Buried With You

Chapter Nine

Hello! So normally I'm not a fan of messages before a chapter but I want honest opinions. This chapter is going to be from Tim's perspective. Please let me know if you like it and want more, or if you'd rather I stick to Lucy's perspective. Thank you! 🩵

Tim
Tim sat in his truck outside Ashley's house. He knew he should go inside but he couldn't bring himself to get out of the car. All he wanted to do in that moment was go to Lucy and make sure she was okay. Her demeanor from the day was engraved in his memory, the way she was so closed off and spoke softly. She hadn't even objected when he made her stay in the shop for the bank robbery call they received. Tim had seen her cry so much today, even though she had tried to hide it. The thought of everything she was going through gave him a heavy feeling in his chest. He wanted to wipe her tears and hold her close. He wanted to hold her until the memories of that day, hell of everything pertaining to Rosalind Dyer was out of her head.

Tim's phone buzzing brought him back from his thoughts of Lucy.

Ashley: Hey, I see you out in your car. Are you going to come in?

Tim sighed. There was no way he'd get to see Lucy now.

Tim: Yeah, sorry. Be right in.

Tim shook his head and ran a hand over his face. What was he thinking? He was trying to choose his partner- no, go-fer over his girlfriend. He tried to convince himself that he was just worried about Lucy's ability to do the job, that was all.

Tim grabbed his phone and got out of the truck. The McGrady's door was unlocked, as usual allowing him to just walked in.

"Hey babe." Ashley gave him a beautiful smile before kissing him on the cheek.

"Hey." Tim replied softly with a tight lipped smile.

"How was work?" Ashley asked him this everyday. She would put on her perfect smile and fake sincerity. Tim had noticed a while ago that her voice never held any actual interest, it was always closer to disdain.

Fortunately for Tim, Jerry turned the corner before he had to pretend like his day hadn't been absolute shit. He knew Ash worried about his safety, it was sweet but the thought always discouraged him from telling her exactly what happened on the job.

"Sarge, I heard about the missing persons case from this morning. How's Lucy doing?" It didn't surprise Tim that Jerry had heard about their new killer, everyone at the station adored the man, half of the officers still called him on a daily basis to fill him in. Jerry's concern for Lucy surprised him even less. Jerry had a soft spot for Lucy the minute he met her. He would go on and on about her being good, and bring out the best in people.

"You know Chen, she's tough. The circumstances obviously brought back some... memories, but she's okay." The lie left Tim's lips flawlessly. He knew that revealing how much Lucy was affected by the days events wouldn't change Jerry's opinion of her. However, he also knew that Lucy would hate being talked about as though she was weak or emotional.

Jerry smiled. "That's our girl, as tough as they come."

Ashley interrupted then, not even trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. "What happened with the missing persons?"

Tim and Jerry passed a look between each other. The investigation was ongoing with no information given to the public. Both men knew that meant they couldn't tell her any speculation. "The only thing we really know right now is that someone is missing. It may be connected to another case but we don't know for sure yet." Tim explained.

"Okay..." Ashley sounded frustrated. "What does that have to do with Lucy?"

Tim just stared at her, his mouth slightly ajar. Was Ashley this upset because Lucy was mentioned? He was under the impression that the two women had some sort of friendship, or acquaintanceship at least.

Fortunately for Tim, Jerry responded to his daughter. "Sweetheart, this case may have connections to something that happened to Lucy over a year ago."

"Of course," Ashley threw her hands up in annoyance. "Because everything has to do with Lucy."

"Wha-" Tim's voice flooded with defensiveness.

"Don't even try to deny it, Tim! I swear all you ever talk about is Lucy." Ashley was yelling at him now. Neither Tim or Jerry knew what to do. "It's always Lucy said this, Lucy did that, Lucy was so annoying today, want to know why? I swear Tim, the only people that don't know you're in love with Lucy, are you and Lucy!"

"I-In-" Tim couldn't speak. Ashley thought he was in love with Lucy? That didn't make any sense. He wasn't in love with Lucy.

Ashley looked at him expectantly. "Are you even going to try and deny it?"

Tim opened his mouth to respond when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. Grey. "I-I have to get this, it's work."

Ashley rolled her eyes. Jerry gave Tim a pitying look.

"Bradford."

"Tim." Grey's voice was serious. Every muscle in Tim's body stiffened. "You need to get back to the station. Lucy-"

"What happened, is she okay?" Tim already had his keys in hand.

"Tim, she's fine. We'll fill you in when you get here." Grey's voice was calm. How was he so calm?

"I'll be right there." Tim hung up his phone and turned to Ashley.

"No." She held up her hand, stopping him from saying anything. "Let me guess, Lucy needs you?"

"Ash, I have to go because of the case." He didn't know that. But, he did know it was the only reason Grey would call him about Lucy.

"You asked 'is she okay?'. Are you going to tell me that's not about Lucy?" Ashley's voice rose with every word.

"Honey, Tim's a sergeant. He needs to go when he's called." Tim gave Jerry and appreciative glance. His calming demeanor however, failed at deescalating his daughter's frustration.

"I don't care. If you walk out that door, we're done." Ashley spoke with finality. Tim just stood there and stared at her. His girlfriend was yelling at him and threatening to break up with him and still, the only thought going through his head was Lucy.

"Ash I can't stop you from breaking up with me. But I also can't not go do my job." He must have spoken harsher than he intended to because she took a surprised step back.

"You're really going to leave for Lucy? The same person you complain about daily?" Ashley spoke with disbelief.

"She's my best friend." Tim had never said that out loud before, he knew it was true though.

"Fine, then we're over." Ashley's voice wasn't angry or mad anymore, it just held acceptance.

Tim simply nodded. "Jerry." He shook the older man's hand, then walked out the door. Tim ran to his car, he definitely sped to the station but he didn't care. Once he parked his truck he rushed to Grey's office. He kept an eye out for Lucy on the way, but didn't see her.

"Sergeant Grey?" Tim tried to control his voice. "Where's Lucy? Is she okay?"

"Bradford. Lucy's fine. I called because earlier tonight the station got a delivery, it was addressed to Lucy. Our suspect mailed her an oil barrel."

Tim went ridged. "What kind of sick bastard does that?" Tim paused and thought about what that could mean. "Was it a threat towards her? Is she in danger?" Concern was back in his voice.

"At first we thought it was to scare her. But it wasn't, at least, not entirely. Once we got the barrel open we discovered the body of Darla Folgar. We ran out of time, which means we have to try and figure this out soon before someone else gets taken."

Tim's heart sank. They were too late. An innocent woman died because they failed to find her. He knew Lucy would be taking this really hard. "Where's Lucy?"

Grey sighed. "She's telling the girlfriend."