Later that same day Casey tapped her heel impatiently on the elevator floor willing it to go faster. She had not had the best morning. When she arrived at her office looking for information on the case against Zoe Rhoades everybody had stonewalled her than she was visited by her boss Arthur Branch wanting an update on the kidnapping case. It was at that point that she realized with Olivia being found and then waiting at the hospital she had not crossed all her t's and dotted all her I's. So, she now found herself hurrying to the sixteenth precinct in search of information.
When the bell finely dinged and the floor stopped moving she did not even wait for the doors to open fully before rushing out. In the squad room she found Munch and Cragen sitting around the layout board finishing their reports. Munch was the first to notice the sound of rapidly approaching heels and looked up.
"Casey? What's wrong? Everything ok with Liv?" he asked analyzing the slightly anxious look on her face.
"She's fine. I left her with Fin this morning. Where are we with the case?" she asked. Cragen looked around the room confused.
"The case is closed Casey. Both Addison and Packard took deals giving up their employer then gave a detailed confession. Julia Gains was arrested and pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, accomplice to a kidnapping plot, laying to police, and hindering a police investigation. What more is there?" Cragen asked.
"I just received a copy of the DNA results for the Dawson kids. Have you read it? And have we seen the results of the facial recognition yet?" Munch started digging through the paperwork laid out before them. Finley he extracted two sheets of paper.
"Yeah here are both. The DNA results state that all four kids were fathered by the same man, but only Mia belongs to Julia." Munch read aloud.
"We knew that all along." Cragen said.
"The facial recognition results say there is a…wo…" Munch started. "Captain look at this." Munch handed over the piece of paper so Cragen could read it. After a moment he looked up in shock.
"The picture from Oregon is a ninety five percent match to the photo of Hanley Gains." He said. Everyone remained quite for several minutes absorbing this information.
"So what bearing does this have on Julia Gains hiring two dumbass low lives to kidnap Liv?" Munch asked.
"I want to know why. What was her motive? I have a gut feeling there is something more, something bigger. Like she is protecting someone or something." Casey answered. "I want to make sure we leave no stone left unturned."
"Munch you and Fin told me the night Liv disappeared she left to go talk to somebody and you said Penn was trying to stop her before she walked into trouble. Did we ever determine what that was about?" Cragen asked.
"No. Neither Liv or Penn showed up to work on account of being locked in a shipping container." Munch replied sarcastically. Cragen glared at him in a very I do not need you crap way. "Sorry cap. Since we found them neither has been in a state to answer questions."
"Go talk to Olivia and see what she can tell you. Take her statement while you're at it." Cragen instructed. "Lets see if Zoe knows anything. Penn may not be able to talk but she may have talked to Zoe." Munch gathered his files and loose papers.
"I'll meet Fin at the hospital." He said hustling past Casey on the way to the elevators.
Casey and Cragen continued to ponder the details of the case looking for anything they may have missed or overlooked. It was not until a very familiar looking woman appeared in the door of the squad room. Cragen was midsentence when he suddenly stopped and his mouth hit the floor. This caught Casey off guard.
"Don? Don? Captain Cragen!" she called snapping her fingers in front of his face. A women's voice called out to the room causing Casey to turn around in search of the source.
"I am looking for Captain Cragen." Cragen and Casey were stunned. Standing in front of them was Zoe Rhoades. Cragen was the first to recover.
"Dr. Rhoades? What are you doing here?" Cragen asked. At the mention of the name the woman turned in his direction.
"I am here regarding Dr. Rhoades. Are you Captain Cragen?" the woman asked approaching him. Cragen's confusion doubled ten fold at this statement.
"Yes I am Captain Donald Cragen and I'm sorry but what do you mean you're here regarding Dr. Rhoades? Who are you than?" Cragen asked.
"Eve Rhoades, her sister." The woman answered.
"I apologize but not Penn or Zoe mentioned another sister, let alone a twin." Cragen apologized awkwardly.
"Yes, well…there are reasons for that, but right now is not the time. I am Zoe's legal counsel." Eve said.
"Well counselor Zoe is being held at the tombs. She is being charged with-"
"Assault and battery on a police officer, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and aggravated assault. Yes captain I am aware of the charges, but for the record she has been released from the tombs and is back at the hospital with Pendleton. However, her charges are not your concern. I am simply here to provide you with some information related to the kidnapping case." Eve cut Cragen off before he could get started.
"What kind of deal do you want?" Casey asked stepping forward. Eve glared at her curious as to who she was. "I'm Casey Novak with the DA's office assigned to the special victims unit." Casey said reading Eve's face.
"Ms. Novak I am not here for a deal and for the record I wont need to make any deals seeing as the charges will be dropped before we ever make it to arraignment." Casey took this statement as very cocky considering the charges. "But I have no time for the meaningless talk. Captain would you like to hear this information I have or not?" Eve was growing impatient and so was Cragen.
"I don't appreciate your attitude in my squad room counselor and I will not tolerate it. Is that clear?" Eve looked like she was about to rebut but decided against it. Her shoulders slumped forward as she dropped her tough and proper stance showing her exhaustion.
"My apologies captain. I am exhausted from jetlag, have already had to get one of my sisters out of jail and I have another in hospital wanting answers I do not have. I am simply here to pass along information Zoe seems to think is important to a case of yours." Eve explained. Cragen could not help but feel sorry for the situation Eve found herself in. He softened his expression and replied in a softer yet authoritative tone.
"Go on then."
"Thank you. When I went to central booking to get Zoe she was adamant that I pass on this information to you as soon as possible. She seems to think it has a great bearing on your kidnapping case." Eve started.
"If it is so important then why isn't she here?" Casey asked in a harsh tone. Normally Eve would have straightened up and returned to her courtroom facade at needless questions like this but she was too tired to start a fight.
"She wanted to but I advised against it seeing as Captain Cragen is the arresting officer on record and although the charges will be dropped they have yet to be so speaking to him would not be appropriate." She answered. Casey agreed with that rational, thinking she would have done the same.
"Pressing on. Pendleton had asked Zoe to do some research on a Dawson Gains, particularly a birth certificate and a family tree. The night of the kidnapping Pendleton called to check on her progress of that research. Zoe managed to call in a favor and locate the original copies for not only Dawson Gains but for his identical twin, Lawson Gains." Casey and Cragen were once again in shock.
"Twin boys? But…are you saying…what are you saying?" Casey stammered.
"I am not sure of the relevance but Zoe was most insistent that you also know she found a death certificate for Dawson Gains from Ontario Canada. Here are the copies of the documents. She said they have been authenticated but if you should need the official copies the location and contact information is in the folder." She handed Cragen a clasped envelope. "Now if you will excuse me I need to get back to the hospital." Eve said.
"Yeah. Ok. Thank you." Cragen stammered taking the envelope.
"You said you had a sister in the hospital asking questions you don't have answers two. Are you talking about Penn?" Casey asked before Eve could walk away.
"Yes. She has been asking questions about the case and someone named Benson. If I am correct she is the other detective that was kidnapped?" Eve answered.
"So Penn is awake. Since when?" Cragen asked.
"This morning according to the nurses. I have only had a brief conversation with her doctors but they said she is out of the woods." Eve answered. "Which reminds me Zoe asked me to let this Benson know that Penn was awake. Zoe said she promised to keep her updated."
"Olivia Benson is Penn's partner. She is a senior detective with us here at SVU. Did Penn not tell you this?" Cragen could not help but be curious as to why Eve seemed to know so little about the her sisters situations.
"Captain it would take days to explain my families dynamic but to give you a sample, I was not even aware that my sister was a cop let alone had risen to the rank of detective. Suddenly out of the blue my twin called me to tell me that she had been arrested and Penn was in hospital after being hit by a car than kidnapped for days. Since then I have asked only for necessary information and nothing more." Cragen could tell the matter was not open for discussion and asked no more questions yet he remained curious. He prided himself in knowing the personal history of each detective in his squad, weather they knew or not, so he made a mental note to enquire further into this dynamic.
"I'm sorry for pressing. Detective Benson is still in the hospital. If you would like my detectives are with Olivia now and I can have the information passed though them." He offered. Eve thought for a moment thinking over this offer. Finally she replied.
"That would be very helpful, thank you. I will be with Penn for awhile if you have questions." She smiled a tired smile before turning and leaving the squad room.
"THAT was unexpected." Casey stated. Cragen opened the envelope he was holding and removed the documents. "Branch is going to go through the roof and the commissioner? I don't see how they are going to keep this quite."
"Easy now Casey. First thing we need to do is confirm all this so we have rock solid evidence to present to them. What we need is a DNA sample from Dawson to determine who he really is." Cragen said.
"Ok. Ross Stevenson is the prosecuting attorney on the case. I'll call him for a warrant." Casey said.
"I'll call Fin and Munch and get them up to speed. Once you have the warrant we will go serve it." Casey nodded her understanding before heading towards the elevator. Cragen gathered his papers than pulled out his cell phone dialing Munch's number.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
At the hospital, Fin and Munch sat on the couch next to Olivia's bed. She was lying on her side facing them with her eyes closed finishing her retelling of the kidnapping and imprisonment.
"And then I was blinded by light just before blacking out. I woke up in the ambulance, but my memory is hazy, than I saw you guys in the ER. That's the last thing I remember till I woke up here this morning." Olivia finished opening her eyes again. She felt exhausted as the last of the memories finished playing through her mind.
"Ok Liv." Munch said finishing his notes. "You did great. Now rest so you can heal and get back to us. The squad room is very cold without your bright smile to warm it up."
"Rest. That is what everyone keeps telling me to do. I will never forget the day when someone tells me to stop resting and get my butt up." She said.
"Enjoy the sleep. You know when you come back there will be very little time for it." Fin said laughing.
"True." She agreed. "But I still can't wait to rest in my own bed in my own home." She was so momentarily lost in thoughts of her apartment and her very comfortable bed that she did not register a beeping sound followed by Munch's voice.
"Munch…Yes sir I got her full statement…She did great but it took a lot out of her, she's just about asleep now." Fin sat next to Munch half listening to his responses while watching Olivia battle her eyelids. It hurt him to see her in such a weakened state. She was always so strong and seemingly unbreakable, at least physically. Emotionally there had been some tough times, like when she had to shoot her stalker before he killed an innocent woman, or when her former partner had to shoot a girl in their squad room after she opened fire on her mothers rapist and murder, but she had fought through it. She had to fight though this, he needed her, she was always more like a sister than a co-worker and he needed that in his life.
"WHAT?!" Fin and Olivia were both jolted from their respected thoughts by the sharp rising in Munch's tone. "Wow! I didn't see that coming…sure just let me know when you need us…yeah I'll tell her…don't worry cap I'll make sure she doesn't…ok…bye." He clicked his phone closed with a snap.
"What did the captain say?" Fin asked.
"There has been a development in the case and we may have just uncovered the greatest cover up in the history of any government."
"Stop babbling and tell us what he said." Fin was tired not having slept in a proper bed in over thirty six hours and did not have the patients for Munch's flare for the dramatic or love for government conspiracies theory's.
"Remember what Penn said before she ran out of the squad?" he asked.
"Yeah what about it?"
"Penn had her sister put together a family tree for the Gains which led her to birth certificates for Dawson and his brother. His-"
"Twin brother!" Olivia interjected. Both Fin and Munch looked to her in surprise.
"I thought you were almost asleep." Munch said lowering his volume but Olivia ignored him. Her brain was working at a normal speed for the first time in days bringing up memories of a conversation she and Penn had in the container.
"Dawson Gains has a twin brother named Lawson; but he died three years ago in Ontario." Olivia was talking fast and had shot up to a seated position causing both Munch and Fin to gasp and jump to their feet. "He died of cancer."
"Liv lay back down. You shouldn't jar around like that." Fin put one hand bracingly on her upper back and the other on her uninjured shoulder trying to gently coax her back down.
"Lawson took his place and went on living like nothing happened!" Olivia continued to speak slowing down as she went.
"Yeah that's what Cragen thinks happened. He's got the DA's office working on a warrant for Gains DNA." Munch said still concerned.
"Come on Liv, we got this. Lay back down for me." Fin pleaded. Olivia looked into his eyes seeing the concern. Her brain started to slow to its concussed pace.
"Who told you all this?" Munch asked.
"Penn did. We were trying to jog my memory about how we got into the container and I asked her what she remembered. She told me what her sister had found and that she was afraid Dawson or Julia might do something drastic to keep me from getting to the truth." Olivia explained. The pain from sitting up started to hit her and increased rapidly causing her to feel dizzy and nauseas. "Ugh. I regret sitting up now." She admitted.
"Ok come on lay back down." Fin said again more forcefully. She allowed herself to be guided back down to the bed. "Lets call the nurse for some more pain medication." He reached across her to push the call button.
They waited mere minutes for Mel to arrive with a syringe and vial. Without speaking, she stuck the needle into the IV line and delivered the medication.
"That should do it. Hannah will be back in later and I will see you tomorrow morning." Mel said finishing her chart notes. She gave a large smile to the guys before leaving the room again.
"Better?" Fin asked watching Olivia relax further into her pillows.
"Yeah. Better." She answered. "Thanks guys."
"Oh yeah I almost forgot." Munch said suddenly. "Cragen wanted me to tell you that Penn is awake and asking a million questions, most of them about you." Olivia only managed to open one eye but did manage a small smile.
"Good. I want to see her." She whispered.
"If the doctor okay's it we'll arrange something tomorrow." Munch said.
"Don't care what doctor says." She whispered not able to open either eye. Munch and Fin exchanged an eye roll between them. Neither could deny how happy they were to see the same old stubborn Olivia. Munch waited until she was completely relaxed and deep asleep before telling Fin the last bit of information Cragen had given him.
"Cragen says once the warrant is ready he'll call us to help him serve it."
"I'll stay here till than." Fin said reclaiming his seat on the couch.
"I'm going for some coffee and to check on Penn. She if she can give a statement; Cragen will want it a.s.a.p. You need anything?"
"Na man I'm good." Fin answered settling into the couch. Munch left the room with a wave heading towards the ICU.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Munch arrived at Penn's room to find Zoe and Eve standing just outside the door arguing. They stood facing each other. Zoe had her arms crossed over her chest looking like she was going to explode while Eve had her hands on her hips looking just as angry. As Munch approached, he caught a snippet of the conversation.
"Eve I appreciate you coming, but you honestly have no idea." Zoe said
"Zoe I don't understand and honestly I don't want to, but he has the right to be here weather you want him here or not." Eve responded clearly agitated. It was obvious to Munch that Zoe was losing control of her composure. When Zoe did not speak, Eve continued.
"All you have to do is let him sit with her and keep him posted on her condition. That's all and you stay out of jail, have no criminal record, and you keep your job. Why are you being so difficult?" Munch reached the two causing Zoe to hold back her answer.
"Sorry for intruding."
"No need to apologize. We were done." Zoe said. Munch could tell right away that Eve did not agree with that statement and was about to argue to that fact when several doctors, nurses and transport personal came out of the room guiding a stretcher containing Penn. She was sitting up with her broken arm across her chest and broken leg propped up on pillows talking to one of the nurses. Although she still looked tired and weak, she smiled when she saw Munch.
"Hey Munch." She said. Munch could not help but smile back.
"Good to see you awake and talking. You had us worried." Munch said.
"Sorry about that." Penn apologized still smiling. "Have you seen Benson? Is she ok and all?" Penn could not hide her desperation.
"I just came from her room. She's doing fine; wants to see you." Munch answered.
"There will be ample opportunity for that later." Zoe spoke with the same tone she was using with Eve. The group immediately started pushing the stretcher away down the hall. Zoe turned to face Munch; her arms still clamped firmly across her chest.
"She is going for a CT scan, a chest x-ray, and an MRI. If everything checks out she will be moved to telemetry." Zoe explained.
"That's good right?" Munch asked concerned.
"Yes that is very good. She is improving steadily and as long as there are no complications she should be home in a matter of days." Zoe answered.
"Do you know what room she will be in?" he asked.
"I knew that they would want to talk, so I arranged for them to be in the same room." Zoe answered. "It's best you wait down there."
"Ok. Thank you and if you don't mind me asking, is everything ok between you and Eve?" He was cautious with this question as not to set either of them off.
"Were good. Just a spirited argument." Eve answered before Zoe could.
"Ok then. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." Munch said before turning on his heel and retreating down the hallway towards the exit. Zoe and Eve remained where they stood watching him walk away. Once he was out of sight Zoe turned back to face Eve. She could tell she had lost the fight and did the only thing she could.
"He can see her and I will keep him updated on her condition if it changes, but I want to talk with him first. He gets what he wants and drops all the charges."
"I'll call the district attorney's office, give me an hour." Eve said starting to walk off.
"Eve." Zoe called stopping her. She turned back to face her. "Thank you for coming to help. I know you didn't have to." Eve nodded her head several times but could find no words so she continued off down the hallway.