Five Days Later

It's been six days since my suicide attempt, and today was the trial of Tom and Suzanna. I'm not sure how they did it, but the detectives got both of them to confess that yes, I have been raped by Tom. At first, him and Suzanna claimed it had been consensual, saying how I wanted it each time. I guess they said this when they found out there was a rape kit and that if there was DNA evidence, it would match Tom's, which there was. But Elliot and Olivia must have used their magic techniques because Tom is facing 10 years in prison and then probation for third-degree rape, and Suzanna is sentenced to 12 months for child endangerment.

It's after the trial and I find Elliot and Olivia. She sees me and smiles and she opens her arms. I hug her and it brings tears to my eyes. I want the hug to last forever but she pulls away. "Skylar, you did great up there." Olivia tells me, referring to my testimony.

"Thank you," I reply and Alex Cabot, the DA, walks up to us. "Thank you so much." I whisper and give her a hug. The four of us walk out of the courtroom and I see my social worker, Laura.

"I heard the good news. Are you ready to go back to the office?" Laura asks. I've been staying there because she can't find an available foster home for me. I'm kinda glad because I'm afraid I'll meet another Tom, another man who will want to rape me.

"I… I don't really want to." I mumble looking down.

"Skylar, it should only be for a little while longer." She says.

"I just meant right now." I say.

"Actually, why don't we go celebrate? How would you like to go get some dessert, Skylar?" Olivia asks with a smile. My heart leaps at the sound of that. Olivia wants to spend time with me? She had been to the hospital to visit me the day before I left and then had come to check on me at Laura's office. Then when Alex helped me prepare for the trial Olivia had been there. But this is different.

"Really? I would love that." I look at Laura hopefully.

"It's alright with me. I have a lot of paperwork to work on so I won't be very entertaining." She says with a laugh. I smile at her and she leaves the courthouse.

"Elliot, would you like to come?" Olivia asks.

"Nah, you two have fun. I'm getting home to my family." He answers and smiles at me. We walk down the courthouse steps together and arrive at Elliot's car which is parked next to Olivia's. "Take care, Skylar." He gives me a side hug.

"You too. Thank you, Elliot." I say, meaning it, for all they have done for me.

"Of course. See you tomorrow, Liv." He gets in his car and leaves.

"You didn't have to do this." I say to Olivia as we get in her car. I feel like I'm being a bother.

"Why do you say that?" She asks, and I feel my cheeks turn red.

"Um, nevermind." I reply and look out the window.

"I thought it'd be nice to do something fun." Olivia tells me with a smile.

"Do you do this with all your victims?" I ask. Oops, that came out a little too harshly.

"Skylar, I don't see you as a victim. I see you as a brave girl who spoke up and said no more to the abuse. I see you as a survivor."

I nod, but I know that I'm still a victim. After driving for a few minutes, we find an ice cream shop. Olivia parks and we go inside. "What's your favorite flavor? I'm a vanilla girl." Olivia says. I smile at her.

"Strawberry is mine. My mom used to make homemade ice cream for me on my birthday." I reply, and I order and pull out my wallet.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll get it." Olivia tells me and I shrug and put my wallet back in my purse. We get our ice cream and sit down at a table.

"How do you feel about going back to school tomorrow?" Olivia asks. Tomorrow is Friday, and I'm actually ready to go back. It gets way too boring, staying in Laura's office.

"I'm glad to be going back, to start being somewhere instead of an office." I reply with a laugh. "But I don't really want to see my friends."

"Why is that?"

"Well, I don't think they'll care that I tried to kill myself. They'll probably think it's cool." I notice Olivia's questioning expression. "They're potheads and cutters. They're not exactly good influences." I explain. I'm embarrassed by this. If I'm embarrassed by my friends, maybe they're not true friends and I should stop hanging out with them? I'll think about that later. Right now, I'm hanging out with Olivia, something much more positive. "Enough about them. What about you?"

Olivia laughs. "What about me?"

I think of something I want to know about her. "What made you want to be an SVU detective?"

Olivia sighs. "My mom was raped, and she became pregnant with me." My jaw drops.

"Really?"

She nods. "As I grew up and learned about my father, when I found out that he had raped my mother, I wanted to help others who had gone through that. To get them justice, and to help them find hope again." Wow. Olivia is really amazing. I smile at her.

"Like you helped me." I say. "You're the first person to actually care about me in a long time. After my parents died, I never had that. I had a few good foster parents, but I never had that sense of belonging, as if I mattered."

"I do care about you. And you deserve so much, Skylar. You deserve a loving, caring family. You do matter."

"I can't help but think that I don't. If I did, why did Tom and Suzanna hate me so bad? Why did Tom rape me, and why did Suzanna let it happen?" I ask. Olivia takes my hand in hers.

"Honey, it wasn't your fault. Nothing you did or could ever do would make you deserve what that man did to you. It's his fault. It's on him and Suzanna. And because you stepped forward and because you told someone, Tom isn't going to be able to hurt anybody else."

"You're so sweet." I tell her and she smiles. She is so comforting and I wish this moment could last forever. But it doesn't, and after eating our ice cream and visiting some more we head back to Laura's office. "Thanks for taking me for ice cream, Olivia."

"You're welcome, I had fun. Have a good day at school tomorrow, and don't hesitate to call me if you need something or just want to chat." I nod and Olivia smiles and waves after I get out of the car. I wave back and head inside and upstairs to Laura's office.

That night while I'm laying on my cot, I think about my parents. Of course I think about them daily, but I've been thinking about them even more so after all of this with Tom. My parents never let anything bad happen to me. Jonathan was my dad and Christina was my mom. I was a momma's girl, always having late-night conversations on the weekends with her and going shopping. She would hug me for a long time when I was sad, and she would listen to my problems, nodding to let me know she was listening, and giving me helpful advice or just words of encouragement. My dad and I were close, but I wish now that we had been closer. As I lay in bed I cry to myself, wishing I had my mom to wrap me in her arms. I've felt so lonely for so long, but this week I've started to feel a bit better. I've met Olivia, and she has been the friend I've needed for so long. I smile with her on my mind, and I fall asleep, feeling more hopeful and happier than I have in a long time.