Tim arrived early this Tuesday morning. He had a lot of paperwork to do and, that didn't make him happy. Indeed, the policeman loved his job as a sergeant, except for the administrative part. After a while of working, he looked up from his form, and his eyes immediately fell on his colleague, Lucy Chen. She was happily chatting with Angela Lopez, his best friend.
He couldn't help but stare at her for a moment. She was bright as usual but also extremely attractive despite this uniform that was not supposed to suit anyone. When that thought crossed his mind, he shook his head. He had a girlfriend. He couldn't think like that.
In the middle of the morning, when he was talking with the young woman about an arrest, he was called into Sergeant Grey's office. Intrigued, they both went there and could see that Sergeants Murray and Caradine were also there. They greeted each other politely, with serious looks on their faces.
"Chen, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, but this is a personal discussion and not professional," Grey began, knowing full well that she had better stay because her subordinate would need support.
"Wade, we both know I'll tell her everything so she should stay. What is happening? You're scaring me. It looks like someone's dead," Tim remarked under the amazed and terrified gaze of his colleague. She was honored by his trust, knowing how much he protected her privacy, but aware that something was seriously wrong.
"Tim, I," Mark started not knowing how to approach what he had just learned during the last 24 hours.
"Who?" He asked coldly, realizing that he was right. Lucy immediately approached him, ready to support him.
"Isabel," Caradine said, knowing full well that whatever happened, it was going to be hard to take. In shock, the policeman sat down on a chair near him.
"Tim, I'm sorry. I know how much she meant to you despite the divorce," the young woman whispered, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He thanked her instantly.
"What exactly happened? Did she relapse?"
"She did but it was not an overdose that killed her. Last night, I was called in for backup for suspicious gunfire. When we got there, we found her dead, with two bullets in her chest. She was in a seedy apartment and given the drugs recovered there, she hadn't been clean for a while. I immediately called Wade and Ryan to handle the situation as best I could," Murray explained knowing well that the next few minutes were going to be even more shocking.
"Yesterday evening! Why are you only telling me now? What else are you hiding from me? Don't tell me it's nothing. I know the three of you too well," he was annoyed to learn that she relapsed back but also confused by the unusual behavior of his colleagues.
"There is something but you have to prepare yourself because there is no good way to announce it. After taking a quick look around, I heard a noise. I opened a closet and found a little girl there. She was in shock and hiding there for a while. She refused to talk but I immediately had a feeling so once we got to the hospital, we did a DNA test on her. This little one is your daughter Tim," the sergeant announced just before seeing his friend collapsed in shock at the news.
"Sorry? My daughter? But I haven't been with Isabel in ages… My god I… Wait, you said hospital. Is she hurt? How is she? What is her name? Well… I…"
"Her name is Rose, and she is 4 years old. I honestly don't know why Isabel didn't tell anyone. There was no name on the birth certificate. That's why we did a test. We wanted to be sure before telling you anything. To answer your question, physically she seems to be doing relatively well. She is slightly malnourished, and a little dehydrated too but nothing that threatens her long-term health. Psychologically, however, it's a different story. She refuses to speak or feed herself and she is extremely suspicious. It's not just the fact that she witnessed her mother's death. Indeed, according to the x-rays, she had several fractures that were poorly treated. That, plus Isabel's addiction and where they lived, we think she was abused on a fairly regular basis."
"Oh my god," Bradford whispered, outraged. He couldn't believe that his ex-wife hid the existence of their daughter. Also, the fact that she could hurt her revolted him. He had always promised himself to protect his children if he was lucky enough to have one, one day, and there he learned that his daughter had had the same type of start in life as him. It broke his heart. The only thing that kept him from completely going off the rails was feeling Lucy's presence by his side. The hand she had placed on his shoulder was now tracing gentle circles on his back. This simple contact allowed him not to lose his footing.
"Isabel's parents have been notified, and they were no more aware of the situation than you. They had not had contact with their daughter for many, many years. One thing is for sure, we're going to find out what happened Tim and whoever did this will end up in jail," Caradine admitted.
"Ryan is right. We are dealing with Isabel's death. You don't worry about anything except taking care of Rose."
"Your work is covered. Go to the hospital," Wade concluded. Without another word, Tim headed for the locker room to change and get his things.
"You should go with him, Lucy. You are the only one he will listen to and confide in. After what he just learned, he's going to need you," Mark announced with the approval of his colleagues. The brunette thanked them and headed for the locker room to change into fourth gear and join her friend.
Luckily, the shock made him slower than usual, and she managed to arrive in front of his car at the same time as him.
"Lucy, what are you...?"
"I have Grey's permission, and there's no way I'm leaving you to go through this on your own. Don't even try to argue," she announced. This remark made him smile, then without a word they got into the sergeant's car.
This news had just transformed their world. It now remained to be seen whether this would bring them closer or further apart.