Mr. Alexander Stabler
Steven Johnson walked through the trauma room with a stack of paperwork he needed to finish before his night rounds could finally be over. He pulled up a chair to the nurse's station and slunk down into it, picking up a pen and preparing himself to re-decipher his notes and write orders for all the patients on his rotation. He opened the chart for the new trauma patient. Olivia Benson, the woman with the ring. He looked up from his seat and he could see someone was with her. She was already gone, must have been cleared for surgery.
He frowned. If she had family, they'd probably be in the ICU waiting room and not out in the ER. They restricted access back there, so it was immediate family only, shouldn't be hard to find him back here. He pounded his pen for a moment, and decided the worst thing he could do was ask. He grabbed the property bag and walked over to the room.
He stuck his head in the door and found two people—a guy and a girl who were comforting each other, both staring at walls while they dealt with the demons in their own heads. He had seen the same look on so many faces. One of the two was the blonde. He recognized her from the picture in the victim's wallet. He coughed just loud enough for her to hear him. "Hi, I'm Dr Johnson," he said.
Both Elliot and Alex jumped. Even though he had tried his best, he still hadn't permeated their deep level of meditation. "I'm sorry, sorry to bother you." He stammered.
"No, no, it's okay," the blonde lady wiped a tear from her eye. She crossed her arms over her chest, and turned to him. She tried to smile, but her eyes were red and it was obvious that she had been crying.
"I'm Dr Johnson, you're family of Olivia Benson?" He asked, scratching his head and holding the property bag loosely in the other hand.
Alex looked up at him with a question in her eye, before sighing. "Yes." She started to stand, and Dr. Johnson shifted. He put his hand into the bag and drew out the little box.
"Look, I don't mean to be forward, but I'm looking for her fiancée. I'm guessing that's you, right?" He asked, looking at Elliot. The man was attractive and he could easily see him with the woman he had treated. He looked strong and he also had the faraway look in his eyes that came from someone who loved and lost.
"Excuse me?" Alex said, looking at Elliot, and then back at the young Doctor.
"I just want to give you the ring we found." He said, stepping towards Elliot, holding out the black box to him. Elliot looked at him confused, his mind processing in slow motion. He knew that he hadn't given Olivia a ring box. He couldn't remember where he had seen it before. He tried to remember.
"Who are you?" Alex asked, confused. The doctor they had seen earlier had been so much older.
"I'm Dr Johnson, who are you?" He asked, pointing at Eliot, who seemed to be confused. Dr Johnson started to worry when he didn't take the box immediately with a happy face.
"Elliot Stabler," Elliot said slowly.
"Alexandra Cabot," she said quietly at the same time. "Do you have an update for us?" She asked hopefully.
The doctor looked at her, and then at the ring in his hand, and then back at her while he processed. "You're Alex." He said, slowly.
"What?" Alex asked.
"You're Alex," he said again.
"People call me that," She said, confused. "What does that have to do with…?"
"I have this," He said, quietly, deciding.
Alex looked down at the box in his hand confused. She had never seen it before. "What?"
"It's what was on her. I mean, usually we'd wait for her to wake up, but, because of the value."
"What?" Alex asked again, perplexed at what Olivia was carrying around with her that had a monetary value.
And with that, Dr Johnson handed Alexandra Cabot a small black box.
To Be Continued…