In Your Arms
Summary: Olivia's wounds in "Fault" were fatal. EO.
Spoilers: "Fault"
The action itself was quick. One slit of the throat. Elliot Stabler saw the entire thing. He did not know that the wound was so deep.
Gitano took off almost right away. That fact barely registered with Elliot. All he cared about was Olivia. He did not see her anymore. She was on the ground. He grabbed his badge and held it out as he pushed through the crowds to get to her.
"Olivia!" he yelled as he quickened his pace. His partner was in trouble. How could he deal with something like that? She was more than just his partner. It was Olivia. She would always be more. As soon as he reached her, a sense of numbness overcame him. He dropped his knees so that he was beside her. "Olivia," he said again.
Both of her hands were at her neck. Her grip was as tight as she could hold it. It was not that tight, and it was not tight enough to stop the bleeding. Elliot could see the blood coming out through her fingers. She was struggling just to breathe. Elliot recognized the fear in her eyes. He had to help.
"Just stay strong," he encouraged as he quickly removed his coat. He pulled her up into his lap and wrapped the sleeve of his coat around her neck. He tightened it in an attempt to stop her bleeding. "Please, Olivia," he begged her.
The tears were forming in his eyes. He could not lose her. It was Olivia. He loved her. She was perhaps the one good thing in his life. Kathy left him. As a detective for the Special Victims Unit, he sees a lot. None of it is good. Olivia is the only good thing left in his life. If he is going to lose her, then what was the point? "Olivia," he whispered her name again.
Olivia tried to respond, but she realized she could not. Instead, she just looked up at Elliot. Her eyes were filled with tears of pain and fright. This was unlike something she had ever experienced. She had that sinking feeling that this was it. She saw Elliot's facial expression. If there was one person who looked more scared than she was, it was Elliot.
She tried hard to focus on his face. His face was nice. His concerned, fearful eyes. She was finding it harder to focus on him. As much as she wanted to, she doubted she could. She was in a struggle just to keep her eyes open.
The pain was not stopping. She tried not to let it bother her, but it was getting to be too much. It pounded in her neck. It was overpowering her. She could not move. She knew.
She knew this really was it. On the job, she had always wondered when it would happen. She wondered who would ultimately be the reason for her death? She never imagined it would happen this soon into her career. She had not even been doing this for ten years. She shed a tear. She was not ready.
She wondered how long it had been since the attack itself. It could not have been more than a minute or two. It felt like the longest time of her life. This really was it.
Lying there in Elliot's arms, she never felt more helpless. She glanced up at Elliot again. Even if it was only for a second or two, she had to see his face one last time. She loved him. It made sense that she was dying in his arms. She did love him. The worst part about all of this was that she would never know if it could actually work out between them. Would they be able to be a couple and partners at the same time? She wished she knew.
Her hand gripped Elliot's tightly. She felt her body falling weak from the blood loss. She looked up into his eyes one last time. She felt a force surge through her body. Now this was it. Her face was contorted with pain. Her grip on Elliot's hand remained stronger than that of a woman in labor. She struggled harder to breathe.
"Olivia!" Elliot yelled. "No!" He fought back the urge to hug her tightly and keep her close to him. He could already tell that she was in too much pain. Her shirt was soaked in her blood. He gently stroked her face. Her eyes were already closed. He ran his fingers along her temple. She barely had a pulse. "No, Olivia," he begged again.
Olivia shook her head at Elliot. She could no longer fight. She could not even open her eyes anymore. Her hold on Elliot's hand lessened.
"Liv?" Elliot asked her. He knew. That feeling was overwhelming. He knew that she was not going to make it. The paramedics were too late. He looked down at Olivia. Her eyes were closed. She barely had a pulse. Blood continued to come from her neck to her shirt and his pants. Elliot knew. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on Olivia's forehead. "I love you, Olivia."
Those three words were the last thing Olivia heard. She died two seconds later.