Sorry updates at slow! Life is busy, and weaving together a decent case fic takes a little bit of mental effort!
"The kid's givin' is a whole lot of nothin…" Velasco complained as he slouched into his desk chair.
"What were you expectin'?" Fin asked with a lifted eyebrow. "You know as much as I do, that kid ain't talking'. Being locked up is a hell of a lot better than bein' dead."
"Or having a family member assaulted," Velasco grumbled while leaning back in his desk chair.
Fin leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together. "What do we know about his family?"
Velasco flipped open the file with Churlish's research on Fabian's family life, and disciplinary record. He pushed a couple pages aside before skimming a document. "Looks like his Dad bailed when he was five. Shocker…" he muttered under his breath. "Damn," he said in surprise. "Kid lives with his older sister." Velasco glanced up from the file. "Mom died in a crossfire situation. Gang turf dispute."
"Damn," Fin breathed out. "How long ago?"
Velasco's eyes skimmed the file. "Three years ago. He was eleven."
Fin shook his head. Fabian's life was tragic, but not uncommon. However, the facts provided a little insight on the kid's state of mind. "His sister's all he's got left. His sister and Diego."
Velasco pinched the bridge of his nose. "God." He shook his head. "They probably threatened him." He opened his eyes. "He's gotta be terrified they will brutalize his sister or kill his best friend."
"Or both," Fin added solemnly.
"Damn."
-000-
Elliot remained in Olivia's bed for most of the night. The nurses had long since given up on dragging him into his own bed.
Not long after the scuffle in the hallway, once her adrenaline ebbed, Olivia fell asleep soundly against his shoulder. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn't sleep. Everytime he closed his eyes he was taunted with images of Olivia bleeding out on the hospital room floor, and his body so incapacitated he couldn't come to her aid.
So, instead of sleeping, he tucked her head under his chin, and savored her. For the past few weeks he had felt as if he had been tossed into a raging cyclone, unable to focus on anything but survival. He hadn't been able to truly appreciate what currently laid in his arms, what he had wanted for so long that the reality felt like a dream.
He kissed the top of her head and admired her beauty. Her beauty may have been what caught his attention initially, but it wasn't his attraction to her that always sent him running back to her. She was his person, his other half, the missing piece of his soul. She was everything he ever wanted, but never could have. For ten years he had given her up, but she was never far from his mind. With an ocean between them he still found himself longing for the sound of her footsteps falling in sync with his. He looked over his shoulder in every dark alley, every life threatening situation. Even when he knew she wasn't there, he looked for her all the same.
He couldn't help letting his lips leave another longing kiss on the crown of her head. She was perfect. She was everything, and he would never be without her. Never again.
-000-
"Woah woah. Hey! I might have something." Jet nudged her boss who had long since fallen asleep with her head on the desk.
"Huh?" Bell jerked up, eyes still sleepy.
Jet tapped her screen. "Right here."
Bell rubbed her eyes and leaned closer to the screen. "Espinosa?" She shook her head. "Doesn't sound familiar."
"It wouldn't."
Bell quirked an eyebrow. "Just tell me what you're thinking. I'm not sure my brain is working anymore."
Jet didn't blame her. They had been scouring prison records all night. Just wondered if she was creating patterns out of chaos or chasing shadows, but she didn't think so. Something in her gut told her this was the right lead. "At first I didn't see it- I mean she doesn't have any known connections and she wasn't visiting anyone we would consider high profile or anything."
Ayanna pinched her eyes shut. "What are you saying?"
"Sorry. Look. She visits at the same time every month, the same guy. But the last two weeks, she's come five times."
Bell perked up. "Who was she seeing?"
"That's what threw me off. Guy is basically a nobody. He had minimal ties to BX9. He got pinched for low level drug dealing."
"What makes you think he's connected? Maybe his girl's extra needy lately." Bell leaned back in her chair slightly, viewing the computer screen from further away.
"That's what I thought the first three times I looked over the info, but then I checked security cams of the visiting area." Jet clicked through a couple screens so she could show Bell what she was talking about. "Watch." She played the video. At first it looked like your average visit. No secret messages or sketchy behavior. After a few moments a few more prisoners were brought into the visitation area.
"Wait stop." Bell leaned in. "Well I'll be damned," she muttered in disbelief.
"I know," Jet agreed.
Of the three men brought into the room, one was a high member of BX9. His interaction with the young woman was brief and subtle, but it was there. "Does he show up every time she's there?" Bell asked eagerly.
Jet leaned back into her desk chair. "Every single time."
-000-
"Alright," the attending physician said with a smile, "who's ready to get out of here?"
Elliot grimaced. He knew the doctor held his different test results in his hands, and while his positive affect was encouraging, Elliot was prepared for a fight.
He noticed Olivia's eyes drift nervously in his direction. She shifted her weight nervously, but admitted, "I am."
"Good," the doctor said firmly. His eyes drifted between Elliot and Olivia. "As you know, Captain Benson is more than ready to be discharged."
Elliot was ready to put up a fight. She wasn't going anywhere without him. It didn't matter that his mobility was severely compromised. He couldn't protect her if he wasn't with her. He couldn't let her be hurt while he stood by. Not again. Not ever again.
The doctor looked him over and sighed. "I'm not totally comfortable sending you home." Elliot opened his mouth to protest, but the doctor lifted a hand and continued. "But I will. However there will be some conditions, and I expect strict adherence. Am I clear?"
"Yes," Elliot tried not to sound over eager.
"I'll have a nurse come in with discharge instructions for the both of you." He lifted his pen and pointed in Elliot's direction. "You are to stay down, and she," he pointed the pen in Olivia's direction, "needs to rest too. I know how partnership works, but neither of you are permitted to "take care" of the other."
Elliot nodded in agreement, even if he knew the request was impossible. His daughters agreed to help with Noah and their recovery, but there was no universe where Elliot would not take care of Olivia.
"I have information for at home care…"
"My girls already agreed to stay with us," Elliot cut him off. The last thing he wanted was a live-in nurse. That would make him feel as elderly as his mother."
"Great. I'm going to send that nurse in, and hopefully we will get you two out of here by later this afternoon."
"Thank you," Olivia said with a gentle smile.
Elliot nodded he agreement as the doctor left the room.
When the door clicked shut, Olivia shifted to face him. "The girls are going to help?"
They hadn't talked it over, and he hoped Olivia was okay with it. The girls were desperate to do something to help. "Yeah, that okay?"
"Of course, but it might get crowded at my place. It doesn't really accommodate that many people."
"Then let's stay at my place. Then we won't have to deal with elevators and stairs." The thought of stairs made his back scream.
She shook her head adamantly. "No, we are staying at mine."
"Liv." He felt genuinely confused until she explained.
"I'm not interested in getting shot again, and your place is much more accessible than mine." She used her, I'm the captain and I'm not asking, I'm telling voice, so he knew the issue wasn't really up for debate. She was right, so there was not an argument to be had. They would just have to deal with close quarters for a while, but the proximity might turn out to be a positive too.
"You're right," he admitted without argument.
She raised an eyebrow as if she expected him to fight her.
"You're right," he repeated with a flirtatious smile.
A slow blush reached her cheeks and she chuckled. "Might want to save the sweet talk," she cautioned. "I don't think we will be getting up to much of anything anytime soon…" she held back a smile.
He didn't even try to hold back his responding smirk. "I don't know Captain," he said, watching her cheeks flood with red. "After all, we will be sharing the same bed."
"Good Lord," she muttered in faux exasperation. Her eyes danced. "Maybe we wait until you can move without all the blood draining from your face."
He groaned with exaggeration. "More reason to follow the rules and heal up, I guess." His eyes fell on hers with a hungry sort of intensity. "Because I'm not waiting a day longer than necessary to get my hands," and mouth, "on you." He finished the sentence with a wolfish grin.
She returned his gaze with a fiery one of her own. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
-000-
Initially, Ayanna thought she would communicate the information to the SVU team over a call, but when Fin mentioned the last name of the kid they had in custody she knew they needed to review their information in person at the 1-6. The kid's name couldn't be a coincidence. The surname was common enough in the Latino community, but her gut told her it was all connected.
Fabian Espinosa.
It couldn't be a coincidence. The young woman in the surveillance footage had to be related in some way, and if she had to guess, she would say that Fabian most definitely had a sister.
Ayanna entered the squadroom, with the printed files and documents tucked under her arm. Jet followed one step behind her with her laptop bag draped from her shoulder.
Velasco immediately stood upon their entry, and motioned for the abandoned desk next to where Fin sat. Fin pat the surface of the desk and said, "Alright Sloot, let's see what you got."
Jet confidently took the offered chair and deposited her laptop on the desk. Velasco leaned against the desk, and watched as Jet pulled tbe footage up on her computer screen.
While Jet accessed the footage, Ayanna handed printouts of the prison documentation to Fin. "Her visits are scheduled like clockwork, and Papa's guys always show up near the end of her visit."
Fin skimmed the records. "Alejandra Espinosa," he said the name out loud for Velasco's benefit.
Velasco's eyes brightened with recognition. "That's his legal guardian. Fabian's sister."
Fin nodded in agreement before bringing his attention to Ayanna. "Think you can bring her in? I think she might just be the leverage we need to get this kid talking."
"I doubt she will talk to the police willingly," Jet piped in.
"Probably not," Belasco agreed, "but she might if she knows her baby brother got picked up. She won't leave him hanging with an attempted murder charge."
Ayanna stuffed her hands into her pockets before tilting her head towards the exit. "Alright then," her eyes focused on Velasco. "Let's go pick her up."
As always, thank you for your encouraging comments. Like I mentioned before, case fics tend to take a little more thought and effort so your encouragement is always welcome!
