A/N: Nothing is mine! Thanks to my wonderful beta who has been working so hard. Hope all of you like it! Don't forget to review.
Going Out With a Bang
He looked at her lying on the bed. She had been like this for awhile -and he been there the whole time.
Her eyelids fluttered and he started to hope.
"Liv?" But she still didn't open her eyes. "Come on Olivia; come back to me."
While sitting in the quiet of the hospital room, he remembered what happened. They had been chasing after a suspect, but they hadn't seen the gun he had. He heard two shots ring out in the night air; he saw Olivia go down. A feeling of helplessness washed over him, so strong he hadn't known what to do. He saw the suspect run and had been at her side in a minute. She had a bullet in her shoulder and one in her stomach. I should have gone ahead of her, not the other way around, he thought.
She was lucky to be alive, the doctor had said, but they didn't know how long it would be before she would come out of a coma. Elliot took her left hand in his and prayed to whoever was listening that she make it through this. He couldn't lose her; it just wasn't an option.
"Liv…Liv, you have to wake up." He paused. "Everyone's worried about you. And you know I don't want to train another rookie. No one could be a better partner." Her eyelids fluttered again like she could hear him.
"Now, you have to wake up because I can't do this alone, Olivia. I just…can't," he ended with a sigh.
"Elliot?" His head jerked up to look at her face; she hadn't changed.
"Elliot?" The voice asked again.
He turned towards the door and saw the ADA standing there.
"Hey," he said glumly; for just a moment he had thought it was Olivia.
"How long have you been here, El?"
"Haven't left," he told Casey shortly.
"Go home-"
Elliot cut her off. "I'm going to be the first one she sees when she wakes up."
"You and I both know that won't be tonight. Go home, get some food, change your clothes, and get some sleep. I'll be here until you get back."
Elliot looked like he was about to refuse. "Elliot, go!"
"You'll call if…"
"Yes, now would you go?"
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When Elliot got home the first thing he did was head to the shower. He always thought it was a good place to think, but as the water pelted his head, thoughts of this afternoon's events ran though his mind. Elliot shook his head, but couldn't get the image of Olivia on the ground, wounded, out of his head.
Finishing with his shower he got out and dried himself slowly. Elliot figured Casey was right: he should at least try to get some sleep. Yet sleep didn't come easy for him. His dreams - nightmares - wouldn't leave him alone. It was always the same: he just couldn't save Olivia.
He thought of her smile: the one that would light up her eyes; it showed she was truly happy. Those weren't often anymore, but when they did happen his whole body would heat up. He thought about her when they had found out about Alex. Images, good and bad, flew through his head. Her face calmed him enough to let him get some sleep.
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When he got back to her hospital room, it looked as though nothing had changed. The walls the same horrible white they had been when he left. Olivia's motionless form was still on the bed; the only thing missing was Casey. She had told him she would stay until he got back, so where was she?
He had just taken the chair next to Olivia's bed when Munch walked in.
"Have you been here the whole time?" Munch questioned him.
"Pretty much." He looked back at Olivia. "Went home to change clothes and get some food."
"I hope you got a little shut eye while you were there."
"I did," Elliot answered. He wanted to be alone with her right now.
"I just came by to see how she was doing." Munch supplied uselessly.
"It doesn't seem like much has changed."
Elliot hadn't even heard him, he was to busy talking to Olivia. "I can't lose you, Liv. I'm not that strong," he mumbled. Munch heard but didn't comment. Deciding it would be best to come back later, he slipped out of the room. Elliot never noticed.