A/N: I'm lowkey not okay. Why am I focusing on this story and not my finals? Also, this is a shorter chapter, but I promise I will get back to making them longer.

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

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Silence creeps into the hospital room. Olivia goes to speak up, but Elliot begins, "Liv…" Looking passionately into Elliot's eyes, Olivia allows him to continue speaking. "Liv, I should have never brought you in on this case-" he is cut off.

"Elliot it was my choice," Olivia interjects.

"It was unfair of me to even ask you to help," reaching out for her hand, he sighs.

"It's okay, Elliot…" she squeezes his hand.

With a deep breath, Elliot continues, "I thought I lost you, again…"

"I thought I lost you," she retorts. With a confused look on his face, Olivia further explains, "Something happened to me while I was unconscious… I had some strange dream…"

"What was it about?"

"You and I…"

Elliot falls silent. She had not given much context about the dream itself. It could have been any kind of dream, they could have been anywhere, and doing anything. He thinks to himself, 'We're really doing this right now…'

"We are the bar and I woke up from being shot. You were on the ground and bleeding out…"

"Well, that isn't a pleasant dream…"

"I crawled over to you and I tried to stop the bleeding, but I was too late. I could feel you getting cold… I tried to wake you up and I tried to talk to you…"

"Say anything interesting?"

Catching her off guard, Olivia moves past his question, "I could feel my eyes getting heavy… And as I was fading out I felt you squeeze my hand. You were still there."

"I'm here…" seeing her tense up as she tells her story, he squeezes her hand and reassures her.

"I had some sort of out-of-body experience. I wasn't alive, but I could see and hear you… You begging and pleading me to stay with you," Olivia sinks her head into her hands. With a shaky breath, she continues, "And then all of a sudden, it was like I had gotten struck by lightning. I sat up and let the paramedics in. I- I…"

"You don't have to tell me the rest if you don't want to…"

"I kneeled next to you… and…" unable to put herself in a more vulnerable position, she sums up the story, "I kneeled next to you and kept talking to you. Then I was yanked away and everything went black."

Leaning back into his chair, Elliot rubs his stubble with his free hand, "Wow…" Olivia waits for more than just a one-word answer. He smiles, "Freud would have a field day dissecting that dream."

Olivia playfully pushes her hand into the center of his chest without realizing that is where he had been shot. Letting out a gush of air, Elliot leans into the bed in pain. Olivia sits up quickly and reaches out for him, "Oh my God! I am so sorry. I am so sorry. Are you okay?" With no answer, she asks again, "El, Are you okay?"

Coming back into an upright sitting position, Elliot waves her concern off, "Never better." With silence falling over the room once again, Elliot notices Olivia's gaze softening as she continues to look at him, "What's on your mind?"

Olivia smiles warmly, "I have never been shot in the line of duty before… and then you come back and I'm shot twice- Twice in less than six months!"

"What are saying?" engaged in her statement, he asks for clarification.

"I'm saying that you might be bad luck," Olivia jokingly adds.

"Woah, woah, woah- I'm going to stop you right there. There is no way you haven't been shot in the line of duty before now."

"I thought I was too- but Fin was the one who pointed it out."

Thinking back on old cases he grins, "Huh…"

Olivia further explains, "I've been slashed, stabbed, stalked, kidnapped, and assaulted, but never shot."

"Lewis?"

"What?"

"The person who kidnapped and assaulted you. Their name was Lewis, right?"

"How do you-"

"I heard you mumble it when Angus gave the newspaper clipping…"

Staying calm, she takes a deep breath, "Elliot… I'll tell you. I promise. But now… Not now… Not here…"

"I'm not going anywhere. I trust you. I trust that you will tell me when you're ready," Elliot nods his head in sincere approval. Without saying anything Olivia grins slightly acknowledging Elliot's comment.

With a knock at the door, their alone time has officially concluded, "Captain Benson, it's great to see you awake and talking." Ayanna slides the glass door shut.

"It's good to see you, Sergeant," Olivia responds.

Placing her hand on Elliot's shoulder, she stands over him, "I would have let you get some more rest, but someone was eager to see you." Elliot's cheeks start to turn rosy red. Noticing the change in Elliot's color, Olivia giggles to herself. Ayanna switches subjects, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. I think the meds are definitely helping," Olivia answers.

"I don't know if your partner here had the chance to tell you, but we were able to get all of them. A detail will be posted outside your room starting at four. With all due respect, I don't want to hear a damn word about how you don't need it," Ayanna looks directly into Olivia's eyes.

Olivia nods her head, "Not a damn word…"

The rest of the day seemed to fly by for Elliot and Olivia. He only left her bedside for his respiratory therapy consultation. Olivia was able to persuade her doctors to agree to let her move down to the regular wing if her vitals remained calm throughout the night.

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A/N: I don't know how to end this chapter, but hope your December is starting off great.