Chenford-The Bar

15

Tim got out of his truck and sighed, closing the door behind him. It's been a week since he visited Lucy in the hospital. Well. Technically, he had gone to visit Tamara, but at the moment, there wasn't much to visit in that department.

He grabbed his duffle bag of stuff from the back of his truck and walked into the station. He had a night shift, which was very unlike him and his least favorite part of the job. He had gotten a few confused looks from some others after he had offered to take it. Angela included. Boy, was that a conversation.

-A few days prior

Angela walked over to Tim, who was doing paperwork at his desk. Walk is an understatement it was more of a controlled hauling ass. As Angela almost tumbled into Tim's desk, she quickly regained her composure.

"Saw that you took a shift in a couple of days." Angela said as casual as possible, although Tim sensed the conversation was going to turn against him as it always seemed to.

"Yup." Tim kept writing down the details of a shoplifting call he had responded to. Angela nodded, doing the thing with her mouth she always did when she was trying to figure out how to get as much information out of someone without blowing her cover.

"Working night shift now, huh? A little out of your comfort zone." Angela leaned against the desk. Tim looked up for the first time during the conversation. "Someone needed it covered." He tried his best to be as inconspicuous as possible. He figured it was working.

Angela smiled. Guess not. Tim sighed and went back to his paperwork. "What." He asked flatly. Angela slightly snorted. "You once said that you'd rather eat both your shoes than take a night shift. No matter the person."

Tim shrugged. "People change."

"That was last week, Tim."

Tim finished the paperwork and stood up to go turn it in. "It's been a long week, Angela. Don't you have cases to be working on?"

Angela followed him to Gray's office. "Don't try and change the subject. I'm on lunch." They made their way across the bull pen and finally made it to the Sargents office.

As Tim put his hand on the door handle to turn it, he heard Angela's voice behind him. "So you didn't just take the shift to get back on Lucy's good side?"

Tim stopped turning the handle. He turned around to a very smug looking Angela. "No. I took it so Lucy didn't have to worry about anything other than Tamara. Plus, I'm already back on her good side."

"Would you have taken the shift if it were anyone else?" Tim shrugged. This whole conversation felt unnecessary to him. Obviously, he wouldn't have. Angela had to have known that. She just wanted to hear him say that. Or the alternative, which Tim thought to be more likely, she wanted him to hear himself.

"It's different. I didn't do it just because it was Lucy. The situation she's in is why." Angela shook her head and smiled.

Tim rolled his eyes and threw his arms a little. "Are you really going to make me feel bad for helping a fellow officer?" Angela furrowed her eyebrows. "If that's how you want to look at it, then go ahead."

-Present day

Tim hadn't spoken to Angela since then. Awkwardly passing each other through the hall for the past few days was getting old. He didn't need Angela telling him what or how he feels. He didn't know what to do about that, but it was in the back of his mind.

Angela had started it, and Tim was comfortable knowing he did nothing wrong. There was no need to justify helping someone out. He just couldn't figure out why Angela needed him to admit that out loud.

He stepped into the quiet station, which he'd never say out loud in fear of jinxing himself for the night. He clocked in and changes before getting into his shop to go patrol. No one needs any help tonight, so he's stuck taking the late night DUI's or a jumble of creepy people.

Tim was finishing up a report in his shop when his phone buzzed, which was odd as it was 3:30 AM. He looked at the caller ID, expecting a robo caller. Lucy. His phone buzzed as his brain was catching up with his eyes.

"Hello?" Tim said, trying to sound calm. "She woke up." Tim could hear the relief in Lucy's voice as well as some cracking from what Tim could only guess was tears. He hoped from joy.

Tim called in he was going on break and rushed over to the hospital. He parked and headed for the room he had been in a week earlier. The only thing echoing in his mind for the entire ride there was, "Holy shit." Over and over.

-

Tim walked into the hospital, checking in at the desk and quickly making his way to the room he had been in a week earlier. As he entered the room, he took in the scene around him. A couple of doctors were doing some routine checks on Tamara, who seemed to be making her normal jokes, Lucy was standing by her side and laughing at them, dried tears visible on her cheeks.

Tim quietly shuffled to Lucy's side and was almost successful in his attempt to not be noticed if Tamara didn't loudly say "Well if it isn't the knight in shining armor. Isn't it a bit past your bedtime, old man?" Lucy looked over to see Tim and shook her head while chuckling. Tim gave Tamara a furrowed eyebrow and shook his head. "Good to see you too."

He felt himself breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that she was truly back to her normal self so quickly.

Tamara smiled and rested her head back on her pillow as the doctors finished their checks. Lucy looked up at Tim. "Thank you for coming." Tim just nodded his head once. A few seconds passed before Lucy said something. "If you don't mind me asking. What were you doing up so late?"

Tim gave her a look, his mouth slightly agape, as Tamara started laughing. His patrol uniform was slightly covered by a jacket he was wearing. Lucy started backpedaling. "I just mean that it's late, and you usually go to bed at like 8." Tim could hear Tamara laughing harder, and he turned his head towards her and grimaced.

She covered her mouth and turned her head, continuing to laugh. Tim turned back towards Lucy. "I'm working the night shift." Lucy cocked her head to the side. Tim was reminded of his past conversation with Angela. "You hate the night shift." Lucy squinted her eyes at him. Tim shook his head and sighed.

"I took your night shift."

Lucy's eyes seemed to stop squinting and were instead now widening almost uncontrollably at the words Tim had just spoken. Her eyebrows followed and went up. Tim just looked at her, waiting for any sort of response besides shock.

The squinting came back after only a few seconds along with her eyebrows, now furrowed. "But I thought you once said-" Tim cut her off. "I know what I said."

He looked her dead in the eyes as he spoke. Lucy could feel a warmth in her chest. He turned towards Tamara, not saying another word. Lucy opened her mouth, trying to think of something or anything to say, but she couldn't. She followed Tim's lead and looked at Tamara, who was finally done with her laughing fit.

Lucy could feel a sense of relief and warmth that she hadn't felt in a while.