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Darkest Nights	By : Bucken-Berry Category: G through L > Law & Order Views: 1451 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own SVU or it's characters and I'm not making money from this.

Chapter List
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The trial continued for several weeks, and George quickly became overwhelmed. It was bad enough for him to have to talk about his ordeal over and over again. It was even worse when others gave their testimony; each time someone was called on the witness stand, it was an intense and painful reminder that his attackers had completely broken him, even if he was recovering now.
Elliot noticed that George seemed to be getting more edgy each day; he wasn't sure how much longer George could hold out. He hoped George could finish the trial, but he began to suspect that it wouldn't be possible.
Elliot sighed and once again walked inside the courtroom with George. George had to go to the witness stand again, and Elliot was worried that George wouldn't hold up so well.
Fortunately, they didn't have to be separated this time. George sat down next to Elliot and grasped Elliot's hand, being careful to keep their hands hidden so no one would comment.
"The people call Doctor Alan Winters to the stand," Alex announced.
"Doctor Winters, you were Doctor Huang's primary care physician while he was hospitalized, correct?"
"Correct," Alan said with a nod.
"Please describe his condition for us," Alex requested. George took a steadying breath and squeezed Elliot's hand, knowing how unpleasant the reminder of his injuries would be.
"He was in septic shock and he had numerous injuries all over his body. He had burns, cuts, bruises, and other similar injuries. There was barely an inch of him that hadn't been attacked."
"And what was your conclusion about these injuries?"
"The injuries supported the fact that Doctor Huang was tortured and repeatedly sexually assaulted. The burns were clearly done intentionally, and the cuts were also deliberate- and the cuts weren't at an angle that suggested self-infliction. They were definitely done by someone else."
George closed his eyes at the words, trying not to panic or let a flashback be triggered. It didn't work, and he was forcibly reminded of one of the first attacks that had happened.
Pain flashed through his body, and he was still determined to fight back. "When are you going to give up?" he challenged. It was foolish to say anything, but he didn't know what else to do.
"I'm not even close to done with you… When I am done with you, they won't even be able to identify you, except for your DNA," his attacker hissed. George suspected that he was lying, because mutilation of bodies hadn't been in their MO before, but that gave him no comfort. He'd be dead either way.
His attacker pinned him down. George shifted, trying in vain to escape. He was severely reprimanded when the man burned his thigh with a cigarette. He whimpered from pain and closed his eyes, forcing himself to ignore the instinct that demanded he fight back- physically, at least.
"That's it, just take the punishment. You know as well as I do that you deserve it," the attacker said.
"No, I don't deserve it. I doubt even YOU believe that," George argued.
The look of rage on his face told George that he was about to regret his words. "You'll learn not to talk back… this is your first lesson."
He flipped George over again, and George tried to fight back, but it was useless. His attacker quickly overpowered him, with the help of the others, and pushed inside him. The pain was overwhelming, making his body convulse as he gasped for breath.
It was a long time before he dared to argue with his attackers again.
George looked down and saw his hands trembling violently. He was about to talk to Elliot, but he was called to the witness stand.
Alex Cabot stepped forward. "Doctor Huang, the defendants are trying to say that you were a willing participant in what they did to you. But-"
"I want you to be a willing participant."
The words sent dread through his body. His attacker pumped into him painfully hard and fast, and then he started stroking him-
"Doctor Huang, answer the question," the judge said.
George snapped out of the flashback. He immediately felt nauseated and he swallowed a few times, trying to calm it down. He pressed a hand to his stomach. "I…" he tried.
Then the nausea overwhelmed him, and he vomited. A blush appeared over his face, both from the sick feeling and from embarrassment.
"Do you need a doctor?" The judge asked. George shook his head. "Fifteen minute recess, while we wait for a janitor," the judge said. George stood and walked as quickly as he could to Elliot.
"Elliot, I can't do this," George whispered. The desperation was clear on his face.
"Okay, let's take a walk," Elliot said gently. They silently left the courtroom.
"God, Elliot, I can't do this anymore!" George cried once they were out of earshot. "I can't take any more reminders! The memories are intrusive enough as it is!"
Elliot became concerned when he noticed that George was shaking, and his skin was pale. "Shhh, just a little longer," Elliot whispered soothingly. He hugged George gently and pressed George's head against his chest. George shivered and closed his eyes.
"I just- I can't do this anymore," George stammered.
"Just finish today and we'll go from there," Elliot said softly. "We'll take a while to regroup afterwards."
"Elliot, I'm trying, but this isn't going to work," George whispered.
"Just hang in there for a few more hours. Then we can leave, and you can regroup before tomorrow. It'll be fine," Elliot said. He knew he wasn't convincing himself, let alone George, but he had to try.
"Elliot, you have no idea…" George began. He trailed off and shook his head. "Fine, I'll try."
"Thank you," Elliot said softly. He rubbed George's back for a while, until the break was over.
He wrapped an arm around George's waist and guided him back into the courtroom. Emil Skoda was called to the witness stand- at least they would give George until the next day to regroup.
"Doctor Skoda, you interviewed the defendants. What were your findings?" Alex asked.
"They are textbook sadists, and they're sociopaths."
"Do they know right from wrong?"
"Yes. They choose to ignore it, however," Skoda replied.
George set his head on Elliot's shoulder, letting himself fall asleep quickly. Elliot kept an arm wrapped around him, but made sure it was out of sight.
Elliot looked George over carefully. George looked tired, but it wasn't extreme; if he wanted to, George easily could have stayed awake through the trial. Elliot didn't have to be a psychiatrist to know that George was using sleep to distance himself; if he was asleep, he was sheltered from the panic-inducing testimonies the others were giving.
Elliot couldn't blame him. He felt bad enough remembering how it had been to find George and see him in critical condition; he couldn't imagine being the one who had been hurt, and hearing the attacker's side of what had happened... It was no surprise that he didn't want to hear it.
Elliot knew, nonetheless, that it was unhealthy for George to distance himself like that. He knew it would create more for George to deal with later, so he leaned over to shake George's shoulder.
However, once he looked at George, he didn't have the heart to wake him up; he didn't have the heart to bring George back to the painful reality. By now, it was mostly mental pain, with some residual physical pain, but that didn't make it any less sharp. The aftereffects of the torture were just as jarring mentally, and Elliot couldn't make himself subject George to it if he didn't have to.
He knew that he'd do anything that made it easier for George to cope, even if it was a short term gain and a long term loss. They'd worry about getting him fully recovered later.
Elliot forced a nagging thought- that George had probably thought something similar when he was being tortured- away. He didn't want to be reminded any more than George did… but his barriers were strong enough to let him get through it. George had no barriers anymore; they had been completely eroded, and it would take time to rebuild them from the constant physical and mental assault George had undergone. George needed an escape as often as he could get one.
Feeling a mixture of guilt and protectiveness, Elliot decided to allow George to sleep through the trial. He shifted slightly and let George rest more comfortably on his shoulder.
George's attackers were called to the witness stand, one by one. Elliot shivered as he heard them give their testimony. From the evidence Elliot had gathered, they'd been paid by Keyes to help him at first, and then they'd grown desensitized to the violence, and they'd come to enjoy it. Eventually they, like Keyes, were convinced that their victims deserved what they did to them, and they felt no remorse- even when it ended in murder.
However, the attackers continued to testify that their victims simply 'liked things rough'. They said that the others had been into dom/sub, and George had been too. Elliot ground his teeth to stifle the disgusted noise that threatened to escape. Even if George did like rough sex- which Elliot strongly doubted was the truth- that didn't excuse what his attackers had done.
Did they really think that defense would work? Liking rough sex didn't mean wanting to be murdered or almost murdered. And, he kept repeating to himself, George didn't like things rough in the first place. That was a complete lie to attack George's reputation, and it angered Elliot more than he'd ever admit. He knew he'd tell Rebecca about it in their next session, though.
George gave a small "mmph" and shifted slightly. Elliot moved his hand and stroked George's head and neck, letting out a silent sigh of relief when he felt George relax again. He continued to tell himself that he was wrong for letting George distance himself, because it would set him back mentally in the long run. But he just couldn't wake George up and make him listen to his attackers weaving a convoluted story about George deserving and wanting what had happened to him. Letting George's attackers pour salt in his wounds was the last thing Elliot wanted to do. The distancing was preferable to exposing George to more reminders.
The judge soon declared a recess, announcing that the trial would resume three days later. Elliot shook his head in bitter sadness as he reflected on what had been said on the witness stand.
He knew that things were going to get unbearably difficult for both of them before they got better.
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Darkest Nights