Lucy Chen was having a great day. She and Chris had had a nice date last night, and she slept great. She didn't want to jinx it, but she felt good about the day.
Tim Bradford, on the other hand, was not having a great day. He had been at the toilet for the past 30 minutes, repeatedly thinking he was going to puke, but never bringing anything up. But he would be fine. No, he wasn't sick, he had just eaten something bad the night before. And no, he didn't need to call out, because he wasn't sick, and he had a job to do.
He had almost nodded off while leaning against the bathtub, but his alarm rudely started beeping from his bedside table. Groaning, he pulled himself up and went to turn off his alarm, seeing a text from Ashley. She was on the East Coast, visiting college friends, so it was well into her morning but she knew what time he normally woke up.
From: Ashley McGrady
Morning babe ❤️ How'd you sleep?
Sent 2 minutes ago
He thought about telling her how he felt but didn't want her to freak out or not enjoy her trip. It was just food poisoning. He responded with a "great, love you" instead before getting ready for his shift, which didn't take long. He would shower tonight when his head wasn't hurting, but that was because he hadn't gotten much sleep, not because he was sick. In the kitchen, he knew he should eat something, but the idea of food made him feel sick. He sighed and decided just to drive to the station early and get a head start on paperwork.
When Lucy came into Mid-Wilshire closer to roll call, she was all smiles. She spotted Tim at his desk, pen in hand but seemingly zoned out.
"Good morning!" she called cheerfully as she walked up to him. She had been his gofer for almost a month now, and she enjoyed taking the high-profile calls and riding with him, even if it was a little weird being back with her TO.
"Hey," Tim snapped out of his trance and turned to look at Lucy.
"You ok?"
"I'm fine," he said gruffer than he had intended.
Lucy recoiled slightly. "No need to get all Tim on me, I'm just asking."
"Sorry." She started turning to walk away, but Tim didn't want to end the conversation on that. "Roll call in fifteen!"
Lucy nodded and went to change into uniform. Roll call was quick, and soon enough she had loaded up the shop and was waiting for Tim, who had quickly disappeared after roll call. Unbeknownst to Lucy, he was back in the bathroom, gagging and trying to bring something up, but to no avail. He was tempted to call it quits and go home, but he really wasn't sick so he would be fine. After a few minutes, he gave up and washed his hands and face quickly before heading out to find Lucy leaning against the shop.
"There you are, I've been waiting for you. Where were you?" she asked.
"Bathroom," he said cooly. He took the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to her. "You're driving today."
"What?" She reached out quickly to catch them. "You never let me drive."
"I thought you liked driving."
"I mean, yeah— I do— thanks," she stumbled over her words, shocked by Tim's actions. First, he snapped at her, then, he disappeared after roll call, and now this? Something was clearly up with him.
They drove in silence. Even Lucy, who was usually talking nonstop, was quiet, knowing something was up with Tim but not sure what. She thought about saying something many times but didn't know what to say. After thirty unbearably awkward minutes with no calls, she finally spoke up.
"Are you sure you're ok? You've been silent since we left and you're acting weird."
"I'm fine. Just a little tired," he replied, annoyed but also oddly comforted that she seemed to care so much.
