A/N: It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me. Just for anyone who is confused, the last chapter was a dream that Olivia had while in surgery. I apologize for the issues with consistency in posting, I have a 10-page paper due on Friday that I have not started.

UNFORTUNATELY, I DO NOT OWN LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, LAW AND ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME, OR ITS CHARACTERS.

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The beeping of the hospital machines is giving Elliot a headache, "Doc, is there any way you could shut off the beeping?"

"We need to continue monitoring your levels," the doctor responds flipping the papers on the clipboard. Elliot groans as he lifts his arm to allow the doctor to listen to his breathing. The doctor stands at the foot of the bed, "I'm putting in a consult with the respiratory therapist. Your left breath sounds should have improved by now. They will most likely put you on some sort of inhaler to help."

Elliot gives the doctor a thumbs up. As the doctor leaves, Ayanna walks through the open glass sliding door, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got a bullet through the chest…" Elliot adjusts his posture to sit up more comfortably.

Ayanna chuckles and grins. Changing her tone to a more business-like one, she states, "We got 'em all."

"Even Angus?" he tries to hide the grin that is creeping onto his face.

"Everybody, Elliot. They're booked and waiting for trial," Ayanna answers as she plants her feet by the side of his bed. Elliot goes to open his mouth and asks about his partner, but is cut off by Ayanna reading his mind, "Olivia is alive. She's in the ICU."

"The ICU?" feeling panic take over his body he sits up further.

"When she was in surgery… Her heart gave out. They got her back…"

"You're not telling me something. What are you not telling me?"

"Doctors put her in a medically induced coma…"

"A coma?"

"A medically induced come, Elliot. It's different-"

"It's still a coma, Ayanna! I have to-" Elliot rustles out of his sheets and attempts to stand.

"Sit your ass back down, Stabler. The last thing Captain Benson needs is to wake up and find out you killed yourself trying to get out of bed," she declares pushing him back into his hospital bed. As Elliot settled himself down, Ayanna explained, "I can ask a nurse to get a wheelchair. I can bring you up to visit." Elliot nods in agreement.

After placing himself in the wheelchair, which he thinks is extremely unnecessary, he is wheeled up to the ICU. Wheeling down the hallway, his lungs start to expand with anxiety. The last time he was in an ICU unit, his wife had died. Moving past his looming fears, he is brought into her room. The air is shocked out of his lungs. The image placed in front of him reminded him of a nightmare. Olivia lay there, on her back with her hands by her side. She is almost colorless, there is no olive tint to her skin. The tube going through her throat pumped air in and out of her lungs, assisting with her breathing. Watching her chest rise and fall to the rhythm of the beeps that the machine makes, Elliot hears Ayanna slide the door shut.

Reaching his hand out, he interlocks his fingers with hers and squeezes her hand, hoping she will wake up. Letting out a sigh, a tear rolls down his stubbled cheek and reaches his chin, "Liv…"

Lowering his head, he rests it on the side of the bed. Elliot remembers what the doctor told him about comas when Kathy was put in one. He always doubted that people in a coma are aware of their surroundings. Something about the lack of proof made him skeptical. Unlike Kathy's coma where he stayed silent, Elliot felt the need to comfort Olivia, "Liv, I'm sorry…"

No matter how many thoughts in his head were screaming, 'This is stupid! She can't hear you,' he persisted. Elliot brings his head up and inches closer to her, "I am so sorry I dragged you into this. I should have thought about the life you have now. You have a son. You have a whole unit that you run. It was selfish of me to ask you to help."

Chuckling to himself, he realizes how easy it is to talk with her- or at her, "You were right… I am a little slow… I need to think about what I ask of others before I actually ask them."

"I love you, Olivia…" Elliot whispers in a low voice, "I love you and I will wait however long it takes for you to be ready…"

Hearing the glass door swish open, he quickly wipes his tears from his cheeks and turns around to see the somber face of Fin. Fin nods his head as a greeting, "Hey, man."

"Hey…" Elliot tries his best to even out his shaky voice.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"And her?"

"She's fighting…"

"That's my girl."

"Fin-"

Fin spins his head to face Elliot, "Stabler."

Elliot sighs and asks lowly, "Was she ever happy?" Fin furrows his brow, not understanding what Elliot is asking him. He continues his question, "When I was gone. Did she ever find happiness?"

Fin notices Elliot's sincere tone. He pulls a chair across from Elliot, with Olivia separating them. Looking at Olivia, then turning to Elliot, he huffs, "Eventually…"

"How long?"

"Dude, these are questions you need to ask her."

"She's in a coma, Fin! She's not awake!"

Standing up from his chair, Fin shuffles and makes his way around the bed, to stand next to Elliot. Noticing how shaken up Elliot is, Fin places his hand in solidarity on Elliot's shoulder, "It's gonna be okay, Stabler."

"She could have died…" Elliot hangs his head low.

"She didn't."

"She could have… And it would have been my fault…"

"You didn't pull the trigger."

"I asked her to help me. I knew she wouldn't say no. I put her in that position."

Fin turns the wheelchair to face him, and gets close to Elliot's face, "Man, you can either keep throwing yourself a pity party, or you can be thankful that she pulled through, that she is alive. I can't pull you out of the hole you're making yourself, but you better find your way out of it before Liv wakes up."

Walking towards the door, Fin turns around when Elliot speaks, "Thank you, Fin." Turning back around, Fin slides the door shut. Elliot reaches for her hand once more and cries out, "I'm sorry…"

Peacefully watching Olivia's chest rise, and then fall. The small hand on the analog clock hanging on the wall passes one, then two, then three. Elliot nearly jumps out of his seat when he hears a tap on the glass door. "Elliot!" a child wraps their arms around the back of Elliot.

Elliot lets out a wheeze of pain as the child squeezes him. "Noah, don't squeeze too hard," a woman says as she slides the door closed. Elliot recognized the voice. Walking to the other side of the bed, Amanda glances down at Olivia, "How's she doing?"

Noah asks something before Elliot can answer Amanda, "Why does she have a tube down her throat?"

Amanda swivels her head quickly to face Elliot as she was not expecting Noah to be so blunt. Elliot slowly answers, "She's doing well… And the tube is to help her breathe-"

"She can't breathe?..." Noah asks with a tinge of fear.

"She just needs a little help right now. Her body has to focus on getting better in other places first," Amanda tries her best to explain with her best mom voice to Noah.

"But she's alive, right?" Noah asks in confirmation.

Elliot pulls Noah in for a hug and squeezes him tightly, no matter how much it physically hurts him, "She's alive."

"How long is she gonna be like this?" Noah asks as he is squished tighter against Elliot.

He doesn't know if this hug is soothing him, more than it is soothing Noah. As Elliot lets go of Noah, he goes to answer his inquiry. Before he can speak, Olivia grunts. All eyes turn towards her. Olivia once again, grunts. Elliot reaches out for her hand, "Olivia…" Using all her strength, Olivia presses her fingertips into his hands. Remaining calm he asks her, "Olivia, squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

Noah and Amanda look at Elliot's hand in hers. They watch as she firmly squeezes his hand. Olivia begins to gasp and rapidly tries to pant for air. "Mommy!" Noah yells with great worry.

Amanda runs out the door and announces with panic in her voice, "I need some help in here!"

Noah continues to yell, "Mommy! Mommy, are you okay?"

Elliot has been here before. He has sat next to someone he loves as they gasp for air. He has seen someone he loves die next to him. Staring at her with anxiety and fear coursing through his veins, he freezes. Elliot cannot breathe- not in the same way that Olivia can't breathe. His panic is supplying the oxygen he needs to survive.

Nurses swarm around Olivia's bed. Calming her down and assisting with removing the breathing tube. Olivia coughs as the tube is removed. Getting used to breathing on her own, she locks eyes with Elliot. She says with a smooth voice, "I'm okay, El." Not snapping out of it, Olivia repeats herself, "I'm okay…"

"I know…" Elliot nods his head coming back into reality.

Standing at the end of the bed, Noah smiles at his mother. Olivia waves him over, "Come here, sweet boy."

Noah is embraced by his mother. Making sure to not squish her too hard he states, "You scared me…"

"I know…" Olivia runs her fingers through her son's hair, "I'm sorry I scared you." Noah refuses to let go of her.

The nurses run their tests and the doctor comes by to run some more. After all the testing is complete, Amanda stands from her seat in the corner, "I'm heading down to the cafeteria. Noah, you want to come get something to eat?"

"Sure!" Noah hops off the end of the bed and follows Amanda out of the room.

Olivia and Elliot look into each other's eyes deeply. Smiling contently, Olivia jokingly states, "Looks like it's just you and me…"

~~~oooOOOooo~~~

A/N: Hopefully you all hate me a little less… This is not the end of the story, there will be more. Stay tuned for future updates!