DISCLAIMER: The copyrighted characters of any TV program, movie, or published work of fiction are the property of their owners/creators. In this case, Law and Order SVU and Dick Wolfe. No copyright infringement is intended and nothing is being made. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author.
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Could Have Been Colder

Chapter Two

"You haven't had anything to eat or drink in the last 12 hours?" The nurse asked.

"No." Alex replied. The room was cold, but all hospital rooms were. Her parents had left to get some coffee. She had demanded that they drink it I the cafeteria. It was unfair that she couldn't have any. Even if it wasn't her mocha double espresso.

"Have you had a movement today?" The nurse was still asking questions while Alex was lost in her head.

"Huh?" Alex replied.

"Have you voided today?" The nurse was less than cheery.

"I would like to void today all together. But with regards to what you are asking, no I have not." Alex hated answering such deeply personnel information especially to a stranger. "And no I do not need help in that area either unless you want to bring me coffee."

"The tech will be in shortly to draw blood." The nurse said placing Alex's chart on the bedside table. "I just need to get your temp and blood pressure."

"When will Dr. Poole be in?" Alex was beginning to get nervous.

"She should be in soon." The nurse paused to write down Alex's blood pressure. "Please no talking and keep this under your tongue." The nurse repositioned the thermometer. Alex rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"I see you still have the old Alex available." Her mother said walking through the door. "Still has that little girl pout when getting instructions." Both Evan and Christina smiled at their only child. The nurse took the thermometer from Alex's lips and entered the information in the chart. Satisfied she had everything, the nurse took the chart and left the room.

"Come here." Alex demanded to her mother. She wrapped her arm around her and took a long, deep breath. "Now you daddy." Alex let go of her mother and hugged her father. Again she took a deep breath.

"Ahh!" She said when she exhaled.

"So is the smell a close second to the real thing?" her father asked.

"What smell?" She replied coyly.

"My daughter the caffeine junkie. Good thing it's a legal addition." Evan teased.

"What addiction?" Dr. Tracy Poole asked has she entered the room. "Should I be concerned?"

"Only if you smell like coffee." Christina answered.

"I see. The legal drug of the workaholic." She walked over to the bed and lowered the railing. "I hate to do this to you, but after the surgery, you aren't going to be able to drink caffeine for awhile.'

"I'm out then." Alex said raising herself up trying to get out of bed.

"Nice try." Evan said touching his daughter's shoulder.

"It will only be for a few months. You will heal faster and with the treatments, caffeine won't help much. Probably make you sicker." Dr. Poole advised while helping Alex read just herself in bed. "So, the tech should be here…" The doctor was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Right on cue." She said has she moved to allow the tech to take blood from Alex's arm.

"So any questions?" Dr. Poole looked from Cabot to Cabot to see who might speak up. They had been full of questions during the treatment plan meeting, but now, now they were silent.

"Okay then. I will see you in surgery." Dr. Poole said to Alex. She turned to walk from the room. When she reached the door Alex asked.

"What are my chances?" Her voice had a hint of a quiver.

"Same has the other day, but I won't know till we are in there. 30/70. Remember they are just estimates." Dr. Poole looked at Alex from across the room. "You're strong and healthy. I am betting on you."

"And I am on you." Alex said has a single tear escaped down her face.

"You look like an all night Christmas party." Fin said entering the squad room. He passed Olivia sitting at her desk hunched over an open file.

"And you smell like a flower shop." Olivia said tongue in cheek. "How is Barbra?"

"She's good. Knows how to cook that's for sure. Hadn't had a Christmas dinner like that since I was a kid." He notice Olivia was not really listening to him. She was deep into the file in front of her. "What ya concentrate so much on?"

"Huh?" Olivia looked up. "Oh, this case I caught last night. Looking over the crime photos see what I might have missed." Fin moved so that he was standing over her shoulder.

"Whoa! That's pretty rough!" He grabbed the photo of the victim intertwined with the mannequin. "How'd that happen?"

"Warner's not sure. Best we can tell the victim was raped by parts of the male mannequin." Olivia pointed to various other photos. "Parts broke off and whoever did this left them inside the victim. Then used the remaining parts to slab her repeatedly. "

"That's through and through." Fin said picking up another photo and looking at it closely. "What a violent scene this is."

"It was even worse first hand. Blood on the pavement." Olivia laid out the various photos has if it were one big photo of the alley next to Macy's. "Walls, human tissue. And if that weren't the worse of it the rookie cops they had working last night walked through the whole scene before CSU or Warner showed."

"And Macy's is supposed to be a family store." Fin said placing the photo he had in his hand back in the proper spot on in the photo array.

"Well, I've got some of the reports back." Melinda said has she walked into the squad. "Our Jane Doe was once a John Doe."

"Well that could be our motive there." Olivia said taking the file from Warner and scanning the content.

"She had already had the breast implants, penial exchange." Warmer was point to various photos in the file. Fin looked on from behind Olivia. "She was on hormones. Will be for the rest of her life."

"Which was yesterday." Fin added. Both women glanced his way. "My bad." He said backing away.

"So what was the cause of death?" Olivia asked.

"Would you believe she was punched in the throat." Warner pulled the photo from the pile. She pointed to the neck. "Crushed the thyroid cartilage. " She looked at the confused Fin "The Adams Apple."

"Oh." He said putting his hands on his own version. "Damn that took a lot of force."

"Yep. Judging by her height and weight and the fact that she was wearing stiletto heels I would say her attacker was roughly 6'3' 180-200 pounds."

"Left or right handed?" Olivia asked. More to see if she could stump the medical examiner.

"The knuckle prints graduate from left to right, so right handed." Warner said with a smile. "Oh and she hit her head on a brick wall." Warner reached up and touched the back of Olivia's head. "She has a dent about 3 inches in length, here."

"Great. Now all I have to do is find out where she came from." She placed the file with the other file she had created for the case. "Fin you up for a little shopping?"

"The day after Christmas are you crazy? Place will be a mad house." He said putting on his coat. "But hey so is the rest of New York."

"I think I'll tag along." Melinda said. "Got some returns of my own." She held up a red Macy's bag. "My husband thought it would be a good idea to get me lingerie for Christmas."

"Nut'n wrong with that" Fin said.

"There is when I'm a size 6 and he buys a size 12." Warner said has they left the squad room.

"Guess he won't be seeing you in it for a while." Olivia said stepping in the elevator.

Hope you like it. I romise the next chapter by weekend's end.