'Brian, can we stop there? I think I can remember from there on. You were my next visitor and we sat talking for a bit while I waited for Tracey to come back and do my hair.'

'Sure thing, Babe. Wow, do you know its 2:30am?'

Olivia sniggered. 'Guess we've done a lot of talking.'

'You guess?' He laughed back. 'I'm glad we not working tomorrow.'

'Don't think we'd be any good if we were working TODAY.'

'Oh right. Today.'

'Bri, I know what we said about our arrangements but it's late. Why don't you just crash in my spare room?'

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah.'

'Ok, if you are sure. Thanks.'

After they made up the bed and said good night, Olivia retreated to her room and got ready for bed. As she lay down her mind wouldn't stop running through the events that happened in the hospital and in the days after.

'Knock, knock.'

'Hey there.' Olivia answered slightly stronger than when Brian had heard her the previous night.

'Hey beautiful.'

'Liar.' She said smiling.

'Hey. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So I get to decide whether what I see is beautiful or not.' He said as he drew up a chair beside her bedside. 'How are you feeling?'

'Ah… Still feel… I'm actually not sure how I feel.'

'Ok. Why don't we break it down. How's the pain?'

Almost immediately Olivia looked down in embarrassment as she remembered the previous evening.

'Hey there.' He said as he moved slowly to reach out for her hand which she allowed him to take. 'There's no need for that.'

'I'm sorry about last night.' She said softly.

'Liv, please, I want you to look at me when I say this. You are allowed to show weakness sometimes. The thing with the tables, that's a reaction to trauma… not weakness. All this will take some time and we will get there. You made it through the hardest part. You survived when you were alone with him. Liv, you are not alone anymore. We all going to help you get back to yourself again. OK?'

'I'm scared.'

'Why? He's locked up, Liv. He can't hurt you anymore.'

She shook her head. 'Not of him anymore.'

'Ok. What then?'

Silence.

'Liv, let me help.'

'I know how to be alone. Brian, I'm not sure I know how to let others help. Not when I'm so…'

'Shaken? Sore? Afraid?'

Olivia looked up at him. Surprised that he understood.

'You are already doing it, Babe. By telling me. Just let us in piece by piece.'

'Please be patient with me if I don't get it right all the time.'

'Babe, I'm not going anywhere.'

'What's the time?'

'8:30.'

'Bri, what about work?'

'Well, it seems that when your girlfriend gets taken and held hostage, you get to take some time off work.'

'Must help that she is a NYPD detective.' Olivia smirked

'Well, I'll tell you a secret. They say she's one of the best so I think they want to keep her happy by giving me time off.'

Olivia took a moment before she answered.

'Well, I'm glad they did.'

A few hours later there was a knock on the door and Cragen popped his head around the door.

'May I come in?'

'Don come in.' Olivia said smiling.

'Well, someone looks better than last night.'

'Thank you Cap. Nothing like a shower and clean hair to make a girl feel better.'

'I see so.'

Captain Cragen took a seat next to Olivia's bed.

'Ah Liv. I have to meet my mom forrom lunch. Do you mind if I slip out for an hour?.'

'Of course not Bri. Please thank her for the flowers for me.'

'I will. I'll see you in a bit more than an hour.'

'Ok, Bri.'

Brian squeezed her hand because he knew Olivia might not be ready for a kiss. They still hadn't spoken about what happened during the last few days. Brian wanted Olivia to feel safe and ready before they approached that topic. He also knew it had to be her that started the conversation. He wanted to know what happened, what he did to her, but at the same time he didn't want to know. He knew the story would break his heart and be possibly the hardest conversation they would ever have but he was ready to be there for Olivia in whichever way she needed him to be.

As he stepped out of the hospital, he drew his first deep breathe of fresh air in eighteen hours. He only felt comfortable leaving Olivia because Cragen was with her. Brian could sense that they needed to discuss a few things without him nearby.

AsOnce Brian had closed the door behind him, Don turned back towards Olivia but instead of looking at her he bowed his head. Olivia wasn't expecting this demeanour nor what followed.

'Cap, what's up?'

When Don spoke his voice was full of emotion.

'I was the one who sent you home and told you to take two days off.'

Olivia let her head fall back onto her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. 'I had to go home eventually. He would have waited.' She replied.

'But I should have realized that something was wrong when you didn't disobey me and come in the next day.'

Olivia slowly turned to face her Captain with a small smile on her face. 'You thought I finally listened to you for once.'

'And that should have been my first clue that something was wrong.' Cragen still not willing to allow Olivia to lighten the mood.

Silence descended in the room once again as each struggled with their emotions.

'Liv, I am so sorry we didn't come sooner.'

'I know you guys did the best you could.' It was the truth but neither person was satisfied with the situation.

'Sometimes even our best is not enough.'

'But it's all we got.' Somehow it felt weird. Right now she was taking the role her captain often took after a case.

'I feel it's my fault.' The truth hurt but if Don was ever going to be truthful with Olivia, it had to be now.

'I shouldn't have frozen when I heard a noise in my apartment. I'm a cop for goodness sake.' Olivia was once again staring at the roof.

Cragen's head shot up. 'You aren't to blame, Olivia.'

'Neither are you Don.'

'I guess so but…'

'I know.'

After a few more moments of silence. Don put something on her bedside table. 'Your new phone courtesy of the department. Fin managed to get your sim card and put it in the new phone. So you should have most of your numbers and information.'

'Thanks.'

'Now when you ready, we need to take your official statement.'

'I know. The doc says I can go home tomorrow. Can I come in tomorrow?'

'I can set that up. You'll have to speak to someone at Internal Affairs.'

'Uh-uh.'

Olivia closed her eyes and slipped into oblivion as her Captain watched over her.