Chapter 12: Ready to mingle
The one where Tim isn't ready for Lucy to move on.
"I shouldn't have eaten so much yesterday." Lucy complained as she hugged her belly, Tim looked sideways at her with his usual smirk.
"You girls got too excited?"
"Th brunch place we went, Otium, was soo good and to make things worse it was women's day, so the cocktails were on the house." Lucy admitted. "We might have gotten a bit excited with that."
"Just a little." Lucy threw him a soft glare, but Tim continued to smirk. "I know you three, you can't control your drinking."
"Your just jealous because no one offers free drinks to men."
"If that helps you sleep at night Boot." He answered drily.
"7-ADAM-19, civil disturbance at 8776 Sunset Blvd."
"Copy that." Lucy answered through the coms as Tim stepped on the accelerator.
Downtown L.A. was as busy as it was expected around 5 P.M and Tim had to honk at least at 10 different drivers to get out of the way. A car ride that usually lasted 5 minutes took them 15 minutes. Traffic was impossible but as they excited the shop, after Tim had parked in front of the Tattoo shop where the call was from, Lucy couldn't help but laugh at his annoyed face.
"Don't you dare." He warned sternly.
"Andropause is a bitch." Lucy teased as Tim held the door open for her.
"And you are doing every cavity search we make together because of that comment." Tim muttered as he held the door open for Lucy, she simply shrugged her shoulders, it was totally worth it.
"Oh, thank god, they are in room 3." A panicked clerk said as she rushed towards them. "Mike is traying to split them, but they have trashed the room."
"Alright ma'am please stay put." Tim gave Lucy the heads up to move ahead of him, as they turned the corner and saw room 3 the two officers were confused, to say the least. They weren't sure what they were looking at. Two young women were fighting, technically pulling each other's hair, dressed only in a pair of shorts and a bikini top. The tattoo artist, they deduced was Mike, was siting in a stool holding a paper napkin to a cut on his forehead.
"Ladies, what the hell is going on here?" Lucy asked as she held the brunette and Tim lightly grabbed the blond friend and pulled them apart.
"That bitch..." The brunette women started to say.
"That bitch, you are the bigger bitch." Corrected the blond.
"Not helping Ladies." Tim stopped the bickering duo as they cuffed them. "Can you explain?" He asked turning to the guy.
"Apparently, this two wanted a secret best friend tattoo." Lucy and Tim both squirmed, knowing already that was a bad idea. "Blond here agreed to get backstabbing bitch across her shoulder without knowing…"
"And why would you tattoo that on your best friend?" Lucy asked the brunette girl who had no mark of a tattoo yet.
"Bitch been sleeping with my boyfriend behind my back." The brunette explained simply, smirking at her ex-friend. "Instead of sleeping with her boyfriend, I decided to take the high horse."
"You call this the high horse?" Tim asked rhetorically as they sat the girl's side by side on the stretcher. "And you didn't think this was a bad idea?" He asked pointing to the guy.
"I made sure she wanted the tattoo; besides I do what the clients ask me, not what I think is better or I would be out of the job." Lucy laughed softly and the guy threw her a charming smile. She had admitted, he was handsome and had she been 20 and in desperate need to annoy her parents, exactly her type.
"Do you wanna press charges for that?" she asked pointing at the cut on his eyebrow.
"Does that mean I get a couple more minutes of your company?" He flirted.
"That means we need to get a move on." Tim cut him off rudely and Lucy threw him a funny look. So now that she was the one being hit on, they were in a rush.
"No need for that but I do need to wrap up that tattoo, make sure it doesn't infect." Tim gave him the nod to go ahead.
"It's actually really good lettering." Lucy praised.
"It's my speciality, can give you a discount if you want as a thank you for the help." Lucy laughed but shook her head anyways. "Or I can take you out on a date."
"I…"
"Do you have a criminal record?" Tim interrupted before Lucy could finish her sentence.
"No sir." The guy answered looking straight at Tim.
"Uhm, Uhm…" Lucy held her laugher in because Tim remembered her of all the times her dad met her ex-boyfriends.
"Like I was saying there a really good bar by the pier, Latin night today and I can vouch that they make a really good margarita."
"That could be fun." Lucy smiled flirting back, she was sure she was really interested in going out with the guy or if she simply enjoys seeing Tim squirm.
"Are we done here?" Tim asked, pulling the two offenders up so that he could get the hell out of that place as fast as possible. He was a little annoyed, ok may a little more than little, that Lucy was actively flirting with another guy in front of him. Specially when she knew nothing about him.
"Yup, sorry for the hold up." The guy said pulling out a card from his back pocket and handing it to Lucy. "In case you decide you are up for a little fun…"
"I'll call." She smiled and followed Tim towards the exit. She had already gained the day; nothing beat seeing him so riled up.
"You really don't see a problem in flirting on a call?" Tim reprehended.
"He's not an offender." Lucy defended as she helped the two girls enter the vehicle. "Besides I kept my mouth shut when you drooled over that big boobed brunet last month, so you don't get to be all jealous when I'm the one getting hit on."
"I didn't drool and I'm not jealous. I just think it is a little unprofessional."
"You're jealous." The brunette one said.
"Totally." Agreed the blond girl.
Tim slammed the back door on the two and entered the car, banging his head against the car seat. He waited for Lucy to pull her seat belt on before he started the car. When he looked at her, she was holding her cell phone in one hand and the card on another.
"You are seriously texting the guy?" Tim asked as he stepped on the gas. He definitely shouldn't have gone to work today.
"What if I am?" Lucy said simply, smirking at her phone. "Well unless you oppose to it. But I guess that would be a little unprofessional, to meddle with your Rookie's love life."
"No problem at all." Tim said, gripping the steering wheal tightly so that he wouldn't lose his calm and reveal much more than he wanted.
As shift neared its end, Tim had a hard decision to make. He hadn't been able to keep his mind of Lucy's so call date, when his boot started filling reports, he had taken the time to look up the guy's criminal record and except for a couple parking tickets he was squeaky clean. That hadn't reassured Tim enough and even though he knew Lucy was more then capable of handling herself, he still felt the need to watch over her. He even made a mental note to himself that it was because he worried about her like she was his little sister and not because the thought of Lucy enjoying some other man company pissed him off.
His phone rang, distracting him from the conflict inside his mind, and he was a little surprised to see Angela's name on the caller I.D.
"Bradford."
"It's Jackson." Angela said out of breath and Tim could tell that his former Rookie was distressed. "We're at the hospital. He-e-e-e"
"Calm down Angela." Tim said sitting up straighter in his chair, carful not to warn Lucy that something could possible be wrong. He didn't need her to freak out too. "Take a deep breath and talk slowly."
"We got called to a house because there was an unconscious woman inside. He breached the door before I could tell him to wait. She was out because there was a gas leak and when he opened the door…" Angela let out a single sob and didn't finish explaining herself. She didn't need to, he understood what had happened perfectly.
"Is he alright?"
"Don't know yet. He isn't burned but the explosion put him out and when we reached the hospital, he hadn't regained consciousness yet. Can you tell Lucy, he would want her here…"?
"We'll be right there. He'll be okay. Just breathe" Tim hung up after he reassured her. At first, he had thought that West was a coward, one of those cops that looked great on paper but that would never step up to save your skin, but the young man had proved he was more than that. Yes, it did take him a little extra time to jump into situation but he did care about the job he did and he couldn't deny that Jackson had always been there to support Lucy and that had turned to be a big factor in Tim's book.
"Boot." Tim called for Lucy as he approached her. She rose her head from the papers she was filling with a soft smile, but she dropped it when she saw the serious look on his face.
"Is something wrong?" She asked as she rose to stand by him, worry flashed through her eyes and she couldn't help but think that someone had died.
"You are going to take a breath before anything ok?" He asked her calmly and she did that breathing in and out to still her racing heart. "Jackson is hurt."
"What?" Lucy felt a feeling of dread settle in her stomach and she sucked in all the air into her lungs.
"He's gonna be alright." Tim promised her, resting his hands on her shoulders, as to ground her.
"You don't know, you can't promise that."
"Yes, I can. I'm Tim Bradford and Jackson knows that if he dies on me, I'll go resurrect him and tech him a lesson." Lucy looked at him with confused eyes and Tim could tell that she was freaking out inside. "Lucy you need to be strong, he needs you to pull yourself together. Angela needs you to not look freaked out."
"But I'm freaked out."
"I know and so am I but she is his partner and we need to give her our strength." Tim squeezed her shoulders to give her extra reassuring. "You need to support her like you know she would support you if I was the one who was hurt." Like she had helped me when I was franticly looking for you, thought Tim but he didn't say it. "Can you do that?"
"Yes" She promised confidently, straightening her shoulders. Even if she couldn't, she knows Tim was strong enough to support the two of them.
"Then let's go."
-**-
Lucy wanted to rush through the Hospital doors but Tim slow and controlled pace, kept her in place and she fallowed his lead. When she saw Angela on the waiting room, all her self-control went out the window and she rushed to the older officer offering her a warm, big hug.
"Do we know anything yet?" Tim asked as Lucy let go of Angela and anyone could tell that he was proud of his boot because she had been able to keep herself calm and remain strong even after she had seen Angela's, clearly distressed, face.
"They took him from some tests because he vomited when he regained consciousness and gave him something to sleep but we are still waiting for more news." Angela admitted as Wesley, who Lucy finally noticed was there as well as John and Nyla, rubbed her back. "I should have…"
"You shouldn't blame yourself." Tim assured her. "you couldn't have known." He repeated the same words that she had used on him when Lucy had been kidnapped and she understood straight away the message he was sending.
"Tim's right. It could have happened to anyone." Lucy reassured her, throwing her T.O. a soft smile. He really was a huge teddy bear. "Jackson is a pain in our ass, he isn't letting a gas leak get him down." Angela laughed at that and the two female officers gave each other a nod.
Lucy and Tim took a seat on the coaches by the vending machines and only when Lucy's back contacted with the plush seat, did she realize how tired she really was. She threw a look at Tim who had pulled out his phone and was playing mah-jong and smiled, allowing herself to rest her head back, fallowing fast asleep.
Tim became aware that Lucy had fallen asleep when he felt her head rest on his shoulder. He is aware that he should tell her to move or at least move her head because their position could lead others to think that they are more than colleagues and that would be a big no no. even though he knows the consequence of their actions, he can't bring himself to wake her up, especially because she looks so peaceful.
Angela returns with news around 8 p.m. and smirks at Tim when she sees their position. No one else bothered to say anything but Tim knows that Angela is much more comfortable with him than they are.
"Any news?"
"Doctor says that the exams came out normal and I talked to him for a few minutes. Seamed like West." She laughed. "But he was falling asleep from the drugs, so they are going to keep him here till morning for observation."
"Told you everything was going to be alright." Tim said in his cocky, I'm always right voice. "You should head home and get some rest."
"You guys should too. Preferably separated." Tim rolled his eyes at her, but she stated her ground. "you know how this can look for the higher ups Tim…"
"She's just tired."
"I'm not talking about just now." Angela said and when Tim was about to protest, she interrupted him. "Don't bother fooling me, I know you. I think its great that you found someone who works so well with you I do…"
"It's not like that."
"Maybe not yet." Angela agreed with him. "But you know there's something more and you know that allowing that to happen right now can be bad for the two of you but especially for Lucy."
"I would never do anything to harm Lucy's reputation." He defended himself, he was a man of principles and contradictions, but he would always put Lucy's interests above any feelings he might nurture for her.
"I know but you need to control your looks and this." She said pointing at the two of them, they were lucky that Grey was relaxed on confraternization rules, but others weren't. "I'm not telling you to close yourself off Tim. I really want you to be happy, you deserve it. But maybe for now more in private, just for a couple more months."
"I know what I'm doing."
"Of course, you do." Angela laughed. "We're going home." She said pointing to Wesley and herself. "You should get her home as well." She nodded her goodbye and left. Tim frowns slightly, he knows he should wake up Lucy but 8 p.m. means that there's still plenty of time for her date and that doesn't sit well with him, but he does it anyway.
"Boot." He says softly, shaking his shoulder to wake Lucy. She slowly opens her eyes and leans away from him. She hadn't realised that she had fallen so deep asleep and is shocked to see that she and Tim were the only ones left.
"How's Jackson?"
"Everything seems normal." Tim explained and Lucy let out a breath of relief. "He was high on drugs and sleepy, so they'll keep him here till tomorrow."
"Good." Lucy said, stretching her arms.
"We should leave now if you still wanna make your date happen." Tim affirmed, trying to look the least bothered possible.
"After all this I'm not up for a date, besides: What date?" Lucy asked with a grin and Tim looked at her confused. "I never agreed to anything."
"Weren't you texting the guy this morning?" He asked confused, he saw her reach for the card.
"No, I was booking my spin class for tomorrow." Tim laughed dryly and Lucy just smirked. "Tsk, tsk Officer Bradford don't allow emotions to cloud your judgment."
"Well played. Now come on let's go." He said, standing up.
"I'll think, I'll stay in case he needs anything." Lucy admitted, adjusting her position on the couch. "You can go though."
"Alright." Tim turned around and headed towards the exit, leaving Lucy a little gobsmacked (even though she did sneak a little pic at Tim's butt) she didn't expect him to simply leave. "Oh, by the way." He said turning around and giving her his typical Tim Bradford smirk. "Do you also want a bagel with your coffee?" She laughed and nodded her head.
Tim returned with a black coffee and a bacon and egg bagel for himself and a soy vanilla latter and a salmon bagel for Lucy. He laughed when he saw that Lucy now sat sideways in the couch legs thrown over the arm rest.
"Thanks, I am starving." She admitted as her stomach rumbled.
"You should have eaten Lunch."
"I was still full of Brunch." She took a hungry bite of her bagel and sighed. "Pretty good for cafeteria food."
"Beats that awful cake you made a couple weeks ago." He teased, which earned him an elbow to the ribs.
"Hey, it wasn't that bad." Tim rose and eyebrow at her and Lucy laughed. "Okay it was but, in my defence, it was a new recipe."
"Keep telling yourself that." Tim joked and they felt into comfortable silence. Tim chewed over a thought he had in his brain and, against his better judgment, to speak up. "I hope you know I wasn't trying to meddle with your personal life. I really think it is good to move on and mingle."
"Mingle? Are we in the 70's?"
"What I mean is that you should get yourself back in the game." He coughed to clear his throat. "That guy just looked a little to dodgy for my liking."
"He did look a little like a Fuckboy." She agreed. "I'm not cutting myself from dating, I'm just waiting for the right person."
"Oh yeah." He laughed. "And when do you think he is coming?"
"When he's ready." Lucy looked at Tim sideways and gave him a soft smile. When he is ready to take the jump, she'll jump to. Let's just hope it doesn't take too long.
Hey guys, here it is chapter 12. Let me know what you think. Next chapter is out tomorrow (hopefully) and I think it is someone's birthday.
Let's hope that the new episode of the rookie brings some good #TUCY moments 😉 Can't believe, though, that next week there's no Rookie.
Stay safe
-XO.
