Life As Clarissa Morgenstern

Chapter One

Valentine's POV

"Where's Jonathan?" Maryse asked as the three of us sat on my couch in the living room.

"Upstairs. Asleep in his bed." I sipped at my beer. "Where are Izzy and Alec?"

"Asleep at home. Got a babysitter for the night." I nodded to Robert.

Hours passed as we watched movies and joked around with no interruptions. That is, until my cell phone rang and I picked it up, wondering who was calling me at two in the morning.

"Hello?" I questioned and Maryse turned the tv down.

"Hello. I'm looking for Valentine Morgenstern." A woman's voice sounded.

"That's me. Who am I speaking with?"

"Olivia Benson in the Special Victim's Unit, NYPD. I'm calling in regards to your daughter." I chuckled.

"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong guy. I don't have a daughter." I stood and walked to the kitchen for some privacy.

"The three year old girl's birth certificate says otherwise. Name is Clarissa Fray."

"Fray?" My eyes went wide. "As in, Jocelyn Fray?"

"That would be the mother. Look, Clarissa is in the hospital and needs a place to stay. Are you in a stable condition to take her in?"

"Hospital? For what? Is she okay?" Worry coursed through my veins.

"I'm not able to give medical related news over the phone. We're at Presbyterian hospital in Manhattan. Are you able to take in your daughter?"

"Yes. Yes, of course. I'll be there soon." I set my beer down and hurried back to the living room, pulling on my shoes.

"Val? Everything alright?" I shook my head at Maryse.

"Nope. Could you watch Jon for a while? I have to go." I slipped on my suit jacket and chewed a piece of gum to get rid of the alcohol smell.

"Sure. Where are you going?"

"Well, apparently, Jocelyn had a daughter and decided not to tell me about her. The girl is in the hospital, so I have to go. I don't know when I'll be back."

"That's fine. Go take care of your daughter, well keep an eye on Jon." I smiled slightly.

"Thank you." I grabbed my wallet and rushed outside, quickly catching a cab and heading to the hospital.

When I finally arrived, I practically ran inside the ER and stopped at a nurses station.

"Where can I find my daughter? Clarissa Fray?" The woman typed into the computer before looking up at me.

"Three floors up in the PICU, room 1130." I nodded and ran to the elevator, going up the three floors up like the lady said.

Before I could get to the room, an officer stopped me. "Valentine Morgenstern?" I nodded. "See Detective Benson first, please." I sighed and walked to the woman signing papers at the nurses station.

"Olivia Benson?" She turned to me. "Valentine Morgenstern, I'd like to see my daughter."

"We need to talk about a few things first. Just to clarify some things." I nodded. "So, you had no idea that you had a daughter with Jocelyn Fray, your ex-wife?"