Benson and Stabler

Lunch with K and New Jersey

When I wake up, Elliot's still asleep so I sneak downstairs. When I get into the kitchen Bernie's and Maureen are having tea at the table.

"I'll get you a cup dear." says Bernie.

"Thanks." I say taking the warm cup from her. "How'd you sleep Mo?" I ask.

"Not good Liv." she says tearing up.

"Honey what's wrong?" I say pulling her into a hug.

"Can we go for a walk?" she asks quietly.

"Of course we can baby girl." I say grabbing both of our sweatshirts.

Once we've been walking on the beach for a few minutes Mo starts talking.

"I um got a call from Stevens Lieutenant last night, Stevens humvee got hit by a roadside bomb." she says her voice breaking.

"Oh honey." I say pulling her into me.

"They aren't sure if he's going to make it, his Lieutenant said that before they took him into surgery, he was asking for me, asking them to call me and tell me that he said he loves me and our baby." she says sobbing into my chest.

"Honey, I'm here okay?" I say, "Whatever you need, I mean it, anything Mo."

"I don't want to go back to the house Liv, I don't want to talk to anyone else about it." she says still crying while I hold her.

"You don't have to, I promise baby girl." I say stroking her hair.

"Liv I've been dating him since my freshman year of high school, he was supposed to be my high school sweetheart, we were going to get married." she says crying even harder.

"Honey, let's sit down and really talk about this." I say taking her hand and sitting in the sand.

"Liv what am I gunna do if he's not okay?" she says tears streaming down her face.

"Your gunna go on, your gunna do you best, your going to think about how much he loved you and how much he loved your baby, and sometimes it's going to be really hard, but that's what I'm here for okay?" I say still holding her.

"I can't raise a baby all on my own." she says quietly looking at her belly.

"Well it's a good damn thing your not alone," I say, "Mo, I am here every step of the way and so is your dad, if Steven can't be there when you deliver, I'll be there and so will your dad, this isn't  going to be easy, but your going to be okay." I say rubbing her back.

"Liv, I love him, he is everything to me, he's my best friend, the one person I talk to anything and everything about, I don't know how to function without him in my life." she says with head in her hands.

"I know the feeling honey." I say quietly.

"But Liv, your guy, the one that you love more than anything in the world, is safe and asleep in your bed waiting for you, mine, he's dying, and he's halfway across the world." she says.

"Honey, I'm not going to pretend for a second I know what's happening for you but I know that your going to be okay.

This time she doesn't say anything back, she starts to sob and lays her head on my chest again.

"Oh honey." I say holding her close.

I have no idea what to do for her. My entire job is walking people through the worst nights of their lives, comforting them, and getting justice for them, but there is no justice here, no one gets put behind bars for a crime, Maureen loses the love of her life and there's not a damn thing anyone can do for her to get closure.