Apologies for the delay, my family and I were away for a few days. Back home and writing now so let's continue. Does Elliot really remember Cragen? I wrote this really fast so if you find any typos, you know why! Enjoy.

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44. Fathers

"You ... you were our superior officer. I remember this!"

Both Cragen's and Olivia's mouth fell open, and Elliot looked at both of them triumphantly.

"You ... you remember him now?" Olivia finally asked, rubbing his arm soothingly because she feared he might get another headache.

Elliot was still looking at Cragen and bit his lower lip.

"Not completely. Not like you," Elliot added, looking at Olivia for a second. "It's kinda like how I remembered Olivia in the beginning. I know I know you, sir. You're one of the people in my peripheral vision, but you're coming into focus a bit. You were ..."

Elliot glanced at Olivia again before continuing.

"You were like a father figure to us."

Olivia looked between both men and saw tears spring into Donald Cragen's eyes. He put a hand on Elliot's shoulder and squeezed it.

"That's ... it means a lot to me that you'd remember me that way, Elliot," the older man said, his voice trembling with emotion. "I was your boss but I did try to look out for the two of you. Maybe a little more than my other detectives."

Elliot smiled.

"Well, I hope we showed you some appreciation for that."

Cragen wiggled his head and both Olivia and Elliot chuckled.

"We did appreciate it, a lot," Olivia chimed in. "You know we both didn't have the father we would have wanted, and you were always there for us. Stern but fair, and always ready to either punish us or help us on our way. Thank you, Captain."

Cragen took a deep breath and breathed out slowly, clearly struggling a bit with his emotions. He just smiled when words failed him, and Elliot put his hand over Cragen's on his shoulder while Olivia grabbed his other hand. They were all moved by the sincere moment they were sharing. Olivia saw the look in Elliot's eyes change after a few moments though, and looked at him attentively.

"El? What is it?" she asked him.

Elliot looked up at her and then at Cragen.

"I still don't remember my own father."

...

Elliot wondered out loud if he should ask his mother about his father, but then remembered he'd already tried that. Bernie hadn't been very eager to talk about her late husband. Neither had Kathy for that matter. Cragen tried to get him to let it go for now but Olivia wondered if Elliot really would. He was beginning to look and act more like the Elliot she'd known all those years. And that Elliot never let anything go. He dropped the subject for now, and as promised, Cragen said goodbye after a short while so he could rest. Olivia walked him out and thanked him again for all he had done for both her and Elliot while they worked at SVU. Cragen wasn't very good at accepting compliments or gratitude, and Olivia decided to give him a warm hug in stead of a lot of words.

"Will we see you again soon?" she asked as they broke apart.

"Well, Eileen is making plans for our next trip but I think I can drop by once more before we leave."

"Please do. Elliot needs all of us so he can remember."

Cragen nodded and rubbed her arm.

"He remembers you, Olivia. Somehow, I think that's enough. But naturally, I will help in any way I can. Just ... take care of each other, okay?"

"We will," Olivia smiled.

When she returned to Elliot's room, she could tell that he was having difficulty keeping his eyes open.

"El, just go to sleep. It's fine," she told him, approaching the bed and taking his hand between hers.

"You look tired too, Liv," he told her sleepily. "Didn't you sleep well last night either?"

Olivia bit her lip and then shook her head. The truth, she reminded herself. Honesty would save them from pulling up their walls again. So she admitted that she hadn't slept much, although she didn't think it was necessary to tell him exactly why not.

"So we both need to rest," Elliot decided. "Lay with me?"

Olivia's eyebrows shot up. Lay with him? How? Elliot smiled at her and patted the right side of his bed. The right side of his body was practically uninjured so she wouldn't hurt him accidentally if she climbed into the hospital bed with him. But she couldn't. Could she?

"Come on. I'll scoot over a bit. There's plenty of room," Elliot pleaded, and she couldn't help smiling at the puppy eyes he was giving her.

She took off her blazer and kicked off her shoes, leaving just a blue blouse, jeans and her socks. Elliot grinned when she rounded the bed, and grabbed the trapeze bar above his bed to move his body to the left. When she reached for him to help him, his glare stopped her and she shook her head. His stubbornness was still there, strong as ever. Once Elliot was settled, Olivia carefully climbed into bed with him. Elliot put his right arm around her shoulders when she lowered her upper body, and Olivia just gave in, turning on her left side while resting her head on his shoulder and placing her right arm across his chest carefully.

"Ribs don't bother me anymore," Elliot mumbled, pulling her a little closer to him while she moved her legs next to his and tried to pull the blanket over her hip.

Once they were both settled Elliot kissed her forehead and Olivia smiled up at him.

"This is nice," Elliot said softly. "I finally have my partner in bed with me."

Olivia chuckled and decided not to comment. She snuggled up to him and closed her eyes, trying not to think too much about what they were doing. She was in bed with her partner. Only he wasn't her married partner anymore. Not the man she had fallen in love with but could never have. She could have him now, so what was the harm in taking a nap with him? Surely the nurse wouldn't kick her out if she found them like this? Besides, she was fully dressed. Elliot wasn't. Elliot wasn't ... She swallowed hard and told herself to keep breathing. He had enough clothes on and any thoughts of what was beneath them, should be reserved for another time and place.

"Stop overthinking, Liv," Elliot mumbled and if Olivia's eyes hadn't been closed, she would have rolled them at him.

But he was right, so she tried to relax and tried emptying her brain of all thoughts. She listened to his heartbeat, that was normal now and calm. She was glad she had such a calming effect on him that even his headaches went away when he was holding her. Maybe she should reconsider sleeping on the couch. Sleeping in the same bed with Elliot would be therapeutic for him. Right? Yes, it would. She grinned at herself for trying to find excuses to be close to him. She didn't need excuses anymore. Not now. Not ever.

Just when she started to nod off, Elliot took a deep breath and asked her,

"Liv, what did he do to you?"

...

Dun dun?