Chenford: You Are Not Worth It (Even For Donuts)

While You Were Sleeping

A/N: There may not be much distinction from the one-shot so far. I essentially just split up the one-shot into more manageable portion sizes. I'll try to bring in some new things in later parts. 

Lucy POV

It was agony waiting for news. It was even more so waiting for some sort of reaction. Just something. That he would squeeze her hand or blink. It hurt seeing him unresponsive. It was a stark contrast to the man that she knew. The man she knew was go, go, go. Action, little words, just go. The pain was ignored. The fear was nothing. He wasn't superman. She knew that. He knew that. Everyone did. But sometimes they forgot.

She sat there and stared at his lengthy figure that had been fit into the bed as carefully as possible without being squished. His skin was a sickly color and he looked... delicate. A lump sprang into her throat. She wanted to cry all over again at the thought of considering him as delicate. He was never afraid. He was never weak. He was never too puffed up to admit when he was wrong. He wasn't proud, he was just unfamiliar with how to ask for help. Or how to give praise. This was Tim Bradford. The man who tormented her every day of her rookie year. The man who did everything he could to save his wife. The man who helped her plot revenge against her ex and ex-best-friend as they thought the world as they knew it was about to end. The man who searched tirelessly for her, ending up digging her out of the ground with his bare hands, bringing her back to life, and holding her close as the realization of what she had survived hit her. The man who had taught her to see the brand in her side as a new beginning, not as a painful reminder of what had nearly been the end. The man who had taken in her adorable but too-much-to-handle puppy. The man who had not let her be alone when the only other person who really knew her, who really cared for her, was taken from her. The man with whom she had fallen in love.

Yes, she had fallen for him. All of him. His rough, no-nonsense, his sweet care, his childish glee, his goofy confidence, his hidden brokeness. She couldn't tell you when it happened. It was over an accumulation of time, not just one "a-ha!" moment. But she knew how. She would have called you crazy if you assumed she would ever fall for him in the beginning. He made her life hell. But she had walked through it like a champ, earning his respect, and gaining the realization that he cared for her enough to put her through it. She had proved that she could make it as a cop. It was with that revelation, that his every action, his every word, began to hold a deeper meaning. Everything he did was for someone else's good. He didn't say anything unless he believed that it would help.

She was in love with Tim Bradford. And she needed him to wake up.

"Please, wake up so I can tell you, Tim. Even if you reject me, I need you to hear me, and I want to hear you."

Did he hear her? She didn't know. But she held her breath as she saw him adjust himself. His eyes flickered, briefly revealing those ocean blues that she had gotten lost in too many times.

She screamed his name, surely alerting the whole level that he was awake.

"Oh my gosh, Tim! You're awake."

"Well, now I am." His voice was dry from disuse. But it was still warm and confident. And it was all too much.

Tears pooled in her eyes and started streaming down her face.

"Hey," he said, putting effort into reaching for her hand, "I'm okay. Nothing but a scratch."

A chuckle from the doorway startled them. "That was some scratch officer. Officer Chen, is it? Will you make a run down to the cafeteria? I have it on good authority that they have good coffee and pastries."

She looked back to Tim. She did not want to leave. But her stomach growled, clearly angry at her for not eating for the last two days.

"Go, that's an order," he said smirking. It was such a Tim thing to do that she was able to leave with a little more peace of mind.

Tim POV

He knew what the answer would be. But something inside of him still wanted the confirmation. He swallowed, his throat still incredibly dry. "How long has she been here?"

The doctor chuckled again. "While you were sleeping? She hasn't left that chair for almost two days."