Chapter Text
“Finally!” Lucy murmured to herself as she heard sirens in the distance. She fired off a couple more shots at their suspect and then looked for Jackson on the other side of the small park. She locked eyes with him and then tried to tell him in gestures that she was going to try to circle around and come at their suspect from behind. He shook his head at her, but she ignored him. It was a risk, but a necessary risk. She could end the standoff without anyone getting hurt.
Lucy was halfway through the open area when something hit her neck. Her hand touched the spot as she fell to the grass. She heard Jackson call out her name and the clamor of other cops. Backup had arrived, but it didn’t matter.
The clouds were big and fluffy against the bright blue sky. She couldn’t remember if those were stratus or cirrus. She could hear people running towards her, calling her name. It didn’t matter. Nothing hurt. She was going to be okay. The sky was so beautiful. She watched as the clouds got to the point where all she saw was white.
***
Detective Angela Evers grimaced as she exited her vehicle. She hoped that it was another random fake contraction. It was her due date and she was very done being pregnant, but right now her work family needed her. Hopefully, her baby girl would wait just a little bit longer.
“How’s Jackson?” Angela asked Harper as she ducked under the crime scene tape and approached the other detective.
“Nolan is taking him back to the station now,” Harper explained as they walked through the small park that was now crawling with cops, “He’s in shock, but he’s mad at himself for not killing the guy,”
Angela nodded, “That’s not a bad thing. Now his testimony will put the bastard away for life,”
“And what are you doing here? This morning you said that you were going on leave as soon you finished up some paperwork and now you’re here,”
“Bradford needs me,” She knew Harper wouldn’t completely understand why she had come out there at nine months pregnant. Harper hadn’t been at the station when Isabel had left. That was why Grey had asked her to come.
“Hopefully he’ll talk to you,” They stopped feet away from where Tim Bradford sat at a picnic table alone, “He’s just been sitting ever since Grey stopped him from riding with the suspect to the hospital,”
“That was a good call,”
Angela sat down on the bench next to Tim as Harper walked away. He looked completely broken. It reminded her of the time after Isabel had left and Tim had gotten a call that she might be in the morgue. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to go look at the body so Angela had gone in. This time she wouldn’t be able to give him hope.
“This is my fault,” He wasn’t looking at Angela, he was looking out into the distance where Lucy’s body still laid on the ground, “I didn’t train her hard enough,”
“You didn’t train her hard enough?!” She exclaimed as her daughter kicked her in the ribs, “Lucy is-,” She reluctantly corrected herself, “Was your only rookie since Isabel not to wash out. You pushed her hard and she never cracked under the pressure,”
“Then why did she leave her cover?” His voice faltered, he still avoided looking directly at Angela, “Backup was right there. I was right there,”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure she felt that she had a good reason for doing so. She was a great cop because you trained her. You know how this job is, within seconds a good decision can turn bad,”
He stood up.
“Where do you think you’re going?” She looked up at him.
“I’m getting back on the street. If this guy-”
“No. You are using some of that mountain of personal time you have and you’re coming home with me,”
“I have to-”
“Are you really trying to argue with the very pregnant lady? And Grey agrees with me,”
He sighed, “Can I at least stop by my place to change and let Kojo out?”
She nodded. She had expected more of a fight. Angela put her hand on her belly as another contraction started.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just need some help getting back up,”
***
Tim looked down at his hands. He felt like they shouldn’t be clean. In his mind, he could still see her blood all over his hands. As soon as he reached her he’d put his hands over the hole in her neck to try to stop the bleeding. He told her to hold on, that the paramedics would be there soon. He could hear the ambulance. Then he looked at her face. Her eyes were open, but she was gone.
He turned off the shower and grabbed a towel as he stepped onto the bathroom. He dried himself off. It all still felt unreal. Lucy was the reason he had gone with Angela and agreed to take the rest of the day off. He knew that she would want him to give himself time to deal with her death before going back on the streets. He pulled on some pants.
“Tim?” Angela’s voice came from the other side of his bedroom door, “I think my water just broke,”
“You think?” He quickly threw on a shirt and grabbed a pair of socks.
“It’s either my water broke or she made me-” He opened the bedroom door as her statement trailed off into a groan.
“Contraction?” She just nodded and he ushered her to a chair trying not to panic, but the distraction felt good, “I’ll just put on my shoes and I’ll drive you to the hospital,”
“No, I’ll call Wesley to come get me. He’s home, he can be here in 10 minutes,” She took out her phone.
“You call Wesley and tell him to meet us at the hospital. I’m not delivering your baby,” He finished putting on his shoes and called Kojo in from the backyard. The dog reluctantly got back in his crate when asked to. Angela was on her phone telling Wesley to meet them at the hospital. He helped her up and to his truck (he was met with only mild resistance).
“I wanted an epidural,” She blurted out through clenched teeth as he pulled out of his driveway.
“You’ll still be able to get one,” He reassured her as he mentally plotted out the fastest route to Sloan Memorial. One of the benefits of being a cop, “Another contraction? That’s less than five minutes apart,”
“I know. I guess she’s like her dad and has to be right on time,” She sighed, “I’m sorry. I know this is horrible timing with what just happened,”
Did she just apologize to him for going into labor? “It’s fine. I’ve found in these situations it’s best to find a distraction,”
“These situations? You’ve never lost a rookie you’ve trained before,” He took a left turn. If traffic stayed the same they’d be at the hospital in less than ten minutes.
“No, but in the army, I lost men under my command that I was responsible for,”
“This is different than that and you know it,”
“Does she have a name yet?” He attempted to change the subject.
“No,” Angela took the bait, “We’re deadlocked. He wants Margaret and I want Andromeda,”
“Andromeda?”
“She’d go by Andi. It’s cute,”
He stopped at a red light and a thought occurred to him, “What about Lucy?”
“I don’t know,”
“She’d be thrilled and honored. And more than likely talk my ear off about it,” The light turned green giving Tim more hope that they’d make it to the hospital in time.
“She was more than just a rookie to you, wasn’t she?”
He nodded. He didn’t think he could put into words what Lucy had meant to him.
***
“She’s so beautiful,” Wesley gushed as he watched his newborn daughter sleep on his wife’s chest.
“I know,” Angela agreed, “Even though she’s covered in gunk and wrinkly as a prune she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Without warning, she burst into tears, “I shouldn’t be this happy right now,”
“It’s okay,” He tried to soothe her, “I don’t think anyone would get mad at you being happy right now, certainly not Lucy,” He hadn’t known Lucy extremely well, but she had always seemed bubbly and optimistic even after all she’d been through.
“I think we should name her Lucy,” That surprised him a little, “Tim suggested it. He thought Lucy would’ve felt honored,”
“Lucy Emerson Evers,” At the sound of her name Lucy Evers grunted and attempted to raise her head, her yellow hospital hat slipping off her head, “I think she might like it,”
***
Normally he hated small talk, but today it was just the distraction he needed. He’d spent the past three hours having mundane conservations with Angela’s family, Wesley’s mom, and a little old lady who was awaiting the arrival of her tenth grandchild. West had shown up shortly after the baby had born, but had mostly kept to himself. Tim wanted to go to talk to him, offer some advice, but he wasn’t sure if he could hold himself together.
Angela: Come meet your goddaughter. We’re in room 312.
Angela: Just act like your going home. Come alone.
He chuckled. He had no idea why they wanted him to meet the baby first, but they probably thought their families would be upset by that fact.
After getting turned around twice he finally found the right room. Tim knocked on the door and in moments Wesley opened it.
“How crazy are they acting?” Angela asked from the hospital bed holding a white bundle. She’d just given birth and that was what she was worried about?
“They’re fine,” Tim assured her, “Jackson’s out there too,”
Angela nodded slowly, “Here, come hold her,”
He took the small white bundle from Angela. He was surprised at just how small and light the baby was, “So is she, Andromeda or Margaret?”
Silence.
He looked up from the sleeping baby as Angela and Wesley exchanged a look. Could they really not have agreed on a name for their baby? He gently sat down in a nearby rocking chair.
“Lucy,”
“Hi Lucy,” With those two words all his emotions spilled out.