Tell Him I Love Him

3. Get Out of Here

51 DAYS

Tim saw Detective Noah Foster walk into the station and the permanent knot in his stomach tightened impossibly; Foster was not due to return for three more days, so arriving early only meant one thing: TROUBLE.

He watched the detective's carefully schooled expression as he strolled into Grey's office. Then, he tried to understand what Foster and Grey were talking about...too bad he can't read lips.

Grey knew that Tim was waiting outside as he always was during the briefings about Lucy; the sergeant was sympathetic to his situation- he was worried for his girlfriend's life every second of everyday with little to no information which meant he had little to no peace of mind. After Foster shared all of the sensitive and relevant case-related details, Grey knocked on the glass wall and motioned for Tim to join them in his office.

"Tell him what you just told me," Grey requested.

"She's safe," Noah shared and watched Tim's shoulders relax a little. "Lucy caught a little break, but don't get your hopes up. She's still not coming home yet, but she asked me to pass along a message. Lucy wanted to wish Tamara a happy birthday, and she told me to tell you that she loves you."

Tim's breathing hitched; he still was not accustomed to hearing it. She loves him. Selfishly, he wished he could hear her ACTUALLY say the words to his face, but it was NICE to know. "Thanks," he smirked, unable to keep some happiness out of his expression, because Lucy LOVES him.

"Alright, now I gotta get back to work. See you guys next week," Noah waved goodbye and left the office.

"I know this isn't what you were hoping to hear, but at least she's okay," Grey tried to comfort his fellow sergeant.

"Right," he nodded.

"I'm sorry, Tim."

"Yeah, me, too," he whispered and left the office to bury himself in work and try not to worry about Lucy. TRY. His many efforts had yet to prove effective.

65 DAYS

The knot in Tim's stomach became a familiar ache that just never went away; it served as a constant reminder of how NERVOUS he is for Lucy's safety. He has never gone this long without seeing her and knowing for himself that she's okay. Now that he had grown accustomed to holding her, his arms felt constantly empty without her small body fitting against his. During tough shifts, all he would crave is a hug or to feel her climb into his lap and lazily run a hand through the short hairs of his fade. Missing her as a girlfriend was hard, but life without her as his FRIEND was even more difficult- though Tamara's company had been nice, nothing could compare to the way Lucy always forced him to open up in a way that would make him feel better after sharing. She was always the one to put things in perspective, give him advice, make him feel SAFE, and without that, well, there was something MISSING.

Mornings were challenging without her presence, and though the rush of an operation at work kept thoughts of Lucy at bay, there were painful moments of missing her during shift. Once they started dating, he always found her across the way and hold her gaze for a second- just long enough to make his heart pick up speed. On a few rare occasions when he felt DESPERATE for her, when they would lock eyes on opposite ends of the station, Tim had jerked his head in the direction of the supply closet, and Lucy would give him a knowing smile before meeting him in the small space for an urgent, heated kiss. Looking at the supply closet now, he felt sick and silently begged the universe that he would trade anything to pull her into that tiny room and just hold her until the knot in his stomach was finally undone.

Still, Tim felt even more FRIGHTENED in two other places: the hospital and the morgue. Whenever he had to go to a hospital to secure a witness or respond to a call, there was a brief moment where he would wonder if Lucy was injured in a bed nearby. Just to calm himself down, Tim would walk through the emergency room just to be SURE, and he felt the slightest bit of relief that he never found her. The morgue was worse. He was unsure if he could even BREATHE whenever he entered a morgue until he looked at all the slabs and confirmed that Lucy was not one of the bodies covered by a sheet. Tim could not help that his mind always went to the extremes- that she might be hurt or DEAD. It was just part of his day now. Wake up and miss her, and by lunch, which he usually only nibbled at, he was hoping that she was not badly injured or gone. But, he shoved all of those fears down when he would return home to be strong for Tamara.