A/N: I have never been this affected by a character's death on a show before. While I have enjoyed the beautiful work by the wonderful authors on this site for years, I have never dared publish anything myself. However, I could not sleep until I got this out of my system. I keep reading online articles, hoping one of them contains even a hint that Sharon is not truly dead, but to no avail. I have an ending in mind that I would have loved to have seen played out on the show, but it lives only in my mind. The characters are obviously not mine, I just borrowed them to fix that awful ending. This is my first story (ever), so please be kind. Feel free to offer suggestions or something you want to see in future chapters.
Andy
Numb. That's how he felt. He had a vague recollection of garbled voices sounding as if they were underwater, the pain in his arm followed by the hiss of a blood pressure cuff as a nurse checked him over. Apparently, someone at the hospital was worried about his heart. He could remember sitting in a car watching lights pass by, but he couldn't remember how he ended up in Sharon's condo. His home. Someone was waving in his face and it startled him back into the present. "Andy, are you even hearing me?" Provenza was saying. "Huh?" Was all Andy could manage.
"I was asking you if you want to stay here or come home with me? If you and Rusty want to stay at my place for now, we need to get some things packed." Provenza's voice was gentle, full of pity. Andy looked around for Rusty, spotting him shuffling down the hall towards Sharon's room. "Give us a minute, Louie, I have to talk to the kid." Provenza nodded and stood by the door, a silent sentinel.
Andy walked down the hall, pausing outside Sharon's room. Rusty had already gone in and closed the door, probably to grieve in private. After taking a deep breath, Andy twisted the knob and opened the door. The first thing Andy noticed was the light. Rusty must have turned the lamp on because the light stood in stark contrast to the dark of the night, the darkness pulling at him from all around. He glanced around before finding Rusty in the closet. He had a discarded overnight bag at his feet and was gripping Sharon's robe. Andy watched silently as Rusty held the fabric to his face, breathing in the scent. A pang went through his body as he recalled Sharon wearing that robe in this room, telling Andy what the ER doctor had said.
"Hey, Rusty," Andy started, before he realized he had nothing to offer the boy. They were both in tremendous pain and nothing would make it better. Rusty looked up at Andy and held out the robe, understanding and an offering in his eyes. Andy took the robe hesitantly and cradled it to his body. Sharon's lingering scent triggered the floodgates, and Andy broke down. Before he knew it, he and Rusty were on the floor, chests heaving with sobs that only got more powerful. He reached out for the boy's hand and gripped it, an anchor in the storm of his emotions. After some time had passed and they had worn themselves out with their cries, Andy stood. He motioned towards the overnight bag and asked, "Do you want to stay with Provenza? I think I am going to stay here, but you are free to choose." Rusty shook his head and said quietly, "I wasn't sure what you wanted, you hadn't answered Provenza all night. I was going to pack you some clothes in case you decided to go with him."
Andy nodded and glanced toward the hallway, where Provenza had no doubt heard their painful sobs and wisely chosen to stay back. "I better tell him to get going, then. I'll be back in a minute, kid." And with that, Andy turned and walked out to speak to his oldest friend.