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Switching to the night shift was definitely an adjustment for Lucy. For starters, she no longer worked with her friends, and she missed them a lot. Secondly, her body simply wasn’t used to being awake at night and sleeping during the day. Thankfully, she had a strong support system: Tim. After she got her sergeant results, Tim finally found the courage to ask her out again.
He promised her this would be their third and final “first date.” Slowly, they found their rhythm again—Tim visiting her apartment, and Lucy spending time at his place.
Their conflicting schedules were another challenge for their relationship, but after being apart for so long, they were just happy to finally be together again.
Tim had just finished his shift and went over to Lucy’s apartment to spend a few hours together before she had to leave for her night shift.
He unlocked the door and was immediately welcomed by the smell of Lucy’s famous lasagna—and the sight of his beautiful girlfriend.
“Hey, babe. How was work?” Lucy asked, walking over to give him a kiss.
“Hey, it was alright. Smells amazing. You know you didn’t have to cook, right?” he replied after kissing her back.
“I know, but it’s not like I had anything else to do. Come sit, dinner’s just about ready.”
While they ate, they talked about their days, easily falling back into their familiar banter.
After dinner, Lucy started getting ready for work. Tim waited for her to finish so he could head home once she left, knowing she had promised to come over after her shift so they could see each other before Tim’s next morning shift. Luckily, they both had three days off once these shifts were done.
“Alright, I’m ready to go,” Lucy said. They walked together to their cars.
“I’ll see you later, babe. Be safe, okay?” Tim said as he hugged her.
“Always am. See you later. Love you,” Lucy replied.
“Love you too.”
They kissed goodbye and drove off in different directions.
Lucy arrived at the station, changed into her uniform, and put her hair up in a neat bun like she always did.
Tonight, she was partnered with Officer Carter—a kind woman who had served in the military for five years before joining the force. She was used to being alert at night, so night shifts suited her perfectly. They bonded quickly, and because of that, Lucy felt the shifts went by faster.
It had been a quiet night so far. They were mostly just driving around and talking like usual.
“7-Adam-50, we’ve got a possible domestic dispute on Belle Avenue. Are you available?” Dispatch asked over the radio.
“7-Adam-50, we are. Show us en route,” Officer Carter responded.
They arrived at the scene and immediately heard shouting. Carefully entering the house, they were met with broken furniture and shattered glass. In the living room, a woman was lying on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood.
Officer Carter checked her pulse, then looked at Lucy and shook her head. The woman hadn’t made it.
In the background, the shouting continued.
“Where are you, you little bitch?!” a man’s voice bellowed from another room.
They moved cautiously toward the sound and found a man frantically searching the master bedroom, a gun in his right hand.
“Police! Drop the weapon! Hands in the air!” Lucy shouted.
“Damn it! You weren’t supposed to get here yet! I need to kill her first!” he yelled back.
“Drop your weapon! Now!” Officer Carter repeated, both women with their guns drawn, taking cover behind the wall.
“No! I’m not going to jail. I’m following the plan,” he said, and before either officer could respond, he turned the gun on himself and pulled the trigger.
“Oh God,” Officer Carter muttered, shocked. Lucy wasn’t much better—she knew this scene would haunt her.
“Focus, Officer Carter. We still need to check the rest of the house. He said he was looking for someone else. There’s likely another person here,” Lucy said. They updated dispatch and began clearing the house.
They had nearly finished when Officer Carter whispered, “Lucy,” pointing to a teddy bear sticking out from behind a curtain.
They approached with caution, guns ready. Lucy pulled back the curtain to reveal a small girl, no older than five, curled up with her head between her knees. They holstered their weapons immediately and softened their expressions.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re safe now. We’re the police, we’re here to help,” Lucy said gently. She opened her arms, and the little girl rushed into them, sobbing uncontrollably.
“It’s okay. You’re safe. He’s gone. I promise,” Lucy reassured her. “What’s your name, sweetie?”
“Aleya,” the girl replied between sobs.
“That’s such a beautiful name. How about we go outside and get some fresh air, yeah?”
“Rosa?” Aleya asked softly.
“Who’s Rosa, sweetie?” Lucy asked, already fearing the answer.
“Daddy’s girlfriend. She told me to hide behind the curtain. Daddy came home mad again, yelled at her… and then I heard a ‘boom.’”
That confirmed it—Rosa was the woman on the floor.
Lucy didn’t know how to break the news to Aleya, so she slowly carried her outside, keeping the girl’s face buried in her neck so she wouldn’t see the blood.
“You were so brave for hiding until help came. Rosa… was really hurt…” Lucy began carefully.
“She went to heaven like Mommy did?” Aleya asked.
Lucy was stunned. The girl understood death—and had already lost her mother.
“Yes, sweetie. She did,” Lucy said sympathetically, gently wiping Aleya’s tears as they approached an ambulance.
“How old are you, sweetheart?” Lucy asked.
“Four,” Aleya whispered.
“Hi, this is Aleya. She needs to be checked out,” Lucy told the paramedic.
“Alright, you can set her on the stretcher.”
But when Lucy tried, Aleya clung to her, crying loudly again.
“No, please don’t let go!”
“It’s okay, this nice lady just wants to see if you’re hurt. You’re safe,” Lucy reassured her. Still, Aleya shook her head and held tighter.
“How about you sit on my lap while she checks you?” Lucy offered.
Aleya nodded timidly. Lucy sat down, holding the girl in her lap. Aleya gripped her arms tightly.
“Hi, sweetheart. I’m just going to check if you’re hurt, okay?” the paramedic said gently.
“She’s not physically injured, but she’s slightly dehydrated. No need for hospital admission—just lots of water,” the paramedic concluded.
That was good news—but it meant Aleya would have to stay at the station until a CPS worker arrived, which could take hours. Lucy coordinated with the other officers and called over Carter.
“Hey, look what I got,” Officer Carter said softly to Aleya, who still had her head buried in Lucy’s neck. She looked sleepy—understandable, after everything she had just gone through. Slowly, she lifted her head and gasped.
“Mr. Bobby!” she cried, holding out her arms for the teddy bear in Officer Carter’s hand. “Thank you!”
“You are welcome, sweetheart,” the officer replied with a warm smile.
“Can you drive us back to the station? I’ll sit in the back with her. I don’t think I can let her go without her panicking right now,” Lucy asked. Carter nodded and opened the rear door so Lucy could sit with the girl.
While they drove back to the station, Lucy felt the little girl slowly calming down—and eventually falling asleep in her arms.
The child had already been through so much. Lucy just hoped she wouldn’t be mentally scarred forever. She prayed there was someone out there who could give Aleya the love and support she deserved.
At the station, they alerted CPS. It would be at least two hours before someone could come. While she waited, Lucy filled out paperwork, researched the suspect and victim, and learned the full story: Aleya’s father had a clean record until recently, when he began skipping work and showing up intoxicated—this all started after his wife, Aleya’s mother, died of cancer five months ago.
So the little girl had lost her mother to illness, and her father to violence.
Three hours later—near the end of Lucy’s shift—the CPS worker arrived.
“Aleya, sweetheart, you have to wake up now. Someone’s here to see you,” Lucy said softly.
“Hi, I’m Cassie Baker. I’m the caseworker assigned to this case. Are you the responding officer?”
“I’m Sergeant Chen, yes. This is Aleya,” she said, nodding toward the sleepy girl.
“Poor thing,” Cassie sighed. “We haven’t found any immediate family yet, so she’ll need to go to a group home for now.”
Aleya began crying again, holding tightly onto Lucy. The child clearly understood she would have to leave with a stranger.
Lucy’s heart broke. She couldn’t let that happen.
“What if she comes home with me?” Lucy asked. Cassie looked skeptical.
“I still have my foster license from when I fostered a teenager. It’s better than a group home, where she won’t get the care she needs.”
“That could work,” Cassie said slowly. “If your license is current, we could place her with you temporarily. What’s your living situation?”
“I have an apartment with a roommate, but I mostly stay at my fiancé’s place—he’s also a sergeant at LAPD. There’s a spare room for her.”
Cassie raised an eyebrow. “Is he licensed?”
“No. But I know of officers who’ve been emergency placements without a license. Could that apply here?”
“It’s not standard. I’ll have to ask my supervisor.”
Cassie stepped out to make the call. Lucy rocked Aleya gently, worried about how to break the news to Tim. It was a lot, especially since they’d only recently gotten back together. But she believed they could handle it.
Ten minutes later, Cassie returned.
“She can stay with you and your fiancé. My supervisor approved the emergency placement, since you’re both LAPD and you’re already licensed. But we’ll need background checks and home visits starting tomorrow. For what it’s worth, I think what you’re doing is beautiful—it’s just important to follow protocol.”
Lucy exhaled in relief. Aleya would be coming home with her. She quickly signed the necessary forms and was told someone would come by for Tim’s paperwork and the first home visit.
Lucy thanked Cassie, then informed the watch commander, who gave her some time off to get everything sorted—something she was incredibly grateful for.
At the locker room, she tried to place Aleya on a bench to change, but the girl clung to her.
“It’s okay. I’m just changing clothes, and then we’ll go home, alright?”
“You’ll stay with me?” Aleya asked softly.
“Yes, I will. But I need to change first, okay?”
Aleya nodded and let go. The whole time, she kept her eyes on Lucy, afraid of being left again.
Once changed, Lucy took Aleya’s hand—grateful for a break from carrying her—and walked to her car. She realized she didn’t have a car seat. Not ideal, but there was no other option. She buckled Aleya in the back and moved to the driver’s seat.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m just going to sit in the front so I can drive us home,” Lucy explained. Aleya nodded.
As Lucy drove to Tim’s house, Aleya fell asleep again. She wondered how Tim would react—he was probably already awake.
She pulled into the driveway, gently picked up the girl, and unlocked the door. In the kitchen, Tim was making coffee.
“Hey, babe,” he said, turning around—only to freeze when he saw Lucy holding a sleeping child in her arms.
“Hi…” she replied.