Lucy moaned as she tried to sit up; the pain in her side exploded like fire. She hissed as she lowered herself back down to the couch, praying that the searing pain would go away. She eyed the clock and grimaced as it flashed half past noon, knowing that Tim would be home soon to check up on her and deliver some take away. She huffed again as she slowly pushed herself up again, grimacing through the pain. Moving down the short hallway towards the bathroom, Lucy swayed on her feet, resting against the wall, waiting for the dizziness to pass. She breathed out as she moved again to the bathroom. She grimaced as she pulled up her t-shirt to reveal a blood soaked bandage. Biting her lip, she grabbed the first aid kit that Tim insisted be in the house, before yanking off the bandages and gauze. She tossed the old ones in the trash bin and put fresh ones over the stitched skin.

Lucy was lowering herself down to the couch when the front door opened to reveal Tim and his rookie standing nervously behind him. Lucy smiled softly as Tim walked through the door and sat Chinese take away on the coffee table. She hummed as Tim leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. He pulled back and ran a hand down her cheek, subtly checking that she didn't have a fever. He grinned and rose an eyebrow, "How ya doing boot?"

Lucy sighed and shook her head, "Not really. I've been laying here trying not to move, watching Rom-Coms all day."

Tim smirked and shook his head, "Is it any better at all?"

Lucy shrugged and tried to hide a grimace, "It's sore, but I'll manage, you know me."

His eyes roamed over her face and noticed the small crinkle in her forehead; the only indication that she was in pain. He jumped when he heard a noise behind him. He eyed his rookie, standing nervously in the doorway. He rose an eyebrow and motioned to the armchair across from the couch, "You can come in Gibson, just don't touch anything."

Gibson jumped and nodded as he rushed over to the chair that Tim pointed to, "Yes sir."

Tim stood up and grabbed plates from the kitchen, hoping to have a quick lunch before going back out for the rest of his shift. Once Lucy was settled he grabbed a small portion of chicken and rice. He was about to take a bite of food when he felt Lucy shift her feet underneath his leg. He glanced her way and noticed she was biting her lip. He rose an eyebrow and grinned, "Do you need something babe?"

Lucy sighed and hoped that he would agree without much trouble, "So you know I'm going to be on leave for another couple of weeks, I'm going to be here while you're at work. All alone." God she knew she was laying it on thick, but she hoped that it would work for what she wanted, "What do you think about getting a dog?"

Tim felt his jaw drop and his fork clatter as it fell back on his plate. He glanced at Gibson who was trying to hide his grin and looked back at Lucy who was giving him those eyes of her that always had him falling to his knees. He sat his plate down and scratched the back of his neck, wondering where this had come from. He sighed and held out his hand, "Let me see it. You wouldn't have mentioned it if you didn't already have a dog in mind."

He ignored Lucy's squeal of excitement as she placed her phone in his hand. He swiped the picture of him and Lucy at a Dodgers game to reveal a German Shepard puppy staring back at him with its large paws and pointy ears. He smiled softly and realized she had him hook, line, and sinker. He sighed as he tried to put up a fight, "Luce, our schedules are hectic; I'm a TO and your trying to be one after the end of the year. We'll hardly ever be home with him."

Lucy tried to ignore his very valid point and resorted to other tactics, " Just look at it as a trial run for when we have kids," she bit her lip and resorted to begging, "Come on Tim. Please. You won't have to walk him or anything.'

Tim sighed, knowing that eventually he would walk him and feed him and everything else that comes with owning a dog. He knew that he would get attached and love it just like Lucy would. He wasn't going to tell Lucy that, but he knew he would within seconds of seeing the pup. He sighed as he tried to act annoyed as he begrudgingly agreed.

Lucy resisted the urge to jump up and grinned, "I'll text back the owner who is trying to get rid of him. You'll have to pick him up after your shift though."

Tim groaned, knowing that it had already begun. It will start with him getting the dog, then he'd have to run to the store to get the food, bowls, toys, crate, and bed. He sighed as he looked at Lucy's smile and found himself not caring.

That's how after his shift he found himself an hour from home crouched down petting a ten week old German Shepard. He glanced in the yard and saw two more pups rolling on the ground playing. He glanced up at the young blonde eyeing him, before standing up and grinning, "My wife said she'd talk to you about one of the pups you have, I assume she'd let you know I was coming."

The young woman grinned before glancing at her phone, "Yea, she said you would come today and that she wanted the last boy I have. The others are already spoken for, so the one you got in front of you is the one you can buy."

Tim started to nod until the woman mentioned paying. He glanced down at the dog who had flopped on his back, staring up at him expectantly. He sighed and pulled out his money, dreading to hear how much the dog would cost him, "How much is he?"

"$200.00 with paperwork."

Tim reluctantly handed over two one hundred dollar bills and picked up the pup. As he was getting in the car he placed the pup in the backseat and eyed him wearily, "Don't make a mess back there pup. I don't want to have to clean anything tonight when I get you home."

A soft sigh was the response he got as he pulled away and headed home. He sighed in relief when he picked the pup up with no mess in sight, after pulling in the driveway. He ran his hand along the fluffy fur before shouldering the door open. He glanced around and saw nothing, but darkness. He furrowed his brow, a bit surprised that Lucy dint wait up for him knowing he was bringing the pooch home. He sat the dog down and moved through the house and shouldered the door to their bedroom open.

His eyes zeroed in on the bed and traced over Lucy's face. His eyes trailed over her dark hair splayed across the pillow, her soft lips that was pinched into a grimace, even in her sleep. He moved down to her left hand and felt his heart stop for a second as her wedding ring glinted in the dark. He slowly crept over to her and trailed a finger down her smooth cheek. He grinned as her eyes fluttered open to stare at him through the darkness.

Lucy stared up at Tim in the darkness and tried to smile, despite the searing pain in her side. She pushed herself up and grasped his hand as it moved away from her cheek, "Hey, I tried to stay up, but my side started hurting," she paused and grinned as sleep left her eyes and excitement took over, "Where is he?"

Tim grinned as he bent down to pick up the pup from the floor. He gently placed him on Lucy's lap and kept him in place so he wouldn't step on her side. He watched as Lucy gushed over the pup in her hands and kissed his soft head. He saw the big smile and knew that he would do anything for Lucy, as long as she always smiled that big and bright. He sighed as he reached put a hand and ran it ober the dogs back and scratched behind his ears.

He rose an eyebrow when Lucy turned to him with bright eyes, "What will we name him?"

Tim thought for a second and grinned, "Boot. We can call him Boot."

Lucy glared and shook her head, "No, I'm not calling our dog Boot. Something creative and fun like Max or Remi or Pongo."

Tim shook his head staring at the dog. He had the coat and markings of a German Shepard, the floppy ears that would point upwards as he got older, the fluffy fur that would grow thick and long. He scratched at the dogs ears again and grinned, "Fine. How about Axel, Dodger, or Zeus?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "I'm not naming him after a car part or baseball team. I like Zeus."

Tim sighed and looked down at the dog, "You like Axel pup?"

He watched as the dog didn't move. He blinked up, sighing, before burrowing his nose deep in Lucy's blanket. He watched as Lucy stroked the dogs head and smiled, "Do you Like Zeus buddy?"

He watched again as the dog lifted his head and licked Lucy's hand before burrowing back down in the blankets. Tim rose an eyebrow and shook his head, "I guess Zeus it is."

Lucy grinned as she snuggled the dog before handing him back to Tim. He placed the pup down on the floor to grab the bed he had bought on the way home. He placed him on it and scratched his ears, "This is your bed buddy."

Tim looked back at a beaming Lucy and grinned, "He's not sleeping with us; Zeus has his own bed. I've got his food and water bowls in the kitchen. His leash and collar on the counter and a few toys in the corner of the living room."

Lucy grinned before closing her eyes, drowsiness suddenly washing over her. She smiled sleepily at Tim and grabbed for his hand and squeezed, "Thank you for going and getting him after your shift today."

Tim smiled softly at her and sighed, "I'd do anything for you boot; you know that," he shrugged his shoulders and grinned slyly, "Beside, like you said, it will be good practice for kids someday."

Lucy felt warm at the mention of kids and smiled as Tim's southern drawl came out. She blinked and realized that he must be exhausted if she could hear his accent come out; he hides it so well to fit in, in L.A and the busy lifestyle that comes with working in the major city. She grinned again as Tim glanced her way.

Tim rose an eyebrow and stood to toe off his boots, "What?"

Lucy sighed and shook her head gently, her voice soft in the dim light of their bedroom, "Do you miss it?"

Tim unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it in the hamper before undoing his belt. He glanced up at his wife with innocent eyes, "Miss what?"

Lucy sighed and sank back against the pillows and eyed her husband, "Texas, your mom and dad, the bull riding." She bit her lip and pushed on, knowing that she was going to touch a sore spot, "The family ranch."

Tim sighed and sat on his side of the bed and ran a hand through his short hair, "I miss it sometimes, yeah. Nothing beats the crazy adrenaline that L.A brings though. Bull riding is too dangerous for a guy my age these days; it's dangerous and obnoxiously stupid really. When I was in my early twenties, sure, I loved the thrill. I was only working that until I had enough to pay for college though, so it wasn't really a thing I had a passion for," he turned to look at Lucy over his shoulder before slowly crawling towards her and hovered above her, "You on the other hand, I have a love and passion for."

Lucy grinned despite the obvious change of subject. She ran a hand along his jaw and traced her fingers over his cheek, sighing softly, "I'd like to go visit one day."

Tim sighed, pushing back the memories of his teens and early twenties away. He rolled away from Lucy and stared at the ceiling for several minutes before turning back to Lucy with a raised eyebrow, "You'd want to see my crazy southern family on a money pit of a ranch with horses and cows and pastures?"

Lucy shrugged gently before nodding, "It's a part of your story Tim, of course I want to visit. I know that you enjoy the outdoors and quiet that you can't find in L.A. You can take the boy out of the country, but not the country out of the boy."

Tim sighed and ran a hand along his face, "Yea, that's the problem, I'm not a country boy anymore. I don't like horses or ranches or risk that comes with that; I prefer my feet firmly planted on the ground in every aspect of life."

Lucy scoffed and shook her head, "Being a police officer is just as risky as bull riding or ranching."

"When I'm being shot at, I can duck and cover. When you're riding a bull there isn't an escape."

Lucy sighed and nodded, "True." She ran a hand along Tim's short hair and grinned, "I can't picture you with longer hair, cowboy hats, and boots anyway."

Tim grinned, happy the subject was dropped, and nodded, "Yea those get a bit hot. Especially in the summer."

Lucy nodded and burrowed into Tim's side, "I love you. City boy or not."

Tim grinned and brushed a kiss to Lucy's forehead before closing his eyes. "I love you to Lucy."

Lucy smiled and burrowed a bit deeper into Tim's side. She ran a finger along his chest and wondered briefly where the scars on his chest came from. She closed her eyes and tried to breath in time with his heartbeat. After a few minutes she found herself slowly drifting off into blissful darkness.