A/N: This chapter is based on the preview for the 1-25-23 episode of SVU. I was planning to do this one after Part 2 of 'The Letter' but I wanted to get this one done while it was my head. For this one, Hank and Olivia have been married for 5 years and he heads Organized Crime. He and Elliot are good friends and Elliot does know about William Lewis. Amanda is still with SVU and married to Carisi, so other than that, none of what happened in the 12-8-22 episode happened (like Noah's half-brother). I don't own any of the characters.
Traumatized
Olivia and Noah were walking because her SUV wouldn't start and Olivia had a feeling they were being followed. She had been uneasy since the case they had involving the BX9 gang. She really hadn't told Hank how she felt because he, Elliot and the rest of Organized Crime had been working on a case, although she knew he had experience with gangs when he was in Chicago.
The area they were in was not an area she'd want to be in during the day, let alone in the dark with her son. She had seen some people walking on the other side of the street and they had started saying inappropriate things. Olivia had had enough.
"Noah, stay here."
"Mom, be careful."
Olivia pulled her gun out and started to cross the street.
"NYPD!"
A car came and hit her. The guys started laughing and then began kicking and beating her.
"MOM!"
Noah hid but had gotten some pictures of the guys. He then called Hank.
"Come on, Dad! Answer!"
He got his voicemail, so he left a message and hung up. He then called 9-1-1. He told the Dispatcher who his mom was and she was with SVU. He was so scared for Olivia. The Dispatcher kept him on the line until the Police got there. The guys had run off when they heard sirens and Noah went over to Olivia when he saw they were gone. Olivia was conscious but badly beaten and she hurt all over.
"Mom!"
"Noah. Hank."
"I called Dad but he didn't answer, so I left him a message and called 9-1-1."
"Ok."
The Police arrived as did the ambulance. Noah hung up with the Dispatcher as the Police got out of their car.
"Oh, shit! Captain Benson, are you ok?"
"No, I'm not."
"Were you sexually assaulted?"
"No but can you please contact Sergeant Tutuola or Detective Rollins?"
"Absolutely. What about Lieutenant Voight?"
"I left my dad a message. They're working late on a case."
One of the Patrol Officers contacted both Fin and Amanda, while the other one talked to Noah as the paramedics tended to Olivia. Hank had gotten Noah's message and found out where they were. They had decided to call it a night, so Elliot went with him. They got there in record time. When they got there, they were about to put Olivia in the ambulance. They both got out of the SUV.
"Lieutenant, are you riding with her?"
"Yeah."
"Take care of her and I'll meet you there."
"I will and thanks."
Hank got in with Olivia and Noah and Elliot shut the door. Hank could not believe what he was seeing. The ambulance left with a police escort.
"I am so sorry this happened to you."
"Not your fault."
"What happened?"
"Noah told Hank what he had seen and that he had taken pictures of them.
"Good. I'm glad you did that. Babe, did they do anything else to you?"
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yes, Hank! I think I'd know if I was raped."
Then Olivia started crying.
"I'm sorry."
"It's ok."
Hank stroked her hair and kissed her head. He ruffled Noah's hair and put his arm around him.
"You did good, kiddo."
They arrived at the hospital and Olivia went for tests right away, while Hank and Noah went to the waiting room. Chief McGrath got there and so did Fin and Amanda.
"Lieutenant Voight."
"Chief."
"Voight, how's Liv?"
"She's in pretty bad shape. She said they didn't do anything else."
"I'll see if I can talk her into doin' a rape kit anyway. She may open up to me."
"I have no reason to doubt her."
"I don't either but we probably should just to be safe. Maybe we can still get DNA."
"If she agrees to it."
"How you doin', little man?"
"I was so scared. I hid from them but I took pictures before I called Dad and 9-1-1."
"Good thinkin'."
"I called Erin. She said she'll get here as soon as she can. We can take Noah if you need us to."
"That might be ok. He may be able to stay with Erin too."
"Is Stabler comin'?"
"Yeah."
Then Elliot came in.
"Anything?"
"Not yet."
Chief McGrath went to make a call and Noah went to the bathroom.
"When I find these bastards that did this to her, I'm gonna kill them all."
"Me too."
"Hell, me too."
"You 3 do know there's a possibility that none of us will be workin' on this case, right?"
"Yeah."
Amanda rolled her eyes. Olivia was taken into a room, so Hank and Amanda went in. Hank kissed her.
"Ow! That hurts."
"Sorry."
"How are you feelin', Liv?"
"I hurt all over."
"Lieutenant, can we have a minute?"
"Yeah."
Hank left and then Amanda sat down.
"Be honest with me. Did these guys rape you?"
"I don't think they did but I don't really know for sure. I don't hurt in that area though. I suppose I could have a rape kit done just to be sure and maybe there's some sort of DNA on me. Something will show up though because I was with Hank this morning. What if I was raped? Hank won't want to look at me again let alone touch me."
"Liv, you know that's not true. He loves you more than life itself. I never thought I'd overcome what Patton had done to me but I did. I never thought I'd ever find the right guy for me but Sonny has been so amazing. I think I loved him longer than I care to admit. You never thought you'd overcome what Lewis did to you but you did and Voight is a great guy who loves you and Noah so much. Just so you know, all 3 of them agree that when they find the guys responsible for what happened to you, they're gonna kill them."
"I'm not surprised. One of them probably thinks he owes me for leaving for 10 years. However, I do not want Hank involved with this case. I'm pretty sure it was the BX9 gang that we investigated a few months back and I know Hank has experience with gangs but I need him to be my husband more than I need him to be a cop right now."
"Got it."
The nurse came in an Amanda said they were going to have a rape kit done. The nurse got what she needed and did the rape kit. She did tell Olivia there wasn't any trauma in that area. Olivia said she was relieved about that and that was really all she needed to know. While Amanda was in with Olivia, Chief McGrath said SVU would be working on the case if it involved DX9 because they had already investigated them. The Gang Unit would be involved as well and he asked if Organized Crime wanted to help out. Hank said he was recusing himself from the case but if the rest of the unit wanted to get involved, that was fine. Elliot said he did because he wanted to help catch the bastards that had done this to her even of it mean working in SVU again temporarily. Hank said it was fine but he also needed him to run Organized Crime because he was going to take time off to take care of Olivia. Chief McGrath said he understood why Hank had to recuse himself from the case. Amanda came out of where Olivia was and then Hank went back in, while Fin told Amanda what was going on.
"You ok?"
"Yeah. They did a rape kit and everything is ok. There was no evidence of trauma."
"I know what's goin' through that head of yours. If it had happened, nothin' would ever change the way I feel about you. I recused myself from helpin' with the case. SVU is takin' the lead on it with the help of the Gang Unit and Stabler. He said he wants to help catch the bastards that did this to you even if it means workin' in SVU again temporarily. I told him it was fine but I needed him to run Organized Crime, since I'm plannin' to take time off to take care of you."
"Thank you. I told Amanda I needed you to be my husband and not a cop right now."
"You know I would do anything for you."
"I know. At least I don't have to remind Fin that he's in charge. Usually he starts whining about it."
"He didn't have a problem with it."
"Good. Where's Noah?"
"He's in the waiting room."
"I want to see him."
"Ok."
Hank went to get Noah and then they went back.
"Hey, Mom."
"Hey."
"Are you ok?"
"I will be. I have the two best guys in the entire world to help me get through this. I'm sorry if this scared you."
"It kind of did. Sometimes I get scared that you or Dad won't be coming home."
"I am so sorry, Sweetie. I am so proud of you for how you handled things."
"Me too."
"I know there are always people taking pictures or videos of people getting attacked. I also know that sometimes Police Officers do things they shouldn't. It really hurt me to see that happening to you but I wanted to help catch the bad guys."
"While I appreciate it more than you will ever know, those guys are bad people. If they knew you had done that, they would probably come after you too."
"That's true. I dealt with people like this in Chicago, since I was in the Gang Unit before I took over Intelligence."
"Am I gonna get into trouble now?"
"I will do everything I can to make sure you and your mom are safe. I told your mom that I am planning to take time off, so I can take care of her."
"Ok."
"You're actually going to trust Elliot to run things?"
"Yeah."
"I'm glad you two get along so well because honestly, I wasn't expecting you too. You both have the same type of personality."
"We've talked a lot about his situation."
"Since you've been through it obviously."
"Well, yeah. You finally told him about you and Ed, right?"
"I did. I told him that when we talked about William Lewis. He wasn't happy but I told him that Ed had become a different person after he and Amaro left the NYPD. The reason he was so hard on SVU for all those years was because of both of them. I can imagine Ed being the same way with you if he had still been with Internal Affairs when you came here. Ed wasn't surprised when he found out we were together."
"I've been better."
"I know you have and I appreciate that more than you will ever know. Other than my squad, you're the one that has provided me with the most emotional support these last several years, especially after Ed's death. I know I wasn't the easiest person to deal with after that happened. I guess I still loved him more than I thought I did."
"You're allowed to mourn him. I know you cared about Kathy too, just like I know you still care about Elliot."
"I'm just glad I was married when he came back into my life though. I love you."
"I love you too."
"Can we try the kiss again?"
"Are you sure? I don't wanna hurt you again."
"I'm sure."
Hank leaned in and kissed Olivia. Fin and Elliot were both standing in the doorway.
"Hey!"
"Yes, Sergeant?"
"I wanted to get the pictures from little man."
Noah sent Fin the pictures he had taken.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"You doin' ok, Liv?"
"Yeah, I think so. I had a rape kit done just to be sure. There was no trauma there."
"That's good. Fin said you were investigating this gang a few months ago, right?"
"Yeah. They attacked a family in the subway. They raped the teenage daughter and killed the father."
"Ok."
"Rollins took your rape kit to the lab to be tested to see if there were any DNA matches in the system, since I'm guessin' they did all that."
"Yes, they did."
"Wait, Mom, were you raped?"
"No, Sweetie, I wasn't. They did a rape kit just to be sure and they did take samples from under my fingernails and my skin."
"Don't forget what happened this morning."
"How could I forget that? I did tell Amanda about that but when they told me there was no trauma in that area, that was all I needed to know. I'm glad we decided to wear the silicone wedding rings for work because I'm sure they would have taken my real one."
"Yeah, no doubt."
"We hardly ever wear our real ones anyway unless we're going out somewhere."
"Yep."
"We're gonna go."
"Ok."
"Keep up posted as to what's goin' on."
"I will."
Fin and Elliot both left and then the doctor came in. He told her her right hand and wrist were broken, she had a few broken ribs, a cut over her left eyebrow and lower lip that required stitches and a lot of bruising. They would give her a splint for her hand and wrist instead of a cast. They wanted to keep her overnight for observation. He stitched up her cuts and put the splint on her hand and wrist before he went to see if they had a room for her. Hank decided to wait until she was moved before he texted everyone. In the meantime, Erin had shown up.
"Mom, are you ok?"
"My right hand and wrist are broken, I have a few broken ribs, the cut over my left eyebrow and lots of bruising. They want to keep me overnight for observation."
She then told Erin what had happened.
"You're not working on the case?"
"I recused myself from it but SVU is still workin' on it and so is Elliot. I'm plannin' to take time off to take care of Olivia. Rollins said they could take Noah if we need them to."
"I could probably take him tonight. If you need our help with the case, don't hesitate to ask. I was talking to my boss when I got Rollins' message and he asked what happened. I know you had that case not too long ago."
"That's why I think this their revenge for that. Not only that, Noah was there and took pictures of what they were doing and showed it to the Patrol Officers that responded and he texted them to Fin. While I'm proud of him for what he did because these pics do show their faces, I'm also nervous for him now. If they knew what he was doing, they would have come after him too. I want him with someone who can protect him. The last thing I want is to put our son in any kind of danger because of our jobs."
"I don't blame you for that."
"I would never intentionally put him in danger either."
"I know you wouldn't and neither would I. The only reason we were in the predicament we were in was because my stupid SUV wouldn't start. I wouldn't want to be in the area we were in during the day let alone with my son and I carry a gun. Oh, shit! I don't have my gun. I had my gun in my hand and I think I dropped it. I bet they took it and would think nothing of committing crimes with a cop's gun."
Hank called Elliot and told him to go to the scene and look to see if Olivia's gun was there. She had it in her hand and dropped it. She said they may have taken it. He said they were there now and haven't seen anything. Hank hung up and told Olivia that they were there now but hadn't seen her gun. Internal Affairs came in, so Erin took Noah out. Olivia told them what happened, including Noah hiding and taking pictures and about her gun being missing. She said they would think nothing of committing crimes with a cop's gun. They agreed. One of the paramedics that took care of her came in.
"Captain Benson, this was in the ambulance. I figured it was yours."
"It is. Thank you. I thought it was stolen. Thank you again."
"You're welcome."
The paramedic left.
"At least that mystery is solved."
Hank texted Elliot to tell him the paramedics found it and he said he was glad. Internal Affairs wanted to talk to Noah to get his story. Hank and Olivia agreed but Hank had to be there with him. They agreed to that and Hank took them to the waiting room to talk to Noah, so Erin came back to stay with Olivia.
"The paramedics found my gun in the ambulance."
"That's good. I see IA wanted to talk to Noah."
"It makes sense because he was a witness to the entire thing. I just don't want to see something happen to him. I'll never forgive myself."
"I'll do whatever I can to protect him."
"Thank you."
"No problem."
After Internal Affairs left, Hank and Noah came back. Erin and Noah left after Noah kissed both Hank and Olivia and then a little while later, Olivia was moved to a room. Hank texted everyone to tell them what room she was in. They gave Olivia an IV for the pain and she had hoped that would have helped her sleep. Hank kissed her and they both tried falling asleep. Hank ended up falling asleep quicker than she did. Every time Olivia had closed her eyes, she saw the attack. She knew she was going to have to make an appointment with Dr. Lindstrom just like she did after what had happened with William Lewis. At that point, all she could do was cry. Hank heard her crying and woke up.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Every time I close my eyes, I see the attack."
Hank got on the bed with her and wrapped his arms around her. He gently rubbed her arm until she fell asleep. He kissed her head and then drifted off to sleep again himself. Olivia wasn't the only one that was having trouble sleeping because of what had happened. Everything that had happened was going through Noah's head too and he hadn't been able to fall asleep. He got out of bed and went to Erin's room.
"Erin?"
"What?"
"I can't sleep."
"Ok. Come on."
She moved the covers and then he crawled into bed with her. She then put her arms around him.
"Mom's gonna be ok, right?"
"Yeah. She should be. It may take a while for both of you to get over what happened but Dad will be here for both of you and so will I."
"Do I have to go to school in the morning?"
"I can't make that decision. That's up to Mom and Dad. Try to get some sleep and we'll see how things are in the morning."
"Ok."
Erin kissed Noah's forehead and they both went to sleep. Fin had gone home to Phoebe and Amanda had gone home to Sonny and the girls. Fin had called Velasco and Muncy to tell them what was going on. Elliot went back to Organized Crime to look up the BX9 to get as much info as he could on them, including where they liked to hang out.
It was Hank's turn to be awake. He was worried about his family but with good reason. He knew he could have lost Olivia and even Noah because of this gang. He hoped the teams could get these guys once and for all. He closed his eyes again and fell back to sleep.
Erin had woken up again and Noah was sound asleep. She got out of bed and went to her laptop to do a little research on this gang. She was no stranger to dealing with gangs, since she dealt with them quite a bit in Chicago. The FBI had actually worked with Hank and his unit quite a bit. She looked up the names of some of the members on social media. They had been bragging about beating a cop and they were far from done with her. Erin had Elliot's number, so she called him.
"Hey, Erin."
"Hey. Have you looked into the BX9?"
"I was just doin' that. Why?"
"I was doing the same thing and looked at the members' social media accounts. They're bragging about beating a cop and they were far from done with her."
"Damn!"
"Let me see if I can get a location of where the posts are coming from and I'll let you know."
"You wanna help me take them down?"
"If I didn't have Noah, I would. Liv is worried about his safety after he took those pictures and I promised them I'd keep him safe. I know Hank. He won't leave her side until these guys are behind bars."
"I can't blame him for that. I admit that I had hoped somethin' would have happened between Liv and me after Kathy died but I'm glad she's happy and Hank is a good guy. I feel like I should have been there for her when that Lewis guy did what he did to her."
"If anyone understands your feelings, I do. I was romantically involved with my partner in Chicago and he neglected to tell me that he was married. He said he thought the marriage was over but she never signed the papers. She showed up and wanted to make the divorce official. He moved out of our apartment voluntarily to give me some space. In the meantime, I was offered the job with the FBI and it turned out to be the best thing for me. I've had a better relationship with Liv after I moved here. She has been more of a mom to me than my own mother ever was. Now that my mom is dead because of a drug overdose, which was no surprise, I made the decision to call Liv 'Mom'. Dad left Chicago a year after I did."
"How's your relationship with your ex now?"
"We're civil. We finally talked when I went back to Chicago to help Dad get ready to move. He's now married to his current partner and I'm fine with it. We do keep in touch and if I'm in Chicago for work and I have time, I will meet up with everyone from Intelligence. I'm glad Jay's happy."
"How long has Hank's first wife been gone?"
"It's been about 13 years. This is the second time around for him and Liv. They met during a case involving my half-brother Teddy in 2014 and they were seeing each other casually when the 2 squads worked together again but only a few people knew about it. Dad backed off when she was with that Internal Affairs guy but she did come to Chicago when my half-brother Justin died for support even though she had just lost her Sergeant. Captain Tucker came with her and they seemed happy. She said they were planning to go to Paris. Dad seemed genuinely happy for them even though deep down, I knew he was hurt by it because I think he loved her longer than he was willing to admit. The distance was the main thing keeping them from being in a real relationship. She and Captain Tucker broke up after being together for maybe a year because he was talking about retiring and wanted her to think about it too. She basically wanted to focus on Noah. That was the year I moved here. We met for dinner one night shortly after that and we talked for a while, which we hadn't done in a long time. I have always had a great deal of respect for her. She told me about the breakup and that she did regret it but there was someone else she had feelings for. I asked her if it was Hank and she said it was. I told her she needed to talk to him. I knew he felt the same way about her because he hadn't felt that way about anyone since Camille. Liv can put him in his place and actually get away with it. Most people can't."
"Yeah, she has a way of doin' that. I heard she compared him to me."
"She did. Anyway, she went to Chicago by herself, so they could talk face to face. They both admitted their real feelings and decided to be in a relationship even if it was long distance. After Al died a year later, he made the decision to move to New York. Chicago was all he has known but he adjusted to being here. I was the same way. He said the Organized Crime thing is pretty similar to what he did with Intelligence in Chicago."
"I had met Hank before the explosion that killed Kathy. I was a little shocked to find out that he was with Liv but I had seen the pictures in his office. We had actually made plans for the 4 of us to meet for dinner but that never happened with Kathy. After Kathy's death, I was havin' a rough time and Hank and I talked. He told me what he had been through with Camille and with Justin. I'm just glad my kids are older but Eli, my youngest, has had problems dealin' with his mom's death. Hank said Justin did too."
"He did. I don't know how much Hank has told you though."
"About that Bingham guy?"
"Yeah."
"He told me about that and honestly, I don't blame him. I probably would have done the same thing and I wanted to after what happened to Kathy but Hank stopped me."
"I think he's learned his lesson. He wants to be a better dad to Noah than he ever was to Justin. He wasn't around a lot with Justin."
"I know how that goes."
"He also doesn't want to do anything that could negatively impact his relationship with Liv."
"I know how that goes. I know she hasn't completely forgiven me for leaving the way I did but we've talked."
"I'll let you get back to work. Let me know what you find out."
"I will."
Erin hung up and continued to look into getting a location for the guys. When she got something, she sent it to Elliot. She then fell back to sleep. Elliot had gotten her email and went to check things out. He contacted Fin and said he had a location of the guys and wanted to know if he wanted to arrest the bastards that attacked Liv. He said he did but not to do anything until they all got there. Fin contacted everyone else, including ESU and then they met Elliot at the location. As soon as everyone was there, they went.
"NYPD!"
All the gang members scattered, but the leader was standing there staring at Elliot. Fin was right there too and they both had their guns pointed at the leader. He had his gun pointed at them and then some of the other members came out with their knives.
"Put your weapons down."
"Not until you put yours down."
"All your asses are gonna be in jail anyway."
"We didn't do nothin'."
"Really? You beat a cop, who happens to be a good friend of ours. Your social media profiles even show you braggin' about it."
"So. The bitch deserved it for arrestin' our friends. We should have done more than we did to her."
He kept badmouthing Liv and both Elliot and Fin were getting madder by the minute. Elliot and the leader had started to get into it. The leader pulled his trigger and got Elliot in the shoulder but Elliot had simultaneously shot his gun and fatally wounded the BX9 leader. The other BX9 members wanted to go after Elliot but instead they tried running off. Everyone except Fin went after them.
"Stabler, you ok, man?"
"My shoulder hurts like hell!"
Fin called for an ambulance and then he put pressure on Elliot's shoulder until they got there. The other BX9 members were apprehended and taken into custody. Elliot was taken to the hospital and Fin called Kathleen. She told Fin she would meet him at the hospital. Someone one from the Gang Unit contacted the ME's office and waited for them to show up. Fin headed to the hospital and contacted Hank on his way.
"What's goin' on, Fin?"
"Sorry to bother you. We had a lead on the case thanks to Stabler and everyone is in custody. The BX9 leader is dead. Stabler shot him but he was also shot in the shoulder. He's on his way there now and I called his daughter Kathleen."
"I'll meet you down there."
"Ok."
"Thanks for lettin' me know."
"No problem."
Hank hung up. Olivia had woken up while Hank was on the phone.
"What happened?"
"That was Fin. The BX9 members are in custody and Elliot shot and killed the leader. Stabler got shot as well. He was hit in the shoulder and is bein' brought here. I'm gonna go check on him, since I am his Superior."
"That makes sense. Make sure IAB knows what happened."
"Yeah, I know."
Hank kissed Olivia, got up and went down to the ER. Elliot was already there.
"You ok?"
"Yeah. There's an exit wound, so I don't need surgery."
"That's a good thing."
"Yeah, it is."
Elliot told Hank how everything went down, including that Erin was the one that had been able to pinpoint their location because of their social media posts. He also told him what the social media posts had said. That was not sitting too well with Hank. Fin and Kathleen both arrived around the same time and found where Elliot was.
"Dad, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't need surgery."
"Good. You can stay with me for a few days."
"I'm good."
"No, you're not. Don't be so stubborn."
"Ok, fine."
"Does IAB know?"
"Yeah. I called them on my way too."
"Good."
"How's Liv?"
"She's hangin' in there."
"What happened to Olivia?"
They all told Kathleen what happened.
"Oh, wow!"
They all talked for a while. Once IAB got there, Hank went back up to Olivia's room and texted Erin to let her know what had happened. Olivia was asleep again, so he waited to tell her what had happened.
Several hours later, Erin had woken up and Noah was still asleep. She checked her text messages and went to take a shower. Once she was done in the shower dried off and put her robe on, she went back into her bedroom. Noah was awake.
"How are you doin', kiddo?"
"Better than I was. I guess I'll go to school."
"If you think you can't get through the day, have them call Dad. I'll fill them in when I take you."
"Ok."
Noah got up and went to get ready, so Erin could get dressed and dry her hair. She went to get breakfast ready and fixed Noah's lunch. After they ate and brushed their teeth, Erin took him to school and went in with him to tell them what was going on. After she left the school, she headed to the hospital. Olivia was having breakfast and Hank was gone.
"Hey, Mom."
"Hey. How did things go last night?"
"We both had trouble sleeping. Noah asked last night if he could stay home. I told him we would see how he was this morning. He slept better when he was in with me and he decided to go to school. When I dropped him off, I let his teacher and the Principal know what was going on and if he had any problems, they needed to call Dad."
"I was kind of figuring he'd want to stay home but you handled that pretty well."
"Where's Dad?"
"He went home to get a shower and he wanted to check in with Elliot. I guess Elliot was going to stay with Kathleen. Thank you for what you did to help."
"No problem. He was looking into where these guys hang out and actually so was I. It was after midnight when I talked to him."
"Did he call you?"
"No. I called him. I told him I'd look into it a little more, since I can get a bit more info than the Police can. I was looking into their social media accounts and they were bragging about beating a cop. They also said they were far from done. I probably shouldn't have been working on the case anyway. I'm glad the leader is dead and the rest of them are in jail."
"That's what Hank said this morning. Technically my unit or Elliot shouldn't have been working on it either. Elliot probably felt he owed it to me because he wasn't around with what happened with William Lewis. Your dad recused himself without me asking him to. I'm glad he's dead too. I just hope they got everyone."
"Let's hope so."
Hank came back and Elliot was with him.
"Hey, kiddo."
"Hey. Last night Noah wasn't sure he wanted to go to school. He was better this morning but I told him that if he wasn't sure he could get through the day to have the school call you. I told them what happened, so they're aware of it."
"Ok. Olivia figured he wouldn't have wanted to go."
"I told him it depended on how he slept. Once he finally fell asleep, he was out for the night."
"At least it's Friday."
"True."
"How are you feeling, El?"
"It still hurts like hell but I'll live. It's not like I've never been shot before."
"That's true. Thank you for everything you did."
"No thanks is necessary but you're welcome. I was glad to do it. Erin deserves some of the credit, since she was the one that located them."
"Thanks for all your help too, kid."
"You're welcome."
"Honey, are you still planning to be off with Elliot now off for a few days?"
"Yeah. I need to be here for you and Noah."
"Trying to do everything left-handed should be fun."
"Don't worry, I'll help you out."
"That's what I'm counting on. At least I can still take a shower."
"How is your wrist and hand this morning?"
"They still hurt. My fingers are pretty swollen and my face hurts too."
Hank kissed Olivia's face where her injuries were.
"Much better. Did you let Olive know what was going on?"
"Not yet. I'll text her later."
"I should get going. I'll check in with you later."
"Thanks, Sweetie."
"No problem."
"Thanks for your help with all this."
"Just doing my job."
Erin hugged both Hank and Olivia and then she headed to work. Olivia's squad came in with Carisi.
"How you doin', Liv?"
"Everything still hurts. Carisi, please tell me these guys are going to be locked up for a long time."
"If I have my way, they will. The fact they beat a cop, doesn't help their case at all. I have the arraignment this mornin'. If they plead not guilty and it goes to trial, I might need Noah's testimony. Yours too."
"That's not surprising. As long as the Defense Attorney isn't Buchanan or Barba. I will kill Barba if he defends these guys."
"I don't think Barba would. Felipe Heredio was part of DX9 and the one that was threatenin' Barba."
"You're right. I almost forgot about that."
"Are you still pissed at Barba for defendin' Wheatley?"
"No. We met for lunch one day and talked it out."
"We talked too. He wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings between us and I get why he did it. Any other Defense Attorney would have ripped you to shreds because of our relationship. I get he cares about you too."
"He does. If he defended these people, he may not knowing I'm one of the victims."
"Yeah, true."
"I just feel bad that I couldn't get Wheatley convicted."
"Barba knows how to work the jury and you know that as well as I do."
"You were a Detective before you were ADA?"
"I was. I was with SVU and I attended Law School at night. I passed the Bar exam several years ago but I still wanted to be a cop. Barba was my mentor."
"What made you change your mind?"
"Actually, my feelings for Amanda influenced my decision. I've had feelings for her since she was pregnant with her oldest daughter Jesse. I was afraid to admit to it. She was the one that made the first move."
"Same with me. You were more supportive when I was pregnant with Billie than Al was. I admit that I never seem to fall for good guys but you proved me wrong."
"And to think, Liv was married before both of us. Who would have thought?"
Both Olivia and Amanda rolled their eyes.
"And yet you're still not married, Fin."
"Thanks for pointin' that out. Stabler, Phoebe still wants to set you up with her sister."
"I think I'm good for right now. I'm still tryin' to get used to this single parent thing."
"It is so much easier with two of us. Noah loves having a dad."
"I just don't want to make the same mistakes with him that I did with Justin."
"I saw you with Erin and Daniel. You're a good dad and grandpa. Noah and Daniel are very close and he loves having a big sister. I can't imagine anyone else being a dad to my son."
"Thanks, Babe."
"You're welcome."
Olivia kissed Hank.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"The girls love havin' Sonny around all the time. He's more of a dad to them than their actual fathers are."
"I love them both as if they were my own."
"I know you do."
"I love their mom too."
"I love you too."
Amanda kissed Sonny. Everyone who was leaving left and Hank texted Olive to let her know what was going on. Carisi headed to the arraignment. They pleaded not guilty, so it was going to trial. The doctor came to check on Olivia and said she could go home. He had the nurse start the paperwork and then she was released just before lunchtime. As soon as she got home, Olivia went to take a shower, while Hank made her some soup for lunch.
Noah had managed to stay in school the entire day. Hank went to pick him up and took him home. Noah was glad Olivia was home. Olivia told him that he may have to testify in court about what happened but Carisi would work with him. She and Hank wouldn't let anything happen to him. Later that night, Olive and Daniel called Olivia via video chat and talked to her. They said as soon as they had a long weekend, they would come to New York to see everyone.
Elliot was off a couple days and Olivia was off a week but both were on desk duty once they returned. Olivia scheduled an appointment with Dr. Lindstrom before she went back, since she knew she was required to.
As Carisi prepared for the upcoming trial, the decision was made to have Noah give his testimony in the Judge's chambers in front of the Judge, Defense Attorney and Carisi instead of the courtroom. The trial went well for Carisi. They were easily found guilty and would be off the streets for a long time, which was a relief to both Olivia and Hank. Olivia still had to heal both physically and emotionally but she had the help of her family and friends.
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