Saving Lucy

Falling Apart

The next few days were spent with work, Lila, and studying. Emmett has sense gotten out and has video chatted with Lila per his pleading I allowed him but that's it til we go to to court in a few weeks. Nolan has frequented the apartment for light study sessions for our exam coming up to see if go to the next phase of training. Tim and I have still been too toeing around each other. I know we both have feelings I can feel it, even though neither of has commented on it. Lila just adores him...

There is reports of a virus that affects the blood stream and pretty much kills. It is contracted by bodily fluids. And it is thought that the creator is planning a deadly attack on LA.

Russo and Morgan , 2 detectives will be briefing us in the briefing room with Grey.

"Okay, so here is what we know. At 10:00 last night, this man, Corey Valance, boarded a bus from Phoenix to L.A. He had a partner with him. We have no identification on that man, but we do know that they're part of a fringe nationalist group which believes that Los Angeles stands for everything that is wrong in America." Russo began.

"The two men arrived here at 5:00 this morning. We believe Corey's partner strangled him in the bus station bathroom right after." Grey told us.

"You thinking Cory got cold feet?" Tim asked.

"It seems likely, yes, especially since they came here with this deadly virus.

"Well, that explains the Silkwood shower we just took." Nolan stated , I looked at him confused.

"That was purely a precaution. There is no evidence that the biological agent they were transporting has been released." Morgan told him.

"But we do have every reason to believe that there is an attack planned in the near future." Russo told us all. And I was scared. Scared for me, Tim, Lila, LA.

"What type of virus are we talking about?" I asked finally able to speak.
"A weaponized strain of hemorrhagic fever, basically causes you to start bleeding and never stop. And that's how the virus spreads, through contact with bodily fluids. It has an extremely short incubation period and a gruesome pathology. If not treated quickly, it has a 90% fatality rate." I really wished I hadn't asked.

"And if it's treated quickly?" Nolan asked.

"We believe that drops down to around 60%. But the bad news is -"  Morgan started but was cut off by Nolan again. "That's not the bad news?"
"No. The bad news is, there's only an experimental vaccine. We're flying it here from Atlanta. But there's only a few hundred doses. Nowhere near enough to combat an outbreak."

"So, obviously, the rookie exam will be postponed. The Feds are asking us to be their boots on the ground while they set up a command center here. First order of business to I.D. Corey's partner/killer. So you'll conduct field interviews with the other passengers on the bus." Grey told us.

"Do we think Corey's killer is operating alone now?" Someone asked

"No. We think there's one more, a local who picked him up at the bus station."

"So, okay, this is extremely sensitive. We can't risk the news getting out and causing a panic. That being said, you can warn your immediate families to stay away from populated areas, but no details. Understood? All right. Let's go get these guys."

I grabbed my phone called the babysitter and asked her to get Lila and take her back to my apartment and to have no guests. I told her she was not in danger if she went straight there and straight back. I couldn't tell them more.

We were sent to speak to someone who called in about a bag on the bus they had.

We knocked on the door and Tim identified us as the police.
"Took you long enough bags in here." The man said.
"Sir we're here about the bus you took from Phoenix."
"No kidding I called you guys about the bag." Langston said.
"And what bag is that?" Tim asked .
"I thought it was mine on the bus. I picked it up by accident. Noticed as soon as I got home. Called right away. Still took you guys like six hours to get here." He told us. I looked at Tim confused.
"Uh, sir we're not here about a bag." Tim told him. He looked a little upset. "So you don't have mine?"
Tim shook his head and told him no.
"Damn it. My computer's in there. I went through this one looking for an address and all I found was some weird science equipment."
Me and Tim shared a look... this is not good.
"Control this 7-Adam-19 patch me into control please."
"Sir did you touch anything here?" Tim asked him.
"Is everything okay out there?" I asked.
"Yeah just stay in there." I saw him grab Langston and pulled him into a room and shut the door.
"Tim no!"
A few minutes later Tim asked me if everything was okay.
"Uh yeah. The CDCs on their way. Hey you need to come out of there." I started panicking. Tim has became such a safe constant in my life. I couldn't Imagine coming back from losing him.
"That's not gonna happen gotta keep this contained Luce"
"Tim
"It's gonna be alright Boot. You keep your head in the game, okay? Everything's gonna be fine." I felt tears in my eyes.
Soon Dr Morgan and her team enter the home, "Officer Chen do you want to tell me what happened here?" She asked.
"Yeah, uh, the bus passenger mistakenly grabbed the wrong bag, and the virus must have been in it because he coughed up blood on Tim." I told her as people dressed in hazmat start sealing off interior doors and windows
Dr. Morgan got an update on Langston and Tim's conditions. I noticed she didn't mention the vaccine.
"Uh where is the vaccine."
"Still in the air it should be here in about an hour or so." She informed me.
"You can't just make Tim wait in there he might not be affected."
She explained to me that it's quarantine rules and then asked Tim if he could look in the briefcase. He had the brilliant idea to use his body cam to let Dr Morgan see everything. He told me to view it and I asked him to please be careful. It's taking everything I have to hold in how scared I am. But I can't risk them knowing my feelings for him and losing him as my TO.

While we are looking I notice in the cam in the background Langston had picked up a chair and is charging Tim with it. Oh no. "Tim! Tim, look out! Tim. Tim!" Langston cracked him with the chair saying that he has to get out of there. Tim uses his tazer to bring Langston down and cuffs him to the bed.
I don't hear anything from Tim and I start to breath heavy., "Tim! Tim, are you okay, please talk to me."
"It's okay I'm okay, we'll that was fun."  He said
"We need to get that vaccine here right now." I told Dr. Morgan.

I slide down the door to the room and in my soul I can feel him slide down the other side.

"Hey, I, uh I just checked with Dr. Morgan. The vaccine's minutes away." I told him, lying.
"You know, you're good at a lot of things. Lying isn't one of them." He laughed a little.
"You think I'm good at things? Can I get that in writing? (a beat) How are you doing? Are there any symptoms yet?" I asked even though I didn't want to know the answer...
"I'm sweating like a pig. But it's probably because it's 100 degrees in this room."
"It's gonna be okay. I really believe that." I reassured him. I could feel something down deep that told me it was going to be okay.
"I'm sure you do. But if it isn't -" I cut him off.
"Don't think like that. It's -"
"If it isn't, I'm not going out the way my man Pete here just did."
"What are you saying?" I knew what he meant but I wanted to hear him say it.
"When the time comes I'm going out on my own terms."
"Tim I have to tell you something incase things do get bad.." I looked to make sure we were alone.
"I think I'm falling for you. I'm so scared for you right now Tim. You have become so much than a TO for me and I need you to fight this. I know because your my TO things can't happen but you need to know." I laid my heart out.
"Lucy I feel it too. But I keep shoving it down for the same reason. I promise to fight this so when the time is right we can be together."
I wiped the tears coming down my face.
"You know Emmett saw it before I did?" I said to him. Taking a deep breath.
"Saw what?"
"My feelings for you. He said something about whatever I have going on with you was a joke..."
"I had no clue what he meant ... till I realized it."
"It's not a joke... it's real Lucy I feel it too... and little boot she's just the greatest kid. She's what sealed the deal..." he giggled.
I smiled then Dr Morgan walked in and explained that she had the vaccine.
She and Tim talked he told her he felt fine and wasn't showing symptoms, "Good. You're right at the edge of what we think is the incubation window. So the fact that you're not showing any symptoms doesn't suck. But we're gonna give you this vaccine just to make sure." She explained to him.
She then injects him in the arm.
"It's experimental right?"
"That's correct. So we're just gonna have to wait and see what happens. Maybe nothing. Maybe you grow horns. But for now, I'd say you might've dodged a bullet." I have a bad feeling about this.

We then go out of the house to the decontamination tent and outside of that my fellow rookies and their TOs are waiting
"Hey. I heard you guys saved the day." I told West.
"It was a group effort." He said
"Glad you're okay." He told me.
"Me too. I-I mean that you're okay, too." I told him. My head is still spinning from my conversation with Tim.
"How's Tim?" Lopez, his best friend asked
"I think he's gonna be all right." I nod when I tell her this because something, something just feels wrong.
"That's good news." She said
"What now?" Jackson asked.
"24-hour observation at the CDC"
Then Tim comes out of the tent escorted by two hazmat team workers ... we lock eyes and he smiles a small smile at me.
BRADFORD emerges from the tent, escorted by two people in hazmat suits, and head for their vehicle.
"I'll bet my pension he just told doctors "Tim Bradford does not ride in a wheelchair." Lopez breaks us out of our trans.
"Only way I'm leavin' out of here is on my own two feet." Bishop mocks Tim's voice causing me to smile.
"Don't you guys have paperwork to finish?" Tim said in true Tim fashion.
"He's back." Lopez laughed and her and Bishop did some weird hand lock. Laughing with each other.
"Yeah, he is. So stubborn."
And at that second the whole world slowed down as Tim took a step and just went limp and fell to the ground. I froze and it's like the world stopped spinning besides everyone working to help Tim. I couldn't move. I was frozen in place paralyzed with the fear that I'm losing him before I even got him.