Sharon sat shivering in the waiting room. She couldn't erase the image of Brenda surrounded by medical personnel. Every time she blinked, she saw them buzzing around the chief, injecting her with whatever was in reach.
She shook her head and looked up as a small group entered the waiting room. Sharon was not surprised to see the entire Major Crimes crew spill into the empty waiting room. They were led by Lt. Provenza, hanging on to the string of a balloon emblazoned with the words "Happy Turkey Day!" above a giant cartoon turkey. Louis Provenza was hopeless in hospital gift shops, far too worried about the gift's recipient to be bothered with the purchase itself.
From where she sat rather deflated in one of the stiff pleather chairs, she took a moment to observe Brenda's team before they noticed her. Provenza's annoyed expression barely covered his obvious worry. Behind him, Lt. Flynn's eyes darted toward the unmanned reception desk, his agitation palpable. As he absentmindedly took a seat, Tao's forehead bunched as if he were calculating Brenda's odds and planning a method of treatment. To his left, Buzz looked sick with worry. Julio looked around the waiting room as if trying to distract himself from his own thoughts. That's when he noticed Sharon.
"Captain?" The entire squad looked up and each looked more incredulous than the last to see her there.
"Oh, God. You're not investigating this, are you? She didn't even get a chance to pull her weapon!" Sharon winced at Provenza's remark.
"Chief Johnson is not being investigated. She is in no way at fault for the events of last evening. I came because Ch—I came because Brenda is my friend and she could be dying."
Provenza's eyes widened with obvious fear. "Dying?" He shook his head. "No. We heard that she made it through the surgery alright. That she was in recovery." Sharon pulled her glasses off and pinched the bridge of her nose. None of the men had ever seen her look so human.
"I was in the room about an hour ago. All of the sudden, something went wrong. When I left the room, her heart wasn't beating. I don't..." Her voice cracked and before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks. She brought a hand to her mouth, the other arm crossed her midsection as she doubled over.
The men looked at each other in shock. Their collective spines tingled. There was something decidedly not right about seeing the wicked witch cry. If she was a wreck, then they could only imagine the shape that the Chief was in. Andy Flynn took the chair to her left and brought an arm around her shoulder. Sharon let herself sink into his warmth for a few moments before sucking in a calming breath and straightening back up in her seat.
"I'm sorry. I'm better now. I lost myself for a moment. I'm back now. Thank you." Sharon sniffled and cleared her throat. Andy patted her on the shoulder before reaching into his pocket and handing her a handkerchief. Sharon was grateful for his presence. After Brenda, Andy was the closest thing she had to a friend in Major Crimes.
As they all sat in a very awkward silence, each of them gradually losing their minds with worry, Sharon thought of how special a division Major Crimes really was. She recalled how she'd originally assumed that the whole department was just an excuse for Assistant Chief Pope to employ his ex-mistress and felt immediate shame. No, Major Crimes was a vital division and a family in and of itself.
She observed how each team member's mannerisms betrayed their nervousness as the time crept by. Flynn rolled his AA chip back and forth across his knuckles. Tao mumbled medical facts under his breath. Provenza twiddled his thumbs. Even Sharon found herself checking her watch every three minutes. If they didn't get word on Brenda's condition soon, they would end up driving each other insane. Nearly an hour later, Sanchez's head snapped up at the sound of sneakers on linoleum.
A good looking man in light blue scrubs approached them with a solemn face and Sharon's heart leapt into her throat and as the entire group stood to meet him.