Chapter Two
Six Weeks Later
Olivia was returning to work finally. It had been about a month and a half since the rape. With the exception of her broken right wrist, her physical injuries had healed. As for its mental impact, she had been haunted with images of it in her head, but for the most part they had been fewer and further apart. DNA samples from the rape kit had found her mystery rapist, and ADA Casey Novak had prosecuted him, and the jury convicted him a few days ago. He would be spending the next forty-five years in jail thanks to them. That fact was one thing helping Olivia sleep easier at night.
Whatever stomach bug she had was not though. It had woken her up in the morning around five, and she had not been able to get back to sleep since. She no longer felt sick though, so she figured it must have just been something she ate the previous night. She sighed and entered the special victims unit part of the station.
"Hey stranger," Elliot greeted her as he walked over from his desk. He smiled at her before deciding to hug her. To his luck, she reciprocated with a small smile on her face.
"Elliot, there's something I've been meaning to say to you," Olivia began. "About this whole thing…"
"Hey, don't mention it," Elliot interrupted. "Seeing you like that was scary as hell, and it's not something I would like to remember."
"Nor I, but what you did really meant a lot to me, and thank you," Olivia finished sincerely. She hugged Elliot again before sitting down at her desk. She still felt a little dizzy, but she figured it was nothing. She certainly was not going to spend her first day back on the job at home.
Elliot pulled his chair up next to her desk. "So, are you ready to jump back into the water of work?" he asked in a slightly challenging tone.
Olivia raised a slight eyebrow at him. "Elliot, you know me," she commented. "What do you think?"
"Of course," Elliot said. "Foolish me. I'll just bring you up to speed." He smiled at her and grabbed one of the desk calendars from his desk. "Ok, last week a man was found unconscious in a car. There were signs that he had been raped, but he does not remember…" Elliot's voice trailed off as he looked at Olivia.
Olivia was holding the calendar in one hand and staring at it. Her mouth was slightly open in shock. It was almost as if she could not believe the words she was hearing. Elliot wondered if she was even listening to him anymore.
"Liv, you sure you're up for this?" he asked with concern as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
He had no answer. Olivia was just staring at the calendar in disbelief and horror. "Are you sure this is the right calendar?" she asked softly.
Elliot nodded. "Yes. You've been out for some time, but if you need more, I completely understand. I can manage without you," he said sympathetically.
"That's not it," Olivia whispered. "I've taken enough time off. I'm certain."
"Then what is it?" Elliot asked in the same caring voice. "You know you can tell me anything. I'll be here for you."
Olivia nodded and looked at the calendar again. Through her time off and the trial, she had not really been aware of what date it was. She did not even really know what day of the week it was. Now she was back to the real world, and it was frightening. She looked up into Elliot's wide and concerned eyes. "I'm late, Elliot," she admitted.