Chapter 9
Protect
Hours later, Olivia's phone rang in Alex's lap. The attorney must have dozed off, because the loud ringtone woke her. Seeing it was Elliot, she answered quickly, with a small yawn.
"Elliot, what's up?...Yeah, we just passed that sign…ok, we'll meet you there."
"Elliot wants us to meet him and Cragen at the gas station a mile up here on the left."
Olivia nodded in understanding. "Sounds good. You ready?" Olivia asked this question with a small hesitation.
"Yeah. I'm good."
Olivia pulled over into the gas station and spotted the other squad car. She got out and saw Elliot and Cragen pulling on their vests, and loading their weapons. She did the same, as Elliot exchanged a questioning look with her.
"What?"
"Oh. Nothing," Elliot said with a small smile. "How was the ride?"
"It was fine…" Olivia understood his questioning. "So, Captain, what's the plan?" Olivia asked as she took off her glasses and placed them back into the case. She knew that she would be running and probably couldn't wear them. Luckily, she had contacts with her. She started to put them in as Cragen moved them all into a close circle and began to explain at a small whisper.
"We've got a reliable source that says Carlson's cabin is up this road here," Cragen pointed. "I'd like for us to roll in there, no lights, and surprise him. The local officers are waiting on the side of the road—plain clothes. They'll let us take the lead."
"Ok," Elliot said. "What about the girl? We know he's erratic—what's the plan with her?"
"We are hoping to catch him off guard, and hopefully he will have the girl tied up somewhere, so when we can get a hold of him, backup can go in and get the girl." Cragen paused. "Elliot, I want you to be the lead on this. I think having Olivia ordering him around would just piss him off. Alex, I want you to stay back, behind me, and don't make any sudden movements. I'm kind of pissed that Donnelley made you come here, but I understand why. Everything has to go by the book, you got me?" He looked at them all with the authority of his position clear.
"Got it." Olivia and Elliot answered together.
Cragen began speaking again. "Also, we're doing the kevlar under your clothes. I don't want to encourage him, or give him any ideas."
Alex nodded in understanding. Olivia removed her long sleeve shirt and jacket, leaving her in only jeans and her camisole. Alex barely pulled her eyes off of the detective when Elliot caught her gaze. As Olivia strapped on the vest, she pulled her shirt and jacket down over it, and nodded to Elliot.
"Need help?" Elliot's voice caught Alex off guard, out of her trance. He was holding a vest, waiting for Alex to take off her jacket and shirt. Alex did so, and Elliot respectfully turned with the vest until Alex said she was ready to put it on. He lowered it over her head and tightened it around her body, as she got dressed again.
"We ready?" Cragen said. He pulled out his phone and called the local police. "They're ready for us. We're going in the same car. Let's go."
Alex and Olivia did as they were ordered and climbed in the back seat. Olivia holstered her gun and readied her mind with a deep breath. She turned and looked at Alex. The ADA was slowly tracing a finger over her hand, a nervous habit she had, and Olivia knew she understood the gravity of the situation.
"Hey," Olivia looked at Alex. "You ok?"
Alex turned and looked at the detective. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"Don't worry—you will be fine." She smiled a weak smile at the ADA.
Alex wanted to tell Olivia she wasn't worried about herself. The attorney knew that the detective's job was difficult and she risked her life at times for the victims, but it wasn't easy to understand unless you were in it. She was truly scared, not only for herself, but for Olivia.
The car sped up the hill as other officers met them at the top. There were 15 local officers, including SWAT, crisis units, plain-clothes officers, and patrol. Olivia knew they needed all the help they could get, but she didn't expect this many hands in the pot.
Elliot pulled the car over and quietly put it in neutral to coast quietly closer to the cabin. He stopped and everyone got out, Olivia grabbing Alex's hand and guiding her behind her and Cragen. Alex watched in amazement as all of the officers took their place, seemingly knowing exactly where they should be without any direction. Cragen had made it clear that SVU would be running the show, and he took Alex to the side of the house while Olivia and Elliot stayed at the front.
Inside, Olivia could see Kaley walking around. She tapped Elliot and nodded in Kaley's direction. They both exchanged troubled looks—they knew it'd be hard to do anything with her free inside the house. She was just one more variable they would have to account for. Of course they wanted her safe, but sometimes it's easier if the victim wasn't involved in the situation.
Suddenly, the front door opened. Kaley walked out onto the porch and the detectives noticed her hands were free and she had obvious bruises all over her body. She walked to the end of the porch and sat in a chair. Then, Kaley made eye contact with Elliot and her eyes widened. Elliot put his pointer finger to his mouth and nodded. She returned back inside without a word.
Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw Cragen and Cabot walk out from the side of the house. Cragen walked behind the detectives and was in position to help them if it was needed. Olivia thought that he must have sensed something was about to happen, because at that moment, Carlson busted the front door open, holding Kaley in a chokehold and wielding a rifle in one hand and a handgun in the other.
"You thought you'd surprise me, did you?" Carlson screamed from the porch. He turned on strong floodlights and temporarily blinded the detectives. "You all can go fuck yourselves!"
"Ok. Chuck. Chuck!" Elliot yelled, as he placed his forearm and hand over his brow, shielding his eyes from the lights. "Let's all just calm down. Chuck, help me out here. I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to help get Kaley home."
"Yeah, right. You're all just here to kill me. I'm not stupid. You wouldn't be here if you didn't already know what I've done." He said this with almost a smirk, like he was proud that he had gotten away with his previous crimes.
"Ok Chuck…what have you done?" Elliot knew he needed to stroke his ego. "You've been pretty good about covering yourself, and you were just too evasive for us to ever find. You outsmarted us, Chuck. Plain and simple."
"Yeah, and I'll do it again." He let Kaley go and moved his body violently.
No one was exactly sure what happened next, but immediately Alex felt Cragen's arm covering her, pushing her to the ground, and saw Olivia in the air. She heard two shots and a second later heard one more. When Alex looked up, Olivia was on the ground. Cragen's arm was still resting over her back, but she was able to raise her head and see what had transpired in the past ten seconds. Chuck Carlson was lying in a growing pool of blood, unresponsive and flat. But then, Alex heard a radio call that ran a chill down her spine—she was listening to Elliot, but didn't want to believe it.
"This is Manhattan SVU, with Rochester 2-2. I need a bus to Wild Pines Drive, the cabin on the hill. We've got an officer down, multiple GSW. I repeat: officer down. Need a bus STAT."
Both Cragen and Alex flew to Elliot's side. He still had his gun in one hand, and his radio in the other. He quickly handed his weapon to one of the responding officers—he knew he'd have to turn it in because he fired the fatal shot. Meanwhile, he turned his attention towards his partner. Elliot quickly unzipped Olivia's jacket, tore her shirt off and undid her vest. He applied pressure to the two wounds near Olivia's collarbone.
"Liv! Olivia. Look at me." Elliot was yelling—Alex had never heard anyone yell so lovingly. Olivia's eyes were opening and closing, trying not to lose consciousness. Olivia's hand reached up towards Elliot. He placed his hand on hers and pushed it back down to the ground.
"It's ok Liv. Just rest. It's ok. I've got a bus coming now. Just stay with me."
Immediately, Alex fell to her knees next to Olivia's side. All of the awkwardness between them in the past few weeks had disappeared, and she felt tears pool in her eyes. The cool, blue eyes met the closing golden ones. She placed her hand on Olivia's forehead and began speaking.
"Olivia, you've gotta stay with us. Common, Liv."
As Olivia lay on the grass, moving in and out of consciousness, she recognized Alex leaning over her. Everything seemed to stand still for the brunette detective. Elliot and Alex's face moved around above her, as she was unable to keep either of them in focus very long. She could feel the cold liquid pooling around her shoulder and saw it around Elliot's hand when he switched hands.
"I love you," she croaked out with a small smile.
"I love you too Liv. You've just gotta stay with us—you know another partner wouldn't deal with my shit," Elliot tried to make her smile, but her face was confused—she looked at Elliot and her eyes quickly turned to Alex.
Within the second, and too quickly for anyone to stop the sudden movement, she reached up and hooked her hand around Alex's neck, pulling the attorney down towards her, so she could gaze into those ice blue eyes. She tried to say something, but she felt breathlessness and liquid pooling in her throat, so she quietly shut her mouth and restrained. Olivia felt her hand tangle in Alex's hair, felt the ADA's warm neck and hair, and smelled the gentle scent of Alex's perfume. It was the most alive Olivia had felt in years, but in the back of her mind, she knew that she was probably closer to dying. Rather than releasing Alex, the detective's hand fell limp to the side and landed on the ground. Her head fell back and landed roughly on the grass. She closed her eyes and her body fell limp.
Alex didn't have time to think about what had happened. Elliot grabbed Olivia's face and lightly tapped. "Olivia! Olivia! Can you hear me?" Panic mode was starting to set in with Elliot and everyone could tell. The soft whine of the ambulance was growing closer and soon, Olivia was on a stretcher and being loaded into the vehicle. Elliot saw the shock on Alex's face.
"Alex. Alex-look at me." He took both of her shoulders in his hands and faced her squarely. "Alex, you need to go with Olivia to the hospital." She wanted to go, but she knew that Elliot should be the one going with the detective. She started to protest, but Elliot stopped her. "Alex. Listen to me: we both know she was talking to you and not me—go. Now."
With that, Alex jumped into the back of the ambulance with a plain-clothes officer and grabbed Olivia's hand. The amount of blood the detective was losing was alarming, and Alex silently said a prayer. She didn't believe in God, and wasn't ever very religious, but she didn't know what else to do—she knew this situation was out of her hands. She began to cry, as the officer came to her side and gave her a hug.
"I know how it is—you can feel guilty. But, you just have to remember it was her decision, and she's going to be ok. She's brave-that much is for sure." Alex turned towards her with a questioning look on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, people can feel guilty sometimes when people take a bullet meant for them. I took one for my partner a year ago in August and you wouldn't believe the guilt he held on to for the next few months-we had to see the department shrink for a month or so."
Alex's stomach turned. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why would Carlson be shooting at her? And how did Olivia know? And why did Olivia jump in front of the shot meant for Alex? There were so many questions, but Alex knew she could get all of the answers when Olivia recovered—if Olivia recovered.
The short ride was silent, besides the conversation Alex had with Karen, the plain-clothed officer, and the jargon between the EMT's. It seemed as though Olivia was pulling through currently, but Alex couldn't help but feeling that something was gravely wrong, as the detective was still unconscious. As the ambulance pulled into the emergency department, Alex knew her suspicions were confirmed. There was a team of doctors and nurses ready to receive Olivia, equipped with radios that were keeping in touch with the EMT's on the way.
The doors opened and Olivia was lowered to the doctors and rushed through the double doors. Alex was left standing, alone, in the lobby of the back area of the emergency room. She felt like falling to her knees after the doctors told her that she couldn't follow, but soon a middle-aged woman in scrubs approached her.
"Ma'am?" she placed a loving hand on Alex's shoulder. Alex turned as tears welled in her eyes.
"Alex, please."
"My name is Debbie. I'm a nurse here, and I just wanted to let you know what is going on with the detective. You came in with her, right?" It seemed as if she was searching for permission from Alex, to which the attorney just nodded.
"Well, I have good news and bad news. Luckily, both wounds missed major arteries, however, one severed a rather large vein, which explains the blood that pooled in her neck. One injury is purely orthopedic—a bullet ended up shattering the end of her clavicle, sending shards of bone into her body. The other passed cleanly through her trapezius muscle, but that's where the vein was severed," the nurse pointed to the top of her shoulder, near her neck.
"The good news is that, luckily, since the detective seems very muscular, the time to repair the wound will probably be minimal. And, more good news is that she was wearing the vest, but, the bullets hit her in a thin, flexible part of the vest. The bad news, then, is that she lost quite a bit of blood when the bullet passed through. She is in surgery now, stopping the bleeding and hopefully fully repairing the vein. They will also be removing the fragments of her bone and the bullet. If she is stable through the end of the surgery, they will probably go ahead and repair the joint of her clavicle and shoulder. If not, they can do it when she is more stable, but I think she's got a good chance of coming through this just fine."
Alex had neither breathed nor blinked throughout Debbie's consultation. She slowly let out a breath and gave the nurse a slight nod. "When can I see her?" Alex asked this, knowing it wouldn't be soon enough.
"I will let you know when…" Debbie's phone rang and she excused herself and answered. After a short conversation, she placed the phone back in her scrub top pocket. "It seems as though the rest of your company is here, Alex," she said with a small smile. The nurse placed her hand on the top of Alex's back and led her through the trauma unit and to the front of the waiting room. There she saw Cragen and Elliot. Cragen's face was white and Elliot was standing in his t-shirt, still stained with Olivia's blood. He rushed towards Alex and embraced her in a warm hug.
"Alex, she's going to be ok. It's going to be fine." Alex didn't want to cry, and she restrained herself just enough for tears to well in her eyes. She leaned back out of Elliot's hug and looked at Cragen.
"How did she know? How did you…" Cragen held up his hand to stop her.
"Alex, you can't ask yourself these questions. You'll drive yourself crazy. What I know is that I saw Carlson drop his rifle and point his handgun towards the lawn. I couldn't tell where he was shooting, and I don't think he could either. The floodlights were bright, and I can't believe that Olivia could tell where he was pointing. All I know is that I pulled you down to the ground for your protection—everyone was down."
Alex was bewildered. She settled for not knowing the answers right now, and rather turned her attention towards the thought of Olivia. "So is the bastard dead?"
"Yeah," Elliot said, as he shook his head. "I should have been quicker."
"You did what you had to do. You followed procedure. It was a clean shot," Cragen said. The three of them sat down in a private area of the waiting room. An hour passed as the three spoke quietly about Kaley, the case, and more importantly, Olivia, when a strong voice came from behind the three.
"Donald Cragen?"
Cragen stood and motioned to Elliot and Alex. They followed closely behind and listened to the conversation.
"I'm Donald Cragen—these are my colleagues Alex Cabot and Elliot Stabler." He motioned to the two and continued to speak. "We work with Olivia. I'm her captain, Elliot is her partner, and Alex is the ADA for our unit. We were on an operation up here when this happened."
The doctor seemed to understand and knew it was ok to release information. "Well, Mr. Cragen, you are her emergency contact on her HIPPA paperwork and I just want to make sure I'm speaking with the correct person, but I understand how close the blue line makes everyone." He took a breath and then continued. "I'm Dr. Bradford, I'm the head of trauma and emergency surgery here. Detective Benson will be ok. She had a small complication during surgery, but she is ok."
Cragen interrupted. "What kind of complication?"
"Well, she was having an adverse affect to some of the drugs we were giving her, so we had to bring her out of anesthesia a little earlier than we expected, so she is in a lot of pain. We used a local anesthetic for the stitches, but I think she could feel a lot of the sutures closing both wounds." Alex's face cringed and the doctor noticed. "It's pretty painful, but the wounds are completely sterile and she is stable. We've given her some pain medication so she may not be up for a while. She was unconscious when she came in, but slowly came back to us before we prepped her for surgery. During the surgery, our first priority was to stop the bleeding from the vein in her muscle. I was able to repair it with a patch, as it didn't completely sever the vein like we originally thought. After that, we removed the one bullet and shards of bone, and we were able to place a pin and very small plate into her clavicle to fix it, and she should recover just fine."
The three of them looked at the doctor and towards each other. They all breathed a collective sigh of relief. Cragen thanked Dr. Bradford and asked when they could see Olivia.
"Actually, we were thinking that we'd lift her back to the city. She's stable, and she's pretty much wiped out from the pain medication. She could use nothing more than rest right now, and it'd probably be better for you all to get closer to home."
"Do you think that's advisable given her condition?" Alex asked this question in a somewhat accusatory tone.
"Yes, she is stable. She will make a full recovery. The main concerns now are her stitches and the injury to her shoulder and collarbone. She needs to rest, and I think she will get a good time to rest on the ride. Is that ok with you, Mr. Cragen?"
"As long as she will be stable, yes that is fine. We will have Alex ride with her, if that's ok. Elliot and I have two squad cars to drive back. What hospital is she going to?"
"We'll take her to Mt. Sinai—we are under the same network. I've already called trauma and let them know about the situation. They have a bed for her—she will be in ICU for the rest of the day and then tomorrow, if she is responding well, they'll move her down and she should be out within the week, allowing for therapy time in and out of the hospital." Dr. Bradford left the three and they looked from one to the other, when Elliot spoke first. He reached his hand up and touched Alex's arm.
"You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm ok. I'll be better when I can see Olivia and speak to her. I still don't entirely understand what went on earlier. I just know that I love Olivia, and I always have. I'm not going to leave her again—I'm not going to lose her."
Cragen looked from Elliot to Alex and immediately understood what had been transpiring. He knew there was some tension, and assumed there was nothing going on, but now he knew that they must have been trying to sever ties, which explained the now outpouring of emotion from the both of them. He and Elliot exchanged looks before he spoke.
"We should go if we want to get back to the city in time with Olivia. Alex, I'll have someone come get you when they are ready to leave with her."
Alex nodded in understanding and hugged both of the men. She thanked them for helping her and watching out for her. They left and Alex took a seat in the waiting room. So many thoughts rushed through the attorney's head in those two hours that she didn't realize that she still had Olivia's blood on the sleeve of her shirt. It was dried, but she still traced over the stain on the sleeve, thinking of Olivia, when Debbie came to get Alex.
"Alex, come with me and we will take you to the transport ambulance. It's gonna be sort of a long ride, so do you need anything? Do you want a new shirt?" Debbie noticed the blood on Alex's shirt.
"No, thanks. I just want to be with Olivia and know that she will be ok."
Debbie smiled and patted Alex on the back, motioning to the ambulance. She opened the back door and let Alex settle into the seat. "Now, I need to let you know a few things—Olivia is probably going to be asleep for the entire ride, but she may be in and out, so she may still know that you're here. Also, there will be 3 EMT's riding with you both-obviously you know to stay out of their way if anything unexpected happens. Lastly, Olivia probably doesn't look too great—or what you remember her looking like a few hours ago. Please don't be scared—I guarantee you she is ok and will make a full recovery. It is safe for her to be riding back to New York City. She would just be sleeping in the same hospital bed anyways."
Alex listened to Debbie and nodded in understanding, although she was scared of what Olivia would look like. If she needed a warning from a nurse, how bad could it be?
A few minutes later, the door to the ambulance opened and Olivia was lifted into the back, along with the EMT's. Alex looked over at Olivia and tears finally poured from her eyes. The detective was breathing heavily, connected to machines, with her eyes barely open. Alex noticed Olivia was awake and sprung to her side.
"Olivia. I'm so sorry. Are you in pain?" She touched the detective's hand and rested hers on top of Olivia's.
Olivia's eyes slowly focused on Alex's and the detective croaked out a response. "I'm not sorry. I'm ok Al." Her eyes closed and Alex sat back down in the chair next to her. Love welled up in her heart for the detective, especially after Olivia called her an old nickname that she had refrained from using lately, trying to suppress her feelings.
Olivia's skin was two shades paler than normal, and she was tied up in a large black splint apparatus. Her eyes were sunken as she slept soundly. Alex gently looked over the detective and saw the small scar on her left hand from her last undercover operation. There were no complications on the ride back to New York, and five hours later Alex and Olivia arrived back in the city, settled into a room in the ICU.