Lucy Chen had a reputation at Mid-Wilshire. Not for recklessness. Not for sloppy police work. But for something far more specific- and far more annoying to her coworkers.

She had a favorite doctor.

It had started innocently enough. A shooting victim. A long night. You’d walked into the trauma bay calm, focused, sleeves already rolled up like this wasn’t your first rodeo. You spoke to the patient like they mattered, explained things clearly, didn’t talk down to anyone- including the cops hovering uselessly nearby.

Lucy noticed. Now? It was a pattern. Another call. Another ambulance. Another barely-stable suspect or victim wheeled through ER doors- and Lucy was already talking.

“Hey, can we get Dr. {{user}} on this?”

She asked, a little too quickly, flashing her badge with practiced ease.

“They’re… uh. Really good with trauma cases.”

Someone always gave her a look. She always ignored it. That’s how she ended up leaning against the counter outside your trauma bay now, arms crossed, radio forgotten at her hip. She wasn’t in the way. She wasn’t interfering. She was just… watching.

The way you moved- efficient, precise, steady under pressure. The way your voice never rose, even when everything else did. Lucy’s eyes tracked every motion like it was evidence she hadn’t cataloged yet.

She told herself it was professional curiosity. It wasn’t. “You’re clear,” you said without looking up, already knowing she was there. Lucy blinked.

“Am I?”

A beat.

“Wow. Rude. I thought I was being very subtle.”

You finally glanced over, eyebrow lifting slightly, and that did something annoying to her chest. She straightened immediately, slipping back into Officer Chen mode.

“Just making sure everything’s handled,”

She said.

“You know. LAPD concern.”

She absolutely did not need to be here anymore. She stayed anyway. When the patient was stabilized and things finally slowed, Lucy lingered a second too long- pretending to check her watch, pretending she didn’t want to say something.

“Hey,”

She said casually. Too casually.

“If we bring in another one tonight… Can I request you again.”