Olivia sat in Judge Linden's office, her leg shaking nervously as she and Trevor waited for the Judge to arrive. Trevor looked over at her and noticed how pale she looked, how she kept fidgeting with her fingers, and the nervous tapping of her foot against the carpeted floor.
He placed a calming hand onto her knee, drawing her eyes up to his. The pain, trepidation and inexplicable fear he saw in them broke his heart. He's known her for years, worked with her a few times, and even represented her once long knew that she didn't scare easily, so to see her like this spoke volumes. He had gotten a glimpse of the real Olivia Benson when he became Noah's legal representative. She took in the boy, and welcomed him almost immediately into her life and heart. She fought for him, for his mother, and didn't rest until justice was served. But he understood her anxiety. He smiled reassuringly at her. "It's going to be fine, Olivia," he reassured, and she shook her head.
"I don't even know how to explain any of this to her. What if she asks for credit card records? Or Savina's birth records from the hospital? I don't wanna leave Savina any longer than I have to," she listed, her voice becoming a near whisper by the end.
Trevor sighed, he knew that all of those things will be needed, and she had a right to worry. He debated whether to dodge it, or address it. But one look at her, and he knew that she was not going to let any of it go, until Savina is officially her own. "Olivia, this is a temporary custody request, all of that will be required when we're going up against the nuns for taking Savina. Judge Linden handed you Noah on a hunch, and she was right. Just tell her the truth," he said sincerely.
Before Olivia could say another word, the door to the room opened, and Judge Linden walked in, coffee cup in hand. "Sorry, I'm late. Olivia," she greeted, shaking the offered hands. "Mr. Lanagan. It's always a pleasure to see you both."
Olivia smiled at the Judge, who took her seat across from the duo, and looked up at them questioningly. "While it's always nice to see you, Olivia, but I'm afraid I don't know what's going on. All Mr. Lanagan said last night was that it was about a temporary custody order of a minor, who is currently the victim in one of your cases, and you're the custodian, along with ADA Barba," she summarized, and Olivia nodded, flinching slightly when Linden called Savina a victim.
"She also happens to be my daughter, your honor," Olivia added quietly, and Linden's eyebrows hit her hairline. She finally looked at the papers that Trevor had handed her when she first came in, and quickly read through them.
"She's your biological daughter?" she sought confirmation, and Olivia nodded. "But you're only requesting a temporary order?" she inquired in confusion. It made no sense to her.
"When I gave birth, I was told that my baby had died, and was even handed a dead infant by the nuns at the church. I only found out two days ago that she's alive and well, and that I was deceived. She's been in the foster system since she was four, when her adoptive parents died in a car accident. We found out when we ran her DNA through the system, and it came back with a familial match to me," Olivia recounted quickly, pausing when Trevor got up and handed the judge Savina's file.
"We are building a case against the nuns who deceived Lieutenant Benson, but in the meantime, she would like to spend time with her daughter, and help her recover from the horrific experience she endured. But without a custody order, any time she spends with her, defense can use to throw suspicion on their testimonies," Trevor elaborated.
Linden looked between the two of them, and then at the file in her hand. "You didn't approve this adoption?" she pressed, and Olivia shook her head. "I never wanted to give her away," she choked out, her voice catching slightly at the end.
"Detective Carisi is working on proving that Lieutenant Benson never wanted to give the baby away," Trevor interjected.
The judge shook her head in sadness. "And the nuns? Where are they?" she asked.
"They're on a mission in Guatemala!" Olivia almost growled.
Linden nodded. "Very well, I see no reason why she can't be released into your custody temporarily until this entire mess is sorted out," she sighed sadly, as she signed the papers, and handed them to Olivia. "I couldn't think of a better mother for her, Olivia. I simply wish it was under different circumstances," she added, as she got to her feet and shook Olivia's hand.
"Me too. Thank you, your honor."
Savina's head throbbed slightly as she started to come to, she heard the beeping of the heart monitor she was connected to, felt the catheter in her arm, and it didn't take long before her throbbing ribs made themselves known. They had changed her dressings the night before, so the various burns and cuts on her body were numb for the moment. Small mercies, you can call it. But her fingers felt numb, they were fisted around something, and she could feel something running against the inside of her arm. It was a repetitive motion, up and down, up and down. Rhythmic, slow, calming…Rafael. She had a nightmare, he was there, and he promised to stay with her…..and he kept his word.
She slowly pried her eyes open, thankful that the florescent light over her bed was not lit. The only light streaming into the room, was the one coming from the bustling hallway. Her eyes quickly found Rafael sitting in a chair by her side, her arm resting in his palm. That rhythmic movement she felt was his thumb softly moving over the inside of her arm, as her own fingers tightly clutched the soft wool material of his sweater. He had his phone in his other hand, his eyes glued to the screen, and his entire focus on it, that he didn't realize that she had awoken, until she unclenched her fingers from around his sleeve.
He smiled softly at her, his eyes reassuring, but still slightly haunted. "Hey."
She swallowed, her mouth felt dry, and she was still trying to figure out how long she's been asleep. But to her surprise, she was totally at ease with waking up, and finding him there. It even made her feel safe, protected…..wanted.
"Hey," she greeted. "How long have I been out?" she asked.
"About four hours," he replied. She could tell he was glad that she was able to rest for that long without a nightmare. "You jerked a few times in your sleep, but when I called your name, you settled down again, so I figured it'd be best if I don't wake you and let you get some sleep," he told her, and she nodded.
"Thank you, I don't remember any of that. I only remember the nightmare that you woke me up from," she alluded coyly and he smiled.
"I told you I'm not going anywhere," he repeated his earlier statement, and she nodded. "That's the longest sleep I've had in quite some time," she confessed, and his heart wrenched. He knew that she wasn't just talking about the events of the past week, he knew that this declaration meant so much more.
"Things will be different," he stated. "Your mother met with the judge this morning, and she signed the order. Carisi is working on building a case against the nuns," he listed. "You're not alone anymore, and whoever did this managed to piss off the NYPD and the DA's office with a single blow. And trust me, we take care of our own."
She didn't know what it was, she was not someone to trust easily, to take someone's word to mean anything. But ever since this whole thing started, she found herself believing them, trusting them. She wasn't ready to admit it to herself, but it felt good to have them around her.
She nodded at him, smiling when she saw a little bit of happiness creep into his eyes when he saw that she believed his words. She opened her mouth to talk, when the door swung open, and an exhausted looking, and slightly panicking Olivia barged through the doors. She seemed to calm down a bit at the sight of an awake Savina, but her breathing was still a bit shallow.
"Liv, everything alright?" Barba asked in concern.
"You didn't answer your phone," she breathed, the panic still slightly audible.
Barba looked at the phone he had discarded onto the bedside table when Savina woke up, and saw the missed call notifications. "I'm sorry, I turned off the ringer when she fell asleep, and I forgot it was off," he soothed, abandoning his seat by Savina's bed, and moving closer to her. He softly kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." He knew that it wasn't really about the phone, that her mind had probably conjured up insane scenarios as to why he wasn't picking up. And taking the last two days into account, he wasn't sure he wouldn't have done the same if the situation was reversed.
She nodded slowly, offering him a small smile when he pulled back and looked at her, his hands moving up and down her arms to calm her, and only then did she realize that she was trembling slightly. She dropped her purse onto the chair by the door, before she made her way over to the bed.
"Hey," she greeted. "Sorry about barging in like that."
Savina smiled reassuringly. "It's alright, you got worried. No one can blame you for that."
Olivia smiled genuinely at her, as she slowly sat down on the bed next to her. Her eyes held Savina's gauging her reaction, but she merely smiled at her.
"Sorry I was late," she apologized. "I was meeting with the judge, and then I….uh….went to the cemetery," she stammered, and Savina frowned. "Why?"
"Well, Carisi spoke to the nurse who checked you out the day you were born, and she said that there was another woman who was pregnant at the same time I was, whom she believed was an escort," she explained hastily, and Savina nodded in understanding, her eyes softening. "You don't have to do all of that," she whispered.
Olivia's heart wrenched at the way she sounded; like she wasn't worth all that. She leaned forward, moving a little closer to her, and softly cupping her cheek. "They took you away," she retorted gently. "They told me you died. You went through a lot of unnecessary hardships because of them. So I know I don't have to do this, but I want to. They don't just get away with this."
"Did you get a match?" Barba asked, and she shook her head.
"Not yet. Melinda did a full autopsy to find cause of death, and then sent her DNA to the lab. They're running it, but we haven't found anything yet."
"Well, the nurse could be wrong," Barba pointed out, and Olivia shook her head.
"Not according to Melinda. She said the baby was malnourished, and had all the signs you usually find in infants born to working girls," Olivia shot back gently.
"Where is the baby now?" Savina asked, and Olivia swallowed down the tears. "I buried her again. She may not be mine, but that doesn't mean, that I will just throw her away."
"She's lucky to have you," Savina whispered softly, and Olivia's breath hitched in her throat.
Olivia opened her mouth to talk, when a knock at the door stopped her. Barba – who was leaning against the door – pulled it open, revealing a zombie-looking Fin. "Hey man," he greeted.
"Savina, this is Detective Tutuola. He's been my partner and friend for nearly sixteen years," Olivia introduced, and Fin smiled fondly. He took Savina's offered hand. "Call me Fin."
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. I'm glad you're alive," he deadpanned, and she laughed – genuinely – her hand moving to hold her ribs. Fin grinned broadly when she couldn't seem to stop the laughing. "There's a sentence you never thought you'd say!" she quipped.
"And considering what I do, that's saying something!"
"Sonny was right! You guys are not your usual cops," she stated, and Fin smiled. "I like that," she added.
"Well, unfortunately, I'm here on business. We'll get plenty of times to get to know each other later," he declared, and she nodded in understanding. "I was hoping you'd be up to looking at a few pictures, see if you recognize anyone," he informed her, as he handed her the tablet.
"No problem, but like I told Sargent Rollins, I didn't see her face," she shot back gently, as she looked through the picture.
"We know, but maybe you saw someone lurking around you before you were taken," he suggested, and she shook her head.
"Sorry, none of those look familiar," she apologized, as she handed him the tablet back.
To all of their surprise, the door opened once more, and none other than Diana came in. Savina immediately scowled at her, and opened her mouth to bite her head off, when Diana put her hand up in surrender. "It's lunchtime, Mom was the one who brought me here to give you this," she explained hastily, handing Savina a closed container. Savina's entire face lit up once she popped open the lid, and peeked inside. "Tiramisu!" she squealed in delight.
Diana chuckled. "She knows how much you love her tiramisu, so she made you some."
"She's downstairs?" Savina wondered, and Diana nodded. "She and Sam are waiting for me."
Savina opened her mouth to speak, but Diana beat her to the punch. "I know. You appreciate the gesture, you would love to see them, but you're not ready. They know, and they just want you to know that they are there."
"Thanks, Di."
"Anytime," her voice trailed off slightly at the end, as she craned her neck to get a better look at the picture that was still displayed on the tablet in Fin's hand. "Can I see that?" she asked, pointing to the tablet, and Fin wordlessly gave it to her.
"I know this woman!" she declared.