Chapter Text
He’s helpless.
The water has made its way to his waist now and Olivia is completely unconscious, limp in his aching arms. Her lips are turning blue and her once tan skin is deathly white. Air seems to be fleeing from between her lips in tiny puffs. She’s shaking uncontrollably in his arms and she’s so….
Hot?
Wait, that’s not right .
Elliot pulls himself from his dream state.
He’s still in bed with Olivia lying in his arms, but she’s shivering in her sleep. He places a hand on her flushed cheeks- she’s burning up. He works to disentangle himself from her stiff limbs. She groans during the process. He simultaneously pushes the nurse call button and works to arouse his feverish partner.
"May I help you?" A voice answers over the call system.
"Yeah, can I get Captain Benson's nurse please? I think she has a fever." Elliot replies to the box on the wall, trying to remain calm.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that, sir?" The box echoes back.
So much for calm. He bites back, "I need a nurse, now!"
"Someone will be there shortly." The box answers and goes off with a click.
He refocuses on Olivia, "Hey, Liv, can you wake up for me?" He continues to gently shake her shoulder.
She's mumbling, "Get off me, stop. Please stop. Elliot, please help me. Please. Elliot. Please."
Oh, fuck this.
Of course she'd get a fever on the same night she spent hours reliving her worst moments. Just par for the fucking course at this juncture.
“Liv, sweetheart,” shit, she mentioned not liking to be called that anymore. He corrects, “I’m sorry, Liv, wake up for me.”
Her eyes flutter open. They’re glassy from the fever.
“El?” She asks in a tiny voice.
“Yeah, honey, I’m right here.” He’s standing over her, smoothing her hair away from her sweaty forehead.
“I don’t feel good.” She says in the least Olivia Benson timbre he’s ever heard.
“I know ya don’t. You have a fever. The nurse is coming ok?” He leans down and kisses her clammy temple.
Olivia nods her understanding as the door opens.
“Everything ok?” The older woman with a thick Brooklyn accent asks.
Of course his half heard message was only half passed along. “No, Terry, she’s got a high fever.” He says the woman’s name in an attempt to ground himself - she’s not to blame in this situation and is hopefully going to help.
“Let me grab a thermometer.” The nurse answers, walking into the hall and returning with a vital sign machine on squeaky wheels.
“Captain Benson, can you put this under your tongue for me?” Terry asks gently.
When Olivia doesn’t respond, Elliot lightly shakes his groggy partner, “Liv, come on, Terry needs to take your temperature.”
Olivia responds with a light moan of annoyance before allowing the nurse to put the thermometer under her tongue. If she weren’t so sick, he’d have laughed. She’d never show such blatant annoyance if her mind was clearer.
“103.6. Let me get ya blood pressure too.” Terry tells an indifferent Olivia as she wraps the blood pressure cuff around the captain’s limp arm.
It tightens up and Olivia groans. Elliot continues to sooth her hair.
“Ok, 95/49. Not crazy, but softer than I’d like with a fever that high. I know it feels mean with her shivering, but let’s take off the blankets, down to just a sheet and I’m gonna call and see what the game plan will be. Be right back.” Terry explains, pulling back the covers and exiting quickly.
Olivia moans and continues to rigor. The nurse was right, it does feel mean to take her blankets.
“Elliot, I’m so cold.” She uses his full name, meaning business.
“I know you feel that way, but you’re actually really hot.” He tells her.
She’s delirious but still as sharp as a tack, joking through chattering teeth, “Thank you. I’m not as hot as I once was, but I’m holding up well.”
He laughs, appreciating a moment of levity, “Naw, you’re as hot as ever, Liv.” He kisses her head again, whispering in her ear, “Maybe even hotter.”
“Liar.” She gets out before a coughing fit hits, leaving her breathless and driving home just how sick she still is.
He can’t stand this- it’s so unjust for her to start feeling better just to be back to this. He silently prays that this won’t be too big of a set back.
The nurse comes back in pushing a cart covered in lab supplies and meds.
“Ok, so I spoke with the doc. We’re gonna get some blood cultures and a lactic to rule out any further infection or sepsis. I’m gonna give you a liter of fluid, some Tylenol, and he added another IV antibiotic. Then, they’re gonna come in and grab a chest X-ray.” Terry explains, while tying a tourniquet around Olivia’s hot arm.
“Can you not get blood out of that line they put in her chest in ICU?” Elliot asks, always protecting his partner, even from something as small as a blood draw.
“Yeah, I’ll get the rest from there, but one of these cultures has to come from the arm.” She answers, then addresses Olivia, “You got one astute advocate there, Cap. I’d keep em around.”
“I plan to.” Olivia slurs, groggily.
The whole process takes over an hour and it’s almost morning before Olivia is fever free with a closer to normal blood pressure. She’s got her covers back on and is sleepily conversing with Elliot who is lovingly messaging her head.
“You told me once ‘for better or worse’, but you never really mentioned ‘in sickness and in health.’” She joked with her eyes shut, enjoying the feeling of his fingers on her scalp.
“It was implied.” He quips and she chuckles lightly.
They spend a moment in silence- finally relaxing after a trying few hours.
“Elliot?” She speaks again, quietly, the need for sleep heavy in her voice.
“Hmm?” He answers lazily, the rhythm of his own fingers in her hair relaxing him as substantially as his rapidly fading partner.
“I know it’s early. Like we haven’t actually had a date or anything, but do you think…”She stops herself short, “never mind.”
She’s got his full attention now, she acknowledged an actual relationship in their future, “Liv, what? I wanna know what you were going to say? It’s early, but what?”
She pauses, gathering her courage, “Do you think we might say those vows for real one day?”
“Liv, open your eyes and look at me.” He coaxes her softly. He stands so that he is leaning over her, bracing himself with his forearms on either of her head, desperate to make eye contact in this moment.
She does as instructed, revealing her vulnerable brown orbs.
“Yes, I do think we’ll say em for real one day. I would marry you tomorrow, Olivia Benson, given the chance. But, this ball is in your court. You set the pace and I’ll do whatever I have to do to make you and Noah the happiest you’ve ever been. I lo…” he starts but is cut off when Olivia pulls him into her, her lips crashing into his.
It’s the most passionate kiss either has ever experienced. It’s all there- the grief over lost years; the fear of almost losing each other forever; the relief of ongoing recovery, no matter how slow; and the excitement and passion for a future that is finally certain.
After a few moments, he pulls back, acutely aware of her current condition. He smiles down at her, “Wow, Liv, if you can kiss like that as sick as you are, I can’t wait to see how it goes when you’re well.”
“Can’t wait to show you. For now though, want to lay back down with me?” She asks meekly, scooting over as she had at the start of this years long night.
“I’d love to.” He tells her, climbing in and helping her back into a comfortable position on his shoulder.
She snuggles in closely and yawns, “Goodnight or morning or whatever this is…I love you.”
“I love you too, Liv.” He answers, pulling her impossibly closer.
They fall asleep with the knowledge that great things lay ahead.