They rushed Tim to the hospital, Lucy stayed back to look after her kids. She gathered them all into her arms, so happy to have them back.
"Are you guys okay? Matthew how's your head?"
"Fine, it hurts a bit." He mumbled, clutching the cooling pad to his head.
"You all did such a good job. I'm so proud of you." She kissed each one on the head.
"Is daddy going to be okay?" Theo asked, holding his headphones.
Lucy gave everything not to break down and cry, "I hope so baby, he's strong."
Fei nodded, "he survived my sand cake. He can survive some bullets."
Lucy chuckled, "damn right honey." Lucy couldn't stop hugging and kissing them, she was so scared to find them hurt or even killed.
"I won't let you out of my sight for another minute till you all are grown ups."
"You don't want to watch me getting on with the girls." Finnegan tried to lighten up the mood.
"Gross." Theo said.
"Jerk." Matthew rubbed his head whilst Fei boxed Finnegan on the shoulder, "have some respect."
Lucy smiled at her bickering kids, "don't worry about that Finny, that's a long way off, you're nine."
"Bradfords?" Lucy turned towards Grey, "come on. I'm driving you all to the hospital."
Lucy nodded and guided her kids to the car, thank god the four fitted right into the backseat. Grey drove them to the hospital, making some smalltalk with the kids.
"Nice thing with the bat Matthew, that was brave. You would make a great cop." He remarked.
"He pushed Finn." Matthew seemed to think for a minute, "I want to be a cop. But not patrol, that's boring."
"Same, patrol is waaaaaay to boring." Fei agreed.
Grey laughed and looked at Lucy, "maybe they need a ride along some day."
Lucy nodded, "probably."
Grey parked the car in front of the hospital. "Do you need anything else?"
Lucy looked back at her kids, "for now, no. Thanks."
Grey nodded and waited that everyone excited the car before driving off. Lucy walked into the hospital and straight to the info.
"Hello. My husband, Sergeant Tim Bradford was brought in here. Multiple shoot wounds."
The nurse looked over her computer and nodded, "he's in surgery. You can wait in the waiting room but it will take his time. If you want we can call you when he's out."
"No no, we're waiting here. Do you maybe have a blanket for my kids?"
"Of course, please sit, I will be right at you."
Lucy hushed her kids into the waiting room and sat each one down on a chair. "Listen, I have to stay here, but if your tired I can call your aunt Angela or Genny to come get you."
"No. I'm staying." Finnegan crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yeah same." Matthew said, picking up a magazine.
Theodore just put in his headphones and listened again to the audio Tim and Lucy made for him.
Fei, took Lucys hand and dragged her to the chair next to her. "We're all staying. We want to know news from daddy."
Lucy smiled at her and kissed her crown, "My strong girl."
The nurse brought in two blankets, at the same time Tamara hurried in.
"Oh my god, I heard it from Celina. Are you all okay? How's Tim?" She let her bag down by the chair besides Finnegan and checked the kids.
"They're fine and Tim is in surgery. I'm sorry that I didn't call you, it's just–"
"Don't worry, you have enough on your plate Lucy." Tamara smiled at her and sat down. "Someone hungry, I saw a snack vending machine on my way."
"Hell yeah" Finnegan said.
"Bring me some salted crackers please?" Matthew asked, tasking the magazine from Finn.
"Me some gummies." Fei said, looking into the magazine with Mathew.
Lucy run her hands trough Theos hair, "Do you want something?"
Theo shook his head, closing his eyes.
It was almost morning when the nurse finally yelled Lucy that Tim was being transferred into a room.
"How was the surgery?"
"Good. Your husband will be out for a few more hours, but he's gonna be fine."
Lucy exhaled relieved, "thank you, thank you so much. Can we see him?"
"Yes, room 643. I can bring in some extra stretchers for your kids. I'm sure that he will be so happy to see all of you when he wakes up."
"That would be lovely, thank you." Lucy woke up the kids and Tamara and moved them to Tim's room. There he was, laying on his back, cabled up and so weak. She hated to see him like that. The kids took a quick glance at their dad but Lucy could see they didn't wanted to see him like this ever.
Lucy sat the kids on the extra stretcher and covered them and Tamara with the blankets. "Try to sleep, he will be asleep for a bit longer."
She sat down besides Tim and waited like the others. Lucy was glad that the kids fall asleep pretty easily and she catched some hours of sleep herself. She didn't realize how long she would sleep.
Lucy woke up, though she was in a still half asleep state and didn't dare to raise her head from the bed.
"Finnegan. Would you please not play with my monitor, I kinda need it right now." She heard a too familiar voice say.
"Yeah Finnegan. He's old, leave his monitor." Mocked Tamara.
Lucy opened her eyes and looked right into the blue soft eyes of her husband. She immediately tear up and threw her arms around him, careful to not hurt him.
Tim smiled at her and gently stroked the back of her head. "It's okay Luce, I'm good."
"You're a lying liar who lies." Fei said, "otherwise you would let us play with all that funny hospital stuff."
"Damn right." Matthew said, twisting a cable in his hands.
"Please don't buddy, that's my air cable thing." Tim still held Lucy against him. Lucy Held him close, she didn't want to let go.
After some time she lifted her head and looked right at him one more time. "You're dead Bradford. Like so dead, sleeping on the couch dead and taking me out for dinner every single day dead."
Tim chuckled and kissed her crown, "deal."
"Yeah dad. Your dead, like buy me the new football set dead." Finnegan said, grinning.
"Like buy me a puppy dead." Fei added.
"Okay okay I got it." Tim laughed, "I love you all too. And I'm so glad that you are all okay."
"Can you please come home now?" Theo asked, on which Tim smiled.
"Soon buddy, but I guess I have to stay a few days more."
Lucy picked up Theo and sat him down besides Tim. Tim gently kissed his arm and smiled at him, "but you know that you all are safe at home right? Your mom is a badass who won't let anything happen to you. And than there is Kojo."
"That with mom is true, but what the hell will Kojo do? Show the intruder his ball collection?" Matthew asked, amused.
"Kojo is a badass as well." Lucy smiled, getting all the kids up on Tims bed. "Now go give your dad a hug before aunt Angela picks you all up"
She and Tamara settled with standing around the bed. Lucy watched Tim giving his kids some hugs and reassuring them that he will be fine.
After some Moore cuddling, Angela picked the kids and Tamara up to feed them properly and settle them at home again before Lucy would join them in the evening.
She and Tim talked some time and just enjoined each others company when there was a knock on the door.
"Yes?" Tim answered.
A doctor came in, a smile on her face. "Hey there, how are you feeling?"
"Never been better."
"Jerk." Lucy said, on which Tim just smiled at her, "just a bit tired doc."
The doctor nodded before she looked around, "your kids gone home?"
"Yes. They'll come by tomorrow again."
The doctor nodded, the smile vanishing from her face. "Listen. I didn't wanted to tell you earlier with the kids around and all but there had been some complications in the surgery. The bullet hit your kidney and we had to operate it out. Your other kidney seems to not adept well to all the hard work alone."
Tim's jaw tightened and Lucy grabbed his hand, squeezing it.
"What does that mean?" She asked.
The doctor looked at Tim and his wife, she sighed, "I'm sorry. It means that you can count on a kidney failure in near future. You might need a donation for a second one. But we will try to boost you up some medicine and some regular check ins at the hospital. You're going to get all the information home with you and if you notice changes in your urine or nausea, feeling breathless or confusion you answer to us. And if we notice hypertension or oedema at your regular check ins we start another treatment whilst waiting for a donation."
Tim needed a second to take in all of these information.
"Can he still do his job?" Lucy asked, she knew that Tim loved his job and not being able to do the police work, it would kill his mind.
The doctor nodded, "yes. But if you're having a bad day, you should sit one out."
Tim blinked several times, trying to hide the glassines of his eyes. "Thanks doc."
The doctor nodded and retrieved herself from the room.
Lucy locked eyes with Tim, she held her hand on his cheek. "You're going to be okay." She said softly.
Tim nodded, taking a deep breath, "don't tell the kids please."
Lucy hesitated but agreed. Tim looked like he was about to break down from all the shitty stuff that had happened, so Lucy just climbed in besides him and held him, spoke soft words into his ears till he fell asleep.
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