Olivia scowled at the big toe on her left foot. She had stubbed it on the frame of her bed the night before, answering the phone when her mother called at 3:00 am to drunkenly scream at her about how worthless she was. Her foot had throbbed the rest of the night, despite ice and painkillers. Her only concession to her swollen, purple toe was to wear flats, admitting to herself that she wouldn't be able to walk in heels. She clenched her teeth as she forced her foot into the shoe. It was just her toe. How could it hurt so much? She ignored the voice in her head suggesting it was broken. Even if it was broken, there wasn't anything to do for a broken toe, and it wasn't broken. She took more painkillers before work to help hide it and forced herself to walk normally when she pushed the door open. She breathed a sigh of relief that she was the first one there, as usual, so nobody would notice her trying to cover up her limp. She got coffee and was sitting down immersed in work by the time Munch got there. Luckily, it stayed quiet for 4 hours as she sat ignoring the throbbing in her foot, before she and Elliot got a lead on a perp. They headed towards the Northwest corner of Central Park, while Munch and Fin headed a few blocks Southeast to back them up.
"What happened to your foot?" Elliot asked, as she buckled herself into the car.
"Nothing. What are you talking about?" she answered innocently.
"Olivia, come on."
She sighed. "It's just a stubbed toe."
He scrutinized her. "You sure you're okay to do this?"
"El, I'm fine." She wasn't sure, honestly, but it was a stubbed toe. She wasn't going on desk duty for a stubbed toe.
They spotted the perp, Gibson, near the North Meadow, and Elliot murmured in the radio to Fin while she strolled casually towards Gibson.
She felt rather than saw him start to run and was after him before he had taken his first step, as Elliot tried to catch up. She saw Fin and Munch approaching in the distance but she gained quickly on Gibson, tackling him into the muddy grass. She handcuffed him and was reciting his rights as Elliot, Fin and Munch caught up to them. He was completely still until he suddenly kicked her hard in the left foot, snapping her injured toe backwards. She was on the ground, in agonizing pain, moaning as she tried not to scream. She heard Munch radioing for a bus while Elliot knelt next to her, concern etched on his face. He held her hand and told her the bus would be there in less than 5 minutes. "Liv, your foot is swelling really fast. You want me to take your shoe off? he asked gently. The thought of anyone touching her foot was unbearable, but the pressure from her shoe was worse, so she gasped at him to get it off. She couldn't bite back the screams as he got her shoe and sock off. He gasped in horror. "Jesus Christ, Liv!" She was in too much pain to talk but listened to his worried conversation with Munch.
"It's obviously dislocated. The angle it's bent at is horrible."
"I think it's broken too."
"How is it already that bruised? It looks like it was already broken."
"I think she broke it before she came in today. She looked like she was trying not to limp, said she stubbed it."
"How the hell was she running on it?"
"You know Liv."
The paramedics were there, and she screamed when they touched her foot and when they splinted it. Elliot yelled at them to give her morphine, and then everything faded out.
Her eyes were heavy, and it took a long time to open them. Elliot was still holding her hand, but she wasn't on the ground anymore, she was in a hospital room. She squinted and someone turned down the lights that were shining in her eyes. Her whole lower leg was in a cast and elevated, but the agony was gone. It was blissfully numb. Her throat was dry though, and when she asked for water, it came out in a croak. Elliot helped her sit up slightly and held the cup for her while she took a few sips. She leaned back down, exhausted from the effort and fell back asleep. The next time she woke up, she was less groggy but still numb. Cragen was sitting next to Elliot, a worried look on his face. "Is something wrong?" she asked. He and Elliot gave each other concerned looks.
"Of course something is wrong!" Elliot exclaimed. "You're in the hospital, Liv!"
She was still looking at Cragen. "But are you here to tell me I'll never be able to work again?" she got out before choking up. Realization dawned on Cragen's face. "No! God no, Olivia. I'm sorry. I had no idea you would think that. You'll be on crutches for 8 weeks, but the doctor said you'll make a full recovery."
She couldn't seem to filter what she said and blurted out, "but why are you here?"
"I'm your commanding officer. You got attacked in the field and needed surgery," he responded. "Of course I'm here. We've been waiting for you to wake up. Fin and Munch are in the waiting room, because you're only allowed two visitors at a time. Despite your partner's wheedling."
"Who's with the perp?" she asked, confused." "Brooklyn is covering," Cragen told her. "Don't worry about it, Olivia. You just got out of surgery."
"You broke your toe when you stubbed it," Elliot told her. "When Gibson kicked you, he fractured it again, dislocated it and broke your first metatarsal. You'll be home for awhile, and on desk duty, but anyone who can run half a mile and tackle someone on a broken toe will be chasing down perps again the second the doctor clears you." He sighed. "It's my fault. I thought your toe was probably broken. I should never have let you run on it."
"You never saw it," she responded. "How could you possibly have known it was broken?"
"Because I know you. I know how high your pain tolerance is. You wouldn't have been grimacing or trying not to limp from a stubbed toe."
"I thought it was just stubbed," she shrugged.
"Because you have the highest pain tolerance of anyone we've ever worked with," Elliot said. "Nobody else has ever half a mile on a fracture. Nobody."
Cragen told her Fin and Munch would want to hear she was awake and left. Elliot looked at her. "Liv, you have to be on bed rest for a week after surgery. They won't release you unless someone stays with you." Tears stung the back of her eyes, and she couldn't blink them away. There wasn't anyone to stay with her. There never had been. Elliot squeezed her hand. "These are the options I thought of. Fin, Munch or I can stay with you the first week or you can come stay with me and Kathy."
"You and Kathy have the kids to take care of," Liv said. "I can't impose like that."
"You aren't imposing," he said. "If you are more comfortable at home, any of us can stay with you. Alex offered too," he added. "But Kathy would love you to come. Actually, she demanded I bring you home. She said Maureen and Katie demanded you come too, when they heard you were hurt." Liv smiled. Then she laughed, as Munch came in holding the biggest, gaudiest teddy-bear she'd ever seen. Elliot left so Fin could come in, and he immediately handed her a bag of her favorite cookies.
"The bear is a joke to cheer you up," Munch said. "The cookies are from both of us."
Fin winked at her. "Don't believe him, baby girl. You going to let your partner take care of you for once?" She hesitated before nodding. "Good," said Fin firmly. "The bear is going with you to the Stabler's. I'm sure Kathy will be thrilled with him," he added dryly, and she laughed again.
