Andrea let out a deep breath as she straightened her jacket while she stepped out of the elevator the next morning. Her stomach was grumbling and roiling, affecting her mood immensely as she tried to focus on what she was going to say to HR and her boss. A small voice in the back of her head whined that she should have eaten a tiny bit of breakfast, or grabbed something from the local deli before making her way up the elevator, and she tried to stifle that voice, knowing she needed to pour all her focus on how she was going to present herself.

She drew in another deep breath as she walked into the outer office of the DA, throwing a desperate look at the secretary. The woman just gave her a nonplussed look before pointing to the chairs. Nodding a little, Andrea went and took a seat, perching on the edge of it so as to be ready to head in at a moment's notice.

The minutes dragged on, though, and Andrea bit her lip a little as she tried to keep her foot from tapping a nervous tattoo. Instead, she kept checking the time on her watch, keeping her back as straight as possible so as not to let her anxiety show. Finally, though, the door to Jon's office opened, and he strode over to her side, his hand lightly cupping her elbow has he helped her to her feet. "I'm sorry for making you wait, but there were a few things that I had to work out with Ellen before we could square things away with you. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

The nicety threw her off balance, and she shook her head slowly as she took a seat next to Ellen, giving her a fleeting smile before she smoothed her trousers along her thighs, trying to keep her breathing smooth and measured as she watched her boss pour himself a fresh cup before he took a seat behind his desk. Every fiber in Andrea's body wanted her to scream at him to just get on with it, to stop drawing out this agony, but she knew that was entirely the wrong reaction.

"I'm glad that you agreed to meet with us so quickly, Ms Hobbs. It is so important that we take care of situations like this before they get out of hand. As I'm certain you may have ascertained, Mister Beck made a complaint about your treatment of him yesterday morning, and it is something that we have to take seriously."

Andrea nodded a little, steeling her nerves. To her surprise, she didn't feel like crying, which was good, seeing as how that had been her go to reaction these last few days. "Rusty and I have had a very fraught relationship these last few weeks, yes. And I may have said a few things in anger that I regret now."

"This isn't the first time we've heard murmurings, Andrea," Jon said, and she turned her focus on him, watching his hands more than his face. "I know, the kid is brash and abrasive, but you have to look past that as he interns here."

"I know, it was completely unprofessional. And I will admit that the fact that we know each other on a personal level has most likely colored my interactions with him when things become tense between us. And this current case that I'm working on is not lending itself to sunshine and lollipops, Jon. We're most likely looking at a month continuance or longer, which is going to throw off my schedule completely."

"I understand that, Andrea, but that doesn't excuse your behavior. You're old enough to be the kid's mother, so you should know enough how to keep control of your emotions by now. And I know that you've had a hard few months, what with losing Sharon and Emma, and then that case going south so quickly, but you can't allow those negatives affect your behavior and job ethic. I need you to be here, one hundred percent, and if I don't feel like you are fully committed, then I worry about the outcomes of the next cases you try."

She nodded, still waiting for the other shoe to drop. There was more to this little meeting than just reprimanding her for the way she treated Rusty yesterday, and she was getting more and more off kilter the longer they went without saying plainly what was going on. Clearing her throat a little, she suddenly wished that she did have coffee or water to hold onto as she looked between them. "I can understand the concern, Jon. What does our action plan look like, from here on out?"

Jon's eyes flitted between her and Ellen, and she knew that nothing good would be said from this point forward in the discussion. "Ellen and I feel that it is prudent for you to take some time off and reflect on the passing of Sharon and Emma. You really haven't stopped since their deaths, and this failure to process has really led to you revealing a side of your personality that isn't really you. I know you're better than a snappish, shrewish, woman, I've seen you in action in the courtroom. But right now, we both feel you're a little too volatile to be in the courtroom."

Andrea nodded slowly as his words washed over her. "I see. How long a time are we looking at?" she asked, speaking slowly so as to keep her voice from cracking and betraying how close she was to losing it completely.

Still, Jon seemed to know that she was close to the edge, as he gave her a gentle smile. "I was thinking that we could start with eight weeks, and then reevaluate things from there. Does that sound fair?"

She knew that he was appearing to give her an option, but that there would be no turning his offer down by saying that she was fine and didn't need to take a break. Drawing in a deep breath, she gave him a tight nod before speaking. "That will be fine. And I think you're right, I do need to get my head on straight once more." Clearing her throat again, she looked at Ellen. "Is there something that I need to sign?"

"No, not unless you choose to come back here before the eight weeks have passed. If that happens, then there might be a different discussion that we have to have. Is there anything that you'll need from your office? If so, I can run you up there before you head home for the day."

That was when the tears began to prickle the corner of her eyes, and she shook her head a little, feeling her hair brush against her cheeks. "No, no, I brought home my tablet yesterday, and everything else up there is for the current cases. Just make certain that someone waters my plant."

Jon nodded as they stood in unison and he escorted her out to the elevators. "I really wish that there was another way that we could have handled this situation. You really put me in a difficult place, Andrea. I know that Rusty's a little hard to deal with, but you really are the adult here. And you were the one who fought to keep him here, after that whole business with Stroh went down."

"I know, and a part of my regrets that, Jon. I should have made better, more prudent, choices. But then, I thought of Sharon, and allowed that to cloud my judgment."

He nodded sagely before reaching out and squeezing her shoulder before pressing the down button on the elevators. "You led with your heart for the first time in your life, Andrea. And yes, it might have bit you in the ass, but it's nice to see your softer side, too. And I fully intend to see you back here in eight weeks. I wish that I could have made it short, like four, but Ellen wanted you gone."

Andrea nodded as she stepped aboard the elevator, happy to know that he had her back, but still overwhelmingly sad to know that she had caused her own suspension by acting so erratically. It would serve her in good stead to remember that she had to keep her head when around Rusty from now on.