When John Nolan arrives for roll call, he's surprised to see Captain Andersen at the front of the room. Sergeant Grey looks more pissed off than anything, but that's nothing new. The day before had been a good one for John, an infrequent occurrence. His T.O., Officer Bishop, had been at a loss to figure out where the drug dealer they'd been chasing could be hiding. She knows police work better than he does, but his 20 years in construction come in handy on occasion, and yesterday was one of those times. He could see the house wasn't built on a slab. There was no basement either, but the crawlspace would easily accommodate a man - several men - and possibly a good-sized stash of fentanyl as well.
At least Bishop was willing to listen to him and call in back up. Sure enough, they dragged out the scumbag Bennie Fisk. To John, Bennie is low even for fentanyl dealer, because his network extends to college campuses. The idea of his son falling prey to someone like that sends shivers down John's spine but also makes him mad as hell. When Bishop gave him the privilege of handcuffing Fisk, it was the best moment he'd had since coming to L.A. - except for meeting Lucy Chen.
He didn't go to the academy looking for a relationship. It was hard enough just keeping up with the twenty-somethings. His scores in the gym were nothing to write home about - as if he had anyone back in Pennsylvania to write to. But the memory that had served him so well in pre-law, right up until Sarah got pregnant, still got him through his studies. And the work ethic he'd developed out of necessity was even more of an asset. All the nights he'd spent poring over building plans and budgets had readied him to hit the books while his classmates were partying. Except for Lucy.
She loves a good time as much as anyone and can win any karaoke contest hands down, but she has a fire in her that burns as hot as his does. Her parents, the therapists, consider police work an unworthy profession for someone from such a highly educated and professional family. He remembers his parents expressing similar thoughts when he went into construction. He didn't have a choice. He had a wife and a son to support, and he's always taken his responsibilities seriously, even if construction was never his calling.
For Lucy, police work is a calling, just as it is for him. She has to prove herself to the Chens, and he has to prove himself to practically the whole force. That's a strong bond between them. That they almost burn through the sheets in bed doesn't hurt either. After he and Sarah spent the last two years pretending for the sake of their son that they still had a marriage, he wasn't sure he could still rise to the occasion. Lovemaking with Lucy has disabused him of any doubts - at least on that score. It's just a shame they have to keep the relationship a secret. There's no hard and fast rule against officers dating unless it is a supervisor-subordinate liaison that might be seen as sexual harassment. However, dating a fellow officer is viewed as possibly leading to a conflict of interest and can be a potential career breaker. The last thing Lucy wants is to throw any roadblocks in the way of her career. John isn't crazy about the idea either, so they are keeping their relationship below the radar.
They still have a sweet setup. Lucy loves the guest house his college roommate is letting him rent for a pittance in terms of the L.A. real estate market. In exchange, John promised to use his skills to keep the place up. So far, he's had to fix a leak in the plumbing and spotted dry rot when it could still be easily treated by the replacement of one beam. He's also taking care of the grounds. All of that would normally cost his buddy big time, but John's still getting a bargain.
He can't let his mind wander anymore. Captain Andersen looks ready to address the room. "Most mornings when you meet here, it is for bad news, to inform you of yet another peril on the streets. I will let Sergeant Grey take care of that unhappy task. However, I do want to call something to your attention. Rookies are partnered with training officers to benefit from the experience of other cops. Without that system, the citizens of L.A. would be ill-served, and we would probably have a lot more dead cops. However, there are many kinds of smarts besides what you gain pounding the streets and bringing the bad guys to justice.
"Officer Nolan's collar of Bennie Fisk yesterday, was just one example of the that. It was his experience from life, not anything he learned from the L.A.P.D. that revealed Fisk's hiding place and enabled us not only to rid our streets of Fisk but to prevent one of the deadliest drugs around from wreaking more havoc in our city. We have no way of knowing how many lives will be saved, but given the raging epidemic of overdoses, I'd be willing to bet it's more than a few. And no one can put a price on even a single life.
"So I would remind you all that every day you should put to work everything that you have learned, not just from your time at the academy or in the field, but every iota of knowledge from any source. You never know what will save or change a life, yours or that of the people we protect. And now I will turn you over to Sergeant Grey, who will no doubt share with you what he has gleaned from his years of experience - and the morning reports."
While Lucy's eyes are scanning storefronts for a serial perpetrator of liquor and convenience store robberies, her T.O. seems to be seeking someone else. Lucy has a good guess as to who it is: his estranged wife and obvious junkie, Isabel. Tim Bradford's been distracted ever since they ran into her while rousting a drug dealer. To see the formidable Bradford wilt, hand over his money and let the dealer go was jarring. Tim demanded that she keep his secret. She has, but not because she's afraid of retribution. If she revealed what he did, he'd be in too much hot water to be in a position to do anything to his trainee. But her parents infused confidentiality into her brain. She would never shoot her mouth off about anyone's private hell - not even that of her departmental torturer.
Unfortunately, from what she can see, Bradford's personal demons are dangerous. His distraction after seeing Isabel could have been responsible for a bullet finding its mark in his flesh. He was standing straight up behind the door of their unit when a bullet penetrated the window glass. Had he been crouching behind the heavy metal, he might have avoided being shot. When John ran in to save her as she worked to save her partner, Bishop twigged that she and John are a couple. That could mean real trouble. She doesn't need any more of that. She has enough just trying to figure out how to keep Bradford's head in the game. The therapists her parents had subjected her to used strategies to put her at ease, the most crucial being making sure she understood that nothing she said would leave the room. She has to make Tim trust her. Easier said than done.
Lucy spies a woman running toward the curb, waving to flag them down. She is dark-skinned with graying hair and an expression of horrified urgency. "Bradford, pull over."
Tim startles. "What?'
"That woman is signaling to us."
"Be careful," Tim cautions as Lucy reaches for the handle of the car. "Harmless looking old ladies can be hiding knives - and worse."
The woman runs toward the unit, barely looking out for traffic. "Thank God! I called 911 for paramedics, but no one's come yet. I think my granddaughter is dying. You have to help her."
Bradford knows what he's seeing the minute he and his boot follow the woman inside a shabby room behind a store. He's seen it too often. He saw Isabel looking like that. "OD. Chen, you have your Narcan?" Lucy pulls it from a pouch on her belt and hands it to him. He injects it like an expert. The pitch of a siren rises as the paramedics approach. "They can handle it from here."
The report Bradford gives to the medics before gesturing Lucy back to their unit sounds perfunctory to her, and she can see the tightness in his lips. He's trying desperately not to get involved. It's all too close, way to close. She recognizes the wall. She's raised one all too often herself. She still does. His hostility toward her, is a goddamn cover, one she can see through as if it's transparent.
John doesn't say a word when, under cover of darkness, Lucy finally makes it to his guest house. He just wraps his arms around her. She unbuttons her top and begins to work on removing his, even before they reach the bedroom. Her barriers fall. She has no need for them here. She and John can make it through the night together.
