Lost is Found - Full Story

Lost is Found : Part 7

"So Peck, where are you from?' asked Lucy.

Surprised, but eager to make a good first impression, he replied, "I'm from London, in England."

Nodding, an idea coming in to her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that her new rookie wasn't looking about his surroundings, rather, he hadn't taken his eyes off her all morning. No wonder Tim was giving him dirty looks the day before.

"That's pretty cool, when did you come over here?" She asked, ready to execute her plan.

"Well," he began, "when I was twelve, my dad got a job offer here, so we-"

"-I've been shot!" Lucy yelled, cutting him off.

"Wha-?"

"I've been shot boot! Where are we?!" She yelled again, mirroring exactly what Tim had said to her almost four years ago. Now it was personal though, and when she has thought about doing it, Jackson had flooded her mind. He'd been shot. They hadnt been there to save him.

But of course, he didn't know. He wouldn't, but doing this, Tim had said, was supposed to make you learn to keep your eyes out all the time.

Peck looked out the window and up and down the busy street, but he didn't know, he couldn't see.

"I don't know ma'am," he replied.

She ignored him. "I'm bleeding out!" She urged. "Where are we? What do you do?" He looked around, a hopeless expression on his poor face.

"And I'm dead!" She finished, flopping back on her seat, pulling over to the side of the road.

"Sorry boot, but get out."

"Pardon?" He asked.

"Get out and walk until you know where we are."

"But I," he began.

"That is an order boot. Get out."

Immediately he was out of the car and on the sidewalk, walking own the street. Lucy felt horrible making him get out and walk, but personally she felt that this was the most useful 'Tim test' that he had given her. It had taught her to always be alert and aware, even when you were making conversation.

She followed him slowly up the sidewalk until he reached the corner, looked at the signpost, and walked back over to the car. Before she unlocked the door, she asked him. "Where are we?"

"Raeken avenue," he replied.

"Good, get in."

As soon as he was in the car, she began her apology. "I'm sorry about that Peck, that is probably the first and last Tim Test I'll put you through."

"Tim Test?" He questioned, his face slightly red.

"Oh, you know Sargeant Bradford?" At his nod she continued, "yeah, when I was his rookie, he did these tests that he called Tim tests. He still does them now to be honest, but not as frequently. It's basically stuff like, find your way back to the station blindfolded, what I just did to you; orientation, bombs in the park-"

"-bombs in the park?" Exclaimed Peck.

"Yes," replied Lucy, smiling, "Yes exactly that, I'll have to tell you the story sometime."

Lucy, over the shift, found that Peck was not as clueless as he seemed to be, and he could hold a conversation well. She found herself quite amused by lunchtime, and she enjoyed his gentle, amiable presence.

Peck on the other hand, was having what felt like a midlife crisis. He was totally crushing on Lucy.

As they pulled up to a fast food joint for lunch, Peck spotted another LAPD shop, which he pointed out to Lucy. She recognized the number on the side.

"Tim's shop," she murmured. "We might bump into him."

Looking at him quickly, she laughed aloud at the terribly concealed look of terror on Peck's face.

"Oh come on Peck," she chided, "he's not THAT bad." She paused memories of her first weeks fooding her mind. At that, she laughed. "Okay, maybe he is, but he'll warm up - it's his way of making great cops, 'break 'em down and build 'em up again' that's what he says."

She knew she wouldn't convince him, but it was worth a try. "The stuff my lot have been through, it's hard not to get close," She said, thinking of her kidnappings, Caleb and her Day of Death tattoo (which her hand came up subconsciously to rub over her uniform), Jackson, baby Jackson and Angela, La Fierra and Abril, and on top of that, countless hospital visits.

"What could possibly make Sargeant Bradford 'not that bad'?" She didn't appreciate the Tim slander, but let it slide as to not ruin the mood.

She sighed, a content smile on her face. "That's a whole lot of stories for another time, but right now is lunch time, so let's go."

"Yes ma'am," came the ever-sure answer from Peck.

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