Chenford Story ✔️

6

Tim's POV

Lucy was released the next day, with the promise to keep eating and drinking enough. Deep down I knew she wouldn't. As much as she was in denial, she was anorexic, underweight and on the brink of starvation. I was worried about her. A sudden thought popped into my head. Emmet. He must have known.... he.... Emmet must have at least known..... seen at least once.

I walked up to their door. Lucy and Emmet's appartment. He had purposefully left his off duty firearm at home, scared at what he might use it for. I knocked. Emmet opened the door. "Um.. hi, is Lucy home?"
"Why?!" Emmet seemed angry. I hated to say that I expected it. "I want to speak to her. Can I come in?"

I walked in after a second. "Lucy's in the bathroom, I'll get her, just a second" I sat in the sofa for a second, admiring the decor, it seemed very 'Lucy'. She appeared from the bathroom just then, Emmet stood behind her.

Lucy's POV

The small blade was stashed up my jumper sleeve, concealed. Tim was here, in my living room. Crap. Emmet had told me someone was here to see me. But Tim. I knew I was getting married in three days but...

I shook the thought out of my head. I was happy, to be marrying Emmet. He was the one for me, who I would spend the rest of my life with. "Um hi Officer Bradford, what are you doing here?"

"Hi boot, just came to check up on you, and ask you some questions if that's ok?" I knew Emmet wouldn't want me answering questions, especially from Tim, so I deflected. "Um, I'm kinda busy with my fiance, maybe it's best if you come back m later?" Luckily it worked and Tim left. I knew he would come back though.

Emmet spoke up seconds after the door clicked shut. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT IDIOT?!" he was mad I didn't get Tim out sooner, he could have seen the splattered of my blood dotted around the apartment. "I-im so so so sorry Emmet, it won't happen again, I promise!" I had been using that word more often lately 'promise'. In the beginning I had vowed never to promise anything to Emmet, now I regularly broke that....

I felt a pinch to my lower rib, followed by a knee to my gut, dropping me to the floor. "Babe, I really am so sorry!"
"Sorry won't cut it!" A volley of kicks and punches attacked my body, and I let them. My face was spared, if there was bruising on a visible part of my body they would ask questions. I wouldn't let them do that, questions from others meant consequences from Emmet.

He stopped after half an hour to grab a case of beer from the fridge, throwing the cans into the ever growing pile that littered the floor, i covered it with a box  most of the time, in case we had uninvited guests.

Emmet was passed out on the bed and hour later, the TV still blaring. I was in the bathroom, adding antiseptic and bandages to my wounds. There were possibly hundreds, spanning from just below my collarbone, to my feet, mostly they were in my abdomen and chest.

Three days. That was how much longer I had to suffer like this. Then Emmet would be my husband and he would never hit me again. He would love me. I stepped on the scale. 19kg. "no No NO!!! I was so close to 15" When I went into the hospital I was 15.5. "why am I so overweight now?!"

Three days later

It was my wedding day. I was getting married. To Emmet. Oh.....
The music started, I started walking down the aisle. Emmet stood at the end looking so happy. I smiled as well. I wasn't sure if it was genuine or not. My parents. There they  were, in the audience. Oh. I hadn't talked to them in 10 years. Not a single word. Emmet must have invited them. Oh well. It wasn't too..... it was bad.

The ceremony was over in a blur. It seemed like seconds. I was saying my vows. They weren't anything special. Nothing specific to mine and Emmet's relationship. I was married.

I drove back to the apartment with Emmet. My husband. It felt surreal saying that. But no the way I thought it would be.

Emmet hit me almost the second we walked through the door. It went on for hours. Emmet had a new beer in hand for each punch.

Tim's POV

Now I was really worried. Lucy had been in the hospital for only a few weeks but still. She wasn't going to eat. And when she did she would throw it up. I hated Emmet.

I walked up to Sargent Greys office. Eager to get a warrant to check their apartment. I knocked on the door. "Come in" greys voice seemed off. Lucy was like a daughter to him. Clearly he also hated seeing her so clearly hurting. "Sargent, I was would like a warrant to search 73 Rose Avenue apartment c." I spoke with no emotion in my voice, if Grey know this was Lucy's apartment he would never let me search it. "Isn't that Lucy's apartment?" Crap. Of course Grey knew where Lucy lived. "Um yeah.."

"On what grounds are you wanting a warrant?" Grey knew why I wanted it. To see that Lucy was ok, that she was eating. That Emmet wasn't hurting her. "On suspicion of domestic abuse, sir." Grey knew I was lying, at least a little. There was no evidence against him, except that he clearly knew about Lucy's anorexia. "With what evidence? And didn't they just get married?!" Grey knew there was no evidence against Emmet, he was grilling me.

"Um... I.... Uh.......none.....sir. there is no evidence. And yeah..... the ceremony was seven hours ago" The words stumbled out of my mouth. There was nothing I could do for Lucy except watch. "Then I cannot grant a warrant, you know that Officer Bradford. However I will permit one random welfare check every week until you are ok with how she is. I know how much you care for Lucy." Ok... So Grey would let me see Lucy to check on her. Hopefully I could come in to see Emmet doing something, as much as it would hurt me to truly see it happening. "T-thank you, Sir" An hour later I was at Lucy's door, looking through the frosted glass I saw one person, likely Emmet, passed out on the sofa.