Operation Heart

A Blast From The Past

Olivia had to physically stop herself and take a few deep breaths so that she didn't barrel in and accuse Elliot of anything. He had once meant the world to her, but now it was her son that meant everything to her, and she had to protect him. She lightly knocked on the door, attempting to put on a cool, calm, polite smile on as Noah looked up, and their eyes met. His blue eyes that had initially reminded her so much of her former partners, and her brown eyes that had always comforted him. "Noah, this is an old friend of mine, Captain Olivia Benson. She has some questions about what happened," Elliot said softly, not planning on leaving the boy's side anytime soon.

If things had been different, if she had been different, she would have thanked him profusely, but instead she turned her attention to the young boy with a bandage wrapped around his head. "How are you feeling, Noah?" She sat on the stool next to his bed as close as she could.

"I'm alright. Detective Stabler is really nice, and he's been with me ever since I woke up," Noah explained, a small smile spreading across his face as he looked up at his mom. Olivia bit her lip to hold back a smile that matched Noah's. "Can Detective Stabler stay while you ask me whatever questions you have?"

"Only if he promises not to tattle to my bosses. We aren't supposed to work cases where we have ties to the victim, but I'm going to anyways." They both turned to Elliot.

"I won't tattle to anyone, and call me Elliot, Noah. But, how do you two know each other?" Noah's grin grew immensely as he held up the wrist with his hospital bracelet, which had his name, Noah Porter-Benson. Elliot read the name and then looked at her. "Benson...does this officially make Cragen a grandfather before me?" It was a joke, but one that almost made her smile.

"Yes, but just barely, gramps." She turned her attention to Noah. "Did the lady that kidnapped you say anything to you, tell you her name, anything?" The boy paused for a moment, thinking, before he nodded.

"Her name was Ashley, she kept talking about you, mom. She kept talking about how you were a horrible person, and how you were the only one who loved her, but then not even you loved her. She had a gun, and told me she'd hurt Katie if I didn't listen to her. Is Katie alright?" Olivia paused momentarily as multiple emotions attacked her at once. Anger at the bitch who had hurt her son, fury for threatening to hurt someone else she loved, love for the young boy who held the biggest piece of her heart, and admiration that he cared more about others than himself.

"Katie is okay, buddy. She's the one who called the cops when she realized you were gone. Now, this is very important, what did Ashley look like?" Elliot had been writing stuff down, knowing that Olivia wouldn't want to take her eyes off of her son. But he looked up, answering the question before Noah did.

"Caucasian, blonde, the camera's couldn't get a good angle of her face though," Elliot stated.

"She looked a little bit younger than Aunt Amanda is," Noah told the two of them.

When they finished talking to him Elliot got up to go tell Fin and Amanda what Noah had told them, after repeatedly promising to come check on Noah later, as long as he had Olivia's permission. As soon as he was out of sight she turned her attention back to her son. "How are you really feeling, buddy?" She inquired, holding his hand gently in hers. She didn't want to let on just how terrified she'd been in those few seconds between finding out her son was kidnapped to seeing him interact with her former partner as if the two of them were old friends.

He shrugged, attempting to avoid eye-contact for a moment. "It was really scary mom. I don't think I've ever seen a gun that close before, even yours."

Olivia opened her mouth to speak, but they heard a loud crash that made them both jump out of their skin slightly. "Stay here," she mumbled, without thinking. She stepped out into the hallway to find Munch punching the crap out of Elliot while Fin, Amanda, and Cragen all stood there and watched. She stepped between the two men furiously, shoving them apart. "What the hell is wrong with the two of you? Not only are we in the middle of a hospital, my son is in that room right there, having just underwent a very traumatic experience, and you two are fighting like children!"