A/N: Just a quick short story about last night's episode. Neither of us thinks that the Sherwoods get enough screen time, let alone together, so we tried to fix it. R/R please.
Denise had beaten him home, and she was supposed to be working late, this didn't look good. He'd gone to the infirmary to check up on Jeremy's doctor report and called the County facility to check on Captain Houston. He called out for her, but heard the tell tale piano music and got worried.
He walked in the bedroom; she was laying on her side with her back turned to him.
"Decided not to take the bath that usually goes with this music?" he asked.
"Yeah, i was too tired," she said quietly.
"Too tired for a bath?" he asked. "What's wrong, honey? You feel sick?"
"No, just a rough day at work," she said fighting back her tears.
"Not so terrific here either," he admitted. "But we made it to 100, that's something right?"
"Yeah," she said, her voice had barely gone above a whisper since she started talking.
"You talk to Roxy?" he asked. "Is that what's wrong?"
"No, we um, we had a call and it was a little boy," she said choking up and swallowing hard.
"The little Hoffman boy," he said sitting down. "Cute kid, he's out in the truck."
"He's what?" she asked.
"His aunt can't get here until morning and I'm his Mom's direct CO so I took custody of him and brought him home with me," Frank told her. "Couldn't leave him in a hospital alone like that."
"Okay, get him settled. I can't go out there right now," she said tearing up but he couldn't see it because she was still facing away from him.
He could hear it though, "Denise, look at me."
"I'm okay Frank," she said but he could tell she was crying now.
He held her close, "I'm going to set him up with the XBOX. I'll be right back."
She nodded and he left the room
"All right, Tyler," Frank said. "You like video games?"
"Yeah," he said, he was a very shy child.
"Yeah, my boy does too," Frank said. "Here you go," he said handing him the controls. "Play a little bit then we'll get you some food and a warm bed," Frank said. "I need to go check on my wife. She's having a baby."
"Okay," he said and started to play the game.
Denise was on the phone when Frank went into the bedroom, "No, but thanks for telling me, Roxy."
She hung up the phone. "That was Roxy," she said.
"More about the shrimp?" he asked hopeful. "LeBlanc invited us to lunch tomorrow."
"No, about Jeremy almost getting blown up during exercises today," she said and put her knees under her chin and covered her face with her hand.
"He didn't almost get blown up," Frank corrected. "That was me about six years ago. He almost got shot through the head."
She looked at him; she had tears streaming down her face. "Frank, don't joke," she said.
"It wasn't a joke, the misfire almost took his eye out but it didn't," he sighed. "What's wrong? You are never like this."
"I don't know, between the hormones and worrying about Jeremy and these cases especially this one, I feel like I am losing control and i hate that," she said and started to cry harder.
All he knew to do was sit on the bed and hold her, so that's what he did, no words, no nonsense, just his arms and chest offering support and absorbing pain.
"I don't want to work anymore Frank, i can't take it," she sobbed and buried head in his chest.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said softly. "Cause there's a little boy in our living room who'd be without his mother if not for you."
"He almost lost her because of me," she said.
"Not the way he tells it," Frank said. "He doesn't say much but he did tell me about the 911 lady that got help for his mommy."
She smiled through her tears. "Really," she said.
"Yep, he said you asked him "all the right stuff" and the cops came and helped his mommy," he told her. "That sounds like a good day's work to me. Now, quitting, staying here, hiding from the pressure, next little boy might not be so lucky."
She sighed. "What if we lose someone?" she said. "What if I can't save the next one?"
"Then that one wasn't meant to be saved, but this one was meant to be saved, Denise, but she wouldn't have been if someone else answered that phone. That little boy is in our living room and his mother is alive because of how much you cared. You always care."
"I try," she said wiping her eyes. "Can you do me a favor though?"
"Anything baby," he replied kissing her lips.
"Come and bail me out of jail the next time that bone head boss smarts off to me because I swear with this pregnancy my temper is unpredictable. If he gets me on the wrong day I will end up punching his lights out," she said laughing a little.
"Consider it done, baby," Frank smiled. "What do you say we let a shy little boy meet his hero?"
She smiled. "Good idea, and call Jeremy, i want to see for myself that he is okay," she said getting up.
"He's probably sleeping but you can see him tomorrow," Frank told her. "I saw him and I swear he's okay. He's coming up for breakfast."
"Okay and one more quick question," she said.
"Shoot," he said helping her off the bed.
"Why didn't you tell me about when you had the same thing happen to you?" she asked.
"About the fire exercise?" he asked. "Why? I was fine. No reason to set you going on about it."
She laughed. "Are you saying I am dramatic Frank Sherwood?" she asked
"No, I'm saying you worry about the men you love and it's easier on me when I'm not worrying about how much you worry, purely selfish intention, my sweet," he chuckled.
"Okay, I understood about half of that so on that note, let's go check on the kid," she said and pushed him halfway to the door and laughed when he tripped over his own boots on the way down the hall.