Essence was on the ledge contemplating jumping. She wanted all of this to just be over with. She couldn't handle the mess her life had become. "Honey please do not jump. None of this is your fault." Essence turned around and started screaming. "How would you know what's my fault and what isn't? You were not there ever. You have no idea what the hell I have been through." Olivia started to cry. She just got her baby girl back and didn't want to lose her. "You're completely right. I know I wasn't there and I am sorry."
Essence didn't know how to take that. She knew Olivia was being sincere. Essence got done but wanted to get in Olivia's face and scream at her and just get everything out.
"YOU THINK SAYING SORRY IS GOING TO FIX EVERYTHING?! WERE YOU EVEN GOING TO TELL ME WHO YOU WERE?! OR WERE YOU PLANNING ON WALKING AWAY AGAIN AFTER ALL OF THIS WAS OVER?! HOW CAN A SELFISH BITCH LIKE YOU BE MY MOTHER?! I WOULD NEVER ABANDON MY BABY!" Essence shouted in Olivia's face.
Olivia didn't know what else to do so she did the only thing she could think of. She wrapped her arms around Essence and held her tight. "Baby, I am sorry. I will spend the rest of my life saying sorry to you but I'm not going to let you kill yourself!" She pulled her off the ledge and held her all the way to the door, mesmerized by how light she was.
"Get off me you cunt! You can't do this! Let me kill myself! You obviously didn't care what was going to happen to me when you gave me up!" Essence was trying to get out of Olivia's hold.
Olivia held onto her but not to hard because she didn't want to hurt her. She carried her into the hospital and started yelling for help. "Please help me?! My daughter was trying to kill herself on the roof." A nurse came running with a sedative. "Get that shit away from me!" Essence yelled. "Mam please hold her still." The nurse stuck the needle in Essences hip. Her flailing body soon went limp and everything went dark and she fell asleep in Olivia's arms. The nurse brought over a gurney and put her on it. They took her to floor that she room was on. It was breaking Olivia's heart that her own daughter was ready to take her life but she blamed herself. 'I have to do something to change this and show her that I truly care' she thought. 'I need to go to the courts and see the caseworker.' Olivia wanted to make this right. She also wanted to protect her daughter from herself being so suicidal as she was.
Olivia pulled her phone and as she exited the hospital. "Alex I need a favor please meet me at Bellevue." Alex was confused she didn't know what for. She got out of her bed not caring what she threw on. This was her chance to be there for her. She knew she wanted to win Olivia over. Alex walked to her car and immediately headed straight to the hospital. She had no idea what was going on. It was 3am and it was unusual for Olivia to call her in the middle of the night unless it was work related.
Alex met Olivia standing outside of Bellevue. "Liv, what's going on?"
"Could we sit down?" Olivia asked nervously. "I have something to tell you."
They walked back inside the hospital and sat down in am empty waiting room. "What do you need to tell me?" Alex asked.
Olivia took a deep breath. "13 years I spent the night with Brian Cassidy and 9 months later I had a baby. A baby girl. I was feeling so messed up with my own life, I gave her up for adoption. Yesterday I got a new case, a thirteen year old girl was brought in raped, beaten and brutalized. And I'm telling you this because that victim is my daughter. I knew it the moment I saw her. And I had Melinda perform a DNA test to confirm."
Olivia just let the whole story spill out. By the time she was done there was a mix of emotions on Alex's face.
"Alex please say something?" But no words would come out. "Alex, anything." Alex didn't want to say the wrong thing though. She didn't want to say something and Olivia go off on her. "Liv, I'm so sorry. I am here for you, what do you need me to do, whatever it is, anything." Olivia nodded and started to tell her she needed help to get rights back to her own daughter. She let her know that she had been dumped into the system. "Liv there is a very good chance here, your stable. I can also be there for you along the way. A shoulder to lean on when things get hard." Olivia was becoming emotional. "Thank you Alex. We have to hurry my baby is in trouble she tried to take her own life." Alex knew that this was serious and picked up her phone immediately to call in a favor to get the ball rolling. She wasn't going to let Olivia down.
Alex called into the DA's office. She didn't care if it was the middle of the night. She didn't want to see Olivia's daughter on the brink of committing suicide. She needed help and Olivia needed parental rights.
"What do you need Alex?" Donnelly asked, leaning back in her chair.
"Who is this?" Donnelly asked, tiredly. "Sorry to call in the middle of the night Judge it's Alex Cabot." "What can I do for you Alex?"
"I know I woke you but I was wondering if you can get the ball rolling for Olivia to have her rights restored to her daughter." Alex said.
"Olivia...Olivia Benson?" Donnelly asked. Double checking.
"Yes, she is wanting to have rights restored to her and take her out of the system." Alex said.
"What's the child's name?" Donnelly asked.
"Essence Rowland." Alex answered.
Donnelly wrote it down. "I'll see what I can do. I'll be in contact with you." She hung up and started calling her connections at social services.
Alex sighed as she hung up on her end. She hope this would work out for Olivia. She walked back over to where Olivia was standing. "Olivia Donnelly is going to see what she can do. I have a feeling the chances are very good because she has a lot of strings she can pull over at Social Services." Before Olivia could realize it she took Alex into her arms and embraced her. She has never been so grateful to have Alex in her life. Olivia cried as she held onto Alex. "Alex this means the world to me. Thank you so much. I just hope I can make this up to her. I already blame myself so much. I thought I was doing the right thing."
Alex's heart broke at that moment for Olivia. She just wanted to be there for her. Hold her at that moment. Let her know that everything was going to be ok.
Alex held Olivia close. "Of course Liv. Anything for you." A throat cleared interrupting the moment they were sharing. "Olivia, I just wanted you to know that we are holding Essence for 3 days in the psych ward." The Doctor said.
"Thank you so much Doctor." Olivia said.
Olivia looked into Alex's eyes, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me." She smiled and waited patiently.
"Liv... I wanna talk about this but here and now is not the time." Alex said.
"I understand. How about we talk over breakfast?" Olivia asked.
"Ok. I'm gonna go back home and get some sleep. I'll call you when I get up." Alex said.
Alex was secretly excited to go out on what she was calling a date with Olivia for breakfast. She remembered the smell of Olivia's coconut shampoo and it made her smile. She wanted so badly to be a part of Olivia's life and hopefully one day her daughters as well.
Meanwhile at the hospital Olivia had never been more relieved that they were admitting Essence to the psych ward. At least if she's there she thought she wouldn't lose her baby girl. She wouldn't be able to handle life if all of a sudden her daughter's existence was gone.