It really wasn't a good time. Actually, her timing couldn't have been worse, but Olivia plastered a fake smile on her face and forced herself to interact kindly with the other professional in the room.

"We were just getting to know Hannah a little better. What can we do for you?" Olivia squinted to see the name on the other woman's badge. "Christina?"

The other woman gave them a kind yet exhausted smile. She was younger than Liv, maybe mid-thirties. Olivia knew Christina would be considered an older woman in her profession. CPS had a reputation for chewing up young idealists and spitting them out before the age of thirty. The turnover was incredibly high and that led Olivia to believe this woman was either passionate about her job or she was slugging through her overwhelming caseload until she hit retirement.

"Well," Christina began. "I need to speak with Hannah about a few things and then we can go over what tomorrow is going to look like when the hospital releases her into our custody."

Olivia noticed Hannah's hold on her stuffed animal tighten while the social worker continued speaking.

"We will have an emergency placement ready for you until we can find a more permanent foster family moving forward."

Hannah had been trying to mask her emotion, but her errant tears grew into shaky sobs. The social worker finally noted her distress and stepped closer. "I know this is hard, honey, but I want you to know what to expect, okay?"

Hannah shook her head while tears continued to flow. Olivia wasn't sure if she was refusing placement or just plain refusing to accept any of this. Either way, Olivia had enough. She could feel Elliot's anger rising beside her, and she needed to step in before that ticking time bomb exploded.

"Christina," Olivia cut in. "Do you mind if we speak in the hallway for a couple minutes?"

The social worker opened her mouth to say something but shut it before nodding.

Olivia stood and led the way toward the door. She opened it and stepped back, motioning for Christina to exit first. Once she stepped through the door, Olivia noticed that Elliot hadn't stood to join them. Instead, he was in the chair nearest Hannah's bed, speaking to her in a low voice. Not wanting to leave him, but also not wanting to leave Christina was waiting in the hallway; she asked, "Comin'?"

His eyes moved between Olivia and Hannah before he nodded. He turned his attention back to Hannah for a brief moment. "I'll be right back."

Hannah's tears had subsided, causing Olivia to wonder what Elliot had said to reassure her. She didn't waste too much time on the thought because a few seconds later she followed him out the door and into the hallway.

Once the door shut, Olivia turned towards the social worker and asked, "Is there any way she can stay here for one more day?" She kept her voice deliberately kind, hoping to offset Elliot's blatant RBF next to her.

Christina sighed. "If it were up to me, I would let her stay as long as she needed, but it's not my call."

"Whose call is it?" Elliot asked, his voice tight. Olivia could see the muscles on his neck tightening as he clenched and unclenched his jaw.

Christina eyed Elliot wearily. She returned her attention in Olivia's direction while answering his question. "I could give you the number of our state officials, but I doubt that will get you very far. If her doctor feels she is well enough to be discharged, then we can't keep her here without a medical reason to do so." Christina sighed again. "I know this is tough, but I know the family that will be taking her for the next few days. It's a good place for her."

"According to who?" Elliot folded his arms defensively. "Just because you say she's safe doesn't mean that she is. We don't even know who has been hurting her or where they live, and we are just going to send her off and hope for the best?"

Olivia felt a headache forming behind her right eye.

"Look." Christina's voice tightened, and Olivia knew the other woman was losing her patience. "My hands are tied here. All I can do is make sure she is with a qualified family. I can't approve anything that magically lets her stay here. That's out of my hands. I can show you the files for our two placement families, but that's all I can really do."

"I'd like to see those files. That would be helpful." Olivia didn't like the idea of pawning this child on total strangers, but she could at least preview the available families to ensure a compatible fit. She glanced over at Elliot and her stomach turned. She knew that look. It was the face he made before he dove headfirst into some half-baked, impulsively formed plan.

"We'll take her," he blurted. He avoided Olivia's gaze and kept his focus heavily on the social worker in front of him. "Our department is taking her case." He cleared his throat. "We both have the necessary background checks and prerequisite clearance for an emergency placement." He finally made eye contact with Olivia, but all she could do was gape at him in disbelief. "We'll take her," he said firmly. His voice held an air of finality. "She will come home with us."

-000-

By the time the social worker left, Elliot knew he was in deep shit with Olivia. He completely blindsided her by volunteering their home for some stray child, but the more the social worker spoke, the more he felt their options narrowing. In his mind, this was the only acceptable option.

After a silent walk to the vending machines, Olivia fed the machine a crinkled dollar twice before aggressively hitting the vending button. Normally, she exemplified a remarkable level of poise, but she wasn't even trying to play it cool. She was pissed, and she wanted him to know it.

While he continued to watch her take out her anger on the vending machine, he tried to figure out what to do next. He really didn't want to bring their fizzling anger into Hannah's hospital room. They needed to get it out and clear the air so they could plan their next steps. Knowing an argument was inevitable, he decided to poke the bear and get it over with.

She didn't look at him before she leaned down and pulled her granola bar from the bottom of the bending machine. Apparently, she planned to ignore him.

The wrapper crinkled as she began unwrapping the granola bar. He rolled his eyes. "Just say what you need to say."

Her fist clenched around the granola bar before she finally acknowledged his presence. "So," her eyes bore into him with a scathing intensity. "You thought you would just make this decision without even talking to me?"

He was immediately on the defensive. "Okay, Liv. I didn't ask you first, but you're telling me you just want them to shove her with some random family? I can't fathom why you think that would be a good idea!"

"Good Lord, Elliot!" She groaned. "That's not at all what I said." She took a few steps away from him, trying to put some distance between them.

He followed her step for step until they were even closer than before. "Then what? What was your plan? She can't stay here, and she can't go into foster care? This is the only option as far as I can see."

She threw her hands up in the air and skated right past his explanation. "It's not that, ugh. You can't just volunteer our home without at least talking to me about it!" She shook her head in anger.

He stepped closer—so close he could smell the cheap bar soap from the motel. "Okay, fine, but would the outcome be any different? We have zero options, and it's not the first time either of us has let a child from the job stay with us!" He folded his arms over his chest in a defiant gesture.

Maybe he was feeling petty, but he hadn't said anything about offering her place anyway. They might be cohabitating by anyone's standards, but even a year later he still had his place. "Who said she had to stay at your place anyway?" His voice dripped with self-righteous indignation. "I've still got my place, and since it's mine, I can do whatever the hell I want with it."

He knew he cut a low blow, and she visibly winced at his words. He purposefully matched the tone she used when claiming Noah as only her son. They both knew that the previously buried conversation would claw its way back to the surface at the first opportunity. It wouldn't stay dormant for long.

She stood agape for a moment before shaking her head angrily. She mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?" He snapped.

"I know what you are getting at, and I'm not having that conversation with you. Not right now." Her voice held a finality that heightened the rage building in his chest. He wanted to push that angle again, but she rerouted the conversation when she waved a hand dismissively. "But you're right," she said. "You have your own place. You can do whatever you want." Her voice dripped with bitterness. "But did you think about Noah? Hell, did you take even a second to consider your own kids?"

Something about the way she threw the words at him felt accusatory. "What's that supposed to mean? They're fine! Noah would love having her there! And my kids don't even live at home! Why would they care?"

"Oh, I don't know," she rolled her eyes. "They already got displaced by a new little brother, but you know what? I'm sure they'll be fine. Just shove them to the side." She started to walk away. "Just shove all of us to the side. All that matters is what you want."

He reached for her arm, spinning her back in his direction. "Oh my God, Liv!" He exclaimed with heavy exasperation. He could feel the blood rushing to his face, and he knew he was turning an angry shade of red. "None of that. Ugh. None of that is true! You know that," he hissed. "And that's not the issue here anyway! The problem is where to place Hannah, and I don't see any other option. We are the only ones looking out for her right now! She has no one, and you just want to throw her away like she's nothing! You have no idea how terrifying it was to find her nearly dead, tossed away like trash. I'm not letting her slip through the cracks. She deserves better than that."

She scrubbed her hands over her face, and he felt her softening slightly. "Fine." Her voice still held a sharp edge of anger. "You're right. This is the only acceptable solution, but that's not really the problem. Not even a little." Her intensity waned, and her voice lowered.

The pounding adrenaline from the fight began to ebb, and he finally felt himself begin to calm.

She took a slow breath as they both tried to de-escalate the argument. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You can't just volunteer us for an insane life change without talking to me first. Without even asking me." Her voice remained calm, but when she opened her eyes, he felt taken aback by the burning furor in her expression. "That might be how it worked with Kathy, but that's sure as hell not going to work with me."

He felt another wash of anger at the mention of his dead wife, but before he could bite back defensively, she got one more word in.

"Partners," she murmured. He felt his hand slipping away from her arm, but she caught his hand at the last second.

Her eyes remained focused on their now clasped hands. "We're partners, Elliot. You know I will always back your play, but I have to know what it is first. I can't have your back if I don't know what the damn plan is."

He focused on their now entwined fingers. She was right. Damn her. He shook his head and felt a chuckle escape his lips.

He spent most of his life in a relationship of forced smiles and weak compliance. He and Kathy fought, but they never fought for each other. Olivia wasn't afraid of the fight. Sometimes her fierce demeanor and stubborn independence frustrated the hell out of him, but he wouldn't want her any other way. She fought for herself and what she wanted, but more often than not, she fought for him. She had his back. Always.

He squeezed her fingers gently. "Partners," he repeated.

"Partners," she echoed.