A/N: Thank you! Here comes Huang, who ends up being more of a witness for the prosecution than for the defense, it seems. Also, Alex gets a glimpse into what Langan was trying to do, and is a little confused by something Carolyn says. Thanks again for the reviews and messages. You all are too kind! Enjoy!

Chapter 72

Huang

Alex made her way down the stairs to the courtroom. She thought about when Olivia was in the hospital after Conrad hit her: she remembered helping the detective wash her hands in the sink. The red blood stained the bottom of the sink before Alex took her hand and washed water over it. She remembered Olivia's eye: it was almost swollen shut, and was red and blue already... Alex took out her phone and sent a quick text message.

I love you, Liv. Everything is going to be fine—but we probably owe Casey dinner LOL. Can't wait to see you later, even if it is in court.

Immediately, she received a text back.

You're perfect. Thanks for trying to make me feel better about this whole thing. I love you more than I could ever tell you.

Alex smiled and tucked her phone back into her purse, readying herself to enter the courtroom. As she pushed open the door, a familiar voice rang out from behind her. "Alex, wait!" Trevor Langan jogged up behind her, beckoning her away from the door.

"What Trevor?" Alex was tired of his shit, and she wasn't sure what his angle was. They made their way across the hall, close to a window annex where they had a little privacy.

"Did you recuse yourself from Conrad's criminal trial all together?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Oh." His face fell, and he looked somewhat surprised.

"Why?" Alex reiterated her question a little louder, and with more attitude, prompting him to answer.

"I was just wondering. I thought you were just letting Casey handle this specific hearing..."

Alex took a shot in the dark. "Oh, so now you're upset that you can't expose my relationship with Olivia in front of a jury? I ruined your ah-ha moment?" Alex scoffed, rolled her eyes, and turned her back on him, crossing the hall and opening the door to the courtroom, entering it. He followed closely behind.

"Alex, wait." She stopped and turned around. They were in the back row of the gallery but still he spoke softly. "Listen, we've known each other since Harvard." Her eyes searched in his for whatever it was he was trying to say. "It's all about getting my client off—you should know it's nothing personal."

Alex rolled her eyes and closed the small gap between them, whispering a threat. "You know what, Trevor? It's always personal with you. And, when you attack someone who had nothing but good intentions and was just doing her job, that's a problem. You really want Conrad to get off? Do you know what he did, Trevor? I know you're a defense attorney but shit! You're a smart guy. Look at the evidence." She paused. "And, Olivia and I have disclosed our relationship, so if you're looking to dig up dirt, you're not going to find any."

He stood next to Alex, listening closely. Alex knew that Trevor liked her as a friend and as a lawyer. He had actually tried to hire her at his private law firm when she came back from WITSEC, but there were certain things they just didn't see eye to eye on. Police actions were one of these issues, and he let it go. "I'm his defense attorney, Cabot. I'm just doing my job." Alex shook her head and walked back up the hall, resuming her place behind the prosecutorial table.

Casey leaned over and looked at her. "What was that about?"

"Trevor trying to weasel my relationship with Olivia into evidence." Casey rolled her eyes. "Don't worry—he can't." Carolyn turned around and joined in the conversation.

"You know, I was somewhat worried about that too, but after I looked at the disclosure, I knew we were good. Smart move, Alex." Carolyn nodded at the blonde and she smiled, although she wasn't sure what Carolyn was talking about. Of course they signed a disclosure, but that couldn't have been what she meant. Donnelley entered the courtroom and Alex reminded herself to check the document over again, to see what she obviously missed the first time.

Donnelley sat down and looked at the papers in front of her. "Ok. So, defense counsel has called 2 of their 3 witnesses, is that correct?"

"Yes, your honor." Miranda answered.

"Alright. Let's get on with the last one, and then I'll allow the prosecution to start with theirs." She turned her head to the prosecutorial table. "Can all of your witnesses be called today?"

Casey stood up. "Yes, your honor. If it pleases the court, I will have my assistant send an email to one of our witnesses that is offsite and inform her that we will need her available today." Donnelley nodded and Casey handed a note to Sean, her assistant, with contact information for Tanya Kellerman.

"Ms. Pond, Mr. Langan, continue please." Donnelley waved her hand toward the defense table.

"Yes, your honor." Miranda Pond stood and smoothed out her skirt. "The defense calls Dr. George Huang." George stood up and made his way to the witness stand, swore in, and sat down.

"Dr. Huang, can you tell me when you first saw detective Benson on September 5th?"

"I was already at the hospital, by chance, when I saw detective Stabler enter with detective Benson into the emergency ward."

"And did you discuss what happened with either of them?"

"Yes. Detective Stabler recognized that I was there and asked if I would wait with him until detective Benson was triaged. He told me what had happened, in his own words, and as soon as the doctors exited Olivia's exam area, I entered and spoke with her."

"Did she request that you speak with her?"

"No."

"So you thought it would be wise for you to speak with her alone?"

"Yes. I know that injuries can be mentally devastating to someone who makes their living being in shape and having a physical job. And, I've known detective Benson for many years so I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

"Dr. Huang, what kind of medicine do you practice?" Alex understood that Miranda was prepping Dr. Huang to say that Olivia was mentally unstable or something, but she knew he wouldn't go for it.

"I'm a forensic psychiatrist."

"So you're a psychiatrist, meaning you study people's mental state...determine if people are mentally stable, correct?"

He scoffed, along with Alex. "Well, that's only one part of my job, but yes, that's included in my job description."

"So, you, as a psychiatrist, decided on your own that you thought it would be a good idea to talk with detective Benson after she came into the hospital. Why? Were you worried about her mental state?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Then, why, Dr. Huang, did you recommend to her tending physician, that she get mandatory counseling with you after she was treated?"

George smiled meekly. "I would recommend such treatment for any detective that was involved in a physical scuffle such as this. Like I said before, I've known detective Benson for quite a while and I wanted to make sure she was ok."

"Physically? Or mentally?"

"Both."

"Alright." Miranda took a breath. "What did detective Benson tell you happened in the park?"

Carolyn stood up. "Objection, your honor. Hearsay." Donnelley nodded.

"Sustained."

Miranda rephrased. "Did you come to learn about what happened in the park?"

"Yes."

"From who?"

"Detective Benson."

"And, what was your understanding of what happened in regards to her actions in the park?"

"It was my understanding that a physical altercation started and detective Benson ended it so that Mr. Conrad could be detained."

"Did you ask detective Benson how many times she hit the defendant?"

"Yes."

"What is your understanding of the physical force detective Benson used?"

"It is clear to me that detective Benson used the necessary amount of force to subdue the defendant and place him under arrest."

"Did detective Benson have a clear recollection of how many times, exactly she hit my client?" There was a small moment of hesitation from George, his eyes moving imperceptibility to Alex. "Isn't it true, Dr. Huang, that detective Benson told you that she didn't remember how many times she had hit Mr. Conrad because she experienced a blackout?"

"She demonstrated the wherewithal to subdue Mr. Conrad and arres—"

"That wasn't my question, Dr. Huang. Didn't detective Benson admit to you that she was unsure of how many times she hit Mr. Conrad because she blacked out?"

He knew he was stuck. "Yes."

"So, as a psychiatrist, in your professional medical opinion, can we even believe anything detective Benson says about what happened that day? Can you explain blackouts to the court, please?"

"Generally a blackout is described as a period of unawareness that can be caused by many things. In my opinion, the trauma to her head that detective Benson sustained was most likely the cause. There was probably a balance disruption of transmitters in her brain that regulate her heart rate or blood pressure, causing a reduced flow of blood to the brain. This is common in people who have fainted, and can be attributed to stress or frightening situations."

"So detective Benson's memory of that day can't be trusted…because she didn't even remember herself what had happened."

"Well not necessarily. It was clear that she did not lose consciousness, and the medical evidence supports her memory. Typically, unless the patient loses consciousness, which detective Benson did not, memory will return within a few days." That backfired. Alex couldn't help but smile at Miranda's surprise.

"Thank you. That's all." She wasn't expecting that response.

Casey stood up. "Dr. Huang, you said you spoke to detective Benson and detective Stabler at the hospital, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"We've already covered what detective Benson and you spoke about. What about detective Stabler? What knowledge did you gain from his perspective?"

"I shared with him what detective Benson had said and he informed me that he witnessed the struggle. He saw detective Benson hit Mr. Conrad two times. Once after she took him to the ground, and once after Mr. Conrad struggled repeatedly with her, landing a punch to her face as well."

"Dr. Huang, where did you attend medical school?"

"Johns Hopkins University."

"And, forgive me, but I'm not very familiar with post-graduate studies except for law degrees. When you decide to attend medical school, do you, as a psychiatrist, have to go through the same medical training that say, a dermatologist would have to go through?"

"Yes. In medical school your first 2 years are all the same. Sometimes, the first 3 are in certain fields. Then you break off into your specific area of study."

"So you understand how to read x-rays? How to treat a wound? How to deliver a baby even?"

"Yes. That's all training I had in medical school."

"Were you able to examine detective Benson's injuries?"

"I looked her over at the hospital, but then I received a detailed report of her medical examination."

"Did this include her xrays?"

"Yes."

"What did you see regarding her injuries?"

"She had a broken nose and a bone bruise around her left eye. There was some shading around her left eye socket that told me there was some trauma there."

"Could these injuries be inflicted by her just jumping onto Mr. Conrad's back to stop him from running?"

"No. These injuries are from a clear, hard, trauma to the area."

"Like a punch?"

"Like a punch."

"Thank you, Dr. Huang. You're a forensic psychiatrist, but you're also an FBI agent, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And you have been put through all of the weapons training and unarmed training that all FBI agents go through, correct?"

"Yes."

"In your professional medical opinion, and your background training in the FBI, do you think detective Benson responded with excessive force?"

"No. She was attacked fir—."

Trevor Langan stood. "Objection, your honor. Dr. Huang was not at the scene. All of his testimony has been based on hearsay."

Donnelley nodded. "Correct, Mr. Langan, but may I point out that the defense started this line of questioning about what he heard from the other detectives. Objection is overruled."

Casey nodded toward Dr. Huang who continued. "She was attacked first. It was her responsibility to respond with necessary force. We aren't talking about a police shooting here—we're talking about hand-to-hand combat. In my opinion, she responded accordingly."

Alex knew George would do wonderfully on the stand. She always liked having him on the prosecution's side when she was trying a case.

"Thank you, Dr. Huang." There were no questions from anyone else, and Donnelley dismissed him.

"Alright. It's my understanding that the prosecution intends to call detective Benson to the stand first, is that correct?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Ok. We will take a five minute recess for someone to go get her and then we will reconvene." She banged her gavel and headed out the back door of the courtroom. Alex smiled at George as he passed.

"I'll go get her."

"Thank you, George." There was more in the 'thank you' than just Dr. Huang going to get Olivia. Alex hoped he understood that her gratitude was for much more than that. She picked up her phone and texted Olivia.

You ready, love? George is coming to get you.