Chapter 6

A/N: Yes, it's been a while, sorry! All the previous disclaimers still apply.

Elliot barely heard Kathy's words. He was already two steps ahead. He remembers that day clearly. Unlike Liv, he did report his condition. He really had no choice since Kathy already knew and the hospital was not about to keep a drugged cop quiet. Thankfully, it stayed out of his precinct out of professional courtesy and Cragen kept it confidential. The captain didn't feel the need to share Elliot's extra-curricular activities with the detective's female partner. They were very close and if Elliot decided to share it with her, he would never know because neither would tell.

The doctor was convinced Elliot had rough sex. The man had no bedside manner. There was no beating around the bush, walking on eggshells for patient privacy, he was too old for that. He let Elliot know exactly what was happening and how he felt about it. Hence, the police report. Elliot felt terrible. He would NEVER consciously cheat on Kathy, let alone with some random woman. If he was going to step out on his wife, it would have been with someone he knew well; someone he had feelings for. It would have been...shit. The timing is perfect. He remembers being pissed off because although he was late for work that day, when he finally got there, Liv had taken the day off. Not a sick day, no, because if she called in sick, she knew he would have gone over and checked on her. By taking a personal day, she was guaranteeing herself a phone call, which of course he made. Neither mentioned anything of the previous night. Why would they? He was beyond embarrassed and felt extreme guilt and as far as he knew, all was well with Olivia. That day she told him she was pregnant, he thought she made the same mistake he did. In those days, Liv was no stranger to the occasional one-night stand from a bar. Dammit! He never put the two together. Some detective he is.

His thoughts were interrupted when Liv smacked him on the arm. "Elliot, why were you in the ER? Wait, never mind" she said as she turned to the doctor and continued. "Look, no one has more questions about my daughter's parentage than I do, but over these past four years, I've learned not to give a shit. She is the sweetest, kindest, smartest little girl on the planet and since she looks just like me, I don't have to be reminded of my lack of judgment when I look at her. I am no longer the same person and I have no regrets. That baby changed my life."

Elliot was speechless listening to her. She was right after all, who was he to question? As far as Kathy knew, he was drugged on a case. After hearing Liv's impassioned speech, hopefully his wife wouldn't look further. He, however, would indeed find out the truth, but now was not the time.

"Forgive me detective, I didn't mean to pry, and I am certainly not here to accuse or pass judgment. I must cover all bases in the event of another emergency" Dr. Phillips explained.

"Of course," Liv responded. "Is there anything else? I'd really like to be in there when she opens her eyes." As soon as the doctor nodded, Liv turned around and went through the procedures once again to go sit by Serena. As Elliot watched, he knew she would not move from that bedside until her daughter did.

As the doctor excused herself, Kathy spoke again. "I can't believe you didn't pursue it Elliot, but I really think now you should. You and Olivia were both drugged. Thankfully, all you suffered was a hangover, but Olivia...whoever did drug you is possibly that child's father. Why? What did he gain? As far as we know, he's still out there tight? Elliot?" Wishful thinking. Elliot knew Kathy couldn't let it go, but thankfully, she wasn't making the same connections he was.

He turned around and pulled Kathy into a hug. "When Serena is out of the woods, I'll get Liv to tell me every detail of what she remembers and then I'll talk to Melinda. But for now, let's just pray for that baby in there." Kathy nodded into his chest as they stood there for a few moments longer before giving him a kiss and getting back to her shift.

-SVU—

It was another three hours before she heard it. Three hours of sitting and watching her baby struggle to breathe. Serena looked so tiny. The oxygen mask covered practically her whole face; the tube longer than her body. Each time she took a breath, her little chest shook with the effort and the noise made Liv's skin crawl. All she wanted was to trade places, to take Serena's pain away. This wasn't even the worst of it—well not exactly. According to Dr. Phillips, her little one is going to want to die, and of course, Liv will too. She would do anything to spare her daughter the pain to come, but she knew to get through it, she had to be strong when her baby can't be. So here she was, six hours after she kissed her daughter goodbye and handed her to Elliot, she felt pressure on her hand. Then she heard the sound. It nearly broke her already damaged heart, but she was so grateful to hear it. That little whimper; a small cry. Looking at her daughter's face, Liv saw her little brow furrow and she knew immediately Serena was going to wake up shortly and in great pain.

All Liv had to do was look up. She knew Elliot was still standing there watching. He was like a sentry, standing guard. He didn't move a muscle, neither to sit or change his stance. As Olivia watched her daughter, Elliot watched over both of them. She knew he blamed himself. She blamed herself, but not him. She also knew that one word and he would personally see to it that the person responsible, she still didn't have the details of what actually happened, would be put permanently in his own hospital bed. Hell, she probably won't even have to say the word because Elliot's next stop would be the tombs. Once she heard that heart wrenching sound come from the perfect little creature on the bed, she looked up and Elliot went into action. She knew, he and the doctor would be in momentarily.

Serena's whimpers got more frequent and louder. Her grip on Liv's hand got tighter and she began to shake her head from side to side. Any moment now and her eyes would open, but before Liv could finish that thought, they did. Serena's eyes went wide and her breaths came in short bursts as she frantically tried to focus.

"Ssshhh sweet girl. You're okay. You're okay. Momma's here." Years of practice compartmentalizing her feelings for the victims allowed her to sound soothing and in control, even though inside she was screaming.

Serena's eyes finally landed on Liv's. "Momma? Mmmm, Momma, Elliot okay? Fire, mmm..." She tried to finish her question but had to squeeze her eyes shut tight and try to breathe. It came as no surprised to Olivia that she would ask for Elliot's safety before she gave into any pain. Pain. Liv had no basis for comparison on how to handle her daughters discomfort let alone excruciating pain. Serena never complained of a papercut or caught a cold, so this was new territory for both mother and daughter.

"Elliot is just fine little one." Before Liv could answer, Elliot was back in the room, reassuring her daughter much the same way he's been doing for her all these years. "You never have to worry about me and that's that. From now on, it's all about you. Got it?" Olivia watched her daughter settle a bit. Now that Serena knew her favorite person was fine, she was able to focus a bit more. She answered Elliot's question with a grunt, so the doctor took over.

Liv did not want to let go of Serena's hand but she had to step back so the doctor could check her. Again, Elliot came to the rescue. He reached down and covered both mom and daughter's hands with his. He leaned down and kissed Serena's knuckles and in the same moment, managed to slip Olivia's hand away and pull her back. Dr. Phillips was at the ready and wasted no time checking Serena over. Olivia's arms were wrapped around her torso as if she were about to come apart and Elliot's arms were wrapped around her from behind. They stood out of the way as the doctor barked orders, poked, prodded, and asked Serena questions. For her part, Serena tried her very best to answer honestly and thoroughly as always, but she was trying so hard not to cry. Not before long, an injection was put in Serena's IV and Dr. Phillips stepped back. Immediately, Olivia broke Elliot's hold on her and went straight to her daughter's side. As soon as she grabbed her hand again, Serena started to cry. It was hard for her to do since breathing was difficult, but she couldn't hold it any longer. Olivia leaned down and wrapped her baby in her arms. She didn't hear the doctor excuse herself, but she felt it when Elliot took her place on the chair and laid his hand on her back. That's when Liv lost the battle and started crying with her daughter.

-SVU—

The handful of times he witnessed his strong as nails partner cry always took a chip out of his heart. He knew how much that little girl meant to Olivia and seeing them both like this is something he knows will unfortunately be more frequent in the weeks to come. Sure, they'll both try to hide their pain because that's what they do, but he's not going anywhere. Right now, all he can do is be here.

Whatever the doctor put in Serena's IV took effect rather quickly and she fell asleep once again. Liv, however, continued to hold her and cry for all the pain her baby was experiencing. He managed to gently break Olivia's old on Serena's tiny body and coax her back to the chair. In doing so, she ended up sitting on his lap and continued to cry. If one was to look through the window, all they would see would be their embrace, Olivia always made sure never to cause a scene when she got emotional. However, as earlier, she was all wrapped up on him and Elliot could feel her body shake, her death grip on his shirt, and the hiccups that rattled her chest as she tried desperately to calm down. He rubbed her back and said soothing words until he felt her grip loosen a bit, but she didn't let go. Her body continued to tremble periodically, and she still had a pained expression, but her breathing evened out and exhaustion took over. Elliot shifted her weight on his lap, made himself as comfortable as he could, and let darkness pull him under.

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