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Lucy sat in the patrol car and took a sip of water before setting off on her final assignment of the day. She just had to take a witness statement. It had been a stressful day. That was good. In quiet moments like this, everything came flooding back to her:
She remembered how Tim had said goodbye to her. How he left her standing alone in the parking lot. Of all places—where it had all begun between them! Oh, man! It still hurt so much!
She still couldn't believe it. Hadn't they been happy?
Last night, she ran into him in the station hallway. He made small talk, but she had hoped for a real conversation. She just couldn't do it. She couldn't pretend that nothing had happened, that there had never been anything between them. Damn it! She loved him! He loved her, too—she could feel it. And yet...
Her gaze fell on the building in front of her. Yes, she was on duty. She had more important things to do than wallow in self-pity. Lucy took a deep breath and got out of the car.
She had been assigned to take the statement of a young Hispanic man injured in a fight at his bar. He was sitting on the bed with his arm in a sling and his left eye swelling more and more.
"So, please tell me again exactly what happened," Lucy said, opening her notepad.The witness spoke haltingly, searching for the right words.
"I was working behind the bar when it happened. It all happened so fast. Two men started yelling at each other. Then, fists started flying. I just wanted to get between them. But one of them pushed me, and I fell."
Lucy looked at the man sympathetically. Earlier, Grace had explained to her that the patient's arm was broken. The X-ray revealed that the fall wasn't the only cause. The young man in front of her had bone cancer, but he didn't know it. That's why they were sitting in the oncology ward now. This really had nothing to do with Lucy. Yet, she was so thin-skinned at the moment. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and began asking questions.
„Can you remember their faces? What were their clothes like? Any distinguishing features?"
The young man was visibly shocked, but he tried his best to answer her.
"One of them had a distinctive leather jacket with a red emblem on the sleeve. The other... I think he had a tattoo of a snake on his neck.”
Lucy took it all in. She forced herself to appear professional, but inside, she was uneasy. She had endured enough suffering for one day. She just wanted to go home. After the interview ended and the witness signed, Lucy closed her notepad.
"Thank you very much. We'll be in touch if we have any further questions. All the best!”
She gave him an encouraging smile, but her thoughts had already turned to the Midwilshire Police Station.
Almost automatically, she turned the corner, eager to walk down the hallway to the elevator that would take her to the parking lot fastest. But then her "copeyes" noticed something as she passed by. It was only a brief glimpse, appearing only in the corner of her eye. Something like a familiar profile. Intuitively, she turned off her bodycam. If it was real, it was nobody's business. Irritated, she took three steps back and looked through the glass door. Lucy knew it was unprofessional to stare into the room where people were receiving chemotherapy. All of the patients were sitting in comfortable armchairs. Some had blankets and some had head coverings. Some looked very worn out, while others appeared barely affected. In the middle of them all sat him: Tim Bradford, her tough TO and the nightmare of her rookie year. But also her lifesaver. Above all, he was her Tim.
He sat in a comfortable recliner without his uniform, his eyes closed. An IV ran from his open shirt to a port just below his collarbone.
The world stood still.
Suddenly, everything made sense. It hadn't just been the thing with Ray. He hadn't left her because he didn't love her anymore; he was sick. He was so sick that he had to receive regular intravenous medication. Hence, the port. The area around it was still red, indicating that it wasn't an old, permanent access.
Lucy felt her throat tighten. Just moments before, she had been mad at Tim. Now, she realized that he had malignant, „mad“ cells inside him. She wanted to run to him, hug him and tell him that they would get through this together. But her legs felt heavy. Maybe she should leave after all. She could think about it calmly and talk to him tomorrow.
Just then, Tim opened his eyes and lifted his head. He looked around. Their eyes met. There was a brief look of shock in his eyes, followed by quiet regret. She shouldn't have found out. Of course, he had expected that it might come out. Had Grey talked? Tim tried to smile, but it came across as weak and apologetic.
Lucy was still staring through the window in disbelief. It was almost as if she needed eye contact to convince herself that it was real. That this was Tim. A nurse opened the door for her.
“Can I help you, Officer?”
Before Lucy could say anything embarrassing, Tim intervened.
"She's with me," he said as quietly as possible.
„You know visitors aren't allowed here, Bradford," the nurse reprimanded him.
Tim nodded in agreement. Lucy didn't want to get him into any more trouble, so she cleared her throat.
"It's official business. Just a moment.”
She squeezed past the nurse, who now looked more sympathetic. Lucy signaled to him that the camera was off. She said a little louder:
"Sergeant, I've obtained the witness statement. If you'd like to read it."
As she walked toward Tim, she took out her notepad. When she reached him, she handed it to him. Tim smiled. Lucy was just good at playing roles. That wasn't only useful undercover. She stood next to him. She noticed the metallic smell. She also noticed the dark circles under Tim's eyes and his dry, rough skin. All the anger she had felt in the patrol car disappeared.
"Why didn't you say anything? Wait, do others know?" she whispered.
"Grey has known since this morning," said Tim, relieved that his superior had apparently said nothing to Lucy.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered.
"You're such an incredible person…“ he started quietly, looking directly into her eyes.
"We can get through this together," she pleaded.
"Lucy... I knew you would react like this. That's exactly why... I didn't say anything. You deserve better.”
"Tim!" she said, much louder than she intended. Suddenly, all eyes were on her.
"You're on duty," Tim reminded her quietly.
Lucy pulled herself together. She took a deep breath and nodded. As she did so, she whispered:
"I can't give you up. And I won’t.“
She took the notepad from his hand and looked down at him.
"I know," said Tim, gently stroking her arm. "But you should. I can't be who I used to be."
His blue eyes looked sadly into hers. Then, loud enough for everyone to hear, he said:
"Thank you very much, Officer, for the update. I think we'll be able to close the case soon."
Lucy bit her lip. There was still so much she wanted to know and discuss. But, of course, Tim was right. She had to go now. She stood up straight, nodded to him, and said:
"Good evening, sir," although it was almost sarcastic, given that the purest poison was flowing through his body. But she really meant it.
"Yeah, that was official business," the nurse sneered as she held the door open for Lucy.
Lucy looked over her shoulder and saw Tim fighting back tears.
"Yes, and I hope that you love your job as much as he loves his," Lucy replied loudly and clearly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tim straighten his slumped upper body with pride. The nurse stood motionless.
"Have a nice evening," Lucy said before hurrying to the elevator. An elderly woman, obviously a visitor, was standing there, but no one else was. Lucy could no longer hold back her tears. The woman looked at her wondering.
After Tim had disappeared, Lucy thought things couldn't get any worse. But when Tim had broken up with her, she thought it was really the end. It couldn't get any worse. But a few minutes ago, she had realized it was much worse.