Chapter Text
Getting stuck handling the citizens’ academy for the day was not Tim's ideal day at work. Yes, it was important to provide the community with an understanding of what they did, but that did not mean he had to like doing it. Standing at the front of the roll call room, he rattled off the names of those who failed the background checks and watched as they were escorted out.
"Alright, now we have that out of the way, welcome, I am Sergeant Bradford. This is Citizen's Academy. Let's get started."
Of course, the class was filled with screenwriters and Tim was quickly inundated with inane questions about terms that only existed on TV and improbable situations. He had just finished explaining a robbery versus a burglary, complete with a glare at the screenwriter asking about B&Es, that he got a question he felt meant something.
"What happens when you call the police about domestic violence?" The question came from a woman sitting near the front, her eyes laser focused on him, intent on absorbing any information he gave.
"We take domestic violence very seriously. It's what we call a mandatory arrest, so someone will be walking away in handcuffs."
"But what about the victim? Do you have resources to help or are they on their own?"
The nervous way the woman was fiddling her hands and biting her lip immediately had Tim paying more attention to the question.
"The city has several excellent shelters and yes there are some resources we can connect victims with. If you have any interest in learning more about that, please see me after."
It was later, during a coffee break that he found himself standing next to the woman while she looked at the pastries set out. She seemed anxious and Tim felt the need to check that she was alright.
“I wouldn’t trust the pastries if I were you.” She startled when he spoke, apparently having not realized he was there.
“Oh, I didn’t even realize I was looking at them. I guess I spaced out a little bit, sorry. Uhm, I’m Lucy.” Her name was added as an afterthought and she stuck her hand out abruptly and then tucked it back under the jacket she was holding.
“Nothing to apologize for. Are you alright? It seemed like earlier you had some specific information you were wanting to find.”
“I’m fine, thanks.” It sounded like an automatic response, something that she was used to giving but didn’t hold any truth.
“I was hoping to get that information you mentioned earlier, about support for people experiencing domestic violence. It sounds like something good to have.”
His eyes automatically ran over her arms, checking for bruises that she might have covered with make-up. She was wearing a short sleeved yellow top, so she didn’t seem to be hiding any marks, but part of her arms were obscured by the jacket she had folded over them, a jacket she was holding onto like it was a lifeline.
“Can I ask why you feel the information would be helpful?”
It probably was too blunt of a question and he saw her body tense before she answered.
"I want it for a friend. My friend... she's not in a great situation but she also doesn’t know if she can get out. I’m just trying to get the information; in case she needs it." The rushed way she said it was for a friend made it sound like a lie.
If there is physical abuse-"
"No, no its nothing like that. It's just... red flags." The woman, Lucy, looked down as she spoke not wanting to meet his eyes and it made Tim think of the times his mother had shrunk into herself after the abuse she suffered from his father. There was an ache in his chest as he looked down at her.
"Does she not have a support system that could help?"
Lucy’s entire body seemed to deflate a little at the question.
"No, her parents adore him. They think he is the one right choice she has made in her life so they wouldn't listen to anything bad about him. And, well, she's drifted away from most of her friends. He prefers she spend her time with him."
"Isolation and controlling behavior can be red flags." He’s stating the obvious, he knows, but he is struggling to find the right words to say.
"Yeah..."
She nearly whispers her answer, staring down at the coffee in her hand. He wants to wipe away the sadness on her face. This level of pain doesn't seem like it is for a friend, and he has seen too many domestic situations turn deadly from seemingly innocuous beginnings.
"Look, let me print you out a list of resources that could help. Just so you have them in case she wants them. And let me give you my card. If she, or you, need help, you can give me a call. The small smile she shoots up at him is like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds, brief but dazzling.
They have to return to the lecture after that, but he keeps an eye on her during the class, making sure she doesn’t slip out without the information she came to get.
It could be that she was just a caring friend invested in doing what she could, but Tim’s instincts were screaming that she was the one in a bad situation. The devastated look on her face when she talked about her "friend's" unsupportive parents and the tone of her voice, betrayed and resentful, as she spoke the words were so personal.
He kept glancing over at her to check on her, though the fact she was a very lovely young woman didn’t exactly make him want to wrench his eyes away.
Once the class concluded he dodged the eager screenwriters and made his way straight to her.
The information was easy to gather quickly, and a few minutes later he was handing her the printouts along with his card. Yet, she didn’t seem ready to leave. It makes sense when one more question tumbles out of her.
"Have you dealt with domestic violence before?"
He pauses for a moment, wondering just how honest he should be. Finally he decides that she needs to know where this could end. She still has a good chance to get out.
"Yeah, when I was a rookie there was a case with a woman who would call us, we'd arrest her husband, she'd change the story. The details made no sense. The D.A. couldn't prosecute. She'd leave and then she'd go back. He killed her. It's not just the leaving that is important, it’s the staying away.” He looks into her eyes as he finishes, “but she has to take the first step.”
She nods and murmurs a quiet “thank you” before starting to leave and he realizes that he has one more thing to say.
"I hope she leaves him. If she is questioning if her partner is abusive, it doesn't sound like it can be a healthy relationship."
Lucy glances back at him, a conflicted look on her face, before she takes a step back toward him. Under the anxiety and conflict, he can see the strong woman she obviously is, and the woman makes herself known as Lucy smiles at him. This smile is like the sun lighting up the whole sky, no clouds in the way.
“Thank you, Sergeant Bradford. That’s something I really hadn’t considered.”
“Tim.” Is the only thing he gets out in answer, a little too dazed by her to say anything else.
The next thing he knows, she is gone, and he is looking over the list of names for his class participants, because he never got a last name and he wants to know. He finds her near the top. Lucy Chen.
If he bribes Nell in dispatch with a box of chocolate to let him know if that name ever shows up on a call, well that is him protecting his community.