I borrowed my OC Brooke from A Perfect Surprise for this one. Takes place after Perfect Surprise Chapter 16, but I didn't feel like it fit that story's theme. Thanks to JennBenson for the idea!

Interlude I: Alarm

Olivia blindly felt around for her phone. The alarm pinged incessantly, insisting she get up, but the SVU Lieutenant resisted. She spent most of the night propped against pillows, trying to sleep half-sitting up in order to relieve the pressure on her congested sinuses. Now she burrowed herself completely under the down comforter, fending off the bright sunlight.

Ed and Olivia, content and excited to finally have a wedding date set, could not bask in the bliss for long. In the days after Sarah and Jeff's visit, a nasty virus invaded the apartment and the three of them were at various stages of battling the cold. Noah seemed to be on the mend and was well enough to go back to day care, Ed was constantly blowing his nose but insisted he was fine, and Olivia, in addition to being stuffed up, also had a horrible cough.

"Are you gonna turn off the phone?" Ed grumbled.

Olivia coughed, grunted, and kept searching.

Annoyed, Ed reached over to her side of the bed and extracted the device from between two pillows. He hit snooze and muttered, "Eight more minutes."

Another cough.

"Why don't you stay home today?"

"I can't. Subway guy keeps assaulting people, so…"

"You have detectives."

"We're still down a sarge."

"Fin?"

"He's refusing to take the test."

"Rollins?"

"I told her I would support her, but she hasn't registered. So, I'll probably get a new guy and he'll probably be, oh, I don't know, the governor's son or something."

"I don't think Cuomo has a son."

I wasn't speaking literally.

"Ok," she groaned. "I'm up."

Ed opened his eyes and, although he thought Olivia was usually the epitome of beauty, he couldn't help but cringe a little. Her face blazed with signs of illness—red nose, droopy eyes, sallow complexion.

"You really should stay home."

"Do I look that bad?"

"You want politeness or honesty?"

"Honesty."

"You look like you're sick."

She threw off the covers, "It'll be better after I shower." She steadied herself against the nightstand, "Ugh, I'm dizzy."

…..

"The last assault occurred on the N Train right before the Times Square stop." Fin stood in front of the large screen where the squad had been plotting the Subway groper's reported attacks. Since he'd escalated to following victims home, the crimes had taken on an additional degree of urgency. "He held something, the victim guessed a box cutter or the handle of a gun, to her back."

"Rush hour," Carisi added, "The train was packed. She thought it was just someone trying to get on or off at first."

"And after?" Olivia asked. "How'd he flee so easily?"

"As soon as he got off the train he bolted," Fin answered.

Olivia blew her nose.

Carisi was concerned. "You ok, Lieutenant?"

"I'm fine. Fin, let's go down there."

"You know, Lieutenant," Carisi called after her as she went to grab her coat, "my mother has the best recipe for chicken soup. I'll have her make you some."

Fin and Olivia made the short drive to Times Square and headed into the sprawling Subway station to canvass vendors.

"Most of these guys are here all day and night," Fin said, "Maybe they'll give us something. Right now, we don't have much other than height. One victim said the guy was white, another said he was Hispanic."

Olivia brooded. "Great. And he picks the busiest stations. Times Square. Union Square. Grand Central. Nothing from the cams?"

"Not much. He covers his face. Always wears a hood."

The two of them interviewed several kiosk clerks and booth attendants but most people, having been subjected to dozens of police interrogations about Subway crime, responded apathetically. Frustrated, Fin and Olivia stomped up the stairs.

"Unfortunately," Olivia sniffled and dug in her pocket for a tissue, "We'll have to wait. We'll flood the stations with UCs and unis."

Fin shrugged.

"HELP! HELP! GET HIM!"

A touristy-looking woman pointed frantically in the direction of a costumed character who fled on foot in the opposite direction of the Subway station. Immediately, two nearby patrol officers gave chase as did Fin and Olivia. Another officer tried to calm the woman. The man headed west and Fin shouted to inform the others he was circling around the next block to try and cut him off. The assailant, encumbered by his heavy costume, jettisoned it as he ran, leaving a trail of Mickey Mouse garb and accessories along the route.

Olivia followed him down 45th Street and radioed that the suspect made a left turn onto Eighth Avenue. She maneuvered around parked cars, crossed the street, and continued the pursuit. As she rounded the corner something sharp pierced her left arm. She immediately went for her gun.

…..

Tucker, who felt worse than he let on, sunk into his chair and flipped through some paperwork. He alternated between sipping Alka-Seltzer-infused water and coffee. Olivia tried to get him to try some tea, but he hated it. He thought about Olivia as he absent-mindedly paged through the files. Their morning had not ended well. While Olivia was in the shower, Ed made himself a cup of coffee and assumed she would get hers on the outside on her way to work. She rarely had coffee at home during the week. When she came into the kitchen and saw his cup, she frowned.

"Did you make the water for my tea?"

Tucker was confused. "Huh?"

"I asked you to put water on for me."

"You did?"

She went back to the bathroom in a huff. When she came back out she was fully clothed, shield, gun, and all.

"Liv, I didn't hear you, I—"

She cut him off. "I have to go. See you tonight." She kissed Noah on the head and left without paying any attention to Ed. He heard her violently coughing on her way to the elevator.

Tucker's office phone and cell phone rang at the same time, interrupting his replay of the morning's tension. Both calls were from the Midtown North Precinct. He opted for the office phone and muttered into the handset.

"Tucker."

The precinct's Captain was on the other line. It was not good news. Ed hung up the phone and called Cole.

"Sergeant, perp hung himself at Midtown North."

"Again?" Draper asked incredulously. It was the second fatality at the precinct in a month. The first was a result of a scuffle and the officers were easily cleared. Based on the Captain's terse and cryptic description, this one was probably more complicated.

Tucker tossed Draper his keys and blew his nose. "You drive."

Cole scrutinized his Captain's blotchy face and watery eyes. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"Day care germs?"

"Most likely."

…..

Mickey Mouse, winded and sensing he was cornered, had been lying-in-wait hidden in a service entrance doorway. He refused to go down without a fight. After cutting Olivia's arm, he lurked on the sidewalk and threateningly wielded a short kitchen knife. Passersby screamed and scattered. Olivia held the radio with her injured arm and called in her location. Fin and at least a half-dozen other officers descended on the scene and shouted orders for the man to drop the knife.

The man spun around, eyes crazed, hair disheveled, and his street clothes torn and dirty. Many homeless men made a living by dressing up as cartoon characters and posing with tourists for pictures in Times Square, and Olivia assumed he was a member of the unsavory element who had recently become notorious for swiping valuables, threatening violence, and inappropriately touching children.

Olivia's arm was throbbing and she felt the blood seeping from the wound and running down her arm. At first she assumed it was a minor cut, but she was beginning to feel light-headed and she felt the increased weight of her soaked sleeve. Fin noticed it, too. He stepped gingerly around the circle of officers who were still trying to coax the weapon out of Mickey's hands.

"Liv, you ok?"

"Yes." She held the Glock with both hands now.

"I don't think you are."

"I'm fine."

"You're bleeding."

"Let's get him into custody." Olivia joined the chorus of officers screaming "DROP THE KNIFE!"

Fin ignored her. "Hey! We got an injured officer here. Call a bus!"

"I'm fine!" Olivia insisted.

More officers arrived. Finally, the man conceded defeat and let go of the knife.

Fin held her arm. "Liv? We need to get you to the hospital." He radioed again for an ambulance.

Olivia looked down and examined her arm. The gray sleeve, from the elbow to wrist, was now marred with a dark stain. Droplets of blood ran down Olivia's hand and dripped on the sidewalk.

"Liv, you don't look so good, c'mon." Fin put a protective arm around her. With the assailant in cuffs and on his way to the precinct, a few officers huddled around them.

"It's just my cold. I'm sick."

"And stabbed. C'mon. The bus is pulling up."

She felt weak and supported herself against him as they walked to meet the EMTs.

…..

At Midtown North, Tucker and Draper consulted with the Medical Examiner.

"Looks like he hung himself," she said matter-of-factly.

"With what?" Ed asked.

"His jacket."

The precinct captain handed an iPad to Draper, and he scowled as he flipped through the photos. Ed looked at him expectantly. Draper shrugged. Unless the autopsy suggested the suicide was somehow staged, it didn't look like there was any wrongdoing.

Tucker addressed the Captain, "We're going to need to talk to the arresting officers and the intake staff."

"Now?"

"They have forty-eight hours, but…news travels fast. The sooner the better."

The Captain motioned for the IAB investigators to follow him into his office. "Have a seat," he said. "I'll get them in here, but I know they'll want to wait for a delegate."

Draper and Tucker were left alone and the staccato transmissions from the Captain's radio filled the air. Ed looked miserable and pressed his hands to his face.

"I can handle this," Cole said, "Why don't you go home?"

Ed didn't answer because the last clipped radio message caught his attention.

SVU to Central, we need a bus, 45th and Eighth, officer injured.

10-13, officer injured, en route to Bellevue.

Ed thought about his last text message exchange with Olivia. He had just dropped Noah off at day care and was checking on her. Sick and crabby, they hadn't parted ways on the best of terms that morning and he regretted leaving without saying his usual tender goodbye. However, Olivia seemed unfazed and their last exchange was amiable:

Going to Times Square, yay, I'm sure that will help my pounding head.

Take something and go home early, he sent back.

Maybe. Love you.

He got a terrible, sinking feeling in his gut. Officer injured. Very close to Times Square. There were a million other possibilities, but Ed intuitively knew it was her. Frantically, he sent her a text but immediately changed his mind and called her.

"What's wrong?" Draper asked, noticing his partner's agitation.

"Olivia was on the job near that location that just came in on the radio."

No answer.

Damn.

"They said Bellvue," Draper reminded him, not bothering to mention how unlikely it was that the injured cop was Olivia, "Why don't you just go on over there?"

Ed jumped up, caught the keys Cole tossed to him, and left for the hospital. He didn't know it, but Mickey Mouse was being escorted to holding just as he departed the precinct.

….

In the ambulance, Olivia was in and out of consciousness. Fin kept talking, but the combination of blood loss, cold medicine, and exhaustion overwhelmed her. He called Rollins who was poring over surveillance footage with Carisi. She put Fin on speaker.

"Hey, Liv's been stabbed. She's fine, but she's gotta get stitched up. We're on our way to Bellevue."

"Stabbed where?" Rollins asked.

"Times Square."

"No, where on her body?"

"Just below the elbow."

"Did it hit any arteries?" Carisi asked.

Fin peered at the EMT who was applying pressure to the wound. It looked like he'd stopped the blood flow. "I don't think so."

"That's good."

Olivia woke up just then and mumbled something.

"What's that, Liv?"

She closed her eyes without responding.

"I'm gonna call Captain Tucker," Carisi announced.

Fin managed a smile as he heard Rollins tease Carisi about having Tucker's number saved in his cell phone contacts.

"Hey man," Fin got the attention of the EMT, "she ok?"

"She's fine," he replied in a steady voice. "Blood pressure is getting back to normal. We just need to get her cleaned up and sutured."

Rollins was still on the line. "What happened?"

"Not related to the Subway assaults. One a those cartoon goons took a lady's purse and ran. We followed him, but he was waiting around a corner and sliced Liv when she ran by."

"Captain Tucker's already on his way!" Carisi called.

Fin hung up. "Almost there, Liv. Hang in there."

….

Tucker ran into the emergency room seconds after the doctors wheeled Olivia in to be examined. Fin was on the phone in a corner with his back turned towards the entrance, so he didn't see Ed right away, but Tucker found him and wasted no time with pleasantries or an apology for interrupting the phone call.

"Detective, where is Olivia?"

Fin wanted to be annoyed, but he excused the Captain's brusqueness. Fin still thought the Olivia-Ed pairing was odd, but he knew he would be crazy with worry if he were in Tucker's shoes.

"Lemme call you back," Fin spoke into the phone. "They just took her in to get checked out."

Ed searched Fin's body for blood, but he was clean. When Carisi called him and confirmed the injured officer was Olivia he nearly collapsed under the weight of the devastating possibilities. Was she shot? Dead already? How was it fair that their life together was just getting started and she was swept away from him? As Carisi continued the explanation, Ed calmed down, but not completely.

"What happened?"

Fin detailed the events leading up to the attack.

"Why didn't you get her outta there right away?"

Fin tried to remain sympathetic, "I couldn't tell what happened right away, Captain. She had her gun drawn. I didn't see anything until I got closer to her. You know Liv."

"And she had her coat on…" Tucker thought out loud, realizing he'd been too harsh on Detective Tutuola.

Still, that was his fiancée.

Ed fidgeted nervously, unable to handle the uncertainty. He wanted to do something, but waiting was the only option. That, and further questioning Fin.

"Did it look like she lost a lot of blood?"

"I thought so, but the EMT didn't seem too concerned."

Ed didn't think that was worth much. "Was she conscious?"

"In and out at first, but he got her blood pressure up. She was awake and talking when they took her in."

"Do they know she's been sick? Probably dehydrated? And I don't know what she took this morning."

"That's what she was tellin' 'em on the way in."

Ed fell silent and paced nervously although the dread he felt earlier had mostly dissipated. After what seemed like hours, a doctor emerged. "Detective?"

Fin and Tucker snapped to attention. Fin introduced Tucker, "This is the Lieutenant's fiancée."

The doctor shook Ed's hand, "Hello, sir. She's ready for discharge. We had to use internal sutures which is why it took a little while longer. But," he said optimistically, "No nerve or artery damage. If you have to be stabbed in the arm, that's the place for it."

Ed didn't appreciate the doctor's attempt at humor. "Can I see her?"

"Sure, follow me."

Olivia sat up on the bed with a clipboard in her hands. Her left forearm was wrapped with gauze. She was still wearing her blouse, but it was missing a sleeve. The EMT had actually done a fairly careful job of cutting it. Her blazer and coat were slung over the chair and Ed blinked when he saw the stains. That sure looks like a lot of blood.

She didn't look surprised to see him. "I think my coat is ruined. I love that coat. Burberry."

Ed wrapped her in a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're ok," he said gruffly.

"Ed, I'm fine. Flesh wound. Initially, I didn't realize I'd been cut so badly."

"You were attacked by a crazed maniac."

"It was a freak thing." Olivia erupted into a brief coughing fit and joked, "What I really need is something stronger for this cold." She pretended to look around for the doctor. "How are you feeling?"

Ed hadn't had time to pay attention to his symptoms. And, what the hell? She's the one with twenty-five stitches in her arm and she's more concerned about his little cold? His eyes narrowed as he peered curiously at her.

"Um, I'm, actually, I'm feeling better. I think."

She checked her watch. "Oh, it's almost five? This took a long time. Let's go get Noah."

"I asked Brooke to pick him up and take him home. I didn't know, uh, what exactly happened."

Olivia finally comprehended how truly terrified he was. "Ed," she said softly, "I thought Carisi called you and told you it wasn't serious?"

He repeatedly shifted his weight from one foot to the other and there was no hiding the anxiety in his face. His voice was shaky, "He did, but…" Ed pulled her close again. Not only did he want to feel her body against him, but he didn't want her to see his watery eyes since the moisture, this time, was definitely not because of the virus. "The first thing he said was that you were on your way to the hospital. You have no idea what went through my mind."

"The worst?"

"Yes. The worst."

She tilted her head back and kissed him. With her thumb she wiped a small tear, just the one had escaped, from the corner of his eye. "Oh…Ed…I'm so sorry."

"For a second I thought I lost you."

"You didn't. I'm right here. And I'm all yours."

"Now I want to kill Carisi."

Olivia giggled through her tears.

"Too dramatic," Ed muttered.

She blew her nose and coughed again, "Let's go home."

…..

Brooke rushed to greet Olivia as soon as she heard the key in the lock.

"Oh my Gawwwd, Olivia! I am so glad to see you!" Brooke hugged Olivia and then punched her father in the shoulder. "You didn't text me back. I had no idea what was going on and I'm trying to act all calm with Noah but I'm freaking out."

"I'm so sorry, Brooke." There was genuine remorse in the apology.

"Well, it turned out to be ok because the detective stopped by to drop off soup for all you sick people, and he brought me up to speed. Oh shit." Brooke grabbed her phone, "I forgot to update Sarah. She's freaking out, too."

"What detective?" Olivia asked as she made her way over to Noah, picked him up, and cuddled with him on the couch. He curiously but gently touched her bandage. "Mommy's ok, baby," she cooed.

"The one Sarah and I met and I talked to the day I dropped off Noah. Hair slicked back? Sonny?"

Ed looked at the two of them suspiciously. "Carisi?"

"Yes. That's the one."

"How long was he here?"

Brooke scoffed at the unnecessary inquisition, "Um, enough time to put the soup on the stove, update me, say hi to Noah, and walk out. Five minutes maybe?"

Olivia erupted into another coughing fit and, almost simultaneously, a series of sneezes overcame Ed. Realizing exactly how drained he was, Ed decided not to ask more questions. He walked into the kitchen and examined the soup. "Looks good."

"He brought a baguette, too. Oh, and I fed Noah."

"That was so nice of Carisi, and thank you for feeding him," Olivia said. She put Noah down and went to change clothes. When she returned she made a big deal of discarding the blouse. "That's ruined," she said ruefully.

Brooke clicked her tongue, "NYPD should reimburse you."

"I know, right?" Olivia cast sad eyes on the coat, "I think that's a total loss, too. But I'll take it to the cleaners anyway."

"Well," Brooke said, "I'm going." She hugged Olivia again, "I'm so glad you're ok. But let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks, Brooke."

"Love you Daddy! Love you Noey!"

Noah was fully engaged with his trains, but he replied, "Love you Bwookey. Bye-bye! See you tomorrow!" Noah probably would not see her tomorrow, but that was this week's favorite phrase.

Ed rubbed her back, "I'm gonna change and then we'll eat?"

"Ok," Olivia replied, "Hopefully he'll go to bed early."

"You go to bed whenever you want. I got him."

Olivia wanted to show her gratitude with kisses and hugs and sex, but she was coughing, blowing her nose, and her new stab wound throbbed more intensely now that the anesthesia had worn off. The amorous thank-you would have to wait. Ed cut the baguette and brought their dinner to the couch.

"You want me to turn on the TV?" He asked.

"No."

"Hey, I'm sorry about this morning."

"For what?"

"I really didn't hear you ask me for the water."

"I know. It was just a bad morning. It wasn't even that bad, but I'm sorry for leaving like that. And we're not feeling well."

"But then…"

"Ed."

He persisted, "But then I got that call. What if that would've been the last time we saw each other?"

"Ed, stop thinking like that. It was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing."

She put her bowl on the coffee table and faced him. "Stop torturing yourself. Everything's ok."

"Let's just make sure we say goodbye every morning, ok?"

"Ok."

He caressed her cheek, kissed her forehead, and studied her face intently, "We really look like shit."

Olivia laughed at his wisecrack, relieved his dry sense of humor had returned. "Captain, truer words have never been spoken."

"I'm staying home tomorrow to take care of you."

Olivia offered no resistance, "Thank you. That sounds nice."

He put his bowl down and motioned for her to recline against him.

"And, Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you…but, Olivia?"

"Yeah?"

Her initial nonchalance in the hospital room was still bothering him. He failed to comprehend their polar-opposite emotions in the context of such a serious incident. She remained so guarded; he was, albeit briefly, an emotional wreck. "I want you to know…just remind you…that you're not alone anymore."

Huh?

He continued, choosing his words carefully, "It seems like, today, you kind of faced it like you were on your own."

She stared back blankly, processing his words.

He's right.

Ed took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "You don't have to live like no one cares about you anymore. You know that, right?"

Olivia flashed back to the times she'd been asked if there was anyone they could call for her. She thought about leaving emergency contact information lines blank. Then, she saw Tucker's pained expression from earlier and immediately felt guilty.

"I'm so sorry, Ed."

"You don't have to apologize. I know it's a change. But you get to share the good and the bad with me now."

"Thank you for pointing that out. Sometimes I forget…you're so…"

"Good lookin'?" he teased.

"Usually," she joked back, "but like you said…"

Ed finished the sentence, "we look temporarily awful."

"But in love."

"In love," he echoed.

She smiled, rested her head on his chest, clutched a wad of tissues, and closed her eyes.

Both his breathing and his protective embrace soothed her and, within minutes, she was fast asleep.

…