March 15, 2017

Sharon glances at the digital clock on the bedside table. It's 11:57 p.m. There's only three minutes left in this special day, she thinks to herself. This is the day her former adversary became her fiancé. Lying on her side, she can feel Andy's bare chest glued to her naked back. He has an arm around her waist. His legs are tangled in hers. He's sleeping soundly. She's awake and smiling in the dark. Using her thumb to twirl the diamond on the ring finger of her left hand around and around, she can't quite believe she's once again engaged, and on this of all days. Andy didn't know the significance of the date. March 15, 1983 was the day she married Jack Raydor. Today would've been their 34th wedding anniversary. If Jack had been the man she thought he was thirty-four years ago, he would've been in bed with her now. Instead, the man who slowly won her heart with his sly grin, sarcastic wit, devastating charm, and compassionate eyes is curled around her, snoring softly. They are ending the day the same way they started the day. She stops twirling her new engagement ring around her finger and closes her eyes. Before drifting to sleep, she prays they will have many, many more special days together.

March 15, 2018

It's 11:57 a.m. on a beautiful, California day full of sunshine. Sharon looks across the lawn at her husband who is standing by the grill laughing and talking with Provenza and Patrice. Andy has no idea she is studying him. She can't take her eyes off him in his t-shirt and jeans. Earlier in the day, she watched him enter their bedroom after taking a shower. Digging in the dresser drawer, he found the black t-shirt he wanted and slipped it on over his head. She snickered when she noticed he'd messed up his hair.

"What's so funny?"

"You are," she answered. "You're also handsome." Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his slightly damp, silver hair. He looked down at her with that smile on his face. That smile that did funny things to her. At that moment, she wanted to skip the cookout and take him back to bed. No matter how tempting, they couldn't miss the first anniversary of Julio becoming Mark's dad. It's a special occasion, and Sharon loves to celebrate special occasions.

They are hosting a party in the backyard of their newly purchased home. She and Andy have given Mark a football as a gift. He loves it, and is tossing it back and forth with Julio. She can hear Mark laugh when Julio fumbles the football. Reluctantly shifting her eyes away from her husband, she watches the kid tackle his dad who falls on the grass and pretends to be injured. Hearing their voices and seeing the smiles on both their faces reminds her that life isn't all about criminals, dead bodies, and solving mysteries. It's also about spending time with special people and observing special days.

Walking across the yard with a glass of lemonade for her husband, who is grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, she prays Mark and Julio will have many, many more happy, carefree, and special occasions to spend together.

March 15, 2019

Sharon catches her husband's eyes. He looks scared. She wants to give him a comforting hug, but she can't get to him across the crowded waiting room. Her team members keep stopping her to tell her what happened in the Murder Room. She wasn't there when Provenza slumped over his crossword puzzle. She had been in the middle of a meeting with her boss, Assistant Chief Mason, when she got the call from Andy. His voice sounded shaky on the phone. She promised him she'd get to the hospital as quickly as possible.

Cutting Tao off mid-sentence, she says, "Please tell me Provenza is okay."

"We haven't heard anything. The doctor came out here a few minutes ago and got Patrice. That's all I know," Tao says.

She's finally near Andy when her phone rings. Ignoring it, she reaches for him. They hold each other, and she speaks softly in his ear. "He's going to be okay. I just know he's going to be okay."

Hugging her tightly to him, Andy breathes deeply before releasing her. Looking in her eyes, he says, "I'm not so sure."

Opening her mouth to reassure him, she's not able to get a word out before her phone rings again. She answers without looking to see who is calling. It's Rusty. He has listened to the message Andy left on his phone, and he's in a panic to find out about Provenza. She tells him the little she knows, and reminds him to drive safely on his way to the hospital. Slipping her phone back in her pocket, she puts her arm around Andy and steers him to two empty chairs against the wall. He reaches for her hand as soon as they sit down. She listens as he tells her what happened. "I used his printer, but I didn't have any money on me so I told him I'd pay later," Andy explains. "He looked at me and started to grumble. I told him to stop complaining and stop charging me because he ought to be paying me for putting up with him." Sharon smiles at her husband, and urges him to continue. "I expected him to argue some more, but he just looked at me. The side of his mouth was droopy. He was trying to talk, but nothing was coming out. He had a weird look on his face." Sharon squeezes Andy's hand, and prays he and his best friend will have many, many more opportunities to argue with each other in the future.

March 15, 2020

Sharon and Andy are back in the hospital, but this time it's for a happy reason. She loves the look on his face as he stares down at the healthy baby girl in his arms. His baby girl has just handed him her daughter wrapped in a soft blanket. He unwraps the blanket, and studies his grandchild with a look of wonder on his face. Stroking the baby's silky cheek, he looks up at his wife with tears in his eyes. "Look at her dark hair," he says. "My hair used to be that color." Sharon grins at him before she leans over, touches the baby's toes, and says hello to the newest family member.

Nicole had trouble conceiving. She and Dean had almost given up hope when she finally got pregnant. Due to preeclampsia, her pregnancy was high risk. Andy worried so much about his daughter's blood pressure his own blood pressure became a concern. They could put all that behind them on this special day; Sarah's birthday.

Stirring in his arms, Sarah blinks her eyes several times before waking up. Andy kisses the tip of her tiny nose. When he looks up, he has a funny look on his face. Sharon asks, "What's wrong?"

"I think someone needs a diaper change," he says.

Nicole starts laughing and says, "Hand her to me, Dad. I'll do it."

"No. You rest," he replies. "I got this. I changed your diapers plenty of times."

Sharon hands Andy the baby wipes and a clean diaper before asking Nicole where Dean and the boys are.

"They went to the cafeteria. They were starving."

"I bet the boys are excited about their baby sister," Sharon says.

"Oh, you can't even imagine. They've been bouncing off the walls," Nicole replies.

Looking over at Andy, Sharon can see he is struggling with what to do with the dirty diaper. She takes it from him, walks across the room, and tosses it in the trash. Stopping to wash her hands, she pauses when she turns from the sink to look at Nicole who is looking at her father and daughter with so much love on her face. Sharon appreciates the special moment she's witnessing. She prays there will be many, many more special moments for the three generations of family she is proud to be part of.

March 15, 2021

Patrice and Provenza have been seated at Serve for about fifteen minutes. They've ordered drinks and an appetizer, but they're waiting for Sharon and Andy to arrive before ordering dinner. Their friends are running late. Sharon is exasperated and apologetic when she and Andy finally get to the table. Provenza isn't really irritated, but he acts like it as he glares at Andy and says, "The last couple to get here is the couple who gets to pay the bill."

Andy just smirks at his buddy before kissing Patrice on the cheek. Sharon makes a big show of giving Provenza a hug and says, "Of course, we're going to pay. This is your night. We're celebrating two years of your good health." Provenza makes a show of shrugging off her hug which makes her smile. She'd never tell him, but she misses him around the office since his retirement.

Patrice says, "Can you believe it's been two years since that horrible day?"

Andy doesn't like to think about the day he watched Provenza have a stroke in the Murder Room. Provenza fully recovered, thanks to clot-busting medication, but Andy is uncomfortable talking about it so he looks at his friend and says, "I can't believe it's been two years since you've had to work for a living, not that you ever did that much work to start with."

Rolling his eyes at Andy, Provenza replies, "Well, let me tell you, retirement ain't all it's cracked up to be." Pausing to point at Patrice, he continues, "This one here has plenty of projects for me around the house."

They spend the rest of the evening eating, laughing, and talking. It's late by the time Sharon and Andy return home. It had been a busy day. After work, they'd gone to Sarah's first birthday party before meeting their friends at their favorite restaurant. Climbing into bed a few minutes before midnight, Andy spoons against Sharon with his chest glued to her back. He drapes his arm around her waist, kisses her neck under her ear, and whispers, "Today was a special day. I love you."

She says, "Yes, it was. I love you, too."

She's always been jealous of his ability to go to sleep right away. She's never able to do that no matter how tired she is. Unable to calm her mind and turn her thoughts off, she begins to twirl the diamond on the ring finger of her left hand. That's when she remembers it's been exactly five years since Andy slipped the ring on her finger. She can't believe she almost forgot. Before drifting to sleep, she doesn't forget to pray they will have many, many more special days together.