Chapter 9

And she had talked to the captain. He'd taken one look at her pale face and told her flatly that there was no way he was letting her endanger herself or her partner by going out on the street. Until the dizziness stopped she was on desk duty.

So it was a solid four days of desk duty while her partner, her fiancé and his partner were all out on the street. Desk duty wasn't for sissies, she handled calls, updated the board, did every piece of paperwork she could and interviewed and re-interviewed everyone. And then they finally caught the guy. Olivia smiled when she saw Cragen come out of his office, "Liv. C'mon."

"Where we goin' Cap'n," She felt the smile melt off her face as Cragen didn't smile back. "Captain?"

"We got the guy. But..." Cragen reached into her desk drawer and pulled out her purse. "I'm driving you to the hospital."

She'd never felt so afraid in her life, not when she'd had a knife to her throat, not when Elliot had been threatened, not even when Harris had been trying to rape her had she felt such gut wrenching, chilling fear, "Captain. Please...is he..."

"He's in surgery now," Cragen's voice was kind. "Hold it together Liv. I don't know the details yet."

"All right," She took a deep breath and shuddered, it was almost two weeks without caffeine and she was still acclimating and the morning sickness was a fun and regular event these days too. "How fast can you drive?"

"Lights and sirens all the way," The captain nodded.

The ride to Mercy General seemed endless; Liv couldn't seem to stop playing with the ring box in her purse, flipping it open and closed. She remembered to call Kenneth, give him the news, promised to call again when she knew more. She barely heard Cragen's question, "Fin proposed I hear?"

"Yeah," Olivia whispered. "We're going to use my grandmother's ring as my engagement ring. I lied to Elliot about it."

"Elliot hasn't been the most sensitive partner in the last year," Captain Cragen sounded grim.

"Sensitivity isn't his strong suit," Liv tried to joke but it came off flat. "Captain...Fin...He's... He's my family. He promised he would be."

"I know he is Liv," Cragen glanced at her. "John and I, we're your family too though," He reminded her.

"I know," She took a deep breath. "That reminds me... would you give me away?"

"You mean at your wedding?" Cragen almost stared, "Liv are you sure?"

"Yeah," Olivia nodded, raking a hand through her hair. "Fin's too stubborn to leave me. So I figured I'd ask while the other guys weren't around you know?"

"Sound thinking," He gave her a half smile and kept driving. "And yes, I'd be honored."

She had fight to remain calm as they neared the emergency surgery of Mercy General, and was grateful for Cragen's supportive arm even as she wanted to flinch away. Munch and Stabler were sprawled in the waiting room chairs and when he saw her John stood immediately. "Hey," He greeted her with a half smile. "Sit down. I'll get you some lousy soup from the vending machine."

"Any news?" Cragen asked before Munch could take off on his self appointed task.

"They said he's in surgery now," Stabler replied. "He took a bullet at the edge of the vest, right near the shoulder. It's a bad spot but he didn't flatline on the way in and the docs say he's got a good chance."

Olivia sank into a chair and closed her hands around the box in her purse. She sat for what seemed like hours, barely aware of the conversations going on around her, John forcing her to drink the soup and the bottle of water he'd gotten her. And then finally, "Is there an Olivia Benson, or John Munch here? Kenneth Randall?"

"Kenneth is on his way in," Olivia said quietly as Munch helped her up. "He's been out of town with his partner." She knew she was clutching the ring box like a talisman but she couldn't seem to help it.

"Are you Olivia Benson?" The doctor was tall, taller than Stabler or John, with dark curly hair and tired green eyes with brown flecks.

"Yes," She nodded tiredly and wondered how long they'd been waiting. "This is John Munch," She looked up into the doctor's face. "Is he..."

"I'm Doctor Ryerson, and I just performed surgery on one Udaifan Tuta- Tuta," The doctor stumbled over Fin's name and Olivia cut in impatiently.

"His name is Odafin Tutuola, he was born in nineteen sixty two, and he's a detective out of the one six," She snapped out the facts. "We call him Fin. Now will you tell us if he's all right or not?"

"I'd do as she says, she's very protective," John offered mildly.

"Well, Ms. Benson," The doctor tried to take her arm and she flinched back into John almost violently.

"Don't," She shook her head. "Just, good or bad, spit it out."

"He's in recovery now, he should be coming around, the anesthesia is wearing off, and he'll have full use of his arm and shoulder with some therapy and rest," The doctor nodded and looked at John. "He'll need some help for the next few weeks and I certainly wouldn't let him go home unsupervised."

"He won't be," Munch exchanged a glance with Olivia. "He has a grown son, he has Liv and he has me."

"Well I can let you see him but only two of you in there at a time," Doctor Ryerson told them. "The nurse will let you know where he is," He pointed at the desk.

Olivia nodded and began to move towards the counter, "Liv, your purse." Elliot held it up for her and she nodded and grabbed it quickly before moving back towards the nurse's station. After what seemed like an endless wait they had a room number and an elevator ride that she did not like, it made the dizziness worse.

When they found the room Olivia just stared at the door and took a deep breath. John put a hand on her shoulder, "Liv, go on in. I'll come in, in a minute or two."

She nodded, "Thanks John." One more deep breath and the death grip on her ring box she pushed the door open and walked into the room. He was in a bed, asleep still, an IV drip in his arm, looking so pale, all the lines in his face prominent, "Oh God, babe." Olivia whispered.

She didn't remember moving from near the door to the bed, didn't remember grabbing his hand, or kissing him. She only remembered Fin waking up under her mouth.

Fin wasn't aware of much, throbbing pain in his arm, aching all over, bright light and then darkness, soft darkness. Rain; rain on his face, and Olivia, her lips on his, sweet as sugar, Olivia kissing him in the rain. He couldn't move hardly, one arm just refused to obey, but the other, the other crept up, found Liv's shoulder, the back of her neck and her soft hair and held her mouth to his. "Hey Babygirl," She was able to pull away too easily and he groaned and pushed his eyes open.

"God Fin," She was crying. His gorgeous woman was crying, "You scared me babe. Don't scare me like that again."

He was waking up more and more, and the pain wasn't a joy but he could see Liv's face clearly and she looked exhausted. "Babygirl, you all right?" Fin tried to sit up more and frowned when he couldn't, "Liv, you and the baby okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. You're the one who was shot," Olivia shook her head at him. "John said he'd give us a minute or two before he came in." She kissed him again and he strained upwards for more of her lips, groaning as she kept him flat on the bed easily. "Kenneth is on his way. He was out of town."

"Poor kid, leave it to me to mess up his vacation," Fin groaned, "Babygirl help me get this bed upright so I'm not lying here like a dumbass when Munch comes in." He smiled as she figured out the controls and maneuvered the bed so he was at least sitting up. "Thank you," He couldn't help what came next, "Now will you give me some sugar? I'm gonna need it to deal with John."

Olivia's mouth over his was perfect, soft and so sweet, and he could have kissed her forever, but John's voice interrupted them. "Now, now, we can't have that," He teased in his sardonic voice. "Odafin, you need to talk to this one about how she behaves in a crisis. She almost ripped the doctor a new one for mispronouncing your name."

Fin chuckled weakly and tore his eyes away from Liv's beautiful face to look at John, "You look like hell man."

"You should take a gander at the mirror," Munch retorted. "Seriously, you can't scare the woman this way. And for the next month or so you won't be able to."

"A month? Seriously?" Fin groaned, "We got too much to do for me to be outa commission for a month." He looked from John to Olivia, "You take him with you, if you go to the jewelers, I'm serious." He frowned thoughtfully, "And you've got to go to the doctor too Liv."

"Doc says he'll spring you as long as you're supervised," John shrugged. "It'll probably take a week or so at least but at least you won't be in here for months."

"Yeah I gotta talk to that doctor," Fin frowned at the thought of being away from Liv for a week. Munch was just shaking his head at him and Liv was standing by the bed doing that little sway that meant one of her dizzy spells was coming on her, "Liv sit down please." He pointed to the chair, grateful that John had the sense to grab it and move it closer to the bed.

"Yeah," She dropped into the chair, her hands almost knotted around something dark, moving it so it made a weird thumpy clicking noise. "I'm just... God," She shook her head and gave him a half smile, showing him what she held. It was the box with her grandmother's ring inside, "I've been hanging onto it like it's some sort of talisman...that you'd be all right."

"Gonna have to get that ring on your finger PDQ; it obviously worked," John commented with a smile as Liv finally put the box in her purse. "I'll get Cragen, he'll want to see you're awake. And someone should probably tell a nurse."

"Why don't you do that," Fin called after him. "You're still getting the dizzy spells Liv?" He directed his gaze to his woman worriedly.

"Fin you've been shot. I've been having dizzy spells for a week now; I go to the doctor tomorrow morning. First check up," She smiled at him. "It's probably just everything all at once you know? I'll be fine."

"I wanted to go with you," Fin sighed. "God damn rapist bastard," He frowned as Captain Cragen walked in and chuckled at the sound of Fin's voice.

"I should warn you that Munch is letting the nurses know you're awake so you may be in for some poking and prodding," The balding man smiled. "Woke up for Liv huh?"

"Well she kissed me Cap'n, what was I gonna do? Not kiss her back?" Fin shook his head, "Ain't in my nature."

"I can see that," Cragen chuckled. "Liv, I know you have lost time in the morning. Thanks to your efforts we've got the paperwork on this case pretty near done. Take the rest of the day. I'll spring Munch to pick you up from the doctor and bring you to the hospital."

"Thanks captain," Liv smiled. "I'd drive but I'm pretty sure that if I wrecked Fin's car with a dizzy spell it would set back his recovery at least another month."

"Be more concerned about you than any damn car," Fin tugged on her hand teasingly. "Once I was sure you were all right, that's when I'd start yellin'."

Cragen chuckled again and shook his head, "Well you've just described every parent's reaction when their child does something dangerous." He stuck his hands in his pockets, "So you're ahead of the curve."

The nurses came in and tried to shoo Olivia away then but Fin wasn't having any of that, "My fiancée stays." He said firmly. "Keep it quiet, we're not public yet," He looked at the nurse thoughtfully, "What would you do for dizzy spells?"

"Fin, she's your nurse, not mine, and I'm going to the doctor tomorrow," Olivia argued. Fin noticed that Cragen disappeared very quickly at that point. Smart man. But Stabler didn't have the sense God gave a goat because he came in the room next and told Liv he'd give her a ride home now that she knew Fin was all right.

"No, I... I think I'll stay a while longer," Liv shook her head. "I'll eat something down in the cafeteria and take a cab home."

"You're sure? It's okay you know, he's alive and kicking," Stabler was talking like he wasn't even awake yet, Fin rolled his eyes.

"I'll call the cab myself if I have to," He looked at Olivia carefully. "You do look tired though." It was all he could do to remember that he couldn't call her Babygirl in front of Elliot.

"It's been a long day," Olivia admitted. "I just want to sit for a while El," She told her partner. "If John's still here we'll need to call Kenneth and update him."

"I'll let him know," Stabler left and Fin sighed in relief.

The nurse looked at him closely, "Pain? Other than the obvious one in your ass who just left?"

That got a laugh that sent sharp agony through his shoulder and Fin groaned, "Well the drugs were working fine 'til you made me laugh." He sighed, "Elliot doesn't know about me and Liv. We don't think he'd approve."

"Well I can see why," The nurse remarked with a shrug. "Fine black man marrying a white woman? Plenty of people still have a problem with that. It's like you're saying a sister ain't good enough for you." She rolled her eyes and shot Olivia a derogatory look.

Fin wished suddenly and violently that he had his gun, and barring that, that he had the strength to throttle this bitch who dared to say Olivia wasn't as good as black woman, "You go get me your supervisor right now. Now," He gave a credible snarl as John walked back in. "John, you follow her and you make sure she brings her supervisor back here with her, or so help me God I will do something violent."

"Babe, calm down," Liv's hand on his was gentle, "Its okay. It's not good for you to get upset."

"It's not good for you either," Fin snapped angrily. "I'm not having that woman in here, looking down her nose at you because you're white and I'm black."

"Wait," John held up a hand, "Following the nurse. I want the full story when I come back."

Fin nodded and sank back into the pillows as John and the nurse left. Fifteen minutes later the charge nurse came bustling in, "Mr. Tutu-ola, what seems to be the problem?"

"Its Detective Tutuola," Fin nodded, "This is my fiancée Detective Olivia Benson. And your nurse here decided it was perfectly fine to make remarks about my fine black ass marrying a white woman and that she wasn't surprised the white detective who left might have a problem with it. Said me marrying Liv was like me saying sisters weren't good enough; implied that Olivia shouldn't be marrying me."

The charge nurse, a statuesque woman of Latin descent regarded the nurse with pursed lips and hard eyes, "Well I wish I could say it was the first time I've heard her express those opinions, though this is the first time she's expressed them to a patient." She frowned at the nurse, "Did you even finish your exam before you started poking your nose in the Detective's private business?"

"I was half way through when he told me about his engagement to this...skinny thang," The nurse shrugged. "If he hadn't ordered me out to find you I could have finished."

"I'm not surprised," Was the reply. "Detectives, I'm Rosita Lopez, I'm the charge nurse for this unit and you will be assigned another nurse. Nurse Coramin will no longer be taking care of you." She looked at Coramin, "You can go." She regarded Fin thoughtfully and nodded, "All right, we'll get this done, get you on some pain meds you probably won't use much and get you something to eat."

"All right," Fin nodded and looked at Olivia with a smirk. "I told you that you weren't gaining weight yet. That sister just called you skinny."

"I'll trust to your intimate and thorough knowledge of my body," Liv smiled at him. "Now behave for the nurse."

John watched and nodded as the other nurse finally left, "Okay, so how are we handling the sleeping situation?" He inquired with his usual lack of reverence. "Obviously Liv can't sleep in the chair, and she can't get into the bed with you. Cap'n informs me that he's going to spring me tomorrow since we've been working non stop. I can make sure she gets home tonight and to the doctor in the morning, bring her back here and make a full report."

Olivia sighed, "I don't like it, but I guess it's the best we can do for now."

"I'm gonna need the drugs," Fin admitted. "Probably won't sleep without you."

"C'mon Liv, I'll buy you another cup of soup before we go," Munch grinned.

"Delightful," Liv shook her head.

"Gimme some sugar before you go Babygirl," Fin caught her hand in his and tugged her closer. "I love you Olivia." Her mouth was hot and sweet and heat running through his veins until all he wanted was to pull her down and never stop kissing her.

"I love you too Odafin," He'd never heard sweeter words.

Author's Note: So here we have some drama and some sweetness. I also wanted a taste of the trouble Fin and Liv will have because they're not of the same race. In case its not clear, I really don't see what race or gender has to do with love.

What do we think? Too melodramatic? Or just right? Next chapter should have John's point of view in it. (I think. I can't remember what chapter I put it in now, little tired at the moment.)