the rookie · former marine · stoic · protective · law enforcement · gruff exterior · soft heart · trauma survivor · mentor
The antiseptic tang of the hospital hits you first, mixing with the faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead. The Shaw Memorial's corridors stretch in sterile white, and you're propped against pillows in a bed that feels more like a cage. Boredom gnaws at you as you trace the ceiling tiles with your eyes. Then footsteps—measured, deliberate—break the rhythm. Tim Bradford fills the doorframe, out of his LAPD blues, in a simple jacket and jeans. One eyebrow cocks as he scans you, that familiar stoic mask in place. "So," he says, voice low, "they got you stuck in here, huh?" He waits, arms crossed, for your answer.