The defense has done everything they can to place the blame on everyone at fault-

"Sonny?"

Carisi stared at the sentence, struck it through with a pen, and ran a hand over his face in frustration. "In a sec, Jake," he told Jacob. "I gotta get this thing written before tomorrow."

Tomorrow. He'd never been this close to a deadline before on a closing argument. In the couple of months Jacob had been living with him, it had been damn near impossible to find a work-home balance. Thank God his office was forgiving, but he knew that would only last so long. Closing arguments were set for nine AM. He was behind the 8-ball.

He didn't regret for a second taking Jacob in. Not in a million years. But not for the first time, he wondered how on earth Amanda managed it with two kids under the age of 5 when he could barely deal with one.

Sonny returned to his closing argument, barely registering the open and shut of cabinet doors behind him, or the sink running. Nora Johnson wasn't 'asking' for it. Nora Johnson was walking home from work-

From behind him, there was a resounding crash, and a scream of pain from Jacob. Sonny was off the couch in a nanosecond, bolting into the kitchen.

Jacob was huddled on the floor, clutching his arm and screaming in agony. "Jacob?" Sonny rushed to the boy. His arm was red and puckered. What the hell-shit! He spotted the overturned kettle, the water spilled on the tile, and the burner on the stove that was an angry red. Quickly, he shut off the stove, then grabbed a towel off the rack and turned on the cold water. He got the towel wet, and didn't bother to turn the water off as he knelt down next to Jacob on the floor, the water on the floor soaking through his jeans. Thankfully for him, luckily, the water had cooled some by the time he sat down. "Lemme see it, buddy, let me take a look."

"It hurts!"

"I know, Jake, I know. Lemme see your arm." Carefully, Sonny pulled Jacob's other hand away from his arm and gently pressed the cool towel to his arm. Jacob winced at the touch.

"I just wanted to make mac and cheese," he whispered. "'Cause you were working hard and I wanted to help."

"Oh, buddy." Sonny's heart sank. This was my fault. He picked Jacob up carefully and took him into the bathroom, turning on the cold water in the bathtub. Slowly, he removed the towel, thankful that it didn't stick to Jacob's arm, and eased the boy's arm into the stream of water. How many times had his mother done this when he was a kid? It was a wonder he'd still been able to play sports for as uncoordinated in the kitchen as he had used to be. "Keep that there, okay?"

"…kay." Jacob sounded tired. The adrenaline was wearing off. Sonny ducked back into the kitchen, turned off the sink, and cleaned up the water as best he could. He came back into the bathroom. Jacob was sniffling, staring at his arm, which was still an angry red. "I want Grandma," Jacob whispered.

Sonny's heart broke. "Let's, ah, let's get your arm taken care of, okay, and then we'll see about calling her maybe." Not maybe, you idiot. You're gonna have to tell her. He turned off the tub and helped Jacob into his shoes.

The drive to the closest ER didn't take long and thank God for that. Sonny let the admitting nurse know what had happened, and she put them somewhere they could wait for a doctor to come take a look. Jacob lay quietly on the hospital bed, looking at his arm.

Sonny tugged his phone from his pocket and texted Amanda.

At the ER. Jake had an accident.

The reply was almost instant. Are you both okay?

No. It was the truth, and Sonny didn't feel like trying to sugarcoat it.

I'm in Interrogation. I'll call Liv.

Sonny grimaced. He did not want Olivia interrupted for this. But he had a feeling Amanda had already let her know, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

The curtain slid back and a Doctor Finnegan came in and introduced himself. "Hi, buddy. Can you tell me what happened to your arm?"

Jacob nodded. "I was trying to make mac and cheese. I hit the handle on the pot on accident, and it fell off the stove."

The doctor looked at Sonny. "Is that what happened?"

Sonny grimaced, suddenly feeling very much like he was on cross. "I….I mean, if that's what he said, then yeah. I wasn't, um, wasn't paying attention like I should've been."

The doctor frowned, and Sonny mentally kicked himself. Maybe instead of Liv I better be calling the 8th floor, he thought.

"The good news is the burn looks fairly superficial. We'll get some burn cream and some clean gauze to wrap it in."

"Thanks, Doc," Sonny said appreciatively. The doctor nodded curtly to him.

"Sonny?" Jacob asked.

He blinked. Here I am not paying attention again, God damn it, Dominick. "Yeah, buddy?"

"Can we call Grandma?"

Sonny dialed the number of her nursing home and handed the phone to Jacob. "Hi Grandma," Jacob said. "I'm in the hospital like you were!"

Damn it. Sonny hadn't considered the possibility of what that pronunciation might do to Lola Rodriguez. Before he could reach for the phone to try to explain, Jacob had jumped right in and told her the whole story. Sonny dropped his head to his hands, resting his elbows on his knees.

The doctor came back and Sonny prompted, "Jake, how about I talk to Grandma while the doctor fixes your arm, huh?" The doctor eyed the phone disapprovingly. I can't win with this guy.

"Don't go far," the doctor advised.

"Wasn't planning on it," Sonny assured him. "Lola?" he asked into the phone. "Lola, it's Sonny."

Incredibly, Lola wasn't upset with him. If anything, she seemed more upset with Jacob for trying to use the stove by himself than Sonny's lack of supervision. "That boy will find trouble if there's none to be found, he's like his father that way," Lola told him. "You two take care of yourselves. Bring my boy by when he's feeling better. And you stop blaming yourself. It was an accident, nothing more."

"Yes, ma'am," Sonny replied quietly. He glanced up to see a young woman in a smart-looking suit coming down the hall toward him. "We'll see you soon." He hung up. "Can I help you?"

"Kate Sheridan. CPS."

He nodded. "I figured. ADA Dominick Carisi."

Sheridan gave him a Look. "I know who you are. Let's go over the reason you're here today, Mr. Carisi."

Sonny ran her through the timeline-how he'd been working on a closing argument, that Jacob had tried to start supper on his own. "He told me he hit the handle on the pot on accident and knocked it off the burner," Sonny explained. "As soon as I heard him yell, I was up and running. Took care of the wound at home best I could, got him ready for travel, brought him here."

"That's pretty much the same story we got from Jacob," Sheridan said.

"That would be because it's the truth and he's a good kid," Sonny said. "I feel terrible about all this. I shoulda been payin' more attention to him."

"You probably should have," Sheridan agreed.

Sonny looked up sharply at her tone, and the ADA took over. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked her. "You implyin' that, what, I'm not a good guardian? Or that I did it on purpose?"

"Stressed out, kid's pushing, wouldn't be the first time someone has snapped over something like this," Sheridan shrugged.

"That's not what happened," Sonny said. "It was an accident. Jacob gave you the same story."

"And I suppose you don't coach testimony from your witnesses?"

Sonny's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, what exactly are you sayin'?" He uncoiled himself from the chair and she stood up along with him. "I would never ask Jacob to lie for me, or for anyone else." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you need anythin' else from me, Ms. Sheridan? Or can I go see my kid?"

"Your kid?" Sheridan prodded.

"If that's what he said, that's what he meant." Olivia Benson strode down the hallway, her heels clicking as she moved with purpose toward the two of them. "Olivia Benson, SVU. And you are…?"

"Kate Sheridan, Child Protective Services."

"Sheridan?" Benson raised an eyebrow. "Carisi, wasn't that the name of the deputy commissioner that spent a year in jail for filing false reports with DCS?"

Looking at her expression, Sonny could tell instantly what was going on. "This ain't about me, is it?" he asked her. "Who'd you step on to come down here and try to pull one over? Do you have our names on a Google alert or somethin'? Your brother does time and loses his job and you blame us, is that it?"

Olivia watched as Sheridan's expression wavered. "That's exactly it, Counselor." Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. "Mr. Carisi is a good man, and he stepped in to take care of Jacob with the full support of his office and Jacob's grandmother. Now I don't know what you came down here hoping to do, Ms. Sheridan, but if it's to pin something on Carisi because my team put your brother away?" Olivia smirked. Carisi knew that look. It was the one she got when she had a perp about to walk right into where she wanted them. "Hope your lawyer is better than he is…but I doubt it."

She put a hand on Sonny's arm. "Let's go get your kid." She turned him around and started walking.

"That boy isn't yours, Mr. Carisi." Sheridan finally found her voice. "He's just a way you can feel better about yourself and think you're above the system!"

Carisi stiffened. Liv kept her hand on his arm, but he turned around anyway. "Let's get one thing straight, Ms. Sheridan," he said, his voice cold and even. "I know when someone has a case and someone doesn't. And you've got nothin' but a grudge. You're right, that kid in there is my Little Brother by association, but that doesn't make him any less my family than if we were related by blood. I would jump in front of a bus for that kid. What I won't do is stand here and take this from you. If you think you've got a case, go ahead and file." Carisi glanced at Olivia. "My team's got our back."

"Sonny?"

Sonny turned and saw Jacob, his arm freshly bandaged, standing with the doctor. Jacob flew at him, and Carisi picked him up, mindful of his arm. "Sonny, can we go back home now? My arm feels better. Hi, Miss Olivia."

"Hi sweetie," Olivia said, ruffling his hair.

Sonny looked at the doctor. "Do we need a scrip for antibiotics or need to make a follow-up appointment?"

"My nurse will take care of it. We'll phone you."

"Appreciate it." Sonny hefted Jacob onto his hip a little higher. "Yeah, pal, we can go home." Just to piss off Sheridan, he added, "How about when we get there we invite Olivia and Noah over for supper, and I'll show you how to use the stove the right way."

He nodded to Sheridan. "You have a good night."