Not mine. All belongs to D.W.
Chapter 1
SVU Squadroom
Tuesday, January 23
3:33 P.M.
"Excuse me, sir. I am looking for a Detective Olivia Benson. Do you know where I can find her?" a tall, good-looking man in an expensive suit asked as he came up to Captain Donald Cragen.
"I'm sorry. She's out right now. Can I help you with anything?" he asked, looking closely at the man.
"No. I am afraid not. This is something of a personal nature. Could you please give her my card and ask her to get in touch as soon as possible?"
"No need. Here she is. Olivia," he called as she came in. "This man would like to speak with you."
Olivia noted the nice suit, the lather briefcase, and the fact that the man practically screamed lawyer. They weren't working on any major cases right now, so she was at a loss as to why a lawyer would be looking for her. "Have a seat," she said, walking over to the desk she shared with Elliot.
"Is there someplace more private we could talk?" he asked, looking around the bustling squadroom.
"Sure, the interview room is this way," she said leading him to the small office and pulling the blinds shut.
"Detective Benson, my name is Andrew Sedilmeyer. I am a lawyer the firm that represents James Atherton." He paused. "As you may know his daughter Grace is adopted. She is now at an age where she is...discovering her roots, so to speak. Mr. Atherton, like any caring father supports her in this. To that end, he has discharged my firm with finding Ms. Atherton's biological mother. In our search, we've come across evidence that you are very possibly this person and...Detective? Detective Benson? Are you alright?"
She could feel the blood draining from her face. Vaguely in the background she could hear the lawyer anxiously trying to get her attention. It was too much. After all these years and here this man was telling her that her daughter, 'possibly', wanted to meet her. Suddenly, she snapped out of the daze she was in. "I'm fine," she said, flashing him a weak smile. "Please continue."
"Right. As I was saying, we think that you may be Ms. Atherton's birth mother. To that end, I would like to ask you a few questions. Would that be alright?" He seemed very solicitous of her
"Um, okay," Olivia said softly. He pulled out a small recording device.
"This is Andrew Sedilmeyer speaking with Olivia Benson. January 23, 2006," he spoke into the recorder. "Detective, could you please confirm the date and place where you were admitted to the hospital and why."
"September 13, 1982. St. Catherine's Medical Center, New York. I was admitted to give birth to my baby." Her voice sounded strange, like she was very far away.
He looked at his notes to check her answer. "And what happened to the baby," he prompted.
"I gave her up for adoption," she said, playing nervously with her watch.
"And the agency you went though"
"We-I went through a private agency, the KASI Foundation of New York." He looked at his notes again.
"Well, Detective, it looks like everything is in order. I am sorry to ask you this but Mr. Atherton has requested that before we go any futher that you take a DNA test. He is very concerned that we have the right person. That is of course, if you wish to proceed with this."
"Could I have a few days to think this over?" she asked, her voice thick with emotion.
"By all means. Here's my card. You can get in touch with my office anytime," he said, handing her a business card. "I hope to hear from
you soon."
She nodded vaguely as he grabbed his briefcase and headed out the door. He looked back at her, her head bent over the table, and wondered if this would break her.