For those of you who enjoy this story, I apologize for the delay in updating. I got some rude and downright mean comments on the last chapter, and it discouraged me from writing for a while. Thanks to all of you who have sent encouraging messages when I didn't update after a while.
There is a tame oral sex scene at the end, but if you're uncomfortable with that, you'll be able to tell when it's coming. Please just skip it if you don't want to read it. This was inspired by a conversation with MkSC about some comments she'd gotten on similar scenes, so I decided to join the party :).
In an effort to reduce the rude comments, I'm going to include a summary for each chapter as I post updates to make it easy to decide whether you want to read or not. :)
Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing!
One Monday evening after work, Andy walked Sharon to her car before they went their separate ways for the night. Andy had a meeting, he'd been at the condo for most of the previous week and weekend, was out of clean clothes, and he needed to do some things around his house, so they were spending the next few nights apart. He kissed Sharon before reluctantly heading to his own car. "I love you. See you in the morning."
"Good Night, Andy. Love you." Sharon left the parking garage and picked up take-out for her and Rusty on the way home. This was the first time since Andy had started being a frequent overnight guest that she didn't feel a little relieved that they were spending the night apart. She loved having him at the condo, but they were still at the stage in their relationship where things got awkward with sharing such a small space sometimes, so she was usually glad to be able to relax and have a little time apart.
After dinner, Sharon and Rusty watched Badge of Justice at its rightful time for once, since they didn't have to hide it from Andy. She'd watched a few episodes when Mike started consulting for the show, just to have enough to talk to him about to show that she supported him, but she'd unexpectedly gotten hooked. Rusty had quickly followed suit. Since Andy had been around more frequently, they'd been DVRing it and watching it when Andy was either asleep or not there. He didn't do much with DVR, so he wasn't likely to find it before they watched and deleted it, but it wouldn't really matter if he did. The secrecy was really to avoid him making fun of them, and it was kind of fun for Sharon and Rusty to share this harmless secret. He hadn't complained about Andy's increased presence, but Sharon had a feeling he felt a little left out sometimes.
During the first commercial break, a commercial for yeast infection treatment came on, and Sharon was reminded of Emily being three and ratting her out for not having any panties on in front of her commanding officer. Looking back, it was a pretty funny story, but it had been humiliating at the time.
November 1988
Sharon picked Emily up from preschool one evening, seven months pregnant with Ricky, and realized she needed to go back to the station. She had a yeast infection, and she'd taken her panties off earlier that day for a little bit of relief, but she'd left them in one of her desk drawers. She had a doctor's appointment the next day, anyway, so she'd just get it taken care of then. She highly doubted that anyone would go through her desk, but it still made her nervous. St. Joseph's wasn't far from the station, so she went back really quickly to get them with a three-year-old Emily in tow. She was on her way back out, panties safely stashed in her purse, when her commanding officer stopped her to talk about something. He was going on and on, and Emily was getting restless and playing with the hem of Sharon's dress. As long as she stayed quiet and didn't pull her dress up too far, Sharon didn't really pay attention to what she was doing.
When her commanding officer finally started to sound like he was wrapping up, Emily gasped dramatically. "Mommy! You're not wearing any panties!"
Sharon's face flushed to a deep crimson, and she hurriedly disentangled Emily from her dress. "Yes, I am, Emily, but Captain Lewis doesn't need to know about—"
"You are not!" Emily protested. "I saw your—"
"Let's go, Em," Sharon interrupted, her face flaming.
Captain Lewis was struggling to hold back his laughter by this point. "I'm really sorry, I'm not laughing at you. My children are older than Emily, but I remember quite well living in fear of what was going to come out of their mouths next at this age. You guys have a great evening."
"Thanks, Captain," Sharon muttered. He headed back to his office, and Sharon led Emily to the bathroom. With Emily barely being three and Sharon being in the later stages of pregnancy, it wasn't a good idea for either one of them to drive in L.A. traffic without going to the bathroom first.
"Mommy, I've been thinking," Emily announced seriously as they drove home.
"About what?"
Emily crossed her arms. "I've decided I don't want a little brother. Ashley has one, and she said he stinks and cries a lot."
Given Emily's frequent tantrums and occasional neglect to make the toilet a priority over her toys, the same could sometimes still be said for her, but Sharon kept her mouth shut about that. "I'm sorry, honey, but you'll have a baby brother soon, whether you like it or not. He can't stay in Mommy's tummy forever." Sharon was tired, uncomfortable, and quickly growing impatient.
"Why not?"
Sharon sighed. "Because Mommy would lose her mind."
Emily looked thoughtful. "Well, I don't want you to lose your mind, Mommy. You know a lot of stuff."
"Aww, thanks, honey." Sharon smiled, feeling bad for getting impatient. At this age, Emily could go from being so exasperating that Sharon wanted to scream to being so sweet that she wanted to cry in the same breath.
Back to Present
Sharon giggled to herself as she thought about that evening.
Rusty looked over at her. "What?"
"I was just thinking about when I was pregnant with Ricky, and Emily told me she didn't want a little brother. Looking at pictures recently has reminded me of a lot of things like that." Sharon spared him the 'yeast infection and going commando' part of all of that.
Later that night, Andy called as Sharon was reading in bed. They chatted for a few minutes, and Andy said something about how he was doing laundry. "Please tell me you washed your robe," Sharon said. It had been a while since it had been washed, and it was starting to get dingy.
"I did, but now it doesn't smell like you anymore. It's useless." Sharon rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile. "I, uh...Don't like going to bed without you," Andy said quietly.
"I'm not a huge fan of you not being here, myself," Sharon admitted. Normally, she would've been looking forward to having her bed to herself, but it had gotten to where that wasn't worth going without Andy being there to kiss her goodnight and good morning. And the occasional fun in between.
A couple of weeks later, Sharon felt the beginnings of a migraine coming on at work one morning. When her face started to feel numb and her office light seemed too painfully bright, she knew she didn't have much time to get herself home before she was out of commission. They'd decreased in frequency as she'd gotten older, and she hadn't had one in several years, so she'd thought she was finally done with them. Apparently not. After quickly gathering her things, she stepped into the murder room. "I'm getting a migraine, so I'm going home for the day," she announced to the room at large. She left amidst a chorus of well wishes and offers to help, and she could hear Andy's footsteps behind her as she approached the elevator.
"I'll take you ho—"
"No, Andy, I'm okay. And please go home tonight. I'll be fine, but I'd like to be left alone. I'm just going to take some medicine and go to bed." Sharon didn't know whether Andy would annoy her and hover over her or be a typical man and ignore her completely, but she could see either one of those options being the case. Andy had liked for her to be with him and do things for him when he was sick recently, but she was the opposite. A migraine was probably one of the worst conditions for her to be in when she found out whether he would grate on her nerves or not, so she just wanted him to stay away for the time being. She'd also rather him not witness her inevitable vomit. She knew Rusty was working on a paper at home that morning, and he knew what she would need, but would otherwise stay away. As self-involved as he usually was, he was surprisingly helpful when she was sick, and he had lived with her long enough to know when to help her and when to leave her alone. She and Andy didn't have that system yet, and migraines always made her irritable and snappy, so it wasn't the best time for him to start learning it.
Andy started to speak again, but Sharon gave him a warning look that practically made his testicles jump up into his body. He gently kissed her cheek when a soft ding signaled the elevator's arrival. "Call me if you need anything."
Sharon texted Rusty that she had a migraine and was coming home so she wouldn't frighten him when she came inside. When she got home, she went straight to her room to change clothes and saw that the Tylenol PM and a glass of water were on her nightstand. She'd tried several different medicines before, both prescription and over the counter, but taking Tylenol PM and going to sleep for a few hours was the best remedy she'd found.
By the time Sharon had taken the medicine, changed into her pajamas, and climbed into bed, Rusty came in with a cold cloth. "Here, Mom. I'll be here for about another hour, so text me if you need something. Feel better."
"Thanks, honey." Sharon drew her knees up to her chest and pressed the cloth to her forehead, trying to stave off the waves of nausea that were coursing through her body. Before long, she gave in and staggered to the bathroom. She heard a soft clink as Rusty placed a fresh glass of water and cool cloth on the sink as she got sick, which she was grateful for when she was finished. After rinsing with the water and wiping her face and mouth with the cloth, she left the glass and cloth on the sink for round two and went back to bed. She was able to achieve a light doze, but she knew she'd probably get sick one more time before she was able to fall asleep more heavily. Sure enough, she found herself on the bathroom floor again some time later. She'd heard Rusty leave for class a while ago, so she was scared to death when the overhead light turned on. She whipped around as her breath caught in her throat, causing vomit to also get caught. She was relieved, but also pissed off, to see that it was Andy. After a few painful coughs, her stomach finally calmed down. The coughing and the light made her throbbing head even worse. "The hell are you doing?!" Sharon hissed as she flushed the toilet and wiped her mouth. She'd gotten vomit on the toilet seat and the floor when Andy scared the hell out of her, so she wiped it up with toilet paper. She'd give it a better cleaning job with the bleach later.
"I'll clean up in here," Andy started.
"No, you won't, because you're leaving. I'll see you tomorrow, as agreed."
"We didn't agree, you just ordered."
"We're also not talking about this right now. I'm going to bed, and you're going back to work."
"You're sick, Sharon, I just wanted to—"
"I've been getting these since I was twelve, Andy, I can handle it perfectly fine on my own. I just need to get some sleep and for you to leave." Andy hadn't heard this level of anger in her tone before, in a personal matter, anyway, so he left, not knowing what else to do. Sharon rinsed her mouth out and took a few sips of water before getting back in bed, and she was unconscious before her head hit the pillow. She could feel guilty about Andy later.
Sharon woke up a few hours later feeling much better. Her stomach was a little unsettled, and she still had a little headache, but it was nothing like before. Some Tylenol, a mug of tea, and something light to eat would do the trick, and then she'd go to bed early and be as good as new the next morning. Even after sleeping for several hours, migraines always took a lot out of her, and being able to fall asleep that night wouldn't be a problem. After giving the bathroom a better cleaning job and washing her face, she brewed some tea for herself, took some Tylenol, curled up on the couch with her bed pillow and favorite blanket, and turned the TV on.
Rusty came in a little while later with a bag of take-out for dinner. "I got the chicken soup for you. It's the low-sodium kind."
"Thanks, honey." Sharon ate her soup and pulled out a photo album. Emily was in elementary school, and Sharon was pretty sure Ricky was still in preschool. There were several pictures of Ricky and Sharon's nieces and nephews playing in the snow in Park City, and she wondered where Emily was until she got to a picture of her lying on the couch with Sharon's mom, looking miserable. That was the year that she'd gotten Strep Throat right after Christmas, and she had a tonsillectomy a few months after that.
December 1993
The day after Christmas, Sharon's brother, brother-in-law, and her dad took all of the children outside to play in the snow after breakfast. Sharon, her mom, and Alice and Laura, her sister and sister-in-law, lounged around the living room in their pajamas, sipping coffee. Sharon and her mom were on a couch, and Alice and Laura were stretched out in recliners. They'd been skiing for most of the week, but they had all agreed to take a break today. Everyone was staying until the day before New Years Eve, so they still had a couple of days left to ski. Sharon relaxed with her book, cozy with the gray winter shadows and the crackling fire in the room. Emily walked through a while later, but Sharon assumed she was going to the bathroom or was adding another layer of clothes until she came back out in her pajamas. She climbed into the nearest lap, which belonged to Alice. Emily had complained the night before about not skiing today and wasn't one to lie around, so all eyes were on her as she got comfortable against Alice.
Alice covered Emily with part of her blanket and brushed her messy hair out of her face. "Are you not feeling good?"
"Does your throat hurt, Em?" Sharon asked from the couch. With the craziness of breakfast with so many people that morning, she hadn't noticed Emily seeming out of sorts, but she could tell now that she didn't seem to feel very well.
Emily was a little overwhelmed with everyone looking at her, so she snuggled into Alice's side and didn't say anything. Alice put her arm around her and rested the back of her hand on her forehead. "She feels hot, Sharon."
Sharon walked over to them, leaned down, and kissed Emily's forehead. "She does have a fever. Is it your throat?" She asked again. Emily nodded. "I'll get you some medicine. Be right back." Sharon went to her room and got some children's Tylenol out of her suitcase.
When she came back into the living room, her mom was standing beside the chair and holding the thermometer in Emily's mouth. "102," the older Emily announced.
After giving Emily the medicine, Sharon switched places with Alice and got situated in the chair with Emily. "I'm sorry, baby," she murmured, cupping Emily's flushed cheek with her hand. "Mom? Do you know where Dr. Adams's number is?" Ricky had gotten sick in Park City a couple of years before, and Sharon had called around until she'd found a doctor that would do a new patient and sick visit on short notice.
"I think I know where it is," Laura spoke up. "I'll get it." She retrieved it from a drawer in the kitchen and brought it to Sharon. Laura gave Emily a sympathetic look and held her hand to her forehead. "Do you think it's the flu?" She asked nervously.
Sharon shook her head. "I don't think so. She's had Strep Throat several times this year, and she'll probably have to get her tonsils out." Sharon took the slip of paper from Laura, dialed the doctor's office from the phone beside the chair, and made an appointment for the next morning.
After lunch, Sharon took Ricky to her room and tried to get him settled down for a nap. It took a while, but he finally drifted off. Both Emilys were curled up on the couch, spooned together and sound asleep when Sharon got to the living room.
The next morning, Sharon and Emily were leaving for the doctor's office as almost everyone else was leaving for the slopes. Laura had promised to stick with Ricky. "I want to ski!" Emily whined, her hoarse voice barely audible.
"You don't feel good, honey, you won't have fun skiing," Sharon said.
"I'll make whatever you want for dinner tomorrow night," the older Emily promised. "You'll probably be feeling a little better by then." That didn't do much to appease the younger Emily, and she was still whining as Sharon got her purse and led her down to her rental car.
When Sharon and Emily got back from the doctor's office, Sharon gave her a dose of her antibiotic and settled in a chair with her once they were both back in their pajamas. "I'm cold," Emily whined. Sharon pulled the blanket down from the back of the chair, tucked it around Emily, and felt her forehead. Emily snuggled against her, and Sharon gently smoothed her fingers through her hair as she fell asleep against her.
Back to Present
Andy started calling soon before Sharon was ready to go to bed, but she wasn't ready to talk to him. She finally texted him that she was okay, was going to bed early, and would talk to him the next day after work. She felt bad for being so grouchy with him, but that was precisely why she'd asked him to stay away in the first place. She'd told him she would be fine, which was true, and asked him in no uncertain terms not to come to the condo. As she stretched out under her covers, she realized that asking him not to come back tonight, even though she was mostly better, was also a good call. If he were beside her right now, just the sound of him breathing would probably annoy her, and there would inevitably have been at least one needless argument over the course of the evening.
The following morning, Sharon got to work early in an attempt to catch up on what she'd missed the day before. When Andy arrived, he came into her office and closed the door. "So, uh, I take it you're angry with me."
Sharon touched her nose like he'd guessed something correctly in Charades. She knew she'd get over it, and she'd optimistically put on his favorite lingerie that morning in hopes of make-up sex, but she was still angry that he didn't trust her judgment and had blatantly ignored her wishes to be left alone. What if the situation had been more embarrassing than it was? Despite their growing closeness, there were still some things for which she needed space and wasn't willing for Andy to be present for, vomiting being one of them.
Andy ran his hand over his face. "In my defense, you did give me a key—"
"And you abused it. I clearly asked you not to come, and you did, anyway. I'm a grown woman, Andy, I don't need you checking up on me, especially when I've specifically asked you not to." Sharon's face softened. "We'll be okay. Let's just talk after work. We both need some time to cool down and think things through."
Once everyone else left for the day, Andy went back to Sharon's office. "I'm sorry. You were right. But I didn't come yesterday because I thought you couldn't take care of yourself. You just don't have to anymore, and I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to make it easier for you. And you took care of me so much after the blood clot, so it just felt wrong to sit here when I knew you were so miserable."
Sharon nodded. "I'm sorry I was so short with you, but I'm not ready for you to see me like that. We'll get there someday, but we're not there yet."
Andy understood that, and he felt even worse for ignoring her request the day before. Having Sharon take care of him when he had something like a cold was one thing, but he probably wouldn't want her around if he were sick to his stomach any more than she'd wanted him around. "I get it. If the situation had been reversed, then I probably would've been aggravated, too. I'm sorry." Sharon's expression was much less angry and more welcoming, so he closed the space between them and pressed his lips to hers. "Am I still banned from your place?"
Sharon shook her head. "And Rusty's staying with Gus tonight, so I'll need some help finding something to do," she said suggestively.
"You don't have to tell me twice."
After dinner, Sharon started to clear the table, but Andy stopped her. "Nuh-uh. I'm cleaning up. And then I've got some making up to do." Their sexual relationship had moved at a snail's pace, and they'd been pretty traditional with that so far, but Andy had been craving a different level of closeness lately and hadn't been sure how to initiate it. The timing seemed right, though, so he went for it.
Sharon tilted her head. "Oh? I'm listening." His apology had been enough, but she was curious about what he had in mind.
"Let's just say you won't have to move a muscle."
Sharon didn't get it at first, but a shiver ran down her spine when it dawned on her. "If we both clean up, we'll get done faster."
The second the kitchen had reached Sharon's minimum standard of clean, she took Andy's hand and led him to the bedroom. Andy eyed her as she stripped down to her deep purple, lacy bra and panties. His favorite ones. Damn that woman, she'd obviously had the same thing on her mind since she got dressed that morning. "Seems like you've been plotting, yourself," he murmured as he slipped his hand inside her panties.
Sharon gave him a wide-eyed, innocent look. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Uh-huh. You know what these do to me."
Sharon squealed as Andy gently pushed her back against the bed. She was afraid he might go straight to the source and set up camp, but he started on the insides of her thighs before slowly and tenderly making his way to his destination. Sharon gripped his hair as he got closer, but had to switch to the sheets for fear of pulling some of his hair out. A little while later, she was lying in his arms, exhausted and more satisfied than she'd been in a long time. "We might have to argue more often," Andy teased.
Sharon looked up at him. "We had an argument?"
Andy grinned to himself. Damn, he was good.
