Lieutenant Provenza looked up as two more people entered the hospital waiting room. He had been expecting the Captain to arrive but he wasn't expecting to see Nicole Flynn by her side. After all, he had listened to his partner's strict orders that no one call Nicole until he was settled in a room. Louie wasn't sure that he agreed with that plan, but he respected his friend enough to listen. Especially if it gave him peace of mind.
Nicole reached the older man first, although Sharon wasn't very far behind. She took a moment to catch her breath before she spoke. "Louie. What happened? How's my dad?"
"Your dad is as stubborn as they come and will be just fine. I'm waiting for the doctor to come out, though."
"How did this happen? I thought Julio and Andy were out looking for a witness?"
"They were. But dispatch sent a call our way because someone had called in and said that their neighbor was out on the front lawn arguing with someone. Yeah, I know that's normally not something we'd be bothered with, but the neighbor in question was Lucas Boyle."
Sharon's expression fell. Lucas Boyle was someone that they were trying to nail for two counts of murder. He was also being represented by her ex-husband which was a big headache for everyone involved.
Louie noticed his captain starting to connect some of the dots and continued. "Like you said, Flynn and Julio were in the neighborhood so they were the closest to the scene. Julio told us that Lucas was seen waving a gun and arguing with his asshole lawyer when they arrived. Flynn tried to talk him down but nothing was getting through to him. I think he finally realized we were closing in on him and he wasn't going to go down with a fight. The thing is, Captain, that he wasn't aiming his gun at Flynn. He was aiming his gun at the lawyer and Flynn got in the way. He took a bullet for that man. Who, I might add, complained the entire way to the hospital. He's in another room being checked out for a concussion but is otherwise okay."
"So, you're saying my father got shot saving someone's life?" Nicole asked. She might not have picked up on the hints Louie was leaving for Sharon, but they didn't really matter to her anyway.
"I'm saying your father got shot saving a low life scumbag named J..."
"Lieutenant!" Sharon hissed. She was no happier than he was that all of this once again revolved around Jack, but this wasn't an argument they were going to have now. Not with Andy in a hospital bed and especially not with Nicole standing there with them.
"Flynn family?" The three of them looked up as the doctor that Louie had spoken to earlier walked over to greet them. He offered a kind smile to the two women. "Your husband and father is stable," he told them as he glanced down at his file for a second. Therefore missing the pained expression that flashed across Sharon's face. Louie opened his mouth to correct the doctor, but Nicole elbowed him in the side before shaking her head. There was no need to go over things like that right now. "If you'd like, I can take the two of you back to see him now?"
"Nicole, why don't you go first?"
"No. Sharon, please? I don't think I can do this alone." She sent Sharon a look that reminded her so much of one her father would give her that there was no way she could say no. Instead she took the other woman's hand, ignoring the look the Lieutenant was sending them both, and followed the doctor to her father's room.
"Can you tell us how he really is, Doctor?" Sharon asked as they walked. Seeing that he was fine was something she needed, but she also needed to hear it from the man that had treated him.
"Lieutenant Flynn was lucky that the bullet didn't hit anything. It was a clean through and through which I know might sound scary, but was the best case scenario for him. He will be in a good amount of pain for the next few days. Especially since he asked us to make sure we only gave him medication that came with no risks of becoming addicted to it."
"How long will you be keeping him here?"
"If all goes as planned, he will be able to go home in two days. But that will only happen as long as the two of you are willing to keep an eye on him. What he is able to do will be limited and he needs someone to make sure that he listens."
Nicole squeezed Sharon's hand as they listened to the doctor. "We'll both keep an eye on him, I promise."
"Then I will leave the two of you to your visit. Please page the nurse if your father needs anything."
Sharon watched the doctor walk away before she turned her attention to Nicole. "Why don't you go in first? I promise I will come in as well, but your face should be the first that he sees."
Nicole wanted to protest but she thought better of it. Instead she let go of Sharon's hand and took a step closer to the door of Andy's room. "I'll call you in a few seconds to come in." She told her before she slipped inside.
"Oh dad," the words slipped out of her mouth the second her eyes landed on him.
"Sweetheart, I'm fine. Honestly." He reached out his hand on his uninjured side and offered his daughter a comforting smile. "It hurts like hell, but you know it'll take a lot more than a bullet to keep me down."
"I do know that but it doesn't mean you have to try and prove it every chance you get. When Sharon got that call, I assumed the worst, Dad. I was so afraid we were going to get here and you would be gone."
The hand that had been moving soothingly along Nicole's back stopped at the mention of the other woman's name. "Wait a minute, what do you mean when Sharon got the call? Why were you with the Captain?"
She avoided his question and looked at the door. "You can come in now."
"Nicole..."
"Don't start. That woman was a nervous wreck over this so you're going to see her. You're going to let her know you're okay whether you like it or not."
Despite his daughter's warning, Andy still found himself glaring as the door opened. "Your husband's room is down the hall."
"Yes, I am well aware of where my ex -husband's room is. But I am here because I want to be. You don't have to believe me Andy, but I care about you a lot."
"You have a funny way of showing it," he muttered.
"Okay you know what, you two obviously need some time alone. So I am going to go and call Dean to let him know what is going on. You," she paused and glanced at her father. "Be nice. And you," she looked to Sharon as she walked towards her. "Don't let him push you away." With a parting smile she let herself out of the room, silently hoping it had been the right choice.
"Andy..." The word came out soft, too soft for her own liking. She cleared her throat, settling into the seat beside his bed that Nicole had used. "What were you thinking? You could have been killed!"
"Let me get this straight, I get shot saving Jackson Raydor of all people and you're going to yell at me for it? I saved the father of your damn children, Sharon. What did you expect me to do?"
"I don't. I don't know what to expect anymore if I'm being honest."
"Well that's just great." Andy rolled his eyes before he looked at her. "What do you want from me? Do you want me to say that for a second I thought about not knocking him out of the way? That I almost let my personal issues get in the way of me doing my job? Because it did, damn it. I look at that man and I feel my hatred for him growing. I look at your stomach and... I am reminded every single day that you picked him over me."
"It wasn't like that. I swear to you it wasn't"
"You know what the worst part of it is? That no matter how much you hurt me, I still look at you and wish that the baby you were carrying was mine. That we were the ones getting ready to welcome a child in a few months."
A tear made it's way down Sharon's cheek, followed by another. She lifted her hand to wipe them away before hesitantly reaching out and placing her hand beside his on the bed. She didn't try to hold it because she didn't think she could handle him pulling away from her in the physical sense as well. "You're not the only one that wishes that, Andy. Every night I dream of how differently things would be if she was ours." Her gaze lifted to his face for a moment, searching for any kind of reaction from him. For a brief second she thought the old Andy was coming through, but he managed to slip his mask back in place just as quickly. "I know that nothing I say or do will change what happened. But there is one thing that will never change, Andrew Flynn."
"What's that?"
"How much you mean to me. I know you probably don't want to hear it, but I am so thankful that you are okay, Andy. There are so many people that would be devastated if something happened to you. Your children, our team. Me..."
No matter how he currently felt about her, Andy still hated to see Sharon upset. The more she talked to him, the more her tears continued to fall. If he was in the mood to be honest with himself, then he would admit that seeing her so upset hurt more than the damn bullet that had ripped through him. He was pretty sure he would regret it later, but that didn't stop him from moving his hand over and taking hers. "Sharon, come here."
She looked at him questioningly. The last thing she expected was to see him moving over on his bed and gently tugging her towards him. "Are you sure?"
"Just get up here." His reply was a little softer than he had used on her recently. He had a feeling that played a part in her actually giving in and easing down beside him on the bed. It wasn't the easiest thing to do with her belly and him trying not to hurt himself, but they managed alright.
"Do you think you'll ever be able to forgive me?" Her voice was muffled by the way she laid her head against his chest but she could tell by the way his body reacted that he had heard her.
"Isn't that like asking if I'll ever stop being a stubborn ass?"
"Well, I'm hoping your forgiveness will come a little easier..."
He chuckled softly. "I ain't gonna tell you it'll happen over night or anything like that. But, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I miss you."
"I miss you, too and I am willing to wait as long as it takes. I'm not going to give up on us."
Andy leaned his head down to rest against her's. "Who would have thought us both being so stubborn would actually work in our advantage one day?"
"Stranger things have happened, don't you think?"
"Yeah," Andy whispered as he tightened his arm around her. "I guess they have."
The two of them were far from where they used to be and there was no denying that it would take time to get them there. But as Sharon laid there in his arms, the steady beating of his heart under her ear, she knew things would be okay. Like he said, they were both too stubborn for it to turn out any other way.
[Author's note, I want to take a moment to thank everyone that has taken the time to read this story so far! I can't tell you how much it means to me to know that you are enjoying it. I'm undecided if this will be the last chapter or I should continue it. Please let me know your thoughts!]