Olivia's Dark Nights
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. I don't write these for money. I'm just bored.
Author's note: Thank you to everyone for the reviews! Please continue to let me know what you think about the story!
Chapter 6
Cragen, Elliot, Munch, and Fin were waiting silently in the waiting room. Elliot had been pacing back and forth for some time. He had tried to sit down a few times, but just couldn't sit still. This was killing him. None of the men knew what to say. They had all noticed that Olivia was obviously upset about something, but none of them knew how to approach the situation. Elliot finally sat down and placed his head in his hands.
"Why did she do this?" Why didn't she come to me, or to anyone else for that matter?"
"Elliot, it's not anyone's fault. These things happen. Olivia didn't do anything to any of us. She did it to herself. She's sick Elliot. That isn't her fault."
Melinda and Huang stepped into the waiting room. All four men stood up immediately.
"How is she," Cragen asked.
"Not well I'm afraid," Melinda said eying Olivia's chart. "She's septic. She has in infection raging in her blood. She is running about a 104 degree fever. We've tried to identify the bacteria, but so far we've been unsuccessful. We've started her on high dose antibiotics as well as high doses of acetaminophen to try to control the fever. We have her under cooling blankets. I'm very concerned that the high fever may cause a seizure. Temperatures that high in adults can be fatal. We have her on fluids because she is severely dehydrated. We had to insert a feeding tube. We can't tell how long it's been since she has eaten. Her glucose levels are dangerously low. She still hasn't regained consciousness. She also has traces of a sleeping pill called Ambien in her system."
"Doc, what do we do now," Cragen asked.
"For now, all we can do is wait, and hope the drugs do their jobs. She is in bad shape right now. We're doing all we can."
"What about her psychological health," Elliot asked. "What do we do? We can't let her just go on about her daily life after she is physically better, and pretend nothing happened."
Huang spoke up in his usual calm voice.
"Olivia is going to need a lot of help. She is suffering from severe depression, and self-mutilating. The self-mutilation is severe. I suspect she may also be suffering from anorexia."
Munch and Fin looked at each other and shook their heads. "I can't believe this is goin on," Fin said. "How did things get so out of control?"
"Usually self-mutilation is something a person, usually girls and women, begin when they are in their teenage years. I suspect Olivia had been a cutter as a teenager. When her depression became severe enough, she reverted back to old habits. I don't know if the cutting was used as a coping mechanism, or if it was a suicide attempt. Some of the injuries are quite severe. We also need to determine if she is suffering from anorexia."
"How do we help her," Cragen asked.
Huang took a deep breath.
"I believe Olivia is going to need in-patient care. Her problems are too severe to treat her with outpatient therapy. Olivia wouldn't stick with a therapy regime. She is going to need medication. I have a connection at a private hospital in Westchester. I think that would be the best place for her. I've already checked, and her insurance will cover the expenses."
"Olivia is not going to agree to that," Elliot said.
"At this point, she doesn't have a choice. She is a threat to herself. We can get a court order if we have to."
"When can we see her," Munch asked.
"You can all go in now, but she is not awake.
The group made their way to Olivia's bedside. None of them could believe this was really happening. They didn't know how to handle the situation. This was different then anything any of them had ever experienced before. This was Olivia.
Elliot's stomach was in knots as he looked at Olivia unconscious in a hospital. She looked terrible. Her body was like a skeleton. She was pale, and had darker circles under her eyes then he had ever seen before. She was connected to so many tubes and monitors. He felt like this was his fault.
"I don't want her to be alone when she wakes up. One of us should be here at all times," Elliot said to the group.
The men agreed. "The last thing she needs is to come out of this and find herself alone again. We'll take shifts," Cragen said.
"I'll stay tonight Cap," Elliot volunteered.
Cragen nodded. "I'll come by in the morning. Munch and Fin, you can both take a shift tomorrow."
Munch, Fin, and Cragen all kissed Olivia on the cheek as they stepped out into the hall. None of them had ever experienced anything like this before during their careers. They were used to fellow officers getting injured on the job; gun shots, broken bones, they went along with the territory. This territory however, was uncharted.