Olivia was worried about Amanda. Yes, they've had their differences and there were some trust issues, but she still knew Amanda was a good detective.
She was at Amanda's apartment with CSU and spoke to the detective who was assigned with this case. He promised to back off so SVU could look into this.
When Fin said it was about Amanda's father she was surprised, all she knew about him was that he left when she was young and that he was a gambler. Amanda didn't talk about him, not to her at least. But it was a good thing Fin knew about it, it meant she wasn't keeping it a secret.
She talked to him earlier and he told her what Amanda's doctor said, she hoped everything will be fine, Amanda is strong, she will pull through.
But she wanted to visit her, talk to her if she was up for it. She said hello to the officer guarding the door and saw Nick was there. It was wired, he was holding Amanda's hand and talking to her, he said " I need you to be alright, I love you "
Olivia stared at him as he got up, and she saw the shock on his face when he saw her .
"Nick" she said "can we have a word outside" he nodded, as if he had a choice. She looked at Amanda, who was still asleep and left the room with Nick following her.
They walked to the end of the hallway to they could have a little privacy. She looked at him for a moment, not sure what to say yet. She thought there weren't any more secrets.
"What's going on?" she asked raising her hands a bit, he didn't say anything, he had a hard time looking into her eyes "what is it?" she repeated "are you and Rollins…" he nodded and she leaned on the wall "how long?" she asked him but changed her mind when he was about to answer "you know what, it's best if I don't know this. What were you thinking?"
Sure she had her suspicions but she never thought it went that far, he said he loved her.
"Look Liv" he started, but clearly didn't know what else to say.
"Nick this is not ok, you know you can't have a relationship with someone in your squad"
He didn't talk, of course he'd known that, that's why they were keeping it a secret "I know Liv" he finally said "I'm sorry you had to find out like this, but it is what it is"
"And what is it exactly? Is it serious?"
"Yes" he said honestly, he hoped it was the same for Amanda, but they didn't talk about it yet.
Olivia shook her hear "what was the plan?" she asked "go to crime scenes, interviewing vics, perps, when you look at her like" she gestured at his face "like this" Nick looked away and she kept talking
"Look" she said, a bit calmer "I want to say that I am happy for you, because I want you two to be happy, and if this makes you happy that's great" she stopped for a moment "but you know I can't let you work together, if IAB finds out" she was getting agitated again "you know I'm gonna have to transfer one of you"
Nick knew she was right, but he didn't really care about IAB right now "you know Liv" he said, looking straight into her eyes "I hope you get the chance to do that"
Liv said they'd talk about it later. Right now they had to focus on finding the person who hurt Amanda. Nick said he will meet her at the precinct. He didn't want to tell her where he was going, he feared that Amanda's father might run if he saw him with someone else.
He made sure he wasn't being followed and he spotted him sitting on a bench close to a bodega. He walked other there and sat down next to him.
How did he not figure it out when he first saw him? There was no denying he's Amanda's father. She had his eyes.
"How is she?" he asked.
"She's stable, we hope she'll be alright"
"What happened?"
"We shouldn't talk here" Nick said and looked around.
"I don't really have anywhere to go"
"Why did you leave the safe house?"
Tim looked at Nick, he was a bit surprised by the fact he knew about that, but Amanda probably told him, so maybe he can trust him. He had no options left "I did something stupid" he answered "used the credit card, I know I shouldn't have" he said when he saw the look on Nick's face "she told me not to but I…"
"Lets get into the car" Nick said and got up off the bench. But Tim didn't move, he looked down on the ground. It looked like he was thinking about it, weighing the pros and cons of going with him. Suddenly Nick felt both angry and pity towards him.
How could he do something like that? Leave his family, his daughters. Even if it was because of witness protection, he shouldn't have been involved in something like that in the first place. He shouldn't have started gambling, if he wouldn't have done that then everything would have been different. He wouldn't leave Amanda and she wouldn't have to feel so abandoned.
Nick could see it in her eyes sometimes, it was a look he couldn't explain or describe, but he could tell she felt alone, no matter how many people were around her, it was as if she wasn't there with them. But he was going to be there for her, no matter what, until she knows she's not alone, even when there is no one standing next to her.
But even with his anger he felt pity towards Tim Rollins. The man didn't get a chance to know the incredible person his daughter became. Because even though she's been through a lot, she still wanted to help others, she was still strong enough to want to fight her demons.
Now it was his chance to do something right for his daughter, he couldn't change the past, but he could be there for her in the present. Nick looked at Tim, hoping he would make the right decision and stay for her.
Tim's thoughts weren't much different than Nick's. He knew this was his last chance. He didn't feel like he could trust anyone right now but there's nothing for him to do, he could try to run away but for how long?
For a moment he felt like his life flashed before his eyes. He could see his young self, full of hope for the future, still hopeful when he held Amanda for the first time, she was so little and he loved her so much. But then he saw his gambling self, when almost all of his hopes were to win. And now he was someone else, not the hopeful teenager or the gambling man, now he had to be a father.
Tim stood up and they walked to the car slowly.
"Can I see her?" he asked once they were in the car.
"I don't think it's a good idea" Nick replied "I think it's safer if you don't see her right now, when we can figure things out"
They drove in silence for a while, Nick kept his eyes on the road, he wanted to get to the station as soon as possible.
"How is she doing?" he heard Tim ask "I mean not right now, how is she doing?"
Nick wasn't sure what to answer, has Amanda told him anything about herself or her sister, about him? Probably not.
"She's doing alright" he answered and Tim nodded. He didn't say anything else the rest of the way.
Fin found the Marshal's card in one of Amanda's drawers. Since he wasn't sure if the Marshal had anything to do with the attack on Amanda he didn't mention it when he called. He said that he was her partner and that they had to talk about his investigation. Hawkins agreed to come to the station, Fin couldn't figure out if he had any idea about what happened or not but he'd wait until he shows up to find out the truth.
The truth was unclear and he didn't like it. He didn't like the fact it almost killed his partner, and she wasn't out of the woods yet. But there was something else going on, he wasn't sure what it was though. Liv gave him a weird look when she got back from the hospital but since she didn't say anything he figured it wasn't about Amanda's situation.
He looked up and saw Nick walking towards him, there was someone walking next to him and Fin realized who it was the second he saw him. He got up when they reached his desk.
"Fin" Nick said "this is Amanda's father" he said.
"Detective Tutuola" Fin said and shook Tim's hand. He sat down and Nick brought Tim a chair "I understand you think Carl Jeffries is still alive" he said.
Tim nodded, he took out something out of his pocket, it was the page from the newspaper, he handed it to Fin.
He recognized Jeffries right away and gave Nick a concerned look "can you give as a moment" he said to Tim and got up. Nick followed him, they moved away a bit towards Liv's office, Tim had a worried look on his face but didn't say anything.
They knocked and went into her office, she hung up the phone just as they entered and looked at them. Nick thought she seemed worried but didn't get a chance to ask if she was ok because Fin spoke "we've got a problem serge" he put the page on the table and pointed at a man in the picture "this is Carl Jeffries" he said "the man Amanda's father testified against, the man who's supposed to be dead according to our files"
Olivia looked at the picture and then at Fin and Nick "where did you get this from?" she asked.
"He's here" Fin answered "Tim Rollins"
She nodded, and Nick watched her, he had a bad feeling all of the sudden but again Fin spoke before he got a chance to.
"Hawkins is on his way" he said "that's the Marshal, maybe he can shed some light here cause it ain't clear at all and…"
Fin didn't finish the sentence because Nick couldn't hold the words in any longer "what's going on Liv?" he asked.
She stood up and looked at him "I got a call from the hospital" she said and Nick felt like he couldn't breath again "Amanda is in the ICU, she has sepsis"
I Just want to say that I love Olivia, but I think she would be upset to find out two of her detectives are having an affair. Honestly, in the long run, I don't think it will be the best thing for them to work together if they are in a serious relationship.
But I'm sure the writers are going to ruin it somehow so it won't matter (I hope they will prove me wrong though, and if not – we will always have ).
Anyway… hope you like all of the cliffhangers lately.