Chapter 3 - A Healing Process.
2 days later, Tim is being discharged, Lucy hasn't left his side, partially due to Greys order and mostly due to the fact she is still in a daze, it feels surreal to her, like a dream, Tim is still alive, he's not gone forever, and he told her that he /is/ her officer, hers, and she can't snap out of the feeling she will wake up any moment.
She is packing Tims bag, wearing his Rams sweatshirt that Genni had dropped off with a bag of his clothes, Nolan had dropped off some of her clothes but the first night she was allowed to stay she was shivering after showering in the hospital bathroom, Tim pulled it out of his back and put it on her, she swam in it, it was oversized for him, Gen had bought it for him one Christmas without checking his size, it had become a comfort sweater, but he felt he has lost it to Lucy now and he didn't mind.
He hobbles around the room wearing some grey sweatpants and a black vest top, he watches her pack, debating his next move but before he can stop and think logically he pulls her into his arms. She melts into the hug, he kisses the top of her head "thank you for staying with me Lucy, I don't think I would have tolerated the past few days without you."
She smiles up at him "I wouldn't have had it any other way."
"Are we going back to my place or yours?" He asks as she debates the options, she hums, "your place will be more comfortable for you..."
He nods before she speaks again "plus I can't have you on the sofa, so it depends if you're happy to sleep in my bed or if you would rather your own bed"
Picking up his mobile and charger putting them in his duffle he answers "whichever you are more comfortable with Chen, It's bad enough you have to deal with me till I'm good to return to work, I'm happy to take your sofa." He smiles assuringly.
*
Lucy pulls up at Tim's apartment, they enter and Tim takes a seat on her sofa, happy to be home home, putting the tv on, he puts on an old episode of Dr. Who, this throws Lucy off because he's such a jock, but she remembers when he made a reference to the TARDIS, "I don't only watch sports..." He responded to her bemused looks.
She fixes them a drink each before sorting out his painkillers and giving them to him, while he takes them she wraps herself in a blanket, still wearing a pair of leggings and his Rams sweatshirt she sits beside him, not making contact as she assumes now he isn't as vulnerable he would not want her too close to him now, how wrong she was. He reaches an arm around her and pulls her into a cuddle, she curls into it before daring to ask the unavoidable question, "Tim, what is happening here? I thought you just needed company, but if this is just going to be it, I'm just going to be emotional support, I need to know, because for me..." She stops herself before she plays all her cards and when her eyes meet his he looks, hurt and lost, like she should be on the exact same page as him, like she should know he wouldn't play with her emotions, but did he know what she felt for him?
"I told you, what we done undercover, it didn't feel pretend, I wasn't for me...It is why I ended it with Ashley...because I can't go on pretending, I had a taste of you, It was easy to pretend my feelings were non-existent before that, but I'm hooked Lucy, you're like a drug I can't get enough of...I want to be yours, your officer, your friend, your boyfriend...if you'll let me"
She seems shocked, gobsmacked, she murmurs "My...boyfriend?"
He feels a knot in his stomach, worried he has crossed a line, he stands quickly, a little too quickly, a sharp pain shoots to his neck to which Lucy quickly stands to check over. "I'm sorry, I'm going to go wash...I'm sorry for overstepping" he quickly tries to rebuild his internal walls, trying to shut out everything he says, before he could make off to the bathroom he hears a quiet voice "I get to be Tim Bradford's girlfriend?" As he glances round he sees a small, coy smile on her face and those walls crumble down like Jenga blocks. He leans down and places a delicate kiss on her lips, she leans up into the kiss before wrapping her arms around his waist, cuddling into him.
She assists him in washing, he sits in a pair of shorts while she gently washes his chest, back and shoulders, being careful not to get his dressing wet, 48 hours before he can change his dressing, a week before he can remove it and resume usual showering, 2 weeks before he can return to work for light/desk duties. Until then, she was his nurse, his carer, though she thought in her head, it's what any girlfriend would do for her man.
As she dries him she lingers over the dressing, thankful Thornson was there with him, that it wasn't a solo call.
"I'm sorry, I heard you went into pure shock when you found out...I never wanted to upset or worry you Lucy." He said solemnly, she shook her head responding "I thought I would never see you again, never get to tell you how I felt..."
"Same here." He places a hand on her arm, an assurance "I'm fine though, I am here" she smiles and nods before heading out to allow him to wash his lower regions, she steps outside and waits, she hears him struggling, with what, she doesn't know, not until she hears a groan of pain, she knocks "Tim, are you okay? You need to be careful not to pull a stitch." She states, a moment of silent before a defeated voice calls her in, she enters, he has a washcloth covering him, he looks embarrassed before he asks "would you mind helping with my lower legs and feet please? I can't bend to reach, my shoulder is still quiet stiff..."
"Well a bullet wound would do that.." She half laughed before assisting him in cleaning, once he was done she helped him redress, she ordered them a pizza and put the dodgers game on, like a kid with cartoons, Tim was captivated, he watched 3 innings before their pizza arrived, only peeling his eyes away from the TV during breaks between each inning. They eat pizza, by the 7th inning Lucy was curled into him, he wrapped his arms around her as they watched the game, by the end of the 9th the outcome was 6-2 to the Dodgers, Lucy was gently snoring so Tim refrained from cheering as he normally would, he pulled the blanket over them both before relaxing watching the postgame discussion, something about Muncy and Mookie then he's out for the count. Asleep with Lucy in his arms, feeling safe and feeling protective.
*
They wake in the morning to the sound of thunder, Tim groans, though he was happy to have Lucy by his side, sleeping upright on the sofa was never the most comfortable to wake up from, Lucy still curled into him and he can't help but acknowledge that she's like a cat when she sleeps, taking up next to no space, in a ball he didn't think was humanly possible to curl into.
He watches her a small smile on his face, a hand resting on her hip as she cuddles further into his chest. His eyes trace her face, her features soft and gentle, he wonders to himself how many of her nights are this peaceful. After the hell she had been through, the hell he pushed her into. He can't help but lay some blame on himself, he should have never have pushed her to meet up with Caleb, and he will always hold that guilt.
His bladder breaks his thought process, he gently moves away from Lucy, leaving her sleeping form on the sofa, she looks even smaller on his sofa now he had stepped away from her. He goes into the bathroom, pees and brushes his teeth and washes his face. He makes a quick stop to get painkillers before going to rejoin Lucy in the living room, He can't help but notice her features were no longer soft, but tight and twisted. He stands back watching her before he notices tears spilling from her closed eyes, a slight humming of dream a little dream of me tells Tim he has to wake her up, bring her back to him.
He crouches beside her, a gentle hand on her shoulder "Lucy?" He whispers, "I'm here, you're safe. I'm here Lucy" she stirs to his voice before he leans in placing a kiss on her temple before lowly speaking, "I won't leave you again, I'm right by your side, and I am /not/ leaving" her eyes snap open, they're red and tearful, as she processes that Tim is there, she isn't alone and she clings to him, being mindful of his wound.
"Sorry..." She whispers and he shakes his head, "No, I am sorry, I had to pee..." She can't help but give a single laugh at the simplicity of why he had left her alone, she had the best sleep she has had since everything happened, places a hand on his cheek bringing a small smile to his lips.
"So, there is a thunderstorm, looks like it will be all day, how about a movie day?" He questions and she nods responding "oooh, The Spiderman films are on Disney now, maybe we could watch the best three...?" She left it hanging in the air before Tim put Toby McGuire's first Spiderman film on and Lucy smiles approvingly, he turns the heating on before snuggling back into the sofa and Lucy gravitates back into him and he naturally wraps his arms around her, he could spend the rest of his life in this moment and she feels the exact same.