Another day at the office had come to an end. Sharon sat at her desk, enjoying the silence. It wasn't often the team had a full week without a case, without the horrors of the world creeping into their office. They'd just finished one such week, and it felt good. The team was packing up for the evening, ready to enjoy a weekend off before starting a week of on-call status first thing Monday morning. Sharon still had paperwork to finish, not that she minded. It was easier to stay at work, to focus on work right now. She glanced around at the team; some had already left. Andy and Provenza were still finishing, and that too, was no surprise. Her second and third in command were usually the last to leave. Until last week, Andy's excuse for waiting long after Provenza had left, was always Sharon. They were friends, friends who enjoyed each other's company and often went to dinner. He'd always waited for her, something she hadn't realized how much she enjoyed and appreciated. Now, in the past week since he'd told her about trying to reconcile with Sandra, Sharon had noticed Andy would often leave with Provenza. He wasn't upset with Sharon, but staying to hang out with her wasn't really the right image if he was trying to get back together with his ex-wife. Almost on cue, Sharon noticed Andy say something to Provenza, and Provenza nodded at Andy. The two gathered their things, and both looked to Sharon's office where they each gave her a small wave. She returned it, and the two men left for the evening. Suddenly, the office was very quiet, even more than it had just been. Sharon was the last member of the team; the rest had gone home to their lives.
The past week had been somewhat of a challenge. Things with Andy weren't bad; they hadn't had a fight or anything, but he'd told her that their special friendship-the outings, dinners, endless hours talking-all of that really had to stop, or at least change if he wanted to make things work with Sandra. It had been hard to hear. Sharon missed her friend, and she'd spent most of the last week realizing just how much she had relied on Andy to be there for her.
After they'd left the restaurant, the ride to Andy's car, had been a bit awkward. She knew Andy felt it too because he had tried to make small talk with her as she drove. Neither had ever really had to make small talk; they'd easily found things to discuss, but the atmosphere had changed; the lines had shifted. He'd pointed out a billboard for a musical concert, something neither would be interested in attending, and he'd started a discussion about the younger generation and their music preferences. It was odd, something they normally wouldn't discuss, but she knew that Andy, just like Sharon, felt the tension. The difference was that he had a plan, a path he wanted to explore, and Sharon was not on it.
Over the past week, Sharon had found herself wanting to talk to Andy on many occasions, not that she was forbidden or even discouraged from speaking to him, but the habit to pick up the phone to call or text had been strong, and she'd resisted the urge each time. Sure, she still spoke to him at work, but the small jokes and the chats in her office throughout the day, had stopped, and truly, she missed them. She wasn't sure if Andy did or not; he'd been very quiet all week, going about the motions of his job and not much else. She'd noted he and Provenza appeared to have their usual banter during the day, but outside of that, he hadn't spoken to her much, nor to anyone else on the team. She wanted him to be happy, no matter what, but she wasn't sure if he was.
The idea of being happy, of what that really meant, had her reflecting on her own life. She wasn't lonely; she had three great children, even if Rusty wasn't technically her son, and she had an amazing career. She worked with a wonderful team, all of whom she could call her close friends. Her life was full, but over the past week, she felt an emptiness creep into it that she couldn't pinpoint. Now, as she looked out at her team room, she realized that they had all gone home to their families and their lives, and she needed to do the same. She sent Rusty a quick text about dinner and was surprised he replied so quickly.
"I have baked chicken in the oven. Didn't know your plans, but there's plenty," he told her.
"I'll be home soon. Looking forward to a relaxing evening with you," Sharon replied. She started to pack up her things and decided that she could easily work on her paperwork at home. Maybe it was the office that was making her feel a bit empty. It wasn't all warm and cozy like her condo, and she'd been stuck in the office a lot the last week. It wasn't like she enjoyed a murder case, but it did get her out of the office some and allowed her to focus on other things. She'd had a full week of paperwork basically, and with that realization, she decided that she just needed a long, relaxing weekend to refocus before work picked up the next week.
The weekend was just what Sharon needed. She decided that the funk she was in was related to her paperwork week at the office. By Monday morning, she was in a good mood; Sharon had relaxed all weekend. Rusty had suggested a movie, and the two had gone to see one on Saturday afternoon. They'd even spent Saturday evening grocery shopping together, something she hadn't done with him in a very long time. Sunday had been enjoyable as well. She had attended Mass and spoken to both Emily and Ricky on the phone. She and Rusty had cleaned the condo; cleaning always helped Sharon's mood. It had been a good weekend. Now, as she got her things situated in her office, she smiled as the team filed in for the morning. Her door was open, and she waved at them as they arrived. After putting up her things, Sharon ventured out of her office.
"How was your weekend?" Andy asked her when walked up and stood next to him. He was standing near Amy's desk talking to Provenza and Julio, and all the men turned toward her at the sound of her heels.
"It was nice," she nodded to the men. "Rusty and I enjoyed a quiet weekend, but we got several things done around the condo. One day Rusty will thank me for teaching him how to clean," she grinned at the men. "My credit card isn't thanking me, though, after I took Rusty grocery shopping with me."
Andy grimaced as she said that, and Julio smiled, "Ma'am, just last week, I saw him eat an entire foot-long sub sandwich for his after school snack." He shook his head in awe, "I don't know how he eats so much."
"Think that's bad, Julio," Andy nodded to add his own memory, "last time we took him out for a burger," he nodded toward Sharon, "the kid ate a triple cheeseburger, a mound of fries, and then a large milkshake. Made my stomach upset just watching him eat," he glanced at Sharon for confirmation.
She smiled and nodded at the memory. That had been just over two weeks ago, and the three had gone out after work because Rusty had done well on a math test. The burger had been his reward for working hard on a subject that was not his favorite. Andy had helped him study one evening. Sharon had tried herself, but Rusty had gotten frustrated with her. He'd listened to Andy, and it had paid off with Rusty finally understanding the math concept. "I can still smell the grease," Sharon chuckled at the memory.
A quick glance from Andy had Sharon feeling a bit awkward. It was almost as if a personal memory was wrong now, anymore, and she tried to change the subject quickly, "Andy, Julio, Lieutenant, did all of you have a good weekend?"
"I put in a new sink and toilet for my mother, Ma'am," Julio frowned. "That wasn't exactly exciting, but it did make her happy, and she won't be pestering me about doing that. I was rewarded though with her cooking," he smiled, "so, that makes it worth it."
Sharon smiled and nodded as she looked to Provenza. He just shrugged, "Friday night, Flynn and I went to the bar. He watched me have a few beers. I dodged calls from my ex's all weekend, so a pretty typical weekend," he nodded. Sharon giggled and looked to Andy.
"Ahh, yeah," he nodded. "Good weekend. Spent Friday with Provenza, and I still don't know why," he smirked at Provenza. "Then, I enjoyed family time all weekend.
"I'm, I'm glad," Sharon started to stumble over her words, but caught herself. She looked to Andy, but he had looked away himself. "I'm just going to make a cup of tea. Can I get anyone anything?" No one seemed to want or need anything, so Sharon excused herself to the break room. When she returned to the office, the rest of the team had filed in, and their day continued. It was no surprise after lunch when they caught a case, and that had them up and running.
By 6:00, they were well into the case and all assembled in the room putting together the victim's timeline. He had been shot in his home, but Major Crimes had not yet notified his family because they had been trying to find a relative.
"Looks like the only relative we can find is his brother, a Mr. Martin," Amy stated as she pulled up his information. "Oh, he owns a restaurant, one called 'Fork' here in L.A.."
Andy's head snapped up, "Sykes, what was that?"
"Ahh, 'Fork' Lieutenant," she said and looked to him. "Why?"
"The Mediterranean restaurant?" Andy asked, and at this point, the rest of the team was intrigued too.
"Yes, do you know it?" Amy asked. "From the website, it looks like a very upscale place."
"Yeah, I was there Saturday evening," he nodded. Sharon could feel eyes staring at her, just wondering if she had been there with him. It was no secret the two had enjoyed many meals together, but she hoped, at least by now, that he had told the team about the changes in his personal life. She glanced to the floor, and thankfully, before anyone could ask, Andy clarified things. "I took Sandra there. Nice place, fancy," he shrugged. "It is a little pretentious for me and very expensive, but Sandra loved everything about it."
Before anything else could be said, Sharon started issuing orders, "Andy, would you and Amy go and pick up our Mr. Martin at his restaurant? If possible, let's try to hold off on telling him about his brother until we get him here into the conference room." Andy and Amy nodded, and the two started for the door.
"Flynn," Provenza called to him and he turned, "See if you can bring back some dinner. I'll eat just about anything, but let's get some decent meat, not just all salad."
"I'm not going to try and get take-out from a guy who is involved in our case!" Andy exclaimed. "Besides, I told you that it's expensive!"
"Andy, Amy, please tell Mr. Martin that we need to speak to him regarding an urgent family matter," Sharon nodded, ending the argument. Provenza sighed. Amy and Andy returned the nod and left. Sharon turned to the team, "Please go through the home surveillance along with whatever you recovered from the crime scene. I'll be in my office when you have something."
Sharon spent over the next hour working in her office. In addition to her paperwork for the case, she placed a dinner order for the team, Chinese food, because she knew they would be hungry with the late evening. She always liked to take care of her team, and this was a simple way to do so. She looked up when she heard a familiar knock at her door and found Andy opening it.
"Hi," she said simply as he stepped into her office and closed her door.
"Hey," he nodded. "Mr. Martin is in the conference room," he gestured behind where he was standing, but Sharon hadn't noticed because her binds were closed. "Just my gut feeling, the guy is the real deal. He seems to have no idea why he's here, and he was very cooperative during the drive. I think the guy is just a victim's brother," he told her.
Sharon listened and nodded, "Okay, thank you. Let the team know they can head to the conference room. I have Chinese food coming for everyone. I'd like to speak with Mr. Martin, and since you've established a personal relationship with him, why don't you join me?"
Andy nodded and started for the door when his phone alerted him to a text. He stopped with his hand on the door and pulled his phone out. Sharon saw him frown and put it back in his pocket. He started to open the door, and his phone went off again. Andy sighed, and Sharon spoke before he could leave.
"Andy," she frowned, "is everything okay?"
"Fine," he sighed. "It's fine." His text message went off again, and Sharon heard him mumble something.
"Andy, whatever it is, please, take a moment and clear up whatever you need to do," Sharon nodded to him.
He sighed and shook his head as he dug his phone out again, "I'm sorry, Sharon. It's Sandra." He typed out a quick message and put his phone away again. Sharon stood there, lips pursed, while he finished. He didn't say anything more; he just opened the door and went back to work.
Sharon joined the team a few moments later. Whatever issue had been going on with Andy seemed to be over. He was at the board talking with Provenza about a possible lead. Sharon listened to the update, and then the team went to electronics while she and Andy walked into the conference room.
"Mr. Martin, my name is Captain Sharon Raydor, and I know you've met Lieutenant Andy Flynn already. Thank you for coming down here today. We have some questions about your brother, Travis."
"Travis," he said as he raised his eyebrows. They were all distracted when Andy's phone, which he'd put on the table, started to vibrate. He grabbed it quickly and moved it from the table. Sharon glanced at him, and as she did, she caught sight of the name on the phone as he stuffed it into his pocket. She wasn't surprised to see Sandra's name on the screen.
Sharon turned her attention back to the brother, "Mr. Travis, when was the last time you and your brother spoke?"
"We spoke two days ago. Why? What is going on right now?"he asked.
"Did anything seem off to you?" Andy asked, and Sharon noted he seemed to be focused on the case again.
"No, we talked about going to a basketball game next week if we could find the time with our schedules. I'm busy with the restaurant, and he's an investment banker. Why? Has something happened?" Mr. Martin asked, a look of panic now on his face.
Sharon gave the slight nod to Andy, a nod he understood, and Andy cleared his throat, "Mr. Martin, we are sorry to inform you your brother was found dead in his home earlier today."
Sharon remained in the room another 15 minutes while Mr. Martin processed what he had been told and continued to answer questions. She left when she agreed with Andy's initial assessment that their victim's brother was just that, the victim's brother. She joined the rest of the team in electronics while Andy finished going over some general paperwork with Mr. Martin. "I see the food arrived," she nodded at the bags of Chinese food sitting on the table behind Buzz's large work station.
"Captain, thanks for dinner," Julio nodded at her. "Taylor is still lurking around the floor, Ma'am, and we knew that the smell of food would lure him here. We needed to keep it close."
Sharon held back her grin, "Well, there should be enough for everyone, even a lurking Chief Taylor," she smiled at them. "Andy is going to finish with our victim's brother. When you finish in here, please take a few moments to eat, and then we can regroup."
The team did just that, and it was nearing 10:00 that evening before they came to any sort of stopping point for the night. Sharon sent the team home and walked into her office to gather her own things. A familiar knock on her open door had her looking up into also familiar brown eyes.
"I just wanted to apologize for earlier," he frowned. "I'm sorry about my phone. I'm going to speak to Sandra about it. She should know she can't just continually call or text me, but I'll clarify it. It won't happen again. It wasn't any emergency; we had just talked about getting together this evening, and I need to clarify things with her." Andy met Sharon's gaze and gave a small smile, "Again, I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted," Sharon said. "Thank you, Andy. You're off the clock, now, so go," she said in a light tone and gestured for him to leave.
He turned to go, but then he turned back around to her, "Okay if I walk you out?" He looked back out into the room, and the rest of the team had already left for the night. Sharon noticed that too, but knowing Andy, she wasn't' surprised he had waited to apologize until after everyone had left.
"Ahh, sure" she gave him a small smile and finished collecting her things. Andy nodded and walked to his desk to pick up his keys. Sharon met him at his desk, and the two walked quietly to the elevator. Sharon, still thinking about their conversation in her office, turned to Andy while they were waiting for the elevator. "How is everything going with Sandra?" As soon as she said it, Sharon regretted it. She and Andy were friends; it wasn't her business, what was going on in his personal life, but as she thought that, she reminded herself that friends talk to each other.
Andy waited until the elevator doors closed before he turned toward her to answer, "Things are good," he said, but to Sharon it sounded almost apprehensive. He continued, "I mean, we're in an odd situation. We know each other, but we know each other of over 30 years ago. We've changed. Situations have changed. Really, we are just trying to figure each other out again. A lot is different, and while we want to remember the best and forget the worst of each other, it's hard. It's even challenging, but we are working through it," Andy explained. Sharon listened and nodded, hoping to be supportive of her friend. Before she could comment, Andy continued, surprising Sharon because she thought he'd finished, "I just hope I'm doing enough, that I'm good enough, and well," he sighed and waved his hand, "I'm sorry to ramble."
The doors opened, and he gestured for Sharon to get off the elevator first. She nodded, playing the conversation over in her head. Andy silently walked alongside Sharon to her car, and when they reached it, she turned to him, "Thank you for the walk and the talk," she gave him a small smile.
He rolled his eyes, "Seems to me I did all the talking," he gave her a slight nod.
She looked to the floor and then back to him, "Have a good night, Andy. Be safe going home."
"You too, Sharon," he said and turned to walk to his car, parked only two spaces away.
"Andy, you don't have to be good enough," she said as she watched him approach his car, and he looked to her with an odd expression. She clarified, "You're a good man, Andy. She knows that; just be yourself. That's all you can do."