"CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT" • CHENFORD IMAGINES

"𝙱𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜."

Lucy Chen didn't recognize the person she saw in the mirror.

After an almost three week long undercover operation, Lucy didn't recognize herself. She knew she had lost weight – stress does that to you. Her eyes were hollow and dark, her cheeks beginning to sink in. She was so tired. She brought her fingers up to the bandage on her cheek, her fresh stitches still tender to the touch.

The operation had ended deadly. When the team finally got everything they needed to close in on the fentanyl ring, bullets started flying. They didn't go down without a fight, and Nyla Harper had been caught in the crossfire. The whole team was in the hospital waiting room, anxious for news on their colleague and partner. She had been shot twice – once in the shoulder and another time in the neck. She had been rushed into emergency surgery and now it was just a waiting game.

"You good, Chen?"

A loud knock sounded on the bathroom door, followed by Tim Bradford's voice. She had been so happy to see Tim rush over to her after her cheek had been grazed by a bullet. It had been so long since she had seen him, and she had missed him dearly while she was gone. Tim, in a lot of ways, was her best friend. They had some questionable moments, like when they kissed multiple times undercover, but that was just work. Tim always pushed her to be the best version of herself. Lucy knew that if she ever needed anything, Tim would be there for her no questions asked.

"I'm good," Lucy pulled open the bathroom door, finding Tim still standing in the doorway. "Seriously, I'm good."

Tim knew she was shaken up. He could tell by the look on her face and the way her hands were shaking. It was her first UC operation that went wrong. Yeah, they got the whole crew, but at the cost of possibly Nyla's life. He knew she was feeling guilt over the entire situation – he had been in her shoes a handful of times. It was never easy, watching someone take a bullet that was intended for you.

Lucy pushed herself past Tim and he let her go. Over the years, Tim had grown to hate hospitals. He was here way too often, both in the bed and the waiting room. He watched her go, knowing to give Lucy her space. He had given her a spare hoodie of his, her shirt having gotten covered in blood at the scene.

Lucy felt everyone's eyes on her as she entered the waiting room, taking the only remaining seat on a couch. Everyone was here waiting on news, even Lopez who was only a month out from her due date. She was supposed to be on maternity leave, but Angela was the type who didn't stop until her body forced her to.

"You know it's not your fault," Aaron leaned over to Lucy, his eyes soft. "And you know Nyla. She would never blame you, and she's so tough. A couple bullets are no match for her."

"Thanks," Lucy replied, knowing he meant well.

Shootings happened nearly every day on the job, and Lucy had learned quickly to not let it affect her. But it's not every day your mentor and friend is almost killed by a bullet meant for you. Lucy pulled her knees into her chest and rested her cheek on the top of her knees. They didn't know how long Nyla would be in surgery, or if she'd even make it off the table. The waiting game was always the worst part. It made her nauseous just thinking about it.

"Here," Tim walked into the waiting room, holding out a bottle of water to Lucy. "Haven't seen you drink anything since this morning."

Lucy's lips formed into a small smile as Tim twisted off the cap for her before handing it over. The water felt good against her scratchy throat, because it had been since this morning since she drank. She was surprised that Tim had been watching her so closely.

"Thank you," Lucy told Tim, watching him sit down on the couch beside her. "And thanks for the hoodie. It looks so chic on me."

"Definitely looks better on you than it does me," Tim spoke, his voice quiet that no one else could hear them.

"I know, right," Lucy laughed a little, falling silent for a moment. She had so many thoughts in her head, so many questions. "What does getting shot feel like?"

Tim turned towards Lucy. She looked so tired. He knew she hadn't slept any last night, so she had been up well over twenty-four hours.

"Lucy..." Tim trailed off, knowing Lucy was just torturing herself. He had experience with being shot; he had been three times, and grazed dozens of other times.

"No," Lucy shook her head, fisting her water bottle. "I need to know, Tim."

Tim sighed and stretched out his legs. They were gonna be here for a while. He looked at the bandage on Lucy's cheekbone, covering up the stitches she had gotten earlier today. He'd never forget the fear he felt when he saw Lucy with blood pouring from her face. In that moment, he genuinely thought she had been shot and his worst nightmare was coming to life.

"So you've been tased," Tim stated, thinking back to the times he had been shot. Really, it was a pain like no other. "And you've been grazed by a bullet. Take the general pain the taser caused and the burning sensation from getting grazed and combine it."

Lucy watched Tim as he talked. Out of everyone that loved their job, she knew that Tim loved his the most. He was so knowledgeable about police work, and remained passionate after all these years.

"But then localize it to one area," Tim continued, hyper aware of the scars left on his body. "And it's slicing through that area, digging deep inside of you. Your whole body gets hot, like it's been set on fire. There's a lot of pressure at the wound – enough to make anyone pray they either pass out or die. Even then, those words seem to really underestimate the pain."

Lucy felt like the breath had been knocked out of her.

"And Nyla experienced that twice at once," her eyes were watery at the thought. "I can't imagine..."

"They say natural childbirth is the most painful thing a person can experience," Tim smiled, placing his hand on top of Lucy's. "And Nyla's done it twice. She's got this in the bag."

For some reason, his words brought a small amount of comfort to Lucy. Nyla was tough. Lucy had always looked up to Nyla for that. She never backed down from anything. Suddenly, her shoulders sagged and a tear slipped down her cheek. She was so tired, so overwhelmed. She had barely slept in three weeks, and it was all hitting her at once.

"Lucy," Tim said softly, watching Lucy wipe away a tear. "Lay down. You're so tired."

Tim knew that deep down, he was blurring the lines for both of them. They were walking a slippery slope, especially with the entire team surrounding them. Tim's superiors were here, and they always had their eye on him. But Lucy needed someone, and even more so she needed rest. So he continued patting his thigh until finally, Lucy laid down and snuggled her head into Tim's thigh. She was facing him, her nose just inches from his abdomen. She pulled her knees into herself as she felt Tim swipe his finger across her cheek, wiping away a tear.

"I'll wake you up when we hear something," Tim pulled out his phone. "Get some sleep, Lucy."

And she did. After weeks of not, she finally felt safe and like she could sleep without worry. She fell asleep on Tim's thigh, surrounded by his scent, and didn't wake up until Tim was shaking her shoulder hours later.

Nyla had come through the surgery fine and was going to make a full recovery. Lucy felt like she could finally breathe. She shot up off of the couch as everyone started hugging each other, oblivious to the fact that Tim was still sitting, watching her every move.

Just a cute little soft imagine to break up all the spice I've been posting 🥰