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Lucy is driving the streets of LA, Celina sitting in the seat next to her rambling about something that happened yesterday while she was riding with Tim. Celina has been switching off, riding with her and Tim, as a way to help them out with sergeant duties, their shared aide. Lucy is just about to respond when they pass two people on the street, standing in an alleyway, passing a small baggie between them.
She motions to Celina, pulls off to the side of the road to park and they both climb out of the car. They slowly make their way up to the pair, trying to be quiet so they don’t spook them. At the last second one of the women looks up and spots them and immediately takes off running. Celina goes after her while Lucy deals with the other one who is too slow to react. Lucy grabs her arm and pulls out her cuffs, “You’re under arrest for possession. Where’s the bag you just bought?”
The woman grumbles, “In my coat pocket.”
Lucy reaches into the pocket and finds a small baggie, filled with a white powder, “Got anything else on you? What’s your name?”
“I don’t have to answer that.”
“No you don’t. But you’re still under arrest. Let’s go.”
She’s walking back to the shop when Celina’s voice comes across the radio, “7-Lincoln-100 suspect in custody. Requesting backup for transport.”
Lucy settles her suspect in the back seat, shutting the door behind her and waits for Celina, and their backup to arrive. A few minutes later Celina appears at the end of the alley, the suspect handcuffed and muttering under her breath.
“She had six baggies of heroin on her plus eight hundred dollars in cash, she’s definitely a dealer but she won’t give me her name.”
“Neither would the other one. That’s ok, we’ll run their prints when we get back to the station and have a name in no time.”
At that moment another shop pulls up, Nolan and Miles stepping out of it. Celina hands off her suspect, they load her into the backseat and then they are all getting back into their shops and heading back to Mid Wilshire to book them.
*******
Once they get back to the station they get to work on booking their suspects. They check them for any other drugs, take their mugshots and their fingerprints. When their names come through on the computer Celina glances at Lucy who has a confused look on her face.
“It has to be a coincidence. Right?”
Lucy shrugs, “I’m not sure. But I need to talk to Tim.”
Lucy nods then pulls out her radio to see where Tim is, “Sergeant Bradford this is Sergeant Chen, are you at the station?”
His voice comes across, “I’m heading back now with Lopez. Had to assist her with a call. Do you need something?”
Lucy doesn’t want to bring this up over the radio, on an open channel, “Come find me when you’re back. I have a situation I need some advice about, but it’s not urgent.”
“Will do.”
She puts her radio back on her belt then goes back to Celina to help her finish processing and have everything finished by the time Tim gets back to the station.
*******
Twenty minutes later Lucy feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. When she pulls it out she sees a text from Tim telling her he’s back and looking for her. She sends him a quick text back telling him to meet her in his old metro office, where she has been hiding out since they finished booking their suspects.
When he walks in the door and sees her perched on the desk he raises an eyebrow at her, “Did you ask me to come meet you so we could defile this office again? Because I hate saying no to you baby but I don’t know if we have time.”
She chuckles, “No, although that’s tempting. But I need to talk to you, and I needed it to be somewhere private.”
He shuts the door behind her and comes to stand between her legs, “That sounds ominous. Is everything ok?”
“Celina and I had an arrest today. Two women. Caught them in a drug deal. Both had drugs on them. One is clearly an addict, the other is a dealer based on the amount of drugs and cash she had on her.”
Tim’s voice is quiet, “Isabel? I thought she was clean, I mean I haven’t talked to her in over a year but she seemed to be doing well last time we saw her.”
She shakes her head, “No Tim, it’s not Isabel. They wouldn’t give us their names but then we ran their prints and… and one of their names is Diane Bradford.”
Tim’s face pales, his grip on Lucy’s thighs tighten and she places her hands on his arms to ground him. She lets him process while she runs soothing circles on his forearms and after a few moments of silence he speaks, his voice soft, “Is it.. are you sure?”
“I mean I don’t know for sure. But the name matches, and I know based on the little you’ve told me that she has a history of drug use.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s in holding. They’ll probably make her spend a night in lockup then let her go in the morning with a promise to appear in court.”
“What do I do? Do I go talk to her? Do I just ignore it? Let her be released and disappear again?”
Lucy pulls him in for a hug, holding him tightly, “I can’t tell you what to do. But I will be here for you no matter what you decide.”
He melts into her, his grip tight around her and after a few minutes he pulls back, “I’m gonna wait. Finish up my shift then go see her. I think I need some time to wrap my brain around this. It’s been over twenty years since I’ve seen her.”
Lucy nods, “I think that sounds like a good plan. Are you sure you’re good to go back out on patrol?”
“I’m good. I need to help Lopez with the case we’re working on anyway so I should be able to ride a desk the rest of the day. Will you come with me to see her?”
“Of course. Whatever you need.”
He leans down and kisses her, lingering a little bit longer than he usually would on shift then he pulls back, gives her a weak smile then turns and walks out the door.
*******
It’s a few hours later, shift is over and Lucy is leaning against the wall waiting for Tim to come out of the locker room. She knows he’s nervous because she never beats him when they are changing out, he’s always the one waiting on her. A few minutes later he emerges, his head hung down, his bag on his shoulder.
When he looks up she gives him a small smile, “Hey, you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She takes his hand in hers and gives it a light squeeze, “I’ll be right by your side the whole time.”
He returns the squeeze then they silently walk off down the hallway towards the holding cells.
When they get there Lucy asks the officer at the desk to open cell two and they walk over. Diane stands up from the bench where she was sitting, watching them walk over to her, confusion in her eyes.
Tim comes to stop outside the cell and looks at her, “Hi mom.”
Recognition flickers in her eyes as she takes in his face, “Timothy?”
He nods, “Yeah.”
She crosses her arms across her body, like she’s trying to shield herself, “What are you… how did you know I was here?”
“I work here. I’m a sergeant in the LAPD now, this is my station.”
Her eyes flicker to Lucy, “You’re the one who arrested me.”
Lucy nods as Tim speaks, “This is Lucy. She’s also an officer here, and my girlfriend.”
His mom scoffs, “Of course she is. Figures she’s the one who arrested me. Did you know who I was when you caught me? Is that why I’m here?”
Lucy speaks calmly, “You’re here because you were caught with a bag full of drugs, caught in the middle of a drug deal. And I did my job as an officer in arresting you.”
“Sure. And you’re telling me you had no idea who I was?
Tim stiffens beside her as Lucy remains steady, “You wouldn’t give me your name ma’am. How would I have known? I had no idea who you were until I ran your prints.”
“A likely story. I’m not sure arresting your boyfriend's mother is going to win you any points with him dear.”
Tim’s voice booms across the room, “Enough. You don’t get to attack her. She did nothing wrong. You’re the one who was caught with drugs. And she had no idea who you were, how could she when I haven’t even seen you in over twenty years?”
“Not like you even tried to find me. You left, ran off to the Army the first chance you got and never looked back.”
“You told me to go. Told me to go and make something of myself, to get away from dad. And you promised you would take care of Genny. Guess you didn’t keep that promise did you? I tried to find you when I got back, but you disappeared, you didn’t want to be found. So at some point we just stopped looking.”
“Tell yourself whatever you need to make yourself feel better. You gave up and ran. And Lucy here better watch out because you’ll do the same to her when things get hard.”
Lucy feels Tim’s hand grip hers tighter, knows he’s barely holding it together and she steps in, her voice cutting across the room, “That’s enough. You don’t get to stand here and attack him for decisions you made. He was a child, you were the adult. He left to make a better life for himself and he has done a hell of a job. He is kind, generous, caring, respected, honorable and loved. I’m proud to stand by his side, and I won’t stand here and let you attack him.”
Diane scoffs, “Guess you found yourself a good little guard dog didn’t you Timothy? Watch out dear, his father liked to step out on me, I’m sure he's just like him. Probably has plenty of other women on the side.”
Lucy steps forward, placing herself between Tim and his mom, locking eyes with the older woman, “He is nothing like his father. And nothing like you apparently. He came here to check on you, to see if he could help and all you can do is tear him down. We’re leaving. Enjoy your night in lock up ma’am.”
Lucy grips Tim’s hand and turns them to walk away from the holding cells, away from his mother and out of the station. Once outside in the cool night air she turns to him, “I’m so sorry that I jumped in like that, she was just saying all these things and I couldn’t stand there and listen to her attack you.”
His hands come up to grip her shoulders, “Lucy, you did nothing wrong. Thank you for standing up for me.”
“Always. Now what do you say we grab some food and go home to relax?”
He nods, “I think that sounds perfect.”
They walk to Lucy’s car, thankful that they had decided to ride in together today instead of driving separately. She navigates home, stopping briefly at their favorite Chinese restaurant to pick up dinner for them, Tim silent in the passenger seat the whole time. She knows his mind is swirling, knows this probably brought up a lot of things that he was not planning on dealing with today. But she knows not to push him, he’ll talk when he’s ready so for now she places a hand on his thigh as she drives them home.
*******
After dinner has been finished and cleaned up they are sitting on the couch, a home improvement show turned low on the television, Tim's hand rubbing up and down Lucy's arm. He hasn’t spoken much since they got home, and he hasn’t mentioned his mother once so Lucy decides to broach the subject.
“You can talk about you know? No judgement. You told me a little bit about your mom but I’m here to listen if you need to just let it all out.”
He takes a deep breath, “I’m just trying to wrap my brain around everything. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see her today, and then for her to say all those things, it just really threw me off.”
“You’re allowed to feel that way Tim, it doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human.”
He keeps rubbing her arm, his thumb brushing circles while he stares ahead, “She was a good mom for most of my childhood, I mean the best she could be with a dad like mine. She showed up for all my games, all Genny’s dance recitals, always went above and beyond to make things special. It’s like she was trying to make up for who my dad was. When I was around fourteen things started to change, she started staying out late, missing our school stuff, sleeping all day when she was even home.”
“My dad was gone a lot too, turns out he was having multiple affairs by that point so that led to my mom spending her evenings drinking to numb the pain. She would disappear for weeks at a time, then show up acting like nothing happened. But every time she came back she had lost more weight, her eyes weren’t as bright, her cheeks hollow. Knowing what I know now she was deep into drugs, but that didn’t even cross my mind at that point.”
“You were just a kid Tim, you couldn’t have known. You couldn’t have stopped her.”
“All I wanted to do was protect Genny, I did everything I could to shield her from it all, to keep her childhood as carefree as I could.”
She waits, watching him take a few deep breaths, his thumb still rubbing circles on her arm while hers does the same to his thigh.
“That went on for about two years. Then one day she came back and she looked better, looked healthy, like the mom we knew. She was there for my entire senior year, showing up to all my football games, took pictures of me going to prom, and was the proud mom at graduation. She encouraged me to join the Army, to find myself, assured me that she would keep Genny safe, that she was better. So I went. I left for basic training then I was immediately deployed and all I had was letters and the occasional phone calls. Genny said everything was fine, when I asked to talk to mom she said she was working, or at the store, or some other excuse. And I didn’t know anything until I got home, turns out instead of me protecting my baby sister she was protecting me instead.”
“Tim, you were allowed to go out and try to make a life for yourself. There is nothing selfish about chasing your dreams. You didn’t know what was happening, Genny made the choice to keep you in the dark, and I’m sure she would do it again if she had to.”
“By the time I got home she had been gone almost a year, the longest she had ever been gone. Genny and I tried to find her, but then she went off to college and I was deployed again and when I came back it just seemed like a lost cause. I could have tried harder, I should have tried harder.”
He stops and takes a deep breath, his whole body shuddering as he does and Lucy wraps her arms around him and pulls him in, his head resting against her chest.
“I think that’s why I never gave up on looking for Isabel, why I could never accept it was over even after she had cleared out our bank accounts and had been gone for almost two years. I didn’t want to give up on her the way I gave up on my mom.”
Lucy shakes her head, “You didn’t give up Tim. You didn’t. Addiction is a disease, you know that better than anyone, and you can't force someone to get help if they don’t want it. Your mom clearly didn’t want it, and you were there for Isabel when she was ready for help. You are a huge reason why she’s sober and has a second chance.”
“So what do I do about my mom? Do I go back tomorrow and try to talk to her again? Or do I just let her slip away again?”
Lucy thinks for a moment, “I can’t answer that for you. But I think you have a lot of regret, and you might have even more if you don’t at least try to talk to her. And if she doesn’t want your help then at least you can say you tried, and maybe that will help a little with how you’re feeling.”
He nods against her chest, his face pressed against her skin listening to her heartbeat, “I think I need to sleep on it. Can we go to bed and I can decide in the morning?”
“Absolutely. I’ll even let you be the little spoon tonight, I think you need some good cuddles.”
His laugh rings out, bouncing off the walls as she feels his body shake against hers and it loosens the knot in her chest just a little bit. He sits up, leans closer before rubbing his nose against hers then pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, “Thank you.”
She kisses him back, her hand coming up to rest on his face, “Anytime.”
*******
The next morning Tim wakes up before Lucy, he slips out of the house and goes for a run to try to clear his brain and figure out what he wants to do. As he runs he thinks about all the moments from his childhood that his mom had been there for, how she had tried so hard to make everything special even while their dad was drunk every day. She cleaned up Tim’s wounds whenever his dad got too rough and held him as he cried when he asked repeatedly why they couldn’t just leave. He knows now it's never that simple, even abusive relationships are difficult to leave and he knows his mom tried her best. But somewhere along the way it all got to be too much for her, and that’s when she turned to the drugs. Tim knows he was just a kid, knows there was only so much he could do back then, but now?
Now he’s an adult, a grown man who understands addiction, and who has the means to get his mother the help she needs. Or at least offer it. Then at least he knows he tried, and maybe he can stop living with this regret.
By the time he makes it back to the house his mind is clearer and he knows what he wants to do. He slips inside and is immediately met with the smell of coffee and bacon. Kojo comes to greet him and he bends down to rub his head a few times before he moves into the kitchen where he finds Lucy, wearing one of his old faded LAPD t-shirts standing at the stove flipping pancakes.
She glances over her shoulder and shoots him a wide smile, “Good morning. How was your run?”
He moves behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she waits for the pancakes to bubble, “It was good, exactly what I needed to clear my head.”
”Good. I was going to suggest a shower after breakfast to clear your head.. but if you’re all good I guess I can just take one by myself.”
He shakes his head as he nips at her neck, “No, no it’s still all jumbled. And I need a shower too so it just makes sense we conserve water.”
She flips a pancake onto a plate that already has a few slices of bacon before spinning around in his arms and holding it up for him, “Not sure the way we shower actually conserves water, but I do want to be helpful. Eat your breakfast first.”
He gives her a quick kiss before taking the plate from her, getting himself a cup of coffee and sitting down at the island to eat his breakfast. He feels much lighter than he did last night and he knows it has everything to do with the woman standing in his kitchen, their kitchen now.
*******
They arrive at the station over an hour later, thankful they both took the day off today since their shower activities took a little longer than they planned. Lieutenant Grey sees them through the glass windows of his office and waves them in.
“Aren’t you both off today? What are you doing here?”
Tim glances at Lucy before clearing his throat, “Sir my mom is in lock up. She was arrested yesterday for drug possession.”
Grey sighs, “Sorry to hear that Bradford. Is there anything I can do?”
He shakes his head, “No. I know what I have to do. I’m going to go see her before she gets released. But thank you sir.”
Grey nods, “If you need anything don’t hesitate to reach out.”
“I will. Thanks again.”
He dismisses them and they leave his office, Tim opting to take the long way to lockup, his hand firmly placed in Lucy’s.
As they pass Angela’s desk her eyebrows shoot up when she notices them and Lucy shakes her head and mouths, “Later” to her.
Finally they make it to lockup, Tim instructing the desk officer to open the cell and he turns to Lucy, “I think I need to do this by myself.”
She nods, “Absolutey. Whatever you need. But know I’m right out here if you need me.”
He smiles at her, “I know.”
Tim presses a kiss to her forehead then moves towards the holding cells, Lucy lingering far enough to give them space, but close enough if he needs her.
*******
Tim walks into the holding cell and takes a seat on the bench next to his mother who is eyeing him warily.
“Didn’t think I’d see you again.”
“I wasn’t sure either. But after a lot of thinking I realized that this is our second chance.”
“I think I’ve had plenty of chances. But I just can’t stop, the drugs are the only thing keeping me going.”
“What about the potential for a relationship with your kids? The ability to make new memories with us? Meet your grandkids? Be at my wedding?”
When Tim turns his head to glance at her he notices the moisture in her eyes and he turns to face her.
“You could have a second chance mom. I sat last night thinking about my childhood. All the times you went above and beyond for us, trying to make every moment special despite dad and I still smile when I think of it. I know you lost your way, honestly I did too, but I’ve found it again. And I think you can too, but you have to really want to.”
She sniffles, “You’d really let me back in your life? Let me be a part of it all?”
He nods, “I would. But only if you get clean. I won’t do the back and forth, and I won’t have drugs around me, or Genny, or her boys.”
“I can’t just quit. I’ve tried, and I don’t have money for rehab, I’ve been living on the street for the past six months.”
He takes her hand softly in his, “I have money. And I know a great rehab facility. I can take you there today, as soon as you’re released and they’ll keep you as long as you need to get clean. Going to rehab would also help with the drug charges, if the judge sees you’re trying to stop he’s more likely to let you off on time served.”
“Why would you do that for me? After everything? I just left you guys, I let your father beat you and never tried to stop him.”
“It’s never that simple, and I know that now. Dads gone, that’s all in the past, and maybe this is our opportunity to finally move forward. I believe in second chances, believe me I do, so here’s yours. But it has to be because you want to do it, not just because I’m asking.”
She thinks carefully for a few minutes, the silence looming between them before she finally speaks in a soft voice, “I want to do it. I can’t promise I’ll be perfect but I want to try to be the mother you deserve, the mother I used to be.”
He pulls her into his side, letting out a long exhale as he does, “I’ll call the rehab facility and as soon as you’re released we’ll drive you there.”
“We?”
“Me and Lucy, my girlfriend. Remember her from last night?”
“I do. I said terrible things to her.”
“She’ll forgive you. She’s pretty good about forgiving people when they do stupid things.”
His mom lets out a low chuckle, “Is it serious?”
He nods, “She’s the love of my life. I’m gonna marry her someday. And it would be really nice to have you at the wedding.”
The tears fall from Diane’s eyes as she turns her body to fully face Tim and he envelops her in a hug. As he holds her he looks out across the room and sees Lucy, her eyes glistening, a proud smile on her face. She shoots him a wink and he smiles at her, mouthing “thank you” as he thinks about the second chance she’s given him.
Tim never did believe in second chances. Not before Lucy anyway.
But now he’s living his second chance.
And he couldn’t be more grateful.