The apartment was quiet when Sharon woke up, the sun obscenely shining through her window. She had been so exhausted the previous night that she had forgotten to close the curtains. Sighing, she rolled over and fumbled for her glasses, gathering the energy to get up for the day. After just closing a case, she hoped to have a day off. Mostly to care for Andy and reassure herself that he was okay.
She showered quickly and dressed in a loose shirt and jeans before she padded out to the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. She leaned against the counter and glanced over to the couch to see Rusty starting to stir. She let out a breath as he gradually woke up and climbed off the couch, moving down the hall to the bathroom without a word. He emerged ten minutes later, dressed with his suit jacket thrown over his arm.
"Morning, Rusty," she greeted softly. The boy rubbed at his eyes and looked up at her, grunting softly in response. She smiled and grabbed the handle of the coffee pot to pour herself a cup. "Do you want coffee?" He grunted again and she grabbed a second mug to fill with coffee. She added cream and sugar and carried them both to the table where she settled across from her son and leaned back in her chair. "Do you have class this morning?"
"No, I've got a meeting with Judge Grove… About Identity and interviewing Slider," he murmured, his hands closing around the black mug. He took a careful sip and let out a breath.
"Good luck, then," Sharon hummed, sipping at her own coffee.
"Yeah, thanks. How's, uh, how's Andy?" He looked up at her and rested his elbow on the table, his eyes flicking to check the time on the microwave.
"He's exhausted after last night," she answered after a moment. "We'll see how he feels this morning." She paused a moment and searched her son's face. "Thank you, Rusty."
"He's injured, it's fine." He quickly drained his coffee and took the mug into the kitchen. Sharon heard the dishwasher open, then close, before he came back into her line of sight. "I've got to get going and I've got some errands to run. See you later?"
"We'll be here, but I'll call if anything comes up. Good luck with Judge Groves." She smiled and took another sip, her stomach rumbling quietly.
"Thanks. Bye, Sharon."
She watched as Rusty grabbed his keys and left, carefully shutting the door behind him. She shook her head a little and stared down into her mug, a yawn slipping from her lips. She didn't know when Andy would get up and she had no intention of waking him up before then. She glanced at the clock and saw it was barely eight in the morning; she hoped he'd sleep until ten at least. After a few minutes, she finished her coffee and got up to find something for breakfast, absently thinking over anything she had to do for the day. Laundry and keeping Andy under control were at the top of her list.
She had just finished her breakfast and was washing the dishes when she heard a door open. She glanced at the time and wrinkled her nose, knowing Andy wouldn't go back to sleep now. Sighing, she placed her bowl in the dishwasher and closed it, straightening up just as he shuffled out of the hallway. He loosely tied his robe and met her gaze, offering her a small grin. She shook her head slightly and immediately helped him into a chair, her hand sliding across his shoulder to lightly cup his neck.
"Good morning," she murmured, unable to help smiling a little. It had been so long since she'd shared breakfast with someone other than her children and she couldn't deny the little flutter in her chest at seeing Andy like this—despite the circumstances.
"Morning," he replied after a moment. He glanced up at her and she dropped her hand, instead resting it on her hip.
"Are you hungry? I've got some fresh fruit or some oatmeal?"
"Fruit sounds delicious, but I can get it." He moved to stand up and Sharon gently pushed on his shoulder until he stopped moving.
"Sit." She raised an eyebrow and returned to the kitchen, her eyes barely leaving him. "I've got some coffee made too, if you want some."
"Yes, please." He twisted in his chair and a soft moan escaped him before he returned to his previous position.
"How did you sleep?" Sharon winced in sympathy and poured the fruit in a bowl, her eyes occasionally glancing back to Andy.
"Good enough. Rusty's got a comfortable bed." He stopped and tried to look at her; she heard his groan of frustration at his limited movement. "Listen, if I'm going to be staying here, I should get some more things from my apartment."
"You're not doing anything before breakfast and then you're only doing your breathing exercises," she told him, setting his coffee and fruit in front of him.
"Oh, well, we agreed that you would only be the boss at work and that everything else would be a discussion." He watched her as she took the seat across from him, her lips quirking up briefly. She folded her hands on the table and he leaned forward a little, glancing between the food and her. She looked so different early in the morning, he noted.
"Well, your doctor said that you needed care and supervision." Sharon shook her head a little and her smile returned.
Andy laughed until the movement jarred his ribs and he let out a soft moan. She cringed and leaned forward, ready to move to his side if he needs it. "Okay, well, at least tell me what happened after I left," he finally asked, a little breathless from the sudden wave of pain.
"We found the money in Noah's room and the .45. It's like we thought it would be."
"So, he expected to steal the money, get away, and not hurt anyone."
"And Howard Prager said his name, and that's enough of that." She reached across the table and lightly wrapped her hand around his. "How are you feeling?" The concern was obvious in her face and Andy regretted causing her this much anxiety.
"Better." He nodded to confirm his answer and was relieved when she smiled again. "So I hope Rusty doesn't resent me for borrowing his bedroom." He adjusted his hold on her hand and leaned back in his chair to make his ribs more comfortable.
"No, no, no. He volunteered it." She absently rubbed her thumb along his hand and smiled once more, her eyes lighting up behind her glasses.
"Really?" To say he was surprised would be an understatement, but he was relieved by the news. He was tentative enough about Rusty's reaction to their relationship and worried that displacing the teen would hurt more than it would help.
"Yes, really. It's progress." She leaned a little closer and moved her other hand over so it rested on top of their already joined hands.
"So, he's at school, then—8:30 class?" He arched an eyebrow briefly and gave her hands a gentle squeeze.
"Not exactly." She glanced pointedly at his food and Andy grunted softly.
"But he's definitely out of the house for a while?" he persisted, even as he grabbed a piece of cantaloupe with his free hand and popped it into his mouth.
"Yes, he is…" she answered hesitantly, watching as he chewed the fruit and swallowed it.
"So we can…"
"No," she interrupted, her gaze hardening briefly. "You're doing your breathing treatments and we're not doing anything to set back your recovery. I can't handle Provenza on my own for long, Andy." She squeezed his hand back and sighed softly. "I just need to make sure you're okay, especially with that many broken ribs."
"I know, I know," he sighed, grabbing at another piece of fruit. "So what are your plans for the day?"
"Housework. Keeping an eye on you." She raised an eyebrow briefly and gave him a soft smile.
"I don't want to keep you from anything. I'll be fine here if there's something you need to do." She was the one who wanted to move slowly with their relationship and him moving in had been her idea; he didn't want to jeopardize their relationship by being a hindrance and he definitely didn't want to push her too far.
"I have no plans, Andy. Laundry and cleaning, yeah, but it's fine. Worst case, I'll make you fold Rusty's clothes." She smirked teasingly and let out a soft laugh.
"Alright, whatever I can do to help." He laughed a little and tried to hide the wince that inevitably followed.
"Focus on eating right now." She patted his hand and pulled one hand back to prop her head up, elbow resting on the table. "I'm not in a hurry. Really, I'm here to help you. Give you that care and supervision."
"Thank you, Sharon," he said after a few moments of silence.
Instead of responding, she merely smiled and nodded her head a little, her thumb resuming it's path along the backside of his hand.