A/N: This was an idea that was originally supposed to be a Christmas one-shot that grew into so much more. I'll be posting throughout the month of December. Many thanks to WriterKC for previewing this for me ahead of time and giving me feedback.

Disclaimer: SVU and all of its characters were created by and are the property of Dick Wolf. I make no profit with this story, which is my own original work.

Elliot Stabler stared out the window at the falling snow flurries and sighed. While this typically was his favorite week ever, this year was different. With the divorce final, his ex wife had taken the kids and gone off to Florida to spend the holiday with her parents. That was how he found himself at work two days before Christmas Eve, drinking horrible coffee and waiting for the arrival of his partner, Olivia Benson.

He couldn't help but smile as he considered his counterpart. As much as he loved this time of year, she detested it. The decorations, the music, the general holiday cheer - everything. Years ago he had even dubbed her the office Scrooge for her unwillingness to participate in any festivities. Olivia had taken the teasing in stride, but Elliot knew that the root of her emotions came from a deeper cause – her childhood. It hadn't been pleasant for her growing up, and while his own youth hadn't exactly been filled with positive memories either, as an adult he'd always had his own family to focus on and make Christmas magical for. Olivia, on the other hand, had always been alone. That was going to change this year. Not knowing yet if she had any plans, he planned to ask her if she wanted to spend the holiday together – they both had Christmas Eve and Christmas day off - a rarity in their line of work. The NYPD rarely got downtime as it was, even less so when you were a Detective in the Special Victims Unit.

"Morning El."

The sound of his partner's voice captured his attention, and Elliot turned around. He saw her standing by their joined desks, a tray carrier in one hand bearing two cups of coffee. In the other was a paper bag, likely containing something for their breakfast. Without warning, he felt his stomach rumble, a reminder that he'd left his apartment that morning without eating anything. Carrying his now empty mug over to his desk, he sat down opposite Olivia, giving her a warm smile as he accepted the cup she extended in his direction.

"Thanks, Liv. I owe you one."

Olivia smirked at him, shrugging off her leather jacket and draping it over the back of her chair. Taking her own seat, she opened the paper bag, and passed Elliot the wrapped breakfast sandwich she'd chosen for him, then placed a blueberry muffin and a fruit cup on her own desk.

"You owe me several, but who's counting?"

"You are, apparently."

Laughing, Olivia turned on her computer. She shook her head, grateful for a few moments of peace before the insanity of the day took over.

"Shut up and eat your breakfast, Stabler."

Elliot grinned, then took a big bite of his sandwich. He chewed thoughtfully for a few moments, then washed the mouthful down with a swig of coffee. Determined now to put his earlier idea into action, he fervently hoped that they wouldn't be interrupted.

"So Liv, I was thinking, and before you make one of your smart-ass remarks about that being unusual for me, I want you to know I'm being serious here. Let me get this out, okay?"

Olivia nodded, understanding that her partner had truly put aside all joking and was indeed being sincere.

"I wanted to know if you would like to spend Christmas with me. Christmas eve and Christmas day both, actually. I know it's late notice, and I'll understand if you have plans, but I just wasn't sure how to ask you."

"El, it's not that I don't appreciate it, but I don't need you trying to make the holiday special for me simply because you're worried about me. It's not my first year being alone. I'll be fine."

Elliot gave a wan smile, his lighter mood quickly evaporating. It just so happened that he wasn't fine – and it was time for him to admit to that. Not that he was ashamed to show vulnerability to Olivia. In fact, it was something he'd gotten increasingly better at over the months since they'd reconnected. Losing his train of thought, his mind wandered back to a time earlier this year when they had been at odds with one another. It had happened after the Gitano case had forced them to confront their feelings for one another, and had brought intense emotions to the surface. Unable to tell her how he really felt, he'd inadvertently pushed Olivia away. She'd left him for a time, and had gone to work in Computer Crimes. When she'd returned, they were starting to get along again when a situation with the FBI had whisked her away on an undercover operation for several weeks. Her abrupt departure had left him feeling hurt and abandoned. Getting back in sync had taken longer than it should have, but once they had fallen back into familiar patterns, he'd all but admitted his fear of losing her again. That had been almost two months ago – the same night he'd told Olivia about his divorce. Now, he wanted to tell her so much more, but lacked the courage to do so.

"El? Elliot?"

Pulled from his reverie, Elliot glanced back at his partner, who was looking at him questioningly.

"You spaced out on me for a minute there. I was saying, you don't have to make holiday plans with me just because you feel bad about me being alone."

Remembering now what it was he wanted to say, Elliot tried again.

"That's not it at all, Liv. I -"

"Okay everybody, I need all hands on deck!"

Elliot swallowed a groan as their Captain, Donald Cragen, came out of his office. Whatever he was about to say, it looked urgent, and he knew his conversation with Olivia would have to wait. To his left, sitting at the other pair of desks across the room, he saw that their fellow detectives, Odafin Tutuola and John Munch, were also waiting on what the Captain had to say.

So much for the holiday spirit, Elliot thought ruefully. New York City was definitely known as the city that never slept, and also where crime never took a break. It didn't matter to some that Christmas was only three days away, they would continue committing the most vile and heinous acts against others so long as they thought they could get away with it. Right now, he was in a department issued sedan with Olivia, following Fin and John, who were on their way to the same scene. The bodies of two women had been found in adjacent areas in Central Park, and both appeared to have been sexually assaulted. Each pair of detectives was to process one scene, splitting up the caseload. The Captain was taking a preemptive measure, hoping to get ahead of things before the media could blow the situation out of proportion and escalate panic. The last thing they needed right now was people worrying that there was a serial predator on the loose before they even knew what it was that they were dealing with.

As he walked up to the scene, with Olivia flanking his side, Elliot allowed himself to be distracted yet again. He hoped she would like one of the Christmas presents he'd bought for her, and wouldn't make too big a deal out of it. He always worried that she never dressed warmly enough, so he'd gotten her an attractive woolen pea coat. He'd even made certain that it would allow enough freedom of movement so that she would be able to wear it on the job. His worry was that Olivia would protest the extravagance, but he still had a day or two before he would find out.

"El? You're zoning out on me again. I don't know why you insisted on working. Your head clearly isn't in the game. Why don't you see if you can get a flight to Florida? Stay for a few days, spend the holiday with your kids. I'll cover for you."

Elliot was deeply touched by her concern, but had to let her know that he would be all right. The last thing he wanted right now was Olivia worrying about him. They needed to focus on the case.

"Kathy has already made it perfectly clear that I'm not welcome. It's all right, next year will be my turn to have the kids for Christmas. I'm sorry Liv. I can do my job, I promise."

Olivia's eyes searched his for a moment before she nodded in confirmation, then they resumed walking toward the cordoned off area of the park where the medical examiner was waiting for them. Badges in hand, they pushed past the curious onlookers, all gawking for a glimpse of the body. It was easy to pick out the tourists among them, as they were the ones with their cameras in their hands. Patrol officers were making their way through the crowd, trying to get them to disperse – or at the very least, give those working the scene a little breathing room.

At a distance a little less than two city blocks away, Fin and John were approaching their own scene. It was almost a mirror image to the one Elliot and Olivia were looking at. Before he could reach the victim, John spied something unusual out of the corner of his eye - or rather, someone. Subtly capturing the attention of his partner, he nodded vaguely in that direction with raised eyebrows.

"Do you see what I see?"

"If you're referring to the man not wearing a coat in December who has blood stains on his clothes and is paying way too much attention to not just one, but two crime scenes, then yes, I do."

The man in question seemed to have noticed that he had drawn their attention, and began inching away, brushing by the others milling about. He was nearing the area where Olivia and Elliot were now, and definitely out of earshot. Using his radio, Fin alerted the other detectives to the situation, and before he was fully aware of what was going on, the likely perpetrator had taken off at an all out run. He was shoving people out of his way now, desperate to elude capture.

The chase would be should lived though, because Elliot and Olivia were already in hot pursuit. John and Fin were following close behind, along with a handful of other patrol officers who had been at the scene. Alert calls had gone out over the radios to block off exits to the park, in an attempt to lessen the man's chances of escape.

Elliot had managed to get a few paces ahead of Olivia, and he was closing in on their suspect over the Gapstow Bridge. Suddenly, the unexpected happened. Instead of continuing to run away, the man turned and began to charge him, brandishing a blood stained knife in one hand. Elliot reached for his weapon, but given the fact his body was still in continuous motion, his fingers slipped, just missing the grip of his Glock. The man was only a few paces away now, and in those few heart stopping moments, Elliot tried to reconcile with himself that his life could be coming to a premature end.

Before he could even register what was happening, a blur appeared in his peripheral vision, and Elliot felt himself being shoved to the side. He hit the ground hard, and seconds later was staggering back to his feet, his knees and palms burning. Then, he looked up to see something that made his heart jump into his throat. Olivia had jumped in between him and their suspect, and was in the process of tackling the man. Having no trouble drawing his gun now, Elliot steadied his aim, but it was too late.

In what could have only been the span of a few horrifying seconds, Elliot watched as a flash of silver become visible between the two struggling bodies in front of him, and Olivia's sharp cry of pain met his ears. The next thing he knew, his partner was pinned beneath the man against the bridge's surface. The knife had been cast aside, now with fresh blood marking its blade. Horrified, Elliot watched as two hands were wrapped around his partner's throat, and her head was bounced roughly off the cement. As footsteps from behind him indicated the arrival of Fin and John, he saw additional backup appearing from the opposite side of the park. Elliot called out to inform their suspect that he was surrounded.

"Freeze! You are under arrest for suspicion of rape and murder, in addition to assault on a police officer. Remain on your knees and place your hands behind your head."

"I don't think so! Not yet anyway."

Elliot wasn't really all that surprised when the man refused to comply, but he was shocked when the man surged to his feet, dragging a semi conscious Olivia with him. Despite being dazed, and obviously injured, it was apparent that his partner was also very pissed, and not ready to give up the fight. When the man tried to put her in a choke hold, she easily pulled away, ignoring the painful grip he kept on her wrist. Things took a turn though when he yanked sharply on her arm, pulling her off balance. She stumbled toward the side of the bridge, and with a final shove, Olivia tumbled over the edge and plummeted into the icy waters of the pond several feet below.

"OLIVIA!"

Elliot's anguished and horrified shout resounded simultaneously with three other events – the splash as Olivia hit the water, the thunderous echo of booted feet as their suspect was surrounded on the bridge, and Fin radioing for a bus. Not wanting to wait, Elliot handed his gun and phone off to John, then quickly shrugged out of his warm coat and suit jacket. Swinging his body up onto the ledge of the bridge wall, he looked down, and breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that Olivia was weakly treading water.

"Hang on, Liv! I'm coming."

Her shout back to him was weak, but it reached his ears nonetheless.

"NO! Elliot, don't do it! I'm not worth it!"

Shoving off the ledge, he dropped effortlessly into the water, biting back a gasp as the frigid temperature overwhelmed his system. Swimming toward where his partner was growing more fatigued by the minute, he was more concerned than ever when he noticed for the first time just how much blood she was losing.

Elliot reached Olivia just as her head slipped underwater for the third time. It hadn't escaped his notice that each time she sank below the surface, it would take her longer for her to come back up for air. She was losing her strength – and fast. He had to get her to land. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he hugged her body close against his as he used his other arm to propel them toward the bank where Fin and John were waiting for them. Unless his ears were deceiving him, it sounded as though an ambulance would be arriving soon, too.

Once Elliot had gotten near enough, Fin and John had reached in and each grabbed one of Olivia's arms. Pulling, they tugged her up onto the grassy area where they had been standing, but as soon as she was safely there, they let go immediately. Because, as they were pulling, the woman whom they had always thought was unstoppable had let loose with a cry of pain so shrill that it had shaken all three men to their cores.

Scrambling up the bank to where Olivia now lay trembling and only half conscious, Elliot dropped to his knees at her side. He accepted his coat when John passed it to him, and draped it over her body in an attempt to warm her. Then, he took back his suit jacket and balled it up, pressing it against the wound not far from her collarbone on her left side, where blood was flowing profusely. He felt his heart sink as he watched her eyes flutter shut yet again.

"Stay with me Liv, do you hear me? Help is on the way! Stay with me!"

Images of what had happened up on the bridge were assaulting his brain at a rapid pace. If things had gone any differently, it would be him lying helpless and bleeding right now – or even worse, dead. Olivia had purposely placed herself between him and the suspect, making it so that she was the target of the man's wrath instead. If she died because of this, how would he ever reconcile his guilt?

NO. Elliot thought to himself adamantly, dismissing the thought as quickly as it had entered his mind. Olivia was not going to die. She just couldn't. He was pulled back to the present only when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and heard John speaking to him.

"Elliot, you need to move. The paramedics are here."

Reluctantly getting to his feet and moving aside, Elliot stood with Fin and John as they watched the medics continue the first aid measures on their beloved friend. She was completely unresponsive now, her lips a pale tint of blue. Elliot fervently hoped that it was due to the cold temperatures she'd been subjected to in the water and not anything else. He kept his eyes glued to his partner's form, scarcely breathing himself, oblivious to the way his body was shivering uncontrollably.

Before he could even register what was happening, the medics had Olivia transferred to a stretcher and covered her with a silver blanket to help regulate her body temperature. One of them came over to Elliot, returning his trench coat, and the now ruined suit jacket stained with blood. They wrapped a spare blanket around his shoulders, and prodded him along.

"If you're going to be riding with us, Sir, you should come along now. It would do you good to get checked out at the hospital, too."

Dismissing their concerns, Elliot shook his head.

"It's nothing, I'm fine. My partner is the one I'm worried about. How serious are her injuries?"

"We won't know until we get her examined by a doctor, but from what we can see so far, she has at least one stab wound, a dislocated shoulder, and a bump on the back of the head. Do you know at all if she was unconscious at any point while she was in the pond? Is there a chance she could have aspirated water into her lungs?"

Again, Elliot felt his panic go into overdrive. Yes, he may have saved Olivia and pulled her from the pond, but what if that wasn't enough? Could she be at risk now for what was otherwise known as 'dry drowning'? A pulmonary edema that occurred hours after unknowingly inhaling water into the lungs? Racing up the hillside after the stretcher that carried his partner, he hurried to climb into the back of the ambulance after her. Only when the doors closed behind him did he remember that he'd never once thanked Fin and John for their help.

Elliot had been sitting in the waiting room of Mercy General for over an hour now. Before that, he had been in a treatment room of his own. The doctors had given him a thorough examination, and insisted that he receive at least one bag of heated intravenous fluids, as both his temperature and his blood pressure had been running a little on the low side. He had been reluctant to cooperate, but ultimately realized that Olivia would need him to be in top health. He had every intention on taking care of her – whatever she would need. The entire time he'd been waiting, his mind had been spinning, but one thing was clear – he wasn't going to let her deal with her recovery alone. Not when her having been injured in the first place was all his fault.

"Elliot."

He looked up at the sound of his name being called, and saw that the other members of their close knit squad were headed his way. He'd expected to see Fin and John again, but was surprised that even the Captain had left the office behind to come and check on Olivia. Though he desperately was curious to know the answer, Elliot couldn't bring himself to ask if their suspect had offered a full confession yet or not. That wasn't his top priority right now.

The four men sat together, but conversation was kept at a minimum. Finally, just when Elliot was about to go and question one of the nurses at the reception desk for what he thought must have been the hundredth time, a doctor appeared from beyond the double doors and approached their group.

"Family of Olivia Benson?"

Tripping over his feet as he tried to stand, Elliot hurried over to where the man in scrubs was waiting. The other three with him followed. Elliot gestured to them over his shoulder.

"Please, speak freely. I'm Elliot Stabler, Detective Benson's emergency contact and next of kin. These men are close friends. We all work together."

The doctor considered this information quietly for a moment, then nodded.

"Detective Benson is going to be just fine."

He allowed them a few seconds to express a collective sigh of relief, then continued.

"We were initially concerned with her stab wound, as the knife came dangerously close to severing the subclavian artery, but have ruled out any damage. We were able to get the bleeding under control, and have closed the area with several stitches. We are giving her a blood transfusion to help her body recover."

Elliot paled and swayed slightly upon hearing that piece of news. Olivia could have bled out under his hands right there on the ground beneath the Gapstow Bridge. Sending up a prayer of thanks that his partner was still alive, he focused his attention on the physician once more.

"We also performed several tests, including an MRI, to rule out any extensive head injury. All of the results came back normal. Olivia does, however, have a mild concussion, and because of that, we would like to keep her here in the hospital overnight for observation."

The three men who knew Olivia best shared a smirk. That bit of news certainly wasn't going to go over well, and none of them wanted to be in the room when she was informed of that development. To say that Olivia was stubborn when it came to staying in the hospital when she felt it wasn't necessary was an understatement, and that was putting it mildly.

The doctor rambled on for a few more minutes, detailing some of Olivia's other injuries, ones that Elliot hadn't even realized she had endured. It made sense though, when it was explained that she'd suffered a dislocated shoulder. He remembered now the way she had screamed in pain when Fin and John had taken her from his arms to pull her from the pond up onto the bank. It must have been excruciating for her. That reminded Elliot of one final thing – the doctor had yet to mention if Olivia had been affected at all by her plunge into the frigid waters. He put forth that very question.

"That's what took so long for me to come to you, actually. We were having trouble regulating her temperature. It was likely a result of the shock to her system that brought about her body's refusal to cooperate. After several bags of warmed fluids, as well as continued application of heated blankets, her vital signs are now all within normal ranges."

"May I see her?"

Now that he knew for certain that she would in fact be all right, Elliot didn't want to wait a moment longer to lay eyes on his partner. Selfishly, he realized that the others likely wanted to see her, too, but he wanted to be first. He needed to apologize for letting her down.

"We're in the process of transferring her upstairs to a room right now, you can see her as soon as she is settled."

Elliot shook the doctor's hand, thanking him. Fin, John, and Cragen all followed suit. Just as the man was about to walk away, Elliot stopped him, a sudden thought occurring to him.

"What about Olivia's lungs? Did she inhale any water? Did I get to her in time?"

The doctor put a reassuring hand on Elliot's shoulder, squeezing gently.

"My apologies. I forgot to mention that in addition to all the other tests we conducted, we also did a chest x-ray. Her lungs were free and clear of any fluids."

When their group was left alone again, Cragen announced he was going to head back to the station, insisting that Elliot give Olivia his best. He also said that he didn't want to see either of them at work again until after the New Year. Elliot tried to protest, but his Captain shook his head.

"I've worked with both of you for years, Elliot. She's going to need some days off to heal, and I know you are going to want to be there to take care of her. Don't worry about us, we'll manage – I'll pull some temporary help in from another precinct if necessary."

Not long after Cragen left, Fin and John departed, too. Although they wanted to see Olivia, they understood Elliot's need to be with his partner. Before leaving, they brought in something they thought he would need. Looking down at the twin duffel bags at his feet, Elliot exclaimed in amazement.

"Clothes? Not that I don't appreciate this, but how did you ever get into my locker? For that matter, how did you get into Liv's?"

John and Fin exchanged a glance, before the elder of the two spoke. He leaned in as though he were about to share a secret, then spoke in a teasing tone.

"For future reference, you both might want to make certain that your locker combination isn't your partner's badge number. That's more obvious than it being your own."

After his friends had left, Elliot took a few moments to change out of the scrubs that he had been given to wear. When he'd arrived at the hospital, his own clothes had not only been soaking wet, but were blood stained as well. Now, he didn't know where they were, and quite frankly, he didn't care. Most likely, they were evidence in their current investigation. The sheer thought of an item of his clothing bearing Olivia's blood being part of evidence in a case brought all the memories to the surface once more, and Elliot had to remind himself that his partner had indeed survived.

His phone rang then, and even though it was an unknown number, he answered. The caller was one of the nurses in the hospital, informing him that Olivia was settled in her room, and able to have visitors. Shouldering both duffel bags, Elliot committed the room number to memory, and went off to find it.

After depositing his bag in his Jeep, which John had been kind enough to drive to the hospital for him to have, Elliot arrived at Olivia's hospital room. He was surprised to look through the glass window and find her sleeping, but a nearby nurse explained that she had been given medication in the emergency room that would make her groggy. They would be waking her at regular intervals though, to perform frequent assessments of the concussion. So long as her symptoms didn't worsen in any way, she would be free to go home as early as the following afternoon. He was still hesitating outside the door when the nurse spoke to him.

"Are you Elliot?"

Confused, but then he realized that this was the same nurse who had called him on the phone, so he nodded.

"You can go in, I'm sure you're the first person she'll want to see when she wakes up. From what I hear, she was asking for you almost nonstop down in the ER."

Turning his head sharply to study the woman standing next to him, Elliot's eyebrows almost flew off his forehead as they jumped up in surprise. Olivia had been asking about him? How could that be, when she had been the one who was injured in the first place? Could it be that in her pain induced haze, she'd thought that he had been hurt, too? Then he had a brief flashback to when she was in the water and he'd been about to jump off the wall of the bridge to rescue her. She'd told him not to do it, that she wasn't worth it. More likely than not, she was furious with him for risking his own safety to come to her aid – even though she had just done the exact same thing.

Pushing the door open, Elliot deposited the bag on one of the chairs by the wall, and stepped closer to where Olivia lay. In deference to the sleeping woman, most of the lights in the room were off, save for a very dim one above the bed. The glow it cast around Olivia's head, combined with the way her hair fanned out over the pillow gave the illusion of a halo, making his partner look like the angel he had always known she was. His heart caught in his throat as the reality of the day hit him head on, and he grasped the bed rail with both hands to keep from sinking to his knees.

He could have lost her. If any single one of the variables of the morning had shifted slightly in a different direction, he could very well be planning for Olivia's funeral, and not standing in her hospital room keeping vigil. Elliot promised himself then and there that he wasn't going to waste another solitary second. Now that it was definite he would be spending the Christmas holiday with Olivia, he was going to tell her exactly how he felt. If everything went according to plan, the upcoming New Year would also be a new beginning for them both.

Grabbing one of the other chairs in the room, Elliot pulled it closer to the bed. Even though a part of him felt like he was intruding, he lowered the bed rail by Olivia's legs so he could take hold of her hand. Her other arm, the one that likely had the dislocated shoulder, was protected by a sling. Lightly grasping her fingers in his own, he brought them to his lips and placed a soft kiss over her knuckles. Even though the pressure was feather light, the woman on bed moaned softly at the sensation, and her head shifted on the pillow.

"Elliot."

Reaching up with his free hand to brush her bangs off her forehead, Elliot tried his best to soothe her. As much as he longed to look into her soft brown eyes and hear her voice right now, the last thing he wanted was for Olivia to be in any pain. Her sleep was going to be disrupted enough as it was because of the concussion evaluations.

Olivia moaned his name a second time, and her eyelashes fluttered against her cheek. Her hand reflexively tightened around his as she continued to fight her way toward consciousness. When she finally did open her eyes a few moments later, it was clear to Elliot that she was not completely coherent. Her brown irises were glassy, and her expression was one of confusion. When she spoke, her words were slightly slurred.

"Did you know that your eyes are very blue? I got to look into them a lot today, and I thought to myself – if this is the last thing I get to see before I die, life will have all been worth it."

Elliot was stunned into silence. He'd always thought that when she would eventually wake, it would be he who would be the first to speak. Instead, it was this startling confession from his partner that had taken him completely by surprise. Not only was his already somber mood sent even lower by her somewhat morbid suggestion, but he was left wondering if she even knew who was with her. Just what medication had they given her? He tried to shush her, but this version of Olivia was apparently very talkative – if only she were making sense.

"You work out, don't you? You look strong, anyway, with all those muscles. I bet that you could carry me out of this hospital, and no one would ever notice."

The expression on his face must have given away his incredulity, because Olivia's voice lowered to a whisper, as though she were revealing a secret.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I'd leave on my own, but the room keeps spinning, and someone stole all my clothes. Was it you?"

As it dawned on him now that his partner truly was under the influence of some powerful medication, Elliot was torn between conflicting emotions – laughing or crying. He knew the odds were high that she would never remember this conversation, but it was one that he wouldn't be able to forget.

"No, Liv. It wasn't me."

"Damn."

Olivia was so quiet, that for a few minutes, Elliot wondered if perhaps she had fallen back to sleep. His thoughts were interrupted when her voice broke into the silence yet again. This time, she sounded stronger, but no less confused.

"El?"

"Yeah, Liv?"

"Am I hallucinating, or are you holding my hand?"

Now helpless as his eyes really did well up with tears of relief, Elliot let a soft exhale escape his lips. Brushing his palm over her forehead yet again, he leaned over even more, desperate to be as close as possible.

"You're not hallucinating. I am holding your hand, and if it's okay with you, I never plan on letting go."

Getting to his feet, but still keeping their hands joined, Elliot leaned over the bed rail to press a soft kiss to the crown of Olivia's head.

"Rest now, Liv. We'll talk about everything else later. All that you need to know is that you're going to be okay, and I'll be here to take care of you."