After making seemingly endless phone calls Olivia looked across her desk to Penn. She had her face in her hands, her skin was pale and she was shaking.
"Are you ok?" Olivia asked. Penn did not answer immediately but after a second brought her face out of her hands. Olivia gasped. She was expecting to see the bright mesmerizing blue of Penn's eyes but was instead met with an empty stone gray.
"Ok now I know you're not ok. What's wrong?"
"I just need to eat something." She answered quietly. She tried to stand but lost her balance and fell to the floor.
"Fin call an ambulance!" Olivia called out. Fin and Munch took notice of what was happening. Fin quickly got on the phone while Munch joined Olivia on the floor next to Penn.
"What happened?" Munch asked.
"I don't know. She had her head down so I asked if she was ok. She said she needed to eat then fell to the floor." Olivia placed two fingers on Penn's neck in search of a pulse.
"She has a pulse but her heart is racing."
"Ambulance is on its way. Should be here in a minute." Fin said hanging up the phone. Everyone waited with nervous expressions and held breath.
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The ambulance arrived and transported Penn to New York–Presbyterian Hospital. Olivia rode in the ambulance while Cragen, Fin and Munch followed in a squad car.
Shortly after the ambulances arrival at the hospital Olivia was shown the waiting room while Penn was taken to the exam rooms. Fin, Munch and Cragen arrived a short time later.
"Any update?" Cragen asked.
"No they took her to an exam room and showed me to here." Olivia answered.
Olivia was in a hard place. On one hand she didn't know Penn that well. Their first encounter proved her loyalty but that wasn't much to go on. On the other hand she was a fellow cop and a member of the squad that alone was enough to warrant the concern she felt.
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Forty-Five minutes passed. Munch and Cragen had gone to find coffee while Fin had found a seat in the corner where he had out his cell phone playing a game. Olivia paced about the room her eyes fixed on the double doors leading to the exam rooms. She was so lost in her thoughts when the doors did finally open she took no notice. A female nurse entered the waiting room and looked around.
"Olivia Benson?" she called out. Olivia was shaken from her trance and Fin looked up from his phone.
"I'm Olivia Benson."
"Will you come with me please?" the nurse said. Olivia looked back at Fin with a questioning look.
"Go. I'll wait here for Cragen and Munch to come back." He said. Olivia nodded then followed the nurse. As they walked through the ER Olivia tried hard not to think the worse while still preparing herself for it.
"How is she?" Olivia asked the nurse.
"Just follow me." The nurse answered. Olivia did not like this response. Was she not saying anything because it was too terrible to say and wanted to leave that to the doctor? Did she not know anything? Many more questions flew through her head. The nurse finally stopped at the last room of the hallway.
"Please just tell me something." Olivia pleaded.
"Inside." The nurse answered then retreated down the hallway. Olivia hesitated for a moment then pushed the door open and entered the room. A sight she had not been expecting met her eyes.
Penn was sitting up in bed fully clothed with no monitors, IV's, not even a hospital id bracelet. She smiled when Olivia appeared. The piercing blue color had returned to her eyes.
"So am I missing something? Because an hour ago you looked dead."
"I can explain." Penn answered. Olivia's worry and fear turned to anger and annoyance.
"Are you even sick or was that some kind of act? One minute you're on the ground next your sitting there like nothing happened. You are not even hooked up to anything. No monitors, no IV's, not even an ID bracelet! I don't get it." She couldn't help but vent some of the emotion she had been feeling over the last couple of hours. She knew Penn would explain but for the moment did not care. Penn waited patiently for Olivia to finished.
"Do you feel a little bit better now?" Penn asked.
"Not really. I was angry and annoyed and confused. Now I am annoyed and confused." Olivia answered.
"Well good. We are knocking down those emotions one by one. Let me take care of the confusion." Penn said still smiling. "First let me say that I am sorry. I should have mentioned that I am…."
"A diabetic?" Olivia jumped slightly when a new voice spoke from behind her. She turned to find a woman wearing purple hospital scrubs leaning against the open room door. She had short dirty blonde hair cut with a pixie cut, sun tanned skin and emerald green eyes. She had a slim but fit build, like a runner or a swimmer.
"Yes. I should have mentioned that. Olivia this is Dr. Zoe Rhoades. Zoe meet detective Olivia Benson NYPD." Penn said.
"Nice to meet you." Olivia said politely extending her hand. Zoe stood up from her leaning position and walked forward to except Olivia's hand. "Is Penn going to be alright?" she asked. Zoe couldn't help but smile at this question.
"She may need to have her head screwed back down tight, other then that she'll be fine." Zoe spoke with a strong English accent but enunciated her words making it easier to understand what she was saying. Olivia looked at her with a confused expression. Did Zoe think all this was funny? Talk about poor bedside manner. Zoe looked past Olivia to Penn.
"Pay better attention please and eat. I don't want any bull about how random your schedule is or how much work you have to do. You get brought back here and I will let the med students use you as a pincushion. Their IV starting skills are appalling." Zoe smiled then turned to leave the room pausing at the door.
"Oh and Olivia, if you see the grey eyes, like the ones you saw today, give her some jellybeans." Zoe said looking back at Olivia. She excited the room and disappeared from sight. Olivia turned back to Penn.
"Wow! Isn't she something? Has to some of the worst bedside manner I have ever seen! And jellybeans?" Olivia asked bewildered.
"Starburst jelly beans to be exact. Every diabetic has a preferred source of emergency sugar. Mine is starburst jellybeans. I always have some on my person, in my bag, my car, my bedroom, in my locker, just everywhere I am there is a stash. Eating a few will spike my blood sugar enough to keep me conscious allowing me to inject my insulin and correct the problem. The grey eyes are a tell tale sign that I have reached the point of needing jellies or an I will pass out, just like today." Penn explained. Comprehension dawned on Olivia's face.
"Grey eyes means jellybeans before you pass out. Good to know." Olivia said. "So how long do they want you to stay for?"
"HA! Stay? I am not even here as far as the hospital is concerned. I can leave right now." Penn answered with a laugh. Confusion filled Olivia's face again but Penn recognized it and explained.
"Dr. Zoe Rhoades is my sister. She is the chief of emergency medicine at this hospital." Things were starting to making since now, the lack of monitors; lack of nurses and the way the doctor had spoken to her. What did not make since was the lack of resemblance between Zoe and Penn, the different builds, the accent and the eyes. Olivia was admittedly curious about this but felt today was not the day to inquire. Her head was hurting and all the emotional swings had tired her out.
"I guess we should get out of here then." Olivia said. "The guys are going to want an explanation for all of this."
"Yeah. I can handle that. Do you need a ride? I know you came in the ambulance with me. Thank you for that by the way."
"I'll get a ride back to the station with the guys." Olivia said with a shoulder shrug and a smile. "We have only been together for a few days and we have both passed out at least once already. I think getting into the same car may be tempting fate."
"Good point." Penn responded. Olivia stepped aside to let Penn pass her then followed her out of the room and off down the hallway. Olivia couldn't help but wonder weather she was going to make it much longer working like this. With Elliot she knew what to expect at every turn, she knew how he reacted to situations, and she knew when something wasn't right with him. Now after years of comfort and confidence with her partner she had to start over and so far it had been a rough start.