Chapter 2

Andy slipped into bed next to Sharon. Just as he reached for her, she sat up. It was the fifth time she'd gotten out of bed.

"Sharon—"

"I'm thirsty," she explained. "Do you want a glass of water, too?"

"No," Andy scowled as he got back up. "Get back into that bed. I'll get your water."

Andy shuffled back into the room a few minutes later. As he neared Sharon's side of the bed, he stepped on something hard. A shooting pain radiated through his foot.

"Ow…what the hell?" he complained as he put Sharon's glass of iced water down on the nightstand.

Sharon turned the light on. "Are you all right?" she asked.

Andy sat down on the edge of the bed and examined his foot. A couple of feet away, he saw what he had stepped on. It was a small plastic bride and groom, the tiny figurines that would be placed on the top of a wedding cake. Andy picked it up and showed it to Sharon.

"Samantha," they said in perfect unison.

Andy groaned. "It was like stepping on a Lego. How could something so small be so painful? Remember that…when your kids were little? Stumbling around in the middle of the night for a late night feeding and stepping on a damned Lego?"

"I remember." Sharon patted the space in bed next to her. "Let me see your foot." Wearing an exaggerated puppy-dog expression, Andy dramatically stretched his foot out toward her. Sharon began massaging the arch of Andy's foot while he talked to her.

"You need to either tell your sister she can plan the wedding or let me take you to Vegas tomorrow. She replaced my stuffed hot cherry peppers that were in the blue Tupperware container with wedding cake. You know the ones that I can only get from that little Italian deli on Lawrence? With the prosciutto ham and the pecorino cheese?" Andy closed his eyes. He was really enjoying the foot massage.

"Yes. I know how much you love them."

"She photoshopped our faces into the royal wedding and taped them all over every single mirror in the house," added Andy.

Sharon kissed his cheek as she released his foot. "Better?" she asked.

Andy gave her a slow smile. "Mmmmm. Much. What else can I get you to massage?"

Sharon pointedly ignored him. "She also changed the ring on my cell phone to the Wedding March," continued Sharon. "And she emptied out my underwear/ nightgown drawer and replaced everything with skimpy lingerie."

"That's terrible," said Andy as he failed to suppress a big, lopsided grin and a giggle. "Is that why you're wearing a robe to bed?"

"Thankfully, she forgot about my robes hanging in the closet. I'm not…." Sharon gave her head a little shake of disapproval, "…wearing anything under this."

Andy's smile grew wider.

"Andy Flynn, we need to present a united front," Sharon admonished him.

Andy cleared his throat as he conjured up images of Sharon clad in an assortment of itty bitty lingerie. An image of her in a red corset floated tantalizingly across the landscape of his mind. The smile remained. "Of course," amended Andy.

"I'll talk to her," Sharon promised. She leaned over and switched the light off.

"You know," said Sharon thoughtfully as she flipped her pillow over and laid her head back down, "I still don't even remember them. The nightmares. But I know they're coming. And I can feel all of the emotions that I felt when I was there." She shivered. "It's like having to go back there over and over again. Did I have one last night?" she asked.

Andy sighed and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. He suddenly felt like a big jerk, thinking about how much he wanted her while she was struggling with memories of her trauma. "No, sweetheart. You didn't."

"Are you sure?"

Andy slipped his fingertips under Sharon's chin and turned her face toward him. "I'm positive."

"That's good isn't it?" said Sharon. "That's the first night that I haven't had them, right?"

"That's right."

Sharon turned away from him and made a move to get up. "I should keep track of it on a calendar."

Andy pulled her gently against his body preventing her from getting out of bed, slipping his arms around her waist. "We can write it down in the morning. You're exhausted. Go to sleep."

"What if I forget?"

"With that razor sharp mind of yours?" Andy touched her face. "Not possible."

She was stiff in his arms. Andy could feel the rigid tension in her body. He ran his fingers through her hair. "You have to stop being so hard on yourself, Sharon. It's only been two weeks. You just need time."

"I guess," sighed Sharon impatiently. "I'm going to tell Sam to go ahead and plan the wedding. Something small and simple. Let me know whom you want to invite."

Andy inhaled the scent of her hair while Sharon nuzzled into the crook of his shoulder and closed her eyes.


Provenza took off his jacket and put it over Samantha's shoulders. The gondola was heading back to shore of the LA harbor and the wind had picked up. The cheerful gondolier had launched into yet another off-key Venetian love song.

"We're supposed to tip him for the singing," whispered Provenza, "but do you think we could tip him off instead to shut the hell up?"

Samantha laughed. "He's terrible." Her eyes glinted with mischief. "They offer small gondola wedding parties. Think I should set something up for Andy and Sharon?"

"Not if we have to be guests," grumbled Provenza, "but I do like the way you think. Maybe a post-wedding romantic surprise just for the two of them but of course we'll have to request Antonio here."

About an hour later they arrived back at Provenza's house since Sam had driven. It was a little after 1:00 in the morning and there was a spectacularly full moon overhead. Provenza was doing a very poor job at keeping Samantha at arm's length as they had spent the last fifteen minutes fogging up the windows of her car.

"Do you want to come in for a nightcap?" Provenza heard himself ask her after a long, slow kiss.

Samantha cocked her head to one side and smiled. "I'm not so sure that's a very good idea. I did, after all, promise you that I wouldn't compromise your virtue. I always keep my promises."

"True but….I never promised you yours would be safe," Provenza pointed out as his mouth descended back down upon hers.

"An excellent point," agreed Samantha breathlessly while he tugged her up out of the car and into the house.


It was almost 5 AM when Samantha crept back into Sharon and Andy's house. Sharon was sitting in the living room reading a book, which she closed with a loud pop. "Where have you been?" Sharon demanded when Samantha came in.

"Oh, honey, I had a date. Remember?"

"Yes, I remember," snapped Sharon. "You could have called or texted me. I handle murder for a living, Sam. I was worried when it got so late."

Samantha was instantly contrite. "I'm sorry. I didn't think. Really. Next time I'll call, okay? I never thought you'd be up."

Sharon sighed. "I couldn't sleep."

"More nightmares?" asked Samantha.

"No. Just anxiety…and insomnia. Nothing new. I talked with Andy and you can go ahead and plan the wedding. In the meantime, no more wedding propaganda! I mean it. If I see so much as a party favor, the deal is off and I'm going to Vegas. You have a month. No more. Nothing tacky or elaborate. Secular ceremony. Quiet and intimate. Simple."

Samantha brightened. "It will be lovely; I promise."

Sharon hugged her sister. "I know. Brenda would be happy to give us a hand, too, if you want some additional help."

Samantha studied Sharon for a moment. "I think this might be a good time to let you in on a little secret."

"Okay," replied Sharon. "Is it bad? Please tell me it's not bad."

"No. I certainly don't think so. It's about my date."

"Your date?"

"Yes. My date. It might have been with….Lieutenant Provenza."

Sharon blinked. "Louie Provenza?"

"Yes."

"You're serious?"

Samantha laughed. "Yes. I mean I'm serious that I'm seeing him. I don't mean that we're necessarily serious. Too early to say, although I wouldn't call it an idle fling."

"When in the world did this happen?"

"He was very sweet and supportive when you were in the hospital. To both myself and Rusty."

"I see." Sharon emitted a non-committal hum.

"He didn't want me to tell you but I've never been good at keeping secrets from you. You're not upset. Please tell me that you're not upset. He really does care about you and Andy, you know. And me."

"I'm not upset, Sam. I'm surprised. I'm very, very surprised."

"What are you surprised about?" asked Andy as he padded into the room. His hair was completely disheveled.

"Sam just had a date with Provenza," answered Sharon.

"What?" Andy gave a hearty laugh. "Very amusing. Sam, where are my stuffed hot cherry peppers?" The two women weren't smiling.

"In the vegetable crisper way in the back," replied Samantha.

"Wait a minute," said Andy. "You're not kidding." He sat down. "When did that happen?"

Sam cleared her throat. "Since around the time that Sharon was in the hospital. He's a sweet man."

"Uh…sweet isn't exactly the way I'd describe him," grinned Andy. "But if anyone can handle Provenza, you can."

"I think the more appropriate question is….can Lieutenant Provenza handle her?" said Sharon.

"Given the nature of the women in your family," agreed Andy, "You do have a point." He gave another hearty laugh.

Two pairs of identical, glittering green eyes focused accusingly on him.

"I hope you mean that in the most positive light," said Sharon with just the slightest hint of a smile.

Andy turned very serious. "Absolutely. Especially given the way I feel about one of them in particular."

Rusty appeared suddenly from the hallway, dressed in his pajamas. "Family meeting?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Did we wake you up, honey?" Sharon asked. She shifted over on the loveseat, making room for Rusty.

"Nah. You know I could sleep through a nuclear bomb. Just happened to wake up."

"Rusty, she's exhausted," Andy said. "See what you can do to get her to sleep. Sam, you want to try the best hot cherry peppers in LA county? Follow me."

Samantha rose from her chair, hugged her sister, tousled Rusty's hair, and followed Andy into the kitchen.

"You look tired, Sharon," Rusty told her quietly once they were alone. She looked different without her glasses, softer, less serious than she usually did.

Sharon shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head to the side with a tiny sigh. She then tipped her head back for a brief moment and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked intently at Rusty. "Andy and I have narrowed down a few possible houses. We'd like you to come see them with us. Would you?"

"You don't have to do that, Sharon."

"We want you to come with us and we value your input. You'd be helping us."

"You've done more than –"

"No-no-no-no-no….." Sharon shook her head emphatically. "You stop right there. I love you. Andy loves you. You have a home with us for as long as you want it, just like my other kids."

"But I'm not one of your kids," Rusty pointed out softly.

"I feel differently. We'll just have to agree to disagree until I can convince you otherwise. And, just for the record, I won't stop trying to persuade you." Sharon's voice deepened with a familiar intensity that Rusty knew only too well. "I'm very stubborn and I'm extremely persistent."

Rusty tried unsuccessfully to hide his smile. "Know what I do when I can't sleep? Come on." Rusty pulled Sharon up and led her over to the sofa where she could stretch out. He put a pillow under her head and sat down near her at the very edge of the sofa. "Close your eyes," he instructed.

Sharon obeyed.

"Now," continued Rusty, "you pick a memory. A good, positive memory. Something simple. Something that made you feel happy and relaxed." Rusty paused for a few moments. "You have one?"

"Mmmm hmmmm," answered Sharon, nodding her head slightly.

"You picture everything from the memory. The sights, the sounds, the smells….the way you felt. And you can do that deep breathing thing. You know, that you showed me to relieve stress. And you just keep focusing on that good memory." Rusty waited. "Hey, even if it doesn't get you to sleep, it makes staying awake more pleasant," he reasoned.

Sharon was quiet.

"Sharon?" he whispered softly. Rusty watched her slow, regular breathing. He pulled the soft, fuzzy velour blanket off the back of the couch and covered her up.

When Andy and Sam made their way back out of the kitchen, Rusty shook his head at them and put a finger to his lips, gesturing his head toward the sleeping Sharon. Sam grinned and gave him the thumbs up sign before scurrying quietly off to bed herself.

Andy gave Rusty an enthusiastic hug, patting his back. "Well done. Thank you. I'll sit up with her. You can go back to bed," he whispered.

"You look as tired as she did," argued Rusty. "Get some sleep; I'll sit with her. I can catch up on some reading for school."

Andy nodded. "Okay." He smiled at Rusty, warmth in his dark eyes. "I know she's in good hands." Andy paused to gaze at Sharon. "Just - if she has one of those nightmares -"

"- I'll come get you. I promise," Rusty replied.

"Thanks. Night." Andy headed off to bed while Rusty grabbed one of his textbooks from the coffee table, sat down in the recliner, and began to read silently.

A little more Sharon/ Rusty time here just for nofearonlylove! :) A special round of thanks again to all my readers. I'm in fluffy-family mode, post-holiday giddiness!