I can't figure out Lucy's birthday, but judging from forums neither can anyone else. I believe she said she was 28 when she was a rookie, and DOD was 2019 so I'm putting the year at 1992. Also I am not a doctor or a police officer.

Mild warning for derogatory language and victim blaming.

By the time Ashley arrived in the hospital, Tim was slumped in a chair outside Emergency, looking about a decade older than he was.

"How is she?"

"They're pumping her stomach," Tim said in a hollow voice. "She woke up briefly in the ambulance, long enough to call me dad and say that she wanted Mom."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Is that new?"

"Yeah, she's never called Lucy that to my knowledge," Tim answered. "And she would have told me. And she's certainly never called me that."

Ashley laid a hand over his, gently coaxing his fingers open. "Is this her phone?"

Tim nodded. "I've tried calling Lucy again, twice; still no answer."

"May I?"

Tim handed her Tamara's phone, watching as she opened the password screen.

"What's Lucy's birthday?"

"May 7th 1992," Tim said without a thought. "Why?"

"No one her age is going to use her own birthday," Ashley said, typing it in. "Nope. Do you remember when she started living with Lucy?"

That took a bit more thinking about; Tim knew she'd asked him to help get Tamara's belongings from the cousin who had kicked her out, so he went back through his messages to find the exchange.

That date worked, and Ashley frowned. "She called Lucy first."

"Of course she did," Tim said, staring at the double doors. "She wanted her mom."

Ashley shook her head. "No, this call connected. For eleven minutes. Lucy should have been there."

Tim frowned, a sense of unease rising within him.

Without really thinking about it, he called Lucy a fourth time. Once again, there was no answer, but …

"She's not not-answering," he said. "She's blocking my calls."

"Or someone else is," Ashley said. "We both agree that Lucy would not have ignored Tamara asking for help, right?"

"Absolutely not," Tim agreed.

Ashley pressed the phone back into her hand. "Call her again. On Tamara's phone."

Tim frowned. "You think someone will answer Tamara?"

"I think someone's not going to attempt to intimidate you," Ashley said, opening the voice recording app. "Call her. And put it on speaker."

Tim sighed, but did as he was told, calling Lucy's phone from Tamara's.

Sure enough, this time, there was an answer - but it wasn't Lucy's voice.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop butting in?! I don't care what you're doing, or what you've told Bradford, but this is not our problem! When are you going to get it into your stupid little head that Lucy only puts up with you out of pity; she does not need you calling her every five minutes!"

It wasn't often that Tim was so incensed he couldn't speak.

But Ashley could.

"But … I'm scared," she said softly, sounding for all the world like a scared teenager. "There was something in that drink; I'm locked in a bathroom; I …"

"I don't give a shit. If you weren't such a little slut, this wouldn't happen."

The call ended, and Ashley stopped the recording. "I thought so."

"You thought it was Chris?" Tim asked, his head spinning.

Ashley grimaced. "I got a really bad vibe from him on that double-date. I'm surprised Lucy didn't."

Tim's throat went dry. Because maybe she had, but she'd ignored it because …

"I set them up."

"Ah, that does make sense," Ashley said, making his heart sink.

Tim groaned, burying his face in his hands. "At least this one's not a serial killer."

Ashley was quiet for a few moments. "You didn't set her up with him."

It wasn't a question, much to his gratification.

"No, but he was right next to me, and I didn't notice, and I told her to go out for a drink and blow off some steam instead of going straight home, and …"

"Tim," Ashley said sternly. "She is a grown woman. Just because you suggested it, she was perfectly capable of ignoring you."

Tim bristled a little. "It wasn't her fault!"

"Of course it wasn't her fault," Ashley said soothingly. "But it wasn't yours either."

Tim was quiet for a moment. "What if he's not letting her get to her phone?"

Ashley grimaced. "Let me call Lucy. Chris might actually let her answer it if he thinks I'm on his side."

"On his side about what?" Tim asked blankly.

"Those feelings you absolutely don't have," Ashley answered, but before she could answer or attempt the call, Tim's phone lit up with Lucy's name.

Tim took a deep breath, accepting the call. "Hey."

"Whats going on?" Lucy asked immediately, soothing his concerns somewhat. "I've got four missed calls and Tamara's called twice."

"We're at St Stephen's," Tim answered, trying to keep his voice calm. "Tamara's study session turned into a house party and her drink was spiked. They're pumping her stomach."

"She's not … She wasn't …"

"No, I got there in time," Tim said, "but she was collapsed when I got there. She came around briefly in the ambulance, she was asking for you."

"Yeah, of course."

He could hear her rushing around, grabbing her jacket and keys, Chris murmuring in the background - he didn't sound like he was trying to stop her, so he clearly wasn't that stupid.

Or he was that manipulative.

"Chris says he just spoke to Tamara and she's fine."

Tim raised an eyebrow. "I mean, he answered a call from Tamara's phone. He just didn't give me a chance to speak. Ashley said something to see what he'd say."

Lucy faltered, standing in the middle of her living room, phone in one hand, keys in the other, Chris hovering in the kitchen.

He must have seen the indecision on her face.

"I just spoke to her, sweetie. She's okay."

"Why would Tim say she was in the ER having her stomach pumped if she wasn't?" Lucy asked.

Chris shrugged. "Maybe he's got the wrong impression. Anyway, he's with her, so you don't have to be."

Her phone beeped with an incoming message.

From: Ashley McGrady
To: Lucy Chen
Message: I recorded Tim calling you from Tamara's phone. I'm sorry.

Lucy frowned at her phone. The only reason Ashley even had her number was because Lucy had called her from the hospital when Tim had a concussion.

They didn't exchange messages.

There was a recording attached to the message.

"Tim, I'll call you back."

Chris smiled, moving towards her. "So …"

"Wait," Lucy said, pressing play on the message.

At first, it was the sound of a ringing phone, like someone had made a call on speaker, which confirmed Ashley's message.

And then the call connected, and Chris's voice filled the room.

With every word, Lucy's blood grew colder and her heart grew harder, and she found herself staring at Chris as though she hadn't seen him before, watching his face get paler and paler.

"I … I can explain …" he began when the recording finished.

"Get out," Lucy said, her voice dangerously low. "Get out of my apartment, get out of my life, lose my number."

"Babe …"

"Don't you dare."

"But you heard her!"

"I heard Ashley!" Lucy shouted. "Ashley, trying to see if you have a single ounce of compassion in your body, which you clearly do not!" She headed for the door, and he caught her arm.

"Please …"

Lucy shook his hand free. "Touch me again and I won't be held responsible for my actions. My daughter needs me and I am going. If you are still here when I get back, I will arrest you for trespassing."

On her way down the stairs, she checked her phone again.

Tamara's first call had lasted eleven minutes.

What had she said to him?

What had he said to her?

And … her stomach lurched … had he said those things to Tamara before?

Had her poor girl been staying silent because she assumed that Lucy would choose Chris over her?

Lucy wouldn't blame her for the assumption - no one else had put Tamara first after all.

And Lucy had sworn that she would never feel like that again.

Had she failed?

The drive to the hospital was like a blur.

She could still remember the moment she realised that Caleb had drugged her.

She had hoped Tamara would never experience that.

When she reached the Emergency Room, Ashley was on her own. The blonde woman rose to her feet and immediately wrapped Lucy in a hug, a hug Lucy welcomed even though the two hadn't spoken since the disastrous double-date (and hadn't really talked before then either).

"I'm so sorry."

"Thank you for making sure I saw it," Lucy whispered. "Where's …?"

"I convinced him to get coffee," Ashley answered, releasing her. "He was about to punch a hole in the wall."

"Tim doesn't do well with inaction," Lucy said, with a shaky laugh.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked.

"I kicked him out," Lucy answered, sinking into the chair beside her. "I … I should have done it two weeks ago, when he did the trial prep."

"He did the trial prep?"

Lucy looked up to give Tim a shaky smile. "Yeah. Didn't I tell you?"

"No," Tim answered, handing Ashley a cup. "But then I was dealing with a hostage situation."

To Lucy's surprise, Tim sat down on her other side, rather than next to his girlfriend.

"I thought what's-her-name … Sarah was doing the trial prep."

"She was," Lucy said, "but she was sick, so Chris did it." She took the other cup from Tim to take a sip, expecting him to complain about her stealing his coffee.

Black and bitter caffeine was better than nothing right now.

To her surprise, it was made exactly how she liked it.

"How did you know I was coming?" Lucy asked. "I forget to call you back."

"You were coming," Tim said with certainty. "So aside from the ethical issues of Sanford doing the trial prep when the witness was his girlfriend, what did he do?"

Lucy was quiet for a second. "He sang the song. Said it got stuck in his head, but …"

"Stuck in his head?!" Tim repeated, a snarl in his voice. "I can't hear the opening notes of that song without wanting to vomit!"

The fact that Ashley hadn't asked told Lucy one of two things: either Tim had confided in her about what happened, or that she had the compassion and understanding not to ask.

Which meant either she and Tim were way more serious than Lucy thought, or Ashley was a much nicer person than Lucy thought.

Not that Ashley had ever given Lucy reason to dislike her.

Aside from dating Tim.

Lucy had felt guilty about that, resenting a woman for dating someone she shouldn't even have feelings for in the first place.

Especially when she was with someone else.

"Family for Tamara Collins?"

Lucy jumped to her feet. "I'm her moth … I'm her guardian. Is she okay?"

The doctor gave her a tired smile. "She'll be okay. She was given an unusually high dose, which makes me think you're either dealing with someone very inexperienced or very dangerous."

"Nolan arrested him," Tim said, before Lucy could ask.

"Can I see her?" Lucy asked, making a note to ask John about it later.

"Of course." The doctor beckoned her towards the room and Lucy just about fell over her feet in her rush to get to Tamara's bedside.

The girl was very pale, hooked up to IV drips, and Lucy took her hand, smoothing her hair back from her face.

"Mom …?"

Lucy's heart lurched, touched first by the name, then by the weakness in her daughter's voice. "It's okay, sweetheart; it's okay. I'm here."

"'m sorry," Tamara murmured, her voice slurring. "Didn't want to interrupt."

"Tamara, you didn't interrupt anything," Lucy said firmly. "Chris had no right to say whatever he said to you. He's gone, alright? I kicked him out."

"You didn't have to," Tamara said.

"I did," Lucy said. "I should have done it weeks ago. I would choose you over him every single time. I promise."

"Wanna go home," Tamara muttered.

Lucy looked up at the doctor, who nodded. "Once this IV's finished, she can be discharged."

"Just a little longer, sweetheart," Lucy said softly. She could hear the low rumble of Tim's voice in the hallway, too quiet to hear what he was saying, and then he was beside her, nudging a chair against the back of her legs so she could sit down.

"Ashley's heading off," he said, taking another chair beside her. "She's taking my truck home for me, so I'll need a ride."

"That's fine," Lucy said automatically. "Wait, she's driving your truck home?"

Tim didn't acknowledge her for a moment, reaching past her to rub Tamara's arm. "You okay, kiddo?"

"Been better," Tamara answered, blinking sleepily. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course," Tim said immediately. "Any time."

"Can we go back to the fact that you're letting Ashley drive your truck?" Lucy asked, partly to amuse Tamara, and partly because … "You never let anyone drive your truck. It must be getting serious."

"Actually she broke up with me tonight," Tim said flatly. "Said we wanted different things and she wanted us to stay friends."

"I'm sorry," Lucy said. "How come she was …?"

"She drove me out there," Tim answered before she could finish. "That way I could call it in and call … Well, try to call you. And then she met me here."

"She's nice," Tamara said, still sounding a little out of it. "Sorry she dumped you."

Lucy flinched, but she didn't reprimand the girl for her lack of tact under the circumstances.

To her surprise though, Tim just shrugged. "It is what it is. She is nice, you're right, but … We weren't serious or anything, so it's fine."

Lucy wasn't convinced, but changed the subject, asking Tim instead about why he'd been in such a bad mood when he got off shift that day.

The bad mood had been irritation instead of anger, so she felt safe asking him in front of Tamara.

For Tamara's sake, he didn't brush her off, telling them both about the 'missing child' he'd been dealing with all afternoon, only to learn that the hysterical woman's 'darling boy' was actually her prized poodle, who had been found in a compromising position with next door's mixed-breed terrier.

It had the dual purpose of cheering Tamara up, and lightening the mood, and by the time the doctor came by again to confirm that Tamara could be discharged, the girl was smiling again.

It was only once Tamara was dressed and in a wheelchair that reality hit Lucy once more.

"What's wrong?" Tim asked, reading her like a book as he always did.

Lucy chewed on her bottom lip. "Is it okay if we stay at yours tonight?"

"Yeah, of course," Tim answered immediately. "Is everything okay?"

"I kicked Chris out and ended things," Lucy said, "but … I wasn't going to wait for him to leave. He was still there when I left. I told him I'd arrest him for trespassing if he was still there when I got back but …"

"I get it," Tim answered. "You're always welcome. I know Kojo will be thrilled to see you."

Lucy smiled. "Thanks."

"Do I need the wheelchair?" Tamara asked, a slight whine in her voice.

"Don't bother," Tim told her. "We all have to do it."

"Even you?" Tamara asked sceptically.

"Lopez has photo evidence," Lucy said cheerfully.

Tim gaped at her. "She said she deleted that!"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "And you believed her?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "It's only until you get to the car so you can't sue them if you collapse."

"That makes sense," Tamara said thoughtfully.

Lucy took her hand, walking alongside her as the nurse accompanied them to the car.

Tim waited until they were on their way home, before dialling dispatch again. "Dispatch, this is Sergeant Tim Bradford, badge 3483, requesting a check-in for address 2733 Elmhurst Drive, Apartment 610, potential trespasser."

"Dispatch copy … 7-Lemur-07 en route."

Lucy wasn't surprised by the call, nor was she surprised when her phone immediately rang. "Can you get that for me?"

"Sure thing." Tim answered the phone and put it on speaker for her.

"Luce, you okay?" Jackson asked. "I'm on my way, but it sounded like you weren't home."

"It's a long story," Lucy answered. "I dumped Chris and left him there because Tamara was in the hospital. We're staying at Tim's tonight because I'm only half-sure he'll have left."

"Got it."

"Off your beat, isn't it?" Tim asked.

"Yeah but I've still got a key," Jackson answered. "This way, Lucy doesn't have to deal with an over-zealous cop kicking down the door."

"Thanks Jacks," Lucy said with a smile.

"No worries - Tamara alright?"

Lucy glanced at the teenager in her rear-view mirror. The girl had dozed off, but her face was far from peaceful. "She will be."

"You'll fill me in at brunch, right?"

Lucy couldn't help smiling. "Always."

She had brunch with Jackson every other Saturday, an appointment she never missed. They had originally been a monthly occurrence at their apartment, allowing them to catch up between often conflicting shifts now they were both P2s.

When he moved out to live with Isaac, she insisted that they meet more frequently, still more than a little traumatised from watching her best friend-turned-brother get shot and apparently killed on camera.

Not that she had told him that, of course - he was the one who had been shot, after all, and he was the one who had spent several months in a coma, and several more months in physical therapy.

Then again, she knew too well that during those long nights after her kidnapping and near-death, he had cried just as hard as she had, so maybe she didn't need to tell him.

"Alright, I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Lucy said, just before the line disconnected.

"Sorry," Tim said quietly. "I should have asked you before calling Dispatch."

Lucy shrugged. "I was going to do it if you didn't." She pulled up into Tim's driveway behind his truck. "Tamara, sweetie, we're here."

Tamara jolted awake with a bit of a start. "Wasn't sleeping."

"Of course not," Lucy agreed.

Tim let Lucy help Tamara out of the car, guessing that she was still a little drowsy from the drugs. He'd have to follow up with Nolan the next day, but he knew that any charges were unlikely to stick.

The chances that anyone had actually seen Tamara's drink get spiked were painfully thin, so unless they had been able to actually locate the drugs they had no actual proof that a) Tamara had ingested the drugs in the house and b) she hadn't taken them willingly.

Even if drugs were found, the charges would land on the parents.

Privately Tim felt that served them right for leaving their kids on their own.

The voice of reason in the back of his head (the one that sounded suspiciously like Lucy) reminded him that the two siblings were of an age where they should have been able to be left alone without supervision, but he ignored it.

Maybe it was the way the girl had seemed so afraid of her brother that bothered him.

Still, Nolan had a way with kids, and he'd probably deal with the situation with more tact than Tim would right now.

He unlocked the front door, automatically reaching to turn off the alarm system, only to realise he hadn't turned it on when he and Ashley had left.

The key to the truck he'd given Ashley was on the mat where she'd pushed it through the mailbox for him, and he stooped to pick it up, hooking it back on his keychain on the way to the back door.

Kojo was standing at the door, the entire back portion of his body almost vibrating with the force of his tail-wagging. He always had had a sixth sense for knowing when Lucy was nearby, and even though he'd only lived with Lucy for a few days before Tim adopted him, she was still his favourite.

Tim opened the back door, grabbing the dog's collar before he could explode. "Easy, buddy. Tamara's had a bad night."

Kojo whined, straining to get free.

"Kojo," Tim said sternly. "Sit."

Kojo didn't stop whining, but he did at least do as he was told.

Lucy closed the front door behind them, her face lighting up when she saw the dog. "Hi baby! Is Daddy being mean?"

"We've talked about this," Tim said, with a slight groan.

"You can let him go," Lucy said, ignoring him.

"He's going to jump," Tim warned. "And Tamara looks like a slight breeze would knock her over right now."

"I'm fine," Tamara insisted.

Tim raised an eyebrow. "I'd feel better about that if you weren't so pale. Sit down; I'll get the guest room ready."

Once Lucy had Tamara on the couch, he finally let go of Kojo's collar, and he bounded over to Lucy, practically writhing on the floor with excitement as he accepted kisses and belly rubs.

Tim left them to it, making sure that the guest room bed was made up and ready for use. He'd moved not long after Angela's wedding redo, after Isabel had finally been in a place for them to sell the home they had once shared together.

It had been a bittersweet moment, a final nail in the coffin after their divorce, but one that had lifted a weight he hadn't known he was carrying.

His new place was bigger, with a second bedroom and a bigger yard, which meant that Kojo had more space, and he was able to have his nephews come and stay if Genny needed a break now that she was back in Los Angeles.

To his surprise, when he returned to the living room, Kojo had completely calmed down and was lying on the couch next to Tamara, his head on her lap.

Lucy caught his eye. "I don't know either. He sniffed her hand and then just … did this."

"Maybe he knows I'm not okay," Tamara said softly, her hand gently stroking Kojo's ears.

Kojo let out a little huff as though agreeing with her.

Lucy's face softened, scratching Kojo's head. "That's my good boy. Come on, sweetheart; you need to get some sleep."

Tamara nodded, her eyes fixed on Kojo. "Will you … Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course," Lucy murmured, and Tim excused himself to get the spare sheets from the closet to make up the couch for himself (and he was taking the couch this time, whatever Lucy said).

To give the two some space and privacy, he also pulled out an old Academy t-shirt and sweatpants for Lucy to borrow if she wanted them.

Lucy and Tamara had disappeared into the guest room, and Kojo was pacing the living room floor, looking unusually agitated.

He wasn't allowed in the bedrooms, and he was very good at obeying those rules, but Tim had never seen him like this.

Tim sighed, and went to tap on the door to the guest room. "Tamara, would you like Kojo to sleep in here tonight?"

Lucy gave him a bright smile that he tried to ignore, but Tamara nodded shyly. "If that's okay."

Tim looked down at Kojo, whose tail was beginning to wag. "Alright, go ahead."

Kojo trotted in to the room and jumped up on to the bed, settling down beside Tamara once again.

Tim shook his head. "One night only, Kojo." He left them to it again, returning to set up the couch.

By the time Lucy slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her, everything was ready.

"Would you like a drink?"

Lucy shook her head. "Thanks, but no. I just want to sleep."

True to form, she started moving towards the couch, but he caught her arm. "Nope. My turn to take the couch."

Lucy gave him a look. "Tim, your back …"

Tim rolled his eyes. "Is fine. God, you have one twinge."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "You yelped and collapsed."

"I did not yelp."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "My apologies, you yelled in a manly way and collapsed. Better?"

"And I didn't collapse," Tim grumbled. "In any case, it's my turn to take the couch."

Lucy sighed. "Okay, fine. If you're sure."

"I am," Tim said firmly.

Lucy hesitated. "Is it okay if I borrow …?"

"I put some things on the bed for you," Tim interrupted.

Lucy smiled weakly. "Thank you. And thank you for tonight. All of it."

Tim squeezed her hand. "Don't mention it. Goodnight Lucy."

"Goodnight Tim."

When his bedroom door closed behind her, Tim finally let out a long breath, settling himself on the couch.

It wasn't an uncomfortable couch, but Lucy had not been entirely wrong about his back, and it took him a few tries to find a position that was somewhat comfortable.

"I know you don't think you have feelings for her, Tim, but if you don't realise within the next year that you're actually burying them so you don't lose her, I'll be very surprised."

Why was it out of everything Ashley had said that was what kept coming back?

Of course Lucy had gotten under his skin, how could she not, with everything they'd been through?

She had wormed her way into his life in a way no other rookie had - whether it was just her, or because she had been there when the Isabel situation hit rock-bottom, he didn't know.

The day she had been missing had been a special kind of hell, unlike anything he had experienced before.

It wasn't often he performed CPR as an officer, and it was even less often that the victim was actually saved, at least not before paramedics arrived and took over.

So of course that had sealed a bond between them.

And she was beautiful, a fact he had been trying not to notice even after she became P2, until Angela's disaster of a wedding and that damn dress.

Telling her to save him a dance was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and would never have come to anything, considering the prank she pulled on her last day.

That night, while her best friend fought for his life, and his best friend was missing, he had hugged her for the first time since her near-death.

Her hands had clutched at him in almost the same way, seeking comfort, before he had reluctantly relinquished her to the couch.

He had spent the rest of the time until Wesley's call trying to decide whether he should kiss her.

In the end, it was probably for the best that he hadn't.

She had never mentioned the whole thing again, and he had followed her lead, pushing any feelings he might have had down, down, down until he was certain they had gone away.

Or had they?

Tim stifled a groan, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands, trying to quieten his brain.

Whether they had or not was irrelevant - Lucy did not feel that way about him.

Plus, there was a teenage girl in his guest room who apparently saw them both as parents, whether she would admit it now the drugs had worn off or not.

Tamara had had enough upheaval in her life; she did not need any more.

He was a professional.

He could handle this.

He hoped.