Elliot awoke the next morning and stretched. He ran a hand over his face when the previous night's events caught up with him. He got up and went to the clock to pull the chord so the alarm wouldn't wake her. Yawning, he stared at his sleeping companion. Seeing she was still slumbering, he quietly made his way out of the room. He grabbed the phone from the base and sat down on the couch. After a few moments to organize his thoughts, he held with the receiver to his ear and waited.
"Cragen." The sleep-laden voice was just shy of barking into the phone.
"Hey, Cap. This is Stabler." He gave his superior time to let the words sink in.
"I know by the sound of your voice who it is, Elliot. Why the wake-up call?" He glanced at the clock. Just barely six thirty. He'd told everyone to sleep in. It was hardly what time he had in mind. He hated to see what his detective considered early to be.
"I've got something I want to run by you. First, did you hear about anything happening last night near the precinct?" He wasn't sure how to bring it up, but he knew Cragen had been at work when he left. For how long, he didn't know. It was possible he didn't know anything had even happened.
"You mean the fire? I saw a few fire trucks as I was leaving. Is there a reason I should be concerned with it?" He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get back to sleep once the conversation was over. He was already awake. He walked to the door and opened it to retrieve the paper. He almost dropped the phone at the headline. What had occurred was more than the simple warehouse fire he'd suspected.
"I'm not sure what you're referring to, but I'll start from the beginning." He heard a muffled curse on the other line.
"Hang on a second, Elliot." He scanned the article, his mouth agape. What a shame, he thought. He turned his attention back to his detective and told him to continue.
"Last night after I got home I got a call from Duncan in homicide. He and his partner, can't remember the new guy's name. Anyway, he and his partner recognized Olivia. She was real shaken up and he said I should get down there, that something had happened. She was a mess, Cap. I know she'll want to work but I don't think she'll be able to handle the streets. That's why I called you. I was thinking the desk would be the best place for her to be, at this point." He ran his finger over the edge of the table.
"Wait a minute. Back up. Are you saying Olivia was involved in this? How?" He cringed at the thought of her having to go through such an ordeal. The words 'post traumatic stress disorder' immediately came to mind.
"That's the thing. I'm not sure what she saw. I haven't gotten anything out of her. I haven't even tried. I'm not sure what even happened. All I saw when I got there was what used to be a van. It was dark and I was trying to find her. When I got there, they told me she was getting looked at. That's all I know." He tried to recall everything but he realized he really didn't know a whole lot. He had some catching up to do.
"Elliot, you get the paper? Because if you do, once you read what happened, I don't think you're going to want to let her out of your sight. Whatever she saw wasn't pretty." He let out a drawn out sigh.
"Makes me not want to look, but yeah, I got a paper." He opened the door and the minute he saw the picture and headline, his heart sank in his chest. He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of his room and felt his throat constrict. He cleared it and took a few breaths to compose himself.
"Judging by your silence, you've seen just why we need to tread carefully, here. I'll set up a time for her to meet with Huang. He can tell us where to go from there. What do you need from me, other than that?" He turned the newspaper over, not wanting to see it any further.
"Well, I think we need to tell the guys before they find out elsewhere. Word is going to get out that she was there. I don't want people treating her differently. She hates that. I'm with you. We need to keep her in our sights. She's going to fight us if we baby her, though. So, I say we just let Olivia be Olivia and give her our support. I could use a little advice from Huang, myself." He walked to the bathroom and got a towel out of the closet before draping it onto the rack.
"Whatever you two need, you'll get. I'll ask Huang what we should be expecting. I'll ask the guys to come in early and give them a briefing of the situation. They're going to want to know how she is, Elliot." He'd seen a lot in his time on earth, but the cases that hit close to home tugged at his heartstrings. They were like family and his heart went out to his female detective.
"I don't know how to answer that. She's been through God knows what. Who knows if she was there the entire time or if she came up to it? I do know that she probably saw more than anyone on scene, and they're going to hound her details. We need to get her some protection from the vultures out there. It's only a matter of time before her name is released to the press, Cap. I hate this. This is Olivia we're talking about, here." He lowered his voice as he walked into his bedroom to retrieve his clothes. He grabbed them quickly and left without waking her.
"I'll take care of it. Just concentrate on being there for her. I'll back you in whatever you need to do. If you two need to leave, you have the green light. Take whatever time you need. Just keep her breathing, Elliot." He didn't want to attend her funeral. He'd attended too many. He jotted down a list of people to contact.
"Already taken care of." He didn't need it spelled out for him. If he had to lock her in his room, he would. He reminded himself to make sure her gun was empty before she put it back on. It would kill her to give up her gun. He couldn't do that to her.
"I've got some calls to make. When should we expect you two? Name a time. As late as you want, Elliot." He stood up ripped off the note. He stuck it by his wallet and went to go change for work.
"Give me some time to let her wake up. I've got to fill a prescription and change her dressings. It's a quarter 'til now. Plan on us coming in around nine or so. If she wakes up later, I'll call. She's out like a light right now. I thought she'd get up during the night but she was pretty much drained." He set his clothes on the toilet and walked out of the bathroom so it wouldn't echo.
"Wait, was she injured? Shit, I didn't even think of that." He berated himself for disregarding Olivia's physical health. He'd been so concerned for her emotional well-being he hadn't even consider that she could have suffered some form of bodily harm.
"She's got some burns on her foot and hands. I'm not sure where else. I didn't…it's not my place. I didn't want to maker her uncomfortable. If she needs me to, maybe I can call Casey or something." He went into the living room and leaned against the recliner.
"Good idea. You did the right thing. Let me know if there's anything else you need. Otherwise, I'll see you in a couple hours. I'm going to go call the guys." He hung up and set the phone down none too gently. Life could be so cruel.
Just as he was getting ready to head back into the bathroom, he heard the bedroom door. The sight of Olivia wiping the sleep out of her eyes and squinting against the brightness of the room reminded him once again of his children. He felt an even stronger urge to protect her. He smiled and went into the kitchen. He heard her soft footsteps as she followed. The shower forgotten, his goal was now to get her to eat.
"What time is it?" Her voice was hoarse and raspy. She yawned and winced as it jarred her sore throat.
"Around seven. I couldn't see the switch to turn it off so I just unplugged it so it wouldn't wake you. Coffee?" He walked around the kitchen, letting her set the pace of her morning. Every now and then, he'd glance over at her seated form, judging her demeanor.
"Mmm…ow." She set the cup down quickly, almost splashing the scolding liquid on her bandages.
"Careful. Did it hurt your hands?" He stared at her a moment and looked away. She hated it when he did that.
"My throat's sore. They said it would be for a bit. The uh…smoke from…the heat irritated the lining of my throat. I guess maybe I should have gone with water." She shrugged and pushed the cup away.
"Gotcha." He poured out her cup and rinsed it before filling it with water and adding a few cubes of ice. At least she'd been able to mention a few details. Nothing big, but the fact that she could talk a little about it was good, he thought.
"Thanks. So, what time do we go in?" She gazed at him, meeting his eyes, and held them in her sights. She pleaded, silently. She knew he understood. If anyone, he would understand.
"I called Cragen this morning. Told him I'd let you sleep in and we'd be in. I had to tell him, Liv." He fought the urge to take her hands in his, not wanting to injure her further. She looked away, fighting back tears.
"Wh…what did you tell him?" She cleared her throat, thinking of all the things her colleagues would be thinking of her. She wasn't a victim. The kids in that van were victims.
"I didn't know anything to tell him. I just told him you'd seen some thing; what things, I wasn't sure. I told him you'd want to work. He's, uh…you're on a desk, Liv. I'm sorry." He spoke gently.
"I want to work. I need to be working today. Thank you." She nodded, mostly to herself, as if reaffirming that she could handle it if she didn't have to be alone.
"What are partners for? I'm going to shower real quickly, then." He saw her nod. She was getting lost in her thoughts again. He opted to make his shower as short as possible.
No more than ten minutes later, he emerged from the steaming room. He looked around the living room and saw her sitting on the couch, paper in hand. He cursed and raced over. She looked at him with a blank expression.
"Here, let me take that. I forgot that was there. I'm so sorry, Liv." He couldn't tell what he'd just caused by leaving the paper out where she could relive what had happened.
"I smell." She changed the subject quickly. She knew an appointment had already been made, most likely. She'd talk another time. Huang wouldn't push her and she was thankful Elliot wasn't, either.
"What? Oh, your clothes. Once you get them changed, it'll be better. Mostly, it's in your clothes. I have some fabric spray, too, that will probably help. I'm sure you have some perfume or something at home. Let me change the dressings on your hands and your foot and if you want, I can call Casey and she can help you clean up a little and bring you some clothes. I'm afraid you won't be able to shower." He was rambling. He just wanted it to go away, but he couldn't erase what she'd been through.
"'Kay." She nodded and got up from the couch as he, too, stood to get the phone.
xxx
Three and half hours was all it took for Olivia to feel the pain of her burns. She was going off adrenaline and endorphins the previous night. She'd been in the file room pulling folders and making copies when she started to feel the pain. First, her foot from crouching on the floor to reach the lower drawers. Then, her hands from the constant motion . By noon, she literally felt as if her body was on fire. To top it all off, her face ached. The heat of the fire had just barely singed the outer layer of skin, giving it the feel and look of a sunburn. She kept busy, though, not wanting to quit. She startled when the door opened unexpectedly.
"Look at you. Hey, Cap wants to see us before we head for lunch. I thought we could eat in today." He took in the creases around her eyes and bit his lip. He'd let her come to him on her own time. He had a feeling she was in a world of hurt, though.
"Let me just finish this up and I'll meet you out there." She gathered the files she was working on and stacked them on the chair before leaving. She rounded the corner, where she saw Elliot holding a cup of water and a bottle of Tylenol.
"Thought you might need this." He poured out a couple capsules into her hand and gave her the water. He noticed she could barely grip the cup with her sore hands.
"Thanks. Wow, I can't believe I was in there that long. It's nice and quiet. I could get used to that." She downed the water and tossed the paper cup before following him into the Captain's office.
"Shut the door, please." Cragen offered them a chair and sat behind his desk.
"Thank you for giving me space. I know you want to know what happened, but I can't and I don't know when I'll be able to. I don't remember much, anyway. I'm sorry." She ran a white, gauze-wrapped hand through her hair and sighed.
"Olivia, I wouldn't expect anything less than how you're handling this. None of us do. We just want to give you some space. If you need anything from us, let us know. We're here for you. I made an appointment with Huang for one thirty. I thought you could use some time away from the files. Can't let the guys get used to having someone doing the dirty work." He smiled warmly and leaned forward with his forearms on the edge of the desk.
"I definitely could use a break. I think all of the names are sounding alike right about now. Do you need me to check in after my appointment?" She fidgeted in her seat. In the back of her mind, she was afraid for what she would remember. Since her meltdown, she couldn't recall much. Even the picture in the paper and its accompanying story didn't do much to jog her memory. It was as if it never happened.
"Nah. I know where to find you if I need you. That will be all. Oh, Elliot, I need you to get with John regarding a case you worked a few months ago. Got another victim. Same MO, et cetera. Maybe between the two of you, we'll get this one closed." He placed his palms on the desk and stood.
"Will do. We're going to break for lunch. See ya, Cap." Elliot stood and held the door for Olivia before closing it. His stomach was growling and he had a feeling Olivia could use some food, too. The day was going surprisingly well, he thought. He wanted to go with Olivia to her appointment to offer support, but he knew she wouldn't have that. Worry ate at his gut and he shook it for the time being. He still needed to get with Huang, himself if he wanted to be able to help Olivia.