Swine Flu

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updates. Is anyone still interested?

Chapter 9

Olivia was seizing violently as she was rolled on a gurney into St. Luke's Hospital.

"Female 30's. High fever with seizures. Source unknown. No ID," said the EMT.

One of the nurses spoke up. "Oh my God! That's Olivia!"

"Who's Olivia," asked the emergency room doctor.

"She's a detective from the SVU. She was just in here the other day with a rape victim. I'll call her precinct, and see if they can contact her family."

As the nurse ran to the nearest phone, the doctors continued to treat the patient.

"Doctor, her temperature is 104.5. We need to cool her down before she cooks her brain."

"The fever is the source of the seizures. I just wish we knew the source of the fever. Hopefully her family will be able to provide some information," the doctor said. "Push 50 MG of Zoladine! We've got to stop the seizures!

20 minutes later, Elliot and Cragen came running through the doors of St. Luke's Emergency room.

"We're here for Olivia Benson. Is she okay," Elliot said out of breath.

"Let me get her doctor. He can explain everything."

The five minute wait for Olivia's doctor to come into the room felt like an eternity. Both men paced the floor of the waiting room impatiently.

"Olivia Benson's family," Dr. Watson asked.

"How is she," Cragen asked.

"Stable for now, but critical. She came in here seizing uncontrollably. It took the maximum dose of medication to stop them. She was running a fever of 104.5, which I believe was the source of the seizures. We were able to bring the fever down to 101 with cooling blankets, and high dose acetaminophen. Has she been ill lately?

"For the past few days she's been coming down with something, but wouldn't admit it. I was going back to her apartment to force her to go to the emergency room, but she wasn't home. I can't understand why she would have left her apartment as sick as she was."

"It's possible that she was delirious. With a temperature that high, it would not be uncommon. According to the EMTs, she passed out in a coffee shop. I'm running some tests, and I've ordered a chest x-ray. We should know more soon. You can go up and see her if you'd like. She's been admitted to the ICU. She's likely very tired however. I'll let you know when I've got more information."

The men thanked the doctor, and made their way up to the intensive care unit, where they found Olivia lying in a bed hooked to at least a dozen monitors. As the doctor had predicted, she was sleeping soundly. Neither Elliot nor Cragen wanted to wake her up. Both men took a seat in the room.

"Why does Olivia always have to be such a martyr? She'll swear up and down she's not sick, even when she's practically dying," Elliot said.

"I think she sees admitting illness as a sign of weakness. And she would never want anyone to consider her weak."

"I don't know why she would think that. Olivia has to be one of the strongest people I know. She doesn't have to prove it to anyone."

Elliot stayed with Olivia overnight as she slept. He didn't know when she would wake up, but didn't want her to be alone when she did. Her condition had stabilized since arriving at the hospital. With the help of constant IV medication, her fever was down to 100 degrees. Olivia seemed to be resting comfortably.

With his mind at peace for the moment, Elliot was able to fall asleep in the chair next to her bedside.

Elliot must have fallen into a deeper sleep than he realized. He was awoken by a tapping noise. He opened his eyes, and saw that the sun was shining bright in the sky. He turned his head, and noticed that Dr. Watson had stepped into the room.

"Good Morning Doc. Is there any news on Olivia's condition?"

"I've gotten the results from her tests. It's not good."

"Elliot's heart sunk deep in his chest."

"Olivia has the Swine Flu. The most severe case I've seen. According to her chest x-ray, she also seems to be developing pneumonia. That is what is causing the fever, and seizures. We've started her on high dose anti-virals. Now we'll have to wait and see."

"When will she wake up," Elliot asked.

"Again, it's a wait and see. Her condition is very serious. Her MRI appears to be normal. The seizures don't appear to have caused any damage to her brain. For now, she'll remain in ICU, receiving high dose medication. We'll monitor her very closely. I'm sorry I can't offer more information right now."

Elliot nodded. "Thanks Doc."

After the doctor left the room, Elliot sat back down on his chair. He couldn't believe this was happening to Olivia. "Why didn't she get the damn flu shot," he thought to himself.

He took Olivia's hand into his own.

"Olivia, you've got to get through this. You're so strong. I know you can do this. Come on Liv, wake up!"

Time slowly crept on. It seemed as if minutes were hours. Elliot couldn't stand just sitting there in that chair, but there was nothing else for him to do but pray that Olivia would open her eyes.