Zara and Tim sat across from each other in the restaurant, both smiling nervously as they sipped on their drinks and exchanged small talk.

It was weird, the two knew that but no one wanted to actually start a real conversation so they in silence were drinking their drinks.

Suddenly, Tim took a deep breath and mustered the courage to ask Zara about her day.

"What was it like with captain?"

She let out a deep breath.

"Well, she got punched because i ducked and for a few seconds i feared i would lose my job." she responded and he chuckled at her dramatic words.

"How was it like getting skunked?" she teased and he rolled his eyes at her playful jab, deciding to reciprocate the teasing.

"Getting skunked wasn't nearly as eventful as your encounter with the captain." he replied with a grin, happy to engage in the ban.

The two began staring at each other, their eyes not leaving the other's gaze as the tension between them began to create a shift in the atmosphere.

"Why was it weird before?" she asked him suddenly. He didn't know what to say and she continued talking then. "Over the past months we've eaten together hundreds of times, what makes this so different?"

"Because our other meals only held the promise of being shot at afterwards and not naked time, eh."

Her jaw would've probably dropped.

She had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. "Naked time?" she couldn't of held her laughter for longer.

He shrugged and then the two broke into laughters. "Please, I mean we have seen plenty of naked people after we ate." she claims.

"Yeah, but-but thats not." he began but was interrupted by her speaking up and placing her hand on his upper bicep.

Damn he had muscles.

"I know i know."

she removed her hand, way to fast for his or her likening.

"I feel like i-i, i might just need you to reset your expectations a little bit." she announces while he leans back in his seat.

"You're not gonna see me naked for a while. I mean i just don't wanna rush into that. I wanna take things slow, this date, a second date, have our real first kiss as people who aren't co-workers. I just don't think we should jump into bed together just because we've known each other for a few months. I mean do you?"

He smiled at her words, even though her saying that was pretty sudden but he didn't mind.

"Yeah, i do." he agreed and she smiled back, their staring began again.

Well, that was what was happening right before the door of the restaurant opened.

Tims gaze left her to check who entered. He looked like a dear caught in headlights before he saw that it wasn't anyone known to him.

Her eyes followed his.

"Are you scared that someone from me the station will come in?" she asks in disbelief.

He immediately shakes his head.

"No, no, no."

She raises her eyebrows at him, her intensive stare making him
gulp.

The restaurant door shuts behind the stranger as Tim tries to compose himself before responding to her piercing gaze.

"It's fine." she reassures , placing her hand on his.

Their moment was interrupted by screaming from the kitchen. The cook and a waiter arguing crazily.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Zara motioned around with her hands.

Tim shook his head. "No. it's probably just some fight about a order that gone wrong."

Brown nodded her head before she sipped on her wildberry lillet. Neither of the the wanted to blow their covers considering that they were rookie ans T.O. on the job.

The argument got heated quickly and the waiter picked up a knife from the table. "Knife." Zara called out and her and Tim got up, he took his off-duty gun from his waistband and pointed it at the waiter.

"LAPD, put the knife down." She yelled but it was to late.

The cook got his palm sliced when he tried to reach for the knife. "Call an ambulance." Zara added after she turned to another guest making him call an ambulance.

"Hands up, drop the knife!" Tim commands and the waiter puts his hands up dropping the weapon.

While Bradford still held his gun up Brown cuffed the man and made him sit down on a chair before tending to the cook.

While she wrapped his hand with some tissue to slow down the bleeding a bit they heard sirens approaching.

Zara now stood next to Tim as the entire restaurant was glooming with red and blue lights.

The two sighed right before looking at each other.

<<<<>>>>

It was late in the middle of the night, Zara and Tim stood in the Sergeants office who was wearing plain clothes.

"Do i wanna know?" he asked the two as he stood in front of them with his arms crossed.

Zara wanted to speak up but Tim beat her to it.

"Sir... Sir, things escalated quickly and we had to intervene to prevent any further harm." Tim explained, she nodded completely agreeing with his words.

"Not about that." Grey slowly walked towards them, his expression betraying his concern for Zara.

Brown shifted uncomfortably on her feet as she tried to figure out a possible excuse.

"Officer Bradford heard that they were cooking drugs in their kitchen so we went undercover to check it out but it escalated quickly." she blurted out.

Wade narrowed his eyes, trying to make her nervous but it didn't work.

"Fine, go home. Tomorrow's a long day."

The two nodded and walked out of his office as if nothing had happened.

<<<<>>>>

"Two firearms for two gift cards. Thanks for making our streets a little safer." Jackson thanks as he hands a man the gift cards and in return he receives guns.

"So, we're just gonna destroy these? What if one was used in a crime?" Lucy asks clearly not understanding why they weren't running forensic ballistics on each of the guns.

"Hey, "no question asked" means just that. And it's the best was to get people to turn in their unregistered weapons." he responds.

Zara snorts.

"And its also the best way for them to not get put behind bars because they've murdered someone."

"That and the 100$ gift cards." Nolan adds as he sees a woman not being able to get through the doors because of her luggage.

"Oh. Hang on a second. Sorry."

He walks past the three rookies to help the elderly woman.

Nolan groaned as he put the suitcase on the desk top. "And when he came back from the war, he brought all this with him. I've been carrying it with me since he passed in '74." The woman explains while John looks through the luggage.

"Oh, alma... this is in good condition. You could get real money for this." The oldest rookie explains and Zara rolls her eyes at his slight excitement before popping her gum.

"Oh, no. I wouldn't know where to start. Besides, i'm moving in with my son's family. i don't want these around my grandkids."

During her speech he took them out and carefully handed them to lucy who put them away.

"Well, we are here to help." Nolan announces as he takes a cloth were some smaller guns where in.

"Oh, those were his pistols. He brought them from Germany to San Francisco. And that one there is Ginny."

The air thickened as John opened another small wrapped up landmine.

His voice shook as he spoke. "Alma, is that a land mine?"

As if it had been nothing the woman nodded. "Yes, a claymore, i think. From his time in Vietnam." she explained and Jackson took the phone asking for the bomb squad.

Now even Zara looked scared.

Was that woman crazy? keeping a landmine?

"Uh, can we get a bomb squad to the front lobby? Now."

"Well, im so glad you brought this in, because these are extremely unstable. Tell you what. Im gonna stay here to dispose of this. Officer Chen is going to get you to a safe distance, and then we'll get you those gift cara we talked about." Nolan explains as Chen steps forward.

"Oh, uh, what about the ones in my trunk?"

For that it was to late now.

Suddenly one of the landmines in the car exploded, car alarms were blaring crazily.

The entire ground began shaking making everyone duck down and protect their heads with their hands interlaced on top.

"This day is going amazing so far."

<<<<>>>>

"Thank you for coming in on your day off. The vice president is making an unscheduled visit to our city. So it's all hands on deck. Agent Denvers."

Pretty much every cop was here in the roll call room while the captain announced the news.

Well, today hadn't been Zaras day off considering that she was a rookie and they dont have that type of luxus in their probation year.

"Thank you, Captain. As always, the Secret Service appreciates the LAPD's assistance in clearing and securing "Redwood's" route. These are your Operation Plan Manuals." The agent explained while a cop began handing paper out.

Jackson cell phone buzzed and Zara glanced at it.

"Each officer's name has been listed under a specific Quadrant and Zone, along with your responsibilities. Your watch commander will liaison with me throughput the say as issues arise." she continued talking and then noticed jackson texting someone.

She slapped him on the arm lightly, telling him to put it away before he gets caught.

„Come on." he muttered totally ignoring her warning.

Lopez turned around as the phone buzzed again. "Im sorry. Officer West. Is there something you want to share with the group?" The sergeant asked.

"Um, no, sir. Uh.. Im sorry. I just, uh- I had plans i needed to cancel." He tried explaining but the sergeant wasn't taking it.

"So did everyone here, yet they're paying attention." he exclaimed and the golden boy nodded his head uttering. "Yes, sir."

"These assignments are your sole priority today. You will not field calls from dispatch. Let the day shift deal with that. Captain?"

"Most of you know the drill. For our rookies- Today is going to be ugly. Everything we do to ensure the safety of Redwood will create gridlock. It's important to be patient and vigilant. That's all. You're dismissed."

Indistinct conversation began all over the room as the captain finished her speech before walking off.

"Bishop and Nolan." Grey called out as everyone else made their way out of the crowded room.

The three rookies alongside with their trainers walked down the hall ready to get their gear.

"I don't get all the fuss. It seems like we're getting a day of overtime just to close roads and hang signs." Zara claims as she looks through the papers that were handed to them previously.

"That's like saying being drawn and quartered is fun time with horses." Ryan speaks up.

"We're literally creating traffic jams during rush hour on purpose." Lopez says standing behind Tim and Zara.

"Everything we do today is gonna piss someone off." Tim states as it was now their and Jackson and Lopezs turn.

"Quadrant one."

"Quadrant two."

"I mean, we deal with angry people every shift, but a day of OT means i can finally get Lucy to fix the air-conditioning on her car." Zara deadpanned and Lucy slapped her shoulder from behind her.

"Hey! The air-conditioning is perfectly fine." Chen pouted and Brown rolled her eyes.

"I almost suffocated in it once when the windows wouldn't go down."

Jackson chuckled.

"What?" The two females asked as they caught their T.O.s starring at them.

"Air-conditioning makes you soft. You gotta get comfortable with being uncomfortable. That's the job." Tim states and Zara gives him the largest stink eye to ever exist.

"Is he serious?" Jackson wonders under his breath as he can't believe that Tim is saying something like that.

"As a heart attack, Boot. Which I gotta say you almost gave the watch commander back there." He responds harshly.

"Seriously. Playing with your phone during a briefing is a cardinal sin." Angela adds and Jackson nods, already known how much he screwed up.

"I-I lost focus." Jackson tried to explain his action but Lopez beat him to it. "I only hope you were cancelling something important, because Grey won't forget that for a while."

"Just, uh, breakfast with my mom."

Suddenly boxes full of everything they supposedly needed were placed in front of them.

"Is that all just for us?" Zara asks tim in disbelief, there was no way in hell she could carry that and the war bags.

"Yep." her T.O. answered.

"Extra road flares for the uptick in accidents. Extra ticket books for the increase in idiots." he continued.

Lopez took over as she began listing even more items they would probably have to use today.

"Extra crime-scene tape for blocking sidewalks and cones for closing roads."

During that they got everything handed to them. "Okay, okay, i get it." Zara huffs clearly pissed off and her shift hasn't even really started yet.

"Oh, we're not done yet. Hats and Bats. Tactical helmets and 42-inch batons for riot control, along with heavy-duty vests if things get ugly." Tim spoke.

"And my personal favourite, the 40-millimeter tear-gas launcher for when democracy gets real." Lopez announces as she takes the launcher.

"But, hey, at least you and chen will be able to ride in comfort."

Zara's eyes widened as she prayed in her head to finally be able to go home and not participate in whatever this just turned out to be.

<<<<>>>>

Brown and Bradford approached a street where pretty much just homeless people lived, in the distance rock music played loudly.

"Alright, listen up. Listen up! Until tomorrow at 3:00p.m., the stretch of Vine between Melrose and Franklin will be off limits. Sanitation services will be arriving in 20 minutes. You'll have until then to pack up." He orders to the homeless.

"Rope of the block." he then adds to one of his coworkers who nods before disappearing.

He then turns back towards Zara. "Make sure everyone moves off."

She nods her head and watches him leave.

Brown hears snoring coming from a man who was sleeping on a dirty mattress. "Sir? Sir?" she asks as she lightly shakes his foot in hopes of waking him up.

"Sorry to wake you, but i'm gonna need you to start packing up, alright?" She continues and the man sits up anger evident on his face.

"Bitch, those are my sneakers!" one of the homeless woman yelled at another. "Get out!"

They began arguing and pushing each other around and Zara knew she had to stop them now.

"Oh, hey! hey, hey!" she called out approaching the two. "Hey! Stop it! Just stop." she ordered as she got between the two.

That didn't stop them from continuing and the next the cop remembers is being tackled to the ground onto a mattress.

The woman screamed and when Bradford heard it he jogged over and pulled one of the two away. "That's enough! Hey. That's enough." he commanded as she fought back not wanting to get arrested.

He forced her up while Zara cuffed the other woman.

She then helped the woman to get back on her feet and sighed. "Brown." her T.O. exclaimed and she then practically snapped at him. "What?" she huffed.

"Stop. don't move." he softly responded as he starred at her hip which had been pierced with a dirty needle.

She followed his gaze and was met with the needle, which almost caused her to go spiral. "Don't touch it," he warned her, scared for her well-being.

Zara looked back up and he saw the fear in her eyes, a mix of concern in them as she realised what this could mean.

<<<<>>>>

For the next seconds she stood there frozen looking at the syringe. Her surroundings were blurred and she couldn't even focus or realise when Tim took the woman and led her to the shop.

Thoughts clouded her mind as she heard someone's voice in the distance. "Brown."

His voice was fuzzy to her and he began speaking louder when he realised that she wasn't reacting. "Zara?"

Him calling her by her first name pulled her out of her trance. "I didn't see it. I mean, it was.. it was on the ground, and-" she began and he cut her off.

"It's okay, but i need to pull the needle out."

She hear his words faintly as he gets on one knee in front of her to get onto eye level with the syringe.

With his gloves on he grabbed the plastic medical device and pulled it out slowly not wanting to hurt her.

She looked down to see a bit off blood on the tip and she swore she could feel her entire world spin.

Tim was worried as well but he covered it up pretty well before putting the needle into a small box.

He got up from the ground his water-colour eyes starring at her, their gazes met as she didn't know what to say anymore, if there even was something that she could say.

"What's the procedure when an officer is exposed on duty?" he suddenly asks.

Fuck him and his Tim tests.

She'll 100% take this one personal.

"What?" she shook her head clearly not understanding his words.

"Focus. What do we do now?" he responded and she sighs before answering his question. "Um..." she inhaled deeply before continuing her speech.

"Collect the evidence. Bring the officer and the item to the nearest hospital to test them for infections and diseases that may have been transmitted."

"And where's the nearest hospital?"

After that damned Tim test on day one she slowly but surely had been learning every street name and hospital in LA.

"Shaw Memorial."

Tim nods his head before smiling at her which she faintly returns before he turns around to face the other two officers here. "Make sure an officer posts up here until Veep passes through."

"Got it."

"Come on, let's go." he whispers to her placing his hand on her lower back to steady her while walking to the shop.

<<<<>>>>

Zara and Tim walked into the hospital, she rushed to the front desk. "Hi, umm. I need to get my blood tested, i got stung with a used hypodermic needle." she explains to the man behind the desk.

"oh, uh, yeah, one second." he says as he looks for a few papers and a pen. Zara waits anxiously, while he searches for them opening a few drawers.

"You can fill this out, have a seat in the waiting room and we'll be right with you."

She nods taking the clipboard and ready to go sit down but Tim stops her by speaking up. "You must be new, cause no experienced nurse lets an armed cop sit with civilians. What do you think happens if someone attempts to grab her weapon?" he lectures and the nurse stutters.

"I-I-I" he couldn't even get a sentence out.

"Hospital protocol dictates that an armed officer be seen immediately so set her up in a room right now and find a doctor." Tim orders and the man behind the desk nods before standing up. "Yes, sir."

"Right this way." he tells the brunette who was more than thankful for being seen now and not having to wait any longer.

Her eyes were slightly teary as he leads the way with Tim following her each step.

<<<<>>>>

When he enters the room she sat in, he immediately walks up to her to see her reading something on her phone.

He closes the door behind him to give the two some privacy.

When he sees her slightly panicked face he grabs the device from her hands reading the text she had just a few seconds prior.

He raises his hand with the phone before he begins speaking. "Falling down the Webmd rabbit hole isn't gonna change your results." he declares and she shakes her head.

"HIV is three times more prevalent in the homeless community than it is in the general population. Hepatitis is 5 ti-" She begins her rant but he cuts her off.

"I think cows kill more people a year than sharks. The facts are whatever you make them." he calmly explains and she gets up from her seat on the bed.

"What if i get hep c from this needle and one day i get shot and you're trying to stop the bleeding and you forget that you know, you have a cut on your hand or worse. A kid gets shot and im the one with the cut-" she rambles almost crying.

"Then you'll be a cop with hep c and a cut." he responds and she stares at him not knowing what to say.

"You signed up to put your life on the line, that means your health too. Focusing on fear isn't going to change the outcome." he softly continues as she wipes away a tear that had left her eye.

"Come here." he motions with his hands for her to get closer, she steps forward and gets enveloped in his arms.

He wraps his arms tightly around her still shaking body as she rests one on his chest and the other on his back while she desperately tried not to cry.

But she couldn't hold back the tears, feeling overwhelmed by the weight of her responsibilities and the uncertainty of the future.

The water from her eyes began pouring down her cheeks staining his uniform. He felt the wet patch starting to form but instead of pushing her away he held her even closer, if that was possible.

"Everything will be okay." he whispered soothingly making her nod, still tearing up.

When the two had been in that position for far to long she pulled away from his strong grasp but she still remained in arms reach for him.

He reached out and wiped a tear away from her face. Tim slowly leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead making her entire heart melt.

She definitely liked this Tim more than the "I got shot boot, where are we?"

"Lab results are gonna take hours. Do you want to hang out in the worst-case-scenario panic room, or you want to get back to work?" he explains and she looks on the ground uncertain.

"Get Chen's air-conditioning fixed?" he muttered and she chuckled at his words.

"I thought air-conditioning made me soft." she throws back wiping away the rest of her tears.

"Well, it does, but i can't solve all your problems today." he responds and she chuckles again.

"Go splash some water on your face. Let's get back out there." he says and she nods her head, right after he hands her her phone.

She inhaled deeply and then she walks over to the door with him in tow.

<<<<>>>>

Zara was in the bathroom, splashing water on her face. "You're gonna be fine." she reassures herself as she wipes her neck as well.

She breathed shakily while looking into the reflection of herself in the mirror.

A woman walks out of one of the stalls, also visibly upset. "Sorry, i didn't realise someone else was in here." the dark blonde haired woman says and Zara throws a polite smile her way.

In the mirror she could see that the woman was on the verge of breaking down. She began sniffing and the cop took a step to her right, the paper towel dispenser whirled as she took a few for the woman.

"Thanks." she whispered her voice cracking as she took the paper. The dark blonde woman was crying softly as she muttered an apology. "I'm sorry. It's just.. my brother, he was.. he was in a car accident."

She sniffled during her sentence and Zara couldn't imagine how she must be feeling, even if her brother was a total ass hat didn't mean that the woman next to hers was one as well.

Poor her.

"I'm sorry. Is he gonna be okay?" Brown asks as she stares at the look on the womans face.

She shook her head.

"No."

With that she threw the paper towel away and walked off with the brunette looking after her disappearing frame.

As she looked in the mirror one last time, she saw something on the ground from the stall where the woman had been in.

A bottle of bleach.

She furrowed her eyebrows as she stepped over to it carefully. Zara opened the stall door and saw the bottle insides spilled everywhere.

Zara looked closer to the orange thing she found and she swore it was from a syringe.

<<<<>>>>

The officer stepped outside of the woman's bathroom as she looked through the halls of the hospital hoping to see the female suspect.

Indistinct conversation were heard and when she turned her head right she spotted the cardigan she had just seen a few moments back.

Zara didn't stop, she walked right after her to see her entering a room.

"Hey!" she yelled out when she saw the dark haired blonde towering over an unconscious male.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"This is what he wants." the woman tries to justify and Zara pulls her taser.

"Stop." she ordered, her voice stern.

"7-Adam-19, A to B, Tim, i need you in. Room 113." Zara says into the radio, as her voice slightly shakes.

"Hey. Hey. Look, just put down the needle, okay? You don't need to do this."

"Yes, I do. My brother wouldn't want this. He ran triathlons. Being stuck in bed, brain-dead, hooked up to machines forever thats his idea of hell." Rachel justifies and Zara sighs.

"Okay. Listen to me. Look, i know you're in pain, but this is not your decision to make." Zara says, during her speech Tim comes into the room to see his boots taser trained on Rachel.

He quickly pulls his gun.

"Page a trauma surgeons and get an O.R. on standby. Incoming gunshot wound." Tim tells the nurse his eyes carefully watching the woman in front of him.

Zara felt at ease the second when he had entered the room.

"Please. Please. Mike never had a chance to sign a DNR. He and my sister-in-law got married six months ago. She's his medical proxy, but she can't let him go. She doesn't see that she's hurting him."

"And you think that injecting him with bleach is better? Listen you have no right to decide if he lives or dies. What you're talking about is murder." Zara announces as a dozen of nurses approach but stay outside of the room.

"He's already dead." with that she begins to put the needle closer to his neck. "Hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, put the needle down. Put it down." at the last part of her sentence she turns on the flashlight on her taser, her finger inching closer to the trigger.

"Hey. Look at me. Right here. Right here. Put the needle down, okay?" she tries to cool the situation but it didn't seem to be working in any way.

"No."

With that the woman pushes the tip of the syringe into her brother neck, the next second the taser fires.

Rachel groans in pain as she falls onto the ground. Zara puts the taser away and steps over to the man on the bed, she carefully takes the needle out.

"Did she push the plunger?" Her T.O. asks her while the nurses rush forward to the siblings.

"No." she shakes her head.

"Can't leave you alone for a minute." he deadpans after she gave the needle to the nurse.

then don't.

<<<<>>>>

"Grey's calling me back to the station." Tim announces as he approaches her from behind.

"Okay. Should i come with you?" she asks having her arms crossed over her chest.

"No. You stay here, wait for your results. I'll be back when im done." he says before stepping away from her.

"Tim?" she calls after him, he turns around to face her. "Thanks."

She gives him a faint smile which he returns. "For what? Doing my job?" with that he disappears from her eye sight.

<<<<>>>>

She anxiously sits on one of the few chairs in the hospital, her leg bouncing up and down.

Tim had calmed her down but without him she still panicked.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Jackson asks as he approaches the brunette.

"I got stuck with a hypodermic needle this morning, so now im just.. Im waiting." she explains fiddling with one of her necklaces.

Jackson nods at her words, not knowing what to say or how to react to this. "I, um.. I can wait with you." he says and she nods patting the seat besides her.

He takes off his bulletproof west before sitting down next to her. "Thanks." she whispered, thankful that she didn't have to be alone with her thoughts.

"Yeah."

<<<<>>>>

Her and Jackson sat in a comfortable silence, knowing that they were there for each other was all that had mattered.

"I've been here before." west starts ripping brown out of her trance. "Waiting for news." he continues.

She watches him with careful eyes as she listens. "Uh, before we started the Academy, my, uh, brother, Marshall, was diagnosed with diabetic nephropathy. It's a kidney disease." he explains, pain lacing his voice.

"Im sorry. is he okay?" zara asks and jackson nods his head. "Yeah. Now. But at the time, it looked like he needed a kidney transplant, and i was the only one in my family that was a match."

She sighs, that was one hell of a burden.

"That is a lot to carry." she emphasised the a lot, as she looked at him now turned to the side in her seat.

"Man, i was not ready for it."

she hums at his words, a motion for him to continue and to know that she was listening.

"I'd been counting the days until i could start the Academy, and suddenly, i was facing the idea of putting it all on hold. I agonised over it. But Marshall said that he could wait. That it really wasn't that serious. So... i took the out."

"He was looking out for you." she smiled.

"He suffered acute renal failure two months after we started. He almost died." Jackson continues and Zara's smile fades.

"Whoa, why didn't you tell us?" she muttered clearly shocked that one of her best friends never ever spoke about such an important matter.

"I was ashamed. I mean, it was my fault. I.. Luckily the hospital found another donor and he got the transplant, but my mom still hasn't forgiven me."

She shook her head at the first part of his sentence, it wasn't his fault.

"Which is why missing brunch was such a big deal."

He nods. "Yeah."

"And in her mind, I chose the job before family. Again." he continues and she shakes her head. "It's not the same." she tells him, he scoffs and she makes her point clear. "It's not."

He diverted his gaze from her as he now looked onto the grey floor.

"Deep down she knows its true. Have you told her how heartbroken you are about all of this?" she inquires.

"She hasn't really given me the chance." he answers shortly. "Well, then take it. Trust me, as unpleasant as it's gonna be, the waiting is so much worse." she instructs.

"Officer Brown?" a doctor approached the two cops who sat in silence on the bench.

"Yeah, thats- that's me." she makes herself known before standing up Jackson following her in tow.

"I have the results of your test. So if you come with me, we can set you up in a room." The woman begins but Zara cuts her off.

"Uh, no. Sorry. No. Uh, can you just tell me, like now?" she rants and the doctor nods her head. "okay."

She flips a few papers on the board while Zara taps her foot on the ground nervously.

Jackson senses her nervousness and places one of his still bloody hands on her upper arm for comfort.

"So, your initial test came back negative for any viral infections, like HIV or hepatitis."

Zara almost broke out into happy tears as she turned around to face jackson who had been just as happy as she was.

"But.."

She swore her smile had faded when she realised there was a but.

"Your blood work indicated the presence of a staph infection."

"What does that mean?" she immediately asked, fear lacing her voice as it almost broke.

"We need to get you started on intravenous antibiotics immediately. Some strains of a staph are drug-resistant, so we'll monitor the wound for any abscesses or cellulitis. Okay?"

"Okay." she whispered.

"Um, go. I'll, uh- i'll call Tim. He'll be here for you when you come out." Jackson announces and Zara had never ever been more thankful.

"Thank you for staying with me." she mutters and hugs him tightly. "of course."

She lets go off of him and them disappears with the doctor.

<<<<>>>>

Tim's car pulled up, he had taken everything that was hers from the lockers and was now here to pick her up.

When Jackson called him, he might've accidentally yelled at him but when he heard her name he immediately got everything he needed and drove the long drive to see her.

She was still in her uniform as she walked over to Tim's car which had stopped a few meters in front of her.

"Hey, pill popper." he greeted as he rolled the window down, her extremely amused face made him chuckle.

"Hey, timothy." she grinned and his smile was wiped off of his face. "Who-"

"Can i please have my clothes?" she asked sweetly and he gave her a quick smile as he handed her her backpack.

"It's in there."

She smiles before walking back into the hospital to change.

After over 5 minutes she comes outside again, seeing Tim still waiting for her.

"I thought you left." she began and he pushed a button on the drivers door to open the car lock.

"Get in." he sighed and she did as told and got into the car. "West told me to bring you to Nolan's so if you want to go i'll drive you." he explains to her as he pulls out of the parking lot.

"Have you got plans for tonight?" she boldly asked and he shook his head.

"Cause im starving."

<<<<>>>>

After a long drive the two sat next to each other eating their heavenly fries. "Let's hope no one ruins this date." she hums as she dips her fry into ketchup.

He chuckles as he watches her munch on her fast food.

"This our first real date." he states.

"Technically, last night was. It's a better story for the grand kids and all." She corrected, joeking at the last part of her sentence.

"Oh, we got grandkids now? Nice." he asks acting slightly surprised. The two held eye contact for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

Zara and Tim sat in silence enjoying each other's company after such a hard day of work.

The two watched the beautiful view of the stars in the night sky. "Don't break into that car." he huffs out of nowhere making the brunette furrow her brows.

"What? What car?" she asks confused, before following his gaze to a man who had been trying to get in.

"Hey, moron." Tim yells catching his attention, he holds up his badge making the man curse under his breath before running off.

"You know, he's just gonna break into a car in a different neighbourhood." Zara claims and he shrugs.

"Well, then some other cop can arrest him." he responds and she smiles as he brushes her hair out of her face behind her ear before he leans in.

She does the same and their lips meet, for the first real time.

<<<<>>>>

new chapter yall<3

it's crazy that y'all got two brownford dates, a kiss and a hug in one chapter 🤯

Stay happy cause it won't always be this "happy."

what's your opinion on this chapter? lmk

-nicole

6100 words