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“Mama? Mama? Where’d you want this painting hung?” Elliot had flown back to New York to spend time with her and the kids—and give Kathy some space while the divorce was finalized. “Mama?”
When she didn’t answer, Elliot set the hammer back on the floor along with the painting. He searched the house until he found her outside, staring over the fence and across the dunes at another house. One that she’d told him was empty at the moment.
“Mama? What’s wrong? I thought we were hanging paintings today.” Elliot joined her by the fence. He followed her gaze to a grungy-looking sedan parked outside it. “Your neighbor’s come home early?”
“No. I saw a man dragging a woman by her hair into the house. Not my neighbor. Either of them. He was dragging her by her hair, Elliot.” Bernie wrung her hands and then gestured shakily towards the back door. “I think he broke a window, or maybe he found a key. I noticed him checking the potted plants. The woman…”
“What about her?”
“She looked like Olivia Benson.” His mom grabbed him by the arm. “You have to save her.”
“Are you sure?”
“I saw what I saw. I’m old, but my eyes work just fine. She was on the news. Your partner.”
“What?” Elliot spun around towards her. He’d avoided the television since he’d gotten back to the States. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Kathy told me that you already knew, and it was too painful a subject.”
“Well, Kathy lied.” Elliot grabbed his phone out of his back pocket. “Is Dad’s old pistol still here?”
“In the closet. Elliot?”
“Just keep an eye out, Mama.” Elliot dialled Cragen while he searched the closet for his dad’s old service weapon. “Cap?”
“You heard.” Cragen didn’t even bother with a hello. “We don’t know where she is. He’s had her for about three days.”
“I’m at the beach with my mom. She swears she saw a man drag Olivia into a house. He’s driving a brown sedan.” Elliot quickly filled Cragen in all the details of the vehicle and the house itself, along with the address. “I’m armed.”
“Elliot.”
“How long’s it going to take someone with a badge to get out here? What the hell is he doing with her in the meantime? I’ve gotta go in.” Elliot held the phone between his ear and shoulder while checking the pistol. He loaded it and made sure it was good to go. “I can’t see her wondering, Cap.”
“Just…try not to kill him. We’re on our way.”
Elliot pocketed his phone and headed back out of the house. “Mama? Why don’t you go out front? The police should be showing up soon.”
“Elliot.”
“I’ll be careful.” Elliot patted her arm when she walked by him.
“You save your partner, Elliot.” She smiled before grabbing her own phone and making her way towards the front of the house.
Using the fence and dunes as a shield, Elliot crept towards the house. He checked his weapon one last time. He had to get this right; he might not get a second chance to save whoever had been dragged into the house.
He tried not to think about what might’ve happened to Olivia in three days.
Not now.
He could fall apart later. There would be plenty of time to dig into the depths of guilt and pain over leaving her. For now, the focus had to be on saving her.
The glass of the back door had been broken. It was easy for Elliot to quietly ease it open. He cautiously made his way inside, trying to remain as quiet as possible.
Elliot froze when he heard a voice from further inside the house and the telltale sound of duct tape ripping. Fuck.
“Are you feeling sad? Thinking about someone you’re never going to see again? ” The man was clearly taunting Olivia. “ Mom? Dad? Boyfriend? No, huh? Someone else…someone who you would give anything to see just one more time.”
There was a thud followed by a pained grunt. Elliot had to control his desire to slam his way into the door. He didn’t want to risk Olivia being killed.
“ You’re gonna cry his name out…at some point. They always do.” He paused again to rip more tape. “ Well, just try to put him out of your mind, okay? ‘Cause you don’t make it out of here alive.”
“You know what? You might want to keep me around.”
Elliot had dreamed of her voice. He’d thought about Olivia so many times, but this wasn’t how he wanted to hear her first after so long. Keep it together. I’m only getting one shot to save her life.
“Don’t go anywhere,” the man taunted.
There was another pained grunt where he’d obviously hit Olivia. Elliot heard his footsteps through the room. He waited patiently for him, hiding on one side of the hallway.
Elliot caught the man by the throat when he came close enough, gripping tight enough to restrict his air. He backed him slowly towards the bedroom after unarming him. “The name you were looking for was Elliot Stabler. Nice to fucking meet you, asshole.”
When Elliot spotted Olivia tied on the bed, he couldn’t help his hand tightening further. He slammed the man against the nearest wall a few times. A moan from the bed drew his attention, so he allowed the asshole to slip to the floor unconscious.
“Elliot,” she whispered his name, staring at him as if she couldn’t believe he was there. “What…are you even doing here?”
“I’m—” Elliot spun around at a sound behind him. He had the gun up and firing before her attacker had moved a step. He hit him in the head, dropping him to the ground again. “Well, shit.”
“Put the gun in his hand.”
“Liv?”
“Put his gun in his hand. He fired it once today. They’ll find GSR on his hands. Put his gun in his hands.” Olivia wasn’t completely with it. “Elliot. He’s not ruining any more lives today. Do it.”
“I hear you, Liv.” Elliot did what she said that focused on getting her free. He cut through the duct tape on her wrists and ankles. “Can I lift you up?”
Olivia’s fingers trembled uncontrollably when she reached towards him. “Please…”
“Come on. Let me get you the fuck out of her.” Elliot gingerly lifted her up out of the mess the man had made of the bed. He knew they’d completely screwed up the scene, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was getting her out of the house and away from the bastard who’d hurt her. “You’re okay, Liv. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
Carrying her out of the house, Elliot took her straight to his mom’s. He set her down on one of the cushioned deck chairs and crouched in front of her. Her entire body shook, but her grip on his hand was so strong that it hurt.
“I’m not going anywhere, Liv.” Elliot covered her hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”
There was no time for apologies or explanations. He simply stayed in front of her, allowing her to hold on to him as much as she needed until the police and EMS arrived. The paramedics were quick to take her from him, despite Olivia trying to cling to his hand.
“They’re gonna want my statement, Liv. Mama’s going to go with you. Is that okay? That way you aren’t alone.” Elliot glanced over to find his mom already holding her purse. “She’ll take good care of you.”
“Okay.”
Elliot climbed into the ambulance. He took her hand and bent forward so only she could hear him. “I’ll be at the hospital as soon as Cragen lets me out of his sight. I promise. I’ll be there.”
Olivia met his gaze. Her eyes were bleary, but she stared intensely before nodding. “Okay.”
After brushing a kiss on her forehead, Elliot hopped out of the ambulance and helped his mom inside. She promised to stay with Olivia. He turned to find Cragen, Fin and another detective he didn’t recognize.
“Cap.” Elliot nodded. He’d already handed his weapon off to one of the other officers. “Fin.”
“You got ‘em?” Fin held a hand out to him. “Never thought I’d be damn glad to see you, Stabler.”
“He’s dead. Not hurting anyone else ever again.” Elliot shook his hand. He wasn’t surprised when Cragen motioned for him to follow. “I have no regrets; whatever happens.”
“Let’s not say that too loudly. All right?”
The questioning seemed to go on forever. Cragen and Fin hadn’t been too hard on him. He imagined they were both wishing they’d been the ones to pull the trigger.
All Elliot wanted was to be by Olivia’s side. But he tried to be patient and answer their questions. They finally finished with him and headed to the hospital.
Cragen was silent for much of the drive. “What really happened?”
“He raised his gun. I fired.” Elliot had kept his story simple and provable. Nothing they’d find in the beach house would disprove it. “Like I said.”
“Elliot, son.”
“Captain.” Elliot cut him off before he could continue. “I did what was necessary for Olivia to come out of that beach house alive.”
For him, there was nothing left to say. Cragen finally just nodded and moved the conversation to other things. They talked about changes at the precinct—anything other than Olivia and William Lewis.
A throng of blue greeted them in the waiting room. Elliot nodded to the few cops he recognized. He wondered how many were there to assuage their guilt at not finding her sooner.
Shaking his head, Elliot ignored the ones who wanted to speak to him. He continued through to the nurse’s station, where they pointed him down the corridor to Olivia’s room. He took a quick detour into the restroom further down the hall.
Elliot went over to the sink and splashed cold water into his face repeatedly. He washed his hands a few times, trying not to think about the way Olivia’s fingers had trembled when she reached out to him. Get your shit together. She needs you.
Splashing his face a few more times, Elliot finally stood back up straight. He clenched his hands into fists and trembled with pent-up rage. He released a ragged breath and regained control.
He could do this for her.
Whatever she needed, he was going to be there for her.
Elliot crossed the corridor, knocked twice and entered when his mom opened the door. “How is she?”
“She needs her partner.” She reached up to pat his face gently. “I’m going to see if I can find a decent cup of tea somewhere. You sit with her.”
Elliot made his way over to the chair his mom had vacated. “She didn’t bother you too much, did she?”
Olivia smiled tiredly at him. She still seemed hazy and out of it. Her hand reached out for him as soon as he was settled in the chair. “She reminded me that you were real. I hadn’t imagined you.”
Elliot gripped her hand in his. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t find you sooner.”
“How could you have even known?”
“You’re my partner.”
“And you saved me.” Olivia sniffled a few times. She seemed to be trying her hardest not to cry. “I kept…I couldn’t stop myself from praying for you to show up. For you to rescue me. For my partner.”
Elliot couldn’t take it any longer. He stood up and moved closer to sit on the bed. He drew her into his arms as gently as possible. “I’m here for you, partner. As long as you need me. Longer. Whatever you need.”
“Just need you. I need my partner.” Olivia relaxed into his embrace.
“You have me. I’m going to take good care of you.” Elliot was going to do everything in his power to help her heal. “You and me, partner. For better or worse.”