CHAPTER 10
Captain Cragen’s office was colder than Elliot ever remembered it being. He figured it had something to do with the feeling the Captain was giving off and less to do with the actual temperature of the room. Elliot glanced over at Olivia who looked just as whipped as he must have. The two partners sat quietly waiting for their impending scolding. The Captain just continued to glare at them.
The ticking of his tiny clock was mind numbing as Elliot tried to exert any sort of patience through this test of wills. Yelling would be better than this tense silence, but he knew he didn’t want to be the first one to speak. Captain Cragen rose from his desk never removing his eyes from the two. The silence was finally broken, “When Chris went missing I should have been called.” They both just nodded to him knowing full well there was nothing that could say to justify not informing him. “You have nothing to say for yourselves?”
“We didn’t want to make a potentially volatile situation worse,” Olivia interjected. “Right. So you walked into a situation where you knew a weapon was involved without any back up? You didn’t know for sure how many people there were or any real details about what you could be walking into.” The two continued to stare blankly. “You know you could have gotten yourselves killed or Chris?” Elliot nodded his head as Olivia kept still. The Captain continued to stare them down, but as a few seconds passed his facial expression shifted. “With all common sense and good judgment put aside, I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing if the rolls weren’t reversed.” Elliot let out the breath he was holding as he realized Captain Cragen wasn’t going to chew them out.
“That isn’t to say that what you two did wasn’t stupid, but I can understand why you did it and in the end, it was the right decision.” They both nodded to him as Elliot commented, “Thanks Cap” Elliot began to stand from the chair as the door behind them caught his attention. “Not so fast,” Casey walked in. “Hello counselor,” Elliot greeted the Assistant DA as he returned to his sitting position. She placed her brief case on the desk and leaned up against it facing them.
“What are we looking at?” Olivia questioned. Casey replied, “There is no way I’m going to put Chris through a trial, but I can’t just forget what she did. You said she has been talking to Wong, right?” Elliot nodded. “Get him to give me a report on her mental status. She pleads guilty to simple assault, she gets two years probation. I also have to have a written agreement that she will testify against Marcus.”
“What about Shondra?” Elliot asked. “She can only testify to her interactions with Marcus for the short time she knew him and the one incident with Dent. Chris is the only one who knows how large his operation was and the others that were involved. Her testimony will put him away for a long time.” “I’ll talk to her,” Elliot stated knowing full well not to assume anything in regards to her reaction at this point. “I need to know by the end of the day,” she replied. The partners watched as she stood from the desk, removed her briefcase and walked out the door. Olivia also stood from her seat, “I need to make some phone calls,” she stated as she followed behind.
Elliot continued to glance in the direction of the Captain who was now comfortably seated behind his desk. “I guess I should head out too,” he stated standing from his chair. “Elliot, wait,” the Captain ordered. Elliot turned to face him as he continued, “How’s Chris?” Elliot softened his expression, “She’s doing okay. Her arm’s healing up and she’s taking it easy. I know she’s loving all the pain meds they’ve got her on. I’m actually going to see her now.”
The Captain let out a smile but dropped it with his next question, “Do you think she’ll agree to Casey’s terms?” Elliot shrugged his shoulders in an ‘I don’t know’ response. “You may want to introduce her to Shondra Wallace. It might help push her in the right direction.” Elliot looked at him as the advice sunk in. He nodded to the Captain as he headed out of the office.
St. John’s Memorial Hospital
Elliot slowly crept into the hospital room unsure if he would end up waking Chris up or not. As he pulled the curtain back he found her laying with her eyes closed listening to something through headphones. He tapped on her arm. She shot her eyes open and turned to him. Upon realizing who is was she quickly calmed down. “Hey,” she said glancing at him. Someone behind her caught her eye. A young black female was peeking over his shoulder. She turned her attention back to him with a questioning look. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet,” he said. Shondra slowly moved from behind him to face her.
Chris shook her head in Shondra’s direction as Elliot introduced them, “Chris this is Shondra Wallace. Shondra this is Christina Stabler.” Chris continued to stare at Elliot waiting for a little more explanation than the short introduction. Elliot took a seat on the adjacent empty bed, “Shondra knew Rubin Marcus.” Chris looked away as Shondra waited for any type of welcoming response. She finally turned back to her guest, “I’m sorry to hear that,” she coldly stated.
Elliot helped to further things along, “I thought you needed to hear her story.” Chris’ frustration was evident on her face as she stared intently at him, “Elliot, if you’re trying to convince me to,” Shondra interrupted her. “Please, Ms. Stabler. I just need to share this with someone who understands what I’ve been through. What you do from there is your decision.” Chris took a second, but finally nodded for her to continue.
“I met Rubin Marcus two weeks ago. I was hanging out in a bar with a group of friends when he came up with the normal pick up lines. I brushed him off like I do most guys, but he was persistent. I thought that was charming. He convinced me to go back to his place and have a night cap. He poured us champagne and we began talking. I don’t really remember much else after that. I woke up in straps down in his basement. Two days later I found myself strapped to Jack Dent’s wall getting beaten and whipped and raped over and over again asking myself what I did to deserve this. I really hoped he was going to kill me that night. I prayed that I was going to die. The next day I found myself in a hospital bed and even though I couldn’t move or speak, I was free. I thanked God over and over again.”
Chris nodded her understanding as Shondra continued, “I can’t possibly imagine what you suffered through for all that time, but I know that those few days I lived through were hell and Rubin Marcus was the reason. My testimony is only going to get him a few years for what he did. You are the only one who can make him truly suffer. You have all the power and I’m begging you, please put that animal away for as long as you can.”
Elliot stood from the bed after watching his sister take in the fact that Shondra Wallace wasn’t some hooker he picked up off the street. He wined and dined some poor woman who ended up and accessory on his wall. He really was responsible for hurting a lot of innocent women and whether she wanted to face it or not, she was just as innocent. Shondra was able to give all those other women a face. Chris stared at her as Elliot stood beside her bed. He questioned, “Chris, now you’re in control. Are you going to use it?”
Two Weeks Later
Elliot sat staring coldly at Rubin Marcus. Marcus was now neatly dressed in his blue suit and tie trying his best to put on his innocent face for the judge and jury. Opening arguments had been made the day before. It was now time for the first witness to be called. The courtroom got very quiet as Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak stood from her seat, “Your honor, the State would like to call Christina Stabler to the stand.” All eyes turned to the back of the room. A bailiff approached one of the doors as it slowly swung open. There she was dressed in her new black and grey pin striped pants suit. She kept her head held high and her eyes on the witness stand.
Elliot watched as she came within inches of platform and turned facing out. He could see her strong eyes bare down on Rubin Marcus. He let out a smirk as Marcus began to squirm in his chair. Casey approached her, “Please state your name for the record.” She kept her eyes firmly planted on Marcus, “Christina Stabler.” Casey motioned to her, “Can you please tell us how you met Rubin Marcus?” Elliot watched as Chris nodded to her, took a deep breath and began her story. She refused to look away from Marcus as she recounted every horrifying detail of what he had put her through. She wasn’t embarrassed and she wasn’t scared. She stared at him with the same determination and courage she had two weeks earlier. She may not have been holding a gun, but she certainly had all the control. She, once again, felt powerful.
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