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.
Three officers began dragging the man toward the front door, reading him his rights. Olivia watched as the rest of them left the room after a nod from Cragen and he shut the bedroom door to give them privacy. Her eyes met his, and he nodded understanding before leaving himself.
She hugged Elliot tighter and started running her fingers through his hair. "They're all gone, sweetheart," she soothed. "It's just you and me. Alright? Just you and me."
He raised his face slowly and looked around in hesitation as if he didn't believe her. He sighed shakily and swallowed hard before lowering his head back onto her shoulder and closing his eyes. She pressed her face to the top of his head and closed her eyes too, feeling his rapid heartbeat through his shirt.
Cragen could hear a commotion as he stepped out into the hallway. The officers were standing in a circle in front of the stairwell, and by the sounds he heard, Don could guess what was happening. He took off quickly.
"You bastard!" Fin had the man against the wall and was slamming his fists into his face over and over. His face was twisted with anger. "You messed with the wrong guy," he growled. He punched again. "My friend!"
His arms were starting to shake with fatigue, but he ignored it. He heard the captain calling his name as he kept going. "You wanna hurt someone?" he spat out. "Try me on, you motherfucker!"
"Fin!" Cragen yelled, breaking through the officers. "FIN!"
He threw his arms around his detective's waist like a football player and forced him away. Fin struggled wildly, trying to leap away from him. "Let go of me, Captain!" he yelled. "God dammit…he could have killed him! Motherfucker could have killed him!"
Cragen pinned his arms to his side. He was fighting the inward desire to allow Fin his vengeance. "Relax," he soothed quietly. "Back off. Relax." He felt the muscles quivering under his hand.
Fin gasped in a breath, and Don saw tears in his eyes as he met his gaze squarely. The tension in the arms he held didn't ease. "He could have died, Captain," he choked out. His face changed to one of pain. "Elliot could have died!"
"I know, Fin," he said calmly. "Believe me; I know how much you're hurting over this. I am too. But this isn't the way to solve it. We owe it to Elliot to make sure this guy gets all the punishment the state can give him."
He felt his detective relax, and dropped his arms. Fin took a deep breath and nodded, allowing the other officers to take over in leading the man outside.
After taking as many photos as he could stomach, John climbed up the rope ladder as quickly as he could. He knew that if he stayed in that place one minute longer he would puke. His hands were shaking as he gripped the rope. God…Elliot was in there for an entire week! A gag escaped before he could stop it, and he forced himself to stop and take a deep breath.
Finally climbing out of the cramped space, Munch made a beeline for the cellar door. But a sudden thought made him stop short. There was another room…he remembered going in there with his partner and the captain. Scrunching up his face in concentration, he turned around and tried to guess which direction he should head.
Acting on impulse, he traced his steps carefully back toward the sewer and went past it. For a while there was nothing but darkness around him, and he started to feel creeped out. He was about to turn around when he saw a crack of light. Shining his flashlight forward, he reached out and touched wood.
The door creaked loudly as he pushed it open slowly. He stepped inside, shining his light around cautiously. Immediately recognizing the room, John walked slowly over to the far wall. He sighed heavily and began removing the pictures and newspaper clippings. Once the wall was bare, he walked over to the desk and began opening drawers. Finding nothing of interest, he did one last sweep with his light.
A flash of white from under the desk caught his eye. He crouched down and reached out to touch vinyl. Pulling it toward him, Munch realized it was a fat three ring binder. He opened it and was shocked at what he saw. Pages of photographs and handwritten obituaries, lined up in chronological order. There were hundreds of them, some over thirty years old. He kept this to remember each of his victims.
Sickened, he flipped through each one. Each photograph showed the terrified face of a victim. He had seen that kind of look before…each one had been photographed about to die. A feeling of dread filled his chest and he thumbed to the last page, hesitating before turning to it.
Tears filled his eyes and he squeezed his eyes shut briefly. It took him a minute to compose himself. He stared through watery eyes at a photograph of Elliot, tied up to the wall with a look of absolute terror on his face. Bile rose in John's throat, and he slammed the book shut. Tucking it under his arm, he headed for the cellar door.
Elliot was inconsolable. Cragen came back a few minutes later to find them still in the same spot. Olivia was crying as she held him. Don could see his back shaking from where he stood. He walked quietly up to them and touched her shoulder so as not to startle her. She had his head tucked under her chin, and her eyes darted to his. A helpless look was on her face.
Cragen bit his lip as he bent down to their level and got beside Olivia. He placed a gentle hand on Elliot's back and let it rest there.
"Elliot?" he asked softly.
When he got no response, he glanced at Olivia briefly before bringing his other arm around and wrapping it around Elliot's shoulders.
"Elliot," he repeated. He shifted closer. "Come on, buddy."
Elliot shuddered and shifted closer to Olivia. His face was pressed against her neck. "No," he murmured, his voice teary and weak.
He suddenly felt himself being pulled away from her and cried out hysterically, startling the other two. Olivia forced herself to let go of him, feeling like her heart was being ripped out.
Cragen had him in his own embrace in less than two seconds. Olivia watched her normally firm boss cradle Elliot as gently as if he had been a child. "What do you say we get out of here, huh?" Don murmured, rubbing his back gently.
Elliot raised his face to look at him. His expression was agonizing to see. He looked terrified. "Please…I don't want to see him," he said, his voice oddly high-pitched. He squeezed his eyes shut. "Please don't make me see him."
Olivia scooted closer and placed an arm around him as well. "Elliot," she said softly. He looked over at her. "Baby, he's gone. He's been gone. They took him away a long time ago." She looked at him with anxious eyes, nodding her head encouragingly. "Come on, sweetheart. Come with us."
He looked at her a moment and turned back to look hesitantly at the captain. After a minute, he nodded slowly. Olivia and Cragen exchanged relieved glances as they pulled him to his feet.
Munch had been on the road for about ten minutes when his cell phone rang. "Munch," he answered.
The words of his partner made him suddenly swerve, and he was thankful the interstate was desolate as he slammed on the brakes. The car screeched loudly to a stop.
"WHAT?" he cried. "Holy shit…are you at Olivia's now? I'm on my way out there; I'm about half-"
"Dude, would you chill out for a second?" Fin asked in irritation. He shook his head. "We have the guy in custody now. Elliot's fine, Olivia's fine…everyone's fine." He heard a sigh of audible relief. Something suddenly nagged in his brain. "Hey…where you been, anyway? I tried to get a hold of you when we found out the guy was there."
Munch hesitated. "Let's just say that I saved CSU a trip to get evidence."
Fin furrowed his brow. "You didn't…" The silence confirmed his suspicion, and his eyes widened. "Man…Cragen is gonna-"
"This is 'need to know' information, got it?" John cut in anxiously. "I'll meet you back at the precinct."
Cragen had Elliot sitting in the front seat of his car and was tending to the gash on his head while Olivia discreetly dialed Mercy General and asked to speak with Dr. Adams.
When he came on the line, she explained what had happened and told him about Elliot's present state. He furrowed his brow. "Bring him in…I want to make sure those injuries are properly cared for," he said.
Elliot hissed when Don began wiping the area with antiseptic, and he pulled back quickly. "Sorry," he said sympathetically. "I'll be quick."
Olivia came up to them. "I just spoke to Dr. Adams," she said. "He wants to make sure your injuries are alright." Elliot looked at her hesitantly. "It shouldn't take long."
Cragen agreed quickly. She got into the backseat of the captain's car. Elliot swiveled around immediately and began making his way back towards her. He flopped into the seat beside her and cuddled close to her instantly. Olivia moved her arm so that he could rest against her side and draped it across his shoulder, letting her fingers rest in his hair.
He sighed. Cragen met her eyes in the rearview mirror, and she nodded slightly to let him know she didn't mind.
The trip to the hospital was quick. Dr. Adams put three stitches in his temple and gave him some medicated cream to put on the bruises ringing his neck. They would get ugly before they healed, though, and there wasn't anything he could do about that.
"So, Elliot…" For the moment, he and the doctor were alone in the emergency room. Cragen and Olivia were outside waiting for him. Dr. Adams finished taping the stitches and stepped back, looking him in the eye. "How are you doing? The truth."
Elliot considered lying to him. He had a hard enough time admitting to his friends that he was falling apart. But then he remembered the way this man had helped him in the hospital right after he was rescued. He wasn't just an inquisitive doctor- he was a genuinely kind person.
He sighed, his eyes sliding close. "It's getting harder and harder to want to wake up in the morning," he admitted quietly. He fell silent.
To his credit, Dr. Adams didn't push. He stayed silent, looking at him in concern. Finally, he said, "The man who kidnapped you is in jail now?"
Elliot nodded, keeping his gaze to the floor. No matter how many times he heard the word, it never got easier to accept. Kidnapped. He was a kidnap victim. The shame made his face flush.
When he didn't speak again, the doctor continued on. "Listen…I can't imagine being in your situation, Elliot. I have to tell you…you're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for."
The words made his head shoot up. When Elliot looked at him, he was surprised at what he saw. Not shame. Not sympathy. Admiration.
Adams looked him square in the eye. "It's easy to give up," he said. "You haven't."
"You don't know that," Elliot whispered painfully.
He leaned forward and gripped Elliot lightly by the shoulders. Elliot stared into the grey eyes of the doctor. "A lesser man would have been dead by now."
Elliot was so surprised that he couldn't think of anything to say. Dr. Adams smiled warmly and released him. He gathered up his supplies and left the room, leaving Elliot sitting stunned.
The doctor let them go a few minutes later. Cragen headed back to the precinct, promising to see them later. Dr. Adams accompanied them to her car and bid Elliot goodbye, which he returned warmly. When she shut the passenger door, the doctor steered her toward the back of the car where Elliot couldn't see.
"Here," he said, handing her two pill bottles. She looked at them in question until she recognized what they were. She looked up at him and bit her lip.
"How long do you think he'll be like this?" she asked, worry in her tone.
The doctor looked at her with trepidation. "I'm not going to lie to you, Olivia…." He sighed. "It'll probably take a good month or so for him to start accepting any kind of help for this. When he does…then only time will tell the rest."
He looked at her and asked the question that had been on his mind from the very beginning. "Are you sure you can handle this?"
She looked at him sharply. "What are you talking about?" she asked, slightly defensive.
He wasn't offended by her tone. "I can only do so much," he said. "In the end, he may not be able to cope enough to go back to the way things used to be. I just want you to be prepared…he might decide to quit the force."
The words were like a cold knife twisting in her gut, but she forced her expression to remain impassive. "I want what's best for him," she said. "I'll support him no matter what he does."
Dr. Adams nodded silently. "I have no doubts," he said. "Feel free to call if you need me, Olivia."
She nodded, suddenly regretting her sharpness. "Thank you, Dr. Adams," she said sincerely. "I will."
Olivia opened the driver's side door, tucking the anti-depressants and sedatives into her pocket. Elliot was leaned back in the passenger seat with his head turned, and she thought he was asleep until his voice startled her.
"Hey, Liv?"
Startled, she whipped her head to the side to look at him. Olivia was blown away by the look on his face. It was pure, no-holds-barred trust. She had to fight the tears that wanted to escape. "Yeah?" she asked gruffly, clearing her throat.
He smiled, his eyes warm. "Thank you," he said simply.
She almost lost it, but managed to recover. "Anytime," she answered.
The doctor's words came back to her as they fell silent. She had meant what she said. Elliot was her best friend, not Detective Stabler. She would be willing to sacrifice a partner, but she could never turn her back on the man.
