1x11: Redwood

***

"I'm so glad we've got the day off." Hunter said as she and Tim walked in the local park, holding their coffees. Lexi was at school.

"Agreed, we all need a break and this is the only one the rookies get." Tim comments.

"Yeah, department days off and sick days. They can pretend to be sick to take a day but they can get fired if the department finds out the truth." Hunter adds.

"The department doesn't need a reason to fire rookies. Someone could just hate them and if they're a higher up they can make a rookie lose their job." Tim adds.

"Exactly. But West shouldn't be a cop. I know he got over his fear of guns going off but Angela should've washed him out. Commander West's a cop, he'd understand I mean he's probably washed out rookies before for cowardice in the line of fire."

"Angela was too focused on the political side of things." Tim said.

"Yeah and then she convinced you to keep him in the program, not to mention she didn't tell you." Hunter said.

"You can't talk Hunt. You could've told me but you didn't." Tim reminds her.

"Yeah but-" Hunter was cut off by her and Tim's phones beeping, the two fished their phones out of their pockets, Hunter read the message out loud. ""Mandatory Emergency Callback for all patrol.""

"Great." Tim drawled putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Wonder what it's about." Hunter mused putting her phone away.

Hunter and Tim, Hunter having drove with Tim, walked to Tim's truck and then he drove to work.

***

Angela, who'd arrived at the station at the same time noticed how Hunter got out of Tim's truck and raised an eyebrow at the two of them, only to receive the same blank look. "So, where did you two come from and why'd you ride together seeing as you don't live together anymore." Angela said walking in sync with her sister and Tim.

"Drinking coffee, that's what we were doing." Tim replied.

"Mhm." Angela said with a smile and she walked ahead to the locker room. Hunter and Tim shared a look before walking to their respective locker rooms to get changed.

***

The roll call room's crowded with patrol officers, Hunter was perched on the end of the table at the front of the room, standing in front of everyone was Zoe Andersen, Wade Grey and Agent Danvers from the Secret Service.

"Thank you for coming in on your day off. The Vice President is making an unscheduled visit to our city. So it's all hands on deck. Agent Danvers." Zoe said, moving to the aside, allowing Danvers to take her place.

"Thank you, Captain. As always, the Secret Service appreciates the LAPD's assistance in clearing and securing "Redwood's" route. These are your Operation Plan Manuals," Jackson's cell buzzes and he looks down at it. Hunter notices and frowns. "Each officer's name has been listed under a specific quadrant and zone, along with your responsibilities. Your watch commander will liaison with me throughout the day as issues arise." Danvers explained.

"Come on." Jackson muttered as the cell buzzes again.

"I'm sorry. Officer West. Is there something you want to share with the group?" Grey asked, calling him out.

"Um, no, sir. Uh I'm sorry. I just, uh I had plans I needed to cancel." Jackson stuttered out as he placed his phone away.

"So did everyone here, yet they're paying attention." Grey snapped.

"Yes, sir." Jackson replied.

"These assignments are your sole priority today. You will not field calls from dispatch. Let the day shift deal with that," Grey looks over at Zoe. "Captain?" He asked.

"Most of you know the drill. For our rookies, today is going to be ugly. Everything we do to ensure the safety of Redwood will create gridlock. It's important to be patient and vigilant. That's all. You're dismissed." Zoe said addressing the room. The company begins to move out of the room.

***

"Looks like you and I are working the same quadrant today." Hunter comments as she and Tim walk to the kit room, Jackson, Angela, Grant and Lucy all ahead of them, Hunter was looking at her paper and then peering over at Tim's. "Hopefully we don't buttheads over procedure." Hunter adds remembering about the time to the two worked together.

"We'll always buttheads over procedure, Hunt." Tim reminds her.

The six of them arrive at the kit room, Jackson and Angela standing to the side, allowing Hunter, Grant, Tim and Lucy to get their gear first.

"I don't get all the fuss. It seems like we're getting a day of overtime just to close roads and hang signs." Lucy said.

"That's like saying being drawn and quartered is fun time with horses." Hunter comments sarcastically.

"We're literally creating traffic jams during rush hour on purpose." Angela explained from behind the 6'2" Grant Lawrence, causing him to move to the side.

"Everything we do today is gonna piss someone off," Tim turned to the quartermaster. "Quadrant One." He said.

"Quadrant One as well." Hunter said.

Angela moved to the side so that way she could be seen seeing as Grant was 6'2". "Quadrant Two, when you're ready."

"I mean, we deal with angry people every shift, but a day of OT means I can finally fix the air-conditioning on my car." Lucy said as she was handed to guns and the warbags were placed onto the bench.

Hunter and Tim both chuckled dryly, being in the army they had the same attitude towards most things, aircon before lunch being one of them unless it was a sweltering day and they were at risk of passing out.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"Lopez and Bradford think air-conditioning makes you soft." Grant explained.

Lucy looked at her TO and his best friend. "You gotta get comfortable with being uncomfortable. That's the job." Hunter and Tim said in sync, creeping Lucy out slightly.

"Is he serious?" Jackson scoffed.

"As a heart attack, Boot." Tim said.

"Which I gotta say you almost gave the watch commander back there." Hunter adds on with Tim nodding in agreement.

"Seriously, playing with your phone during a briefing is a cardinal sin." Angela said.

"I-I lost focus." Jackson said.

"I only hope you were canceling something important, because Grey won't forget that for a while." Hunter said.

"Just, uh, breakfast with my mom." Jackson said as if it was nothing, which caused Hunter to frown, there was something Jackson was saying about his relationship with his mom. 

They're handed a lot more gear than normal. "Is that all for us?" Lucy asked.

"Yep. Extra road flares for the uptick in accidents. Extra ticket books for the increase in idiots." Tim said as ticket books were placed on top of the warbags.

"Extra crime-scene tape for blocking sidewalks. And cones for closing roads." Hunter said as well as more stuff is placed down.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Lucy said.

"Oh, we're not done yet. Hats and bats. Tactical helmets and 42-inch batons for riot control, along with heavy-duty vests if things get ugly." Grant added on.

"And my personal favorite, the 40-millimeter tear-gas launcher for when democracy gets real." Angela said grabbing the tear-gas launcher.

Tim looks over at Lucy. "But, hey, at least you'll be able to ride in comfort."

***

Tim, Hunter, Grant and Lucy arrive at the quadrant their meant to be at and Tim speaks to the homeless people on the sidewalk. "All right, listen up. Until tomorrow at 3:00 p.m., the stretch of Vine between Melrose and Franklin will be off limits. Sanitation services will be arriving in 20 minutes. You'll have until then to pack up," Tim turns to other cops on the scene. "Rope off the block. Make sure everyone moves off." He said.

Lucy approaches a man sleeping on the sidewalk. "Sir? Sir? Sorry to wake you, but I'm gonna need you to start packing up, all right?" She asked.

Nearby, a fight breaks out between two women. "Bitch, those are my sneakers!" One woman yelled.

"Get out!" The other woman yelled.

Hunter intervenes and tries to separate them. "Oh, hey! Hey, hey! Hey! Stop it! Just stop."

"That's enough! Hey. That's enough." Tim helps as well.

Hunter has fallen to the ground wrestling one of the women. She handcuffs her and hauls her to her feet. "Ow. Ow." the woman said.

"Hands behind your back. Don't move. All right. Stand up. Here we go." Hunter said to her.

She looks up and sees Tim is staring at her midsection looking concerned. "Lopez." He said using her last name to keep it professional.

"What?" Hunter asked.

"Stop. Don't move," Hunter follows his gaze to just above her belt, where a dirty hypodermic is sticking out of her uniform. "Lopez," she doesn't respond and tries her first name. "Hunter," she doesn't respond again. "Hunt." He tried out her nickname.

"I didn't see it. I mean, it was - it was on the ground, and -" Hunter trailed off and swallowed.

"It's okay, but I need to pull the needle out." Tim pulls it out carefully and notes that the tip has blood on it. "What's the procedure when an officer is exposed on duty?" He asked standing up.

"What?" Hunter asked.

"Focus. What do we do now?" Tim asked.

"Um-" Hunter inhaled deeply. ""Collect the evidence. Bring the officer and the item to the nearest hospital to test for infections and diseases that may have been transmitted"." She said.

"And where's the nearest hospital?" Tim asked.

"Shaw Memorial." Hunter replied.

"Officer Lawrence, Officer Chen, you two continue clearing this section," Grant and Lucy nod. Tim speaks to another cop. "Make sure an officer posts up here until Veep passes through." He said.

"Got it." The officer replied.

"Come on. Let's go." Tim said to Hunter.

***

Hunter steps up to the intake desk. "Hi. Um, I need to get my blood tested. I got stuck with a used hypodermic needle." She said.

"Oh. Uh, yeah, one sec. Um, where did that..." Gino tires to hand her a form. "If you could fill this out. Have a seat in the waiting room, and we'll be right with you." He said.

Hunter pushes the form down and looks Gino dead in the eyes. "You must be new, because no experienced nurse lets an armed cop sit with civilians. What do you think happens if somebody attempts to grab my weapon?" She asked him.

"I-I-I-" Gino stuttered.

Tim jumped in. "The hospital protocol dictates that an armed officer be seen immediately. So set her up in a room right now and find a doctor."

"Yes, sir. Right this way." Gino leads Hunter and Tim to a room.

***

Gino walks out the room that Hunter's in and speaks to Tim who's standing outside waiting. "She's all set. We're gonna put a rush on the tests. We should have results in a few hours. I'm sorry about earlier. I-I didn't know." He said.

"It's okay. Thanks." Tim replied and Gino walked away.

***

Tim enters and sees Hunter reading something anxiously on her cell phone, Tim grabs it out of her hand and looks at what she's reading. "Falling down the WebMD rabbit hole isn't gonna change your results."

"HIV is three times more prevalent in the homeless community than it is in the general population. Hepatitis is five times more prevalent -" Hunter was saying.

"And cows kill more people a year than sharks. The facts are whatever you make them." Tim interrupts.

"What- What if I get hep C from this needle, and one day I get shot, and you're trying to stop the bleeding and you forget that, you know, you have a you have a cut on your hand? Or worse- a kid gets shot and I'm the one with the cut? And it's just -" Hunter was saying, to say she was stressed would be an understatement.

"Then you'll be a cop with hep C and a cut. You signed up to put your life on the line. That means your health, too. Focusing on fear isn't gonna change the outcome," Tim reminds her. "Lab results are gonna take hours. Do you want to hang out in the worst-case-scenario panic room, or you want to get back to work?" Tim asked.

"Thanks, I needed that." Hunter said.

"Go splash some water on your face. Let's get back out there." Tim said.

"Okay." Hunter walks out the room, grabbing her phone off of Tim on the way.

***

Hunter splashes water on her face and grips the sink tightly. "You're gonna be fine." She said to herself.

Another woman emerges from a bathroom stall and comes to wash her hands next to Hunter. "Sorry, I didn't realize someone else was in here." Hunter hands Rachel paper towel from the dispenser. "Thanks. I'm sorry. It's just my brother, he was - He was in a car accident." Rachel said.

"I'm sorry. Is he gonna be okay?" Hunter asked.

"No." Rachel shakes her head and leaves. Hunter glances in the mirror and spots a bottle on floor of the stall Rachel just used. It's a bottle of bleach with a needle-sized hole in it. Hunter goes out in the hallway and follows Rachel into a hospital room.

***

A man is lying in a bed, injured and obviously on life support. Rachel is reaching to inject him with something in a syringe. "Hey! What are you doing?" Hunter asked.

"This is what he wants." Rachel said.

"Stop." Hunter draws her taser and radios for Tim. "7-Adam-20 A to B, Tim I need you, room 113," Hunter puts her radio away and speaks to Rachel again. "Hey. Hey. Look, just put down the needle, okay? You don't need to do this." She said to her.

"Yes, I do. My brother wouldn't want this. He ran triathlons. Being stuck in bed, brain-dead, hooked up to machines forever, that's his idea of hell." Rachel explained.

"Okay. Listen to me. Look, I know you're in pain, but this is not your decision to make." Hunter said to her.

Tim steps in and quickly evaluates the situation. He draws his gun and speaks to the hospital personnel just outside the open door. "Page a trauma surgeon and get an O.R. on standby. Incoming gunshot wound." He said.

"Please. Please. Mike never had a chance to sign a DNR. He and my sister-in-law got married six months ago. She's his medical proxy, but she can't let him go. She doesn't see that she's hurting him." Rachel said.

"And you think that injecting him with bleach is better? Listen, you have no right to decide if he lives or dies. What you're talking about is murder." Hunter said earnestly.

"He's already dead." Rachel said.

"Hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, put the needle down. Put it down. Hey. Look at me. Right here. Right here. Put the needle down, okay?" Hunter asked.

"No." Rachel sticks the needle into the man's neck. Hunter fires her taser and Rachel falls to the floor and Hunter moves over to Mike.

"Did she push the plunger?" Tim asked.

Hunter pulls the needle carefully out of the man's neck. "No."

"Can't leave you alone for a minute." Tim said jokingly as he holsters his gun and arrests Rachel.

"I hate you." Hunter muttered with a small smile.

***

Hunter and Tim were in the hallway when Tim checked his phone before looking at Hunter. "Grey's calling me back to the station." He said.

"Okay. Should I come with you?" Hunter asked.

"No. You stay here, wait for your results. I'll be back when I'm done." Tim promised and he started walking away.

"Tim?" He turned around back to Hunter. "Thanks."

"For what? Doing my job?" Tim asked.

Hunter smiled at him.

***

Jackson walks into the waiting room and sees Hunter sitting there. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I got stuck with a hypodermic needle this morning, so now I'm just I'm waiting." Hunter explained.

"I, um I can wait with you." Jackson offers.

"Thanks." Hunter said.

"Yeah." Jackson takes a seat next to her. "I've been here before. Waiting for news. Uh, before Nolan, Lucy and I started the Academy, my, uh, brother, Marshall, was diagnosed with diabetic nephropathy. It's a kidney disease." He explained.

"I'm sorry. Is he okay?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah. Now. But at the time, it looked like he needed a kidney transplant, and I was the only one in my family that was a match." Jackson said.

"That is a lot to carry." Hunter said.

"Man, I was not ready for it." Jackson said.

"Mm-hmm." Hunter replied.

"I'd been counting the days until I could start the Academy, and suddenly, I was facing the idea of putting it all on hold. I agonized over it. But Marshall said that he could wait. That it really wasn't that serious. So I took the out." Jackson said.

"He was looking out for you." Hunter realised.

"He suffered acute renal failure two months after we all started. He almost died." Jackson said.

"Whoa, why didn't you tell anyone?" Hunter asked.

"I was ashamed. I mean, it was my fault. I - Luckily, the hospital found another donor and he got the transplant, but my mom still hasn't forgiven me." Jackson said.

"Which is why missing brunch was such a big deal." Hunter said.

"Yeah. And in her mind, I chose the job before family. Again." Jackson said.

"It's not the same. It's not. Deep down she knows it's true. Have you told her how heartbroken you are about all of this?" Hunter asked.

"She hasn't really given me the chance." Jackson said.

"Well, then take it. Trust me, as unpleasant as it's gonna be, the waiting is so much worse." Hunter informs him.

Doctor Haddad enters with a clipboard. "Detective Lopez?"

Hunter and Jackson both stand up. "Yeah, that's - that's me." Hunter said.

"I have the results of your test. So if you come with me, we can set you up in a room." Haddad said.

"Uh, no. Sorry. No. Uh, can you just tell me, like, now?" Hunter asked.

"Okay. So, your initial test came back negative for any viral infections, like HIV or hepatitis. But your blood work indicated the presence of a staph infection." Haddad said looking over the clipboard.

"What does that mean?" Hunter asked.

"We need to get you started on intravenous antibiotics immediately. Some strains of staph are drug-resistant, so we'll monitor the wound for any abscesses or cellulitis. Okay?" Haddad asked.

"Okay." Hunter confirmed.

"Um, go. I'll, uh I'll call Tim. He'll be here for you when you come out." Jackson promised.

"Thank you for staying with me." Hunter said.

"Of course." Jackson said. Hunter leaves with Haddad, just missing her sister who walked into the waiting room.

***

"How'd it go?" Lexi asked, walking into Hunter's apartment, after checking she was there and she was with Tim.

"They've got me on antibiotics for a staph infection. So no beer or any form of alcohol." Hunter said, almost pouting.

"Are you pouting?" Lexi asked.

"Yes, I can't drink anything other than soda and water." Hunter said.

"Okay, well I've made food and we can watch reruns of Top Chef again." Tim said moving to the living room, handing Hunter and Lexi a plate before grabbing one for himself and sitting down.

Hunter grabbed the remote and turned on the TV to watch the reruns of Top Chef.

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This was one of my favourite episodes, also Hunter starts to see Jackson in a new light but she still maintains that he should've washed out.

I love Jackson it's just that he shouldn't have been a cop.