A/N: A shout out to my anonymous reviewer. So glad you enjoyed it. Hope this chapter keeps you hooked. ;)
Chapter 16
There was a soft knock on the hospital room door and Fin got out of his seat near the bed. His joints protested as he had barely moved from the spot he'd been in.
"Cal my man," the detective smiled for the first time in days.
"Uncle Fin," Calvin beamed at seeing the older man and was surprised when he was pulled into a hug.
"Home for good now?" Fin asked when he released the hug.
"I think so. The judge dismissed everything," the young man said.
"That's great," Fin smiled slightly.
"Mom and Dad said Aunt Amanda was in a bad way," Calvin changed the subject.
"She is. I'm trying to keep her company," the older man's smile faded.
"Can I sit with you?" Calvin wanted to know.
"Absolutely. She'd love to have you," he said. The two took seats near the blonde and Calvin filled her in on his latest adventures, hoping that hearing his voice would help.
Out in the waiting room, Nick was filling in Elliot and Olivia as to the update of Amanda's condition. The Captain had been there but a phone call had interrupted the little group meeting.
"How bad is it?" Olivia wanted to know.
"They put her in a medically induced coma to get the swelling down in her brain. They were pleased with her progress as far as the frostbite goes. The nurse said that they probably wouldn't have to amputate anything so there's that. The problem is the strain on her heart and her brain. Tomorrow they're going to run a scan and make sure there is actually brain activity," Nick swallowed hard. They all knew that if no brain activity was found other than enough to keep her life functions going that there would be a tough decision to make.
Luckily it was discovered that after the mess with Rollins' sister she had changed all of her medical paperwork to reflect someone else making the medical decisions. They had all been shocked that Fin had been named on the paperwork as they figured she had to have more relatives somewhere. Fin had however stepped up and done what he needed to when the nurses asked. Despite their ongoing secret relationship they had never discussed what to do in these kinds of situations. Up until that point, the relationship had been more because they both understood each other. As Olivia had pointed out earlier in her career, as soon as someone hears what you do for living, they either want to know all the gory details or they don't, and things never get passed the first date.
"Well its official, they've called in the Feds," the Captain said as he approached the group.
"The Feds?" Elliot asked.
"It seems that another body was discovered. This time with Amaro's name and badge number carved into the victim," Don shook his head.
"So that rounds out the squad then," Nick heaved a sigh.
"It does?" Olivia was confused.
"Yesterday they found a girl with my name and badge number on it," Don explained.
"Why didn't someone tell me?" Elliot wanted to know.
"You guys were busy with the lawyer and we wanted you to stay focused on getting Calvin back," Nick spoke up. Both Elliot and Olivia nodded.
"Well the body they found was pretty messed up, more so than the other victims, so it might take a while to identify. Since we have an apparent serial killer on the loose and the possibility that former officer Simpson helping him, one PP wants everything to look on the up and up," Don explained.
"Why mutilate the latest victim more than the others?" Nick asked. It was a question they all were asking.
"I have no idea. The women that were killed earlier did not have any connection to anyone in the unit. The killer was brazen enough to clean them with bleach and leave them for everyone to find. We're missing something but I have no idea what it is," Elliot had a questioning look on his face.
"What kind of extra mutilation?" Olivia wanted to know.
"Limbs were removed, the mouth was smashed, and then the body was dumped into "a bathtub of bleach" as Warner put it," Don told them.
"This could be our killer's accomplice. If he's cleaning house then he's on the run," Elliot pointed out just as his phone rang. He quickly excused himself to answer the call.
"I'll call in and let them know what we've been thinking," Don nodded and quickly made a call himself.
"What is it El?" Olivia asked as he returned to the group after the brief phone call.
"That was Matt. Social Services delivered the name to him," he said.
"Well spit it out," Nick was confused by the older man's reaction.
"Vivian Arliss," Elliot said.
To Be Continued…