Wendy's high pitched cry made Sharon sigh in frustration. It was the fifth time Wendy woke up and it wasn't even 2 AM yet. Sharon could tell by now that she was not going to get any sleep tonight. She has already fed Wendy and changed her diaper. She sang to her and shoved a pacifier into the baby's mouth but nothing seemed to make the baby stay awake longer than twenty minutes. Tiredly, she dragged herself out of the bed and picked Wendy up from the crib. Once again, there was no apparent reason for the crying. She felt tears of frustration rising in her own eyes. Giving up, she went back to bed, taking Wendy with her and placing her by her side. Wendy butted her head against the mattress a few times and Sharon started rubbing her back slowly until she finally fell asleep.
"Thank God." She said and gently picked Wendy up, putting her back in her crib. She went back to bed and turned off the light, only to hear Wendy's cry again.
"Sharon?" Sleepy Rusty knocked on the door of her room. She sighed and allowed him to come in. "Is Wendy okay?" he could see that she was trying to soothe the baby to no avail. She looked at him with frustration so big that he thought she might burst into tears. Sharon didn't break easily, but he could see that she was trying to keep herself calm and composed despite the lack of sleep and Wendy's persistent crying. He took Wendy from her arms and started pacing around the room, talking to the baby and calmly explaining to her why she should really go back to sleep. Wendy put her head down on his chest and within moments fell asleep again. Sharon sighed and wiped her eyes sleepily.
"Thank you, Rusty," she whispered. He nodded slowly as he put Wendy down in the crib. They stood there for a couple of minutes, as if to make sure that she doesn't wake up again and then went back to their beds.
"Rough night?" Andy asked when Sharon walked into the murder room the next morning. Wendy was in her sling, sound asleep and Sharon smiled faintly at her lieutenant.
"It happens." She shrugged as she walked towards her office. Andy has never seen her looking so out of it in his life. He wasn't even sure how she managed to drive to work, because she looked too exhausted to even stand. In a way, he felt bad for her. He was sure that the new baby was a welcomed addition into her and Rusty's life but it also brought forth a lot of new challenges. And he also knew that there was always a chance that this baby will be taken from her and placed with someone else whom he was sure would never be as good as Sharon. He was at least happy to see that Rusty was helping her and that Taylor seemed to be cutting her some slack. This would end for sure, he thought. It won't be long before Taylor stopped turning a blind eye to the fact that the woman who ran Major Crimes was bringing her newborn ward to work.
Wendy's crying distracted Sharon from the file that she was reading. This baby had the lungs of an opera singer, she thought. She pushed her seat back and went over to Wendy's stroller. In her heart, she wished Rusty was there. It seemed that something about his approach made Wendy calmer; the tone of his voice, maybe, or the way he explained to her why crying would do her no good. He was a natural, really and she loved watching him interacting with Wendy. But Rusty was at school and she had to suck it up and tend to Wendy's needs.
"Captain," Andy came into her office without knocking on the door. He was holding Wendy's bottle in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. "Let me." He put the coffee on her desk and took Wendy from her arms. "That's for you." He pointed at the coffee as he cradled Wendy and gently put the teat of the bottle in her mouth.
"Thank you, Andy," Sharon sighed and took the coffee, curling her fingers around the paper cup. She brought the cup to her mouth.
"The pleasure is mine." Andy smiled at her. "You're not getting much sleep, eh?"
"I knew what I signed up for." Sharon shrugged.
"I'm sure it doesn't make it any easier." Andy said. She smiled at him. "Look, I know that I already told you that before, but I'm here if you need anything." He leaned against her desk and looked into her eyes, a soft smile adorning his features. She felt her face becoming hot. Deep gazes always made her uncomfortable. Her eyes often told more than she was willing to expose and it seemed that Andy knew it and found a route into her soul. "You okay?" he asked. "You look as if I just shot your dog."
"I don't have a dog," she replied before she realized it was an idiom. She felt her blood rushing to her cheeks and averted her gaze from his eyes to Wendy. "Um… she's drooling." She turned around, grabbing a baby napkin that was hanging at the handle of the stroller and wiped the formula from the corners of Wendy's mouth. Her eyes met his again.
"Listen, it's almost five and you don't look like you should be getting behind the wheel. Let me drive you home," he offered.
"I'm perfectly fine, Andy." She smiled.
"I insist."
"Alright." Sharon shrugged. He was right, she knew. Driving while being so exhausted will put Wendy and her at risk, as well as the other people on the road.
Andy parked Sharon's car in front of her building. He figured it would be a good idea to take her car instead of moving the infant seat from her car to his. That way, she would also have her car the next morning.
"Is Rusty coming home soon?" he asked.
"No, he's sleeping over at a friend's house." Sharon replied.
"On a school night?" Andy arched his brow.
"He's been so helpful at home; I just had to give him the night off. He deserves to have some fun." Sharon shrugged.
"Listen, why don't I cook dinner for you tonight?" Andy smiled.
"What?" His question caught Sharon off guard.
"To be honest, I've been watching you lately. You are dealing with so many things, taking care of others and I think that for one night, someone should do something for you." Andy said. "I happen to be a great cook and you haven't eaten much today, so let me come upstairs with you and cook dinner for you." His voice was uncharacteristically soft.
"Sure, why not." Sharon smiled.
Andy didn't lie about his cooking skills; he was really good. He cooked pasta and the cream sauce was divine. Sharon's cooking was satisfactory, but nothing special. Andy's cooking, on the other hand, made her feel incompetent in the kitchen.
After dinner, Sharon made coffee for him and tea for herself and they took a seat on the couch in Sharon's living room. Sharon was tired, but something in Andy's company made the blood rush through her veins and her heartbeat sound like an African drum in her head.
"So what do you usually do when you're not juggling between Major Crimes and two foster kids?" he inquired.
"I go to the ballet, listen to music, read a lot…" Sharon replied. "You?"
"I love sports. I watch Baseball, Play some basketball, cook," Andy said.
"I can definitely testify to your cooking. Where did you learn to cook like that?"
"I'm the only son in my family. I grew up surrounded by women. Two sisters, my mom and my grandmother, God bless her soul." Andy said. "I'm Italian on my mother's side so I can cook anything Italian: pasta, lasagna, cannoli, tiramisu… You name it – I cook it."
"My cooking skills are not as good as yours, I'm afraid. Cooking has always been more of a chore than a hobby to me." Sharon admitted.
"Well, no one is perfect, I guess." Andy grinned.
"I guess not." Sharon replied. Andy looked into her eyes again. She was not wearing her glasses and he could see them better without barriers.
"I don't mean to overstep boundaries, but your eyes are beautiful." The words slipped out of his mouth naturally and made Sharon blush. He gave her his boyish grin. She was so easily embarrassed, but he meant every word.
"Thank you, Andy," she said. His eyes gazed into hers deeply and she felt a flutter deep in her stomach. He brought his body closer to hers and against her will or better judgment, she found herself leaning closer to him as well until her face was merely an inch away from his. They gazed at each other for a long moment before Andy leaned in further and nearly closed the gap between them, his lips touching hers, ever so slightly. Sharon closed her eyes, spreading her lips to grant him access when a high pitched cry made her eyes open at once and draw a sharp, painful breath. She bolted away from him and felt her face flushing. "I'm sorry, Andy… I…" He waved his hand in the air, as if to stop her.
"Don't worry about it," he said as she got up and went into her bedroom to look after Wendy.
