Part 9: His Name
The morning that Ricky was born the sky was grey, the rain threatened in the sky. It was a juxtaposition to the morning that Emily had been born. The day had been warm and the evening was perfect. Emily had been born in the early evening and Ricky had been born in the morning. They had both cried, a smiling nurse had placed them both in her arms. They were her kids. Her life and she'd be damned if something happened to them.
When Emily was born, call it first time parenting, or an over occupational hazard, but she refused to leave her daughter's room. Even when the baby began sleeping through the night she barely made it through the night out of fear that it was all a dream.
Sharon had wandered into the bar where her husband had frequented in searching for her husband. She had left Emily with her neighbor, their daughter was the same age and even at the precocious age of 3 Emily had found a friend.
"Hey Bobby," Sharon grinned as she slid into a high stool, shrugging off her coat. From the quick sweep of the place her husband was nowhere to be seen.
"What can I get you tonight?" Bobby asked.
Bobby was a good man. If Jack was feeling particularly bold he'd bring the kids in and from time to time, the kids would end up in the back and Jack would remain out front getting completely trashed. He'd blame it on a case, he'd blame it on Sharon and a list of other things that never involved him. On those nights, Sharon would get a call from Bobby and he'd meet her in the back with both kids, usually asleep.
"Nothing for now," she said. "Have you seen Jack?"
"Not since yesterday," he said. "Give him some time, he might come around."
Sharon nodded her head and grinned at the man when he put down a drink in front of her.
"Don't worry," he said. "You've got the glow."
Sharon's head snapped up, her fingers barely touching the straw. Her eyes were wide with surprise. Of all people, he would know upon first glance.
"I've got five kids," he shrugged. "I don't need to be a trained professional to know when you've got somethin' goin' on."
Sharon grinned around her straw, sinking back into the stool. She would give her husband about an hour to show up. If he didn't she'd head home, get Emily and tuck the girl into bed. Jack would find out in the morning, if he was there when she woke up.
"Bob, get me a round, will ya?" a man said, appearing next to Sharon. He handed Bobby a bill and grinned, sinking down into the stool next to her.
A single shot appeared on the bar, followed by a beer. Sharon watched as the man knocked back the shot, hissed at the taste and chased it down with the beer.
"Still chasin' skirts?" Bobby asked the man.
"After today Bob," the man began, shaking his head. "Skirt chasing isn't going to be happening for a while."
"Got you stuck in a rut?"
"Got me doin' something, that's for sure," the man said. "It's not necessarily pleasant for other ears."
Sharon wasn't really listening, okay she was. She had been in the LAPD for some time and she was coming off her rotation on Patrol sooner, rather than later she figured. If this guy was a cop, she had never seen him before.
"Don't mind me," Sharon waved. "I've had to deal with enough on my own."
"If you want," the man started, before turning to her. "Andy Flynn."
She looked at his hand and then took it, shaking it. "Sharon Raydor."
"You sure you want to hear about my day?"
"I'm pretty sure I can handle it."
She felt bad about ten minutes later after he was mid-way through his story, when she ran to the bathroom. The thing with morning sickness was that it never happened just in the morning. It could be brought on by anything at any time and just sitting there with him, a wave of nausea had came over her and she was bolting for the bathroom.
She came back with an apology on her lips. He was in his booth alone, cradling his cup. He didn't look bothered by her leaving, but - she shook her head. There was something else.
"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked when she slipped back into the booth.
"Thanks," Sharon said. "But I'm good with this."
"That's not a drink," he scoffed. "Let me buy you a real drink."
"This is a real drink," Sharon said, drinking it just to make a point. "I can't drink alcohol right now anyway."
The man looked surprised as she took another sip of her soda. She shrugged her shoulder.
"Comes with being pregnant I guess."
It wasn't a piece of information she had told anyone else. The words coming out of her mouth was so foreign yet so familiar. It filled her with this sense of pride that only she had the pleasure of saying. It was odd.
"Well when you can drink," Andy amended, shifting himself on his side of the booth to make him more comfortable. "Have a drink with alcohol in it, will you let me buy it for you then?"
"Sure," she said, a grin on her lips.
It had been a year, twelve months almost to the day and she had been cleared to go back into the field. Richard, Ricky as Emily had become prone to calling him, was almost four months, born a month premature because he was impatient. The doctors kept him in the hospital for an extra couple of days, just to be on the safe side, but from the rest of the tests, the baby was fine. She was fine.
She wanted to celebrate. She wanted a drink. A real drink. A strong drink that would make her woozy and dizzy and giggle uncontrollably because for once she was letting herself go. She had been not only released of maternity leave, but she also was being promoted when she stepped back into the field. She deserved to celebrate and Jack was letting her. Jack was playing Mr. Mom for the evening while she did whatever she wanted.
Call it habit, crawling into the bar demurely, or ashamed because most times, pregnant or not, she was finding Jack in here, but now, she had no reason to be. There were bottles in the fridge for Ricky, there was enough formula to get him through the night and through part of the next day.
She was almost expecting a call mid way through her celebration from her husband or daughter; mostly she was expecting it from Emily who would be complaining that the baby won't stop crying. The girl complained about that frequently and incessantly, but it was the only way Ricky could speak. Which Sharon attempted to explain to her almost 4 year old daughter who was having none of it.
"You look like you could use a drink," the bartender said.
This one was younger than Bobby. A lot younger. The name on his tag said, 'Nik'. Tall, blonde, wore his baseball cap backwards. It made her smile.
"I do," Sharon sighed, slipping into the stool right in front of him. "Something strong."
"Anything in particular?"
"Surprise me," she said with a smile.
The kid, Nik, went to the other end of the bar and Sharon took in the sounds of the bar. Mostly young adults had been coming in and going out, some shouting at each other. It was Thursday, so it must have been a college night that she missed out on. Not that she minded. The beer pong table was still set up on the far end of the bar. From the things she had seen the place was popular for their beer pong championships.
"I'll have whatever she's having," a voice behind her said. "Make it two and open up a tab for me, will ya Nik?"
The bartender tossed a look over his shoulder at the sound of his name. The man smiled and nodded his head, turning back to the drink he was making.
Sharon looked over her shoulder and grinned. She had a feeling he would be here.
"Andy," she nodded as he slipped into the bar stool next to her, his knee bumping hers as he did.
"Sharon," he returned. "Or should I say Lieutenant Raydor?"
"How did you know?" she asked quickly, the sound of her new title foreign to her ears.
"Please half the department knows," Andy scoffed, putting a twenty out in front of him. "It's like high school on that side. One thing happens and everyone knows. Superiors included."
Sharon laughed into her drink that Nik had placed in front of her. She took a drink and sighed at the burn that traveled down her throat. God did that feel good.
Andy smiled at her and took a drink of his own.
"Rumor has it you had your kid," Andy said.
Sharon nodded. "Eight pounds, ten ounces, and premature."
"Damn," Andy said. "Big kid."
Sharon shrugged and took another drink. "My daughter was six pounds."
Andy shook his head. His kids were six pounds and weighed ounces apart from each other. Despite the fact that they were born years apart from each other. HIs wife, ex-wife, ate the same thing both times, with the exception of her different cravings.
He had worked with Sharon from time to time throughout her pregnancy. As she came closer to maternity leave, she was off the field, worked from the office and then that was when they all heard of the transfer.
She was being transferred into Internal Affairs. Well, further into Internal Affairs. She was replacing Rogers, the sleaziest LAPD officer on the planet, who was in charge of the small team of officers who investigated other officers. They weren't the most popular group of people. It would be interesting to see what she would do in the department.
"New rank and a new corner office," Andy remarked. "What else could you need?"
"It sounds like you're real excited about me being in IA." Sharon retorted. "Are people taking bets?"
"There's six hundred on week one," Andy said quickly. "Twelve for two, and no one has done anything beyond that. Some people have a little faith in you."
"And where did you put your money?"
"In your drink," he said coolly. "And whatever else you decide to drink tonight or any other night."
It took her back, the forwardness of the situation. Who knew how long he had been drinking before she got there. There were no signs of him being drunk, there were no signs of anything that would implicate him. Now, now he was showing signs of intoxication. It, for whatever reason, didn't bother her.
"Where are the kids?"
"With my husband."
"You want to get out of here?" He asked. The subtext evident.
"No," she said. "Drinking or not I'm still married."
Sharon finished her drink and pushed the tumbler aside, reaching behind her to get her coat. She checked her watch. She had been out for a few hours. Ricky would be waking up in an hour or so and want to be fed.
"Thank you for the drink," she said, before slipping off the stool and exiting out of the back.
The night was cool. The lights on the street were the only night around, the moon being blocked by the clouds. She dug her keys out of her pocket, fully intending to drive home as slowly as legally possible.
She stopped and turned back to the bar, contemplating going back in and asking for water. She sighed and ran a hand over her forehead. She should go back in, ask Nik to call a car or her - no if he called Jack it meant he would have to wake up the kids and put them in the car and that would just be a headache that would last for days.
There was a liquor store at the end of the block she could go to for water. Or juice. Something that would force the buzzing in her body to stop.
"Sharon!" she heard as she took a step towards the liquor store.
Sighing, she turned back to find Andy jogging lightly towards her. He too had his coat on and his hands were shoved into his pocket when he approached her.
"Look," he said. "I'm sorry. I just thought - shit - I mean -"
He took a receipt out of his pocket and showed it to her. Then he ripped it in half and then crumpled the halves in his hands and tossed it to the floor.
"There was a bet going on," Flynn said, clearing his throat. "The boys wanted - you haven't even started the damn job and no one likes you."
"So you thought it would be okay to liquor me up and then proposition me. Was that it Detective?" Sharon asked, taking a look at her watch.
It was 12:01. She was officially a Lieutenant of the LAPD. She was officially the woman to get this man in trouble.
"What time do you start your shift?" Sharon asked.
When Andy said nothing she continued on.
"You are to go home and sober up," Sharon ordered. "You are to report to my office by nine a.m. Do I make myself clear?"
Andy looked at her slack jawed.
"What the hell-"
"Detective," Sharon said, making a point, holding up her watch wrist. "Go home, sober up and we'll talk about this in the morning. I have outstanding reports of misbehavior I really don't want to talk about right now. I want to go home, check on my kids, and get some sleep. You should do the same."
It would be a six-month probation period that Andy would have to go through after showing up in Sharon's office completely gone. In that probation period he would have to go to Anger Management classes, a version of a rehab program for officers, and restricted to desk duty depending on the case. His service weapon would be taken from him and until Sharon Raydor cleared him for duty, he would be get it back.
Until then, she wished his name would stay off her desk. Until then he wished he didn't know her name.
Thank you so much for the reviews and for the reads. Keep doing what you all do and I'll post another chapter soon. Ya'll will see what happens with Jack, I promise.
