Tell Him I Love Him

1. Lucy Left

Metro calls can get pretty ROUGH, and Tim just finished an op that he would characterize as one of the more intense ones he has ever responded to. There were kids being trafficked. KIDS. Tim had to beat up a ton of big, burly guys who liked to shoot and fight back. A bullet grazed his bicep, his vest took another bullet at center mass, and there was a blooming bruise on his neck where he was punched so hard the air had been knocked out him so fast he saw stars. The ambulances came, and a well-meaning paramedic was trying to treat him, but all he could think about was LUCY.

Ample backup had arrived once the bullets started flying, and it was becoming quite the scene. The last thing he needed was for his girlfriend to hear about what happened from someone else without knowing if he's okay. It happened once before. He had let the paramedics stitch up a knife wound to his calf, and by the time he limped back into his car, he saw Lucy running to the scene, and she practically knocked him over with a hug.

"Don't you dare scare me like that ever again," she whispered into his shoulder as she squeezed him tightly. He had sighed and hugged her back while promising himself that as long as she wasn't sleeping, he would call so that she would not worry.

Just as he had done after every close call since, he asked the paramedics to wait. Tim dialed Lucy.

No answer.

"Hey, baby. I'm okay. I just wanted you to know that I'm okay. Alright, I'll see you at home."

He hung up the phone, but there was this gnawing feeling in his chest not related to any one of his injuries. Something felt wrong. He just didn't know what.

All he could think about was Lucy as he insisted to the paramedics that going to the hospital was not necessary. Finally, he stepped out of the ambulance to find Sergeant Grey had arrived on the scene.

The older man had a LOOK on his face. 

Grey expelled a deep breath and paused, obviously trying to gather the right words. "I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, son, but..."

♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢

Shift was FINALLY over after what seemed to be a ridiculously long day. Lucy was looking forward to cuddling on the couch with Tim while they watched Doctor Who. She had never gotten into the quirky sci-fi show before they started dating, but there was this boyish smile that took over his face when she agreed to watch the show with him. Now, she looked forward to every new episode; maybe not because it was one of her favorite things to watch, but she liked to see Tim's barely concealed smiles and hear his low chuckles where her ear was always pressed against his chest. Tamara was starting to get interested in Doctor Who, too, so it became a weekly tradition to watch an episode or two together, and for that stretch of time, everything was simply perfect.

Lucy desperately needed a simply perfect moment right about now.

"Chen, I need to talk to you," Grey said when he saw her leaving the locker room in her civilian clothes.

She followed the Watch Commander into his office and was immediately reminded of when Tim had asked her out on a date standing next to one of the glass walls, and despite the dark sky, his eyes were bright and smiling. Of course, Lucy was all too pleased to finally say "Yeah, I do," and afterwards, she spent far too long staring up at him with a soft smile on her lips that he matched. Just the memory made her grin in the moment, which was probably why Grey gave her a curious look. Then, he gestured for someone else to join them in his office.

"Noah?" Lucy asked in surprise.

"Good to see you, Hot Pants," Noah replied with a smirk.

"What are you doing here?"