"Rusty, come on its time to get up! Lets go." Sharon yelled for the third time at the lump groaning in the bed.
Rusty I said get up 5 minutes ago, come on, lets move!" Not seeing any progress from the young boy she took matters into her own hands and opened the curtains. Rays of bright sunlight shone into the room landing directly on Rusty's face.
"What the Hell? Its not even 6 o'clock yet, I still have half an hour. What is the big rush?" Rusty spat in Sharon direction, rolled back over in the bed and covered his head once again. Seeing that her tactic hadn't worked Sharon reached forward and in a single fluid motion pulled the cover off the bed and tossed it into the floor.
"Rusty I have to be at a crime scene so we need to go!" She pleaded to the stubborn teen. Seeing that he was actually awake Sharon left the room to go gather her things while get got dressed.
"Fine!" He bellowed to the closed door, got up and slowly started looking for his school uniform.
Sharon sat outside in the car waiting for Rusty to immerge. While she waited she let her mind once again contemplate the future. Was she really capable of handling a baby and an unruly teenager? How would Rusty react to the news? At least Andy would be around to referee in case all hell broke loose. She giggled at the thought of Andy chasing a toddler around their condo. Her hand instinctively came to rest on the small swell of her abdomen, rubbing it soothingly. A huge smile broke out across her face. She was outrageously happy and couldn't wait share this joy with her friends and family.
"Why are you sitting here smiling like an idiot?" Rusty huffed as he ducked inside the car, buckled his seatbelt and effectively broke Sharon's pleasant fantasies.
The drive to the crime scene was way more eventful than either had hoped. Not long after turning onto the freeway Sharon's nausea started to make itself known. Each bump and groove of the road shook the contents of her stomach causing it to slowly move its way up. She gripped the wheel as hard as possible hoping to still the movements of her body and in turn settle her stomach. Her once rosy cheeks where now gaunt and a terrible shade of green. She retched as the bile bubbled higher and higher. Her hand quickly came up to cover her mouth as she violently gagged once more. It was taking all within her to be able to focus on the road ahead. After a futile attempt to stop the inevitable Sharon pulled the car over to the side of the road and jumped out.
Rusty had been intently surveying Sharon the entire car ride. He quickly noticed something was wrong. Her face had completely lost all its color and her hands were visibly shaking. He observed that she was unconsciously rubbing her stomach and softly groaning. Though he would never admit it, he was worried about her well being. Before he could voice any concerns she pulled onto the shoulder and bolted from the car.
Rusty sat there is a state of shock before he senses over took him and he got out of the car. It didn't take long for him the find Sharon as the sounds of her vomiting permeated through the air. Throwing his backpack from his shoulders he came up beside her and pulled her hair away from her face. He had no clue what to do in this situation. Letting his instincts take hold he placed his hands on her back a rubbed up and down. He could feel her body start to relax as the vomiting subsided.
"Sharon are you okay?" Rusty asked with fear lacing his voice. His hands still rested on her back and he was afraid to make a move.
"Yes, I'm much better now." She slowly stood up and flashed him a smile. She could see he was scared and worried about her. Without so much as a thought she pulled him into a big hug and pulled him close.
"Thank you for checking on me." She quietly spoke to the top of his head before releasing her embrace.
"Now we better get going before my squad sends out an APB on me." she smiled warmly at him and ruffled his hair a little. The grin she got from him melted her heart and caused her in turn to giggle. They both turned and made their way back to the car and pulled back out onto the freeway. The silence of the ride was quickly broken by Rusty's keen observations.
"So you have intense nausea, you have been ridiculously tired and not to be mean but you have put on quite a bit of weight?" Rusty stated and questioned at the same time. The only response he received was a barely audible hum from Sharon. Taking that as a green light he continued.
"Ya know, if I didn't know any better I would say you are knocked up." Rusty closed his eyes and snorted with laughter. When he opened his eyes he quickly realized Sharon change in demeanor. She once again tightly gripped the steering wheel but this time she had a guilty look on her face. The wheels started turning in Rusty's head causing a huge smirk to form on his face.
"OH MY GOD, You're pregnant?!" Rusty shrieked and laughed at the same time. His whole body convulsed more when he saw the look on Sharon's face only fueling his laughter.
"So let me get this straight. Little Miss Play By The Rules is knocked up by her live in boyfriend? Haha, aren't you Catholic, doesn't that mean a one way trip to purgatory? Wait does this mean I'm gonna have a little adopted brother or sister?" Rusty uncharacteristically giggled and turned his whole body toward Sharon. For the first time he noticed the glow gracing her features and how she looked truly happy. A mischievous and intrigued looked danced across his face. He leaned forward and placed his head down by Sharon abdomen and put his hand on the small bump.
"Hey little sis or bro its me your big brother here. I can't wait for you to get here and teach you all the tricks of my trade. We are gonna be some team." Rusty leaned back into his seat and eyed Sharon. The smile had grown bigger and he could've sworn he saw a tear in the corner of her eye.
"Sharon, I know it seems like I'm ungrateful and just a regular hard headed kid. I'm eternally thankfully for you taking me in and I hope I can be a part of your growing family." Rusty confessed then turned his attention to the passenger window. He watched the cars speeding past them and dreamed about the future. He was broken from his thoughts when Sharon once again pulled off the road and placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned back and was met with a warm radiant smile from her.
"Rusty you are and always will be a part of my family. I love you like my own and look forward to watching you mature as an individual. I want all of us to be a family and for this to work." Sharon sincerely spoke from her heart.
"So guess this means I can call you mom, ya know so we don't confuse the baby when it gets here? Well that's if that's ok with you, its not like I have anyone else to take the role." Rusty dropped his head at the thoughts of his deadbeat mother and hoped Sharon was up to the job.
"Rusty, I would be thrilled to be your mother and I promise to always love and take care of you. We will have our ups and downs but don't ever forget im here and you are stuck with me for life buster." She leaned forward and kissed the top of his head. Feeling like a weight had been lifted she started the car and headed once again toward the crime scene.