Olivia rested next to Elliot on the hospital bed. She kept her fingers laced with his while he slept. Even in this turbulent situation she felt some semblance of peace. She was here. His hand was in hers. In the past when he was hospitalized while on the job, she was left on the outside looking in. She watched as his family and his wife fussed and cared for him. And everytime she stood behind the glass, always an outsider, never really part of his family.

But now? In a matter of days, everything changed. She was finally allowed on the other side of the glass, and it was everything.

Elliot stirred beside her and grimaced in his sleep. His pain meds probably needed upped, and she made a mental note to ask the nurse about it when she next checked in. Her thumb rubbed over his rough knuckles, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Today was one of the most terrifying days of her life. Her stomach churned when she thought about how close she was to losing him. She closed her eyes and pushed back the tears, reminding herself that he was here and he was breathing.

A light knock on the door startled her, and her head popped up from his shoulder. The door opened, revealing a trio of Stabler's.

Olivia suddenly felt self-conscious, and glanced down at her hand in Elliot's. What they had was new, and she had no idea how much his kids knew. Her eyes lifted to the kids and she released his hand. Somewhat awkwardly she scooted towards the edge of the bed.

Kathleen hurried closer and whispered, "Stay put. Don't move on our account."

Olivia should have felt less awkward, but the knowing look on Kathleen's face exacerbated her current discomfort. "It's okay. I'll let you guys visit. I need to check in with my sergeant anyway." She knew Fin had everything under control, but she needed an excuse to escape.

Kathleen seemed disappointed, but nodded. She sat in the chair next to bed and replaced Olivia's hand with hers. Olivia nodded at Lizzie, and Dickie on her way out of the room.

Once the door shut behind her, she peeked back through the window in the door to see Elliot shift and open his eyes. She smiled. The kids deserved to see him awake and talking. This had been a nightmare for them, and Liv thanked Elliot's God that he stayed alive for these kids. They didn't deserve to lose another parent, especially in such a tragic way. She took one more look at their smiling faces before heading down the hall. She wanted to call Ayanna. She needed to know how the investigation was progressing. If it was progressing at all.

-000-

To Elliot's surprise he awoke to three sets of blue eyes rather than the set of brown ones. Kathleen had his hand in hers. "Hey Dad," she greeted.

"How ya feeling?" Dickie asked.

"Like he's been stabbed, obviously," Liz offered with sarcasm.

His throat felt dry and raspy from sleep, "Lizzie's right on this one. Feeling like I got stabbed is a pretty accurate description."

There was a moment before Kathleen's eyes twinkled, and she asked, "So Olivia?" She pointed her thumb towards the door Olivia had just exited.

Elliot rolled his eyes, he knew that was exactly the direction this conversation would take. Both girls anxiously awaited his answer and Dickie just looked amused by Elliot's discomfort.

Elliot shrugged his shoulders, not exactly sure what she wanted him to say. "What do you want to know?" Probably all the details. He wasn't talking details with his kids. Nope.

"I think we are all wanting to know if something is going on there." She glanced at her siblings.

Dickie raised his hand, "I want to be exempt from that. Dad doesn't have to share anything. In fact maybe I should leave the room," he teased. He backed towards the door, but his sisters glared at him.

"Are you sleeping together?" Kathleen asked, and he couldn't stop his eyes from bugging out.

"Damn Katie, just come out and ask why don't ya?" Liz scolded.

"She's never been good with tact…" Dickie acknowledged.

"I'm not answering that," Elliot shook his head in disbelief. He would never get used to the changing dynamics with his adult children.

Kathleen rolled her eyes, "Oh come on Dad. I talked it over with Grandma," he wasn't exactly thrilled with the thought of his mother and daughter discussing his sex life. Kathleen continued, "You've slept at her place for two nights, maybe three actually. Did you come home last night?"

"Well, first of all, none of your business. Second of all, I was too busy being stabbed if you remember."

Kathleen winced at the revelation. "Okay, the other two nights then?"

"Katie." His voice lowered and he was in full parent mode. "Drop it."

She huffed and leaned back into the chair with her arms folded.

"So did they find who stabbed you yet?" Dickie asked. Elliot thanked God for a relevant change of subject.

"Not yet. My team is looking into it, but I was pretty out of it so I don't make a great witness."

Silence sunk into the room as his kids realized how serious the situation had been. Kathleen's eyes dropped to her hands and Elliot knew she felt guilty about the levity of their previous conversation. He felt a little bad at squishing her interest in his life, however inappropriate. That conversation was surprisingly preferable to the heavy silence so he gave in, "Fine." He gritted his teeth, not sure why he was making this admission, "yes."

Kathleen's head popped up with surprise, "What?"

"Don't make me say it again," he begged.

"Wait. Seriously?" Dickie asked.

Elliot narrowed his eyes on his oldest son, "I thought you didn't care."

"Well I didn't when I was sure Katie was full of crap, but seriously?" His voice heavy in disbelief.

"Oh my God," Elliot groaned. "Why is this so important to all of you?"

Quiet Lizzie surprised him when she answered, "We just want you to be happy," she shrugged, "We know Olivia makes you happy. I think we all just want to know if you are in a relationship with her so we can be happy for you." Her eyes dropped when she realized every eye in the room was fixed on her.

Well damn. Leave it to sweet Lizzie to completely disarm him with her soft explanations. He paused a moment before responding, "We haven't had a chance to discuss what all of this stuff means," he admitted. "But we are something." He knew the answer was a little cryptic, but it was honest.

Kathleen reached for his hand with tears welling in her eyes. "We are really happy for you Dad."

Her sweet emotional response nearly brought him to tears so he deftly changed the subject. "Who is with grandma?"

"Maureen and the boys," Liz answered. "She says she'll come by later, but she figured the boys would be a good distraction for Grandma."

He was grateful they foresaw that problem. A serious work injury would most likely trigger her, and she was stable for the time being. They were looking into care homes for her, but nothing was decided yet. They needed her to stay okay, at least until they got more support. Hopefully she will stay stable longer than that.

"Good call."

"How long do they plan on keepin you in here this time?" Dickie asked.

"It depends on a few things I guess. They're worried about infection, but I should be free and clear with that tomorrow."

"Good." Lizzie sounded relieved.

A tap on the door caught everyone's attention, and a nurse pulled a cart into the room. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "Am I interrupting? I just need some blood, but I can come back later."

Kathleen stood and waved her off, "No no, go ahead. We should let him rest." She squeezed his hand and kissed his forehead. "Bye Dad," she said with a smile.

Lizzie and Dickie were stuck behind the cart so the just gave him a wave and quick goodbye before heading out the door.

-000-

Whelan and Reyes tracked down the plate number, but the plates were stolen. No big surprise there. The van was more than likely stolen too, but they tracked down the pest control company anyway.

Reyes pulled up to the store front, and they both assessed the building. The owners didn't seem interested in the general upkeep of the building. Jamie pushed his door open and Reyes followed suit.

A bell above the door rang, alerting the desk attendant of their presence. A white guy with a beard hurried to the desk from the back. "Can I help you?" He asked gruffly.

Jamie pulled out his badge, and Reyes showed his as well. Reyes handed Jamie the folder and he pulled the picture of the van from the file. "This van came up in our investigation," he pointed out the logo visible on the side. "One of yours?"

The man picked up the picture to inspect it closer. "We had a van disappear last month. They all look the same so it's hard to say for sure, but I'm assuming this is the stolen one." He dropped the picture onto the counter. "I filed a police report on it. I'm sure you'll want to track that down." He folded his arms and sat back. "Anything else?"

"Uh, yeah." Reyes stepped closer. "Mind if we take a peek in the back or see your other vans? Just so we have a better idea of what we're lookin' for?"

That obviously disgruntled the man. He stood. "Now I wouldn't mind you looking things over, but I'm a firm believer in one's right to privacy. Come back with a warrant, and I'll happily let you back there."

Jamie sighed internally. This was what he was hoping to avoid. The song and dance over getting a warrant, but the man looked pretty firm in his decision. Reyes dropped his card on the counter, "We'll contact our DA and get one, but in the meantime here's my card." Reyes shrugged nonchalantly, "you know. In case you change your mind."

Jamie knew it wasn't worth the effort. This guy was not going to change his mind. Or call.

Reyes led the way out of the building, and the bell overhead signaled their departure. Once inside their vehicle Reyes turned towards Jamie. "We aren't wasting our time with the DA right?"

"Nah. Let's just sit on 'em and see what happens." Whelan pulled out his phone and found Jet's number. "I'll have Jet pull that stolen vehicle report, just to confirm."

Reyes nodded and focused his attention on the pest control building. They both knew it was going to be a long evening.

-000-