Disclaimer: Don't own Rookie Blue.
A.N. This chapter is the longest chapter I think I have ever written on and it is for those of you who requested a family oriented story after reading the first chapter.
This chapter is dedicated to one of my closest friends who taught me the 'My Mommy Comes Back' song when we were doing a babysitting fundraiser for school.
Enjoy!
Chapter 10 – The next Day:
She felt a heavy pressure on her chest and began to panic before she remembered that she was home and the pressure on her chest was Serena.
She opened her eyes and stared at Sam's face. He has so many worry lines on his face and she felt guilty, knowing she was probably the cause. She was pulled out of her thoughts as Serena began to stir. "Shh, I've got you" she rubbed Serena's back. Serena snuggled closer and stayed asleep.
Andy turned to see if Lissy was awake and found her daughter seated on the bed, reading a book. "Morning sweetie."
"Morning Mommy."
Andy smiled. She had missed her daughter's cheerful greetings, though no one knew why she was a morning person when both of her parents were clearly not morning people. "Ready for breakfast?" At Lissy's nod, she shifted Serena off of her chest. Serena snuggled up to Sam but neither woke.
Andy took Lissy's hand and they walked down the stairs together. As they reached the bottom stair, Andy asked "how about pancakes?"
To her surprise, Lissy shook her head.
Andy froze in the doorway to the kitchen and knelt in front of her daughter, studying her face. "But you love chocolate chip pancakes."
Lissy's eyes lit up. "Chocolate chip pancakes?" She released Andy's hand and skirted past her to push a chair to the counter-top.
Andy stood and turned, looking confused. "What other pancakes would I make?"
"Plain." Lissy tried to reach for a bowl to mix the ingredients.
Andy stepped into the kitchen and pulled down the bowl and pancake mix. "Why would I make plain pancakes? No one likes them."
"Daddy said only plain pancakes and Serena likes them because she never had chocolate chip pancakes."
Andy stared at her daughter, utterly confused. "Why would Daddy say that?"
"It reminded him of you" said a voice behind them.
Andy jumped and spun. "Dad! Don't scare me like that. It is going to take me a little while to remember that you're always here."
Tommy grinned. "Coffee's ready."
Andy glared at him before pouring herself a cup of coffee. She added milk and then finished half the cup quickly before starting on the pancakes with her daughter. As they were mixing she softly asked "does that mean that you haven't had chocolate chip pancakes since…" she trailed off in her question.
"Pretty much" Tommy said softly.
"Nuh uh" Lissy said.
Tommy smiled. "Right. We did once but your daddy doesn't know about that."
Flashback
Tommy woke suddenly. He took a deep breath and just listened to the sounds. His eyebrows shot up when he heard crying. He recognized it as Serena's cry and quickly made his way to the kitchen, feeling his way through the house in the dark.
There was a light on in the kitchen. Sam was rummaging through the refrigerator, trying to calm Serena.
"Sam?" he called softly.
Sam looked up and Tommy moved closer. He took Serena from Sam's arms so Sam could search with both hands. "What's wrong?"
"I think she might have an ear infection. I gave her tylenol but it hasn't kicked in yet. I'll take her to the doctor first thing in the morning." He found the apple juice and poured it into her sippy cup before taking her back into his arms.
"Anything I can do?"
Sam ran his free hand through his hair. "Did you hear her crying before?"
Tommy shook his head. "How long has she been crying for?"
"Half an hour."
"I didn't hear anything until you came into the kitchen."
Sam closed his eyes for a second. "Can you take Lissy for the night? Serena already woke her up and she won't go back to sleep if she hears Serena crying."
Tommy agreed and learned that his granddaughter was similar to her mother in another way. When Andy was younger, if she would get scared and climb into bed with her parents, she would curl into a ball and then not move for the remainder of the night. Lissy was the same.
End Flashback
Andy raised an eyebrow and then realized her father was lost in a memory. "Dad?"
"Serena got sick. Sam took her to the doctor first thing in the morning. We made pancakes and had it all cleaned up before Sam got home."
Andy sighed and kissed her daughter's forehead. "I'm sorry sweetie."
"Speaking of Sam and Serena" Tommy said as he turned on the skillet, "where are they?"
"Asleep."
Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Sam's still asleep?"
"He was up late watching Mommy."
Andy raised an eyebrow but truthfully, she wasn't surprised. She remembered that he woke her from her nightmare and she could have guessed that he wouldn't go back to sleep after that 'just in case'.
Tommy wasn't surprised either, if she could judge by the smile on his face. "If you want to let Sam sleep, I would suggest you go check on Serena. She can be rather vocal about her need to go to the bathroom in the morning." He saw Andy wavering. "Lissy and I have breakfast under control. Right Liss?"
Lissy nodded. "I help Grandpa a lot."
Andy kissed her daughter again on the forehead and kissed her father on the cheek while whispering "thank you" before heading back up the stairs.
Serena and Sam were both asleep. She went into the closet and selected something to wear. Slipping into the bathroom, she quickly dressed and clasped the necklace with both rings around her neck. She was about to grab her makeup (she loved how Sam hadn't touched anything) when she heard something from the bedroom. She stepped out and saw Serena stirring.
Andy walked over to the bed. Careful not to wake Sam, she lifted Serena and carried her out of the room. From what she remembered, Serena was a cuddler. She went into the nursery and sat down in the rocking chair, rocking Serena gently.
Eventually Serena lifted her head. "Mommy?"
"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Andy asked softly, brushing Serena's hair out of her face.
Serena nodded.
~~~00~~~
Andy dressed Serena before bringing her downstairs to the kitchen.
Her father had already cut a pancake for Serena and it was sitting on her high chair tray. Andy placed Serena in the seat and grabbed her half finished cup of coffee. She poured more hot coffee into the cup and sat down next to Lissy. "How do they taste sweetie?"
"Yummy!" Lissy smiled. "Thank you Mommy. Thank you Grandpa."
Tommy finished up the last of the pancakes – blueberry for himself and Sam – and then covered a plate for Sam before sitting down.
~~00~~
When they finished eating, Tommy told Andy that he would clean up. She started to protest but he shot her a glare and she stopped arguing; especially when he told her she needed to get Lissy ready for school.
As soon as Lissy heard her grandfather's words, she scampered up the stairs to get dressed.
Andy washed Serena up and then followed Lissy up the stairs to help both of her girls with their hair.
Lissy insisted on a French Braid. Andy braided her hair and then sent her to find her socks and shoes. She lifted Serena onto the counter and listened to her chatter as she styled Serena's hair into one of her favorite hairdos for a child. Sam called it the whale spout but she loved it.
She finished and turned Serena so she could see herself in the mirror. "So pretty".
"That's right Serena, you're so pretty." She kissed Serena's forehead.
Serena turned to face Andy. "Mommy turn."
Andy looked at her daughter. "Mommy's turn for what?" she asked as she lifted Serena off the counter.
"Hair!" Serena exclaimed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I agree."
Andy jumped and turned, Serena secure in her arms. "Sam! Don't scare me like that. I could have dropped her."
Sam saw her shaking slightly and took a few steps towards her so he could pull her into his arms. "Sorry." He kissed her softly. "Good morning."
"Morning." She handed Serena to him. "Breakfast is downstairs. I'll be down in a minute." He was already dressed and he took Serena and left her alone.
She fixed her hair into a half ponytail with a clip. A smile graced her features as she remembered tossing a similar clip aside the first time she had gone to Sam's cover apartment when he had been going after Jamie Brennan.
She descended to find Serena sitting on Sam's lap, eating a blueberry pancake. "You already ate" she chided softly.
"Yummy" Serena said, holding out part of the pancake for Andy. She noticed that unlike her father, who had cut the pancake, Sam just handed her the entire pancake and she was eating with her hands.
Sam chuckled. "She's a bottomless pit." He took a sip of coffee.
Andy shook her head. "Where's my father?"
"He goes walking every day. He left after he cleaned up."
Andy nodded and then spotted Lissy's lunchbox on the counter. She grabbed a piece of paper and jotted something quickly and stuck it into Lissy's lunchbox before calling to her daughter, "Lissy, you need to finish getting ready for school."
Lissy came in and grabbed her lunchbox. Andy followed her to the front hallway and watched her daughter place her lunchbox in her backpack.
Sam called out to Andy to meet him in the garage and she realized that they were running late. She grabbed Lissy's bag and Lissy slipped her hand into Andy's and the two of them made their way to the garage. They stopped right outside the garage to grab Lissy's jacket. Andy swallowed a lump in her throat when she saw her jacket hanging next to Sam's. She grabbed her jacket and followed Lissy into the garage.
Lissy buckled herself into her car seat as Andy leaned against the door and waited for Sam.
He appeared with two travelers mugs filled with coffee in his hands as Serena walked next to him.
Andy walked up the stairs and grabbed Serena's jacket, helping her daughter slip into it. Then she grabbed Sam's jacket and he handed her the two cups of coffee before lifting Serena. Andy wished she could buckle her daughter in but Serena's car seat was behind Sam's seat for convenience.
The drive to Lissy's school was quiet as the girls listened to a book on tape. She was content to just watch her husband drive and steal glances at her girls.
It was only when they entered the school parking lot that Lissy spoke. "Why're you parking?"
"I thought you wanted to show Mommy your classroom."
Lissy squealed with delight as Sam pulled into a parking spot.
Sam held Serena and the four of them made their way towards the building.
Sam spoke briefly to the teacher who was greeting all of the students at the door but Andy didn't catch his conversation. Lissy was tugging her hand and dragged Andy into the building to show her mother her locker.
"Hi Lissy" a musical voice greeted as Lissy tucked her backpack into her locker. "Who's this?"
Lissy grinned. "Miss Griffen! My mommy came home last night!"
The woman stuck a hand out to Andy. "Ashley Griffen. I'm Lissy's teacher." After Andy introduced herself, she motioned for Andy to follow her into a classroom.
Sam waited for Miss Griffen to point a few things out before giving a pointed look at his watch. School would be starting in a few minutes and he had a feeling Lissy was going to be a little difficult. "Andy, we have to get going."
"It was nice to meet you Officer" Miss Griffen said softly. "I'm glad you're okay."
Andy's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
"I made the connection the first day of school when Lissy brought in family pictures and then when I met your husband."
"Thank you. I'm happy to be home." She touched Lissy's head. "By sweetie. I'll come pick you up later."
Lissy grabbed Andy's leg and began to sob. "I don't want to stay. I want to go with you."
Andy pulled Lissy away so she could kneel before her daughter. She brushed the tears from her daughter's cheeks before gathering her in a hug. "I know sweetie. But you have to learn. I promise I'll come get you when it's time to come home."
Miss Griffen knelt next to them. "Lissy, your Mommy has to go but she'll be back. Let her go now and during lunch recess you can stay inside with me and we'll make that Mother's Day project for your Mommy that you refused to make last year."
Lissy's eyes widened and she let go of Andy. "Really?"
Miss Griffen nodded while motioning for Andy to stand. "Really. Now say goodbye to your parents."
Lissy glanced at Andy, who had made her way over to Sam. "We'll see you later" Sam said.
Lissy began to cry again but Miss Griffen told them just to go.
As soon as they were out of the classroom, Andy took Serena from Sam, needing the comfort.
Halfway home, Andy asked Sam to stop. He saw the small park and pulled into a parking spot.
They were alone, although Sam knew that within a few hours, the park would be filled with nannies and mothers taking advantage of one of the last nice days of the year.
Sam pushed Serena in a baby swing as Andy sat in a regular swing. She was silent, and Sam left her to her thoughts.
After ten minutes of listening to Serena's babbling, Andy spoke. "What are they saying on the news?"
"No idea."
Andy planted her feet firmly on the ground, stopping herself mid-swing as she glared at him. "How can you not know?"
"Because. Listen, Andy. Peck withheld the news last night. She was supposed to have a press conference today with the news about you and the capture of the Granger Gang."
Andy sighed and changed the topic abruptly. "I really missed you."
Sam was about to answer when Serena demanded to be taken out. Sam lifted her out and then walked over to Andy. He kissed her softly. "I know."
Serena wriggled out of Sam's arms. Andy grabbed her just before she fell, feeling Sam's panic at the thought of dropping their daughter.
Sam stepped back and Andy rocked back and forth while holding Serena for a few minutes.
Eventually Serena had enough. "Slide?" she asked Andy.
"Sure sweetie."
Sam helped Serena climb the equipment and Andy caught her as she went down the slide. Andy lost count after eight rotations.
When Andy got bored, she asked Serena if she was ready to go. She had already caught Sam yawning twice.
Serena walked in between her parents, one hand in each of theirs. They were a short distance away from the minivan when she abruptly let go and started to run. "Unca Ris! Unca Ris!"
Chris knelt and scooped her up. "Hey cutie" he said as he stood. He looked at Sam and Andy. "Superintendent Peck made the announcement this morning. With your information, IA jumped in last night and already suspended the moles from 31st and 34th, pending investigation. We found the accounting books as well."
Sam pulled Andy close. "You did it" he murmured in her ear. He turned to Chris. "You on your way to work?"
Chris nodded. "Yeah. And Jess said to tell you that the offer still stands."
"What offer and what shift are you on today?" Andy asked Sam.
"Andy, I…" he realized that he had not told Andy about his 'retirement'.
Chris' phone rang, interrupting the conversation. "This is Diaz" he answered. He listened for a second and then said "yes". He listened for another minute and then said "I'll tell them" and hung up. He looked at Sam and Andy. "That was Tommy. He's been trying to reach you."
Sam felt his pocket. "I must've left my cell phone in the car and Andy's is still in the house."
Chris nodded. "I have to get going but Jess wants Andy to stop by later today if possible." He looked at Andy. "If Tommy's not available and you want Sam with you, I can watch the girls."
They said their goodbyes and Andy took Serena from Chris before parting ways.
As soon as Sam picked up his cell phone, he furrowed his eyebrows in concern. Andy finished buckling Serena in and then noticed his look. "What's wrong?"
"I got a call from Lissy's school." He hit speed dial five for Tommy as Andy rounded the car to get into the passenger seat.
As soon as Tommy picked up, Sam asked "what happened to Lissy?"
He listened to Tommy as Andy buckled her seatbelt. As soon as Andy was buckled, her started the car and began driving. When Tommy finished her said "no, I've got it. Continue on your walk." He hung up.
Andy touched his arm. "What's going on?" She was now regretting the fact that her phone was at home.
"Lissy cried herself sick. We have to go pick her up."
Andy's grip tightened on Sam's arm and the rest of the drive passed in silence.
When they reached the school, Sam unbuckled. "Let me get her" Andy begged quietly.
Sam started to protest but she held up a hand. "I promised Sam."
He sighed in defeat. "Do you have your ID on you?"
Andy nodded and slipped out of the car.
At the front door, she identified herself and was told to come to the front office.
As soon as she walked to the window of the office, she was asked for ID. She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to the woman, hoping the woman wouldn't examine the picture closely. Andy knew she looked different.
The woman examined the ID for a while and finally Andy had enough. "Please, my daughter is sick and I have things I need to take care of today. Why can't I sign her out?"
"Mommy?"
Andy didn't realize that the nurse's office was off of the main office. "Hi sweetie" she said softly.
Lissy tried to get out of the office. The secretary told her to hold on and unlocked the electronic door.
Andy bent down and lifted Lissy into her arms despite Sam's warning from the night before.
She nuzzled her daughter's nose with her own as she stood. Sam was right; Lissy was a lot heavier than she was used to - which would make sense because she was a year and a half older. "What happened?"
"I threw up" Lissy whispered, playing with her mother's rings and not looking at her.
"Lissy, Princess, its okay." She leaned her daughter against the wall. "It happens. I'm going to sign you out and then we'll get your backpack. Daddy and Serena are waiting in the car."
She set Lissy down and turned to the secretary. "Can I sign her out and have my ID back please?" The woman had to realize that Lissy was her daughter by now.
The secretary handed her a clipboard with a sign-out sheet and her license. "Welcome home officer" she said softly.
Andy resisted the urge to roll her eyes and plastered a smile on her face knowing she would be hearing these words for the next few weeks. "Thank you. I'm happy to be home." She handed back the signed form.
"Mrs. Swarek." She turned and saw Miss Griffen and nodded at her to continue. "Lissy, why don't you get your backpack while I talk to your mommy for a minute."
Lissy nodded and began to walk towards her locker. Her mother and teacher followed her.
Miss Griffen handed Andy a packet. "Your husband asked that if Lissy ever had to leave early if I could send home work so she would stay with the class. She's a bright girl; I wouldn't worry about it if she doesn't have time to complete this work today."
Andy nodded and accepted the sheets. "Thank you." She glanced at Lissy and saw that her daughter was out of earshot. "What happened?"
Miss Griffen sighed. "She cried for a few minutes after you left but stopped when I distracted her by asking her to help me sort through beads for a game we are going to be playing later.
"I have a student teacher once a week. During circle time, she mentioned hearing on the news how a missing officer was found and Lissy burst into tears. She came to me and started crying for you until she cried herself sick."
Andy sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. This is hard for her. She's afraid you won't be there when she comes home. The principal is out of town but I spoke to her and the nurse. Even though the school policy is 24 hours when a child is sick, Lissy can come back tomorrow on time since we all know she isn't really sick but we have to send her home."
"Thank you." Lissy returned and slipped her hand into her mother's. "What do you say to Miss Griffen?"
"Thank you."
Miss Griffen knelt. "Bye Lissy. We'll make your project tomorrow and no crying tomorrow, right?"
Lissy nodded. Andy nudged her. "And no making yourself sick."
Lissy shook her head. "No crying and no getting sick. Bye Miss Griffen." She handed her bag to her mother and the two of them made their way back to Sam and Serena.
Sam waited until they were both buckled before pulling away. He reached for Andy's hand and she squeezed gently.
Sam glanced at her. "Do you want to get it over with now?"
She tensed. "What about the girls?"
Sam pulled into a small grocery store parking lot. "Chris said he could watch them. I have a feeling you'll be more comfortable if they're in the same building as you right now. I'm going to get some snacks for them. I'll be right back." He parked the car and got out.
Andy turned around. "Girls, do you want to go see Uncle Chris at work?"
They both cheered. Andy looked at Lissy. "Mommy and Daddy need to talk to someone. No crying with Uncle Chris. You're going to do your school work."
Lissy nodded as Serena cheered "Daddy!"
Andy turned in her seat as Sam opened Serena's door so he could toss the snacks into the back.
He got back into the driver's seat and handed Andy a water bottle. "Drink" he ordered.
When they got to the Guns and Gangs headquarters, Sam flashed his badge and a secretary led them to Chris' desk.
Andy took Serena to the bathroom and returned to find Sam and Chris talking next to Chris' desk while Lissy sat in his chair, already hard at work. "Where's Detective Erico?"
Chris pointed to Jess' office and they saw her on the phone. "She had to take that call. She said you should wait in Interview One for her."
Sam took Andy's hand. "Be good for Uncle Chris" he called to the girls as he led Andy to Interview One.
As soon as the door closed behind him, she rounded on him. "You never answered my questions. What offer and what shift are you on today?"
Sam swallowed. "Andy, as I told you last night, things changed after you left."
"What kind of things?"
Sam scratched the back of his head. "I took early retirement. I couldn't leave the girls alone."
Andy's eyes widened.
"As for your first question, Jess wants me to join Guns and Gangs."
"You should. Now that I'm back, I don't think I'm going back to work. I can't at this point. You loved Guns and Gangs and that was always the plan for one day in the future."
Sam's eyes widened at her revelation, but truthfully, he wasn't that surprised that she couldn't go back at that point. He knew he and Tommy would be taking bets to how long it would last before she got bored. The conversation came to an end before he could respond as Jess knocked on the door and entered. She introduced the people who set up the video but Andy didn't pay attention to their names.
The interview was long and grueling. Jess was good at her job but Sam noticed Andy faltering part way through the interview. He suggested a switch and Jess wrote a list of questions for him to ask Andy but otherwise stayed silent for the rest of the interview. If she noticed the way Sam stretched his legs under the table or the way that Andy wrapped her legs around his and held, she never said anything.
For her part, once Jess and Sam switched, Andy was able to close her eyes and picture herself confiding to Sam. They couldn't hold hands but no one saw what happened under the table.
When they finished, Jess turned off the cameras and walked them out of the room. She hugged Andy. "Welcome home Andy."
Andy hugged her back. "Thank you." She lowered her voice. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other more often than we did before I was taken." At Jess' raised eyebrow she murmured "Sam'll be working for you within a year." She pulled away and hurried to join Sam.
They took the girls for pizza. Halfway through, Serena fell asleep on Andy's shoulder.
When Lissy finished eating, Sam lifted Serena. As they walked back to the minivan, Sam glanced at her. "You wanna go now or have everyone and their brother stop by tonight after shift?"
Andy sighed. "Now. I don't want to deal with it tonight."
As Sam drove, he worked out a plan with Andy. After all, she needed to go in undetected so she could talk to Frank.
When he pulled into the parking lot, he told Lissy to wait, that he needed her help.
Andy slipped into the station. She flashed her badge at the woman sitting behind the desk (thankfully someone she didn't know) and was waved through. She kept her head down and walked quickly to Frank's office.
Sam took his time lifting Serena out of her car-seat. Thankfully, Serena stayed asleep as Sam lifted her out.
Lissy waited for Sam to close the door before slipping her hand into his. She only let go when he needed to open the door.
The rookie behind the desk smiled at them. "Good afternoon Officer Swarek."
Sam rolled his eyes. The fact that the rookies called him 'Officer Swarek' just showed that Frank still wanted him to come back. Instead of answering, he nodded at her.
"Hi sweetie" she said to Lissy.
"Hi" Lissy whispered.
"You can go back. Officer Shaw is at his desk."
Sam rolled his eyes again as he led Lissy past the desk. He didn't particularly care that Oliver was in, he needed to see Frank.
"Daddy?" Lissy asked softly. "Why did she call me sweetie?"
"Because she doesn't know your name." They reached the bullpen. "Look, Uncle Oliver is by his desk." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Andy walking up the stairs towards Frank's office.
Lissy looked up at him. "Can I go tell him that Mommy came back?"
Sam squeezed her hand and then released it with a smile. He was positive that Oliver already knew but he wasn't going to rain on her parade. "Sure."
"Uncle Oliver!" she shrieked as she ran towards his desk.
Sam saw Andy freeze for a second, her hand holding the door to Frank's office open. Serena stirred in his arms and he took his eyes off of Andy to try to rock Serena back to sleep.
"My Mommy's back!" Lissy yelled as Oliver stood and crouched down to hug her.
Serena's eyes flew open. She looked around. When she didn't see Andy she whimpered "Mommy."
Sam knew he had a short window of time to get her back to sleep or she would be awake and cranky for the rest of the day.
He glanced at Oliver to find his friend watching him. "Watch her" he mouthed, pointing his chin at Lissy. With Oliver's nod, he headed up to Frank's office.
Andy met him by the door. She took Serena from his arms and whispered "sh, baby girl, I've got you. Go back to sleep." She rocked her daughter gently.
Frank had to smile. Sam and Andy's partnership was something special and he was happy to see it back in action.
Serena fell asleep quickly and then Sam pushed Andy into a chair. He stood behind her and gently massaged her shoulders.
Frank sat behind his desk. "Continuing our conversation…I was a little surprised when the Superintendent herself called me and told me to watch her press conference and that she would be in touch after."
"Sorry sir." Andy said softly.
Frank shook his head. "Last night was about family. I get it. It's okay.
"To get back to it, as soon as the press conference was over, she called to ask me how it felt to have one of my finest officers back."
Actually –" Andy interrupted him.
Frank held up a hand, stalling the rest of her sentence. "Before I could respond, she informed me that the TPD is granting you six months of paid leave, as long as you agree to speak to a psychologist. We'll talk after that time."
Both men expected Andy to balk at the psychologist suggestion but she surprised them by agreeing to speak to someone. It made Sam wonder what she hadn't told Jess and he made a mental note to call Jess after Andy spoke to the psychologist.
Frank looked out of his office. He saw many officers glancing periodically at his office and knew they wanted to welcome Andy back. Then he saw something by Oliver's desk that caught his attention. "Sammy, is that Lissy?"
Sam looked and smiled.
"What's wrong?" Andy wanted to know, concern evident in her voice.
"Nothing" Frank reassured her. "This is just a different side of your daughter, the side we haven't really seen around here since you disappeared."
Sam took over. "I told you that Lissy was withdrawn. At home, she was fine but any time I came to the station, she would only talk to Oliver or myself. She wouldn't even talk to Traci. So I stopped bringing her and only came when she was in school." He left out why he came, to recertify for all of the false alarms.
Andy sighed. "Sam, will you take Serena? I don't want her to wake up when I go out there."
Sam lifted Serena and stayed in Frank's office to discuss a few things.
As soon as Andy hit the bottom step, Traci flew at her. "Andy!" she cried, hugging her friend fiercely.
Andy hugged her for a second and then dropped one of her hands. Seconds later, she felt a small hand slip into her own and squeezed it gently as she felt Lissy wrap her other hand around her leg.
Eventually Traci pulled back. "I've really missed you" she said softly.
Andy nodded. "We have a lot to catch up on Detective."
Traci nodded. "We'll have to do a ladies' night sometime in the near future."
Andy blushed and then whispered "It'll have to be by my house; I'm not ready to leave them yet."
Traci nodded, hugged her again, and then stepped away.
It was a little overwhelming, the amount of people hugging her, until she realized this was her family, and they had missed her and feared for her safety. Most people just hugged her and said "welcome home" before returning to duty. They all understood why she could only return their hugs with a one-armed hug of her own.
Jerry walked into the station as the line dwindled but everyone left let him go ahead. He hugged her and kissed her cheek before stepping back to fish a lollipop out of his jacket for Lissy. "Welcome home Andy. We've missed you."
He probably would have said more but "Detective Barber, Line Three." He winked at Andy and then walked into his office.
The line disappeared quickly after that, leaving Andy a little confused. She had yet to see Oliver, Dov, or Gail. She assumed Oliver had disappeared to call Zoe and she guessed that Dov and Gail were on a call. She swallowed her disappointment as she heard footsteps.
Luke and Jo appeared. Luke immediately handed his cup of coffee to Jo and stepped forward to hug her. When he stepped back, he took both cups from Jo so she could hug Andy.
With Luke, Andy had barely touched him and hadn't really been so comfortable when he whispered "welcome home" in her ear. With Jo, it was the total opposite. "Thank you for finding me" she said as Jo pulled away.
"Thank Diaz and Erico. It was all them. But, if you have some time, it might be nice to stop by my division and thank the officers who came."
Andy nodded. She had already thought of that and going to Drug Squad, but some other day. "What are you doing here?"
Jo sighed. "Homicide case that stretched into both divisions. Case starts in court tomorrow and we need to go over the notes."
Andy nodded. "I'll see you later then."
As Jo and Luke walked away, Lissy suddenly dropped her hand. Andy was startled, until she saw Oliver walking towards her.
He pulled her into a bone crushing hug, which she returned. "Welcome back Andy. Zoe says hi and you should call her when you're ready for visitors."
She nodded against his shoulder. "Thank you for everything." She knew, without a doubt, that Oliver and Zoe had pitched in to help Sam with the girls.
"Mommy" a soft voice whined.
Andy pulled away from Oliver and saw Sam standing next to her, Serena struggling in his grip. "Hi sweetie" she said softly, brushing some hair out of Serena's eyes. "Did you have a good nap?" She took Serena from Sam's arms.
Oliver watched the exchange with a smile on his face. "So, BBQ this weekend for everyone?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Andy noticed Frank join them. Jerry had stepped out of him office, phone call complete. She shook her head. "Not this weekend. The one after."
Jerry stepped forward and handed Serena a lollipop as he asked "too soon?"
Andy shook her head and murmured "say 'thank you' to Uncle Jerry."
"Thank you" Serena repeated before holding the lollipop out to Andy. "Open?"
"Please."
"Open please."
Andy unwrapped the lollipop and handed it to Serena.
"Andy" Sam said softly, his hand on her shoulder. "Why can't we do it this weekend?" He was still confused and didn't think it was too soon.
She looked at him. "I think we're going to end up in St. Catharines this weekend, if your sister has anything to say about it."
Sam nodded. Sarah would have come to Toronto if Andy insisted but Andy knew how much his sister hated Toronto. "You're right. So we're on for the Saturday after at our house. We'll work the time around shifts." He took Lissy's hand and began to walk out with his family, his other arm wrapped around Andy's waist.
"Sammy!" Oliver called after them. "I'm assuming we won't see you tonight?"
"Nope" he called over his shoulder.
Andy waited until Sam had started driving before asking "what's tonight?"
"Poker. Your dad told me to keep playing with them. Although, I always made it home since the girls wanted me when they woke up."
Andy nodded, grateful that her father convinced him to continue.
Sam's phone rang and he answered without checking Caller ID. "Swarek."
Andy only heard one side of the conversation but it sparked her curiosity.
"Sounds fine…yeah… ...I'll have Andy take care of it…on our way home, see you soon." He hung up and turned off the book on tape. "Girls?" he looked in the rearview mirror "how do hotdogs sound?"
"Yay!" they both cheered.
He glanced at Andy as he turned the cd back on. "Burgers okay?"
She nodded. She realized that it must have been her father on the phone. She waited a minute to see if he would say anything else but when he stayed silent, curiosity got the better of her. "So Detective" she said quietly, as she placed her hand on his arm.
He stopped at a red light and shot her a glare. "I haven't made the decision yet."
Andy snorted. "By the end of one year you'll be working out of Guns 'n Gangs. We both know it, it was the original plan."
Sam sighed. "Fine. You're right." The light turned green and he started driving again.
"What am I going to take care of?" she asked, continuing the conversation as if he hadn't interrupted her.
"Huh?"
"You told my dad 'Andy will take care of it'. What is it that I'm taking care of?"
"Sarah keeps calling the house. You'll call her because she's mad at me that I didn't let her talk to you last night."
Andy nodded and then yawned.
"Tired?" Sam asked gently.
"A little." She turned around. "Liss, sweetie, did you do your homework with Uncle Chris?"
After getting a "no" from her daughter, she turned back to Sam. "I want to go home, help Lissy with her homework, play outside with the girls while I talk to Sarah, feed them, bathe them, read to them and put them to bed. Then I want to curl up next to you and sleep."
Sam grinned. "I believe that might have been a run-on sentence, what are you teaching your daughter?" He teased. "Seriously though, it sounds like a great plan."
"You're not upset?"
"Upset?"
"That I'm tired?"
Sam sighed. "Andy, I'm perfectly happy just to sleep right now with you next to me." He squeezed her hand and stayed silent as she thought over his words.
Two blocks from home, he glanced at her. "Spit it out. I can hear you thinking."
"Where were Gail and Dov? I mean, wouldn't Frank have called them in?"
Sam sighed. "He would have, if they still worked for him. Dov's ETF now and Gail went to Vancouver for a swap op. We got Hill thanks to that but Gail has yet to return." He didn't elaborate.
"She's done. She just doesn't want to come back to Toronto." Andy stated it as a fact instead of a question.
"Probably. She had a lot to live up to here."
"I want her number."
Sam nodded. "I can do that." He turned off the car. "Girls, we're home." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone leaning against a car parked in the street.
"Andy" a voice called as she stepped out of the minivan.
"Dov?" She scrambled out of the minivan and ran to hug him. They talked for a few minutes and then Dov left for shift.
Andy's plan went smoothly until they were cleaning up dinner. Andy and Tommy were in the kitchen while Sam helped the girls clean up the playroom.
Tommy's cell phone rang and he stepped out to take the call. When he came back, Sam had joined Andy in the kitchen. "That was Mark" he said softly.
"One of your poker buddies?" Andy asked.
"Yeah. He hurt his back and he wanted to know if I can come over to help move some things to lower shelves so he has easier access." He looked at the two of them.
Andy nodded. "Go kiss the girls goodnight. We're almost done in here."
After he left, Andy bathed Serena. Sam lifted her from the tub with a smile on his face and dried her off as Lissy climbed into the tub. He could already see routine forming.
He was putting on her pajamas when she started crying. Andy's head shot up immediately. "What's wrong baby girl?"
"Want Mommy."
Sam gathered her in his arms and flipped the lid of the toilet so he could sit. "Mommy's giving Lissy a bath, just like she gave you a bath. We can watch from here until Mommy finishes okay?"
Serena frowned but curled against Sam. Andy watched with a smile on her face.
By the time Andy finished bathing Lissy, Serena was out cold. She dried her arms and then lifted Serena from Sam's arms. Serena stirred. "Sh, Mommy's got you" Andy whispered softly. She looked at Sam. "I'll be right back."
Sam kissed Serena's forehead and whispered "goodnight sweetie" before letting Andy go. He lifted Lissy out of the tub and set her on the counter-top. He marveled at all of the instantaneous changes, Lissy used to love when he dressed her for bed but insisted on doing everything herself once Andy disappeared.
When she had her pajamas on, he took her into the bedroom, piggy-back style. Andy read to her and then they both said goodnight and kissed her.
"Mommy?" she whispered, eyes already fighting sleep "can you stay with me?"
"Not tonight sweetie."
"Then can I stay with you?"
Sam bent so he was on eye level with her. "Mommy and I need you to help us. Sometimes Serena wakes up in the middle of the night. If she sees you in here, she won't cry and she'll just go back to sleep so can you stay?"
"Okay" she whispered and her eyes closed.
"Seriously?" Andy whispered as they backed out of the room.
"Yeah. Every once in a while, normally before I've even gone to bed. I hear her on the baby monitor."
Andy nodded. "We need to talk about getting her a real bed." She yawned.
"It can wait. You're exhausted. Go shower."
Andy climbed into the shower as Sam brushed his teeth. He had showered earlier.
When she emerged, Sam was not in the bedroom. Confused, she climbed into bed.
Sam entered a minute later with something in his hands. "I made this for you for our anniversary and want to give it to you now."
Andy opened the wrapping paper as Sam climbed in next to her. "Sam, it's beautiful" she whispered.
"So are you" he said softly.
Andy placed the jewelry box on the table next to the bed and then settled against his chest. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For not having anything for you and for being too tired tonight."
Sam rolled his eyes. "Stop apologizing. You're home, in my arms, which makes me a VERY happy man. Go to sleep."
A few hours later, Sam woke to a strangled cry. "Andy, wake up" he said as he touched her shoulder.
Her eyes flew open. "Sam!"
"You okay?" When she shook her head no, he got out of bed. "Put these on." He tossed her a pair of socks and a sweatshirt.
Confused, she followed his command and then he took her hand and led her down the stairs. She saw the monitor in his hand and he snagged a blanket from the couch before leading her outside.
He sat on the porch swing and she curled up next to him as he spread the blanket over her body.
"Where's the truck?"
"Your father probably went to an AA meeting tonight after helping Mark."
"Oh."
"Wanna talk about your nightmare?" He was happy that Frank had suggested the psychologist.
Andy gripped his hand tightly in her own. "You guys came but they were expecting you. You were one of the officers that Matt shot." She swallowed. "Then they shot me and as I bled out, I realized that our girls would be orphans."
Sam held her tightly. "Andy, it was just a nightmare. I'm okay, you're okay and the girls are thrilled that you're home." He rocked her for a while.
He thought she was asleep when she spoke again. "You know that song that I sang to Lissy? The one she insisted you keep singing? My mother used to sing it to me every day when I didn't want to get out of the car to go to school. And then, one day, she didn't come back. She left in the middle of the night and never returned.
"I swore I would never to that to the girls. And I was so afraid that it would happen anyways, even though I didn't want it to."
Sam pulled her into his lap. "Andy, you came back. We're gonna be okay." He stroked her hair as he rocked them. Even after she fell asleep, he continued to rock.
Headlights caused him to stop. He realized Tommy was returning home and waited.
Tommy smiled as he looked at his sleeping daughter. "Nightmare?"
"Yeah. How was the meeting?"
Tommy sighed. "Evidently I'm famous now that Andy's back. Honestly, it was ridiculous. I should have gone to a meeting where no one knew me." He looked at Andy. "You know she's asleep and you should get her inside before both of you catch a cold."
Sam stood, cradling his wife. Tommy held the door and told Sam he would lock up.
Sam set Andy in their bed and gently removed the socks and sweatshirt. When he crawled in beside her, she snuggled up against him but didn't wake.
His last thought before he drifted off was that he and Andy had had their fair share of arguments and she had walked out a few times but she always came back.
A.N. I originally wrote this chapter as flashbacks but it got to be too complicated. Therefore, I'm debating about an epilogue - one year later - which will allow me to add the part I already have written that just wasn't working here. Let me know what you think (and if you want an epilogue, anything you might want to see because I have not finished writing it yet).