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Lucy is trying to stay quiet as she gets out of bed. It’s been two weeks of severe abdominal pain. Two weeks she has pretended she’s okay. Two weeks of hiding the pain from Tim and loading up on Tylenol.
Lucy stumbles into the bathroom, careful to not wake her husband. It’s either her bladder or the pain on the lower right side of her abdomen that woke her up, she is pretty fuzzy about which one. Her sleep is lacking lately and she knows it’s affecting work. Lucy is now a patrol Sergeant and needs to stay focused. The pain has only gotten worse. Maybe I can get checked once Tim leaves tomorrow. Lucy thinks.
As she sits down on the toilet, she covers her mouth as she lets a cry out. Her whole body hurts at this current moment. It’s two in the morning and she is doing everything to not wake Tim up. Lucy stands up and washes her hands. As she goes to go back to bed, the pain becomes unbearable.
“Oh god.” Lucy groans as she bites her lip to avoid waking Tim. She hates bothering him because his hours can be crazy. Lucy knows he will worry, but she’s fine, or so she keeps telling herself. She falls to her knees and throws up in the toilet. Once she’s done she just curls in a ball on the bathroom floor. The pain is worse than it has been. The tears are freely flowing and she can’t keep quiet no matter what she does. Thankfully she managed to shut the bathroom door and she hopes Tim stays asleep. He doesn’t need to worry.
Tim wakes up to an empty bed. It’s two thirty in the morning and his wife’s side of the bed is starting to cool. He sees the light under the bathroom door. He thinks she’s just using the bathroom, until he hears the sobs. Tim knows Lucy is trying to muffle her tears, he can tell. Tim pads to the bathroom and slowly opens the door. His heart drops when he sees Lucy curled on the floor.
“Lucy. What’s wrong? What happened?” Tim kneels next to her and runs his hand along her back.
“-im.” Lucy mumbles. “Hurts.” She says quietly.
“Come here. Your head is burning up.” Tim carefully maneuvers her into his lap. “What hurts? You haven’t been okay. Why did you wait, baby?” Lucy can’t help but sob.
“Thought it would go away.” Lucy points to her lower right side where the pain is. “-s bad.” Her words aren’t coming out in full sentences.
“We’re going to the emergency room.” Lucy shakes her head no.
“Tylenol, just give me some.” She knows it’s a moot point because she can’t even walk at this point. The fear flashes across Tim’s face and she sees it. Lucy feels so bad. She hates that he has to worry. “Supposed to take care of you.” Tim scoffs. He had the flu last week and Lucy wouldn’t let him do anything. Tim picks Lucy up gently, but it still hurts.
“I’ve got you. I promise. We will get you all better.” Tim whispers. He puts a pair of sweatpants on Lucy and throws a shirt and shoes on himself. He picks Lucy up carefully and gets her to the car. “I know the buckle is uncomfortable, but you need it.” Tim tells her as he kisses her forehead softly. Tim runs to the driver's side as Lucy is curled into the passenger seat. He places his hand on her thigh, giving them both a small bit of comfort.
Lucy let’s out a pained sob and Tim looks at her. She isn’t doing well. “We are almost there. I promise.” Tim tells her. She hears Tim, but she can’t acknowledge him. She focuses on his hand rubbing circles on her thigh. Thankfully, there’s a spot to park in the front. He quickly gets out and picks Lucy up. Tim carries her inside. The nurses can see the look on Lucy’s face and they quickly take her back. Surprisingly, there was an empty waiting room.
“What happened to your wife sir?” A nurse named Elisa asks Tim. He refuses to let go of Lucy’s hand.
“I woke up and she was on the bathroom floor. Her head is really warm too. I think it’s been going on for a while and she didn’t tell me.” Tim can hear the emotion in his own voice. “She pointed to the lower right part of her stomach. That’s where the pain seems to be.”
“Lucy will be okay. We are going to do an ultrasound. Keep holding her hand. The IV is in and we will administer pain meds as soon as we can.” A doctor walks in wheeling an ultrasound machine. Tim looks at Lucy’s face as they start it. Within a minute, they can see what has happened.
“Tim.” She whispers as her eyes finally meet his. Tim sees the pain and exhaustion in them.
“I’m right here. Everything is going to be okay.” Tim kisses her cheek.
“Mrs. Bradford, your appendix has burst. That’s why you are in so much pain. You must have been dealing with this for a bit and not said anything.” Lucy looks guiltily at Tim.
“It’s been two weeks.” Lucy mumbles and Tim’s face drops for a moment.
“We need to do emergency surgery. Your wife is in good hands. You can walk up with us and wait in the waiting room up there.” Tim holds Lucy’s hand the entire way up.
“I’ll be here when you’re done. I promise.” Tim gives her a soft, gentle kiss on the lips. “I love you.”
“-m sorry Tim. Love you.” His hand runs through her hair as the nurses gently coax him off of Lucy and take her to the OR.
“Your wife is in good hands.” Elisa tells him, but she can see the guilt written in his face. “You know this isn’t your fault?” Tim finally catches her eye.
“I should have known. I’m her husband. It could have been so much worse.” Tim says, sitting down and resting his head in his hands.
“You couldn’t have known, especially if she hid it. Your wife is strong. She’s lucky to have you. This is a routine procedure. I will come get you once it’s done.” Tim thanks her before seeing that it’s close to four in the morning now. He texts Pine and tells her he needs at least two weeks off, at least for now. He lets her know what happened.
Tim will hold off on telling everyone else. The time feels like it’s going by slowly as he waits. Deep down, he knows Lucy is okay, but his heart feels differently. It’s Lucy. His world. The reason he is who he is today. His reason for breathing some days. Tim sees the doctor coming and he jumps up.
“Your wife is fine.” Tim lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “She will make a full recovery, but it’ll be slower than normal. The baby is perfectly fine too.” Tim lets a noise out and his face is one of pure confusion. The doctor realizes he doesn’t know about the baby.
“Did you not know your wife is pregnant?”
“Umm, neither of us did. At least that I know of. Oh god.” Tim sits down and runs his hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry Mr. Bradford. She’s ten weeks along, so I thought you knew. We will run a few more tests and do another ultrasound when she wakes up. They are both perfectly fine. Has she been throwing up at all?” Tim thinks back.
“A little. She’s been tired, but it’s been a busy few weeks. Can I see her?” At this moment in time, he needs to see Lucy. To see that she is fine for himself.
“Of course. We have her hooked up to a monitor for the baby, but they have a very strong heartbeat. Your wife will need to take the time to recover and not overdo it.” He says sternly.
“I won’t be leaving her side.” Tim assured him. They walked to where Lucy was and Tim sat down next to her.
“I’m here baby. I’m not leaving either of you.” Tim grabs Lucy’s hand and the other runs through her hair. He stares at her, his eyes feeling heavy. Tim is exhausted, but he’s scared to shut his eyes. They close for a moment before he hears her voice.
“Tim.” Her voice is hoarse.
“Hi baby.” Tim says, smiling at her. “Are you in pain?” His large hand moving her hair out of her face.
“They have me on something good.” Lucy smiles sleepily at him. “What?” She sees a look on his face. Lucy’s worried by the look on Tim's face.
“I’m glad you’re okay.” Tim says quietly as he sees how tired she is. “Sleep. I’ll be here.”
“Want you to lay with me.” Lucy says as her eyes close. Tim dozes off and wakes up to a hand running through his hair. He sees it’s eleven in the morning.
“Hi.” Tim smiles at Lucy. “Feeling any better?” Tim sees the tears in her eyes and her hand on her belly. She finally noticed the monitor.
“You’re both okay.” He says as he sits on the bed, careful not to jostle her.
“Tim, how didn’t I know? I said I was fine. I didn’t want to worry you. I’m sorry.” Tim holds her head in his hands and kisses her.
“Hey, you’re okay. Our baby is okay. I always worry about you. Lucy, you know you’re everything to me. You’ll be on strict bed rest for the next two weeks.” Lucy looks at him and tries not to cry. “Rest. You need it baby.” Tim says as he lays next to her. Tim needs to feel Lucy in his arms and she needs it right now.
No one gives them a hard time about the time off. They aren’t telling anyone about the baby yet, especially since Lucy isn’t quite at three months yet. When they get home, Tim doesn’t let Lucy lift a finger. Tim may be a tad overbearing, but it’s all with love.
”I love you.” Tim tells her when they’re on the couch a week later.
“I love you too.” Lucy snuggles further into him. He holds his arms around the two most important people in his life. They are all okay. That’s all that matters.