Tim Bradford had just settled down on his couch, book in lap, ready to rest after a long shift when Lucy called him. It was nearing 11:00 PM and he was exhausted but not ready for bed just yet. Lucy Chen had had an equally long and hard shift and decided to enjoy the night by heading to a bar. She hadn't gone to bars as much since Caleb, but she went occasionally and everything had always been fine. Until tonight.
When Tim's phone rang, he sighed, picked it up, and answered it without even looking at the caller. "Bradford," he said robotically into the microphone. He heard lots of muffled talking and music on the other side, which confused him.
"Tim?" was the only response he heard. He immediately recognized the voice and began to worry.
"Chen? What's wrong? Where are you?"
Lucy's brain flooded with all the information, making it hard for her to process on top of the alcohol and noise. "I'm—" she began but stopped to internalize the question. "I'm at a bar."
She paused again, and Tim took the chance to interrupt. "Are you ok?"
"Yes. Um, no. There's this guy and he wants to take me home but I don't really want to go with him because he's kind of weird but he won't leave me alone and I don't wanna go so I'm hiding in the bathroom and I didn't know who else to call and he-" Lucy stopped again, not wanting to say the next part because it would mean admitting how she felt. Tim knew this wasn't headed somewhere nice so he wedged his phone in his ear, grabbed his jacket, and started walking to his truck.
"He what, Lucy?" he asked calmly. He could tell how drunk she was from her rambling and hear how scared she sounded from her slightly wavering voice.
"He reminds me of Caleb," Lucy said, her voice dropping quiet and shakier.
"What bar are you at? I'm coming to get you."
"Ricky's Tavern. Thanks." Tim turned the key in the ignition and punched the address into Google Maps.
"I'm gonna stay on the phone," he said, driving away. "I'll be there in ten minutes, just stay in the bathroom."
"Ok," Lucy said, barely aware of her surroundings. She hadn't planned on drinking much, but she had been having a good time and it felt nice to take her mind off things. At least, until Jacob arrived. He had seemed nice at first, but Lucy had a weird feeling. When Jacob kept trying to get her to come home with him even after she refused, she knew she needed an out. And Tim seemed like the obvious choice.
They hadn't seen each other as much since she made it to P2, but they still had lunch sometimes or talked after shift. And Tim had told her, countless times after Caleb had happened, that he would be there if she ever needed help. And as much as he said that out of guilt from what happened, even if Lucy didn't blame him, a part of him truly meant it, and would still mean it even if he hadn't blamed himself.
Lucy sat alone in the bathroom, Tim on the phone, trying to stay calm and alert, but she was struggling. Despite her senses being numbed and a happy feeling filling her insides, all she could think about was Caleb. He had seemed nice at first but a little part of Lucy had never forgiven herself for failing to see who he really was. Her breathing increased, becoming shallower and more rapid, as she felt the tattoo and the barrel and the singing and the—
"What's his name?" Tim interrupted after hearing her panic, in hopes of distracting her and calming her down. "The one who tried to get you to go home with him."
His voice pulled Lucy back to reality, at least as close to it as she could be when she was so drunk and scared. "J- Jacob," she forced out through shuddering heaves.
