Andy rolled over, and the absence of Sharon's warmth pulled him out of slumber. He looked at the rumpled sheets and sighed, swinging his legs over the edge to stand. He padded out into the living room, stifling a yawn, and sat down next to Sharon.
"Are you still troubled by shooting Dwight?"
"Not, really, no." Sharon replied, but her eyes slid away from his as she spoke.
Andy watched the line of her jaw tighten around the lie, and kissed her hand. He mumbled something reassuring, and headed back to the bedroom. He loved Sharon more than he ever thought possible, and he knew that right now, that wasn't enough. Climbing back under the covers, he snatched his phone from the nightstand, and sent a brief text.
"I can't help her with this. She needs you."
He darkened the screen, and lay back. There would be no response tonight.
By the end of the next day, Sharon was a tightly wound piano wire of nerves, and Andy checked his watch frequently enough that Provenza noticed, and suggested that work should be the first priority. Just as the clock tipped over the hour, he felt the subtle vibration of his phone. He swiped the screen, and closed his eyes in relief.
"on level 3, bring her to me."
Andy moved with purpose, and pushed into Sharon's office with a perfunctory knock, plucking her jacket from the hook behind the door. She peered up at him, a slight frown on her face. He shook his head.
"No arguments, just take a walk with me, please?"
" Andy," Sharon sighed, gesturing at her paperwork strewn desk, "can't it wait?"
"No." He answered simply, holding up her coat. "It can't."
They rode the elevator in silence, and the tension made Andy's heart ache. She wouldn't be happy with him for this. It might be the end of them, but he couldn't take one more night of her hollow voice, and her sad eyes. The doors slid open, and he settled his hand on the small of Sharon's back, gently leading her to the only kind of salvation that really worked. As they rounded the corner, he felt her stiffen in realization. He thought he heard her whisper a prayer, and then she was moving willingly away from him, and he watched as she crumpled into the slender arms that embraced her. He walked away, but the hushed sound of Sharon's quiet sobs, and Brenda's soothing voice followed him all the way to the elevator.