At the hospital, Michaela screamed whenever Olivia tried to leave the room.
"Don't leave me, Ma'am!" Michaela sobbed. She was sure that she would die if she couldn't see Olivia at all times. She couldn't explain it, but she just knew that this woman would protect her, and she was afraid if she lost sight of her that she would never see her again.
"I need to go talk to my squad, honey. The doctor is right here with you, and I will be right outside the door. You are perfectly safe. Just rest and be a good girl while the doctor examines you." Olivia tried to calm the hysterical woman.
"Please, Ma'am!" Michaela pleaded one more time.
"Okay, okay. Hang on." Olivia whipped out her cell phone and dialed a number.
"Hey, baby girl. I need you to come down to Mercy Hospital, please…. No, I am fine, sweetheart. I am not hurt at all. I just need your help with a situation going on down here…. Thank you, princess. Drive safely…. I love you."
Alex ran out to her car and drove to Mercy Hospital, burning with curiosity. Olivia had assured her that she wasn't hurt, but Alex knew that something was up.
"Okay, so I called my submissive, Alex. She is going to come keep you company while I work. Will that help you feel more comfortable?"
You could have knocked Michaela over with a feather. Never, ever in her life was she ever spoken to so kindly by a Dominant, male or female, the way that Olivia had just spoken to her submissive on the phone. Master never said 'please' or 'thank you', and he never told Michaela he loved her or called her by such sweet nicknames. Michaela had never met a Dominant who actually loved their submissive.
Alex arrived twenty minutes later. She could have made the drive in fifteen minutes, but had hit traffic. Michaela watched in amazement and shock as Alex willingly walked into Olivia's arms and received a kiss to her forehead, nose, and lips. Olivia didn't force Alex to her knees to humiliate her in public, and she didn't slap her across the face or yell at her for keeping her waiting. Except for the collar around Alex's neck, Michaela saw none of the other characteristics that she thought were universal among all submissives. Alex had no visible bruises. Her clothes were clean and free of holes. She was thin and trim, but not underweight. She didn't have dark circles under her eyes. She didn't cower in fear. Alex held her head high and carried herself proudly. Alex's eyes sparkled with love for her Mistress, and she seemed happy.
"Alex, this is Michaela," Olivia introduced the two women to each other, "Michaela, this is my submissive, Alex. She's going to hang out with you while I'm working, and you two can get to know each other."
Alex stayed and chatted with Michaela for over an hour before Olivia returned. Michaela was shocked to learn that Alex had belonged to one Mistress for nearly twenty years. Michaela's current Master was her third one just this year because they kept kicking her out. Before Alex left to go home, she pulled Olivia aside.
"What's going to happen to her?" Alex asked.
"That's what we're trying to figure out, angel. Obviously none of these people are going back to their previous situations, so we'll have to find new placement for all of them. Elliot is on the phone right now with Rafael trying to get the ball rolling. Michaela is one of the less injured people that we rescued today. She's bruised and her psyche is messed up, but nothing is broken and other than being malnourished there is no internal damage, which is a damn miracle." Olivia tried to be as honest with Alex as she could. Respect worked both ways.
"I gave her my cell phone number so she can call me if she needs a friend. If you can't find anywhere else for her to go, can she come live with us? She's straight, but she can sleep in the spare room."
"I will think about it, baby, but it has to be her own choice. You know that. And I'm proud of you for being so kind to her. Good girl." Olivia praised kindly.
Alex beamed at being called a good girl.
"I have to work for a while longer, but I'll be home for dinner. Order us a pizza, please. Choose whatever toppings you would like, but no olives. And finish the rest of the laundry."
"Yes, Ma'am." Alex kissed Olivia's cheek and headed off to do as she was told.
Neither of them saw Michaela watching them, burning with jealousy. She so desperately wanted to be loved like that.
"Rafael is headed for a meeting with the head of Submissive Placement Services as we speak." Elliot announced as he walked into the room.
"Thank God. I'll touch base with him later."
"Breaks your heart, doesn't it? I would never dream of treating Kathy like this." Elliot sadly scanned the room of people, thinking of his beloved submissive at home with their five children.
"You see Kathy as a human being. I see Alex as a human being. The people who do this," Olivia gestured toward the occupied hospital beds, "don't see their submissives as human beings. They see them as toys with no emotions, needs, personalities, or desires. To them a submissive is just an object to own to make their lives easier."
"It's disgusting, is what it is." Elliot's blue eyes flashed dangerously.
"Down, tiger. I agree, but don't lose your cool. You'll scare them. I'm going to head back to the precinct and call Rafael, and then I'm going home. You know how to reach me if you need me. Don't need me."
"Roger that. I better call Kathy and let her know I'll be late."
Michaela laid in her hospital bed, exhausted but wide awake. It was the middle of the night, and the doctor told her she was going to be released into Submissive Placement Services' custody sometime tomorrow afternoon.
Submissive Placement Services was exactly what it sounded like. Their entire job revolved around re-homing submissives that had been removed from abusive situations and getting them any counseling or therapy they required. They also assisted Dominants in preparing to take on submissives who had abusive pasts. Submissive Placement Services did not advertise in the mainstream newspapers or TV commercials. Only the Special Victims Unit and people within the D/s community knew that they even existed. The mainstream community was generally accepting of Dominants and submissives, but there were still some who looked down on the lifestyle, so the organization's existence was kept close to the vest just as a matter of safety. It just happened to be coincidence that the captain of the Special Victims Unit, Olivia Benson, was both a police officer and a member of the D/s community, so whenever a call came in about a submissive who needed help, Olivia had a unique perspective that a member of the mainstream community just didn't possess. She was also very good at helping victims who weren't members of the D/s community. A special victim was a special victim, whether they were a submissive, Dominant, or a member of the mainstream community.
Alex was one of the lucky ones who had never needed SPS's assistance. She had found her perfect match right off the bat thanks to a blind date set up by mutual friends, and here they were nearly twenty years later still very much in love and going strong. Their contract was cherished and obeyed by both partners, and there was mutual respect. They still hit bumps in the road, as all relationships do, but luckily they were both very good communicators and were able to discuss issues and work through problems until they were both satisfied with the results.
Michaela hadn't been so lucky. After running away from an abusive stepfather at age seventeen, she resorted to selling her body on the street to survive and met her first Master. Michaela had no previous knowledge about D/s safety and protocol. She didn't know that contracts were an important part of the relationship so there would be no confusion between partners. She didn't know that she was allowed to have a safe word and hard limits. She didn't know that she was allowed to communicate her needs, wants, and desires. She thought that being a submissive meant that deciding to be a submissive was the last decision she got to make. Life with her stepfather had taught Michaela that she was worthless and stupid. Life on the street had taught her that she was an object to be used and disposed of by whomever came along. Michaela's first Master, and every Master after him, just confirmed what Michaela had already been taught.
Michaela's first Master quickly grew bored with her and sold her to an illegal ring of Masters and Mistresses for a large sum of money. Within this ring, Michaela was bounced around from Master to Master, never staying in one house for very long. One Master was almost kind to her, but he was a very ill, elderly man and passed away in the middle of the night fourteen months after Michaela's arrival. Michaela grew used to the array of homes, and made it a point to never get comfortable anywhere, knowing that she would eventually have to leave. She had no money, no insurance, and no possessions to her name. Rape was a daily occurrence and Michaela wasn't allowed to say 'no'. Beatings happened nearly every day and aftercare didn't exist. Michaela didn't understand the difference between a spanking and a beating. In her mind, it was all the same.
Michaela sighed and rolled over, closing her eyes and trying to go to sleep. She was a submissive and had no say in what happened to her, so she would just have to wait and see what the next day would bring.