A/N So Olivia's back where she belongs, well, almost, now she's in the hospital and has to face everything that was done to her. She finds out more than she expected and can she really cope with the pressure?
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When Olivia woke up she thought something was very wrong. She had expected to wake up to the sound of Craig screaming for a feed but she had definitely sleeping for hours. Olivia pushed herself to sitting and found Elliot asleep in the arm chair with Craig in his arms. She couldn't help but smile and wanted to savour this moment but when there was knock on the door it made Elliot jump also waking up Craig.
"Sorry to disturb you, I'm here to change your dressings Mrs Stabler." The nurse smiled coming into the room.
"I'll go outside to feed Craig." Elliot smiled knowing that his wife could do with the quiet.
"Thanks." Olivia smiled as she watched her husband leaving the room.
"He's a very caring man, is he Mr Stabler?" The nurse asked as she helped Olivia out of her gown.
"He is indeed and yes he's my husband." Olivia smiled; she still couldn't believe that Elliot Stabler was her husband.
"This may hurt a little Mrs ..."
"Please call me Olivia." Olivia said and the woman smiled.
"Ok Olivia, this may hurt a little but just grip the bedding if it gets too much I'll try and be as quick as I can.
Olivia shut her eyes and as the dressing was peeled from her skin she clutched onto the bedding as advised and bit down hard on her bottom lip.
"Ok that's off." The nurse said and Olivia relaxed and opened her eyes.
"Can I have a mirror?" Olivia asked suddenly.
The nurse stared at her.
"I don't think that's a good idea Olivia, it's really not something you want to see."
"I don't want the first time I see these injuries to be in court." Olivia said knowing that they would have taken hundreds of pictures of every inch of her skin to show the jury what that monster did.
"Ok give me a minute." The nurse said peeling off her gloves. Olivia closed her eyes and remembered back to the moment Tucker stabbed the cigarette into her breast.
She screamed so loud, even though she had tried to hold it in. She had been burnt hundreds of times before but it had never felt like this. How long was he going to hold the cigarette to her skin? As the cigarette was moved a strange smell hit her nostrils. Burnt flesh. She'd smelt it before on numerous different cases but this wasn't a case, this was her flesh that was burning.
Olivia's eyes flew open, she didn't want to remember.
She was relieved when the nurse came in and handed her the mirror. First she looked at her face and it seemed like he had been true to his word in not damaging it. Then slowly she moved the mirror down to her chest and she gasped. Clusters of deep red and black skin covered her chest and the further down to her breasts she took the mirror the more clusters there appeared to be. She swallowed hard before looking at the nurse.
"How many?" She asked and the nurse sighed.
"Don't do this to yourself Olivia." She said.
"I don't want to find all this out in court, how many times did he burn me?" Olivia asked more firm.
"We counted a total of forty six clusters each one with four to six separate burns." The nurse sighed.
Olivia shut her eyes trying to stop herself from crying. She'd seen cigarette burns like this on victims but she wasn't a victim, she was a cop and she needed to remember that.
"Just cover them up." Olivia said without opening her eyes.
She kept her eyes closed whilst the nurse applied some cream and fresh dressings and she finally opened them when the nurse pulled the blanket off her legs.
"Oh my God." Olivia managed to stutter. She realised now that she must have blacked out whilst she was with Tucker or made her mind go elsewhere or something because she didn't remember him doing this.
"I thought he'd only cut me once." Olivia whispered.
"How many?" Olivia asked again.
The nurse shook her head.
"How many?" Olivia asked again.
"24." The nurse sighed.
Olivia inhaled deeply and managed a nod, she couldn't say anything.
"Why don't I remember him cutting me?" Olivia asked.
"I don't know to be honest but I've heard it happens when people are in danger, they kind of daze out they can still talk and function but they don't take anything that's happening in, it's like your brain tries to protect itself or something." The nurse explained as she started putting cream on her legs.
"Ok." Olivia shrugged a part of her feeling relieved that she didn't remember it.
"Ok now if you want to put your gown back on and make yourself comfortable I need to check your stitches." The nurse said taking her gloves off. She passed the gown to Olivia and washed her hands again before putting on a fresh pair of gloves.
"Ok just sit back and relax and bend your knees at a ninety degree angle for me." The nurse said softly.
Olivia just did as she was told and lay back she closed her eyes and tried to think of anything but what had happened in the last twenty four hours. The worst thing for her was that she was scared she'd end up like her own mother and hating Craig's birthday because it would be a reminder of what had happened. No. She wasn't like her mother and she would put this behind her once the scum was behind bars.
"Ok we're all done!" The nurse smiled pulling the blanket back over Olivia's legs. "Everything looks good and you're healing well considering you lost so much blood when your stitches opened." The nurse smiled.
"Thank you." Olivia said back thinking the nurse coming in had been nice even if it was just her job.
"No problem and if you need me... send the hunk!" The nurse joked and it brought a wide grin to Olivia's face.
"I knew I could get you to smile!" The nurse laughed as she headed out the door. Olivia let out a relieved smile and placed her head on the pillow hoping to catch some sleep before Elliot returned with Craig.
Of course she'd barely made herself comfortable when there was a knock on the door. Quickly she jumped up, fear pumping through her veins at the very thought of it being Tucker.
"Hey Liv." Casey smiled coming into the room. "I didn't wake you did I?" Casey asked and Olivia shook her head.
"I'm still a bit jumpy when people come into the room that's all." Olivia sighed. Casey rushed over and threw her arms around her best friend.
"You'll get over this Liv, ok? You are strong and beautiful and once I've put that scum in prison ..."
"You?" Olivia cut across
"Me what?" Casey asked.
"You put him behind bars?" Olivia asked and Casey couldn't stop herself from smiling.
"Yeah well I managed to get the DA's office behind me in fighting the Feds for the case as you are an SVU detective, this was definitely an SVU case and you were a Special Victim." Casey explained.
"Don't call me a victim Case' I'm a cop." Olivia sighed. She didn't want anyone to call her a victim as she had never ever allowed herself to be one.
"Sorry Liv, but anyway, I won and I will be prosecuting Ed Tucker." She said and somehow that helped Olivia a lot.
"Who's his defence attorney?" Olivia asked hoping it would be someone who wouldn't rip her apart on the stand.
"Oh you are going to love this!" Casey laughed.
"Who is it?" Olivia asked again.
"It's only Miranda Pond." Casey grinned.
"Really?" Olivia asked in shock.
"Yeah and they're pleading not guilty by reason of mental disease of defect." Casey added.
"Ok I'm confused Miranda is one of my friends." Olivia sighed. "Why would she take the case?"
"Because when she was asked to defend him she was told no deals would be made and ... between you and me ... she wants this bastard put away for the rest of his life but if she doesn't build a solid case of innocence then they're going to know that she wants him to rot so by pleading not guilty by mental defect then if she wins then he is still locked away." Casey explained.
"Yeah locked in a cosy hospital." Olivia sighed.
"Well don't worry because he'll never see the light of day win or lose because the judge prosecuting is Liz Donnelly and you know she adores you." Casey smiled.
"We win no matter what the verdict is Liv just be happy about it." Casey added gently nudging her friend.
"I know I just hoped he'd plead out so I wouldn't have to go to court." Olivia sighed.
"Why, this is your chance to tell your story?" Casey asked, she knew Olivia was usually the person who got most annoyed when a strong case was plead out for a lesser sentence.
"As much as I don't want to be referred to as a victim Casey, I am starting to really understand what they go through when they have to tell their story over and over again to so many people, they only thing that's good for me is that you guys are my friends and not strangers. I don't know if I am going to keep it together to go to court." Olivia blinked back the tears.
Casey knew her friend was just trying to be strong by talking through everything. She pulled Olivia into her arms and listened as she let out all her tears. All Olivia needed was to be held so that she could cry and other than Elliot, Casey was one of the few people she would do it in front of.
"Now." Casey said when Olivia finally pulled away. "Get some rest as I need you to be in tip top condition for court alright?" Olivia nodded weakly.
"Ok I'll see you later on today so I can update you on things." Casey leaned in and kissed her friend.
"Casey?" Olivia said just as Casey stood up.
"What is it?" Casey asked taking Olivia's hand as she knew whatever Olivia was about to say wasn't going to be easy, she was good at reading her friend.
"Can you get Huang down here please? I need to see a shrink and I know Huang wont betray my confidence and I feel secure around him." Olivia explained not even looking at her friend whilst she spoke as she hated admitting weakness to anyone.
"I'll call him right away; get some sleep before he gets here Liv." Casey leaned over and kissed her friend on the head before rushing out of the door. Olivia lay back down and shut her eyes and finally got some sleep.
A/N Will Liv be able to cope with a trial? Is Tucker Crazy? Review if you want more!