Never let go CHENFORD FF English version

Chapter 4 Time out

He sped through the streets at a maddening speed, hoping he would arrive in time to save Lucy before someone else who meant her harm found her. He shot into the motel parking lot and saw her already lying on the ground. Her clothes were completely torn, and he could already see that she had several injuries.

Under different circumstances, he would have called an ambulance, but by the time it arrived, others could show up. He couldn't risk it. He had to get Lucy out of there himself and inform the authorities to check the scene later. Lucy's words on the phone had been far too brief.

He stopped right in front of her, jumped out of the car, and knelt beside her.

"Hey Lucy," he said, but she didn't respond at all. That's when he noticed the wound on her side. It was bleeding, but it didn't look like a major artery had been hit. At least she had a bit of luck. He carefully lifted her and placed her in the car. Then he jumped back into the driver's seat and sped towards the hospital with the siren on.

During the drive, he informed Grey about what had happened. Or rather, he told him as much as he could, which wasn't much. He also explained that he wouldn't leave Lucy's side until they had the people who had done this to her. Grey didn't try to dissuade him; he knew Tim and understood that he would give his life for Lucy. Something was between them, even if they themselves might not realize it.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Tim lifted Lucy from the car and hurried into the emergency room. As soon as he pushed the doors open, two nurses approached and directed him to a free bed, while one of them asked him numerous questions about Lucy and what had happened to her.

He answered as best as he could, then Lucy was already being taken to surgery. They would need to stitch her up and check for any other internal injuries.

Tim sat down on a chair to wait. He wanted to be with her as soon as possible and never leave her side again. As he sank into his thoughts, he barely noticed Nolan and Harper arriving, asking what had happened and how Lucy was.

Tim snapped out of his thoughts and glared at Harper. Had she not influenced Lucy so much, this would never have happened.

"How do you think she is? She was unconscious when I found her. Torn clothes, a stab wound in her side, and who knows what else. Not to mention the psychological trauma," he snapped at her, his voice growing louder, causing some of the other visitors to look their way.

"I couldn't know it would escalate like this. I lost contact, but what was I supposed to do? If I had gone into those circles, they would have killed her immediately, suspecting something," she tried to justify herself.

"Keep telling yourself that if it helps. But she wasn't ready. And when contact was lost, you should have acted. If she dies or is permanently damaged, I will hold you personally responsible. Colleague or not..." before he could finish, a doctor approached him.

"Excuse me, you brought in Lucy Chen, right?" the doctor inquired.

Tim just nodded and turned away from Harper.

"She'll need a moment to wake up, but she had luck amidst the bad. No further internal injuries, and we managed to treat the wound well. You can see her now if you want," the doctor explained.

"Yes, right away, please take me to her," he told the doctor.

"We're done, Harper. Make sure those responsible are brought to justice, then we can talk more," he said, turning away to follow the doctor to Lucy's room.

He closed the door immediately after entering the room. Lucy needed as much rest as possible. Then he checked the room for safety. He didn't want to take any risks.

He then sat in one of the chairs beside the bed and looked at Lucy. Seeing her there, with numerous bruises, small cuts on her face, and a swollen cheek, made his blood boil. Whoever had done this to her deserved death in his opinion.

She lay there so vulnerable. This was not like her. He knew her as a fighter. And he was sure she had fought and resisted with all her strength to survive. She had made it, but the question was how she was doing inside. He was familiar with carrying inner demons. At some point, they all came to light. When her time came, he wanted to be there for her.

As he pondered, she slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room.

"Where... am I?" she whispered.

Tim immediately stood up and came to her side.

"You're in the hospital. I'm here with you. No one will get to you; I'm watching over you," he reassured her.

She looked at him with glassy eyes, then a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Tim... please don't leave me. He wanted to..." she broke off, sobbing.

Without thinking, Tim sat on the bed and gently took her in his arms, careful not to hurt her.

"Easy, Lucy," he said softly, "you don't have to say anything. I'm here."

She pressed herself against him, silent tears streaming down her face. She was still so scared, but Tim gave her a sense of security. The security of not being alone and having someone she could always rely on. She owed him her life. She didn't even want to think about what could have happened if he hadn't been there.

"I spoke with the doctor earlier," Tim began after a while, "They'll discharge you tomorrow if someone can take care of you and watch over you."

"But," she began.

"No buts. I talked to Grey. I'm taking time off to look after you until you're well again. I won't leave you alone. You'll come with me, and I'll take care of everything. You'll be safe there too," he insisted.

At that moment, she was simply relieved. She wouldn't have wanted to ask him, but she was more afraid of being alone in her apartment than anything else. Even though she felt a bit bad that he wouldn't be working and would be playing caretaker instead, she didn't argue further. She was tired, endlessly tired and exhausted. As she snuggled closer to Tim and he gently stroked her arm, she fell asleep.

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