Sharon woke up extra early. She had big plans and wanted to make sure everything went flawlessly. It was the most important day of the year-Rusty's birthday.
She had thought she was past the point when birthdays really mattered. Of course, she always called John and Charlotte on their birthdays, and they always called on hers. And there were the occasional parties at the department. But it had been years since a birthday really mattered.
In a lot of ways it was his first birthday. His first real one, anyway. In the months since Dunn left their lives for good, Rusty had let more and more details about his life slip, including the fact he'd never celebrated his birthday.
Of course, when he mentioned that, he wasn't talking about himself. Rusty wanted to do something special for a schoolfriend. He went to her for advice, saying she had "good taste and stuff"-coming from a teenage boy, that was quite the compliment. Then he admitted he knew nothing about birthdays.
Sharon had long since memorized his birth date. For months, she had prayed he'd be around to celebrate it with her. He'd lived with her for nearly a year, and with Dunn-and his mother-out of the picture, there was no one to prevent her wish from coming true. So she planned the perfect day to share with Rusty.
Which was why she was standing in the kitchen at six in the morning. Baking a cake. It wasn't a complicated cake-Rusty was a boy of simple tastes-but he knew what he liked-and what he didn't. That was one of the things she admired most about him. When they went restaurant hopping one night, she'd learned a lot about Rusty's tastes.
It was after a particularly bad day at school. Rusty had spent weeks preparing for his chemistry test, but when he got the test, he simply blanked out. At least that was how he described it. When he'd gotten his score back a few days later, they were both happy he'd earned a C. But that night, Rusty thought he'd failed. It seemed like a good reason to eat.
He stormed into the car. It had been months since he'd done that, and she was pretty sure he wasn't mad at her. At least he hadn't been that morning. Who knew? Teenagers were pretty volatile.
"Are you okay?"
"No. I'm a fuck-up."
"Rusty!"
He groaned. "I know. You don't like that word."
She nodded. "I like it being used to describe you even less."
"It's true."
She sighed. "I'll bite. Why?"
"I totally bombed that test."
"The one you've been studying for so much?"
He nodded.
"It's not the end of the world."
"But it's important."
"I understand. I do, but you'll have other opportunities."
She drove him to the station. Counting their blessings that they'd gotten to the point where chemistry was their worst adversary. She had an idea about that too. She could always pay Tao to tutor him. Knowing Mike, he'd do it for free.
By the end of the day, Rusty was in a much better mood.
"You hungry?"
"It's me, Sharon."
"I have an idea for tonight. Bear with me, it might sound a little crazy."
He smirked. "I'm used to it by now."
"Watch it." She smiled. "We're going to go to one place for appetizers and salads. One place for dinner. And a different place for dessert."
"Why?"
She shrugged. "We deserve it."
He smiled. "I'm pretty sure most parents ground their kids for failing."
"I'm not most parents."
"Lucky me."
She smiled. "Let's go."
They had a great time that night. They ate enough to feed an army-or one teenage boy. The dessert was the best part, by far. They'd both ordered cakes. Hers devils food cake, and his a simple yellow with chocolate frosting. He loved every bite. She'd decided then it would be the perfect cake for his special day.
It'd been years since she'd made a cake. Plus, Charlotte had always wanted ice cream cakes, so that got Sharon off the hook for half the birthdays in her life. John loved her angel food cake, so that was what she made for the other half.
She got the cake pans, followed the directions on the box, and baked the two layers.
The smell woke Rusty up. He stumbled into the kitchen like a zombie. "What smells so good?"
"Happy Birthday, Rusty."
He stalked over to Sharon, giving her a quick hug. "Is that gonna be cake?"
She nodded. "You liked that yellow cake, right?"
He smiled. "Yeah, it was okay. This smells better."
"Well, we'll see. I haven't made a cake in quite a while."
"Thanks...It's really...I just..."
She ran her fingers through the top of hair. "You're quite welcome, Rusty. Now go back to bed. You don't have to be up for another half hour, and I don't want you tired on your special day."
"What about you?"
"I'm old. I don't need sleep."
He smirked. "Whatever you say." He went back to his room. Sharon smiled after him. Then she went back to work.
She had some time for it to bake, but she didn't want to go far from her oven. She didn't quite trust her oven to comply with the estimated baking time. So, she sipped her coffee and went over her agenda for the day.
She was keeping him out of school and taking the day off work. Provenza and Flynn promised to look after things. She'd be worried, but she knew Julio would keep everyone in check. Julio was devoted to his job, Major Crimes-and Sharon, it seemed. Plus, they all wanted to make sure Rusty had the best birthday possible.
First, she was making him breakfast. Scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, and bacon. Then, they'd get ready, and she'd drive him to the DMV for his driver's test. She was nervous like she was with John and Charlotte, but Rusty was an excellent driver. He'd driven with Sharon-and everyone at Major Crimes-many times. He even drove during a pursuit once.
He'd been practicing with Sharon, when an emergency call came in. All of Sharon's instincts told her to have him pull over, so she could drive. He looked at her and said, "It's okay, Sharon. I got this."
She nodded, placing her trust in him-and how well she'd taught him. There was also prayer involved. A lot of it.
They got to the scene perfectly safe. Arrested the suspect. After she showed Rusty first hand what she could do with a beanbag gun. The suspect didn't look particularly threatening, but he pulled a gun when Flynn and Provenza tried to arrest him. So, she had to shoot him to protect everyone.
Afterward, Rusty gave her a high five. "You've got mad skillz, Captain."
She smiled. But then she moved her arm, wincing. The recoil in those guns was terrible. He noticed. "You okay?"
She nodded. "I'm fine. Firing that gun always makes me a little sore."
He let it go, but when they got home, he rubbed her shoulders, particularly the right one. "You should get Flynn to do this."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't start."
"Just sayin."
"We work together."
He let it go. Focusing on her shoulders. She was relieved. She knew her excuse was flimsy at best, but her real reason for not dating was more complicated. She was happy, though. She'd become a mother again.
The timer beeped. The cakes were perfect. They'd cool a bit, and then she'd ice them.
First, it was time to start breakfast. She needed to wake him up. The coffee was still hot. There'd be no point in waking him, otherwise. He was a boy who needed his morning coffee every bit as much as Sharon-maybe even more so.
She knocked on his door once before entering. They'd established that as a standard rule, which went both ways. As close as they were, they mostly kept out of each other's bedrooms, but occasionally, it was necessary. He was actually very good about waking up most mornings-after he'd stopped rebelling against Sharon and the school. Truth be told, behavior wise, Rusty was easier than John and Charlotte had been. Obviously, he came with plenty of other challenges, but he was a genuinely sweet boy once he let Sharon in. She had a theory about why that was, that all he ever needed or wanted was a mother's love. And he finally had it.
She opened the door. "Rusty?"
He bolted up in the bed. "Time already?"
She nodded. "We have a lot to do today."
"Okay. The cake smells amazing. When can we eat it?"
She laughed. He would always be predictable in that regard, at least. "It still needs to cool. Then I can ice it."
"Oh, right."
"Come on, I'll make your breakfast."
He hurried out of the bed. Following her into the kitchen. She pulled a chair out, and motioned for him to sit. "Have a seat. I'm taking care of you today."
He smiled. "You take care of me every day."
She lay her hand on his shoulder. "I don't usually fix breakfast, though."
"You have a pretty good excuse for that. Whatya do when your kids were growing up? Did their dad handle it?"
She rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see. "My husband didn't do much of anything. And it was different when they were growing up. For most of their childhood I was in FID. Although I had a quick window to close cases, I could be flexible."
He nodded. "Because whatever happened was done already. You weren't looking for suspects but investigating what cops did to those suspects."
He was so perceptive. Sometimes she felt like she was talking to a younger male version of herself. "Exactly."
"I'd like to meet them. I'll need tips for surviving in your house."
She lightly smacked his arm. "They can't wait to meet you either. They'll be home for Christmas."
"You told them about me?"
"Yeah."
"How much do they know?"
"Just that I took you in. Your story belongs to you. I'd never-"
"I know, Sharon." He placed his hand on hers. "You'd never hurt me."
She rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "I'm gonna start breakfast. Ready for coffee?"
"You know it."
She went to the counter, fixing their coffees. She handed him his mug. Then she got everything she needed for breakfast. She'd use almost all the burners, but it would be worth it. Compared to everything else in her life, cooking was easy. Her life was something akin to juggling-or conducting a many piece orchestra that had a tendency to get out of sync.
When things should have been slowing down, everything sped up instead. And she had absolutely no regrets. She understood why Brenda had loved her team so much. They were wonderful people-and fine officers. She was proud to be their Captain. And Rusty. She could hardly remember a time when he wasn't in her life. The first time he said he loved her was one of the happiest moments in her life.
She pulled up in front of the school. "Be good."
He leaned across the car, kissing her cheek. "I love you too."
Then he was gone. She sat there a moment, feeling her cheek. She was smiling like a fool, but she didn't care. She was a mother to a boy who loved her. And she was late for work.
When she arrived at the station that morning, Provenza had things well in hand. There was nothing to report, so she went in her office. Any hopes that she'd finally escaped paperwork went out the window her first day. Of course, Chief Taylor seemed happy she'd be the one writing reports for Major Crimes. That she could understand. Lord knows, paperwork wasn't one of Brenda's better skills.
She was getting settled when there was a knock on her door.
"Come in."
Flynn walked in. "Good morning, Captain. You look happy this morning."
She smiled. "Yes. I am."
He took a seat.
"He kissed me."
"You holding out on me, Ma'am? You got a boyfriend and didn't tell me?!"
"Why, Andy, are you jealous?"
His face turned a shade of red she thought she'd never see on him.
To save him from further torture, she said, "I meant Rusty. He kissed my cheek and said he loved me.'"
He smiled, his face beginning to return to its natural color. "That's huge. Congratulations. I guess you didn't think you'd be a mom again."
"No. A grandmother perhaps not a mom."
"He's a lucky kid." He looked around, turning his attention to the murder room and back to Sharon. "I'd better get back out there."
She nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Lt."
The bacon and sausage were finished. The bacon nice and crispy just like they liked. The sausage was cooked thoroughly, the edges crispy. The eggs were perfectly fluffy. She flipped the last pancake, and turned off the burners. Breakfast was ready.
She prepared two plates, completing the look with orange slices, and brought them to the table.
Rusty looked at their plates. "I never saw these before."
She smiled. "I only bring these out for special occasions."
"Oh. Are they old?"
She nodded. "They've been in my family a long time."
"They're nice."
Nice didn't quite cover it. The dishes were part of the set that had been passed down from the women in her family for many generations. Back then, those dishes were the finest possessions her family had. They'd spent a small fortune on them: It was important to have nice dishes for company. That wasn't the case so much, anymore, but she wanted to share a piece of her family history with him. She'd tell him about them, one day.
They ate their breakfast. For once, she was glad for his silence: It meant he was enjoying his breakfast.
When they finished, he took the dishes into the sink. "Is there anything special I have to do with these?"
She shook her head. "You're off duty today. Go get ready. We have a lot to do."
He gave her a quick hug and disappeared into the bathroom. When she heard the water running, she got up from the table. She loaded the dishwasher. Then she iced and decorated the cake. Her painstaking attention to penmanship came in handy when attempting to write "Happy Birthday, Rusty" in icing. She smiled appraisingly at the cake. She'd pulled it off.
.
.
.
They rode to the DMV. Sharon peeked over at Rusty. He looked ready. "Nervous?"
He shook his head. "I've been driving awhile now."
"Yes you have. And we did have some adventures, didn't we?"
"Like that pursuit?"
She nodded. "Yeah, like that."
"I was so scared."
"Not as much as I was."
"About my driving?"
"A little. But mostly what would happen with the suspect."
"You took care of him."
She smiled. "Yes I did."
"And I can parallel park."
She was so proud of him the day he parallel parked the first time. When they talked about him learning to drive, she suggested he get lessons from a professional. He said he felt more comfortable with her and the Major Crimes unit. So they all took turns teaching him. They'd had the most trouble with parallel parking. But he finally did it.
It happened when he drove them to dinner in Venice one night. There weren't many spots left. And traffic was terrible. So much pressure. But Sharon just sat there, and let him work. She knew he could do it. And he did. Perfectly. Rusty got two desserts that night.
They pulled into the parking lot of the DMV. The driving test facilitator came out of the building. "Are you Rusty?" he asked.
Rusty nodded.
"Ready to start?"
He smiled at the instructor, then at Sharon. "Yes, I am."
.
.
.
Sharon stood waiting for Rusty to come back with the car-and hopefully a passing score, so they could get his license next. His next surprise wouldn't be much good without that.
She'd debated about getting him a car. She'd opened it up for discussion at the office. Tao talked about how he'd struggled about letting his son drive. It wasn't a matter of trusting his son but not trusting the rest of the world. Sharon totally understood that, but she'd gone through it with John and Charlotte, so it was a feeling she'd be accustomed to. Flynn and Provenza were very supportive of the idea.
The more she thought about it, the better an idea it seemed. With them both driving and having their own cars, he could help her out even more. She'd pay for his gas in exchange for him doing the grocery shopping every week. It was perfect.
Rusty pulled into the entrance, parking the car right in front of her. He jumped out, rushed into her arms, and hugged her. "I passed, Sharon!"
She pulled him in tighter, kissing the top of his head. "I knew you would."
.
.
.
They stood in line at the DMV, waiting to get his license. They'd finally moved from the initial line to the final line where she'd pay, and he'd get his photo taken. There were still quite a few people in front of them, and the line was moving slow. Something about the photo processing in the computer not working right.
"This is new."
"What, honey?"
"Me getting my photo taken for something not crime related."
She smiled. "Yeah. We really need to get more pictures of you."
"I've been thinking."
"Uh, oh."
"I should get a job."
"Really? What about school?"
"I can do both. I promise. I mean, you pay for everything."
She put her hand on his shoulder. "We'll talk about it later."
They got up to the front of the line. Rusty stood in front of the screen, and the woman behind the counter took his picture. Sharon paid the fee and gave them all his documentation. And just like that, Rusty was a licensed driver in the state of California. With restrictions, of course. Most of which would come from Sharon herself.
They walked out to the car. "I know you probably wanted to drive. You'll get your chance later, I promise. But I need to drive for this next thing."
He nodded. "You have something up your sleeve, don't you?"
"What?" She feigned an innocent look.
"Yeah. You have that face you get when you're about to put someone in jail."
"My triumphant face, you mean?"
"Yeah. Should I be worried?"
"After all this time, you don't trust me?"
He smiled. "Lead the way."
They got in the car. Sharon started the engine. "You know, I like you driving, actually."
"More relaxing for you, right?"
"I don't know about that."
"But it's a nice break for you."
"Yeah. I guess that's what it is."
She drove them to the dealership. She'd already picked out the perfect car for a young driver. She and Flynn took care of it together.
After she talked about the potential merits and pitfalls of Rusty having a car, she'd gone to Flynn for assistance in picking out the perfect first car. They found a reputable used car salesman with a Corolla in good condition. It met all of Sharon's requirements for a safe car for her son. She was relying on Flynn to make sure it really was good enough for him.
Flynn drove them to the car dealership. He parked the car and looked at her, smiling. "Ready to play good cop, bad cop?"
"It all depends on which one I'm playing."
"You get to be good cop, Captain."
"Then I'm ready."
They exited the car. Heading straight for the Corolla in question. Andy set about his task to study the car. She was very clear about her instructions: she wanted a safe and reliable car for her son. She knew he'd feel responsible if the car she purchased wasn't good enough. It was just the kind of man he was. Which was why she'd chosen him for the task.
"What do you think, Lt?"
He nodded. "It looks good, Captain. I'd need to get a look at the engine, though."
The salesman came outside from his office. "Can I help you folks?"
Andy nodded. "Yeah. My wife and I are looking for a car for our kid."
She raised her eyebrows, looking right at him. He just shrugged. She hoped the salesman wouldn't notice the lack of rings on their hands. She suspected he'd only be concerned about the potential sale.
"You've come to the right place then." He gestured to the Corolla. "That beauty just came in this week. You won't find a car much better than that for the price."
"Well, we need to make sure of that. Our son's safety is very important to us," Andy said.
The salesman nodded. "Why don't you have a look under the hood. It's a real beauty, I promise."
He popped the hood, and Andy and Sharon peered at it. She put her hand on his arm. "You know I know nothing about cars, I'll let you make the decision."
Andy looked closer. "Looks good, Shar." He paused. "I'm not wild about the mileage, though."
She nodded. "It does seem a bit high."
The salesman said, "This model can get very high mileage without any problems."
Andy pointed at the price tag. "That's too high. The blue book lists it at a thousand less."
"Isn't there anything you can do? We'd really like to purchase the car today," Sharon said.
The salesman smiled. "You two are nice folks. I'll knock off a grand."
Andy looked at Sharon, who nodded. "Perfect. We'll take it," he said.
They walked in the office with the salesman. He drew up the forms, and Sharon signed them. She wrote the check for the full amount, and they agreed that she'd pick the car up with Rusty in a week. The salesman swore he'd take good care of the car in the meantime.
Andy walked her to the car. "Thank you, Lt."
He nodded. "It wasn't too much?"
She smiled. "No. I think it was just enough."
They pulled up to the dealership. "What are we doing?" Rusty asked.
She smiled. "Picking up your car."
"You bought me a car?!"
"Now don't get too excited. You're gonna use the car to go shopping for us every week. And you'll probably be driving to that job you want so bad."
He launched across the seat and hugged her. "Whatever you want."
"We should probably go shopping for an outfit for your future job interviews."
"You'll help me?"
She nodded. "Hey, if I can help Brenda prepare for one, I can do anything."
"You helped her?"
She smiled. "She almost was Chief of Police because of me."
"I wish she was."
"Me too, believe me." She patted his arm. "Let's go get your car."
.
.
.
"This has been the best day ever."
She smiled. "I'm so glad. It ranks in my top ten too."
"Really?"
"Really." She looked at the candles. "Don't forget to make your wish."
He grinned. "I don't need to."