September 24, 2021:

12:30 AM

Knock.

She doesn't move.

Knock.

Her grip tightens on the blanket.

Knock.

She sighs reaching for her crutches and hobbles towards the door her hands gripping the crutches as she feels her body tremble a little from the exhaustion.

The door opens slightly, it's awkward due to the crutches and her lack of stability.

"Why are you here?"

"Fin called said you'd almost lost a detective this week."

"I did lose her," her voice soft, careful not to speak so loud like if she was any louder she'd shatter, "She's transferring out. At least this way I know she's still alive and safe but I still lost her. I felt like I was talking to my younger self, maybe I would've been better off if I left bef—"

"Before you got hurt?"

Her head falls and her body sways, "Everybody leaves me in the end."

"Not everybody," he reminds softly, "Fin—"

"I'm not talking about my squad."

He nods hitting the toe of his boot against the carpeting as he whispers, "I know."

She turns on her crutches to move into her kitchen, "You want something to drink?"

"I'm good," she seems to deflate a bit at his words and she sways forward again enough that he reaches out to brace her and then his hand settles on the small of her back, "Come on let's go sit down."

"I don't need help, Elliot."

"I'm gonna get you some water." Her head bobs silently but she keeps her eyes on her boot that now rests on the coffee table, his hand squeezes her shoulder for a moment and the motion brings tears to her eyes, "How's Noah?"

"Wishing that I had gotten a cast so he could draw on it."

He laughs and the unexpected happiness makes her look up in surprise there's a shared smile for all of a moment before hers falls away as he catches sight of the orange pill bottle. He plucks it off the top of the fridge with an ease that she definitely did not share when she had placed it there immediately after her accident on Saturday night. He's six feet tall though and apparently there is a difference in eye-level when you're that tall.

"You takin' these?"

"Mhmm."

"So, you keep them on the top of the fridge for what? Ease?"

"I have a child, Elliot."

"So, keep them in your room or your bathroom or…or hell in your gun safe," he argues, "You tryin' to break the other foot? I know for a fact you can't reach this without a step ladder."

"I'm taking Ibuprofen," she stares down at her hands as her hair falls like a curtain her face, "I don't need those and I can't take them at work anyways if I want to be able to be in the field s—"

He makes the obnoxious motion of glancing around her apartment, "Here I thought we were at your home but apparently I was wro—"

"You're an asshole," she mumbles. "I won't take those meds when I could be called in tonight, you and I both know there's a thousand things that couldhappen. I'm a Captain now I can't just…I need to be ready in case something happens, what if—"

"There's another victim?" Her head bows. "Fin's on call this weeke—"

Suddenly she's standing and her face is twisted in anger as her fingers points in his direction and then she fights, "Fuck you!" She advances on towards the kitchen, towards him and there's still a slight hobble but she's fueled enough and without crutches that her speed is almost normal, "You had no fucking rig—" her hand reaches out to grip the kitchen chair as she nearly topples over the back of the chair.

His hand is on her back as he maneuvers her into a chair and he kneels in front of her, "You gotta take care of yourself, Liv."

"Trying," her teeth are gritted as she tries to breathe, "Fuck. The pain is—"

Blinding.

Nauseating.

Vomit-inducing.

"I know. Take the Oxycodo—"

"I don't wanna be like my mom," her eyes plead with him, "I haven't taken anything stronger than…not since he—they made me pass out," she whispers desperately. "What if I don't wake up when Noah does? What if something happens and I can't wa—"

"I'll stay, I'll sleep on your couch and when Noah wakes up in the morning I'll handle breakfast," his hands cradle her face thumbing away the tears that have begun to fall, "I'll be here if anything happens."

"I can't get addicted to them."

His forehead rests against hers as he places a pill in her hand, "Won't let you."

"They made me pass out with him," brown eyes stare at the pills and then into his eyes again, "When I was out of it…" she sucks in a breath, "I still don't know what he did to me when I was—"

"I know."

"I don't like that feeling of not knowing."

"You gotta trust me to have your back."

"I trust you more than any…one," her voice cracks. She tugs at her fingers and he watches her face twist as fights with herself for a moment and then there's a mumbled admission, "I don't wanna be alone, El. I don't want that feeling of passing out alone in my bed when anybody could…" it's completely irrational and she knows this without a doubt, and yet the thought causes a crippling fear.

His arms slink around her and she buries her face in his neck, "You won't be alone. You'll never be alone again if you'll have me."

There's a half sob, half laugh that pushes past her lips, "I'll have you."