Chapter 2

"Who is it?" asked Elliot, taking the phone.

"Don." Replied Kathy, returning to her bedroom upstairs.

"Capt?" answered Elliot.

"Elliot, I hope you're somewhere sitting down." Said Cragen.

"I'm not. Why? What's going that it's urgent?" asked Elliot. Normally, if Cragen needed him to come in, he usually called him on his cell phone. But if he called the home line, it was normally not good news.

"You better sit down before I tell you." Replied Cragen. He didn't need his detective punching something. Not now.

He did as he was asked and sat at the kitchen table. This was definitely not anything good.

"Fine, I'm sitting. What's so urgent that you're calling the home line?" asked Elliot.

"It's in regards to you're partner." Answered Cragen.

"What about her? She's in Oregon with Porter undercover." Said Elliot.

"That's what this is about. She's home from Oregon. But under different circumstances." Said Cragen.

"What different circumstances? When did she get back to begin with?" asked Elliot.

He knew the minute he said 'Liv, hospital and medical induced coma, then there would be screaming and yelling from him. He knew better. He had known that for the past fourteen years that he worked for him. Nothing changed. With the exception of when his current partner started eleven years ago.

"I'm telling you right now, keep that temper in check because it's not needed at the moment." Said Cragen.

"And?" asked Elliot. He knew Cragen was stalling and trying to avoid what he had to say.

"She's at Mercy, in a medical induce coma." Spat Cragen. There the words were out. Now he was just waiting for Elliot's reaction if there be one. And he knew there would be. There was no way possible that he would keep cool about this. And he didn't expect him to.

How the hell did that happen? Where was Porter? He was supposed to be keeping an eye on her at all times. I knew there was a reason she shouldn't have gone in the first place. Had she not gone, she wouldn't be laying in a bed at Mercy." Yelled Elliot. Yep. He had expected that kind of reaction from him. And he couldn't say he didn't blame him either.

"Porter claims that she was never in real danger to begin with. And my hands were tied. I couldn't avoid it, Stabler. But Porter has already been told, NONE of my detectives in my unit will be available for the FBI. Not one of you will be put at that risk again." Said Cragen.

That made him feel slightly better. But it still didn't help the current situation either.

"Not any real danger? What the hell does he call this? An accident? How did it even happen to begin with?" asked Elliot.

"She was undercover in a protest with the eco group that they were keeping an eye on. When she didn't do as Porter told her, the police should up and restrained them. When she didn't cooperate with them, they used necessary force." Said Cragen.

"And by necessary force you mean?" asked Elliot. He was sure if he really wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Police brutality. They hit anyone that wouldn't cooperate with batons. It just happened that when they hit her, they knocked her out. Porter sent her back first thing this morning, claiming he had no part of it." Said Cragen.

"And that ass wipe did nothing to stop it?" yelled Elliot.

"Stop yelling at me, Stabler. Unless you're asking for desk duty for the next month." Said Cragen.

"Sorry. Do they know when she might wake?' asked Elliot.

"Their not sure. All I was told was that it was a pretty hard beating. There was too much brain swelling that they had to put her in the medical induced coma. Their not sure that she'll even wake up at all. Right now its wait and see." Whispered Cragen. He didn't like that answer either but it was what the doctor had told him.

There was no answer to that. He didn't like any of what he was being told. Someone should have covered her. Had that happened, she would be where she is now.

"Elliot? Go to bed. Don't do anything stupid. They won't let anyone see her till tomorrow morning anyway." Said Cragen.

"How the hell am I suppose to sleep tonight, know that my partner is in a hospital bed, in a coma and there are chances that she may never wake up again?" snapped Elliot.

"Just go to bed and don't think about it. I presume that you'll be going up first thing in the morning?" asked Cragen.

"Uh, I'm not sure yet. Ask me again in the morning." Said Elliot.

"This wasn't you're fault, Elliot. It would have happened anyway. And knowing Liv, she's not going to give up without a fight. Go to bed." Said Cragen before hanging up.