"Luce" Ana visibly relaxes in her bed when she sees her bruised best friend enter her hospital room, followed by Tim.
"you weren't kidding" Lucy remarks, seeing how Ana is indeed handcuffed to her bed.
"how are you feeling?" Ana asks, weakly.
"alright, all things considered" Lucy responds. "how are you?"
" 'm getting there" Ana replies, softly.
"she got an infection during surgery" Tim explains, his arms crossed.
"you what?!" Lucy exclaims.
"minor infection, I'm fine." Ana says, softly, sending Tim a look who just gives her a smirk back.
"what are the doctors saying?" Lucy asks.
"a week or so before I'm discharged" Ana murmurs.
"Ana-" Lucy exhales.
"I'd do it a thousand times again" Ana cuts her off. "I'm just glad that you're okay"
"mmhmm, but now it's time for me to take care of you" Lucy replies.
"that's really unnecessary" Ana promises, softly.
"too late, I was just discharged and I'm not leaving 'til you feel better" Lucy says, sitting down next to Ana's bedside.
Lucy starts to dote on Ana, making sure her pillow is fluffed and she has plenty of water. Ana's eyes meet Tim's, who has an amused smile on her face and she smiles back before looking away, hiding the blush on her face.
[Timeskip]
"I think you should go first" Ana decides, softly, as both Lucy and Ana debate who should go into the roll call room first.
"I think you should go first" Lucy argues.
"you were kidnapped by a serial killer, you should go first" Ana points out.
"exactly, so I should get the final say" Lucy replies.
Ana huffs, knowing that she's going to go first either way. Lucy gives her a smirk.
"you're lucky I'm easy to guilt trip" Ana says as she walks out of the locker room.
Lucy just laughs.
When Ana walks into the roll call room, she gets a round of applause, much to her embarrassment.
"How are you feeling, Officer Cabrera?" Grey asks.
"I'm a little hungry, to be honest" Ana replies, softly, grinning when Tim drops a donut in front of her on his way to his seat. "now I'm pleased."
"good" Grey smiles.
Lucy walks in a few minutes later and Ana makes sure to clap very loud, giggling at the look Lucy sends her.
"Sorry, I tried." Nolan says, though he obviously didn't try at all.
"Yeah, you're dead to me." Lucy replies, clearly joking.
"Welcome back, Officer Chen. How're you feeling?
"Can't wait to get on the streets, sir. Just get back to normal." Lucy responds.
"So glad to hear that. We're gonna mix things up a bit. You're gonna be riding with Harper this week. Which means Cabrera, Nolan, you and your ride-along are with Bradford." Grey announces.
"Sorry, wait. What? Ride-along?" Tim asks, but Grey just moves on.
"Which brings us to Officer West. Tell me, son, you enjoy the red carpet last night?" Grey asks.
"What? H-How did you know - I was at a red carpet?" Jackson stutters out.
"LAPD Media Relations sent me a link." Grey grins.
He turns on the TV and shows a clip at a red carpet, where Jackson is posing with Sterling Freeman.
"And now some hot goss from Hot Suspect star Sterling Freeman. TV's favorite cop has been hitting the town with real-life LAPD Officer Jackson West. Looks like these cops should call the fire department, 'cause it's getting hot in here." The TV announcer says over the clip.
Ana giggles, glancing at Jackson.
"Okay. Yeah, no, no, no, keep laughing. I also gained 10,000 new Instagram followers overnight, so." Jackson brags.
"West, the only followers you should worry about are your superiors. Think about us next time you're out on the town." Grey replies.
"Yes, sir." Jackson responds.
"All right. That's it. Stay safe out there." Grey says, dismissing them.
"who is this ride along" Tim asks, walking over to Nolan while Ana nibbles on her donut, standing next to Tim.
"Uh, it's my future daughter-in-law, Abigail, over there. She's considering signing up to the Academy." Nolan explains, pointing over at a brunette with short straight hair.
"She's like almost as tiny as cupcake. And I'm not interested in chasing tame calls today" Tim scoffs
"Uh, no need to. I think Abigail would benefit from seeing the harsh side of police work." Nolan responds.
"You don't want her to be a cop." Tim realizes.
"I'm merely concerned about her suitability. So perhaps we should show her what she'd be signing up for?" Nolan suggests.
"No problem. Scaring rookies off the job is my specialty." Tim smirks before the three approach Abigail, who stands up and holds out her hand.
"Hi, I'm Abigail." Abigail smiles.
"Ana, lovely to meet you" Ana replies, softly, shaking Abigail's head.
Tim gently pushes Ana behind him.
"My name is Officer Bradford. You'll address me only as Officer Bradford. Do you understand?" Tim says, his voice harsh and stern.
Once Abigail nods, he asks "You sign the liability waiver?"
"Yes, sir. Officer Bradford." Abigail replies.
"Good. Then you understand you could be injured, maimed, paralyzed, burned, or killed during this ride-along." Tim continues.
"I mean, yeah, sure." Abigail shrugs.
"We're not tour guides. We're the police. We drive towards the sound of gunshots. So, if that's gonna be a problem, you should bail out now." Tim warns.
"No problem at all. Let's go find some gunshots." Abigail smiles.
[Timeskip]
Ana is having a very good day, she's been given a donut and now she's sitting in the passenger seat. Ana thinks it's punishment for Nolan for bringing a ride along. She doesn't know that Tim just wants to give her a good day after all of the hell she's been through recently.
They get to a crime scene with a body covered by a tarp. Dr. Solomon Lowell, a man Ana knows pretty well, is making notes over the body.
"If you really want to be a cop, first thing you need to come to terms with is death In all its forms. Stay here." Tim says but takes Ana's hand to help her under the caution tape and walking over to Lowell.
"Officer Cabrera, how are you doing?" Lowell asks.
"pretty good, how about you?" Ana questions, softly, smiling.
"alright, alright, got a jumper here" Lowell says, gesturing towards the body.
Tim beckons Nolan and Abigail over.
"We got a jumper. Did a header from the roof." Tim announces.
"You really don't want to see this." Nolan warns.
"No, I kinda do." Abigail disagrees.
"If you're gonna hurl, kid, do it over there." Tim says as the tarp is peeled back.
Ana has never been repelled by dead bodies, instead saddened and hurt. It's a good thing, it guarantees that she won't become jaded and ever not see the worth of a human life.
However, Abigail actually seems curious.
"Huh. I'm not even sure what I'm looking at." Abigail notes, tilting her head.
"Impact velocity tends to turn people into pinatas. Five stories onto asphalt, and it's limbs akimbo. That's his left leg. That's his spine." Lowell explains, pointing out his features.
"Oh, okay. Yeah, I see now." Abigail nods.
"do you know who it is?" Ana asks, softly.
"Yeah. Heston Dayton, 22." Lowell answers.
"You thinking homicide? Suicide?" Nolan questions.
"I won't know until I do an autopsy. And even then, it might not be clear, given the state of the body." Lowell responds.
"Have you notified next of kin?" Tim asks.
"Not yet." Lowell says.
Tim and Nolan exchange a look before Tim leans down to whisper in Ana's ear.
"¿Puedes soportar decírselo a los familiares más cercanos?" Tim murmurs to Ana in Spanish. (Can you handle telling the next of kin?)
"sí puedo." Ana replies, softly. (yes, I can)
She's been to therapy a lot recently and she's feeling better, just happier in general. Especially because Rosalind is in the past and Lucy is safe.
"Okay, let detectives know that we'll take care of it. C'mon." Tim says, walking towards the shop with Ana following him.
Abigail and Nolan walk behind them.
[Timeskip]
"There's no shame in waiting in the shop if you're not up for it." Tim says as he walks up the steps of the trailer.
It's presumably directed at Abigail but Ana catches the look he sends her as well. Still, she holds her ground, she's unfortunately done these several times, it never gets easier but she does try to help the grieving family.
"Police!" Tim calls, knocking on the door.
"What? What'd he do this time?" Mrs. Dayton asks, opening the door.
"Ma'am, I'm Officer Bradford. This is Officer Cabrera and Officer Nolan. Can we come in?" Tim asks.
"No." Mrs. Dayton responds.
"ma'am, if you could-" Ana starts but is interrupted.
"Just tell me, what Heston did." Mrs. Dayton insists.
"We regret to inform you that your son was killed this morning." Tim says, bluntly.
"What?" Mrs. Dayton exclaims.
"What's going on? Mom?" A girl, Ellen, presumably Heston's sister comes up behind the cops.
"Your brother's dead." Mrs. Dayton announces.
"No." Ellen shakes her head.
"I'm afraid so." Nolan sighs.
"What happened?" Mrs. Dayton asks.
"He fell from a building in downtown. It's possible he jumped." Tim answers.
"No, he would never do that. N-N-Never." Mrs. Dayton stutters, walking inside her house to get a glass of wine.
"Do you know what he was doing downtown?" Tim asks as he, Ana, and Nolan follow her into the trailer home.
"No. I hadn't seen him in a couple of days." Mrs. Dayton replies.
"You asked what Heston had "done now"? What kind of trouble was your son into?" Tim questions.
"Just hanging around with idiots." Mrs. Dayton answers.
"Anybody we should talk to?" Ana asks, softly.
Before Mrs. Dayton can respond, they hear a car pull up blasting music and Abigail call them out. They rush out, seeing Ellen exclaim to a man, Everest Jones.
"What the hell did you do?!" Ellen yells.
"What?" Jones asks, confused.
"It's your fault he's dead!" Ellen exclaims.
"What the hell are you squawking about?" Jones questions, grabbing Ellen and pushing her face down on the hood of the car.
Ana moves to step in but Abigail is quicker and kicks him between the legs.
"Hey, leave her alone!" Abigail yells.
Tim and Ana hold back Ellen while Nolan cuffs Jones.
"ma'am, please, calm down, who is this guy?" Ana asks, softly.
"He's the reason Heston's dead!" Ellen yells.
"What are you talking about? I just talked to him this morning." Jones answers.
"Get up. 7-Adam-15, can you run a name for me? Everest Jones, born 02/01/96." Nolan says over dispatch.
"Wait, he he's not really dead, is he?" Jones asks.
"Yes, he is, if you know anything about it, you need to tell us right now." Nolan insists.
"Dude, I don't know anything."
"Liar!" Ellen yells, lunging at Jones but Ana and Tim hold her back.
"Hey, hey. Do you have a specific accusation?" Ana asks.
"No. But ever since Heston's been hanging out with this loser, he's been getting himself in trouble." Ellen scoffs.
"7-Adam-15, first name Everest, last name Jones. Priors for criminal threats and brandishing a firearm." Dispatch replies over the radio.
"You're under arrest for assault and battery." Nolan says, arresting Jones.
"They attacked me." Jones accuses.
"Detectives will come by later to talk to you and your mom. If you have any questions, give me a call." Tim says, handing Ellen his business card before he and Ana help get Jones in the backseat.
[Timeskip]
"All right, Everest, time to come clean. You need to tell us what you know about Heston." Nolan says in holding.
"Maybe he did really jump. How the hell should I know?" Jones exclaims.
"His sister tried to scratch your eyes out. She thinks you're responsible." Ana points out.
"Well, I was at the DMV in Culver City all morning, clearing up tickets, so..." Jones trails off.
"They got cameras there, so if you're lying-" Tim says.
"I'm not! And I know my rights. I don't have to talk to you two anymore, so..." Jones says, before making a gesture as if zipping his mouth closed.
"Get him processed. We'll get the detectives' table up to speed." Tim tells Nolan.
"Right." Nolan responds before the two walk away.
"how are you feeling?" Tim asks Ana as they walk towards the detectives area.
"good, well as good as I can be given all of that" Ana answers, softly.
"you should've told me if you didn't want to tell the next of kin" Tim says.
"I wanted to" Ana insists. "I don't regret doing it, but even before everything that happened, it's still hard to see"
"okay" Tim sighs. "you're going to tell me if you get overwhelmed or anything, right?"
"right" Ana promises as they arrive at the detectives area.
[Timeskip]
"that new comedy?" Ana asks, softly.
"mmhmm, you down?" Lucy questions.
"oh, totally" Ana agrees, softly.
"great, I just need to take a shower when I get home and then it'll be a girls night" Lucy giggles.
" 'course, I'll make some snacks while you're showering" Ana replies, softly.
"Oh! You're not gonna shower?" Harper asks, walking over in street clothes.
"I'm gonna do it at home." Lucy replies.
"Oh, but you're not going home." Harper says. "you too, runt"
"we're going to go to Lucy's place and watch the new comedy movie with Kevin Hart" Ana replies, softly.
"Ready?" Angela calls.
"Almost." Harper calls.
"I'm, I'm sorry, ready? Ready for what?" Lucy asks.
"We have plans. Girls night." Harper replies. "sad movie night is cancelled"
"Oh, I get it. You've seen that I'm fine on the job, but you're still not convinced?" Lucy raises an eyebrow.
"No, that's not it. We just thought it would be fun." Harper answers.
"if you're not up for it we can just go back to your place" Ana promises Lucy.
"Oh, wait, no, I am. It's - You guys have just never asked me out before. But that's great. Uh, cool. So, where are we going? A bar? Club?" Lucy asks, getting excited.
[Timeskip]
"oh, this is like my worst nightmare" Ana says, softly, holding Lucy's hand as they walk into a big open space with a banner that says "Speed Dating".
"Oh. Uh, this is a joke, right?" Lucy asks.
"You were right. I have never gone on a date with a serial killer, and you have." Harper says.
"And that would make anyone question their judgment." Angela points out.
"Yeah, sure, but, uh, this is -" Ana says, softly, knowing how hesitant Lucy is.
"But nothing. Look, you can never truly know that you are fine until you know that you can trust your judgment again. So, we're here, in this controlled environment with zero stakes, so you can meet and evaluate a succession of men." Harper explains.
"If you can call them "men."" Angela scoffs.
"Look, I appreciate, what you're trying to do here. And actually, it's fairly psychologically sound, but this - This is unnecessary." Lucy replies.
"Well, it'll just be a great story for tomorrow." Harper points out.
"You are not gonna take "no" for an answer, are you?" Lucy sighs.
"I am just real committed to getting you to say "yes."" Harper smirks.
"Okay. Fine. Yes." Lucy agrees.
"Great. We will be sitting over there, having just some BYO." Harper says, as she takes a swig from a flask.
"Uh, oh, no. If I'm doing this, so are you guys. Can't have a control study without independent data. Otherwise how will I know that my judgment is sound?" Lucy points out, making Ana giggle.
"She's got a point." Harper says.
"Don't make me pull the buried alive card." Lucy says, already dragging Ana towards the line.
"Screw it, I'm in." Angela says, walking over as well.
[Timeskip]
"hi" Ana says, awkwardly.
"why, hello there" a very old man grumbles, looking her up and down.
"Esto es para apoyar a Lucy." Ana mumbles under her breath. (This is to support Lucy.)
Thankfully, or maybe not thankfully, but anyway, Lucy throws a guy to the ground who tries to touch her and they are very quickly leaving.
They go home and have a comedy movie night and Ana will smile, watching Lucy relax. Ana knows that Harper and Angela are right, Lucy does need to be pushed out of her comfort zone, but Ana always wants to make sure that she isn't pushed too far and that she has comfort to come back to.
[Timeskip]
"hey, how's Lucy doing?" Tim asks, having volunteered to drive Ana to her follow up appointment to check in on her liver.
Ana won't be at work today, since the appointment will take all day and Tim promised to pick her up, drive her home, and bring her lunch, which she is very grateful for.
"she's okay... the whole speed dating thing last night was... hard on her, but I think she's getting back into it. I don't know... she needs to feel safe again before she can feel confident, so I thought that the speed dating was a push too far" Ana admits, softly.
"they took you speed dating?!" Tim exclaims.
"yeah..." Ana sighs. "wasn't very fun, but I took Lucy home and we watched a bad movie and ate chocolate."
[Timeskip]
"thank you for driving me today" Ana says, softly, as Tim drops her back off at her apartment.
"no problem, cupcake" Tim replies with a smirk.
"hey, I-I know that you don't really feel comfortable giving advice, b-but maybe talk to Lucy tonight. I know that Harper and Angela made it seem like you wouldn't be helpful, but I think she needs you right now, not me or Angela or Harper" Ana requests, softly.
"okay, I will" Tim agrees, making sure Ana gets home before driving away.
Ana looks down at her sun ring once she enters her bedroom. She never takes it off except when she's showering, it's a reminder of the people in her life.
Suddenly, she gets a text on her phone from Lucy.
*"on my way home, I'll text you when I get there"* - Lucy.
Ana sleeps peacefully that night, for the first time in two weeks, knowing that Lucy is safe and sound.