Pretty Poison

(Chapter Three: Waiting)

Elliot sat on the sofa in Olivia's apartment clicking mindlessly thought the channels on the television as he waited for her to get out of the shower. They had stopped by an emergency room across town on the way back here and had a rape kit run. They had revealed to Elliot and Olivia that what trauma they did find was probably just a result of the combination of repeated rough sex they had encountered the night before and the fact that she hadn't had sex in a while. The doctors didn't seem to think she had been raped but took the kit to the lab and were supposed to call Elliot as soon as they had results.

Olivia had seemed all calm and collected up to this point. But she had been in the shower for over and hour now and he was beginning to worry about her. If she hadn't felt attacked before then after sitting through that examine while they poked her and invaded what little dignity you could have wearing only a paper gown with you ankles up in stirrups, then she probably did now.

But she had been a trooper. Elliot had sat beside her holding her hand and looking into her eyes as they did the physical part of the examine. Then of course they had to ask her a series of questions without his presence. This made him nervous, but she had seemed to be okay in the car on the way back here. Elliot looked down at his watch. It had now been well over an hour and he couldn't take it any longer.

He turned off the television and went down the hall to check on her. He tapped lightly on the bathroom door and opened it just a bit to speak to her without looking inside. As he did a thick white wall of steam bellowed out of the bathroom.

"Olivia? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," she said and he could tell she had been crying.

"Sweetheart, it has been over an hour. Why don't you come out here and I will fix you some hot tea."

"I just need a minute, El."

"Okay, but do me a favor and turn the water off."

He heard the shower stop and things got quiet for a few seconds. Then Olivia opened the door wearing a white bathrobe.

"Really, I am fine. My head is just killing me and I'm trying to think things through."

"I called Melinda, she is just going to come over here and take the blood samples. We don't have to tell her anything except that we need to know if we have anything in our systems."

Elliot brushed a strand of her wet hair back from her eyes.

"Okay."

"I just thought maybe that would be more comfortable for you then having to go back out and meet her."

Olivia smiled a shy smile.

"Thanks, El."

She crossed her arms in front of her tight and he watched as her bottom lip quivered just a bit.

"Olivia, I am sorry."

"This wasn't all your fault. I was there, too."

"Yes, but no matter what happened….I was supposed to protect you. I didn't. And if anything happened to you I swear I will never forgive myself."

"I am pretty sure I am fine. We got a little rough and I am sore, but I am fine. Elliot, I know you would never do anything I didn't allow you to do."

Just then there was a buzz from the front door of the apartment building.

"That will be Melinda," Elliot said pointing toward the apartment door.

"I'm gonna get dressed so she doesn't figure out any more than she has to know. I will be out in a minute."

"Okay."

Elliot and Melinda were sitting in the living room making small talk when Olivia came back into the room and sat on the couch. Melinda quickly took their blood samples and headed back to the lab to get them processed.

Olivia sat on the couch with her knees pulled up near her chest staring blankly at the television. She didn't say a word, but Elliot knew what she was thinking about.

He sat down beside her ad handed her a cup of hot tea.

"Thank you," she said softly not looking at him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know if I can, Elliot."

She turned to look at him as a tear fell from her cheek. "I know that we probably did this on our own, El. And no one is responsible but you and I. And I know that I am just as much responsible as you are. It just scared me that neither of us know for sure what happened last night. And I cannot help but feel a little violated, by the fact that there may or may not have been someone else in that room last night. And if there was, then maybe that is our only chance at finding out what really happened to us last night."

Elliot reached up and brushed her cheek with his fingers pushing some hair back from her face.

Olivia yawned.

"I am so tired, but I don't think I can sleep. Every time I close my eyes my thoughts are flooded with the possibilities of what could have happened last night. Elliot, I wasn't completely truthful with you about everything I remembered. I have these little flashes. Sex stuff, you and me. I just thought it was a dream, everything is all fuzzy. I honestly thought I had dreamed the entire thing until I got out of bed and realized I was in a hotel room and saw the condom wrapper. Then I realized that we had….I wasn't dreaming Elliot."

"Do you remember seeing or hearing anyone else in the room?"

"No, but like I said it was all fuzzy and just little flashes of stuff. Part of me is afraid to sleep."

"Why?"

He watched her as a tear rolled down her nose. "I guess I am afraid I will remember. I want to know. But I am so scared of what the truth might be…."

"Come here," Elliot said wrapping his arms around her and sitting her coffee mug on the table beside the couch.

He leaned back and let her rest against him with one arm loosely draped around her waist.

Olivia looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"You know we are going to be okay, right?" Elliot said softly as he covered her with a blanket from the back of the couch to try to comfort her.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Olivia nestled her face in against his shirt and he just held her for a minute.

"Get some rest, Liv. I am here and I am not going to let anyone hurt you."

She laid there still only for a moment before her heavy eyes fell shut and she was asleep in his arms.

Elliot laid there for a little while watching her sleep. All of the worst possibilities kept running through his mind. He was pretty sure they had slept together, but what if that was not all that happened? What if someone had drugged them to hurt them or rob them? Or worse what if someone had drugged them both and raped her while he was in the room?