What's Next?

Chapter 21

"Olivia..." I hear someone say in a soft whisper. I look up from Elliot's chest. "Olivia..." I hear again. I turn around. It was Fin. "How's he doing?" he asks me, walking in and closing the door behind him.

"I...I don't know. The nurse said he's in a coma, but she's unsure of how long it will be," I say as I wipe the tears off of my face. That doesn't help any because the just keep rolling down my face. One after the other.

"Baby girl...he's going to be fine. He'll wake up," Fin says to me. I get out of the chair and pace around the room.

"But what if he's not?" I say with a pause. "What about me? What do I do?" I say. Fin grabs me into a hug. I hug back and cry into his chest.

"Hey...don't worry about any of that. It's going to be fine," he says to me. Just then I hear beeping. I raise my head.

"Fin...what's going on?" I say in a nervous manner. 

"I...I don't k-" he begins, but is cut off by nurses rushing in the room.

"He's flatlining...shock him. Now!" one of them says.

"Ma'am...sir. You can't be in here," another one turns to Fin and I and says. We get out of the room. I'm crying hysterically now.

"One...two...three," one nurse yells.

I can't take it. They keep trying...nothing. I beat on the window...screaming and crying.

"Elliot! Elliot! Keep trying! Don't give up on him! Elliot!" I scream while beating the window. Fin grabs my waist and tries to pull me back. "No! No! Let me go! Let me go now!" I scream while kicking and hitting the window. He finally pulls me away and pulls me into a tight hug. I calm down.

"Shh...Liv it's okay," he says, trying to calm me.

I felt something hit my hand. It was wet. Fin was crying. We were interrupted by a nurse. It was the same nurse who was taking care of me.

"Olivia..." she says to me. I turn around. My tear-stained cheeks, puffy, red eyes, tears still streaming down my face.

"Yes?" I practically, desperately asked her.

"We lost him..." she says, taking a long pause.

Those three words. She was saying something else but I didn't understand it. I tuned her out. I put my hands over my mouth...realizing what she just said to me.

"Liv...Liv!" Fin says, shaking me. I stare off into space. "Olivia!" he says. I look at him with a blank look. "She says there are two nurses still trying to bring him back...Liv it's going to be okay," he says.

"I...I..." I was just frozen. A nurse came up behind me.

"Family of Elliot Stabler?" she asks. I immediately turn around.

"Me..." I say.

"We got him back. He's going to be just fine," she says, smiling at me. I'm in shock.

"Ca...can I...I see him?" I ask her, looking over at him through the window.

"I think it's best to let him rest for a while, then you can see him," she says.

"So...he's not going to be in a coma?" I ask her.

"Um...yes. Yes he is, but we have no idea of how long," she tells me.

"Oh...okay thank you," I say.

I have chills. I feel that I'm fixing to begin to cry again. I walk up to the window and just stare at him. I stay that way for a few hours.

"I think it's time you get some rest," Fin comes up and says to me.

"I...I can't. That's Elliot in there. I'm not leaving. I can't leave," I say, he knows he won't win this.

"Well...at least let me go get you some coffee," he tells me. I nod my head.

"That would be great thank you so much, Fin. For everything," I say and we hug.

*30 minutes later*

Fin comes back with the coffee. I'm still standing in the same place I have been sanding for the past several hours.

"Here you go," he says as he hands me the coffee.

"Thanks," I say.

I immediately turn back to look at Elliot through the window. I take a drink of my coffee...minutes later I finish it off. A nurse comes up beside me.

"Ma'am, you can go in now," she says to me.

"Thank you," I say immediately and rush into the room. I sit back in the chair I was sitting in earlier. "Oh El..." I say. I grab his hand.

"I'm not leaving you...I swear. I don't care how long it takes...I'm not going anywhere. This chair is going to be my best friend until you wake up. I'm going to sleep here for however long it takes," I say as I run my thumb along his hand. I put my other hand up and rest my head on it. I doze off.

*3 weeks later*

I still haven't left this room. Fin brings me food...mainly Chinese take-out. Elliot still hasn't woken up. I'm becoming even more nervous. I just sit and stare at him. Holding his hand.

"El...I need you to wake up. Please. I can't do this," I say to him. I feel a grip on my hand. I smile and tears roll down my face. "El..." I say as I put my other hand over my mouth.

"Liv..." he says in a quiet, raspy voice. He's trying to open his eyes. I get up and open the door to the room.

"Can we get some water in here!" I yell at one of the nurses and I go sit back down, holding his hand. The nurse comes in with a glass of water.

"Here you go,"she says.

"Thank you," I say, smiling at her and taking the glass of water. "El, drink this," I say as I hold the glass up to his mouth, careful not to spill it all over him.

"I love you too, Olivia," he says to me, looking me in the eye. I was so confused.

"What are you talking about El?" I ask him.

"You said you loved me the other day. You said all this stuff about me. I remember it," he says to me. I cover my mouth with my hand and cry.

"Oh my gosh. El..." I say with a long pause. "That was 3 weeks ago," I say to him.

"Oh...well, I remember it," he says to me.

"That's...good," I say. I'm overwhelmed.

"I want to go home," he says to me. I laugh a little.

"Of course you do. You're Elliot Stabler," I say and we both laugh a bit. "I'm so glad you're okay," I say with a smile, a tear goes down my face.

"Hey...no tears. I'm here. I promise," he says to me. He wiped my tear and put his hand on my face. "You're perfect," he adds, then, I lean down and we kiss.

For the first time in 3 weeks.