Chapter 2
The hours had passed by quickly. From morning, to afternoon, to late afternoon and quicker then Olivia had expected. The precinct was practically empty. It was amazing how empty the holidays were.
Munch was out with a girlfriend, Fin was with his son, Cragen was with his widow's family, and even Casey went home to her parents. What did Olivia have? Her desk? Well it had always been a sturdy desk, always there for her… She became distracted.
She picked through some old case files she never had time to re-read; ones that always bothered her or didn't seem right. She pulled out a case about a woman who was raped and the husband disappeared with her son right after she reported it. It was on odd case, she remembered the day she met with the woman…
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Elliot stood outside his home talking with a few family members that had pulled in- Kathy's brother and his wife and two sons. Elliot had brought out some sports equipment for the kids to play with and soon a small game of soccer began.
Elliot and Kathy continued to greet and meet with old family members, and soon they had a full house; twelve kids and fourteen adults. It was about four in the afternoon when the stomachs began growling and the food was almost ready.
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At four fifteen on the dot Olivia sprang out of her seat. Her mouth dropped open and she was filled with excitement, "yes!"
She grabbed all the papers that were spread out on her desk from the rape/murder case, grabbed her coat, and jolted out of the precinct. She hadn't expected the traffic to be so bad, but she had to go over the case with Elliot before it was too late, the rape wouldn't be applicable by the next morning.
She sat in her car at a total standstill, there was an accident up ahead- she knew once she got past it, it'd only be minutes till she got to Elliot's. Meanwhile, though, she turned on the radio, and flipped through a few stations until she found the oldies.
Olivia smiled at the soft deep voice of Julie London slowly singing Cry Me a River. She let out a deep breath, she felt as though all the adrenalin from her discovery was seeping away. She was just a heap of loneliness on Thanksgiving, in her car, stuck in traffic.
She closed her eyes as if she could disappear from everything. You drove me…nearly drove me out of my head. She smiled to herself thinking about the times her and Elliot shared, they were so infrequent. It was only once in awhile when they could sit and talk and laugh. But those rare occasions, they were what kept them together. If it weren't for those times, they'd long be separate. Cry me a river…I cried a river over you.
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Most everyone in the household was sitting with napkins in laps and excitement in the air. The food was just about to be served, but grace came before that- they were very strong Catholics. Kathy's father was nominated and everyone's heads bowed.
The father gave thanks, then, like old tradition, they went around the table saying what they were thankful for. Elliot was last, the person who cut the turkey was always last. The whole table had spoken, and now Maureen who sat next to Elliot, was giving her thanks to the whole family for their support as she got into college. Now it was his turn. Elliot thought for a moment, he looked around the table- the smiles and couples holding hands.
He realized he wanted nothing more then to say out loud that he was thankful for his partner, for his friend. But he couldn't do that to Kathy. He bit his lower lip, and just as he was about to thank his family, a loud motorcycle came roaring into their driveway. Elliot rolled his eyes. He knew who it was.
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Olivia's eyes bolted open when the car behind her honked loudly. She realized the traffic was now moving and she continued down the street. She quickly turned off the radio, she couldn't take another heartbreaking tune.
TBC