A/N: Oh my goodness! Talk about a busy season! The end of summer and the beginning of fall have been crazy hectic for me, so I apologize for the long time in between updates. Thanks so much for continuing to review and favorite this story—I'm still completely overwhelmed by your kindness and suggestions surrounding each chapter. I think this story, much like all of fan fiction, is so therapeutic because it allows me to portray the characters outside of their normal confines. I try to keep them as much in character, or as close to it as I can because I really do like the way they are portrayed on TV, but I think seeing their life through a different lens makes it so much more interesting. Anyways, I digress. I hope you enjoy this chapter—in it, we see Liv really get back into the swing of things with Elliot at the 1-6, with her coworkers happy that she is fully back to work. However, there is trouble brewing and within the next two or three chapters we will see Alex and Olivia's relationship be tested as it never has been before.
Chapter 41
Chase
"Where've you been?" Olivia walked toward the elevator, the keys to their squad car in her hand. "Fin needs us at The Met—Munch just spotted their guy there and he's tailing him."
Elliot stepped out of the elevator as Olivia was talking. He headed toward the squad room, but turned right around and got back in when he heard the news. "You got keys?" He asked this question gruffly, somewhat short with his partner, hoping she would drop the questions. Olivia jingled the keys and tossed them to him as the elevator descended to the ground floor. Elliot smiled to himself, thinking about the conversation he had just had with Alex, remembering the sincerity in the blonde's voice.
"So…?" Olivia's brown eyes stared ahead as she fixed her hair in the reflective stainless steel doors of the elevator.
"What?" Elliot shrugged and looked toward Olivia in the reflection they shared.
Olivia always hated it when he flashed that wide shit-eating grin at anyone, but especially at her. "Where'd you go? I thought you were with Fin, but when he called he said to make sure to bring you too."
"Oh. Yeah. I wanted a burrito so I walked to Pequeños." The answer was evasive, but by the time Olivia turned around to question it the elevator door had opened and they both were walking out the front doors. She put it in the back of her mind.
Elliot opened the door and Olivia followed closely behind. When they reached the car, Elliot noticed that his partner didn't immediately open the passenger door, and when he looked up, he realized why. They both noticed Alex coming up the concrete sidewalk. Olivia had unknowingly stopped and leaned against the squad car, slowing her movements significantly as she took her sunglasses off the top of her head and placed them slowly onto her face. Alex sauntered up the concrete, unknowingly being watched by Olivia. The detective couldn't help but feel like she was a lion stalking its prey, or an addict that had just laid eyes on their favorite drug. There was something intoxicating, lethal even, about Alexandra Cabot, and Olivia couldn't pull her eyes away, as hard as she tried.
Alex's blonde hair was tied up in a tight bun and her black pencil skirt hugged her small curves as her red Jimmy Choo's clicked closer to the concrete steps. Her button up shirt was somewhat sheer, and when the sunlight hit it just the right way, Olivia could see the white lace bra that she knew rested under the black and white fabric. The detective glanced over the roof of the car and watched as her girlfriend's calves flexed as she skillfully ascended the stairs, black briefcase in hand.
It was almost like Olivia was looking right through Elliot. She knew that he was standing there, probably looking at her wondering what the hell her problem was, but he knew that Alex had Olivia wrapped around her little finger—at least Olivia thought he knew. Her eyes passed right over the small space where she knew her partner's head was, watching the blonde slip across the steps and through the open front door, heading to her office.
"Well, I will say…she has a killer body." Suddenly Elliot's head reappeared in Olivia's line of vision. That smirk again. She readjusted her sunglasses on her face and rolled her eyes behind the black lenses. They both got in the car, Elliot settling into the driver's seat and Olivia in the passenger.
As they pulled away, Elliot started speaking again. "I bet she looks damn good nak—ow!" Olivia had taken her fist and popped him right in the chest before he could finish the sentence. Olivia took this time to recite one of Elliot's favorite phrases back to him, smiling over her sunglasses.
"Eyes on your own paper, huh?" They both chuckled as Olivia brushed it off—she knew that Elliot was just pushing her buttons to get out of telling her where he was earlier. She turned her attention to more important things. "So Fin wants us at The Met. Conrad showed up about an hour ago and Munch and Fin have been tailing him inside. He hasn't seemed to notice yet, but they think he'll run when they confront him. So, they're just waiting for us. You remember what he looks like, right?"
Elliot squinted behind his sunglasses and responded. "Yeah, tall guy, black hair. His picture is on the board."
"Right." Olivia paused and looked outside, watching the city pass by. Minutes later, they arrived and Elliot parked across the street from The Met. When they got out, Fin approached them and briefed them both.
"Munch is inside. Conrad's been hanging around in the lobby—we think he's waiting for someone, but we're not sure who and don't know why. What we were thinking is that we will try to get him inside and if he comes out here you guys can tail him."
Fin took out two portable microphones and earpieces and handed them to the two detectives, testing them as he spoke into his mic. Elliot and Olivia looked at each other and then back at Fin. "Sounds good. On your 'go.'" Elliot responded and looked toward his partner. "You good?" She nodded and they spread out about 40 feet away from each other, blending into the tourists and business people out in front of the Met on this mild, fall Friday.
Olivia knew she had a few minutes and listened into her earpiece for Fin's voice, waiting to hear that he and Munch were approaching Conrad. "Fin, you good? We are in position when you are ready."
"We're good. Gonna hang back for a few and see who comes to visit." With this affirmation that she had some time, she pulled out her phone and composed a new text.
Was just leaving the precinct and passed you on the way out. Missed you by a few seconds but I couldn't help but notice how beautiful you are. I love you Alexandra.
She sent the message and locked her phone. In the past few minutes, she had lost track of time and realized that she probably had spent too much time writing the message and looked over towards Elliot. He was walking around, blending in easily with the crowd outside. Olivia pulled up her sleeve a bit and talked into her wrist. "Anything yet Fin? Munch?"
John Munch's distinctive voice rang loud and clear in her ear. "He made us. Runner! Front door!" Immediately, Elliot and Olivia sprinted to close the gap between them as a tall man with a full head of jet black hair busted out of the front door, pushing anyone he could out of his way. He stopped for a second, and they knew, when he headed Olivia's way, that he had recognized the gold shield on Elliot's hip.
It was a footrace: Conrad was about 30 feet in front of Olivia and was gaining distance. He was fast, that was no question, but Olivia knew she could catch him. She heard Elliot on her heels but focused solely on Conrad heading further inside Central Park. He weaved through tourists and joggers, hurdling over benches with a single leap.
Olivia panted into her mic, "I'm on him." She yelled at her target, "Police, Conrad. Stop!" He ignored her and continued to run, and at that point, Olivia knew that she would catch him. Behind her, she heard Elliot's footsteps soften significantly before the sound ultimately disappeared—he was more of a sprinter, and she knew that he probably puttered out 20 or 30 feet back. Many jogs through Central Park had taught Olivia to know Elliot's limits, and she knew that he wasn't up for a run like this.
Conrad's pace slowed slightly and Olivia knew if she could push through and accelerate, she'd have him. Quickly, she pushed her legs a little further, bounced her feet off of the pavement a little faster, and pumped her arms even stronger. After a few more strides, Conrad turned quickly and headed downhill. Olivia slowed her pace and looked down to the ground to secure her footing—the last thing she needed was to fall. After all, they weren't sure if Conrad was armed, but with the way he was fleeing, Olivia wouldn't have been surprised. But, when she glanced back up, Conrad had disappeared.
"Damn!" Olivia panted as she slowed and jogged in the direction that she had been running before. The veteran detective wiped her brow and kept a keen eye out—in all her years of chasing perps, never had one just disappeared into thin air. She turned in a semicircle looking for Conrad and instead saw Elliot's small figure atop the hill growing larger as he came closer. She raised her arms in an 'I don't know' gesture and panted into her microphone. "He's here—Help me look." Elliot turned and began searching atop the hill as Olivia spun around and headed back in the direction she had been running before.
Almost immediately, she saw a figure step out from behind a large tree and felt a blinding pain in her face. As her body hit the ground, she could feel a warm stream pouring from her nose. Olivia quickly gathered her thoughts and pushed herself back up off the ground. She shook the floating circles out of her vision and cocked her head a bit, trying to calm the thunderous pounding.
She wiped her face on her long sleeved white polo, where she left a large crimson streak from her mid arm down to her wrist. "Motherfucker." She muttered under her breath as she began to sprint in the direction of Conrad, who she saw running further into the park. She raised her arm to talk into her mic and blood filled her mouth. Quickly, she spat out a mouthful of a little saliva and a large amount of blood onto the sidewalk, wiping her face off on her polo. "Still on chase. El, come my way."
At this point, Olivia was more determined than she had ever been. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to catch Conrad as she shortened the distance between them. Pure fire ran though her veins as she closed the gap and jumped onto Conrad's back, tackling him to the ground. He turned over and began to struggle with Olivia, grabbing her wrists as the brunette detective above him fought with all of her strength to pin his arms on the ground.
Blood ran from her nose and dropped onto Conrad's head. A drop on his forehead met with Olivia's fist into his cheekbone. Another drop on his chin had barely made contact with his skin when Olivia's other hand smeared it, pulling the collar of his shirt in her clenched fist. The detective was straddling Conrad, pummeling his face once, twice, three times before everything went black.
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Alex heard her phone buzz on her desk and decided that now would be a good time to take a break. She glanced at the clock on her computer, which read 4:10pm. Alex smiled bashfully when she read Olivia's message—it was hard for her to admit to herself, but daydreaming about her girlfriend was one of the ADA's favorite things to do. She had always been so dedicated, a workaholic some might say. But, all it took was a look, a message, anything from Olivia to get her full attention, and that was new for Alex, but she had come to enjoy the standstill effect Olivia had on her mind.
I love you too, Liv. You are so sweet. I hope you're having a great day. So happy to hear you are back out in the field. Fin came down earlier and told me he would put you to good use today. Come by here when you get back if you can.
She locked her phone and placed it back on her desk. At that moment, Liz Donnelley entered the ADA's office, briefcase in hand. She looked tired, like she had just spent a long day in court, so Alex decided to be diplomatic, trying to hide the aggravation she felt toward her boss at the moment.
"Judge Donnelley, hi. What can I do for you?" Alex readjusted her glasses and cleared off her desk, ready for whatever Liz was going to lay on her.
"Oh nothing really. I just came in to see how things are going." She silently placed her briefcase on the tiled floor and took a seat in a chair across from Alex, examining her for a few moments, awaiting a response from the younger attorney.
"Ok…" Alex relaxed a bit and sat back in her chair, uncrossing her legs and placing both feet firmly on the floor under her desk. "Things are fine," she paused for a moment, wondering if she should say what she was thinking. The blonde held her pen in her dominant left hand, twirling it softly between her fingers as she looked over her desk at Liz.
"But?" Donnelley could read her like a book, and Alex silently wondered to herself why she was dumb enough to think she could hide anything from this woman. After all, Elizabeth Donnelley had worked with Alex's uncle Bill back before the blonde ADA was even in her undergrad years; she had known Alex since she was a kid. The middle aged woman stared across the desk at Alex, urging her to answer with just a look.
She took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking. "Well, it would be presumptuous of me to act like I know your schedu—" Donnelley cut her off midsentence with a wave of her hand.
"Say what you mean, Alex. There's no room for politics here."
"I'm frustrated. I want to—no, I need make this official between me and Olivia, Liz. It's got to be official. I can't, I won't hide. I refuse." She hesitated for a minute before voicing another thought. "Here's the thing: I'm not going to say anything or admit anything to anyone without formally disclosing this relationship because, in all reality, heads will roll if IAB or the public in general finds out that a cop and an ADA are having an undisclosed," she raised her hands in air quotes for the next two words, "illicit affair." She hated even thinking about it, but she knew that the reporters would write the headlines with those exact words. Alex leaned forward in her desk chair and made eye contact with the judge. "And, I love Olivia way too much to let her lose her job. It's her passion and I'm not doing anything to mess it up. If anyone finds out and IAB has to investigate, they're going to find out that it's completely true and then we are all on the chopping block." She took a short breath and blurted out the next thought. "And, it won't just be me and Olivia. Because they'll also find out that you and Cragen knew too and didn't do anything about it." She knew she shouldn't have said the last part, but it was true, and she thought that perhaps she could compel her boss to action with that thought.
Elizabeth Donnelley sat across from her, listening. When she was sure Alex was done, she began speaking. "I understand, Alex. I do. But, this relationship is not the first thing on my agenda, believe it or not. And, to be perfectly honest with you, I would rather not have the rumor mill start before the press conference on Tuesday. Not that I think it would affect anything, but once IAB knows about it, you know it's going to get around. Here's what I'm asking of you: I've already contacted Cragen and we can get together Wednesday or Thursday next week. I have the documents, and you'll need to notify Olivia. By the middle of next week, you two will be just fine. You've been careful, and no one has noticed—just give me till Wednesday or Thursday, ok?"
Alex sighed and thought this over for a minute. She had completely forgotten about the press conference, and, in the back of her mind, she was able to see the judge's point of view. With a meek nod and wave of her hand, she consented to Liz's request. The judge smiled and stood up from the chair, gathering her briefcase and tossing her jacket over her arm. "Well, I'm out of here. Have any plans for the weekend?"
Alex chuckled weakly and responded, "Not that I know of. You?"
"No, not really. I just know I'm not going to be here." She laughed and turned as she reached the door, lingering there for a minute. Alex watched her walk away but raised her eyebrow as Donnelley turned back toward her before exiting the office. The judge glanced back at Alex and spoke softly. "You really love her, don't you?"
"More than you know." Alex smiled and glanced back down at her phone, willing a message from Olivia, to no avail. Donnelley smiled at her and left the office, waving behind her as she went.
Alex spent the next few minutes trying to focus on a transcript from a testimony, but kept getting distracted. Thoughts of Olivia sprang to the forefront of her mind: she thought about the way Olivia fixed her hair in the morning, the look she gave the TV when she heard something that she didn't like, and the way her eyes lit up when she saw Alex in a new outfit. There was just something about the detective that Alex couldn't deny—she would never get enough of Olivia. Even now, sitting at her desk at the end of a workday, she knew that the mere sight of Olivia would keep her going—she would do anything for her brunette detective.
At that moment, her phone buzzed on her desk, as if it detected her neediness for any communication at all. Hoping it was Olivia, she snatched it up and unlocked it, only to find that she had an unread message from, of all people, Elliot Stabler. Immediately, her blood ran cold as she read the message.
Hey. We are at Mt. Sinai. Don't worry. Everything is ok but I think Liv needs you here. Do you want me to come get you?
No matter how quickly she had actually stood up, as soon as she did, she felt as if she had been sitting, wasting time for minutes. Immediately, the blonde became aware of how long it took her to close her laptop, grab her jacket and her briefcase, and lock her office door. As she paced down the hallway, Alex unlocked her phone and replied to Elliot.
On my way now. What happened?
Minutes later, Alex's SUV weaved in and out of notorious New York City traffic, speeding as often as she could to reach Olivia quicker. Her phone vibrated and she picked it up when she stopped behind a taxi at a red light.
Well, she got Conrad. But he was running, so there was a bit of a fight. Well, a bit on his part.
That last sentence made Alex nervous; the last 'fight' Olivia was involved in almost got her killed. She pulled into the hospital parking lot and called Elliot.
"Elliot, I'm getting out of my car now. Where are you?"
His voice was composed, but Alex could tell he was a little paranoid—why, Alex didn't know, but the fact that his voice was so calm made Alex relax and head toward the emergency room.
Elliot met her outside of the makeshift room Olivia was inside. The blonde immediately pushed him for answers, but as she did so, he quieted her with his hand on her shoulder.
"Alex, come here." He escorted her by her elbow toward the middle of the floor, away from all of the curtained rooms and out of earshot of Olivia.
"Why are you moving me away? What happened? Is she ok?" Alex's voice grew louder and more worried by the second.
Elliot motioned behind Alex's head and she heard footsteps approaching. The blonde turned to see George Huang, the lead psychiatrist for SVU, joining the conversation. Almost instantly Alex knew something was seriously wrong—maybe not physically, but emotionally. She heard Elliot begin speaking but couldn't make out his words in her worried mind. So many thoughts ran through her head: Did she shoot someone? Is she going to be ok? Was someone killed? Alex decided that trying to listen to Elliot was probably her best option, so she brushed the worried thoughts from her mind and focused on Olivia's partner in front of her.
"So, she ran and I caught up with her, but she had already lost him. She told me to search because I was higher up on a hill than she was, so I went to look around and find him. Then, a minute later I looked back and saw them on the ground. Olivia was on top of him and she was just beating the shit out of him." As he said this, he took his fists and mimicked a striking motion with both arms. "I ran down and there was blood everywhere. Immediately I thought that it was all his blood, but then when I looked at Liv there was just so much blood pouring from her face. I asked her and she said that he hit her right in the nose. And I think that's when she snapped."
At this moment, George Huang stepped in and began speaking. "Alex, I don't know if Olivia told you, but there was some suggestion that she should come and talk to me after the situation with Carlson. But, she didn't want to. Instead, I think that she sort of laid low and IAB let her off because it was a clean shoot. I think that they thought since she had so much time off that she probably saw someone while she was recovering, but I know that she didn't." All three of them looked at each other as Elliot and Alex waited for George to continue.
"So, I want to let you know that I don't think this is very serious." Alex could feel herself let out a breath that she was holding, as she saw Elliot do the same. "However, I think that she needs to have a few therapy sessions—if not with me, with a colleague. Because, knowing Olivia, she will start to sink into some guilt about this whole situation." He looked at Alex sympathetically, urging her to agree with him.
The blonde nodded in agreement. "Well, she mentioned that it was suggested that she see you. And, I encouraged it if she felt like she needed it. But, it seems like she didn't want to talk about it."
George understood. "Ok. Well, I think you should go in and see her. She doesn't look great, but she will be ok. I'll be in touch." He gave Alex that small, reassuring smile that often accompanied George Huang, as he turned toward the exit and disappeared through the emergency room doors. Alex and Elliot turned toward each other as the detective waved his hand in front of him, gesturing for Alex to lead the way.
The blonde approached the curtain and delicately pulled it back, holding it for Elliot to step through. The sight of Olivia weakened her heart, and it hurt even more when she heard her girlfriend's fragile voice. "El?" She was laying on her back, inclined a bit, with a large, flexible ice pack laying completely over her eyes and nose. She croaked out a simple request to her partner, "could you text Alex and tell her I'll be later than I thought? Tell her she can go home if she doesn't want to wait." She handed her phone to the space to her right, expecting Elliot to take it. Instead, she felt the soft, cool skin that she knew so well.
Immediately, she sat up and threw the ice pouch off her eyes. The sight made Alex gasp audibly. "Oh, Liv." The blonde reached her hand up to Olivia's face, gently kissing her on a cut lip. "What happened to you baby?" She stood by the bed and ran her hand delicately through Olivia's hair, trying to comfort her.
"I'm fine, Al. It looks worse than it is." A small smile spread across the detective's face, and in a second, Alex knew that she would be just fine, physically. However, her face looked horrible, whether it was or not, and she was a little worried about Olivia's mental state.
Elliot piped up from the end of the bed with a small chuckle. "You think she looks bad? You should see the other guy." All three of them smiled a bit as Alex pulled up a chair and asked the question that she wanted to hear Olivia answer.
"Elliot just called me. What happened love?"
Olivia cleared her voice and began to explain in typical Olivia Benson fashion. "That motherfucker Conrad clocked me right in the face. I had just caught up with him and he hid somewhere and stepped out in front of me and caught me off guard." She paused and squinted hard while she sniffed and cleared her throat. She motioned for a styrofoam cup on the sink and Elliot jumped to get it for her. Alex watched as her girlfriend spit out two mouthfuls of blood into the cup and handed it back to Elliot. "Sorry, honey." She reached up and took Alex's chin between her thumb and forefinger and winked, as best as she could through her swollen eye, at the beautiful blonde.
"Anyway, after that I don't really remember much. I know that I caught up with him and I tackled him to the ground. I know that I punched him once or twice, but after that the next thing I remember was Elliot getting me into our squad car." Alex and Elliot looked at each other and quickly understood why Huang wanted to see her—it seemed as if Olivia had blacked out, and they both knew that was dangerous for anyone, but much less, a cop. As she and Elliot were silently communicating, a resident opened the curtain, holding Olivia's chart.
"Detective Benson, how are you?"
Olivia shrugged and returned the ice to one side of her face. "I'm alright. Just need to get myself cleaned up." As she said this, Alex looked her over and couldn't agree more: there was a cut on her lip and her nose was still bleeding from her nostrils. As far as Alex could tell, blood was draining from her nose into her throat and, even more, blood covered her already bruised knuckles.
"I tend to agree." She looked toward Alex and shook her hand. "I'm Dr. Foster."
Quickly, Olivia piped up and motioned toward Alex. "Sorry, this is my girlfriend, Alex." The doctor and Alex exchanged pleasantries before Dr. Foster gave Alex, Olivia, and Elliot the run down.
"So, your X-rays came back and it looks like you definitely have a broken nose and your pinky on your left hand is also fractured. But, other than that, you seem to be ok. There's really not much we can do about the nose, but we are giving you some pain medication and I want you to keep some ice on it. I'll see you at some point next week to make sure it's healing properly. It may have to be reset, but just from me feeling it earlier, I don't think you'll have anything to worry about. Your pinky, however, is another story." Alex looked at Olivia, and as she did, she realized that she hadn't even seen her pinky. It was crooked, Alex noticed, and badly crooked.
The blonde attorney piped up when she noticed Olivia's finger and began speaking to the doctor. "So, what's wrong with her finger?"
"Well, she's got a pretty bad fracture." The young doctor placed Olivia's x-ray on the wall and illuminated the light behind it to display her left pinky bone. Even someone without a medical degree could have seen how shattered it truly was. The entire top half of the bone was completely detached from the bottom half, and the top part of her bone was moved significantly to the left. Elliot crinkled his face and looked at Olivia who exhaled deeply and looked toward the doctor, as she continued to speak. "So, I want to splint it for right now to immobilize it and I want to see you in a few days, the same time I see you about your nose, and we will discuss options. You might need some hardware in there." She let that settle for a minute and then continued. "But, for right now, we need to clean you up and I want to pack your nose with some gauze so we stop that bleeding."
Olivia stood up from the bed with some help from Alex and approached the sink. The blonde wrapped her arm around her girlfriend's waist and smiled at her in the mirror. She looked horrible: her nose and both of her eyes were already starting to black, but Alex quickly took soap into her hands to help Olivia. Careful to avoid her pinky, Alex took Olivia's bloodied hands into her own and gently cleaned them. As Olivia observed Alex, her eyes filled with tears, partly because her nose hurt so badly, but mostly because she knew that Alex was it—she was utterly, and pathetically in love. Alex watched as the clear water left the faucet and turned shades of pink and red as it made contact with Olivia's tanned hands, and then swirled the drain, leaving a little residue that Alex washed out when she was done.
Minutes later, Dr. Foster had packed one side of Olivia's broken nose with gauze, allowing the other side to breathe free, as the bleeding had stopped. She also splinted Olivia's pinky finger and taped it up to immobilize it for the next few days. She stepped back and began to speak to all three of them. "Well, I can understand how this injury happened—did you at least get the guy?"
Elliot chuckled and replied. "Oh, yeah. He's in Bellevue's prison ward. She did a number on him." At the mention of this, Olivia turned her head and asked what was wrong with him. "He'll be fine. He looks a lot like you right now, actually," Elliot laughed.
"Well, good…that's what you get for running," Dr. Foster replied. "Ok, so I've given you everything and we made an appointment for you on Sunday. I think that some swelling will be down by then and we will be able to figure out where to go from there—I just don't want to wait too long. So, there is just one more thing we need to talk about." Elliot and Alex locked eyes, knowing where she was going to go.
"I am not a psychiatrist, however, I think it might be useful for you to see someone and talk about this. I only say this because I know what just happened a little while ago with you, so I think this may be an unfortunate repercussion of that event. I'm sending you to see someone I know and trust completely. You know him." She paused for a minute and the next two words didn't sound like a request. "Use. Him." She handed Olivia a card that had the familiar name printed on it as clear as day: Dr. George Huang. Dr. Foster dismissed herself and left the room, allowing all three of them to gather Olivia's things.
Outside, Olivia said goodbye to Elliot and thanked him for his help. "I'll call you later El." She waved him off and she was surprised when she saw Alex hug Elliot and whisper something in his ear, but she hurt too much to give it anymore thought.
Alex helped Olivia into the car and got into the driver's seat. Olivia couldn't take her eyes off of the blonde attorney. "God, you're beautiful." Olivia croaked this out through a strained voice as she placed her hand on Alex's leg.
"I think your eyesight is probably affected right now, so don't go saying anything you might regret." Alex smiled and looked toward Olivia. As she did so, she became extremely aware of how damaged her girlfriend looked. "Oh, baby, you look…" she took her hand and delicately touched Olivia's cheek, tenderly stroking the brunette's face.
"I know, I look like shit. I'll be fine by Sunday Al. Don't worry about it. I've had worse." She settled back into the passenger seat and closed her eyes for a few minutes until she heard Alex's voice next to her.
"Let's get you home and into a warm bath. I'm thinking takeout and a movie tonight." All Alex needed was a little nod from Olivia to know that she was feeling ok and that, physically, she'd be alright.