Author's Note:

Hello, again!

Firstly, I would like to apologise for not uploading last week. Although Schools/Colleges/Universities have shut in the UK, my College has still been setting me work; so, I can fully finish/learn my A-Level course content, etc. Even though we will not be having any Summer exams this year (which, if I am honest, I don't quite know how to feel about it), we have been told to work as normal; thus, we have been set a fair bit of things to complete! Thus, I have not been able to write as much as I would have liked to. However, the Easter Holiday has just kicked in (well, when I post this, it will be half-way through); so, I am able to write more and, thus, post more!

Secondly, I would just like to thank everyone who has read/reviewed/liked the 1st chapter – it really means a lot! Thank you 😊!

Anyhoo, that is my ramble over with, enjoy!

-xXx-

Chapter 2: From Bad to Worse

Gasping, the Rookie raced over to the Captain's desk, staring in shock at the woman sat behind it. "Captain, are you alright?!", Lucy panicked.

Reaching into her top desk drawer, with her left hand cupping her bleeding nose and her right hand rummaging for tissues, Andersen managed to clutch a handful from a box of tissues, whipping the tissues from within the draw and to under her nose in one lightning fast move. With a handful of tissues safely catching the offending trickling red liquid from her nose, the Captain looked to Chen rather sullenly. "Officer Chen, would you mind just pulling the box of tissues from within the drawer out onto the desk?" she spoke through the tissues pressed against her nose, sounding rather muffled and bunged up.

"Of course, Captain!" replied Lucy, rocketing into motion. Rounding the side of the desk, to stand on the Captain's right-hand side, Lucy reached into the drawer in which Andersen had been in moments ago, pulling out the desired tissue box, placing it on the desk's surface, next to the forgotten ice pack – directly in front of the Captain, where she remained seated – as instructed, and pulling another tuft of tissues from the box. Realising the Captain had one hand covered in blood (from initially aiming to contain the nose bleed, unsuccessfully preventing the blood from dripping onto her smart, white blouse) and the other held tissues firmly in place beneath her nose, Lucy placed the tissue clump into Andersen's left hand, doing her best to try to absorb the red liquid staining it.

Turning her head to the right and looking up to face Chen, the Captain gave a grateful smile, standing up and saying, "Some of the blood has dried in my hand; it won't come off unless I wash it," looking at her hand slightly embarrassed, as she began to walk to the far corner of her room. Andersen dropped the bloodied tissue (from her left hand) into the small waste bin situated next to the printer.

Meanwhile, Chen walked over to the smart, grey, fabric couch near the office doorway, to where she hastily flung her bag – from where it rested on her shoulder originally – panic-stricken, once she witnessed the blood trail from Andersen's nose. Reaching into her retrieved purse, Lucy rummaged around for the wet wipes she always carried, you never know when you may need them, just like Mum always says, Lucy thought to herself. Once located, Chen pulled a couple of wipes from the packaging, after she haphazardly plopped her bag on one of the seat cushions, again, too pre-occupied in the Captain's movements, noticing the slight paleness to her normally golden-coloured skin.

Picking the bin up gingerly with her fingertips, as so not to smudge blood onto it, the Captain strode back to her desk, placing the bin down next to it. Once there, Lucy greeted Andersen with the wet wipes she had in her bag, placing the wet wipe packaging on the desk next to the tissues and melted ice pack – in case they may be useful later on.

"Here, Captain, you can use these to wipe your hand. It should remove any staining," began Lucy, nodding her head in the direction of Andersen's blood-stained palm and holding out the few wipes she pulled from the pack.

"Thank you, that would be lovely, Officer Chen. However, there is a slight issue with that. I don't have enough hands to hold the tissue against my nose and use the wipe to clean my hand!" replied the Captain, sounding rather helpless and she took the offered wipes.

Stepping around the Captain's desk chair, tucking it under as she did so, Lucy stepped closer to the Captain, almost encroaching into her personal space, "Here, let me hold the tissue to your nose, that way it frees up your right hand to clean your left," Chen spoke in a matter of fact tone; her nervousness suddenly dissipating from existence as she took charge, with her sole priority being caring for the Captain.

Sighing in defeat, mortified with herself, the Captain conceded, resting her bum on the edge of her glass desk, "Sure, thank you, that would be helpful, Officer Chen."

Reaching for the quickly reddening tissue, Lucy held it in place beneath Andersen's still bleeding nose, moving closer to the other woman. Thus, as the Rookie suggested, the slightly older woman cleaned her reddened hand off, tossing the now crimson wipes into the waste bin next to her.

"Better, Captain?" questioned the younger Officer, now with her legs very nearly touching the Captain's.

"Much better, thank you, Officer Chen," was the quiet response from the mildly embarrassed woman, which was followed by a small smile that didn't quite reach her downcast eyes, as she placed her hands on the edge of the desk.

Even though the Captain's hands were now clean and unoccupied, Lucy maintained their current position, with her right hand pressing the tissue to where it was needed. However, Lucy felt as though she wasn't quite holding the tissue firmly enough in place. With her free hand, Lucy lifted it to cup the back of Andersen's head, lacing her fingers into her hair – which was now free from the tight bun it was styled in during her ride along. This action startled the Captain, resulting in an audible gasp being elicited from her luscious lips.

"Captain, I am sorry," exclaimed Lucy, beginning to retract her hand, "I wasn't thinking, I just needed to support your head a bit more, that's all!"

But, as Chen began to pull away, Andersen reached her right hand up, catching Lucy's retreating wrist, "It's alright, Officer Chen, I understand, I just wasn't expecting it, you just caught me by surprise," commented Andersen, who looked directly into the smaller woman's eyes, as a smile spread across her features, releasing her light grasp on the Rookie's wrist.

Moving her left-hand back into the Captain's hair, the only thought in Lucy's head was, Shit, I am so close to her; my hand is in her impeccably soft brown tresses; I am practically breathing the same air as her; how did I get myself in this situation? God, she's perfect!

Staring into deep mahogany irises, Chen's cheeks flushed scarlet, "How are you feeling, Captain?"

Unblinking, focusing on the smaller Officer's hazel eyes, smiling at her slight blush, "I am fine, Officer Chen, my head just hurts a little, it's like a dull ache right across my forehead," she said squinting her eyes a little at the harsh LAPD corridor lighting seeping into her office through the wall to ceiling windows separating her office from the rest of the department. "You know, Officer Chen," Andersen began a little coyly, "I wouldn't mind it if you didn't address me as 'Captain', if it is just you and I."

"Really, are you sure I wouldn't be being disrespectful of you?" Lucy replied taken aback, after a moment of thought.

"Yes, Officer Chen, please, call me Zoe, you have more than earnt my respect," finished the Andersen, referring to their earlier ride along and their current predicament.

Clearing her throat slightly, in order to try to stem the blush about to creep its way from her chest onto her already reddened cheeks, "Well, in that case, I think you have earnt my respect enough to call me Lucy, " Chen replied in a joking manner, resulting in a giggle escaping Zoe's mouth.

"Good, I am glad that this is settled, then, Lucy!" Zoe uttered, with an enormous smile on her lips, tasting the Rookie's name on her tongue as she addresses her by it for the first time, agreeing with the way it sounds.

"Good, me too, Zoe!" responded Lucy, a little more hesitant than the Captain at using the other's forename, loving the way it rolled off her tongue, showing her enjoyment of this new development with a toothy grin.

Stepping closer to Zoe still, Lucy removed her hand from where it cradled the back of her head, in order to use her fingers to stroke some loose strands of hair – from where it rested in front of the taller woman's face – to swiftly move them behind her ear; Lucy then went back to resume her original hand position, where it was carefully situated behind Zoe's head, with fingers delicately laced into deep-brown locks. Andersen closed her eyes in response, humming in delight at the gentle touch. Oh, my goodness, isn't she something. How the hell did I end up trapped between my desk and this heavenly woman? Gosh, I knew it would be a bad idea pairing with Lucy today, I knew I would let these silly little feelings get a hold on me, I just knew it. But, God, I don't want her to ever stop touching my hair, thought Zoe, before she slowly reopened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering as she did so.

"Do you mind if I check to see if the bleeding has stopped?" questioned the younger Officer, smiling at the woman in question timidly.

Regaining focus from her little daydream about Lucy's hands in her hair, "Of course, I just hope I don't look like an absolute state," the Captain replied slightly embarrassed.

Mock gasping, Lucy giggled, "What? You, a state? Never!" she teased. "Besides, you are probably the only woman I know who still looks gorgeous in a white, blood stained blouse and a massive bruise on your face!"

Laughing slightly, Zoe began, "I wouldn't have changed out of my patrol uniform and back into office wear if I had known I'd have a nosebleed, at least blood doesn't stain navy – the same can't be said for white, however."

After a pause in conversation, to allow Lucy to see if the bleed had stopped, meaning she was able to discard of the now nearly fully rouged tissues and replace them with clean, fresh ones, Zoe mulled over what was said, startling at Lucy's words. "You think I am gorgeous?" she stated. This beautiful, intelligent woman could not possibly thing I am gorgeous! Thought the now baffled Captain.

Shock encapsulated the Rookie. Shit, what did I even say, again? No, now I remember, I called my superior gorgeous… shit! Lucy thought. "Erm, look, sorry, Captain, I mean, Zoe, I just meant that, you know, erm, you are very attractive and I just thought that by me saying what I said it would reassure you that a little bit of blood and bruising isn't, well, going to, you know, make you any less attractive…" Lucy said, tripping up over almost every single word she just uttered.

Chuckling at Lucy's nervous ramblings, "It's okay, Lucy, thank you for the compliment; I just wasn't sure if I heard you correctly, nor was I expecting it, that's all," replied Zoe, beaming. There was a moment of silence between the 2, both unsure of how to proceed, before the Captain queried, "So, how am I looking? Has my nose stopped bleeding?"

"Well," started Lucy, taking the tissue away from Zoe's nose to inspect for any signs of the bleed, "it would appear that the bleeding has stopped, I think you're all good, now," Lucy finished rather chipperly, relieved that Zoe was no longer loosing blood from her nose.

Sighing in relief, "Thank goodness! I can't believe my luck, today!" Andersen spoke with a disbelieving tone, all the while mischievously glancing at the Rookie.

"I know, crazy or what?!" Lucy cheekily retorted, removing her left hand from where it was comfortably situated (and, well appreciated on Zoe's part), at the back of the taller woman's head, as she threw the only mildly – this time – bloodied tissue in the bin.

"So, how do I look? Like an absolute mess?" asked the Captain, who allowed an ounce of unguarded insecurity to escape into her voice.

Scoffing in disbelief, the long, chestnut haired Rookie replied, "Absolutely, not!" The shorter woman reached out once more, tucking a feral strand of hair behind Andersen's dainty ear, preventing the mahogany, shoulder-length hair from being a nuisance, smiling sheepishly as she did so. "I promise," she commented more softly, looking directly into the almost black irises of the slightly older woman.

Andersen gazed at the woman before her, taking her right hand off the edge of the desk – where it had been resting – and reached out to Lucy, cupping her cheek and gently caressing it with it with the pad of her thumb; there was only a miniscule distance between the 2 woman as they gravitated closer to each other. "Thank you, Lucy," uttered the taller woman with a look in her eyes that Lucy couldn't quite assign a name to or decipher, but she knew she wanted the Captain to forevermore look at her with that expression.

"You're welcome, anytime you need anything, just let me know," was softly spoken by the Rookie, as she leant further into the palm cradling her cheek.

All that could be heard was the sound of a ticking clock, causing Zoe re-connect with reality, leaving behind the trance Lucy put her into. As Zoe lowered her hand from Lucy's cheek, the long-haired Rookie stepped back from the Captain, understanding their moment of bliss was ending, returning them to the present time. As Andersen glanced out of her office window, allowing her to see the outside world, she noticed how dark it had become and how little daylight remained, indicating it was well after both of their shifts had ended, for the day. "Crap, what's the time?" Zoe asked, a little flustered.

"Err, 10:02pm, why?" Lucy quizzed, her curiosity peaked by the taller woman's question.

"Crap, I have to get home; I need to get back to Molly, I have left her a little more than what I would have liked to," Andersen replied. Clearly noticing the puzzled expression on Lucy's face, she continued, "Molly is my Chocolate Labrador, I need to get home to let her out into the garden, you know, so she can do her business! Plus, my shift ended an hour ago; so, she'll be waiting behind the front door expecting me to be home by now!"

Andersen frantically raced around her office, gathering her belongings. However, as she did so, the more she moved, the blurrier her vision became, causing her to stumble slightly. Lucy noticed, causing her to ask, "Are you sure you're okay? How do you feel, now?"

Glancing across at Lucy, to where she still stood near the desk, the younger woman noticed how Zoe paled drastically, her skin almost as white as a ghost. "I.., err..., I am fine," she choked out, "my head is just thundering a little more now that I've started to move about, that's all, I've probably just stood up too quickly, you know the feeling," continued the Captain, trying to sound convincing. Whether she was trying to convince the Rookie or herself, Lucy couldn't quite work out.

"Zoe, I don't mean to sound rude but, you don't look well, just sit down for a moment, please, I know you want to get home to Molly, but you can't go anywhere if you aren't well," expressed Lucy, knowing that the Captain wasn't in a fit-enough state to walk let alone drive home. Lucy wasn't going to let Andersen leave until she was well-enough to do so, for her own safety, more than anything else, but also because Lucy's anxiety over the Captain's sudden deterioration sent her need and wanting to take care of the Captain into overdrive. "Has Molly got enough food and water down? Will she be alright for a little longer?" softly began Lucy, her aim being to reassure the Captain before she got herself into a panic.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, or more in an attempt to regain clear vision and ease the pounding across her forehead, "Yeah, she should be fine for a little while longer; she has food and water down, she'll just be wondering where I am and be in need of using the garden," Andersen spoke rather distantly, distracted by her headache.

Lucy quickly crossed the room, walking from the desk to where the Captain stood in the centre of her office. The closer Lucy got to Andersen, the easier it was to see how unwell she looked. Zoe's eyes were drowsy and looked dull, they weren't filled with their usual sparkle, and her skin tone was so unhealthily pale compared to its usual honeyed glow. The bruising, if that was even possible, had grown to encompass more of her left cheek, discolouring even more to take on a horrifying blue/black hew, now surrounding the whole underside of her eye, taking over her left cheek. Bloody hell, no wonder she's not well, her poor cheek! She needs to go to the hospital, was all Chen could think. "Zoe, please, come and sit down on the couch, you don't look well," sympathised Lucy.

Nodding in defeat, Zoe agreed, attempting to shuffle forward to the couch, Ugh! I feel like shit; what's wrong with me? pondered the usually unfazed Captain. All too soon, before Andersen could even reach the couch, her vision began to fade and her body stopped responding. Lucy recognised the symptoms; she knew Zoe was about to pass out. As she wasn't too far from her side, the younger woman reached out, holding onto her superior with a firm yet gentle grasp, supporting her waste with one hand and her upper back with the other. Feeling herself loose a grip on her consciousness, Zoe's body began to lower to the ground steadily (unlike how she thought she would plummet to the ground like a sack of potatoes), landing on the office carpet without further injury being caused, thanks to Lucy's support.

Kneeling besides the unconscious woman, Lucy cried out, "HELP! Can we have some help in here!?"

Seconds later, an array of Officers in blue rushed to the office, all trying to squeeze through the office door at once. "Shit, the Captain, what happened? What's wrong?" called out one Officer.

"She needs an ambulance! Just call an ambulance, please!" Lucy yelled, not wanting to give away too many facts; thus, maintaining some sense of privacy for Zoe's business.

Everything was a blur around the Rookie, and she was in the middle of it all. Police Officers buzzed around her and the Captain, all trying to do their bit, calling for an ambulance or doing whatever else they could to help. Lucy remained kneeling by Andersen's side, gazing at her unconscious form. She reached out and gently stroked the other woman's un-bruised cheek, as a few tears began to spill from her worry-filled hazel eyes, trailing their way down her cheeks.

-xXx-

Author's Note: Molly is actually my Labrador! I took inspiration from her and thought she could be a funny/cute/happy addition to the story as well as provide an interesting plot/dynamic between the 2 women and her. I will more than likely write in situations about Molly that have actually happened… so, enjoy – she's a little crazy, is that dog!

Hope you enjoyed and are all well/staying safe! 😊