A little more...
The next morning Olivia opened the door as Maureen came in with Kate, carrying the sobbing child. "She's tired…it was a long couple days at my mom's. She didn't get much sleep," she explained as she sat her daughter down next to Noah in the playpen and smiled. "How was your time with Noah? I'm really sorry about Dad showing up over here the other night. I had no idea…"
Olivia wondered how much Elliot had mentioned to his daughter about their time together, but she figured it wasn't much. Maureen didn't look like she was judging her and she was sure if she knew the truth, she would be. "It was fine," she insisted. "Noah and I went to the park yesterday and then to the zoo. I loved having that time with him. And it was nice catching up with your dad…we had a good talk." She forced a smile and went to the hall closet, grabbing her gun from the lock box and securing it carefully before leaning over to kiss her son good-bye. "I'll try not to be too late," she promised as she walked out the door.
Walking into the precinct she knew it was going to be a crazy day. Fin rushed up to her, explaining that the suspect they'd had in custody on a rape case had broken the two-way mirror in the interrogation room, slitting his wrists and was in serious condition at the hospital and that a distraught mother was waiting for someone to take her statement, claiming her teenage daughter had run away with an older man and wanted to file statutory rape charges. It was a few hours before she even made it into her office and began to check her messages from her time off, and another hour or so taking care of those before she finally had a minute to sit down and just think. She picked up the phone and called to check on Noah, happy when Maureen assured her he was fine. Then she logged onto the computer and did some research on Elliot's security firm. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to know about this place he worked now…the place that was less stressful than working with her.
She quickly wrote down the address and put it in her purse, when Nick knocked on the door and asked her to look over some crime scene photos with him. Before she knew it, it was after seven and she still wasn't done with all the work she needed to finish. Obviously there were reasons she didn't take time off very often. She grabbed her purse, making her way out of her office. Rollins was the only one still sitting at her desk and Olivia mumbled a quick good-bye to her before heading to the elevators.
Once she got in her car she called Maureen again. "I'm sorry it's so late," she said quickly. "I still have some things I have to take care of." She could hear crying in the background, but she knew it wasn't Noah. It sounded like Kate. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Maureen assured her in a tired voice. "Kate's just been in a mood all day. She's tired and I can't get her to go to sleep." She sighed, "How much longer do you think you'll be?"
"I don't know," Olivia said honestly. "Do you need me to come home now? I can…"
"No…everything is fine here," Maureen insisted. "We'll see you later."
She hung up the phone and drove, unsure why she was heading to Queens and questioning what she planned to do when she got there. She pulled out the paper with the address of Elliot's security firm on it and even though she knew he wouldn't be there so late she drove there anyway. She just wanted to know more about him, about the man he was now, and this job seemed to be an important part of that. She sat outside the building, looking at the windows, mostly dark and wondered how Elliot handled going home at the same time every day. When they were partners, he always seemed to thrive on the thrill of the unknown, the odd hours, the danger…she couldn't picture him in a regular nine to five job, but he obviously enjoyed it. He said he didn't miss being a detective.
She pulled away from the curb and found herself driving toward his house. Parking a block away, with his house just within her view, she thought back to the days after Cragen had first told her Elliot wasn't coming back to SVU. She'd driven there many nights, sitting just out of sight of the house, waiting for a glimpse of him, hoping she'd have the guts to confront him, but she never did. She'd just sat there and watched, like she was doing right now, afraid of what would happen if she was brave enough to speak up…and she'd lost him for three years. She wasn't going to let that happen this time. She couldn't. She needed him to know what he meant to her, even if it meant taking things slowly while they waited to see where things were headed. She opened the door, but her cell phone rang before she could get out of the car. She saw it was Maureen and closed the car door, answering the phone, "Maureen?" she answered and she could hear the cries on the other end of the line. "Honey, what's wrong?"
"I don't know," she admitted, "But I need you to come home. Kate's sick…really sick. She won't stop crying and she keeps throwing up. Her temperature is 103. I need to take her to the ER. I'm keeping Noah in the nursery away from her so he doesn't get sick too, but I need you to hurry."
"I'm on my way," she quickly pulled away from the curb and headed toward home. "I'm in Queens…following a lead on a case, but I'll be there as fast as I can."
She drove as quickly as she could, rushing to the apartment, apologizing frantically as she swung open the door, "I'm so sorry," she said, nearly out of breath. "If I had known Kate was sick, I wouldn't have stayed at work so late." She didn't want Maureen to know she'd driven to Queens to spy on her father. "How is she?" she looked at the little girl, her face red from crying and fever, her blue eyes watery and blank. She touched the child's head and was shocked at how hot she was to touch.
Maureen had tears in her eyes and was obviously shaken, "She's never been this sick before," she frantically picked her daughter up and headed toward the door. "I called her doctor and he said it could just be a virus, but I should take her to the ER since her fever is so high."
"Do you want me to drive you?" Olivia offered, worried about Maureen driving when she was so worried about her little girl.
Maureen shook her head, "No…I don't want you to have to take Noah out." Olivia opened the door so Maureen could carry Kate out more easily.
"Olivia?" she asked, "Could you call my dad? Ask him if he'll meet me at the hospital? I don't want to be there by myself."
"Sure," Olivia nodded. She hugged her and kissed Kate on the forehead. "She's gonna be okay," she added and Maureen nodded, hoping she was right. Then Olivia closed the door and picked up the phone. She hadn't dialed Elliot's number in three years, and now she had to call to tell him his granddaughter was sick.