Anti-Hero | Tim Bradford

Chapter Ten - Returning

"Asking you not to speak with her would be pointless, wouldn't it," Morgan asked as she shoved some of the clothes Tim had brought to the hospital back into the duffel bag. She was waiting to be discharged, despite having a gunshot wound, the bullet didn't cause a lot of damage, leaving her with a lot of motion and not a lot of reason to stay at the hospital any longer.

"You would do the same," Tim pointed out, passing her a charging cord to pack, "you have done the same."

"That's different."

"How?"

Morgan stopped packing and turned to face her husband. Since she had awoken in the hospital, the pair of them had a silent understanding that they did not need to discuss the details of what and why she had been off the grid for the last two years. "Because Regina threatened the people I care about, she threatened you. Now, she's reaching for scraps; trying to cause damage wherever she can."

"But there is a chance that she has information that could prevent this from happening to someone else. We have to do this. I have to."

"I know." Morgan looked down, toying with her hands. "Just promise me you will be careful. She knows a lot about you, us, and she won't be afraid to use it. She will lie to you about me. Promise you won't believe her."

Tim's calloused hand moved to cup Morgan's cheek and tilted her head up so he would look her in the eye. "I know you, baby. There is nothing that she could say that would make me doubt you. I promise you that."

——

It was strange, being back at the Mid-Wilshire station. Seeing all of the hustle and bustle of the officers going around their daily business. As she and Tim walked through the station, they received a number of looks from happy and relieved to just plain strange. It was to be expected though, Tim had told her just how big the operation was to find her, both when she vanished and the bust recently.

For a long time Morgan never thought she would be back here. Of all the places she had been since her discharge, this was the most jarring. When they had gone back to their home, Morgan thought that she might find it strange, that she may feel like she doesn't belong but it was the opposite. She felt like she had never left.

Tim had gone back to the house to change a few times during her hospital stay, and in those few fleeting hours, he had ensured that she would have everything she would need. All of her belongings were where she had left them, as if she had only gone away for the night. The act nearly brought Morgan to tears, but she managed to blink them away; however, being back at the station, she didn't think that she would be able to have such self control again.

Tim was guiding her through the station, her hand in his, as they moved through the crowds towards the interrogation room. He didn't stop for anyone, he had always been good at telling when Morgan was feeling emotional. It was as if he could sense her sadness before she could, initially he found it weird that he could read her so well, but it was moments like this when she wasn't forthcoming with how she was feeling or what was bothering her.

Stopping outside the interrogation room, Tim gently dropped her hand, allowing her to go into the observation room next door. Despite the department's reluctance to let her back so soon, Morgan insisted on being there, she knew how Regina worked and operated, she had been a victim to her games and lies. She said that she could potentially provide insight that nobody else could, but that was not why she wanted to be there. She wanted, needed even, to see the woman who had caused her so much pain, grief, and anguish in chains. If she was to ever move on, Morgan had to start by seeing Regina Diaz in custody.

Morgan moved towards the observation room door before turning back to face Tim. She looked at him for a moment, watching his movements as he also paused outside the interrogation room. She smiled softly before mouthing I love you.

I love you too. He replied.

-----

Morgan stayed in the observation room for what felt like a day but was in fact only just under an hour. She heard the conversation between Regina and Tim but she absorbed none of it. She felt like a stranger in her own body as she watched the two talk. Instead, she fiddled with her wedding ring, just counting the agonisingly long seconds until they were done. People had filtered in and out of the room, some to watch the verbal battle between Tim and Diaz, others came to see how Morgan was doing, to see if she was adjusting well.

They asked about her time undercover, and why she had stayed away. She answered them all the same. "It was for the better."

The only person who had refuted that statement was Wade Grey. He had come just after Smitty had left, two coffees in hand from them to talk over. Morgan cracked a small smile as she looked down at the mugs he held. One was a WORLD'S BEST BOSS mug Morgan had given Grey on her first Christmas she spent working at Mid-Wilshire, and the other was a mug from a gift set Luna and Wade had gotten her for a birthday. It was her favourite despite the chips in the pink glaze adorning the outside.

She was only seventeen when he was called out to her family's apartment. He had responded to a call of a burglary. He did not have enough evidence to make an arrest, the case got passed over to the, but there was something about the girl who held her mother as she cried that stayed with him. Soon enough, he took her under his wing, and she became like a second daughter to him, so much so he had walked her down the aisle at her wedding. They worked hard to keep their work relationship professional, but he helped her when he could, he was the one who spoke to the sergeant in charge of the detectives to help her get a leg up in her career.

He knew her too well sometimes, but in moments like this, he was glad he could.

"Here, I brought you a coffee, thought you could use it," He held the cup out to her, and took a sip of his own. "I'm sorry I didn't come see you sooner."

"It's fine, Wade, honestly. I know you have been busy with everything."

He breathed out a laugh, "You can say that again."

Morgan looked over to the man, the familiarity of being back in the station with him and watching Tim work felt comfortably familiar. "How is it going? The case that is."

"Slow. We have charged all of Diaz's employees that we could fine, most are reoffenders so their chances of an easy sentence is low. We have also charged Ms. Diaz, she will never see the light of day again if I have anything to do with it, but she offered information that could be valuable. But I was hoping that we wouldn't have to."

"What are you saying?"

"What do you know about your case worker, Kade Sullivan?"