in his hands he came to a dead stop. Blinking in shock, he let the mail fall carelessly to the ground as he gawked at the scene in front of him.
The desk next to the one he and Fin shared was completely trashed. One chair was broken, and a computer had been shoved to the ground. Papers were shredded all over the place. Coming closer, John suddenly realized that Olivia's side wasn't touched aside from the papers all over it. He checked again to be positive. Nothing of hers was out of place.
When John came around the other side, he stopped short and the blood rushed from his face. A black-and-white photograph of Elliot was lying in the center of the mess, with a knife sticking into the middle. He found that he couldn't form coherent thoughts past the utter shock, and stood still numbly.
This could be bad, he thought finally. This could really be bad.
