Chapter 1: A Gloomy Birthday
The next morning, Lucy woke up long before her alarm clock, having had very little sleep. Her sleep had been filled with nightmares of all kinds. Exhausted, she decided to get up to get ready. It was going to be a long day. She was in an awful mood, kept brooding over her parents' words, felt alone despite the plethora of friends she could count on, and lastly, she missed Jackson terribly. It was her birthday, damn it! They should be having a blast and planning a crazy night out. Instead, he was dead.
Finally, the young woman tried to be positive because she knew that her best friend would not want to see her like that. About an hour after waking up, she came out of her room, ready to go to work, to find that Tamara had also been up very early to prepare her a sublime breakfast.
"Happy birthday!" The teenager exclaimed enthusiastically, without really knowing where she was going.
"Tamara, it's adorable," she smiled without being able to help it, touched by this little attention. Her appetite suddenly returned from so much care and so much food. The two brunettes sat down and ate, discussing things and others. Aware of her roommate's concern, Officer Chen decided to talk to her.
"I'm sorry if I seemed cold to you last night. The dinner went badly. I thought my parents wanted to try and take a step forward for my birthday, but they gave me the same speech as usual and worse, not even hesitating to put my kidnapping and Jackson's death back on the carpet in quite a violent way."
"Oh my god, I can't believe they got that far. I understand that you came home so badly. What are you going to do?" She asked as frightened as she was saddened.
"Nothing at all. I left telling them that it was not worth contacting me again before they changed their attitude. Honestly, I'm not sure I want to forgive them this time. They did everything to put me down as if they wanted to submit me to their will, no matter what makes me happy. Finally, I do not want to elaborate. I want to have a quiet day at work and a quiet evening in front of the television," sheannounced, picking up her purse. Tamara nodded silently, and watched her go, not really knowing what to do with it all, but still determined to find a solution. Lucy had done everything for her, and she deserved someone to do the same for her.
For her part, the young woman felt slightly better. Even though her parents' words kept haunting her, the pretty brunette was grateful to have Tamara in her life. It was still going to be a long day.
Once at the station, she began her morning routine by going to the locker room to put on her uniform, to the break room for a second coffee, and then to the garage to prepare the service vehicle. Throughout her journey, she was warmly greeted by her colleagues who wished her a happy birthday. One thing was certain, Lucy Chen was appreciated by all at Mid-Wilshire.
Once all of that was done, she went to the common room for the roll call. The policewoman was immediately greeted by her closest friends Nyla Harper, Angela Lopez, John Nolan, Tim Bradford, and Aaron Thorsten who hastened to express their wishes, even Sergeant Gray was there. The young woman was touched by so much concern. Only, still very upset by the experience of the day before and the absence of her best friend, she had difficulty giving up. After briefly thanking her relatives, the briefing began. None of the police officers present missed the lack of reaction from their colleagues. They made no remarks, however.
About half an hour later, they all found themselves patrolling the streets of Los Angeles. Unlike what Sergeant Bradford had expected, his partner was quiet. She was staring thoughtfully at the road with a sad expression. At the start of the day, Tim hadn't taken offense at his behavior, but now he was starting to worry. Lucy was never so calm. She always found a remark to make about where they were, Tamara, their colleagues, or even their respective private lives. The policeman often complained about this incessant flow of words, yet he missed it every time he was deprived of it. He loved the sound of her voice, although he probably would never tell her.
Finally, Bradford had a little idea of what could make her. Jackson's death was relatively recent, and he was convinced that the two friends must have planned quite a trip to celebrate the day properly. Only he had the impression that something else was at stake. Until then, she had never hesitated to come and find him throughout her mourning process. The former soldier had always supported her. After all, he had already suffered many losses over the years. He had learned to deal with it. It was normal that he was helping a colleague, a friend, to manage her pain.
If he was honest with himself Tim would admit that his stubbornness in denying their closeness was because he cared about her more than he was willing to admit. It had even been a while. Only, he had understood it the day he had hugged her in the middle of his living room to try to soothe a little the pain caused by the loss of her best friend. Seeing her like this had broken his heart, the idea of seeing her in pain was even physically painful. If Wesley hadn't called him that night, he probably would have ended up inviting her to join him in his bed.
In short, this was not the time for introspection on feelings that he refused to identify. Lucy needed someone and he was determined to help her.
"So Chen, anything planned for tonight?" He asked curiously, thinking that was a way to start the conversation.
"No, I'm probably going to spend a quiet evening with Tamara snacking in front of the television."
"What? No karaoke at the local bar or going out at a nightclub, this year is being felt," Tim joked about the tone he used for their usual little games. She loved it, so he could probably make her smile. This did not, however, have the desired effect.
"I'm just not really in the mood to party this year," confessed the beautiful brunette much more melancholy than usual. He understood that what worried her must be important and add to the trials she had been through in recent months.
"I understand ... Listen, Lucy, I can see that you are not okay and that you don't seem to want to talk about it. You know it's not my type of discussion but if you ever need anything. You can count on me," he announced to her with all the tenderness in the world. Bradford made sure to meet her gaze to make her understand the sincerity of his words.
"I know, thank you," shewhispered after a good minute of being captivated by the softness of his eyes. Then she looked down, troubled by the intensity of the moment.
After this short moment, Lucy couldn't help but sink back into her thoughts. She was extremely touched by the sincere concern of her partner even though she was not so surprised. Behind this harsh and stern facade, her former teacher was a loyal, compassionate, and deeply caring person. He did not only show it often but the young woman was honored that he revealed these facets of his personality with her.
Honestly, it wasn't just that that moved her. It had been a while since Tim had acquired the gift of making her heart beat a little faster than usual. Each of his looks and smiles capsized her, even though she was doing her best to suppress it.
After all, there were endless reasons why she shouldn't feel this way. On top of that, she wasn't ready to risk their bond, whatever it was. These parents were probably right. She would end up alone. Chasing these new thoughts off, Officer Chen concentrated on the patrol and her discussion with Tim who kept doing his best to cheer her up with various stories, jokes, and sweet picks.
The day took place in this relatively good-natured atmosphere and without more complicated calls than normal. Even though she was still in low spirits, Lucy was feeling better than the night before. Tamara's attention, Tim's presence, and discussions with her colleagues allowed her to clear her mind and dispel the fog her parents had created. However, the lack of sleep and the words circling in her head had made her feel very tired. So, after her guard, she returned to the locker room to get dressed and go home.
"Hey Chen, do you want to go for a drink? The first round is on me," Angela offered, leaning back against the locker in front of her colleague.
"I'm paying the second, " Nyla added, joining the conversation. Tim had not informed them of the bad mood of the young woman, but the two lieutenants suspected that with all that she had lived, this day would be difficult for her. After all, she had lost her best friend a short time ago. Only they did not expect so much weariness.
"I appreciate the offer but I'm exhausted. I prefer to go home. Maybe another night," Officer Chen replied, doing her best to avoid the gaze of her colleagues. If they saw what was on her mind, they would try to interfere and the youngest of the trio didn't have the strength to handle it tonight.
"Of course, as you want. Is everything alright? I hope Bradford didn't give you a hard time today. Otherwise, he's going to hear me, Sergeant or not," Lopez pointed out, suspecting he wasn't. Her friend might not have realized his feelings for his former recruit but the Hispanic had long understood that he would go to the ends of the earth for her. The young woman also thought this was mutual. Well, seeing her in that state would probably have made him even more attentive, not less.
"No, Tim was perfect as usual. I'm sorry. I'm not in the mood. I want to go home," she concludes without even realizing the significance of his words.
"Of course, rest and we'll do it another night," confirmed Nyla, smiling weakly at the awkwardness of her protege. She had long realized that Lucy was completely in love with their new sergeant. She had just chosen not to interfere.
However, Lucy might deny her problems, the two policewomen had created a link in recent months. Nyla knew when she was lying, and it was the case since she was far from well. The mother, however, was not sure that this was the time to push her. After nodding to her colleague, the two police lieutenants left the room to go have a drink, leaving the young officer to go home alone.