Chapter 27

"Betty, hoch!" The beautiful German Shepard hopped up into the backseat of Captain Benson's SUV and sat like she was an everyday passenger in the vehicle.

"Braves Mädchen (Good Girl)," Amanda gave a her a quick rub on either side of her neck. Betty barked happily. That was not something a trained dog usually did, but Olivia was betting that their relationship ran deeper and pets and licks were not out of the ordinary. The training the dog had been through kicked in as the Shepard sat still while the detective made sure her harness was properly connected to the seat. Satisfied, Amanda closed the door and hopped into the front passenger seat.

"All good?" Olivia asked.

"Yes, Captain," Amanda nodded.

"I think you've earned the right to call me Olivia. Plus, we're off duty," Olivia winked at her before pulling the SUV into traffic.

"Off the record then too?" Amanda asked.

"That is correct," the Captain nodded.

"You're wondering why Betty doesn't come into the precinct with me," the detective said.

"I have to admit, that yes, I was wondering. Still, it's not my place to ask. Personally, I think more precincts could use more Bettys," Olivia told her. Betty concurred by barking from the back seat.

"Jared, my former partner, had Betty as his dog over there in the desert, as he called it. They were injured in combat and Betty was the only one who came home alive," Amanda sighed.

"I'm sorry," Olivia's mind went to how she would feel if Elliot didn't come home one day and she couldn't fathom it.

"Everyone expected me to be upset, but I couldn't show just how upset. Jared and I…" Amanda paused.

"Were more than partners, right?" Olivia asked.

"I told him that he needed to come home. He did, but not in the way I wanted him to. His mom and I… we're the only family we each have left. Well and Betty, of course. Betty was supposed to be with her but not two months after Jared's death, I was shot in the line of duty," Amanda explained as the SUV moved through the traffic, inching ever closer to the ME's office.

"The bodega robbery that went sideways last year," Olivia had read about it in an internal memo.

"Yeah. I shot the robber but he got me too. I spent two weeks in the hospital. They had to remove my spleen and… there's just no good way to put it, I wasn't interested in living. The hospital wouldn't release me until the psychiatrist had talked me off my ledge. Jared's mom, Carol, I don't know how she did it, but she was able to bring Betty to me. Betty climbed right into the bed with me. If not for the doctor, Carol, and Betty… I wouldn't have had the strength to be the detective I used to be. Once I was out of the hospital, Carol found a trainer, who offered up his services for free to help train Betty for a new job, being my service dog," Amanda paused as the Captain absorbed it all.

"Knowing Betty is at home, every night, I honestly think is part of my therapy. I'm not coming home to an empty apartment. What she really does is on bad days, like yesterday, she reminds me that other people need me, that she needs me, that Carol needs me. Before you ask, I see a shrink at least once a week and she reports everything to the department shrink. My Captain, he's a patient man, but his confidence in me has certainly helped. I was on desk duty for six months and I thought for sure my career was over. I couldn't leave the house without Betty. Slowly, with her help, with therapy, and with the support of my unit, I've gotten to a place that almost feels normal. If I'm having a day and I bring Betty in with me, then I stay in the precinct and the others run stuff down, but those days are getting further apart. I didn't offer this up when I first approached you. I was too concerned that you'd think I was a nut or that I should be shelved somewhere. I apologize for not letting you know the full scope of things, but I half figured that my Captain would have told you," she apologized.

"He did not and it would have been good to know, but you handled yourself like any other detective. I would not have known what you'd been through. Besides, your Captain trusted you, so I trusted you. One question though, One PP is cool with all of this? Personally, I think it's great, but I think we both know…" Olivia paused as she pulled the SUV into the parking spot at the ME's office.

"Yeah, I didn't think they would go for it, either. Of course, the optics of letting me go… my unit was already shorthanded, and the Captain before mine did not exactly instill confidence at the CompStat meeting. They replaced him with my Captain but they still haven't found someone to take Jared's spot. His desk has been a revolving door of detectives who aren't bad detectives, but they aren't built for SVU," Amanda admitted.

"Oh, I know that part of the story all too well. Trying to get staff is like trying pulling teeth and then when they send someone, they aren't trained enough or just not able to handle it. This is a tough job that we have. It's not everyone's cup of tea. Why did you want to come back to SVU? If I can ask," Olivia said as she turned off the vehicle.

"Honestly, having Betty at the precinct has been a double blessing. Some victims lean on Betty and they tend to open up more. Somehow having a dog that won't judge them, no matter what, helps. As for me, after having someone help me through the darkest moment of my life, I couldn't not stay. The victims need someone to pull them up, like I was pulled up, and I didn't want to let them down," Amanda said.

"You're Captain is lucky to have you and so is this department. Now, if only we could get Betty to interrogate suspects," Olivia winked, which made Amanda chuckle.

"I'd be out of a job," she laughed as she exited the SUV and headed for the back passenger door. She opened it and gave Betty a quick rubbing, whispering to her in German. Then she closed the door. The dog could not come into the ME's office to avoid any contamination. The Captain had made sure to crack all the windows. It was not hot and certainly it was more comfortable than the desert heat of Afghanistan.

"Ready?" Olivia asked.

"As I'll ever be," Amanda smiled slightly.

To Be Continued…