Olivia was having a very hard time thinking logically at the moment.
Stucky shot Frank, but Frank had to have shot Elliot before he went down. And now Elliot was fading fast and this was not how things were supposed to go, but they were predictable in the terms of her life. When Olivia finally thought she found her soulmate the first time, her mother chased him away. Just as she was finally starting to make amends with her mother after years of hurt, she went and slipped down the subway steps and died. She finally found a real blood relative who seemed to be just like his father and jumped bail on her.
And now, the man she was pretty sure she was in love with, who was probably her actual soulmate, someone she could really see herself with, happily ever after for eternity, just got shot by a dirty cop in a last ditch effort to save his own skin.
And he was dying in her arms.
She knew she needed to call 911. She needed to do something other than let Elliot bleed out on the roof in the rain, but she was pinned under him and she didn't have her cell phone or her radio, and Dale Stuckey, a criminal as he might have been, was her only option for help at the moment but he was standing there paralyzed, gun still in hand, staring at Frank's dead body.
So, Olivia did the only thing she could do, which she knew was of no use, but she was going to try it anyway.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME," she screamed into the night, knowing even if there was anyone around (which there wasn't), they wouldn't have been able to hear her over the rain and thunder.
So, she switched to survival mode. If these were going to be Elliot's last few minutes on earth, she was going to make them as peaceful and perfect as she could.
Keeping pressure on the wound with one hand, she brought the other up to stroke his cheek, then his head.
"I meant it, you know," Olivia whispered, not knowing if he could hear her at all, but it didn't matter. These words were for his ears only anyway. "I do love you. Whatever happens next isn't going to change that. You made me feel safe. Made me feel like somebody saw me. You let me into your life even when it was hard for you, and I'm so grateful. Your kids are going to know that you went down a hero. That you saved me. That you loved them so much too. I'll make sure they know El. The team too. I wish we had more time, but I'm so glad they transferred me to the 3-7, that we got to spend those months together, even the first few when we were fighting. You've been fighting so long, you're allowed to rest now."
When she was out of things to say, Olivia leaned back against the roof wall and waited for his chest to stop rising and falling beneath her hand.
But just a few moments later, the door to the roof burst open and it startled Olivia, causing her to open her own eyes.
From the stairwell, Captain Tucker and Cragen burst onto the roof. Tucker immediately went for Stuckey and Cragen ran toward Olivia.
"Don," Olivia yelled to him. "He needs a bus."
"Paramedics are on their way up," he said, leaning over Elliot with Olivia and applying more pressure to the wound.
The medics worked quick to try to get him situated and stabalized for transport.
"I'm not leaving him," Olivia said to the medics.
"Honey, you have to get checked out too," one of them said.
"I'm fine," Olivia said. "Sore wrists, two minor burns on my abdomen. I'm not leaving his side."
"You can't ride with us honey," the paramedic said. "We have to go now. But you can meet us there."
Olivia watched helplessly as they whisked Elliot away.
"C'mon," Cragen said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll drive you. And you can tell me how you got the burns."
"Lewis put a lit cigarette on my stomach," Olivia said. "It's nothing compared to what else happened up there."
"I still want you to get looked at when we get to Mercy," Cragen said. "He'll be under observation for a bit. You won't miss anything."
"What are you doing here?" Olivia asked as they got into Cragen's car and flipped on the lights and sirens to head for the hospital.
"The necklace I made you put on," Cragen said. "Something new from TARU. It has a GPS tracker in it. I just didn't trust Lewis wouldn't try to come after you. We were able to follow your movements. Amanda from the 3-7, she called me when she couldn't get ahold of Sonny. Said they got an all hands call. When I told her he left with you a while ago we both got nervous."
"Is Sonny okay?" Olivia asked. "One of Frank Donnelly's co-conspirators knocked him out."
"That's why you couldn't ride in the ambulance," Cragen said. "They're taking both Elliot and Sonny in. But Sonny was conscious when we got to him. We arrested the officer who knocked him out."
"I assume Tucker is going to want my statement about it all," Olivia said. "Since I'm sure you found Lewis too."
"It's not professional of me, but I'm going to say this anyway," Cragen said. "I'm not sorry about what happened to that bastard and I'm glad that the worst thing he did to you was a few little burns. It could have been so much worse. But you say any of that to IAB and I'll deny it."
Olivia wanted to smile, but she couldn't. Not right now. Instead she looked down at her hands folded in her lap.
"You're thinking about him," Cragen said.
"What if he doesn't make it?" Olivia asked. "He has four kids."
She was quiet for a few moments.
"What about me?" she said softly, wondering if Cragen even heard her.
"If he makes it through this," Cragen said. "Don't waste any more time telling him how you feel."
"I already did," Olivia admitted. "Before he blacked out. I think he heard me. He smiled."
"For what it's worth, whether he said it or not," Cragen said. "I think he loves you too."
"I'm scared," Olivia admitted.
"Love is a scary thing," Cragen said. "You want to protect it, keep it safe. And love is what makes loss so hard. But it's not over until it's over. So if you're given a second chance or given more time, don't waste it."
Olivia knew Cragen knew exactly what he was talking about. He'd loved and lost his first wife, Marge. They hadn't gotten more time, or a second chance, or the happily ever after they wanted. But as far as Olivia knew, Elliot wasn't dead yet, and maybe, just maybe, their fate wouldn't be the same as Don and Marge.
And that was the small bit of hope Olivia clung to as she entered the hospital.
A nurse, then a doctor, checked Olivia out fully. No concussion for the slaps, watch out for the bruising on her wrists from struggling in the cuffs. They'd dressed her burns, given her some care tips to prevent serious scarring, and sent her back to the waiting room.
And that's what she'd done for nearly an hour. Wait.
The 3-7 squad all eventually made their way to the hospital. Sonny was checked over and released and Amanda was doting on him. Fin and Munch were watching some sporting event on the waiting room TV and bickering with one another. Jet sat alone in a chair, knees pulled to her chest, refusing to speak or even look at anyone, especially Olivia.
Amanda had the contact information for Elliot's ex-wife to try to get her to bring the kids, but when Olivia finally got through to her, Kathy said she and her new husband had taken the kids to Florida for a vacation, and even if they could get a quick flight it would still be a few hours to get back.
After a few hours, a doctor finally emerged.
"Family of Elliot Stabler?" the young man said.
"That's us," Amanda said.
"He took just one shot," the doctor said. "Lodged up near his clavicle but missed any vital organs."
"But the wound was so big," Olivia said.
"Yes, the type of bullet is old," the doctor said. "Not really made for precision and efficiency like ammo today. Which is actually probably a good thing for him. A few more centimeters and we'd be having a very different conversation."
Olivia felt like someone had knocked the air out of her and simultaneously breathed new life into her at once.
"So, you think he'll make a full recovery?" Olivia asked.
"Oh, he's already asked to go home," the doctor said, rolling his eyes. "Twice."
Behind her, Olivia heard Munch and Fin snicker.
"Are any of you 'Liv' by chance?" the doctor asked. "He's been grumbling about wanting to see 'Liv' for half an hour."
"That's me," Olivia said shyly.
"You're welcome to go back and see him," the doctor said. "Just you. We still want him to rest but he should be discharged within the hour. But I'd like that hour to be a peaceful one if possible. Maybe you'll calm him down."
Olivia looked back at the group assembled there.
"Go on," Fin said, jutting his chin toward the door. "Your prince is waiting for you."
Olivia gave one last look at Jet who was finally smiling. She nodded at Olivia too.
So Olivia took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and pushed through the doors to head back to the patient rooms.
She found him, bandadged up from neck to bicep on his right side, looking grumpy in his hospital bed. But he was grumpy and alive.
"You're supposed to duck," she said, smiling at him from the doorway.
His face broke into a wide grin and his eyes lit up.
"Now what kind of partner would I be if I ducked and let you get shot," he said and she eased into the room and came to stand next to the bed. He slid over enough to give her room to perch on the side.
"One who could have saved me a few hours of fretting over whether or not he was going to make it," she said, sinking down into the mattress, her feet still planted on the floor.
Elliot slid his hand over hers and encircled her fingers, pulling her a little bit closer so that their faces were just inches apart.
"You know," Elliot said. "I kind of remember something from right before I passed out."
"And what was that?" Olivia asked.
"Now, I can't be sure," Elliot said. "But it sounded like a smart, sexy, infuriating, funny, beautiful detective told me she loved me."
Olivia swallowed hard. It was easy to say those words when she thought he was dying. But now he wasn't and what if he didn't feel the same way. What if she got him back to have already screwed everything up."
"And thanks to Frank Donnelly," he said. "I didn't get the chance to respond."
"El, it's fine we can just forget…" she said, starting to ramble off the reasons why it was just a reflex and no harm done.
But she couldn't, because Elliot closed the small gap between them and his lips were on hers. Warm, inviting, tongue pressing at her lips to give him more access, which she granted.
They stayed that way for a few minutes until she finally pulled back.
"In case that didn't make it clear," Elliot said. "I love you, too."
"You do?" Olivia asked.
"Don't sound so shocked, Liv," he said. "There's a lot to love. I'm the one getting the best end of the deal here. I get the beauty, you get the beast."
"You're not a beast," Olivia said. "Or a monster, or any of the other names they call you. Pain in the ass maybe. Fiercly protective. Kinda stubborn. Bit of a jealous bastard. But I can live with all those things. I want to live with those things if it means spending more time with you."
"Yeah?" Elliot asked, a cheeky grin growing wider.
"Yes," Olivia said. "But I reserve the right to call you out. We're gonna fight like we used to. It won't be easy."
"Nothing worth having comes easy," Elliot said. "Speaking of, what exactly happened up on the roof. It's all a little fuzzy."
"Well, Lewis went over the side of the building," she said. "You saw that."
"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," Elliot deadpanned.
"Stuckey shot Frank but I guess Frank shot at us first and you caught the bullet," Olivia said. "I didn't have a way to call for help and Stuckey was just standing there frozen, realizing he killed Frank. I called out for help, not expecting a response but then Cragen, Tucker, and the paramedics burst onto the roof. Cragen made me wear this other necklace when I left the precinct with Sonny. TARU put a tracker in it. When they found out everything was a setup they tracked me to the 3-7 and found us."
"I'm going to have to send Morales a six pack," Elliot said. "Cragen too."
"You can thank Tucker in person when we have our IAB hearings," Olivia said.
"Tucker's gonna take my badge," Elliot said. "I don't owe him shit."
"Give him a chance to do the right thing, El," Olivia said. "This case is complicated, and just the fact that everything went down like it did on the roof, that's proof enough you weren't lying five years ago. Let's just see how it all plays out."
"You still gonna love me if I'm destitute and have to live on your couch?" Elliot asked.
"Rather have you living in my bed instead," Olivia said, dropping her voice an octave.
"In that case, Tucker can have my damn badge," Elliot said with a glint in his eye.
Olivia laughed and kissed him again.
"C'mon partner," she said. "They said you're going to be discharged soon. Let's get you put back together and get out of here."
"You lead, I'll follow, Liv," Elliot said.
"I like the sound of that," she said, interlacing their fingers and squeezing his hand.
A/N: Still want to throw things at me? Or are we good again? Last wrap-up chapter coming your way soon!
