Eek, ya'll were aggravated about that last chapter! Hope this one makes ya'll feel better!
Disclaimer: Yeah, they're mine. (rolls eyes) And pigs can fly. (pig flies across sky) Uh, Rach, Sweet? I think we've got a problem...
This chapter is for Rach, Kelly, Sweet-4-Stabler, and KaydenceRei (I want my shoe back, now! Please?...) Thanks everyone!
The woman stumbled along blindly, desperate to put as much distance between her attackers and herself. It was snowing, and her condition made it nearly impossible to run as fast as she needed to. Behind her, she heard the jeers of her captors rang in her ears, and she forced herself to run faster, until she tripped and fell to her hands and knees.
She managed to climb back onto her feet, and she forced her legs to cooperate as she began to run again.
Somewhere, she could hear the honking of car horns and squealing of tires, but she was too exhausted to try and figure out where they were coming from. Through the falling snow, she saw a large building in front of her, and something deep inside of her told her to go inside.
With all of the strength that remained in her bruised and battered body, she stumbled up the steps of the building and managed to get inside, the door slamming shut behind her. She barely made it a few feet before she collapsed again, and this time she surrendered to the darkness.
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John Munch walked up the steps and into the precinct building, shaking off the flakes of snow that clung to his jacket as he walked into the warm building. He heaved a little sigh as he had done every day for the past seven months, since Olivia had died. A week after she had disappeared, there had been an explosion, and among the wreckage had been Olivia's necklace, identified by Elliot.
The next day, Elliot had packed his bags and taken off to Texas, where his cousin lived. No one had heard from him since.
Now it was just Fin, Cragen and himself, and they struggled every day to come to terms with everything that had happened in the past year.
It was early, so when Munch walked down the hall, it was nearly deserted. But as he rounded a corner, he noticed someone lying in the middle of the floor, and he broke into a run and skidded to a stop beside them. He quickly realized that he was looking at a woman, and he gently rolled her onto her back, saying, "Ma'am? Can you hear me?"
The woman let out a soft moan, and Munch's heart froze in his chest. He knew that voice, but it couldn't be. Could it? He carefully brushed the woman's dark hair out of her face, and his eyes immediately filled with tears. But through his blurry vision, he knew who was lying in front of him.
"Olivia?" he called softly, and she let out another soft moan. He looked down at her stomach, and his jaw dropped as he realized that she was alive, and very pregnant. He looked around and, remembering that no one else was around, slowly scooped Olivia up in his arms. Ignoring his screaming back and aching joints, he managed to carry her to the elevator. From there, he carried her into the squadroom, then into the room that was filled with cots.
With a grunt, he laid her on one of the cots, then pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed his partner's number with a trembling hand. "Fin? I need you to get down here right now. You're never going to believe this."
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An hour later, Munch, Fin and Cragen were pacing the floor of the waiting room in Mercy General hospital, waiting anxiously for word of Olivia. "I can't believe she's alive," Munch breathed, and the other two men nodded their agreement.
"Has anyone called Elliot?" Fin suddenly asked, but before either of the men could reply, a doctor walked into the waiting room, and the three men surrounded him.
Not intimidated by the three men that surrounded him, Dr. Clark cleared his throat and said, "I assume that you all are here for Olivia Benson?" They nodded. "Well, I can assure you that she and the baby are doing just fine. However, I'm afraid that you won't be able to take her home for at least a few days, preferably a week."
"Why?" the men chorused, and Dr. Clark chuckled.
"Don't worry, gentlemen. We did an exam on her, and we discovered that she could go into labor any day. Given her situation and the circumstances surrounding it, I'd prefer to keep her here until she gives birth," Clark explained, and the men breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Can we see her?" Munch asked, and Clark thought for a moment before answering.
"I don't see any harm in it. Does she have any family that we can notify? Parents, or a husband perhaps?"
Munch and Fin exchanged glances, and Cragen cleared his throat and said, "You guys go ahead and go see Liv. I need to make a phone call." Munch and Fin knew exactly who he was going to call, and they nodded and followed Clark to Olivia's room.
Olivia was sleeping peacefully in her bed, and both of the men's hearts warmed as they saw her large belly. Munch was the first to move, and he walked across the floor and sat in the chair beside her bed, taking his hand in hers. "Hi, Liv," he said softly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "We're so glad that you're back with us. We missed you."
Fin finally moved from the door and sat in the chair across from his partner, hesitating a little before slipping his hand around Olivia's. "My partner's right, for once," Fin joked quietly. "We missed you very much, baby girl."
She didn't move, and Munch and Fin remained by her bed, waiting patiently for her to return to them.
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As she drifted back towards consciousness, Olivia was surprised to realize that she was laying on a soft bed, with a fluffy pillow under her head. She opened her eyes a little, and darkness greeted her, but not the complete and utter darkness that made her feel helpless for the past seven months. No, it was a soft darkness that her eyes easily adjusted to, and she looked around at the soft white walls.
Slowly, she realized that she was in a hospital, and even more surprising was the hands that were gently holding both of hers. She opened her eyes further, and a smile crept over her face as she saw Munch on her right side, and Fin on her left.
She decided not to wake them, and she settled back against the pillows, sighing softly as sleep gently reclaimed her. She was safe.
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Cragen was quiet as he slipped into Olivia's hospital room, smiling as he saw the three sleeping detectives. He had managed to get ahold of Elliot the previous night, and after assuring him repeatedly that she was in fact alive and with them, the detective had said something about a red eye flight, then hung up on him.
Walking over to Munch's chair, he gently shook the older detective's shoulder, saying, "Go home, John. Get some sleep. I'll stay with her." Munch looked like he was about to argue, but one sharp look from his captain, and he rose stiffly to his feet. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to Olivia's forehead, then reluctantly left the room.
Cragen watched him go, then walked over to Fin and repeated the process with the younger detective. He left with more reluctance than his partner, but Cragen watched him go a few minutes later. Then he sat down in Munch's unoccupied chair with a sigh.
He gently took Olivia's hand into his, running his thumb over her knuckles as he said, "Hey, Liv." He wasn't sure of how to continue, so he started by telling her everything that she had missed in the passed, omitting the parts about Elliot.
He was just about to tell her about one of his favorite memories of all of them together when he heard shouting from down the hallway, and his ears perked up. Rising slowly to his feet, he walked over to the door and listened as the shouting continued.
"What do you mean I can't go in there?" the man demanded angrily.
"Sir, the patient you are requesting to see is under police protection and is not allowed to have any visitors!" a nurse tried to explain.
"Damn it, I am the police!" the man shouted angrily. "That's my partner in there, and I have to see her!"
Cragen walked out of the room and saw one very angry and rumpled Elliot at the end of the hall, and he said, "It's okay, Sherrie. I know him. He's one of my detectives, and Olivia's partner. He's okay."
Elliot looked relieved as the nurse allowed him to pass, and he quickly jogged down the hall, skidding to a stop in front of Cragen. "Is it… is she really…" his voice trailed off thickly, and Cragen gave him a fatherly smile.
"Yes, Elliot. Go see for yourself," he said softly, and Elliot swallowed thickly before walking shyly into the room, leaving Cragen in the hallway.
Elliot felt his heart leap into his throat, and he quickly crossed the floor until he was at Olivia's side, his eyes stinging with tears as he looked upon the face of the woman he thought he'd never see again.
"Liv," he managed to choke out before his legs gave out, and he fell to his knees beside her bed. Tears blurred his vision as he lifted his arms onto the bed and rested his head on them, and he fought back the urge to wrap her in his arms and never let her go as he watched her sleep.
"It's okay now, Liv," he whispered, wrapping his hand around hers. "I'm here. I'm here."
Cragen watched Elliot lay his head on Olivia's swollen belly, and tears stung at his eyes as he took in the more than welcome sight.
TBC...
A/N: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I'm a soft touch. Review please, bunnies!