He saw them. He saw them all, exiting the building. He'd tried to flip his badge to get closer, but who was he kidding? EVERYONE on the scene could flip their badge if allowed. The area was swarming with police, fellow officers, waiting for news of friends, family, colleagues. So, he stood and waited. Patience was not in his nature, but he was trying to be patient now. He'd spoken to her, so at least he knew she was okay; they were all okay.
Finally, he saw her, saw them, all emerging. Like the good team they were, they'd stuck together and were exiting the building together, covered in dust, ash, debris. It was easy to see what floor had taken a beating; other officers had come out, looking unscathed, but here they were-Major Crimes, and they'd taken the brunt of the blow. It took everything in his power not to duck under the police tape and run to her. He knew that would irritate her even more, so he waited.
"Sharon!" he called out to her, as the group emerged further from the building. They were taking directions from the bomb squad officer who had brought them down, nodding to him, as he pointed toward the ambulances. They were to be checked out, no questions asked. Andy was standing near the ambulances, already guessing that would be the first stop for the team once they'd been brought out of the building.
Sharon heard her name. Andy had thought about calling out, "Captain," but he knew that wouldn't get the same effect, and well, that wasn't Andy, and it wasn't Sharon, not anymore. He knew several heads would turn at the call out of, "Captain," just as in a store when a kid calls out, "Mom," or "Dad," several turn to see whose kid is calling out. "Sharon seemed to get the effect he wanted; she looked in his direction, knowing his voice anywhere. She nudged Provenza, who was at her side, and he followed her line of sight to spot Andy in the crowd. Both Sharon and Provenza nodded to the bomb squad officer, and ne nodded in return; apparently, he agreed with whatever they had said, and soon, he left their side, as Sharon, Provenza, and the rest of the team made their way toward Andy.
"Andy," Sharon said, breathlessly, as she got closer. He could see the tears in her eyes, tears from everything that had happened over the last couple days.
"I got you," he said, pulling her in for a hug. Anything more at the moment wouldn't be appropriate, and even though they were hugging, they'd both agreed that since they were engaged, this was okay even in the current situation. He held her tightly, as the rest of the team was surrounded by paramedics. Soon, the questions and quick exams started. Most had some ringing in the ears from the blast; all had some coughing issues due to the dust from the bomb, but none of them were injured, thank goodness.
Andy quickly kissed her head before he let go of her; he didn't want to let go, but he knew he had to do so. They were at work, and he wanted her checked out, just to be safe. He didn't expect her to turn back into her "Captain Mode."
"Andy, what in the world were you doing? You are still on desk duty!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "Andy, when we heard you on that phone, oh," she shook her head. Provenza picked up.
"Flynn! We wondered if you were the poster boy for the 'Idiot of the Month Club' idiot!" he exclaimed. "What were you thinking? Oh wait, you weren't!"
Andy held up his hand; the whole team was surrounding him, wondering how even he was going to get out of this one, "Hey! Don't start yelling. I called Chief Howard on the way over, my walk across the street. He knows. I admit, I went above my boss," he glanced toward Provenza and Sharon, who were both glaring at him, "okay, I went above my bosses', yes plural, heads, but you were all busy trying to get the psycho on the phone. I called Howard and gave him a quick rundown. Look, I knew I was the only one he hadn't identified, so I was going to be the best one to get this guy. Patrol was sent up-Howard made sure of it, and as much as I wanted to shoot the guy or throw him over the side, I didn't. The way I see it, my sorry self would have been the one injured if I had stayed at work. I'm always the one getting hurt or needing the hospital; at least, I stayed out of the danger of a bomb."
"Andy, you called Fritz?" Sharon asked, still a bit shell-shocked. The EMTs were checking her blood pressure, but otherwise, she seemed okay.
"I did. I didn't want any trouble or accusations, so I was a good boy," he nodded. "I was taught to obey the rules," he smiled.
"Still, Flynn, what were you thinking?" Provenza sighed.
"I was thinking I could work as a detective like I've been trained to do!" he exclaimed again. "What we should all be asking is what that dirt bag was thinking? A bomb in the building!"
"Your fiancée is the one who figured it out," Julio leaned in and added. "Always knew the captain was a good addition to the team," he grinned. "Good work, Lieutenant, but I wouldn't have been so kind to the guy."
Andy moved over to Sharon, who had now been cleared by the EMTs and gave her a sad smile, "I'm glad you are okay," he nodded to her. "I watched the whole thing and," he let out a huge sigh, as he shook his head, "I watched the whole thing and imagined the worst. For a few seconds, I saw my world without out in it anymore, and I didn't like it. Sharon, it scared me to death. For the second time this week, I almost lost you. I had visions of having to call all of our kids and tell them. I hated those few moments; I almost couldn't bear it. I can only imagine what my health scares have been like for you."
She nodded and turned away. Andy knew it was emotional for her too, "I know," she sighed. She gripped his hand. "I know. If I wasn't already going to marry you, I think I'd tell you to ask me now," she offered a small smile. He pulled her into his side, as she continued, "I want to sit down and figure out wedding out. Yes, I know it can't happen immediately, but I want to set a date and figure this out. We continue to waste time, and as we've seen, these cases, well, any one of them can be the last one. Andy, I want to talk to the kids and set a date to get married. If I've learned anything, it's that life is short, too short."
He nodded, as he sighed, "I'm sorry I didn't have a moment to tell you what I was doing. I did call Fritz, and I knew I had to act quickly. I hope my boss is okay with that."
She let out a small chuckle, her first sign of normalcy, "I'll be okay with it, if you can agree not to do anything like that until you are cleared for full duty. Until then, you're on desk duty."
He nodded, "Well, I've discovered the best part of desk duty is sitting at my desk-it has a great view into a certain captain's office, and when the team is called out, I get a few hours alone with her at work. That's the best part of desk duty. I promise no more 'walking out' episodes if you promise to stay away from bombs. Oh, and I promise to marry you as soon as possible."
She looked up at him as they stood in the midst of the mess, "Deal, but I always like a good deal."