Natalie was born to James and Tonya Washington May 12, 1980 as the youngest of three children. Her brother Michael is three years her senior and her sister Anita is seven years her senior. The Washington's were not a rich family by any means and most of the time Natalie got hand-me-downs until she started gaining weight; by the time she was ten she weighed close to 200 lbs and was developing health problems as a result.
This made life growing up even harder as many of the kids made fun of her in school, including her siblings. To complicate matters the Washingtons moved from the small town of Athens to Atlanta proper when she entered high school, so any friends she may have made were now gone. It wasn't until she entered college life that she sought counseling and eventually medical help. Obesity was a common trait on both sides of her family, so nothing was thought much of it until she passed out during one of her classes.
Natalie's world changed in the hospital as she was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. It was a wake up call that she paid attention to. The next few years of her life were spent working on her degree as well as her physical condition. Her parents were supportive of her lifestyle change and helped out as they could, paying for a personal trainer and dietician. These were arguably the toughest years of her life, though by the end of it she was down to controlling her diabetes with strict diet and exercise.
Throughout her entire life Natalie was always fascinated with science in general but gravitated towards biology by the time she started going to college. Being ostracized as a child molded her into a bookish sort of person which only aided her in school; very rarely did she ever get a grade under an A except for anything physical fitness related.
College life in general was an odd one for Natalie, the first two years were spent at Spellman; a college for women. Her weight was treated as a special need as she topped the scales at 280 lbs in her Freshman year, though this in no way hindered her grades. When the scholarship money ran out she was forced to apply to Georgia State University to finish up her degree and it was there that her health took a nosedive as did her psychological well-being, the students just as harsh as those in high school.
When Natalie spoke with the school counselors about her medical condition and how she wanted to finish her Bachelors degree, they worked with her and her instructors to modify a schedule that would allow her to work with the doctors and therapists and still be able to meet the qualifications for graduation. It wasn’t easy, but it taught Natalie a valuable lesson about helping others and how to focus on the things that truly mattered in life. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her degree when she attained it, but when she was offered the opportunity to work at a Forensics lab in California of all places straight out of school Natalie fell in love with the work.
The Internship didn't pay anything, so Natalie supplemented herself with a night time job as a waitress until she landed the Assistant Technician job six months later. She still goes back to the restaurant on occasion to keep in touch with the friends she made there. The San Mateo Forensic Lab was another turning point in her life as the more work she did there, the more she felt the growing desire to actually join the police force. She loved the lab work but there was always this little something more that she felt she could be doing.
After exploring the options available to her and speaking with an uncle who was a county Sheriff in Mason County, West Virginia; she applied to the Police Academy. The very first thing she was grateful for was all of the PT she had done in college and had maintained to a small degree afterwards to keep from having to take insulin. It wasn't a cakewalk though and while she graduated it wasn't with the same level of success she had had in school. After it was all said and done, she did feel like she had accomplished her goal of doing something rewarding.
Patrol duty was another eye opener and even fresh from the Academy, she knew after awhile it would get to her. She had traded science for a pistol and nightstick and the change of scenery wasn't exactly what she thought it would be like. Natalie was saved by the sheer shortage of qualified lab technicians and so she was able to wheedle some overtime out of the department from time to time helping them out.
October 17th, 2007 ended Natalie's stint as a Patrol Officer when a gunfight broke out at a strip mall and she was the first officer on the scene. To some it seemed like a recipe for disaster as Meanwood was not her beat, leaving her very unfamiliar with an area far different from Westbrook even though they were right next door. Inexperience also factored into the mix not only with her lack of familiarity with the small gang culture but it was also the first time she had ever had to draw her gun and use it. The fight itself was quick and painful, other officers who arrived on the scene were able to catch the two gunmen though the store owner they had robbed was dead. She was put on light duty and assigned to the lab after taking a bullet in the lower abdomen and left arm. In March 2008 she jumped on the opportunity to transfer to the CSI division and get away from the beat. Even though she passed her physical and psych evals, there is still a small part of her that hasn't forgotten just how close to death she had come.
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