Here is Chapter 4...I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)
Please read and review. All reviews are welcome and much appreciated! Thank you.
George finally dragged herself out of bed. Her parents moved them from Toronto when she was already fifteen so she still remembered some of her way around. She sat down at Andy's computer and booted it up. If she was going to continue with her plan today she better figure out how to get to the station.
While she sat there waiting for the computer to load she thought about Andy. Andy and her had always kept in touch. She knew Andy had had a hard life shortly after George's family moved Andy's mother up and left them.
George remembered how her mother cried so many times, she desperately wanted to go get Andy and bring her with us. Only once they reached New York, her father's job offer fell through. George's family was barely making ends meet as it was. Her father had to take any job he could find.
It took her parents three years to get back onto their feet. Once they were able to, her mother called and asked Andy if she wanted to come and live with them. She knew all about Uncle Tommy's drinking habit that began after Andy's mom left. But by then Andy was well established as Uncle Tommy's care taker and she would not leave her father.
Her mother was tenacious and did not give up easily. She remembered all the nights a drunken Uncle Tommy would call the house and go round and round with her mother. All her mother's begging and pleading with her brother to stop drinking and care for his young daughter. The conversation would finally end with her brother agreeing to get help, he never did.
In George's young mind she always imagined herself going back to Toronto and saving Andy. Bringing her back to New York and saving her from that monster. Those first three years were rough and George knew Andy had it hard enough herself so she kept quiet about what they went through.
She knew from a young age that Andy always looked up to her so she never wanted to disappoint her with the truth.
So now that she was back in Toronto, this time, she could save Andy. She could save Andy from herself. They had always emailed or chatted on line, always kept in touch. Andy never said much about what was going on at home back then. She knew that Andy missed her mother greatly but eventually she stopped mentioning her all together. As if her mother never existed, she didn't push her, something George regretted.
It had changed Andy; she kept a lot in inside now. Andy was so determined to avoid having the life she left behind with her father that now…she played it safe, way too safe. When she told George she was dating this detective and how great he was, something never rang true for George. She just couldn't put her finger on it.
When she said that Luke had asked her to move in, there was almost a strange sadness in her voice. They talked for hours that night, Andy only occasionally mentioned Sam at all and only as her training officer. But she knew better, there was something in Andy's voice when she spoke about him.
The whole picture never quite clicked for George, now she knew. Andy was in love with Sam, not this Luke character she still had yet to meet.
George was surprised when Andy told her on the first night here that Luke would not be able to meet with them. And then again yesterday at the Penny, Andy really didn't seem all that bothered by it. But yesterday when Sam walked in, Andy lit up like a Christmas tree. It was subtle; you had to really know her to see the signs.
George knew before she even introduced them, this was Sam. Dark and dangerously sexy looking, now she knew why Andy was sticking with Luke. Sam could hurt Andy, badly. If he wanted to, he could take Andy back to her childhood. Desperate for love and attention and instead left broken hearted. First from her mother and then again from her father once he had fallen into the hole of alcoholism. Something Andy vowed never wanted to experience again.
She got the feeling last night, Sam was playing the game. He knew very well that Andy might have feelings for him. He seemed now though, to be getting tired of the game. Andy was his and he wanted her and he just didn't want to hide it anymore.
It was funny, she thought. Andy was Marc and she was Sam. Marc stuck with Kathy because she was his safe zone; Andy stuck with Luke because he was her safe zone. George didn't believe that Marc loved Kathy anymore then she believed that Andy loved Luke. They both were just sticking with what was comfortable and easy.
She knew why she felt a kindred spirit with Sam; she was Sam. Just hanging around, cherishing what little crumbs they tossed our way, unable to move on. Unable to stop caring, stop loving.
Maybe should she have stuck around and waited for Marc's return but what if he returned only to say that that night was a mistake? If he returned regretful, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Especially because now, like Sam; she was tired of playing the game.
Even though she wouldn't have changed the night they spent together for anything in the world, she wished she had forced him to talk. But every time she tried to speak Marc would be there, his lips, his hand, his body silencing her. Okay time to stop reliving that!
George shook her thoughts away and began to concentrate on finding directions to the '15' where Andy worked. She was going to put her plan in action. Andy may be upset at first, but George was determined.
Andy was upset, but at the moment Sam was the one she wanted to wreak havoc on. He had been on her nerves all morning. Every thing she did today was wrong. First he noticed that she forgot to put her uniform tie on, even though he never wore his, he brought it to her attention. She had to run back into the locker room to retrieve it.
Once she walked back out he complained that she forgot to attach her nametag to her vest. It was in her pocket; she put it on. Then he complained that she was wearing her gun to low, "What's this, the old west? Fix that!" he said pointing to her waist. He walked out of the station shaking his head. "McNally," he called back to her, "you're getting lazy."
And so went their shift. Sam complained about every thing she did. Okay so maybe I did accidentally put a tiny bit of sugar in his coffee. And maybe I was a bit too aggressive with that punky kid in the park but he did grab that lady's purse right in front of me! I didn't purposely knock his head into the squad car when he got in; he was fighting me!
Sam looked at me like I took out my gun and shot the kid! By now it was lunchtime and the 'king' decided that since the kid was booked they should just go somewhere close. Whatever, she thought. After what he said to George last night about her and Luke, she just wanted to get this shift over and get away from him as soon as possible.
She stood in the doorway of the diner thinking about how awful this day had been. She didn't notice that Sam had already located a table for them and was walking to it until he turned. "McNally, step it up. We only have an hour for lunch." He said that loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear.
She felt her face turn red. This is it, she thought. She was at a boiling point by the time she was seated. His head was down; she stared at him until he looked at her. He finally did look up, he had the audacity to look at her innocently and say. "What? What's the matter?"
"Get off my back!" she said in a quiet whisper.
His eyebrows rose, he looked at her shocked. "What are you talking about?"
"You have been on my back all morning Sam and I've had it."
"McNally? You're crazy; you've been acting like a halfwit all morning. It's not me, it's you!"
"You lousy…I'm a halfwit? What did insulting me last night feel so good you just wanted to continue with it into today?" she was furious.
"Insult you? How did I insult you?" he asked shocked at her admission.
"Oh George…Luke doesn't give a shit about Andy so don't plan on him showing up for any double date! I could have slapped you for that! How could you do that to me?"
Sam sat for a moment, trying to decide which way to go with this. Screw it, he thought. "Because Andy, it's the truth. You know it and I know it. I'm tired of skating around the truth here. Maybe it's time you started facing some facts. How many times has that guy actually been there for you, huh? Think about it…get back to me on it."
She sat there speechless.
"And another thing, you acted like a total spoiled brat at the bar last night. Just because I was talking to your cousin you flipped out. Why did you flip out anyway, Andy? Just what's it to you? You wanted me to meet her!"
"I know that but you didn't have to fall all over her. What did you run over and ask her out the moment I walked out the door?"
"Andy, she asked me out. I didn't ask her out."
She felt her heart sink. Now she really felt awful, George asked Sam out? She felt Sam's hand on hers; she looked up.
"Andy I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said all of that it's just that…well I just think you deserve to be treated better and sometimes it just gets to me, you know? I really am sorry." He looked earnestly at her; she wanted to cry.
She blinked at him, "What gets to you?" she asked him.
Damn her, he thought, she always goes right for the kill. He pulled his hand away. "Well I just want to see you treated better, that's all. I don't like seeing you get all excited at the thought of spending time with Luke and then seeing your hopes dashed." He was going to cross the line any further, just leave it there he thought.
Then he decided to push it just a bit further. "So did you mind that your cousin asked me out? She seems like she could be fun, ya know?"
Damn him, she thought, he always does that. She shifted in her seat. "No not at all, I hope you both have a great time." She tried to smile; her lips just didn't want to cooperate. The rest of their lunch past without much said between them.
A few hours later they were bringing in a suspect they pulled over for a traffic violation and found he had an arrest warrant issued.
Since they sort of found a truce Andy felt slightly better about the day. That was until she walked into the station and there stood Luke, talking and laughing it up with George. Her day really took a nosedive then.