A/N: Just a two shot that popped into my head. Hope you'll all enjoy.
It takes place after 2x09 and is kind of AU.
XX
When his rookie hadn't said a word in over an hour, Sam was beginning to get worried. He knew she hadn't been feeling so well, but she looked more miserable than she did before.
Unfortunately he couldn't just make her take a sick day and bring her home. They were assigned to prisoner transport. They had to take a guy from Toronto to Sudbury. The way to Sudbury wasn't that bad, she wasn't her talkative self, but Sam didn't think too much of it.
After they dropped off the prisoner and went to grab a bite Sam got a little suspicious. Andy hardly touched her food, while she normally ate more than the average female. After a while she finally admitted that she was not feeling good. She brushed it off as a minor flu and told Sam she was fine as long as he would drive.
Another thirty minutes on the road told Sam that she wasn't fine. She hadn't said a word since they left the diner and her head was slumped against the window. Sam kept driving while he kept a close eye on her.
''Can we stop for a moment?'' Andy asked.
Sam quickly pulled over and watched her get out of the car. She went to the side of the road and threw up. Sam took a bottle of water from the car along with some tissues. He handed her the items and looked concerned.
''I'm sorry,'' Andy said. ''I think I have the flu.''
''Are you sure it's the flu?'' Sam wondered. ''You look like you're in pain.''
''It's just my stomach. I always get that when I have the flu.'' Andy closed her eyes and sighed. ''Sorry,'' she repeated.
''Don't apologize,'' Sam answered. He looked at his watch and sighed when he noticed the time. Because of the multiple bathroom stops Andy needed and a hold up at the prison, they were really behind of schedule. It was already beginning to get dark and they still had a long trip ahead of them.
''Are you sure you're able to drive all the way back?''
''We don't really have a choice.'' Andy whipped her mouth and took a sip of water. ''I'll be fine.''
''Where does it hurt?'' Sam asked when he saw the way she was holding onto her stomach.
''All over,'' Andy honestly answered. She had tried to put on the tough act, but she knew that Sam looked right through that one.
Sam looked at the cruiser and then turned back to his partner. ''We can call Frank, explain this to him and check into a motel,'' Sam suggested. ''You'll be able to lie down and then maybe you'll feel better in the morning.''
The offer was really tempting, but Andy just wanted to crawl into her own bed. ''It's just another few hours. Let's just drive.''
Of course Sam noticed that she was hesitant, but he figured she knew her own body better than he did. Reluctantly he took her back to the cruiser.
When she needed to get out of the car again just five minutes later, Sam made the decision for her. ''I'm calling Frank,'' he said. ''We'll drive back in the morning.''
As much as she hated admitting it, Andy really had to agree with Sam. She wanted to lie down more than anything and she really was in pain.
They found a simple, but fine hotel with available rooms pretty quickly. Sam checked them in and got them a room with two beds. He didn't care what others would think. He wanted to keep an eye on his partner.
As soon as they were in the room Andy laid down on the bed. ''Take off your belt,'' Sam instructed.
Slowly Andy removed her utility belt and handed it to Sam. He placed it somewhere safe and went outside to call Frank.
Frank wasn't happy, but understood that they would've come home if it was an option. McNally was a tough one so if she said she was too sick, he knew she was.
When Sam entered the room again Andy was curled into a ball on the bed. He walked towards her and sighed. He wanted her to get some rest, so he decided to take a quick shower. He always had a duffle bag in the cruiser, so he had a change of clothes with him.
After his shower he threw on jeans and a grey t-shirt. He thought that Andy fell asleep, so he laid down on the second bed and turned on the TV.
A little while later Andy turned to him. ''What doesappendicitis feel like?'' she asked.
''Do you think it's your appendix?'' Sam wondered. He sat up and walked towards Andy's bed. He laid the back of his hand on her forehead and sighed when he felt that she definitely had a temperature. ''Where does your stomach hurt?'' he asked.
''At first it pretty much hurt everywhere,'' Andy answered. ''Now it's on my right side though. It's getting worse.''
''You need to see a doctor,'' Sam said as he grabbed his cell phone.
''It might be nothing, never mind,'' Andy protested. She really didn't want to go see a doctor and risk the chance that it was just a simple flu after all. ''I'm fine.''
''You're not.'' Sam was not taking no for an answer now. ''There's a hospital close by. Are you okay to walk?''
''Seriously, I'm fine,'' Andy tried one more time.
''Andy, if it is your appendix than you're going to need surgery.''
''It's probably nothing.''
''You have the signs, so you're getting checked. No discussion. If you're not going to come with me, I'll carry you.''
Andy sighed when she realized that she wasn't going to win. ''Okay,'' she agreed.
Sam knew he couldn't leave the utility belts at the hotel, so he took those with them . He drove to the hospital and when he flashed his badge they got help pretty quickly.
Just two hours later Sam was informed that Andy probably had appendicitis. A nurse told him that she was going into surgery right away. Sam knew that it wasn't a big surgery, but he still hated the fact that she was in surgery at all.
''We have some forms that need to be filled out,'' the nurse said. ''Can you fill those out or do we have to call a relative.''
''I can fill it in,'' Sam told her. He already had Andy's wallet in his pocket because they needed insurance information.
While he was filling in the forms he realized that he had to call Andy's father. With a quick call to Tommy he explained the situation and told him that he would stay. Her situation wasn't life threatening so Tommy knew there was no reason to drive up there late at night.
After calling Tommy, Sam called Traci. He knew that Andy was still sleeping on Nash's couch and he didn't want her to worry when she didn't come home.
At first Traci insisted that she would come to the hospital so Sam could go home. When Sam assured her that he had no other plans she told him that she would come in the morning. Traci helped Sam with some information he needed for the forms. After that he hung up and closed his eyes.
Over the last few weeks he and Andy had become closer than they had ever been. After the whole Nixon debacle she had given him the cold shoulder for a few days. Thankfully Andy was a forgiving person and their partnership went back to normal.
Personally they had gotten closer to. Over the weeks they had spent a lot of time together off shift. Most of the time it was at the Penny with all of their friends, but he would always drive her home if Traci had already left. When they were alone there definitely was some flirting going on.
He didn't want to make the first move though. There were still too many moments where he would catch her staring into space. He knew that she was still trying to make peace with everything that had happened.
Whenever Callaghan made an appearance at the Penny her smile dropped. Sam wasn't sure if it was because she wasn't over him, or if she was just simply ashamed.
Part of him wanted to punch the lights out of Callaghan's eyes when he figured out what he had done. He knew that Andy wouldn't benefit from that though. It would only increase people's talking and she didn't need that. So Sam kept his hands to himself and tried to bring that smile back to Andy's face whenever they ran into Luke.
As much as he wanted to make a move, he couldn't. She was still recovering from the heartbreak she went through and Sam wasn't sure he would be able to offer her what she wanted out of life. He had been the rebound guy many times, but he didn't want that with Andy.
It surprised him, but he actually wanted more.
XX
While Sam was thinking things over a nurse came to find him. ''You're here for Miss McNally?'' she asked.
Sam's eyes flew open and he sat up a little straighter. ''I am,'' he confirmed. ''How is she?''
''The operation went well. She's in recovery right now and she'll be brought to her own room in a little while. I'll tell you when you're allowed to go see her.''
''Thank you,'' Sam said. He ran a hand across his face and sighed. He didn't realize it, but he had been nervous. Of course it was a standard procedure, but things could always go wrong. His teenage niece made him watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy where someone died during the exact same surgery.
Twenty minutes later Sam was walking towards the room Andy was supposed to be in. He softly knocked on the door and when there was no answer he entered.
Andy was wearing a hospital gown and had her eyes closed. Her hair was fanned out over the white pillow. When she heard Sam enter she opened her eyes. ''Hey,'' she said with a small smile. ''You could've gone back to Toronto.''
''Never leave your partner behind McNally,'' Sam answered. ''You know that by now.''
''I think the rules don't apply when your partner is ruining your day by getting appendicitis at the most inconvenient time ever.''
''Don't worry about it,'' Sam told her. ''How are you feeling?''
''Fine,'' she said. When Sam raised an eyebrow she smiled faintly. ''It hurts a bit, but not too bad. Any idea how long I'll be here?''
Sam shook his head and shrugged at the same time. ''Couple of days?'' he guessed. ''Maybe they'll even let you go tomorrow.''
''I hope so,'' Andy said. ''I don't like hospitals.'' Andy closed her eyes again for a moment. When they shot open again she found Sam's eyes. For a minute they didn't say anything. ''Have you called Traci?'' she asked.
''Nash knows you won't be home tonight,'' Sam confirmed. ''She wanted to come by immediately, but I told her to stay at home. Your dad also wanted to come, but I figured there isn't much he can do here.''
''You're right,'' Andy told him. ''Thanks for calling them.''
Silenced filled the room when Andy closed her eyes once again. She drifted off for another hour and when she woke up Sam was still seated beside her bed.
She thought about how he was just always there for her. Whenever she needed him, he was there. Whether she needed someone's plumbing fixed, a ride home or someone to punch, he was there; no questions asked.
With Luke that had always been different. She didn't want to make him into the ultimate bad guy, because their relationship had known good moments. He wasn't always there though.
When she was with Luke she was never sure that he would be there when she needed him. Even after she took someone's life he left her by herself. That night she found solace in Sam's arms, even if it lasted shortly.
In her head she made Luke the stable, safe and good guy. Sam was unstable, unsafe and kind of a bad boy. She had been wrong though, because Luke was the one that cheated on her. He was the one that wasn't there when she needed him.
''What are you thinking about?'' Sam wondered. He noticed that she had a pained expression on her face.
''Nothing,'' Andy brushed it off. She turned her gaze to the clock and watched as the seconds ticked away. After a while she took a deep breath and faced Sam. Whether it were the painkillers or just a moment of braveness, she didn't know. She wanted to know more about Sam though. ''Have you ever cheated on anybody?'' she asked.
Sam's eyes widened at her boldness. ''What?'' he wondered.
''Have you ever cheated?'' Andy repeated.
Sam cleared his throat as he shook his head. ''No McNally, I haven't.''
''That's what I thought,'' Andy replied with a small smile.
For a moment Sam was a little lost for words. He didn't know what to think of the question she just asked him. ''He's an idiot Andy.'' The words were out of his mouth before he knew it.
Andy smiled sadly and shrugged. ''I guess it's a good thing. Probably wouldn't have worked out anyway.'' When Sam raised his eyebrows Andy turned her gaze to the ceiling. ''I thought I was happy, but I guess I wasn't. Not really. It's just so embarrassing. Everybody knows.''
''You didn't do anything wrong Andy.'' Sam leaned forward and placed his hand over hers. When their skin made contact she seemed to tense for a moment. She recovered pretty quickly though. ''Of course people talk, I'm not going to lie. This will pass though and people will get bored of it.''
Andy couldn't do anything but nod. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of Sam's hand on hers. It was a simple gesture, but since it was Sam it wasn't that simple. He never seemed like the handholding type to her, but apparently she was wrong.
A few minutes Andy took in a deep breath as she felt a sting where her wound was.
''Pain?'' Sam guessed. When Andy nodded he let go of her hand and stood up. ''I'll go see if they can give you something against it.'' He noticed that Andy was about to protest, so he quickly silenced her. ''There's no point in being in pain when there are perfectly good painkillers.''
Reluctantly Andy gave in. She let Sam get a nurse and swallowed the pills she was handed when the nurse showed up in her room.
''You should drive back,'' Andy said to Sam. ''I'm in good hands and won't be allowed to go yet.''
''I'll stay until Nash shows up,'' Sam told her.
''At least go to the hotel,'' Andy tried. ''I'll just fall asleep and I'm sure it's past visiting hours as it is. You should try to get some sleep as well.''
''It's fine Andy. I slept in worse places, believe me.''
''I do believe you, it's just completely unnecessary. I'll be fine and if anything goes wrong than they'll take care of me. Go get some sleep, you'll have to drive back tomorrow.'' Andy kept her gaze at Sam until he gave in.
''Okay,'' he said. ''I'll see you in the morning. Try to get some sleep.''
XX
During the night Andy woke a few times. The pain wasn't that bad, but she was definitely uncomfortable. She had to call a nurse when she needed to use the bathroom. She was still in the hospital gown and needed help getting her shirt through the IV.
She forgot that she didn't have any clothes with her besides her uniform, but thankfully they had a few spare clothes .
After a while the pain intensified, so she got another painkiller. When she woke up again Traci was sitting in the chair beside her bed.
''Hey,'' Andy said. ''You didn't have to come all the way down here.''
''I figured you needed a few things,'' Traci answered. ''And your dad couldn't come because he had a meeting he had to attend. He called me yesterday after Sam called him.''
''Did Sam go back to Toronto yet?'' Andy wondered.
''No, he went to buy me some coffee. He looked pretty worried too.'' Traci shot Andy a mischievous smile. ''Anything happen between the two of you?''
''Yeah. I felt really hot when I was all feverish and in pain,'' Andy sarcastically said. ''I'm sure that I looked very attractive as well. It must have been hard for him to keep his hands off me.''
''I don't doubt that,'' Traci commented with a smile. ''But seriously, how are you feeling?''
''Pretty well all things considered. The pain isn't that bad and I can move around.''
Just in that moment Sam walked in with two cups of coffee. He handed Nash one and shot Andy an apologetic smile. ''Wasn't sure if you were allowed to have coffee,'' he said. ''How are you feeling?''
''Good.'' Andy sat up a little straighter and tried to straighten her hair. Last night she had been in pain and didn't worry about her appearance. She could only imagine how she looked with her bed hair and oversized clothes on. ''You should go give Frank his cruiser back. I'm fine, I promise.''
''I'll go in a little while,'' Sam told her. He stayed until the doctor confirmed that she could go home the next day. After that he gave Andy an almost shy smile and then left to go back to Toronto.
Traci stayed until she had to go back to pick up Leo from school. Tommy called Andy to make sure that she really was okay and the rest of the day she spend watching TV and reading magazines that Sam bought her.
Whenever she thought of him a smile formed on her lips. The way his hand felt against hers the night before was still lingering in her mind. She had never responded to anybody's touch like that. A simple act like holding hands made her feel warm inside.
Before she knew it Andy was allowed to leave the hospital. Traci had car troubles once again so Andy wasn't that surprised when Sam showed up to pick her up. In a way she felt bad that he had to drive that entire way again, but she had to admit that she was happy that he was the one taking her home.
Sam wanted her to sit in the back of his truck so she could stretch her legs, but Andy insisted that she was fine with sitting in the front. She was feeling good and the truck was pretty comfortable. She didn't want to sit in the back like a child.
During the drive back to Toronto they made small talk. Every time Sam made Andy laugh she flinched because laughing still really hurt. Sam kept the jokes to a minimum after he figured that out.
Soon they were parked in front of Traci's house. ''Thank you,'' Andy said when Sam stopped the truck. ''I'm really sorry that you had to drive again. I'll pay you for the gas.''
''McNally,'' Sam warned. ''It's fine, okay? I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to do it.''
''I know,'' Andy replied. Their eyes met and slowly Andy's lips curved up. For a moment she thought that he was going to lean in and kiss her, but that didn't happen. ''I should probably go inside.''
''I'll help you.'' Sam was out of the truck before Andy knew it and she let out a deep breath. Sam grabbed the bag with her stuff in it and walked Andy to the door. ''Nash had to work. Apparently you aren't the only one on sick leave, so she had to pull an extra shift. She told me you have a key?''
''I do,'' Andy said. She took the key and opened the door. ''Want to come in for a moment?''
''Sure.'' Sam followed her inside and looked around the house. It was hard to imagine that his best friend spend a lot of time in that house. The house was very unlike Jerry, but Sam knew that Nash had changed him for the better. ''Are you sure you're going to be comfortable here?'' Sam wondered when he saw the couch.
''It pulls out,'' Andy told him. ''It's actually more comfortable than it looks.''
Sam nodded and watched Andy move around with care. ''I have a spare room,'' he suggested. ''It has a nice bed. More privacy than here. It's all yours if you want it.''
Andy bit her bottom lip and shook her head. ''I don't think that's a good idea,'' she said.
''Oh,'' was Sam's unintelligible response. ''That's fine.''
''I appreciate the offer,'' Andy quickly said. ''I already have my eye on a condo though.''
''Where?'' Sam wondered.
''That old toilet factory close by that store we arrested that drug dealer last week? It has great windows. Lots of natural lights.''
Sam looked at her with a proud smile. She was really picking up the pieces of her life again. Finally he had some faith that she was ready to look at the future. ''It sounds great Andy.''
Andy smiled and nodded. ''It does,'' she agreed. When she let out a yawn Sam stood up.
''I should get going. Call me if you need anything, okay? Doesn't matter what time it is.''
''I'm fine,'' Andy immediately replied. ''But thanks for the offer. And thanks for coming to pick me up. I'm sure you had better things to do.'' She stood up too and met Sam at the door.
''I'm there when it matters, right?''
''You really are,'' Andy softly said. She was just inches away from Sam when their eyes met. When Sam took another step towards her she had no way to go. Not that she wanted to go anywhere else.
They were so close that their noses were almost touching. She could feel his breath on her and closed her eyes in anticipation of what was coming.
The ring of the landline startled the both of them. Sam stepped back and cleared his throat as Andy looked at the ringing phone. ''I'll see you later McNally,'' Sam said with a small nod as he made his way out of the house.
On his way to the truck he cursed the one calling, but also himself. He had told himself so many times to wait until she was ready. On the other side, it didn't seem like she was about to protest. If the phone would have ringed just a minute later he would have kissed her.
And there wasn't a doubt in his mind that it would have been good.
XX
A/N: I'll probably post the next chapter very fast.
