A Stalker's Love

8

Finally, the ambulance arrived. The paramedics assessed Lucy's situation and realised she is in a critical condition, her heart rate dropping rapidly. They load her onto a gurney and carry her into the ambulance, Tim holding her hand the entire way. He had horrible flashbacks, to when he accompanied his ex-wife Isabelle after she was shot, and to when Lucy was abducted the first time... the first time, he thought. How could he let this happen again? 

A few hours later Lucy is lying on a hospital bed with Tim sitting next to her, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. The doctors examined Lucy thoroughly, observing memory loss and confusion as the drugs blocked that part of her brain, and that she had effectively over-dosed multiple times, the "happy pill" saving her even though it put her in a worse position in the long-term. The doctors expect Lucy to make a full recovery, with her memory being fully restored over the next few days at the longest. Tim refused to leave her side, Angela bringing him clothes and food, as well as the reassurance he really needed to keep him sane. 

Finally, Lucy woke. "Mmmmm." She groaned, moving her head slightly. Tim noticed, and took a deep breath. He knew she might not recognise him straight away, but he hoped, prayed, that she did. 

"Hey, Lucy." He said softly.

She smiled at him. "Hey..." She said, her voice hoarse. 

Tim passed her a glass of water. "Here." He said.

Lucy took the glass, her hand trembling slightly. "Th-Thanks." She mumbled, bringing the glass up to her mouth and sipping it slowly, enjoying the cool relief it brought to her sore and dry throat. She tried to put the glass down, but she was shaking too much as her emotions threatened to take hold, the water sloshed around in the glass starting to spill over, representing Lucy's loose hold on her self-control. Tim reached over, taking the glass and put it down for her. "Thanks." She said. 

Tim nodded. "Anytime. How are you feeling?" 

Lucy closed her eyes. "F-Fine. I'm... fine. Thank you for asking, T..."

Tim narrowed his eyes. "Lucy, do you know who I am?" Tim asked.

"Y-Yeah... You're... T-Tom? No, no, you're... you're Tim." She said, but she didn't sound completely sure.

"Which one, Luce?" Tim pressed.

"Tim." She said, smirking.

"Wow, you were playing me?!" He said in disbelief.

"You were so easy to read! It wasn't even hard." She said, laughing. 

"That is evil. A little funny, but evil!" He smiled, glad to have his Lucy back.

"Come on, I just wanted to have a little fun. I deserve it, don't I?" She said, still smiling but Tim could tell it was a facade to hide her true emotions.

"Of course you do. So obviously you remember me... what else do you remember?" Tim asked cautiously. He didn't want to push her, but he needed to know.

Lucy closed her eyes, focusing for real this time. "I... uh... it's a bit of a blur. I remember... the notes... he came to my apartment... the drugs..." She stops, a certain memory coming back to her.

"Yes..?" Tim pressed.

"That's it. I... I c-can't remember anything else." Lucy said. In reality, she remembered being taken advantage of, Tom using the drugs to sexually assault her, over and over. She fidgeted with her hands, unable to look Tim in the eyes. She wanted to tell him everything, but she was a cop; Lucy was meant to be able to protect herself from creeps and predators, so how was she meant to admit to another cop that she couldn't even do that? 

Tim narrowed his eyes, not believing Lucy but not wanting to push her. "Okay... would you rather talk to Angela about whatever happened?" He asked. It hurt him knowing that she didn't feel comfortable telling him something, but he knew that the most important thing right now was that she felt safe and told somebody. Lucy nodded weakly, a pained and hesitant expression on her face. "Okay, I'll go grab her." He smiled sadly at her before getting up and leaving. Just before he opened the door, Lucy called his name.

"T-Tim?" She called.

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"I'll tell you, too. Just... not right now. It's..." She paused, trying to think of the right word, but Tim stopped her, coming back and holding her hand. 

"Hey, you never need to explain yourself to me about something like this. You tell whoever makes you feel safe and comfortable, okay?"

"I do feel safe around you! I just... I want to talk to... another woman about it first." She said, feeling guilty as if she was somehow betraying Tim.

"That's understandable. I'll go find her, okay?" He said. Lucy nodded, and he left to go find Angela.