A/N: Forgive me if I drop off the face of the planet again. I've got a couple online classes I'm working through and I signed up for a class this weekend. This whole 'finishing up college" thing is stressing me out! I'll update "Games" sometime in the near future. FYI. Maybe finish that one off. Not sure, yet.
Elliot and Casey stood the moment the doctor walked toward them. They'd been waiting over an hour and were getting restless.
"Sorry about the wait, folks. I'm Doctor Moriarty. Nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out and motioned for the two anxious people to follow him.
"How's she doing?" Elliot glanced behind him to make sure Casey was following. She quickened her pace so she could hear.
"She's resting. She was in quite a bit of pain, but we administered some pain killers before we sent her to radiology. We sent her for a couple reasons. Over the examination, her breath sounds were decreasing to the point where we needed to put her on oxygen. She does have a couple broken ribs but they were lower down. I don't know if you've heard of floating ribs. They're far enough down to where there isn't a risk of internal injury. Due to the amount of pain she was in, she was having a hard time catching her breath. Unfortunately there is very little we can do to treat fractured ribs. She also had a dislocated shoulder. We were able to set it and the X-Ray's show no permanent damage to the surrounding tissue. There is a lot of swelling, but that is normal for this type of injury. Now, the lesser injury, if you will. She did sustain a cut on her neck that we stitched up on the inside as well as the outside. Although the location may scare you, I can assure you everything's fine. Overall, she's going to be one very sore woman, but she's in good hands. She's a little banged up, but it's nothing that can't be handled with a little R 'n R. If you'll follow me, she should be all settled into her room for the night." He held the door open and followed them into the room.
The nurse pressed lightly on the strap of the shoulder immobilizer and stepped back to admire her work. It was a hard task, but she'd managed. She picked up the ice pack and gently pushed it beneath the space she'd left under the bandage.
"Looks good. Thank you, Mary." Dr. Moriarty smiled as the nurse left.
"Hey. Didn't know you were here, Elliot." Olivia glanced up from the bed. Having the doctor in the room made for an awkward moment.
"Casey called me. We were just getting the rundown on everything." Elliot rocked back on his heels, unsure of what else to say. He glanced from the doctor to his friends, uncomfortably.
"I'll just leave you three to catch up. If you need anything, Olivia, just push the call button on the bedrail." He excused himself and walked out of the room.
"You guys don't have to stay here." Olivia noted Casey's half-drooping eyelids and frowned. Behind the tired expression was a sign she'd seen before; guilt.
"I can stay. Had the night free, you know." Casey grinned and took a seat by the window. She glanced over her shoulder at the city below.
"So, I'm on a desk for a few weeks. There's no moving this thing if I wanted to." Olivia chuckled at the bandage that covered her shoulder and the immobilizer that kept it in place.
"No kidding. At least it isn't your right side. Cragen will still let you do paperwork." Elliot cleared his throat, nervously as he saw Casey turn to him. Clearly, she was still beating herself up.
"How long are you stuck here?" Casey spoke up for the first time since she'd arrived.
"Not long. Just until tomorrow afternoon, I think. At least I have the weekend to get some sort of system figured out. I don't even want to think about how I'm going to shower." Olivia winced when she shifted positions on the bed. The movement jarred her tender ribs.
"Do you want me to lay the bed back for you?" Elliot stood up and rested his hand on the rail.
"Maybe a little. The brace is rubbing against my ribs and it's killing me. I can't get comfortable." Olivia closed her eyes as the bed lowered slowly. The motion made her stomach churn.
"Better?" Seeing her nod, he stepped back. There wasn't much else he could do. Even once she got out, he knew it would be awkward to try and help her with her daily routine. In a way, it was a good thing that she needed another woman to help her. It would give Casey a chance to feel needed.
"Think that's fine. Thanks, El." She opened her eyes and tapped her right hand on the bed. She was already growing restless. Her left arm was strapped to her side, leaving her only one free hand. Fortunately, the controls for the television and bed were on the right side of the bed.
"I'll grab you some magazines from the store downstairs. Do you want something to drink?" Casey stared pouring and held her hand out for Olivia to take the cup.
"Thanks. My mouth is kind of fuzzy. Like cotton." She smacked her lips and took a drink before setting the cup back on the tray.
"Well, if you're good here, I think I'm going to head. I'm going to have my work cut out for me tomorrow, partner." Elliot sensed that the two women needed to talk, and opted for a quick exit.
"Yeah, well I'm sick of doing your grunt work. Get some sleep, El, you look like hell." She laughed as he rolled his eyes and promised to check up the following day.
"Whatever you need, just let me know." Casey slipped off her shoes and pulled her feet up onto the chair. She hugged her knees and stared across the small space between the bed and her chair.
"You don't have to stay, Casey. I'll be fine here by my…" She was stopped when Casey held a hand up.
"I'm staying. Don't argue with me because you know I'll win. That goes for the nurses, too. I'd like to see them try and kick me out after visiting hours." Casey flexed her toes and shivered as a chill went through her.
"Thanks. You aren't just doing that because you feel guilty, are you? It wasn't your fault, Case. No one's but the guy who did this." She made a sweeping motion with her arm.
"Maybe. I still can't believe you did that. You shouldn't have done it, Olivia." Every time she let her mind wander, she saw his face and the sickening look in his eyes as he reveled in bringing pain to her friend.
"It was instinct. You screamed for help. You got him to leave. There was no way I could have gotten him off me. He was too strong." Olivia rubbed her eyes with her right hand and yawned.
"I couldn't just stand there and let him do that to you." Casey didn't explain what they both had been worrying about when they were pulled into that alley.
"And I couldn't let him do it to you, either. It wasn't your fault, but if you need me to forgive you, then I will. We're even. Okay?" Olivia held her hand out, palm facing up. She curled her fingers.
All Casey could do was nod. She shifted her feet to scoot the chair closer to the bed and reached her hand out to take a hold of Olivia's. She felt a sense of relief wash over her. Olivia was okay.
"Want me to get you a pillow and a blanket?" Olivia jerked her head toward the call button on the bed.
"Nah. I can get it. I might get up and stretch my legs for a bit before I settle in for the night. Do you want anything while I'm up?" Casey squeezed the hand that rested in hers and let it go before standing up. She raised her arms over her head and clasped her fingers as she stretched.
"Maybe later. My stomach's a little funny right now. Might sleep it off." She felt her eyes getting heavy and blinked, shaking her head.
"Go to sleep, Liv. I'm a big girl. I'll be fine by myself." Casey slipped her shoes back on and smoothed her rumpled clothing.
"'Kay." Olivia drifted off to sleep, leaving Casey alone with her thoughts. She barely heard the door slip shut.
Hours later, Olivia woke to a shooting pain. Her eyes shot open and she grabbed the bed rail for support. She let out a series of short breaths, willing the pain to recede. She fumbled for the call button but got the television instead. Cursing, she struggled for the controls.
"Here. I got it. Just relax." Casey pressed the button to the television, abruptly turning off the infomercial. She pushed the call button and stood back so the nurse could get through.
"Damn. Woke me up. I was sleeping good, too." Olivia clamped her eyes shut as the pain in her side increased.
"Morning. Well, early morning, I should say. I came in to check on you a few hours ago but you were out like a light. Looks like you could use another dose." The nurse uncapped the syringe and stuck the needle into the IV port. Slowly, she pressed the plunger and stepped to the window so she could see to write. The sun was just rising, creating a soft glow in the room. She quickly set her things down on the tray when she heard Olivia began to retch.
Olivia struggled to lean over the side of the bed. She saw a hand come into her line of view the moment she started to get sick. She whimpered as her ribs and shoulder protested the forward movement of her body. She felt the bed being raised and started to retch again as her stomach did a somersault.
"I know it hurts, Olivia. Breathe slowly through your nose. Nice and slow." Mary patted Olivia on the beck and supported her as she tried to get her breathing under control. She reached behind the bed and unhooked the nasal canula. She slipped it over Olivia's head and twisted the knob to start the flow of oxygen. Gently, she tucked the tube around over Olivia's ears to hold it in place.
"Can she have anything for the nausea?" Casey studied her friend with concern. If there was anything she could do to help, she'd find whatever that was.
"I'll call the doctor and I'll be right back. Keep breathing, Olivia." Seeing Olivia was done, she took the emesis bowl to the bathroom and deposited the contents into the toilet. She set the bowl in the sink and flushed the toilet before walking back into the room. She deposited her gloves in the trashcan and smiled at Casey, who looked visibly shaken.
"Close your eyes and let the medicine work. You'll be feeling better in no time." Casey stood by the bed wishing she could just give Olivia the medicine herself.
"I…I yelled at you. Back in the alley. I'm sorry." Olivia opened her eyes and saw Casey's confusion.
"You did? When?" Casey examined a hang nail on her finger and picked at it with her thumb.
"You tried to…to help me but I told you to stop. I…I just was in so much pain. I didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry, Casey." Olivia watched Casey's confusion grow.
"Oh, I understand. I didn't think anything of it. Don't worry about it." Casey couldn't believe that through the blinding pain Olivia had been in, she was concerned with Casey being upset that she'd been yelled at.
"Just wanted to say that. Thanks for uh…you know. That's so embarrassing." Olivia took several deep breaths, willing the contents that were left in her stomach to stay put.
"Yeah, well, I've got a lot of practice. A friend of mine just had a baby. I'm a pro at the whole catching spit-up thing." Casey chuckled, seeing Olivia smile weakly.
"That's hardly comparable, but… thank you." Olivia wiped her eyes and shook her head. She was grateful Casey had stayed. Their friendship had grown over the past few months. While they'd never been extremely close, lately they'd been spending more time together. It was just what they needed after dealing with the stresses of their respective jobs.
"I'm going to go see what's taking her." Casey grew more impatient as the seconds ticked by. After glancing at her watch for the fifth time and deciding sufficient time had passed, she walked out of the room in a huff. God help whoever got in her way.