Author's Note: I didn't forget about you! Unfortunately, real life family drama has taken place over the past couple of weeks. What's frustrating is that it's not even my drama...but being the responsible "child", I always get dragged into these things.

I wanted to get a chapter up since I know you've been waiting patiently :) Updates will be more frequent now. Thanks for sticking with me!

Alex and Abbie were sitting in a small waiting area inside the hospital. About an hour had passed since they got there, but they had not received any word about Olivia.

"I'm sure she's going to be OK," Abbie remarked, both to reassure Alex and to break the uncomfortable silence.

Alex gave a slight nod but continued to stare straight ahead. "I hope so, Abs. I really screwed this one up."

"No, Alex. No. You did what you could."

"But Abbie-"

"Stop," Abbie cut Alex off. "Look at me."

Alex turned her head towards Abbie.

"You may have been able to prevent her from drinking tonight. But what about tomorrow? Or this weekend? Or a month from now? Eventually, Olivia would have started drinking again. She's an addict, Alex. She can't control herself."

Alex sighed. "I know you're right, but I can't help but feel that I didn't do enough."

Abbie rubbed Alex's shoulder. "I understand that you feel some sort of responsibility. But you didn't cause this. At all. Addiction doesn't respond to logic or good intentions."

"I guess," Alex acknowledged, but her tone sounded completely unconvinced.

Just then, a young male doctor with dark features entered the waiting area. He walked up to Alex and Abbie. They both stood to greet him. "Good evening, ladies. I'm Dr. Rios," he said, and extended his hand.

Alex shook his hand. "Alex Cabot. And this is Abbie Carmichael."

"Ms. Cabot and Ms. Carmichael. You two accompanied Ms. Benson here tonight, correct?"

"Yes," Abbie answered. "How is she?"

"She's stabilized, and she's going to be just fine."

"Can we see her?" Alex asked.

"Well, we gave her a sedative so she'll be asleep for awhile. But you can come in. I actually would like to speak to you about a few things. Please follow me."

Dr. Rios led them to Olivia's room. She was sleeping peacefully, but her skin was pale and she had IV lines inserted in her arms.

"We flushed the alcohol from her system and now we have her on fluids and an anti-emetic to prevent vomiting. She's lucky you called the ambulance. With the amount of alcohol in her system, she could have asphixiated on her own vomit or fallen into a coma. After what her body has been through, she's not going to feel so hot for a few days, but that's definitely preferable to the alternative. Now, does Ms. Benson have any family in the area?"

"No," Alex answered. "Her parents are both deceased and she has no siblings or other relatives." Alex was in no mood to get into the whole situation with Olivia's brother, so she figured it was best not to mention him.

"Understood. So I'm guessing that you two are both close friends of Ms. Benson."

Alex nodded. "Olivia is actually my girlfriend. And Abbie here is one of our oldest friends."

Dr. Rios nodded. "I'd like to ask you a few questions then. I apologize in advance, as they may seem a bit intrusive. But I'm trying to determine how to best proceed with Ms. Benson's treatment."

"Sure," Alex agreed.

"Yep, anything we can do to help," Abbie chimed in.

"Does Ms. Benson often drink to excess? Or do you think this is an isolated incident?"

Alex and Abbie looked at each other. "Well, doctor..." Alex trailed off as she felt tears forming in her eyes. She took a deep breath to recompose herself.

"Dr. Rios, I've grown increasingly concerned about Olivia's drinking. It's gotten out of hand over the past few weeks. And if I'm completely honest...if this didn't happen tonight, it would have happened soon enough."

The doctor was making notes on Olivia's chart. "Have you suggested that she seek professional help?"

"Yes, but she has been resistant to the idea. She doesn't think that her drinking is a problem."

"I see," Dr. Rios said. "Do you know if any of her relatives had substance abuse problems?"

"Her mother was an alcoholic. She actually died from a fall after drinking too much. This was several years ago," Alex responded.

"Substance abuse problems can have a genetic component," the doctor remarked. "Now, I need you to give me a straight answer to this next question. Does Ms. Benson use any other substances besides alcohol? Cocaine? Heroin? Methamphetamines?"

"What? No, never!" Alex exclaimed. "How could you even insinuate that?"

"I'm not here to judge, Ms. Cabot. I just want to ensure that we're giving her the appropriate treatment."

"Dr. Rios, Olivia is a detective with the NYPD," Abbie calmly interjected. "Now I know that doesn't necessarily exclude a person from using drugs; however, Detective Benson is a highly respected officer who has received numerous accolades. She loves her job and would never do anything to jeopardize it."

"Even though her drinking has been excessive, she has never drank while on the job. It's always been after work and on her days off," Alex added.

"Fair enough," Dr. Rios said. "I'm going to advise that she speak with one of our addiction specialists before she is cleared for discharge. The counselor can work with her to determine a suitable course of action."

"Wait, will Olivia need to go to an inpatient rehab?" Alex asked. Alex knew that she'd have a better chance of meeting Elvis than getting Olivia to agree to check into a rehab facility.

"Not necessarily," Dr. Rios answered. "The counselor will help decide what the best option will be. Plenty of cases can be treated on an outpatient basis."

"That's a relief," Alex replied.

"Ms. Benson is going to have a tough road ahead of her," Dr. Rios warned. "She'll need a lot of support. But trust me when I say that addiction is treatable. It's not easy, but if she really commits to it, she can overcome her alcoholism."

"Dr. Rios, thank you," Abbie said.

"You're welcome," he said, as he headed towards the door. "I do want to emphasize one thing. Ms. Benson needs professional help. Leaving her to her own devices is no longer an option."

"You're absolutely right," Alex agreed.

"I'm glad we're on the same page. Good luck, ladies. I have faith that this will all work out." He shook both their hands again and then exited the room.

"Olivia is not going to be happy with having to see a counselor," Alex said.

"Maybe not, but what other choice does she have? She almost killed herself tonight." Abbie responded.

"Yeah, I know. Abbie, thanks for everything. I don't know what I would have done without you." Alex pulled Abbie into a tight hug.

After they broke their embrace, Alex spoke again. "I want to be here when Olivia wakes up, but you don't have to stay. I'm sure you're just as exhausted as I am."

Abbie shook her head. "I'm not leaving you here alone. I don't really have to be at any of those meetings tomorrow. I'll just call out."

"Oh, crap. Work! I totally forgot about it." Alex mentally ran through her calendar. "I don't have to be in court tomorrow, so it should be OK. Oh, and I need to notify Cragen and Elliot...I have no idea what to tell them."

"You should tell them the truth," Abbie insisted. "They should know what's really going on with Olivia. They'll want to help."

"She may never forgive me," Alex protested.

"Alex, she loves you. She'll probably get pissed, but she'll eventually get over it."

"I hope so."

"She will. Let's not worry about that right now though. It's late. Let's try to get some sleep. I'm sure these plastic chairs are much more comfortable than our beds."

Alex gave Abbie a quick smile. "Yeah, this is going to be great. Like camp without the singing and roasted marshmallows."

Abbie settled into her chair and was quickly able to nod off. The noises of the hospital and her anxiety about the morning kept Alex up a little while longer, but soon enough, sleep overtook her.