Chapter Text
Violet glanced at the seat beside her as she stopped at the traffic light. Her brow slightly furrowed as she took in Lizzie’s unusual silence.
They just intervened in a car accident, the crew from 51 cutting into the smashed car front to get to a driver. The minute he was out Violet did a medical check up while Lizzie and Hermann pulled out a frightened little boy from the backseat. The child's forehead was slightly cut and he cried as Lizzie tried to clean his wound as gently as she could.
Violet pressed her lips together, remembering how Lizzie tried to comfort the little one who was scared out of his wits.
“I’m sorry, buddy, I know it hurts. But, look”, Lizzie reached inside the jumpbag and rummaged through it until she found a little box. Opening it, she took out a colourful band-aid with little dinosaurs and looked up, her smile soothing and warm as she picked up one piece "Do you like dinosaurs?”
The little boy nodded, his tears subsiding as his eyes focused on a small colourful band-aid.
“Yeah” he mumbled tearfully and as the nice lady gently brushed his hair away, he spoke quietly “I like the green one the best.”
Lizzie raised her eyebrows, her lips turning into a thoughtful line as she gave the band-aid an appraising look before she spoke in a practical tone of voice:
“Well, good, because I like the blue one better. So”, she took out another piece of band-aid from the box and offered it to a boy. As the child hesitated, his eyes curious as he looked up at her, Lizzie asked “How about you put this on my forehead and I will put this one on yours? What do you think?”, as the boy’s tiny fingers accepted the band-aid with a blue dinosaur and he nodded Lizzie smiled warmly as the child’s teary eyes looked up at her. She winked at him before pointing to the left side of her forehead. She stayed perfectly still, smiling softly as the little boy put the band-aid on her forehead and a small giggle escaped him when she let out a rather grumpy, but soft “Ouch.”
The sound of the child's short chuckle made her eyes soften and opening the band-aid with green dinosaur she gently caressed the boy’s hair before asking “May I put it on you now?”, as the child nodded, blinking the rest of the tears away, Lizzie slowly pressed the small band-aid on the cut “There… all done”, she gave the band-aid another serious look before announcing “I must say that the green dinosaur is starting to grow on me”, as those words left her mouth a little boy leaned toward her, searching for comfort and Lizzie readily opened her arms, hugging the sweet little boy “Sssshhh, it’s alright. It’s over now.”
A little boy snuggled into her embrace and asked, his voice small and quiet:
“Is my Daddy okay?”
Lizzie looked up at Violet who was working alongside with Hermann and as her friend nodded with a small smile she turned to look back at the child in her arms:
“He’s going to be just fine. My friends are taking care of him. And you were so brave, I’m sure your Dad is going to be so proud of you”, as the little boy smiled and his little head rested on Lizzie’s shoulder, she smiled softly before pressing a gentle kiss on his temple “I’m Lizzie. And what’s your name, Dino-lover?”
The little boy rubbed his right eye and quietly answered:
“John.”
As she waited for the green light to turn on Violet slightly bit her lower lip as she remembered how quiet it was from then on…all the way to the emergency, back to the station, writing the report and now on their way to Molly’s. Lizzie just stared in front of herself, not saying a word.
But, now when they were alone Violet thought to try and reach out to her friend. She glanced one more time at the traffic light before carefully asking:
“Everything alright?”
In her peripheral vision Violet could see how Lizzie flinched, startled and quickly put her mask of indifference on, plastering a smile as she replied:
“Yeah. All is super”, the siren of the car behind them hollered loudly as the green light turned on and she pointed out ‘It’s green.”
It was Violet’s turn now to flinch.
“Oh! Right”, she quickly changed the gear, muttering some swearwords at the idiot who was honking like a mad man behind them. As the vehicle moved she quickly glanced at Lizzie again and carefully spoke “If you want to talk about it…”
But before she could decently finish the sentence Lizzie forced a smile and hurriedly said:
“There’s nothing to talk about”, her eyes met Violet’s for a moment or two and her friend nodded.
Lizzie leaned into the seat, trying to erase the thoughts of that dear child in her arms and the way he waved to her as she left him with his Mum who just rushed into the waiting room, calling her son's name through tears and scooping the crying boy up in a big hug.
‘Of all the names…’, her traitorous mind whispered, causing her to swallow hard before she snuggled deeper in the seat, trying to forget.
‘Perhaps I need a distraction. Someone to distract me.’
And as the lights of Molly’s showed up behind the corner Lizzie straightened her shoulders, her fingers putting a stray curl back behind her ear.
‘And this is just the right place to find that someone.’