Chapter Text
Lucy Chen was convinced there was nothing she couldn’t come back from until that moment but now she wasn’t so sure. Laying there she could only see out of one eye and she could feel her body trembling, the bruising already forming along her skin. Taking a look around the room and seeing the mess of her living room she pulled her self up to sit against the sofa without moving from the floor and felt around for her cell phone, finding it under the couch.
Her hands were shaking and despite knowing she should call it in, that’s protocol after all but every time she looked at something else broken or disturbed from it’s usually spot visions of what just happened flashed through her mind. There was ringing in her ears but at the same time it felt like she was under water. Finally she dialled.
“Hey” She heard Tim speak through the receiver.
“Tim?” She whispered
“Lucy what’s wrong baby?’’
“Need help, I was and he was. Tim 261. Bring Harper and Lopez and un ambulance I think. Tim” her voice catches.
“We’re coming okay baby we’re coming”
She doesn't remember if he said anything else after that or who hung up nor does she remember pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she retreats into herself. What she does remember is that it feels like a life time since she called Tim until all of a sudden she can see a figure coming towards her in her uninjured eye,
“No’’ she speaks softly but firmly wrapping herself even more tightly together.
“It’s just me Lucy, it’s Tim. I’m not going to touch you okay. Harper and Lopez are here too okay.” Explained Tim kneeling in front of her but not touching her.
Just then Nyla kneels down beside him.
“Hi sweetie we have to call a team out”
“Can you take my statement, I want to get it over with”
“There time Lucy we don’t have to do it straight away”
“Please I…I don’t want to go over it after the exam”
Nodding she took Lucy’s statement. Lucy looked down as she explained that she was just coming home from visiting Jackson’s grave and had just unlocked her door when all of a sudden she was pushed inside. She remembered the overwhelming smell of his cologne and cigarette mixing together, at first she had tried to fight but he had punched her in the eye then hit her face off the counter. When she had slumped to the ground she had managed to get away and get up when she headed for her gun box. He was fast though and caught her again she tried again to fight him off, making a mess as they fought but eventually he overpowered her after a third blow to the head. She had tried to scream and honestly she couldn’t remember if she did or not just the feeling of her clothes being ripped before she passed out. When she woke up he was over her and she could feel him everywhere, his body against hers, over her and in her, his breathing hitting her ear as he grunts with the forced movement. Lucy had tried again to fight him but her body wouldn’t work with her.
As she finished her statement she could feel the contents of her stomach rising and just as she gagged Lopez was there with a bucket and holding it in front of her, for Lucy to empty her stomach.
As Bailey and her colleague arrived Nilya stepped away to update Grey. They gave her a once over to make sure there was nothing needing immediate attention before they stated they needed to get her to hospital. As soon as they brought the gorney to her Lucy started repeating “no’’ and trying to push herself away.
“Luce you have to go to hospital baby’ spoke Tim softly.
“Tim no they’re going to strap me on that”
That’s when it occurred to him, her PTSD, being strapped down and small places had been an issue since the barrel and now not only would she have to deal with this but the PTSD was going to be worse. He spoke with Bailey who agrees to let her ride in it without being strapped down and of course her partner wasn’t happy but they ignored him. Sooner than she wanted she was on the gorney with Tim following her, Nyla stating she’d follow behind in her car and Lopez calling she’d meet them there with a bag for Lucy after everything had been processed and they were arriving just as they were pulling away.
Thankfully when they got there they had already arranged a private room for her. Sitting on the hospital bed she stares off at the wall, flashes of the attack running through her mind much like an old movie real and she doesn’t hear a word the forensic nurse says until her name being called sends a jolt through her body and she’s flinching as she focuses.
“Sorry”
‘It’s okay take your time I can repeat what every you need”
“It’s okay I’m a sergeant I know what happens, the rape kit, photos”
“We’ve got you down for X-rays and a head CT’’
“I don’t want the head CT” she whispered
“Um she had ptsd from a previous kidnapping they buried her alive in a barrel, small spaces can be a trigger” explained Tim
“We can give her a sedative to help keep her calm if she needs it”
Just as the nurse left to get everything she needed Angela turned up with a bag of her things. She gave Lucy a run down of what was in there before explaining that she was going back to the station to look over the cameras at the entrance of the building.
By the time the nurse was back Lucy was tired and wanted to go home, not that she’d be comfortable there but home that was anywhere but the hospital. They watched in silence as the nurse set up and slowly she felt herself begin to shake as the nerves creeped in.
“Do you want me to wait outside” asked Tim gently
‘I’ Lucy hesitated.
“It’s okay baby I get it, you don’t have to be scared to tell me what you need, I’ll wait outside, do you need anything?”
“Water for after the…..” she looked at Harper “can you stay”
Nodding Tim squeezed that hand she’d hand gripped to his shirt since they arrived and silently slipped out the room to give her some privacy. Truthfully he needed it, every time he saw the broken and scared look in her eyes he felt his anger building inside him. He knew that wouldn’t do her any good and in fact he was pretty sure that would just scare her even more right now.
To Lucy the exam felt just as bad as the attack and she had to ask the forensic nurse to stop several times so she could take a moment and she had needed to stop to be sick once more. Every time the camera had flashed with the shutter Lucy flinched as she captured the evidence of her torn clothes before she took them off item by item and placed them in the evidence bags replacing them with a hospital gown before they captured evidence of all the bruising and markings on her body.
After what felt like ages everything was done it was time for the scans. Lucy had thought she would be okay despite refusing it earlier she knew she needed it but as she had started to go into the machine flashbacks of Caleb had plagued her mind and she had freaked out until she heard Nyla demanding they stop it. Thankfully Nyla had insisted on going with her. Nyla had managed to get her to calm down and they did end up giving her that sedative to get the needed images.
Finally back in her room they had taken bloods and given her the morning after pill, not a requirement but it was offered to everyone. They also started on antibiotics as a precaution.
By the time that Tim came back she was in the shower. He knocked on the door softly calling out to let her know he was there and thanked Nyla staying with her who was headed back to go and help Angela.
When Lucy walked out of the little shower room she was dressed in a sweatshirt and a pair of Tim’s sweatpants. He was pretty sure the sweatshirt was his too going by the size on her but it was a standard issued LAPD one so it could have been hers.
“They’re keeping me for tonight. I have a pretty bad concussion lots of bruising and my eye socket it fractured but nothing that won’t heal” explained Lucy sitting on the bed and crossing her legs.
“I thought they would so I got you a few bits” he pulled out a soft blanket and a couple of snacks. “ I also know they give you antibiotics so I got you a veggie burger and a fries to pick at”
“Thank you”
Time unfolded the blanket gently and carefully so as not to touch her, lay it over her lap before pulling the over bed table across and set her with her food, a bottle of water and a cold crisp coke.
Neither said much as he ate and she picked at her food, not that there was much that either of them could say. It was going to take time and visits with her psychologist but that was a conversation for another day.
“Tim” spoke Lucy ever so quietly through the silence.
“Yeah baby?” He asked.
Tim looked up to see her shoulder shaking, the tears running and she started to lean her body towards him. Standing he quickly caught her and pulled her on to his lap on the bed and he held her. The fact she was still comfortable enough to allow him to hold her while she fell apart meant the world to him. Eventually he heard her breathing even out and when he looked down he noticed she had fallen asleep so he carefully lay her back on the bed on her side opposite of her broken eye and tucked the blanket he had just bought over her before taking his seat again. He knew eventually visiting times would be over but he wasn’t going anywhere no matter what they said so he turned the game on low on the tv in the corner and sat right next to the bed keeping an eye on her.
She had been sleeping restlessly for a while, more than likely a consequence of the sedative when Tim heard a soft knock at knock at the door as it slowly opened. Looking away from the game he saw Luna peaking her head into the room.
“Hi, how is she?” Asked Luna, stepping in.
“Cried herself to sleep, but the sedative is helping her get a restless sleep”
“I’ll pop back in a while to check on her since I’m on nights but I just wanted to give you a blanket, pillow and come coffee. Visiting hours are about to end but I told them there’s no chance you’d leave.”
“Thank you Luna, if she wakes up I’ll let her know that you popped in”
“Of course if either of you need anything just buzz, if you swap your chair for the one in the other corner It folds out to a bed, just swap them back in the morning”
“Will do” Tim smiled and took the coffee and blanket and pillow as Luna left him to it again.
Right enough he swapped over the chairs so the bed chair was next to her bed and lay it out. He got comfy propping his head up on the pillow so he could finish watching his game and was surprised when he felt her hand reaching out to grasp his. Turning to look at her he saw her awake watching him through her good eye.
“Thank you” whispered Lucy
“For what ?”
“Staying, I don’t know everything”
“I’d do anything for you baby” he squeezed her hand.
“I love you too, try to get some sleep and I’ll wake you in a bit for a top up of painkillers”.
Nodding she kept a hold of his hand but closed her eyes again letting the seductive help her back to sleep.
Lucy wakes up a little after an hour later, she keeps a grasp of his hand and sits up thankfully the lights were off and the room was illuminated from the lights outside as not to hurt her head with the concussion any further. She wasn’t sure if it was a nightmare that woke her, if it was a result of what happened or if it was the pain of her concussion mixed with her fractured eye socket. She doesn’t talk much and Tim doesn’t push her but she does mutter more than one to herself, Tim knows that she processes things by talking he remembers calling her in the shop when she was supposed to be talking it out with Rachel.
There hadn’t been enough time since her last dose of pain medication for her to receive more just after she woke but the true crime documentary had her hooked so she was distracted a little bit until Luna knocked on the door again this time bringing a nurse with her. The nurse checks in with her and takes a quick set of vitals before giving her a small cups with the painkillers and a cup of water which Lucy accepts with a quiet thank you. Every time the nurse had gone near her or touched her for her vitals Lucy has flinched and shied away from her touch.
“Can I get you anything Lucy?” Asked Luna
“Um I’d really like another shower, is there any chance you could get me some dry towels?”
“Of course we have little bottles of soap, shampoo and conditioner I can get you too”
“Thank you”
Nodding Luna slips out the door and comes back with the dry towels and the little bottles of toiletries for her as well as a cup of tea. Which Lucy is more than grateful for. She still wasn’t on speaking terms with her parents and the longer she stayed in the police force progressing with her career the more they were disappointed but Luna and Grey did help the void ever so slightly. Before she knew it she was asking if Luna would also stay with her between seeing her patients and of course Luna readily agreed and said she’d be right back after she done a check on them.
By the time she was back Lucy was back from the shower and Tim was trying to help her towel try her hair because the bruising made lifting her arms sore but he looked like he didn’t know what he was doing especially when she asked if he could beside it so it was out her eye. Chuckling Luna took over from him and her hair was towel dried as best as she could and braided in no time before Lucy was laying on her back clutching Tim’s hand while Luna gently caressed her hair. It surprised her just how okay she was with their touch but yet if a nurse came near her she flinched. But Tim was her safe space the one person she trusted one hundred percent and Luna gave off that mom vibe she craved. Despite it all though she still felt like she needed another shower and she still felt vulnerable and scared and like her body was about to break any minute.