AN: Hey there lovely ladies. Thanks for the feedback and comments. I know-I know- I'm evil with the lack of EO, but every now and again I have to go with the mood and turn it into something else. Have no fear- I am so over EK! But other than that little note, I have to say that I went a little "Sound" crazy with this chapter. As in there's a lot of special effects that you'll have to just imagine. I blame years of theater on my writing style. Just treat it like a script. It helps, I swear. And you are going to have a few questions after this chapter, but don't go crazy thinking you missed something. You didn't. I will explain it all in the next chapter and I promise to get it out to you all before you forget what's going on.
OK- Enjoy!
Waves
Voices appear and fade in the darkness of Olivia's mind as her thoughts race for a place to stand.
Flash
"Something's wrong."
"Her vitals are decreasing."
Flash
Each image is like a wave pushing her throbbing head under water. The voices are garbled and shrill.
Flash
"Liv, it's Elliot. Where are you?"
Flash
"Check the pelvic wound."
"What's happening?"
Flash
Chills take over her body as she wrestles with the panicked dream. "Elliot," she mumbles.
Flash
"You left so suddenly. Call me when you get this."
Flash
"We're losing her heart rate."
"Where are you taking her?"
Flash
"Olivia, I need you to pick up the phone. Please."
Flash
"Clear the body…"
"1…2…3…4…"
"one more time."
"Clear!"
"1…2…3…4."
Flash
"…Liv….I need you…Olivia…something is wrong…"
Click
Flash
Beeeeeeeeep
"Call it."
Beep boop beep boop beep boop
Thwhap
Olivia smacked the alarm clock and lifted her sore head from the wet pillow beneath her. Groaning slightly she touched the swollen wound on the side of her head and jumped at the sight of blood on her hand. The sheets were stained with her blood and she seethed in pain as she moved to get out of bed. "Ouw."
The tape holding her head wound together had been ripped away. The painkillers had clearly worn off. She felt like death. Each step towards morning was like moving on pins and needles with a bad hangover and a crocked neck. As she reached the bathroom she looked at the gash and did her best to clean it with peroxide. A sharp pain at the base of her neck kept all movement slow and cautious. "Fucking whip lash."
Like a stiff robot she turned the shower on and stood next to the tub miserably watching the water escape from the curved faucet.
The snooze button on her alarm clock click on and suddenly the radio could be heard blasting "Rush hour with Eric and Kathy."
"It's a beautiful morning here in New York City."
"Oh...my god," she gasped before realizing that it was just the radio. The rash movement shot an excruciating pain to the center of her head and the world began to spin as the sound of Eric's voice chirped in the background.
" The air is crisp, the sky is bright with an orangish polluted haze, and for once my coffee is hot."
"Coffee. Why that's a fabulous idea Eric." With her hands wrapped around her neck and her face scrunched from the pain, she shuffled to the kitchen and turned on the pot. The red light on her answering machine blinked in the corner. She stopped and pressed the button with hesitance.
"Where are you?"
It was Casey.
"We're all at the hospital. Kathy had a boy! Elliot Jr.! Yeay! Call me!"
Beep
"Liv-"
Beep
The mere sound of Elliot's voice made her sick. She stopped the messages, took a deep breath, and carefully headed back to the running shower water with all intentions to forget about her childish evil thoughts. Gloomily she striped her self of clothing. Each article of cotton wear was slowly removed as she started her pathetically predictable morning routine.
Eric's annoying DJ voice grew louder as Olivia stepped into the tub. "So, Kathy, last night my best friend, Elaine and I are hanging out and she tells me…she tells me that she likes me in a more than just friends way."
"Wow, that's huge. Were you surprised?"
"Well…YEAH-"
"Please, he knew," Olivia added dryly as she washed around her achy body.
"I mean, I guess I knew a little. It wasn't like a disgusted surprise, but I wasn't prepared."
"Prepared for what? It's not like there's a handbook…Ouch," she winced as the soap tingled the open gash on her head.
"So the question is do you like her like that?"
"No. Well, maybe. You know that's not the point-"
"No, you see Eric, it is the point. If you like her then just frigg'n say it already!"
Kathy laughed as though she'd heard Olivia's complaints then continued the lame topic with her clueless Early Bird comrade. "So what did you say to her?"
"Well…you know. I didn't really know what to say to her. One would think that saying these kinds of things to a best friend would be easier, but it's much worse. I just nodded and then we kissed and I sent her home."
"Of course you did, you asshole!"
Every second of the topic was driving Olivia's anger into a fit of violent scrubbing and rinsing.
Kathy replied with typical female repugnance "You just let her go home without giving up your thoughts on the matter? And she allowed it to happen? Oh you are so in for it when she gets ahold of herself."
"Yeah, well, I tried, but it's…complicated, you know…."
"Because you let your dick do the talking. Dick!"
"I feel like I may have acted the wrong way."
"You think!"
"I just…I mean- how am I suppose to do this? Do you risk the friendship for the relationship or do you go on pretending there's nothing there? Because I don't think I could remain her friend if we broke up. If I can't risk that, where does that leave us in the end?"
"You end up with a gash on your head and an empty apartment, Eric! Don't let her go home! Never let her go home!!!! It only leads to you making up for lost time and carting her pregnant husband around so that you can later end up talking to yourself in the shower with a migraine that has seriously... caused…the world to spin…"
Olivia dropped the soap and held onto the side of the wall until the sharp pains between her eyes stopped.
"Ah, god, I need a tylenol or...Damn-it. Why am I upset at him? Nine months. I've had nine months to get over this. What did I think it was going to just go away? Yes…yes I did. Ah, I have to stop doing this. I don't need him. I don't need a family. The whole idea of it scares the shit out of me anyway, so there really should be no reason to be upset by this. And of course his baby would be cute….damn-it all to hell!"
"Sounds like you have a fear of commitment."
"Oh shut up, Kathy, what do you know?! Ahhhh Ooohh."
Darting pains grabbed at Olivia's brain. Carefully, she held onto the wet tub and climbed out of the shower. The pain was overwhelming. She knelt to the ground with a hint of dread that she was going to pass out.
"Please don't pass out. Please don't pass out. Mmmm…deep breaths. Let it pass, Olivia…."
Her focus kept blinking in and out and the feeling of faint and vomit came rushing to the pit of her stomach.
"So tell me my destiny, listeners, are we friends or lovers? Help me New York! I'm not well! Help…Me! Call 555-2626. The lines are open."
SCENE
Benson's apartment building.
The hallway
"Elliot."
"Yeah?"
"Do you have Olivia's keys?"
"What's wrong?"
Lake stood outside of Olivia's door listening from the outside. "Well somebody let me into the building, and I can hear the radio and the shower, but she's not answering."
Elliot moved away from his already shaken family. "Just break the door open."
"I can't do that. What if she's in there and just doesn't want to talk? She could be disrobed."
"What?"
"You know, naked."
"Yeah, I know what you meant. Lake are you a cop or a pussy? Just break the fucking door down."
"I'd feel better if we waited."
"How long have you been knocking?"
"Just a few minutes."
"Fine. Fine! I'll be there."
"No- Elliot- You don't have to-"
Lake looked at the empty phone and sighed.
SCENE
Mount Sinai Hospital
Waiting room
Casey, Don, Fin, and Munch sat in the waiting room of the hospital tapping their feet and holding their tired eyes open. Elliot's kids stayed in a room with the baby, and occasionally came down the hall to hug their grandmother and talk to Elliot's siblings, who littered the waiting room with Manhattan's finest.
Elliot rushed past the group of them with his jacket and his keys.
"Elliot?"
"Ma, sit tight, I'll be right back."
"Elliot, whatever it is, I got it," Fin said as he followed him towards the door. "Go back with your family."
"I can't!"
"Elliot, stop," Fin grabbed. "Let me handle Liv. That's my job."
"No offense Fin, but you couldn't handle Olivia if she were unconscious and tied up. Oh, god…I gotta… will you just stay with my family? I have a bad feeling. Please." Elliot got to the door and ran before Fin could think twice about it.
Casey shook her head and began to mumble towards Fin as he slumped back in the chair.
"I can not believe her. What the hell is she thinking? She should have just stayed in Oregon. Stubborn…jealous…this time it's going to back fire on her and unfortunately, it's at Elliot's expense."
"What is your problem, Casey? Don't even start that shit."
"If she were really concerned about Elliot she would have picked up her phone two hours ago when he needed her."
Fin caught a glance from Elliot's brother and he elbowed her in the arm. "Shhh, mind yourself woman. We don't know what's going on. Those two have their own language. You gotta let them deal with it."
"Oh, I know what's going on. It's called insanity. She's gone Virginia Wolf on us." Casey covered her mouth with a Styrofoam coffee cup and pretended to be looking down the hall as she hissed at Fin. "It wouldn't surprise me if she wrecked that car on purpose."
"Now that's enough," Don said before turning his back on Elliot's relatives and giving Casey the evil eye. "Casey, go take your mouth and your fat wallet to the Dunkin Doughnuts and get us some breakfast."
"I..," Casey's eyes darted towards the room full of Stablers and stiffly grabbed her purse. "Yes, sir."
SCENE
Benson Apartment Building
The Hallway
"Olivia, open the door."
Elliot pounded on the door several times and the old man who lived next to her peaked his head out. "Is there a problem? It's six thirty in the morning. I need my beauty sleep."
Elliot ignored the old man completely and stuck the key into the door.
"Sir, everything is fine. Just checking up on a friend," Lake smiled.
"You cops?"
Elliot pushed the door open leaving Lake to deal with the nosey neighbor.
"Liv! Olivia!"
The coffee pot was brewing a thick warm aroma, but all Elliot could sense was fear.
"Olivia…"
He raced to the bedroom where the radio could be heard at a loud volume.
"What's this feeling?You're all that I have and you're all that I need
Each and every day I pray to get to know your peace
Wanna be close to you, yes I'm so hungry
You're like water for my soul when it gets thirsty
Without you there's no me
You're the air that I breathe
Sometimes the world is dark and I just can't see"
The bathroom door was wide open and the shower was running. When he rounded the corner her body lay wet and limp on the purple fuzzy bathroom rug. Blood from the back of her head puddled onto the tile next to her pale cheek. This image was the last thing that Elliot could handle after the morning he'd just gone through. Tears masked his eyes from the horrendous vision before him.
He fell to his knees and placed his fumbling fingers over the slowly beating pulse coming from her neck. "Chester!"
He was so out of it from the series of events that had taken place earlier that he could do nothing but stand over her in shock. "Liv…"
His hands wiped at the tears and awkwardly touched her wet skin in lost confusion. He didn't even have the wits about him to think about her lack of clothing. He delicately rolled her over into his arms. She was burning with fever and pale from the pain. "Liv…don't leave me. Olivia, please, god, please. Wake up."
As he cradled her neck with one arm his other hand reached up to her face and brushed the hair from her eyes. "Olivia, look at me."
"What's this feeling?Like a King without his Crown
You keep fallin' down
You really want to live but can't get rid of your frown
You('re) try(in') to reach unto the heights and wound bound down on the ground. What's this feeling?"
"Elliot what's wro-"
Lake stopped at the sight of Elliot holding Olivia's unconscious body.
"Elliot- Jesus…." Lake turned around and grabbed Olivia's comforter. As he threw it over her, Elliot wrapped her up and carried her towards the living room.
"Should I call a bus?"
"Too late for that," Elliot yelled as he rushed towards the hallway.
"Elliot, wait! Let me drive at least. You're not in the right frame of-"
Lake stopped when the front door slammed shut. In a frenzy he ran back to turn off the bath water.
The Eric and Kathy show continued as usual "What is this feeling, New York? That was Matisyahu's 'King Without a Crown'. But really, what is this feeling ladies and gentlemen? That's what I'm screaming," Eric mocked from the radio. "I think this whole love thing is being over analyzed. It's time to go back to square one and just do what feels right. Am I right? I'm seeing things with my mind, but my eyes are closed."
Click
Lake turned off the radio and ran for the door, while yelling into his portable. "I need the medics ready. We're bringing in an unconscious officer. Female forty years old. Appears to have a head wound."
AN: I promise it gets lighter. Just give me one more chapter. Drop me your thoughts.