A/N: Oh, gods, that was waaay too long of a wait. I am so, so sorry. School kept trampling on me but now that it's summer break, I'll have the time (I hope, lol). I hope there are still readers out there!
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Elliot knocked through the doors of the high school. He walked in his usual fast pace, causing a few teens to stare at him oddly. He just kept looking straight ahead with a look of determination and a twinge of confusion set on his face- Basically, the kind of look that caused most people to avoid him.
Elliot glanced at every up coming door, checking that he didn't miss the principal's. He stopped at a wooden door and opened it with a resounding creak. A few people looked up, but he ignored them, walking straight to the secretary's desk.
"Hi, my name is Elliot Stabler, you called me about Aidan?" he asked, his face softening a little at his question.
"Oh, right, they'll be with you in a moment," the parrot-nosed woman said distractedly, only glancing up once at the bigger man.
Elliot sighed in frustration. Where was Aidan at? It looked like he was going to have to do this the hard way.
"Look, lady, I'm a cop," the lady looked up from her papers surprised. "I need to see my kid."
The lady stared at him for a moment before regaining her previous nonchalant attitude and going back to reading her papers.
"Yes, well, you still have to wait like the rest of them," she said.
Elliot gave her a death glare before plodding over to the waiting area. He sat heavily down into a cushiony pink chair next to some interesting-looking teens. The detective rubbed a hand over his eyes and started to think.
The phone call he had received earlier was too curt and demanding to give him any clue of what had gone on.
"Yes, Mr. Stabler, your child, Aidan, has gotten into some trouble and we need you to come down to the school immediately. Goodbye."
Elliot sighed after going over the conversation once more in his head. He expected that the rude secretary sitting mere feet before him was the one who gave him such a vague call…
Elliot was interrupted from his glowering at the woman by an opening of the door he had entered in a few minutes before. A balding, hefty man entered and called out his name.
"That's me," Elliot replied standing up. The bald man nodded and motioned for him to follow.
"His name is Steve Knapped. And it was supposedly a fight over some girl," The man, known as Harry, said as he led Elliot through the almost deserted halls of the school. "We have some witnesses… but none that are exactly trustworthy."
Elliot nodded knowingly.
"We're going to get to the bottom of it but first we had to get the two patched up…" Harry said the last sentence hesitantly. The paranoid little man didn't want to say anything to set the larger, most-definitely stronger cop off.
"Patched up?" Elliot asked anxiously as they entered the infirmary of the school. The room smelt sterile and clean, a big difference from the hall just behind the detective. A few kids laid on the small, blue hospital beds in the room as some looked about ready to leave.
The two men passed the beds slowly, Elliot casting glances at the clipboards on the bed, secretly hoping to see which one was "Steve Knapped." Harry answered his question though by pointing out a bigger teen boy behind one of the curtains, making out with some red head.
Elliot peered through the curtains and raised his eyebrowsThe boy was holding an ice pack to the back of his head. Other than that, Elliot couldn't see any further injuries. Well, he doesn't look too bad, Aidan must be fine.
Harry broke the kissing teens apart and, after a few glares and curse words, they continued their trek towards Aidan's bed.
The man stopped at one of the curtained-beds and opened it carefully. Elliot saw him give a sympathetic sort of face and motioned for the detective to come closer. He walked over a little apprehensively while Harry turned to leave.
"I'll come for you once I get a hold of the vice principal." He said quietly. Elliot nodded as he walked past.
The detective's breath caught in his mouth as he saw the damaged form of his surrogate son lying in small, white bed. Elliot had seen an innumerable amount of horrible things in his life as a cop but that didn't mean some things surprised him once in a while… especially when it dealt with people he cared for.
Elliot silently walked over to the head of the bed and examined the damage done to the young man.
Aidan's left eye was sporting a large purple contusion and just above that on his forehead was a discolored bump. His lip had a butterfly bandage on it while his left nostril had a small piece of cotton up it. Elliot was sure that there must have been more damage done to him under the garments, but he was positive he didn't want to see them for fear he might kill the boy a few beds away.
The older man gently caressed Aidan's cheek, causing him to stir from his slumber. Elliot stared concernedly down at the young man as he groaned from the newly found pain in his head.
Aidan grasped a hand to his head where a dull sort of pain was preceding. He gritted his teeth as to suppress a yell from the entire ache going through his body. He tried hard to remember what had happened only moments before but the soreness throughout his body was really his only concern.
After watching with deep distress, Elliot finally intervened. He grabbed the boy's wrist, causing Aidan to unclench his eyes in alarm, and told him firmly:
"Relax, Aidan."
Aidan visibly calmed down at the sight and sound of Elliot, but it was obvious he still didn't forget about the pain because once Elliot released his grip on Aidan's wrists they immediately tended to his stomach.
"Elliot, it hurts." Aidan said quietly, trying to act somewhat more placid.
"I know, Aidan, but you can get through it. I know you can. This is only temporary just hang in there."
There was a silence; the only thing being heard was Aidan's heavy, labored breathing from his aching body. God, his head especially was on fire!
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Elliot finally asked.
"Didn't one of the school guys already tell you about it?" Aidan asked, nursing his battered eye.
"They did," Elliot said loosely. "But, I'd rather hear it from you."
Aidan stared up at his godfather. What did he want him to say? He got in a fight that wasn't his fault. Okay, it was partially his fault, but only because he was trying to defend a poor, weak, vulnerable girl. He had to choose his words wisely with Elliot, he didn't want to get blamed or anything. The teenager took an uneasy breath.
"I didn't do it," Aidan said instinctively.
Elliot closed his eyes at his response and laid a heavy hand on the young man's shoulder. This could be more difficult than he expected.
"You know that's not the type of answer I was looking for," the cop said. Aidan fidgeted under the thin sheet. "How about you just go back to sleep and we'll talk about this later?"
Aidan nodded from his position on the pillow, causing him to stifle an audible hiss.
"I'll go ask the nurse for some painkillers on my way to the VP's office." Elliot said, reassuring the young man.
"Are you going to come back?" Aidan asked. Frankly, he was feeling a little paranoid that Steve would come back and finish him off. It wasn't very rational thinking, but, right then, his brain was too clouded by pain to care.
"As soon as I can," Elliot answered. "Just be resting while I'm gone though."
Elliot slid the curtain back walked the short length back to the front of the infirmary. The detective had to resist the growing urge to pummel the teen that had done that to Aidan however.
"Hi, can you give the last bed on the right, Aidan Connor, some painkillers?" Elliot asked the brunette, middle-aged nurse.
"Sure, I'm going to need you to sign this permission slip though." The nurse slid a small form and Elliot scrawled his name onto it.
"Thanks."
Harry, the paranoid man from earlier, entered the room again, searching for the cop.
"Oh, there you are." He said once he spotted him. "Umm, the vice principal is ready to see you now."
Elliot nodded and followed the man all the way back to the school's waiting room. Harry gestured for Elliot to step in first and walked in after him.
The office was dull and boring: the stereotypical desk along with all its stereotypical office things. It was cold and the thin chairs in the room looked less than inviting. Elliot was sure whatever feeling the principal was trying to instill in the kids he had accomplished.
"Hello, Mr. Stabler," the VP whipped around in his spinning chair and smiled, what seemed to Elliot, deviously. "I'm Mr. Weller, the vice principal here at Madison High School."
Elliot nodded awkwardly. This guy was weird. Mr. Weller gestured for Elliot to sit in one of the uncomfortable-looking chairs. The detective did so and found his observations to be true: the chair was incredibly uncomfortable. Elliot looked back and found that Harry had stepped out of the room moments before already.
"So, Mr. Stabler, you are the legal guardian to Aidan Connor?" Mr. Weller asked, looking up from a manila folder, his small, dark eyes studying the cop.
Elliot nodded.
"I want you to know that we do not tolerate fighting at this school."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
"Well then, you won't be surprised that Aidan is going to be suspended for three days either."
Elliot jerked his head up to look straight into the man's eyes.
"What?" He asked shortly.
"Aidan has shown acts of aggression towards another student, we can't let other students think they can get away with such actions. I'm sorry, but it's policy."
It was evident that the man held no sympathy for the situation; on the contrary, he seemed somewhat pleased.
"How can you do this?" Elliot asked incredulously. "Did you even bother to get Aidan's side of the story?"
"No, but we did get a very reliable source. They told us that your child was the one who initiated the fight."
Elliot stared hard in the other man's unwavering stare. That did not sound like Aidan at all.
"I suppose that is all then." Mr. Weller concluded after a heavy silence of the detective staring daggers at him. "Here is a list of his assignments for the next three days, his combination code so you can get his books, and a slip that you need to sign. I really am sorry about all this."
Again, Elliot knew that was a complete lie. He roughly grabbed the papers out of his hands and left the office irately.
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After getting the books out of Aidan's locker, the detective made his way to the infirmary. He walked to the end of line of beds and found the young man resting peacefully.
Elliot took a deep breath. He had to calm down before he did something he knew he would regret.
The detective shook the young man out of his sleep, causing Aidan to groan. Elliot wasn't sure if it was out of pain or reluctance to grow up. Knowing Aidan though, it was probably the latter.
"C'mon, Aidan, we have to go home." Elliot continued to prod the young man to consciousness. Aidan sat up with a little struggle and looked up at his guardian. "How are you feeling?"
The young man pointed at a trash can, gesturing Elliot to give it to him. Elliot picked it up and handed it to him. Aidan nodded at the detective gratefully and barfed into the bin erratically. After a few moments, Aidan was left dry heaving, wiping excess spit on his sweater.
"Don't do that, Aidan," Elliot reprimanded lightly, handing the young man a napkin that was on the side table.
"Thanks," Aidan replied hoarsely, wiping off his mouth. A nurse suddenly entered, a tray holding a cup and a pitcher of water in hand.
"How're we doing over here?" she asked kindly, setting down the tray and filling the cup with the liquid before handing it to Aidan.
"He just vomited; is that something I should be worried about?" Elliot asked, watching Aidan drink the water thirstily.
"Oh no, that's just a side effect of the analgesic. I gave him a pretty strong dosage, so he should be pain free for a few more hours."
Elliot nodded.
"Okay, if that's all then, I think you're good to go."
"Thank you."
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Elliot walked out of the school quickly, dragging a drowsy Aidan behind him. He made his way towards his car which was illegally parked in front of the building and threw the young man's books in the back seat.
"Hurry up, Aidan, I got to get back to the station," Elliot said. The young man continued to plod slowly towards the car. This day sucks. I didn't even see what the classes were like. Plus, I know I'll be hurting like hell in a few hours.
Elliot grumbled about spoiled rich kids but immediately stopped once Aidan sat heavily into the passenger side. Elliot started up the car and peeled out of the lot at a dangerously fast speed. This didn't faze Aidan though; he was stuck in a depressed dreamland as he stared at the billowing storm clouds over head through his window. Looks like the weather decided to match my mood…
Elliot glanced at the young man after he finished cursing a red light which forced him to abide by the law and stop his outrageous speeding. Aidan had a sad, empty look in his eyes that made the detective's insides churn. It hurt Elliot to see him so upset, but he couldn't do much to help him.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Elliot asked, pushing down on the acceleration once the light turned green again.
Aidan looked up higher in the sky. He couldn't think straight right now, he felt confused. He knew that to be a side effect of the painkiller but he didn't like it.
"Can we talk about it later?"
Elliot gave a contemplating nod.
"Sure."
The rest of the ride was silent.
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Elliot arrived at the station and quickly killed the engine. Aidan had fallen asleep some time ago so he didn't bother waking him up. He got out of the car and entered the building. On cue, his boss was on him and trailing behind him was his partner.
"Where have you been, detective?" Cragen asked heatedly. "Your partner has been covering you for an hour with that victim as well as doing your reports."
"I'm sorry, Captain, it just my kid got into a fight-"
"I don't want your excuses," Cragen interrupted. "I want you to get back to work."
The older man sent Elliot a stern look before turning around and quickly walking back to his office.
Elliot sighed rubbed his head. Olivia walked over and handed him some files she was holding.
"Liv, I'm sorry. Aidan got pretty beat up and I had to go-"
"It's all right, really." Olivia said, giving him a genuine smile.
Elliot nodded and started walking towards the familiar workplace while his partner followed. He stopped mid-step when he realized he had left Aidan in the car.
"God, I'm sorry, Liv, but I need to get Aidan. I promise it will only take a few minutes this time."
Olivia nodded.
"Better hurry before Cragen sees." Olivia smiled.
Elliot rushed out after giving Olivia a quick thanks. He exited the doors outside and where a heavy down pour was taking place. He ran to his car's passenger door, finding Aidan the same way he left him: head lying in an odd position on the window and all.
Elliot opened the side door and caught the young man from falling by his arm. Aidan was slightly conscious again, blearily opening his eyes.
"What's going on?" Aidan asked, raindrops wetting his hair.
"Wake up, Aidan, just get inside the building and you can sleep in one of the station's cots, all right?" Elliot said impatiently, trying to gently lift the boy by his arm but failing.
Aidan groaned.
"No, sleep… here…" he replied tiredly, trying to get his arm back in the warm shelter.
"No, Aidan. Now." Elliot said firmly, giving the young man a very harsh tug on his arm, causing Aidan to topple clumsily onto the asphalt.
Aidan opened his eyes when he hit the cool road. His hands, which had helped him catch himself in the fall, were bleeding slightly from the pieces of glass that were lying on the street. His shoulder also had a pain slight pain in it now. Elliot definitely never did that before. The cop was always fairly kind and sensitive, not once had he ever intentionally hurt him.
The young man slowly looked into his guardian's eyes. Elliot looked shocked at himself.
"I'm sorry," Elliot started slowly. "I didn't mean-"
Aidan interrupted him by quickly getting off the ground. That was a mistake in itself though as he became dizzy and faint and threw up on the floor. How many times am I going to do that today? The rain quickly washed the vomit away and Aidan continued his wobbly (but still angry) trek towards the station doors.
Elliot went after him and grabbed the young man's arm.
"Aidan-" Elliot began again pleadingly.
"Stop it, Elliot!" Aidan said, pulling his arm back. He looked into his guardian's eyes. They were both drenched now. "Just don't-"
The young man turned around and ran through the doors into the station. Elliot rushed after him but was stopped, once again, by his boss. He halted when he spotted him, but stared anxiously after Aidan's fleeing form as he rounded the corner into the room which held the temporary cots.
"Get. To. Work. Last warning." Cragen said firmly before exiting into his office again.
Elliot nodded, made sure his boss was gone, and continued his chase after Aidan.
Olivia stood up once he passed their desk.
"Hey, what's up-"
"I'm sorry, Liv, I just really need to deal with something."
"You know you owe me,"
"I realized that." Elliot replied, managing a small smile.
Olivia sighed and plopped back into her chair to continue her partner's work.
Elliot reached the cot room and took a deep breath before opening the door.
He found Aidan lying with his back towards him in one of the small, gray beds. He could tell that the young man had stiffened once he entered which dropped a heavy burden of sorrow onto his shoulders.
Elliot slowly made his way towards Aidan's bed and gently sat down on the one nearest his. Elliot stared sadly at his charge's back. He never thought he would do such a cruel act. About a hundred thoughts ran through his head, defending his side of the story. He wasn't listening to me… He wouldn't hurry up… Elliot knew he was just acting like every other child abuser he dealt with when he thought such things, which unloaded bigger weight onto his shoulders.
"Aidan, please hear me out," the detective said in the most earnest voice he could muster. "I never meant to do that to you. I don't want to give you excuses though of why I did, I can't really explain it; I just want to say I'm sorry. You're the only thing I have right now with the kids mostly at Kathy's house, it would never be in a million years my intention to hurt you. Knowing that I did just moments earlier is killing me… Aidan, I really need you to know… I love you."
Aidan listened intently to every word. The last sentenced certainly rocked his world though. He faced his guardian, fresh tears replacing the old ones.
"I'm sorry," Aidan confessed.
Elliot gave him an incredulous look, a stray tear had fallen down his face but he wiped it away quickly.
"For what?" Elliot asked softly.
"I'm putting a lot of stress on you-"
"Aidan, don't think that." Elliot said breaking the young man off. "My job is my only stress. I've let it ruin a lot of things, but I promise you, I won't let it ruin this."
Aidan stared at him. That was a big promise to keep. It truly touched the young man that his new dad was willing to say it.
Aidan got up from his bed and walked over to Elliot. They stared for a few moments before Elliot wrapped the young man in a tight embrace. They stayed like for a few moments when Aidan's stomach let out a loud rumble. It was then that the young man realized he hadn't eaten anything since that morning.
They broke out of the hug and Aidan gave Elliot a watery smile, wiping the tears that were rolling down his cheeks away with his sweater sleeve.
"Hungry?" Elliot asked, getting up from the bed.
Aidan looked up at him.
"Kind of…"
"You make deciphering if you're lying or not way to easy," Elliot pointed out. Aidan laughed as they both made their way towards the stations vending machines.
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A/N: Wow, that was mushy. .:laughs:. Anyways, I promise you people a faster update but only if I get some tiny morsel of feedback. It will be much appreciated! Thank you for reading!