Saving Lucy

Not, Nolan

I'm sitting in the breakfast eating and man it's just not settling right... I feel super tired even though me and Lila both slept fine last night.
I hear John babbling on about something with his girlfriend being pregnant...
"Oh- I'm sorry are- are you talking to me?" I asked
"What's going on?" West asks.
"Roll call." He said looking kind of down.
"Is everything alright?" l asked him.
"100%." He didn't look to positive but I let it go caught up in trying not to hurl my breakfast. I grabbed a coffee refill before heading to the briefing room.
"Okay listen up. Why is community policing important? Officer Chen?" Grey was speaking to us now in roll call. I'm seated right up front as usual with Nolan and West. Damn rookie seats.
"Uh, because it builds trust between the police and the public, leading to a reduction in crime." I answered confidently.
"Exactly. And today, we're gonna do a little trust-building. Officer Nolan, so, you know Dr. Sawyer at Shaw Memorial?" He asked .
"Uh, we went to the same college, sir. Before I got my now-ex pregnant with my son and-" come one Nolan!!
"It was a yes or no question, Nolan." I chuckle at Grey always messing with Nolan.
"Sorry, sir. Yes, I know her."
"Good. She requested an officer to assist with a seminar. You're going." Grey told him.
"What kind of seminar?" He asked Grey.
"Don't know, don't care. Whatever it is, it's open to the public, which means you have a chance to show the community that the LAPD does more than just lock up people."
"We do?" Tim asked causing an uproar of laughter. I looked back and smiled at him and gave me little grin back.
"That's not funny. And you don't want to piss me off, Bradford. Considering what I have lined up for you." He smirks evilly. I raise an eyebrow.
"What's that?" He sat forward in his seat a little.
"Watts Rams need additional coaches for their fall clinic, and you're gonna need company. Officer West. Your dad is always bragging how you're a high-school football star. Is he lying?" Grey says now. Okay what am I doing today then?
"No, sir. All-State safety, four years running. I could actually pull up my highlight reel if you want to check it out. It's on my YouTube channel." Golden boy I roll my eyes again.
"That won't be necessary. Change into your PTs, head out with Bradford. Harper and Chen, you will serve as liaisons to the Mid-Wilshire Community Council. They're coming in for a sit down." I groaned.
"What is this? The 1950s? The boys go to football practice while us girls attend a PTA meeting?" Harper always with the equal rights. I look back at her and smile she raises an eyebrow.
"Fair point. Guess there's really only one way to settle this - Challenge coins."
Everyone crowds around a table where Bradford and Harper place their challenge coins down and brag about their coins.
"What is a challenge coin?" Nolan asked West.
"How do you not know that? It's a medallion bearing an organization's insignia, given only to those deemed worthy. They're used to show respect or, uh, settle minor disputes." West said to Nolan. But I wasn't sure either.
"Okay. Closest to the edge wins."

Harper won but let Tim go anyway to the football thing. I soon figured out her reasoning was that the meeting would have the lowest interference with our usual day. But, she made me do the talking boy was she wrong. I pretty much told them our task force would help with all there issues and after a while they started to realize that I was letting them hear what they wanted. So now here we are, in a sewage full of rats with a rancid smell looking for squatters. I stopped and threw up. Man what is wrong with me.

"You alright there boot?" Harper asked.
"Yeah this heat has just been getting to me."
"Uh huh." She said.
I caught a smell of burnt donuts from a plastic oven.
"Uh, it smells like burned donuts from a plastic oven. That's definitely meth." She examined a discarded pipe.
"The pipes still warm be on the look out."
"Behind you!" The guy took me down and Harper got him down.
"Hook him up." Soon another one came and Harper took him down too.
"I take that back said earlier. Community meetings are all your good for."

Later we are outside the storm drain.
"Something on your mind?" She asked.
"No ma'am." I lied. I want to tell her she's wrong and that I'm good at what I do.
"Yeah that's what I thought." She said all cocky. And I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Your wrong about me."
"Uh, no I'm not." She said.
"I can do so much more than just community meetings."
"You're right. You're probably really good at paperwork. But you can't fight and your pregnant."
"Um no I'm not. And I can fight. I've gone toe-to-toe with plenty of suspects and won."
"Not that one. And we'll see." She said nodding at the guy.
"He's huge!" I told her he is defiently like 5 of me.
"And yet, I took him and his buddy. You want to hit me right now, don't you? Yeah, I see it in your eyes. Someone a little more your size. Well, come on." She taunted. "Hit me, not Nolan that's an order." She said angrily.
"Do it for real!" I tried to swing at her but I didn't put my all in it. "Come for me like that tweaker came for you!" I came at her and she had me down. "Now! Aah! Stay down, and get used to that position. Because in case you didn't know, you are not a 6'2", 180-pound man. Now, Tim might be a good T.O., but he can't teach you how to fight like a girl. We get a higher show of force, especially from men. So, guess what, sweetheart? You are always going to be tested, and when you are alone against a desperate suspect, and you are between them and freedom, your thoughts can never be, "Oh, my, he's bigger than me." Look here, Not Nolan, if you're going to survive these streets as a 5'6" woman and one of color, no less, you better learn what these boys don't know to teach.
And like I said if I were you I'd buy myself a pregnancy test. I know the signs and your showing them."
I choked on the water I was drinking...
"Tired. What have you been drinking 4-5 cups of coffee a day? Nauseous. Boobs look a little bigger." She gave me the Harper look and walked away.

We then went to our squirrel feeders residence. Who was missing 2 fingers AND had red hair. This jogged Harpers memory of the 2009 pipe bombing. Before we left the residence she had to check the garbage for samples to send in to match with the fingers on scene of the bombing. I played distraction for it. That was a big mistake.

Here I am trapped on IED pressure plates and he has gotten away.
"No. Harper, don't come inside the house. It's booby-trapped. No, stay! Don't come in. It's rigged." I told her.
"Where's Bosk?"
"In the back room. He's arming a bomb, a big-ass bomb. You got to get clear of the house, radio the bomb squad, and clear the neighborhood. Mr. Bosk, you don't need to do this."
"Why not? I'm caught. Might as well go out with a bang."
"How long ago did you rig the house? Months? Years?" I asked him trying to calm him down and slowly very slowly inching a little closer to him.
"Almost a decade. I've been waiting that long for cops to show up on my doorstep." He said. Wow a decade of hiding and fear... I couldn't imagine it.
"A decade. Avoiding pressure plates. --" I was finally close enough and I pointed my gun at him. "Let go of the wire slowly. Turn around. Hands behind your back. Do it now!" I told him still holding the gun up to him.
"Don't you want me to disarm the bombs before you cuff me?" He asked.
"Nope. My guess is you'd enter a code that would set it all off. So we're going out the window." I told him and out the window we went.
"Hey." Harper said
"Uh, house is still booby-trapped, but he didn't finish rigging the fertilizer bomb, so-" I updated her on the call and information.
"Nice work." She told me.
"You got him?" I asked.
"Uh-huh. Yeah."
"All right."
"You gonna puke?" She asked.
"No. No. No. Maybe." And I threw up again.

Back at the precinct I ran into Harper.

"Hey. Nice working with you today." It really was nice to get a woman's view at policing.
"Yeah, you, too. Look, I was wrong to discourage you today. Go as far as you want in this job. You say you want to be a cop like me, screw that. Be better than me. You got what it takes, Not Nolan. And hey, your secrets safe with me. But don't wait too long to find out."
"I heard you call me Chen back at the house. I know you know my name. Um would it be all right if I asked you for advice, from time to time?"
"Sure. Just not too often. I don't want to mess up the whole lone wolf persona I got going on." She said.

Later that night I was laying on the couch with Lila watching the next Harry Potter, we were on a kick. When I realized I did in fact miss my period a few days ago...
"Ice cream?" I asked her. She just nodded to entranced in the movie.
"Hey West! Tim." I said stopping wide eyed.
"I invited Tim over for some Harry Potter figured you wouldn't mind?"
"No not at all. I was actually just getting us ice cream..."
"Ice cream for dinner?" He asked.
"Well... it sounded good."
"Sooo how was your day."
"Good it was nice to play some ball. And a drug bust was cool too. And you?" He asked.
"Eh, you know I caught the 2009 pipe bomber and almost got blown up." I said casually. Man this life is exciting.
"Bad ass." We knuckle punched.
"Tiiiiimmmmm!" Lila ran in and jumped in his arms.
"Well hello little boot."
"We gonna eat ice cream cause mommy's sad I have to go see daddy tomorrow night." I frowned a little at that.
"Well how about I eat some ice cream with you guys?"He grabbed 2 spoons and handed one to Lila. And then did the same with the bowls.
"What did miss Lila do today?" He asked.
"I colored a picture."
"Oh really? Can we see?" Lucy asked.
"Yes!" She ran to her book bag and grabbed it out. There was 3 stick figures and a red sun.
"And whose that?"
"Me, you and Tim."
"Awe baby I love it."
"Me too mommy." She clapped. And I hung it on the fridge.
We laid on the couch and watched the movie. And West took the love seat.
"Hey she's asleep." I whispered to Tim. "Yeah, want me to move her for you?" I nodded.
He picked her up in his arms and carried her to bed . And I couldn't help but smile at how great they look together. My 2 worlds.
"Night West."
"Night guys." He went to his room.
"Well I'm going to head home." He said.
"No you can stay."
"Are you sure? I know you were nervous about confusing Lila." He out his hands on my hips loosely.
"I'm sure. I know your not going anywhere." I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him in to me.
"No I'm not." He pressed his forehead to mine and looked in my eyes. I pressed a kiss on his lips and he pulled us to my room.