Chapter 20: Life, Interrupted
Summary: The residual relaxation from their beach vacation is short lived as more drama ensues for Liv and Rafa.
Notes: Dialogue from 19:1 Gone Fishin' episode in bold font.
The residual contentment resulting from their vacation lasted through most of August but had waned completely by Labor Day weekend. Work kicked up in intensity for both Liv and Rafa, leaving Noah to spend more time with Lucy. One or other of the adults missed his bedtime nearly every night the last week of August and Noah became understandably surly about it.
The little boy wanted nothing more than to return to the beach house, where nothing mattered except for his Momma, Rafa, and him spending time together. He missed it. He just didn't know how to articulate that yet, so he threw tantrums instead.
"Come on, sweet boy," Liv called from the kitchen as she poured coffee into a travel mug. Rafa left for his office an hour ago and Liv was going to drop Noah off for his first day of the new school year on her way to the precinct.
Trudging like his shoes were filled with cement, Noah dragged his backpack across the floor towards the door. They weren't running late, yet, but they would be if he continued dragging ass. Olivia sighed, forcing herself to give the young boy the benefit of the doubt and held her tongue.
Securing his backpack on his shoulders before they left their building, Liv grasped her son's hand as they headed off in the direction of his school.
When they were halfway there, Noah began whining. "I don't want to go."
"Come on, Noah. School is fun, right? You got…" Reaching toward his backpack to make sure she packed it, Liv added, "You got Teddy with you. You're all good."
Noah frowned frustratedly. "Lucy wouldn't make me go. I wish she was my mommy."
The words hitting her like a sucker punch to the chest, Liv's stricken expression was hidden behind the sunglasses she wore. Uncertain that she heard her son correctly, Liv bent down to her son's level and placed her sunglasses on top of her head. "What did you say?"
"I wish Lucy was my mommy," Noah replied sullenly, trying to pull his hand out of his mother's grasp. Liv merely held on tighter.
"Well, kiddo, looks like you're stuck with me," she forced through gritted teeth trying to contain her emotions. She knew Noah was re-adjusting to the busier than usual schedule the adults had lately and was likely nervous about school, but certainly did not appreciate his attitude.
Approaching a cross walk, Liv's frustration grew when her phone rang in her pocket. Slipping her hand from Noah's and telling him to stay right there, she answered, "Benson. What? Ok, yes."
She didn't notice the crossing signal change and turned just in time to see Noah taking a few steps out into the crosswalk, a yellow cab barreling down on him.
"Noah!" she shrieked, grabbing his arm roughly and swinging him back toward her, her call ended in the commotion. The yellow cab dodged at the last second and Noah cried out. Liv held her son tight and reassured him that he was okay.
Heart still in her throat, Liv walked Noah the rest of the way to school. He calmed down by the time they arrived, and she hugged him fiercely before nudging him through the gate with a nod to the attendant. That was a close call.
Forgetting about the call that distracted her in the first place, Liv pulled her phone out and called Rafa hoping he wasn't in a meeting.
"Hello, mi amor," his smooth voice answered, she knew he flashed his half smile on the other end of the line. "Miss me already?"
"Rafa," she choked out roughly.
His tone changed in an instant. "Liv, what is it?"
Gulping back tears, she relayed the story of her morning, beginning with Noah's statement about wishing Lucy was his mommy and ending with saving her son from almost being run over. "This doesn't bode well for how this day is gonna go, Rafa. What's that saying about things happening in threes?"
"Mi corazon, you know he didn't mean it. He's just a little boy who's frustrated that we're so busy. I'll talk to him when I get home – about what he said to you and being careful at crosswalks. I'll make sure to get out of here early to spend some time with him."
"Thank you, Rafa. Hopefully he'll listen to you because he sure isn't listening to me."
"It will be ok, I promise."
"I know. I love you, Rafa."
"Te amo, Liv. Call me later if you need to talk."
She was only just walking into the precinct when her phone rang again. It was Noah's school calling to advise her of bruising on the little boy's arm. And there was number three on the list of bad things to happen today, she thought. Liv wracked her brain trying to figure out how Noah would have gotten a bruise on his arm, but she was at a loss. Before she knew it, Byron Marks was being escorted into the squad room by Fin. She would deal with Noah's school later.
"Let's call Rafa in," Liv stated after she and her team sat down for an unproductive interrogation with Marks. The guy was a real piece of work.
"Is there a limitations problem?" Rafa asked as they walked off the elevator ten minutes later.
"The rapes were forceable, he used an 8-inch blade," Fin said. To which, Liv added, "He fled the jurisdiction before the lab could test his DNA."
"Are there any problems with the arrest?"
"I thought we were supposed to be on the same team?" Fin questioned in frustration.
This team was like family to Liv, and by default, him, but Rafa knew how sideways cases like Marks' could get. He just wanted to make sure all of their bases were covered. "Do you know how many 6-year-old cases dry up, turn to dust, and blow to the four corners by a reasonably competent defense attorney?"
"Not this one," Fin argued.
Liv knew Fin's frustration was growing, as was hers, but Rafa was just doing his job, as were they. "Ok, so Byron Marks met his vics at various farmer's markets. He charmed them, he, you know, carried their bags," Liv explained.
"Then the charming sonofabitch threatened to cut their breasts off if they didn't enjoy their afternoon."
"Lovely," Rafa deadpanned. There were some sick and twisted people out there. "Tell me how you caught him."
"I was on vacation in Havana…"
Rafa stared at Fin as he explained how it came to be that Marks was found and brought to the precinct. Why was it never something simple with SVU? Fin's tale sounded far-fetched to his ears, and he turned his gaze to Liv, beseeching her to see how out of the norm this was. "You buying that?"
Her dark brown eyes stared back at him. "I am," she replied with quick nods, hiding her own doubt. Rafa's eyes flashed for a moment, incredulous.
"I'll arraign the bastard," he said still staring at Liv, hoping he wouldn't regret this later. "Reopen the case."
Rafa turned on his heel and walked away before either Fin or Liv could respond. Liv's phone chimed a minute later with a text message.
Sorry to cut and run. I have to get to court. I love you. -Rafa
Despite how her day was going, he caused her lips to quirk up in a smile. Diving back into the investigation, Liv sent Carisi and Amanda to speak with the three victims to let them know that Marks had been caught and the case was reopened. They were striking out, though. The victims were still scared, and Karla Watt's husband refused to let her get involved. However, Karla surprised Fin and Liv that evening by showing up to the precinct wanting to testify. She was more badass than they originally gave her credit for.
…
"Did your day get any better, mi amor?" Rafa asked when she got home later that evening after Noah already went to bed.
"Not really," Liv replied with a huff as she dropped her bag by the door and kicked off her shoes. "Noah's school called this morning to tell me that they found bruising on his arm. I have no idea what it could be from. They want me to come in tomorrow to speak with his teacher about it."
His eyes softened at her defeated expression, and he wrapped his arms around her. "I saw something on his upper arm during bath time, it didn't look that bad. Could it be from this morning when you had to save him from being hit by a taxi?"
Liv perked up slightly at that – it was the most logical explanation. Hopefully, that is what Noah told the school nurse. She relaxed a bit into Rafa's embrace and breathed in the scent of him – his Terre d'Hermes cologne mixed with his natural pheromones were like a balm to her frazzled nerves. Already their vacation felt like it was a year ago.
"Did you speak with Noah about…" she trailed off when Rafa nodded.
"I tried. He was apologetic but couldn't really explain why he said such a thing."
"What could I have done to make him so mad at me?" Liv wondered aloud. Rafa didn't have an answer and just hugged her tighter, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"How about I draw you a bath while you get a glass of wine? You deserve an evening to de-stress," Rafa said as he led her to the kitchen. We can worry about everything else tomorrow."
"Will you join me?" Liv questioned when he turned toward the hall.
"Not tonight, mi amor," he replied softly. He rarely, if ever, denied her and was sure to remove the rejection from his tone. "You need to relax, and we both know you will do anything but that if I join you for a bath."
"Fine," she said disappointedly.
In the end, she realized it was exactly what she needed. Between the delightfully bubbly, hot water and the glass of cabernet, Liv felt a sense of calmness was over her. Before long, she dozed off as the day caught up with her. Shortly after she fell asleep, Rafa gently woke her to help her out of the cooling water and into bed.
"Tomorrow will be a better day, mi Corazón," he murmured as he slid into bed next to her.
….
Olivia was unprepared when Noah's teacher claimed that Noah told the school that she gave Noah the bruises. She was thrown even further off kilter when the teacher asked about Noah's father. What the actual fuck.
She tried to explain that it was a misunderstanding, but she was so frazzled that nothing came out right. Hands shaking, Liv returned to the precinct. She didn't even trust herself to call Rafa without falling apart. Hell, she couldn't even respond to his text message a half hour later when he asked how the meeting went. She didn't intend to cause him undue worry, she just need to get herself under control.
Amanda caught on as she watched Liv spill coffee in the breakroom. The blonde woman's compassion and understanding drew Liv to open up. She was just starting to feel reassured when Rafa burst into the room asking where Fin was. Apparently, Dworkin filed a motion to dismiss the case.
"Did Detective Tutuola kidnap Marks or not?"
"What if he did?"
"We're screwed." Long moments of staring at each other in silence, Rafa sighed heavily. "Why didn't you answer my text?"
Tears flooded Liv's eyes and Rafa reached for her. His gentle touch soothed her as she explained how the conversation turned sideways.
"Shhh, mi amor. That is an easy fix – we just need to get you and Noah to tell the school the whole story. I will accompany you to speak up if you lose your words."
"Thank you, Rafa," she whispered, pulling him close to her with a sigh. "I'm sorry about Fin. I'll talk to him. Hopefully, we can salvage this case."
Nodding into her neck, he said, "It's going to be a shit show."
Rafa was not wrong. Dworkin came off as a loon, but he was good. Too good. In the end, Marks was allowed to leave under Dworkin's charge; however, he ditched the tail that Rafa ordered. He headed right for Karla, but she was ready for him. Olivia found her in her home with a revolver pointed at Marks' head.
Liv excelled at her job once again and was able to diffuse the situation. Marks was once again placed in custody.
"What the hell, maybe should have let her shoot him," Rafa said once they were back in Liv's office. He meant it as a joke, but they both knew it would have made things a lot easier. Still, his heart sunk when she recounted how she told Karla to point the gun at her in that house.
Knowing that Liv had a hell of a day, Rafa joined her while she took Karla's statement and also while they allowed Karla to tell Byron's wife her story. The recount of what Karla suffered was moving.
"I suppose you'd be willing to talk?" Dworkin asked when Byron's wife stated that she didn't want him coming back to Cuba. She wanted him to pay for his sins.
Rafa stood up from the couch he was sitting on. "As long as he gets double digits. And the first one is 2," he replied before walking away.
…
"Who was that?" Rafa asked emerging from the bedroom after his shower. His smile faltered at his girlfriend's resolve shattered and she dropped into a sobbing heap on the floor. "Olivia!"
"Momma?" Noah questioned worriedly.
"Mijo, go brush your teeth and get ready for bed. I'll take care of your Mami," Rafa requested softly, moving to Liv's side, sinking to his knees in front of her. "Mi amor… mi corazón, talk to me. Tell me what happened."
Her breaths were coming out in stunted gasps, her sobbing was so violent. With gentle hands, Rafa lifted Liv to her feet and guided her toward the couch. Settling her down and moving as close as he could, Rafa clutched her body to his, his hands rubbing soothing circles on her back. He waited less patiently than he'd like to admit for his girlfriend to calm down and open up.
"That was Cassidy," Liv admitted. Before she could say more, Rafa jumped up from his seat.
"What the fuck did he do, Liv?" he shouted causing Liv to flinch. He immediately regretted the harshness in tone. But honestly, what was it with the men she allowed in her life. They were always hurting her in some way or another. And what possible reason could Brian Cassidy have for coming around now?
Reaching out a shaky hand, Liv pulled Rafa back down onto the couch. "It's not like that, Rafa. He came by to let me know that IAB was launching a child abuse investigation into… me."
He froze initially, then gasped for breath. "Over the bruising on Noah's arm? This is ridiculous!" Rafa was getting worked up on her behalf and focused on keeping his severe displeasure from turning into burning anger. "We'll fix this, Liv. You and me, together. We'll figure it out."
Noah returned to the living room, too worried about his mom to put himself to bed. Instead, he cuddled up to her, on the side opposite Rafa, and hugged her tightly with his little arms. Not knowing what else to do, he said, "It will be ok, Momma."
Liv's sobs resumed with less intensity as her boys comforted her the best they could.
