Chapter 15: Four Walls
The one where it gets a little too crowded.
Apparently, Tuesdays were not their day. Lucy had woken up to find that her coffee machine was not working. Tim had found out that Cujo had shredded his favourite running shoes. A drunk perp had managed to vomit on Lucy's shirt before lunch and she now had to use her long-sleeved shirt and to make it all worst they had to watch a corpse for 3 hours before forensics arrived on scene.
"Really, could we get any more shit calls?" Tm asked running his hand through his freshly cut hair.
"Don't you even dare to put that out on the universe." Warned Lucy.
"Seriously it can't get worst Boot."
"It can always get worst believe me." Lucy corrected him, unbuttoning her long-sleeved shirt a little more. "we still have 14 hours left if this day and 4 more hours till shift ends."
"I'm just looking forward for a nice cold beer and a good hockey match."
"You watch hockey too? You never lived in an area where hockey is popular." She said, loss for words. How could someone what so many sport shows!?
"I don't comment on your obsession with the Bachelor."
"Yes, you do." Lucy said exasperatedly.
"All units be advised: Suspect of assault with fire weapon on the run in Inglewood. Suspect is 6 foot 1, Hispanic and wearing a red New England Patriots sweatshirt."
"7-Adam-19 copies that." Lucy answered and looked at Tim as if to tell him I told you so.
"At least it's fun." He defended with a casual shrug of the shoulders.
"Someone shuts at me and I shot at you." She threatened.
"With that aim of yours?" Tim mocked her and smirked when she looked at him shocked.
"My aim is very good." Defended Lucy and Tim laughed out loud, receiving a slap on the arm from his Rookie.
After a couple more minutes of patrolling the streets of Inglewood, Tim and Lucy finally caught a glimpse of the subject.
"Red shirt at 3 O'clock." Lucy called out to him as she pointed to her right. She was pointing at a guy with a red sweater and a black cap, he was trying to walk without rising suspicion and failing miserably. He was a perfect match to the description control had made.
"Sure, looks like our guy." Tim said and parked the shop a few steps from the guy and the duo excited the car. They walked side by side slowly towards the man, as to not alert him of their approach but because nothing had gone their way all day, clearly this plan wouldn't either. He turned to look at them and as soon as he saw them, he made a run for it, heading into the nearest building.
"Call it boot." Tim shouted as Lucy as he raced after the guy.
"7-ADAM-19 requesting back up at 4104 E Nutwood Street. In active pursuit of suspect." Lucy called over her coms as she ran inside the building at up the stairs, like she deduced they had done. At least if she was a criminal that's where she would head… well she wouldn't head towards any building because there was no way to escape from the roof, unless you have a chopper or suicide tendencies. As she pushed the door to the roof open, Lucy gasped for breath. This was not their day.
Lucy analysed her surroundings and found her partner struggling with the suspect on the western side of the building. Her heart rate dropped when she noticed how close to the edge the two were. Tim was agile and a great hand to hand fighter but so close to the ledge of the building, his height caused him some instability.
"Stop struggling. There's no escaping." Lucy shouted, rising her taser. The perpetrator turned to look slightly at her but not enough to allow Tim to take the upper hand.
"Can't shot me." The guy answered smugly.
"Try me." Lucy warned him as she walked closer. It was painful to watch Tim struggle to gain the upper hand. He was always on top of the situation, unless he had been shot at. Tim looked his eyes with hers and gave her the go ahead. Lucy pressed the trigger on the taser, and it connected with the back of the suspect, making him convulse, release Tim and drop unconscious on the ground.
The sudden release caught Tim off guard, so he couldn't regain balance of himself and felt his body tilt off the edge. He didn't manage to grab the metal bar that was the separating border between the ground and the building and felt his body go down with the force of gravity. The last thing he saw, was the panic in Lucy's eyes as she ran towards him.
She didn't get there in time either, she did try to reach for his arm but was to late and her arms were too short to reach him. She grabbed the rail and prayed that for some reason Tim hadn't completely crashed against the floor. She didn't know if she could handle that. When she leaned off the rail, she exhaled as she saw that there was no dead body but instead there was a garbage truck in the place where Tim would have fallen. Her relief was short lived, what if he was hurt? What if he landed bad? She rushed back to the suspect and dragged his body even closer to the ledge handcuffing him to it. She stepped onto the ledge, reassured herself and launched off.
Lucy felt her body connect with the countless garbage bags and held her breath so that she wouldn't feel the immediate stench of garbage.
"Boot." Lucy opened her eyes as she felt a hand grab onto her leg and pull her body towards another one. "The hell are you doing here?" Tim asked as he grabbed hold of her face and inspected her for any injuries.
"How am I doing? How are you doing?" She asked as she leaned more towards him and ran her eyes through his body, noticing that he had no visible injuries.
"I'm fine." He said as he grabbed hold of his com. "You shouldn't have jumped, that was reckless." He reprehended.
"I didn't know if you were alive."
"Well and now the two of us could be dead and I was about to call for help before you fell on me." He answered ironically, he should have not gotten up this morning.
"I didn't fall on you." She defended, she really hadn't but when he pulled her to check on her, she had landed almost completely on top of him.
"Sure. Dispatch, we are stuck inside of a garbage truck." Tim said, sounding like he was embarrassed.
"Copy that 7-ADAM-19 we're sending aid and rescue to your location." Central informed.
"Really this day couldn't get worst." He muttered moodily, banging his head softly against the back wall of the truck.
"Don't .." Lucy was interrupted with a jolt that send her towards Tim and into his lap, his hands on her waist were the only thing that had managed to keep her from laying completely on him. The truck had moved, just their luck.
"I can't believe this shit." He muttered aggressively, smacking his own leg. "FUCK."
"HEY, HEY, STOP." Screamed Lucy over the noise of a moving truck to no vail and Tim simply rolled his eyes, great now he had a headache on top of everything.
"It's useless, he won't hear it." Tim told her as he picked his com up again. "Dispatch, the truck is moving south on Nutwood. Hurry up." He replied in his Tim Bradford tone that left no room for contradiction.
He turned to look at Lucy when she didn't say anything in response and when he saw her, he could tell she was somewhere else. Her eyes were focused on the wall in front of them, but her mind was somewhere else entirely.
"Boot." Tim called to her softly, as he touched her lightly not to scare her, but she didn't even blink in recognition. "Lucy." He called more firmly and this time she turned to look at him and only then did he noticed how panicked she truly was.
"The truck is moving." She answered almost like a robot.
"It is but that's ok, they'll track us down quickly." He tried to reassure her, but she simply shook her head.
"No, the truck is moving." She emphasized almost in hysteria.
"Yes but…" He tried to calm her down, but she simply interrupted him again.
"Tim if the truck is moving, then it will collect garbage and…and…" She was beginning to hyperventilate and having a hard time formulating sentence.
"Lucy breath." He grabbed her shoulders and tried in vain to calm her down.
"I can't just breath, when they collect garage, they compact it Tim. That means if the truck stops again…we are going to be crushed." Her voice raising in octaves and the words coming out in a rush.
"We're not gonna be crushed because they are going to be here before that." He reassured her. Shit, he had completely forgot about that and now his attention and worry was divided between the opposite wall and Lucy.
"You can't promise that." She muttered, gaze blurry with accumulated tears.
"Yes, I can. I'm your T.O."
"It's really small here." Lucy hyperventilated and finished unbuttoning her shirt removing it from her body. She was on full panic attack. "There isn't enough air."
"There is plenty of air. Look at me Lucy." Tim grabbed her face and forced her glazy eyes to focus on his face. "I'm here, nothing is going to happen to you."
"It fells like the walls are moving!?" She explained panickily.
"the walls aren't moving." He moved her to rest more against him, almost like he held her when he pulled her out of that damn barrel. "Have I ever lied to you?"
Lucy shook her head and focused on the heartbeat of Tim's heart against her ear, but her gaze was still foggy, and her lungs couldn't get enough air. Tim still felt her galloping heart and her rushed respiration against the side of his neck. He contained his own fear, but he was worried she was gonna pass out. If their cameras or whoever rescued them caught how truly freaked out, she was, doubts about Lucy's recovery and emotional ability to handle the job could rise. "Lucy focus on me, on my voice." He whispered softly in her ear. "I'm the most annoying Training Officer you ever met, truth or lie?" He asked and when she didn't answer he repeated the question, in a kind but demanding tone. "Truth or lie?"
"Truth."
"Yes, it is." He smiled against her ear, combing his fingers through her lose curls. "you're my favourite Rookie. Truth or lie?"
"I don't know that." Lucy said and Tim could feel the faint smile she gave, when he squeezed her tighter. "Truth, I guess."
"Right." Tim assured. "I'll never let anything happen to you. Truth or lie?"
"Truth." She breathed out, softly and she felt Tim nod, his head resting on top of hers.
"And yes, that's a promise." He told her as single tear feel onto his shirt. "Now it's your turn." Lucy began to protest but he cut her short. "No buts, Boot."
"uhmm…. I'm a good police officer. Truth or lie?" Lucy asked shakily, her voice low and raspy.
"I'd say a damn good one, so truth." Tim agreed with his typical smirk that Lucy couldn't see but could feel.
"I can outrun you." Tim laughed as Lucy said that and gave her a squeeze that made her laugh softly.
"Just now, I'm saying yes but if anyone asks me: I'm denying it." He explained. "Go on, last one."
"I-I can save myself." She said, shaky but more confident than she ever felt.
"And that's just plain obvious." Lucy laughed and pulled her body away from his and smiles.
"Thank you."
"For what? This old trick." He shrugged, trying to pass it as unimpressive. "thought you were the only one who knows trauma relief measures !?" He tried to lighten the serious mood. "It helped me a lot when I returned from Afghanistan. There were things I hadn't overcome and needed to learn to distinguish what was real from what was not in order to move forward."
"Thank you again…I know that I have been more than you…" she fumbled over her words, it's always harder to express yourself when you care.
"we all have our shit, Boot." He stopped her. "You handled my crap; I can handle yours." His tone of finitude left no space for argument, so she simply nodded. Lucy signed in relief when the sound of sirens reached their ears and the truck came to a halt. She turned towards Tim with a relief and offered him a soft smile. "What did I tell you?"
"Can't believe I ever doubt you."
"Yeah Boot, all this stress…" Tim shook his head in mock disappointment. "If I see a white hair, I'll have you making Burpees.""
"Think that's a very sensible approach, sir." Lucy answered with an earnest smile.
"Officer chen, Officer Bradford. I'm captain Jameson, let's get you out of here." A tall man in his late forties peaked over the top of the truck and offered them a smile.
"Yes please." Lucy's honest wording earned a candid laugh from the two man. Tim allowed Lucy to go out first, helping to hoist her up to the firefighter that reached for them. When he met her outside, her smile was so bright that it seemed like nothing had happened. "I swear I could kiss the ground right now."
"That's just disgusting." Tim corrected her but he too felt relieved that it was all over. "I'll settle for a cool Beer."
"I think you need a shower…You stink!?" she mocked him.
"I stink !? have you gotten a whiff of yourself Boot?"
"that's impossible, I'm a lady." Tim laughed, she really was something else and he couldn't deny it, to him she still smelt like Jasmin. whether she really did smell like Jasmin or her sent was simply impregnated in his mind, he didn't know.
Here it is guys. A little late but I did it. Hope you think I made Lucy's stress realistic, but I really wanted to demonstrate how much they rely on each other to stay calm and move forward in life.
Chapter 16 will be out (hopefully) on Sunday, it's call: None of your damn business. The schedule for posting will change a bit because I have a really hard time posting on Wednesday. So it will be: Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, if I can I'll post an extra chapter every once in a while. Hope you understand and stick around.
-stay safe, XO.
