How ?

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The apartment was silent and dark. She didn't have time to check it before, but she was supposed to be home five hours ago. A shower was all she needed after a day like this.

Even if she was good at being a cop, sometimes, just sometimes, she wanted to have a break. A break from murders, kidnappers, assaulters, and, well, you know, "bad guys." She went to the bathroom, took off her clothes, and enjoyed the warm water. Unexpectedly, tears ran down her face. How could people be so... abhorrent? She was so angry, so distraught, and so sad. There were images she will never forget.

Lost in thought, she only realized someone was with her in the bathroom when she felt his arms around her, his bare chest against her back, and his mouth on her skin. Another thing she needed was him. He hugged her without saying a word because, in the depths of himself, he knew something was wrong when she stayed more than 20 minutes in the shower. They stayed, sticking to each other underneath the water, for ten more minutes before he turned off the water. He gave Lucy her bathrobe, kissed her forehead, and gave her some space.

She joined him in the kitchen and hugged him from behind. She smiled when she saw the two cups of tea on the counter. Sitting against his chest on the sofa, she enjoyed the way he played with her hair and the way his fingers brushed her skin.

T: What happened? You need to talk about it?

She intertwined her fingers. For a minute, she was hesitant to share. But she needed to make space up there.

L: I would never think one day I would be dispatched on something like this, Tim, I swear. Someone called 9-1-1 because the neighbor's dog hasn't stopped barking for at least 2 days, which is unusual. When we arrived, we found the door closed. Celina tried from the backyard, but it was the it was the same. We did the same shit as usual and broke down the door. The TV was on, dog food was all over the floor, and the dog was lying down on a bedroom door frame, barking. We came closer to him, Celina petted him, and she took him to the kitchen for water. I checked this bedroom, and... Tim, I....
T: Take your time.
L: In a playpen, there was a little body, around 10 months old. I wanted to do something for her, but when I touched her for a pulse, her skin was already cold. I took a step back and asked Celina to check every room left. She found no one. And then it hit me. Tim, they left her for at least 2 days with one bottle in the playpen. One bottle. She died because she was probably dehydrated and starved. She had the same diaper again for at least 2 days. How could you do that to your kid? How ? She died alone with one bottle and one dirty diaper, probably afraid. They left her behind, alone. They let her die alone. Tim How is it possible? They had other solutions, but now they decided it was better to let her alone in a house with a dog. So fucking cruel. I... I'm done with humanity. Done. Done with this world. She was the most innocent human in this house; she didn't deserve this. No one did. How c...

She was devastated, and he won't deny it; he was in shock. He was speechless. He let her cry until she couldn't anymore. And she knew that his silence was the only thing he could give her now. No one had the answer to her "how.". Tim's phone rang; he knew it was someone from the station. It was Angela. She was the detective on the case, and she probably wanted to know how Lucy was. He kissed Lucy's forehead and answered to his best friend.

When he came back, she wasn't there anymore. He joined her. She was sitting in the rocking chair, her baby against her. He looked at them with a mix of love and sadness.

L: I needed to see her, to smell her, to touch her... I ...
T: I know...
L: Can she...
T: Yes, babe, come on, you need to rest.

And two minutes later, they were lying down in bed together, their baby between them. Lucy fell asleep right after she heard "I love you.". Next morning, Lucy was off, but she still needed to go to the station for the case. She brought her baby with her. After that, she went to the Sergent Grey office and had a quick talk with him. She was honest and asked him for an appointment with the LAPD shrink. It was too much; that was beyond what she could manage by herself, mainly since she became a mother eight months ago. She went through a lot, but that...

She spent a couple of hours with Tim in his office. She needed to be close to the people she loved the most, so she felt safe and at home. She finally grabbed a coffee at the foodtruck with Angela. They tried to not mention the case and focus on something else, such as the little angel who was sleeping in her godmother's arms. Tim joined them one hour later, as did the rest of the gang. They stayed and ordered pizza and drinks. Lucy took a moment to picture it: life could be beautiful; her life was beautiful.

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20/06/2024: Hi guys! I was not supposed to write today, but guess what i've got a good new and well, i was on my computer.. Don't ask me WHY my story was not full of joy because i don't know. Hope you liked it ! Comment and vote it helps! Bye bye :) xx

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