A/N: A shout out to Lily and my two anonymous reviewers! Glad you liked it. There's more on Rollins in this chapter. :)
Chapter 13
"Elliot! We need to talk," Munch walked into the precinct pushing Charlotte in her stroller. Upon seeing her father she outstretched her arms and indicated that she wanted a hug. Elliot reached down and scooped her up.
"Hey baby. What's Uncle Munch doing here with you?" He asked. Not having any idea why they left the warmth of the playpen the little tike just snuggled deeper into his shoulder.
"We've got a problem at your apartment. The babysitter was making copies of bank and credit card statements and there are bugs and I'm not talking about the kind with six legs that wander around looking for food," Munch explained.
"Bugs?" Amaro had questioning look on his face as he left his desk and walked over to where Elliot and John were standing at Stabler's desk.
"How is that possible?" Elliot asked.
"You have any work done in the apartment lately?" Munch wanted to know.
"Yes, the apartment above us had a leaky pipe and the super had his plumber come in and fix it," Elliot explained.
"What's the name of this plumber?" Nick inquired.
"I don't know. You'd have to call the super," the elder detective said, handing Amaro his phone.
"I'm on it," Nick nodded. He found the super's contact and immediately called the number.
"The babysitter is working for someone?" Elliot asked.
"I'm afraid so. Novak and you're new lawyer, her friend, Matt, are dealing with her. Basically though, you should be able to make the argument in court that the claim is fruit of the poisonous tree. All the stuff that was collected illegally should be thrown out right?" Munch wondered.
"I would think so. What do you know about the bugs?" Stabler inquired.
"Nothing but I called the local precinct before I left. The CSU team is sweeping the apartment as we speak and removing the bugs. With any luck they can trace them back to someone. In the meantime, any word from the hospital?" John wanted to know.
"Nothing. Fin hasn't called and we've hit a dead end with the case. We can't figure out why someone would be after the unit," Elliot heaved a sigh as he set Charlotte back down in her stroller.
"Stabler, Amaro, I need you in my office," Cragen announced from his doorway, giving Munch a nod. Elliot headed over to the Captain's office and Nick was right behind him having gotten off the phone with the super and handing the information he'd received to John.
"What is it Captain?" Nick asked.
"I just got a call from the Bomb Squad. They detonated the vest and have had the robots make sure the car has been deactivated. CSU will be going over the vehicle with a fine tooth comb looking for evidence. In the meantime, get yourselves to the hospital. Fin left me a message and I don't like what I hear," the Captain had his cell phone on the desk and he replayed the message.
"Cap, it's Fin. Things have gone from bad to worse. Is there someone in her family we can call?" Let me know." He hung up after that and Elliot looked at Nick.
"Let's go. What about you Captain?" Nick asked.
"I'll be there as soon as I can. I have to update Major Case and then I'll head over. Tell Munch the news," he told them. Elliot nodded and quickly the two headed out of the office. They quickly updated the former detective and the three of them and little Charlotte headed out the door to the hospital.
Fin was pacing in the waiting room. The nurse said that Rollins wouldn't be able to be seen by anyone for at least the next thirty minutes to an hour. They had managed to get her heart pumping again but she had been cold for so long that hypothermia has set in. She had frostbite on her toes and fingers and the doctors were trying to heat up her entire body before heating up the more frozen areas first, wanting to avoid putting more strain on her heart. The nurse had been clear – another heart stoppage and the chances of Rollins recovering were slim to none. It was bad enough that they didn't know how badly her brain had been damaged before her heart stopped but now that it had been in a state of hypothermia and then had a lack of oxygen for almost three minutes.
"Fin!" Elliot announced their arrival and it was at this point that Fin collapsed into a nearby chair.
"How bad is it?" Nick asked. Fin heaved a breath and quickly filled them in.
"She's tough. She'll make it through this," Nick reassured him.
"What if she doesn't? I can't handle not having her around," his friend admitted. Fin wasn't usually the emotional one but Elliot could see that this had taken a toll on him. Just like when Olivia had first been hurt, Elliot was a mess. He also understood that despite their protesting otherwise, there was something more than partnership going on.
"I know. We just have to be here and let her know that we're going to kick her butt for laying down on the job," Elliot teased.
"Yeah," Fin smirked. They all fell into silence as they waited to hear news from the nurses. Elliot knew that he should check in on Olivia but he didn't want to leave Fin in case there were some developments. As if sensing what Elliot was thinking Fin asked,
"Why don't you go check on Liv?"
"I can check on her later," he told him.
"We're just waiting anyway," Fin pointed out.
"All right. A quick check and then I'll be right back. She would want to know what is going on anyway," Elliot gave him a slight smile and headed off to the elevators and Liv's room.
To Be Continued…