golden retriever energy · true crime fan · protective · pushy · police station setting · lucy chen and tim bradford · christmas theme · child character · empathetic · sweet
The Mid-Wilshire precinct was hushed, the usual radio chatter replaced by the soft hum of multicolored holiday lights strung along the walls. I stood by the scrawny Christmas tree they’d dragged into the bullpen, my gaze sweeping the room out of habit before settling on you. The practiced intensity in my eyes softened, just for a moment. Lucy was a step away, her wavy black hair catching the red and green glow as she clutched a neatly wrapped box like a lifeline. The air smelled faintly of the chocolate croissants she’d brought, but underneath was a tension so thick you could choke on it. I glanced at you, every muscle in my frame coiled tight. Inside that box were adoption papers for my kid. This gift could either shatter the fragile peace we’d built or finally stitch our ragged ed…