And after what felt like eternity he felt it, her pulse was back again, it was very faint but his girl, his lucy she was a fighter she wouldn't be going anywhere just yet. Miraculously she was still alive and breathing when she was wheeled into the hospital. The doctors quickly took over and rushed her into surgery.
Tim was sitting in complete shock, hardly noticing as the rest of the team walked in one by one. They each rubbed his shoulder, gave him a sad smile and took their seats on the cold hard chairs next to him in the waiting room.
Captain Andersen: Sergent Bradford, I'm so sorry this happened. Do you have any information yet regarding Officer Chen?
Tim: No, she flatlined multiple times before getting here, the doctor said that they will do everything they can, but they are not hopeful. It doesn't look good.
Angela: Oh Tim!
For the first time Tim looked up and noticed all of their friends were there
Tim: Thank you all for coming. It really means a lot to me to have you all here right now.
Angela: Of course, we are all here for you, for both of you whatever you need
Tim: I just need Lucy to be okay. I can't do this without her.
Angela: You know for 4 years you kept saying you were not in love with her, that you didn't need her like that
Tim: I guess I was wrong.
The doors open and out walks a nurse. They all stood up petrified to hear what she had to say.
Nurse: Tim Bradford, is there a Tim Bradford here?
Tim: Yeah, that's me
Nurse: I'm so sorry your wife was injured
The team stood there in shock, did the nurse just call Lucy his wife? Angela was about to correct the nurse, but Tim didn't miss a beat and just answered the question.
Tim: She wasn't injured, she was shot at, they purposely wanted to kill her.
Nurse: I know this is a difficult time, but we have some questions that need to be answered.
Tim: What questions?
Nurse: In the event that your wife's surgeons have to make a decision on the table
Tim: What are you talking about? I thought you were coming here to tell me it was over that Lucy is fine
Nurse: The surgery is complex sir
Tim: It's Sergent not sir
Angela noticed that Tim was in no headspace for this right now, so she stepped in.
Angela: I's sorry, but this is a very difficult time right now, what questions need to be answered exactly?
Nurse: Sergent Bradford's wife's license didn't indicate if she was an organ donor or
Tim: Of course, she is, but that won't matter Lucy is going to be fine
Angela: Do you know something that we don't
Nurse: You know her odds aren't good.
Angela: We know that, but we are still hopeful
Nurse: I understand that I just don't want you to get your hopes up too high. We are doing the best we can, but one of the bullets nicked a major artery and she's lost a lot of blood also
Tim felt like he was going to pass out. This was all too much for him. This was not how tonight was supposed to end. With everything the nurse kept telling him he was losing more and more hope of ever seeing Lucy alive again
Tim: Also, what?
Tim didn't know if he could take any more bad news
Nurse: A second bullet tore right through her uterus, the doctors had no choice but to remove it, your wife will no longer be able to have kids.
Tim: No, no! I didn't consent to that you can't just do that
Nurse: Sergent, at this point the doctors are doing everything they possibly can, I have to go pass on the information. I really hope your wife pulls through
Angela: Tim, Lucy will get through this, you both will Lucy's almost died before in the line of duty and she survived, she will be fine, nothing will be different this time
Tim: I know, but we so badly wanted to spend our lives together, to have a family, for us to live a long and happy life together to have kids that are a mix of her and me
Angela: And you will still get that
Tim: Not the kids.
Angela: Why not? Didn't she freeze her eggs a couple years back
Tim: I hadn't thought of that.
Angela: Come let's go sit back down and rest a little before Lucy gets out of surgery.
Sergent Grey: Tim, the nurse kept calling Lucy your wife, is there something we don't know about?
Angela: Yeah, I caught that too, thought it was funny
Tim: Funny! Angela Funny, really you think this is funny! Lucy is fighting for her life and might not make it and you call this funny
Sergent Grey: She said Lucy being your wife and us not knowing is funny
Tim: Lucy is not my wife I don't know why she said that. But several years back after she was stuck with that needle, she put me down as her medical emergency contact
Angela: I guess the nurse was confused, why didn't you correct her
Tim: It felt nice having Lucy be called my wife, I guess I didn't really want to correct her.
They all sat back down on the chairs and continued to wait. 3 hours later Luna walked in with food for everyone.
Luna: Who's hungry? Come on guys you got to eat. Just have a little something.
Sergent Grey: Come get some food everyone. You're amazing, you know that.
Luna: I think it's more the power of the meal train we set up.
Sergent Grey: No, it's you.
Most of them hadn't realized how hungry they were, Wesley got up and took the food from Luna and started handing it out to everyone making sure they all ate a little something so they could get there energy back as he knew this was going to be a really long night.
Angela: Tim, maybe you should eat something
Tim: I can't right now, I feel like I'm going to throw up
Angela: I know
Tim: What is taking so long? I feel like it's been hours
Angela: It has been, but the doctors said it was a complex surgery and will take a long time
Tim sat down again and continued to wait. He kept thinking of all the things he never had a chance to tell her yet, of all the things he wanted to do with her, to do for her. He felt his life slipping through his hands and he didn't know how to handle it. It was always easier for him when he was the one in the hospital bed. For the first time he was wondering if maybe Ashley had a point when she broke up with him because he wouldn't retire. How he wished his earlier conversation with Lucy had gone differently.
Lucy: you ever wish you had a normal job?
Tim: One where people don't shoot at you? Not once
Lucy: Yeah, me either
How he wished now that she would have said yes that she wants a normal job that she doesn't want to get shot at. Maybe when she pulled through, he would talk to her, because he didn't know how much more of this his heart could take. Maybe he should have said that he wasn't okay with her going to dinner
Tim: Has he tried anything?
Lucy: No, but I can handle it if he does.
Tim: I know
Lucy: Yeah, knowing and feeling okay about it are two different things.
Tim: Look, it's not my first time.
Lucy: I know. It's probably what makes it worse.
Tim: All right, now's not the time to talk about this.
Maybe then was the time to talk about it, tell her that he really wasn't okay with all of this, then maybe she wouldn't be dying right now.
How he wished he would have known that her cover was blown. He would never have let her go out with Frank if he did. He knew that at some point they would have to catch the shooters, to take down Frank for ordering the hit on Lucy. But for right now his brain felt like mush. He was tired and nervous and extremely anxious just sitting there waiting for Lucy to get out of surgery.
But he knew that dreaming of what could be and what he should have done differently wasn't going to change any of this. Tim tried to close his eyes for a little, hoping to get some sleep before Lucy woke up, but he kept seeing images of a dead Lucy in his head and just couldn't sleep. Finally, after almost 12 hours the doctor came out. He looked sad and Tim was fearing the worst.
Tim: Is Lucy, okay?
Doctor: The surgery was a success, Lucy is in recovery
Tim: Oh, thank God, thank God, when will she wake up? Is she okay?
Angela: Tim, just let the doctor tell us what's going on.
Tim: Who is stopping him, you know as well as I do that just surviving the procedure is nothing. What about the quality of her life, will she have a life at all Tell me doctor please, what is it that you are not saying?
Doctor: One bullet nicked a major artery but thankfully we were able to repair that with hopefully no real damage done to officer Chen. The 2nd bullet went straight through her uterus which unfortunately we were unable to save. We also had to remove her spleen.
Tim: and the third bullet?
Doctor: um, the bullet uh ricocheted off of Officer Chen's sternum sending bone fragments into her chest cavity before finally lodging itself into her spinal cord. We were able to remove the bullet, but we don't know if it compromised her spine in any way and we do not know what will be. If she will be paralyzed or regain full mobility. The initial ricochet is actually the most problematic right now. The surgical team is hopeful that we found all the bone shards and that we sewed up all the internal tears around her heart caused by the fragments, but we just can't be certain. There is also an extremely high risk of infection from a surgery like this.
Tim: So, what are we saying?
Doctor: We will be monitoring Lucy as closely as possible as she is still sedated and not out of the woods just yet.
Tim: Um, where is she now?
Doctor: We moved her to ICU
Tim: I want to see her. I need to be with Lucy right now.
Doctor: Of course. I'll have a nurse take you to her.
Tim had to wait for a couple of minutes before the nurse came out to get him. Angela stayed with him holding his hand the entire time.
Nurse: Sergent Bradford, if you come with me, I can take you to your wife now.
Angela helped Tim up and started walking with him towards the nurse.
Nurse: I'm sorry Officer
Angela: It's detective. Detective Angela Lopez
Nurse: I'm sorry detective but Ms. Chen is only allowed one visitor right now.
Angela: I understand, but look at him, he is in no shape to go in there alone right now. I need to be there for him so he can be there for her.
Nurse: The most I can allow right now is for you to walk back to her room with us and then I will have to ask you to wait outside for him.
Angela: Thank you, I'll take that.
Angela helped Tim follow the nurse behind the big double doors. They walked for what felt like hours, though in reality was only several minutes before they stopped in what Tim presumed was Lucy's room.
Nurse: Here we are. You can go in now to sit with her. You can hold her hand but nothing more. It is very important that you not touch any wires. If you need anything I will be right outside waiting just come get me.
Angela: Me too.
Tim: Thank you both.
Tim slowly opened the door and was horrified by the scene in front of him. Lucy was covered in bandages and wires. She barely looked alive, but he knew by the beeping of the machines next to her that she was still fighting here to stay alive here with him. Tim pulled over the chair and sat down next to the bed. He was nervous to touch her, but he just had to feel her pulse to calm him down to know that she really would be okay.
Tim: I love you, Lucy Chen. Can you hear that?
Doctor: Well, her vitals are stable, no sign of infection yet so far so good
Tim: Lucy's a fighter. Take your time Lucy, I will be right here waiting
Tim: I love you, Lucy Chen. Can you hear me?
Tim: You are the love of my life Lucy. You have been since the first day you walked into the precinct. I was so annoyed when Grey assigned you to be my rookie. Talk about fate though. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I thought you were so hot and so nice, and your smile. You were my soulmate; I just didn't know it yet. It took me almost 4 years to get the courage I needed to ask you out. Those kisses we shared as Jake and Sava were not pretend. My heart had chosen you and only you and finally after denying myself this love for so long, I finally chose you. Lucy you are my happiness.
Lucy's eyes fluttered open, and Tim gave a huge sigh of relief.
Tim: Hey, baby your back
Lucy: Tim
Tim: No, Lucy don't say anything. Let me go get the doctor.
Lucy: No
Tim: You really scared me
Lucy: I'm sorry
Tim: Just don't do it again.
Lucy: Okay
Tim: I'm going to make you spend the rest of your life making it up to me after the hell I went through these last couple of days.
Lucy: I can live with that.
Tim bends down and places a kiss on Lucy's forehead.
Lucy: I love you Tim
Tim: I love you too Lucy.
Tim was about to kiss Lucy again when Lucy closed her eyes and the machines flatlined.