Chapter 11

Elliot's eyes snapped open and he sat up in his chair, as if he was waking from a horrible nightmare. He wasn't exactly sure what woke him up so suddenly, but he wasn't going to dwell on it. It must have been the wee hours of the morning, because the sun wasn't up yet. He looked down at his watch, it was only 2:00 am. He was going to excuse it as one of the nurses coming in to check on Liv, no big deal. He was going to check on her himself anyway.

When he looked down at her, he could tell something was very wrong. It couldn't have been more obvious to him, even in the pitch black. He checked her body for any new injuries, but couldn't find any. He touched her neck to check her pulse which was dangerously weak and rapid, he could hear her breathing, which was also shallow and weak. Her fever had risen dangerously overnight. In a futile effort to cool her down, Elliot pulled back her blankets. It didn't work. Her fever was much too high.

"Liv," he said, tapping her face, trying to wake her up. When she didn't respond to this, he shook her shoulder gently (he was trying his best to wake her up, but not hurt her, give him a break.)

She gave him a shallow groan when he touched her and turned her head away as his response. She blinked open her eyes, but they were unfocused and foggy (from the illness.) She tried to move away from his hand, so she could rest, but she could only whimper from the intense pain.

"Liv, can you hear me? Come on, baby, talk to me, Livia," he asked. It really worried him to see her this way. She had been doing so well, what could have happened? he thought.

"If you're playing a game, this isn't funny. Come on, Liv, talk to me," he warned her. He was trying anything he could think of to get her conscious enough to tell him she was ok, but she didn't, and it was starting to worry Elliot. Panic swelled inside him as he left to find a nurse.

"Oh, hello Detective, can I help you?" asked a short red-headed nurse at the nurses' station.

"It's Detective Benson. I-I think something's wrong with her," he said, as he started to shake, his voice shaky and his face full of obvious fear and worry.

"Ok, calm down, and tell me what happened," she said, steering Elliot to the nearest chair (to save him from keeling over he was shaking so badly.)

"She wouldn't respond when I tried waking her up, and her fever has risen drastically," he said, as he stood up to take the nurse back to Liv's room.

He waited in the door way as the nurse check Liv over. He watched the nurse closely for any sign on how Liv was doing. When he saw her frown, he tensed up as he waited for what the nurse was going to say.

"I'm calling the doctor," she said suddenly.

His eyes widened a little in worry. It couldn't be a good sign when she had to call in the doctor for something she couldn't handle. Something was very wrong here. His mind was racing with ideas as to what could be wrong with her, each worse than the next.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking again. Panic raising in his chest.

"The doctor will be able to figure out what's happening better than I can," she told him. She hardly knew the man, but she could tell he was very worried (duh, why wouldn't he be?)

About ten minutes later, the doctor walked into the small room. He looked up when he saw Elliot standing by Liv's bed (as if he was protecting her from something.)

"I'm sorry Detective, I'm going to have to ask you to step outside," he told Elliot. He wasn't exactly sure if he was going to give up his protective watch over her, but it would be best if he didn't protest. He wasn't up for an argument this early in the morning.

Sighing, he walked slowly from the room and closed the door. He stood there, refusing to go farther than right outside the door as he waited for the doctor to let him back in. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen everything the doctor was seeing. He saw her wounds, even before they had been closed up and the bones that had been set back into place. Not to mention what he had seen while on the job (all night assignments, no one allowed to go home.)

It was very hard for him to just stand out there doing nothing. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew it just would have done more damage if he protested. His racing thoughts were interrupted when a loud blood-curdling scream filled the hospital air. In one motion, he threw open the door and burst into the room, his gun raised to shoot whatever the hell was causing Liv so much pain.

Liv's teeth were gritted and her eyes were squeezed shut against the agonizing pain. The little color that had been in her face was gone again, leaving her pale and ghostly. Her chest was heaving, as though she had ran a three mile marathon. His eyes shot to the doctor, who, in turn was looking at him in small surprise. He looked him over carefully. He hadn't done anything but remove the bandages from Liv's mangled arm.

"Sorry," he said, a razor's tone to his voice, still on edge from overreacting. He didn't like hearing Liv scream in pain. "What's wrong with her?" he asked.

"It's the infection. It's spreading too rapidly for my liking. I'm taking her to surgery right now," he said, standing.

"To sur-" his face fell in horror. It couldn't be what he thought it was. She had been doing so much better the previous morning.

"We're going to try to combat the spreading infection. If it's not done now, the infection will kill her. I'll let you know as soon as the surgery is finished," said the doctor as two nurses wheeled Liv out of her room.

He watched them wheel her out, and went to wait in the waiting room. Everyone had left after they talked to her, thinking she was home free. He was debating with himself as to whether or not he should call them. It was late after all, and he would be waking them up, but wouldn't they want to know what was going on? But, then again, would Liv want them to know? She hadn't told them what the doctors were planning when she talked to the others.

He sighed and walked over to the payphone in the corner. He put a few coins from his pocket into the slot. He was really hoping no one would answer.

"Hello?" answered a tired voice. He was obviously a bit annoyed at being called at 2:30 in the morning.

"Chris?" He already knew that he was the one who answered the phone. Chris was the only one he knew who would be able to understand just what he was going through.

"Yeah, who's lookin' for him?" he asked groggily. He was awake in an instant, because he knew it couldn't possibly be a wrong number.

"Chris, it's Elliot. I know it's late, but I needed to call you," he said, hoping he hadn't woken up Alyssa.

"Elliot, what's the matter? What's wrong?" he asked. No one called this early for a good reason.

"It's Liv," he said, trying his best to keep his voice level.

"Oh my god. Are you ok? What happened? How's Liv? Is she ok?" he asked, wondering what the hell happened. Was she dead? He liked Liv, she and Elliot always made him laugh when they were in the same room.

She was his wife's best friend, and someone he grew to believe in. He couldn't help but think of her as a friend. He also knew what Liv meant to Elliot, he knew that they loved each other more than life itself. Even if Alex hadn't mentioned it millions of times, it was clearly obvious to see whenever you saw them together or when you saw them look at each other, or if you heard them talk about each other.

"I'm fine for the most part. As for Liv...Chris, she's not doing so well," he said, leaning against the wall for support. "Liv had been taken prisoner about four weeks ago."

"Elliot, I'm so sorry," he said.

"We're still at the hospital. We found her alive, but almost gone."

"I can come down if you want. I can be there in ten minutes," Chris offered. He was worried for Elliot, and about Liv.

"I-I just...I failed her, Chris. I didn't protect her like I promised. I failed her, because I couldn't keep one simple fucking promise..." he trailed off, not wanting to continue. "I don't know what they did to her. I failed her. I don't know how I can live with myself right now. I could have stopped her. She insisted she go alone, and I never said anything about it. I didn't try to stop her. It's the only promise I've ever broken, and it's caused so much damage. I failed her," he choked out. He couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Elliot...Elliot, listen to me. You didn't fail Olivia. I'm sure she will be fine," he said reassuringly. He knew Elliot took it hard when something happened to Liv, when things didn't go perfectly. He always blamed himself for things that couldn't be helped, simple mishaps. Chris never heard Elliot cry, and it broke his heart to hear him now. He wanted to find someway to comfort him.

"She's in surgery now. They re trying to fight the infection spreading through her body. They're trying everything, but nothing seems to be working. It's made her really sick, and I didn't notice 'till it was almost too late. God, I'm suck a fucking idiot."

Chris stayed quiet for a second, realizing how hurt Liv must really be. Even if this was her only injury and nothing else was wrong, things didn't look good for the Detective.

"I'll be there in ten minutes ok? Let me tell Alex what's going on," he said.

"No, it's ok. I didn't mean to bother you, I just needed someone to talk to was all," said Elliot.

"You might think you don t need support, but I'm coming anyway. Which floor are you on?"

"7th, but this isn't necessary," he started, but Chris had already hung up the phone.

Sighing heavily, Elliot hung up the phone and sat down on the floor under the payphone. He drew his knees to his chest and rested his head on them. There he sat, waiting for the news that Liv was going to be ok. He sat waiting for Chris to get there to comfort him. There he waited for the dawn to come, to wipe away the darkness that both literally and figuratively surrounded him. Elliot Stabler always hated waiting, now more than ever.