Sharon was called to Taylor's office shortly after her discussion with Provenza, so she wasn't in the office when the rest of the team arrived. Taylor, as she expected, did a lot of talking, and it was almost noon before she was released. While she was in her meeting, the team had an interesting morning.
"Delivery for a Lieutenant Flynn," the delivery guy stated from the corner of the room. Andy looked up and nodded to him.
"I'm Lieutenant Flynn," he stood. "What can I help you with today?" The rest of the team stopped working; it was only paperwork anyway, and this was more interesting.
"Just a package, here, Sir," he smiled. "Have a good day," he said as Andy signed for it, and the square package was handed to him. It wasn't huge, but it was a decent sized, flat package.
"What's that?" Provenza asked.
"Well, if I knew, I wouldn't be standing here looking surprised like a moron!" Andy exclaimed. "I have no idea."
"Not from me," Provenza chuckled. "Not my style. You get Patrice's cooking for your birthday, and that's it," he nodded.
"At least it's Patrice cooking," Andy smirked. "Do you really think I'd come over if you were cooking?" The team all laughed, and Amy jumped in the conversation.
"Where's it from, Lieutenant, or maybe who? I guess someone sent you a birthday present," she smiled.
The team all slowly turned their gaze toward Sharon's empty office, and while no one wanted to say it, they were all suspecting she'd sent it. Andy picked up on that right away. "Guys, there's no way," he shook his head.
"She did at least make you a cheesecake," Provenza pointed out. He hadn't told Andy that yet this morning. "That's something."
"She did?" he perked up. "Why didn't you tell me?" he scowled. "It's her homemade cheesecake?"
"Well, do you really think she'd come in here with anything else? Now, I didn't ask if it was dosed with arsenic, but we will definitely let you have the first piece. It's in the break room refrigerator. I wasn't going to say anything until she got back from her meeting, but there you go. It's something," Provenza said.
Andy nodded as he looked at the gift. "Lieutenant, where is it from, the gift?" Buzz asked.
"Oh, it just has 'The Frame Shop' on it," he said as he studied the address. "It's here in LA."
"Well, I'd suggest opening it before your next birthday. No guarantee you'll even make it to that," Provenza nodded at him. Andy threw him a glare, and he started to open it.
"Hello!" they all turned quickly at the sound of a high-pitched, excited voice.
"Nicole!" Andy exclaimed, and his face instantly turned to a huge smile. "This is a surprise!"
"Happy Birthday, Dad," she smiled as she walked to him. She grimaced when she saw the package in his hand. "Oh, I was afraid of that," she gestured to the package. "I wanted to intercept the gift, or hopefully stop it. That's from me. I ordered it a long time ago, and I forgot that it was going to be delivered until I got a text alert on my phone this morning. Dad, that was supposed to be your birthday present, but you aren't going to want it."
Andy's curiosity was obvious now, as he looked at her, and then he turned his attention to the rest of the room. They were all looking quite interested too.
"Nicole, this is from you?" he held it up as he asked.
"Yes, and really, I'm sorry. Don't even open it. I'll just take it back," she tried to pull it from him.
"No, no, no," he smiled. "Whatever you ordered, I'm sure I'll love it. That was very thoughtful, Sweetheart," he smiled warmly at her.
"Dad," she said as she sighed. "Please, I don't think you want to open that."
Andy was already opening it, and as he pulled it out, he could see it was a framed photo of some sort. Andy's expression changed as he opened it from being curious to nostalgic as he saw what it was. "Oh, wow," he said quietly.
"Dad, I really think I should just take that," she said.
"What is it?" Julio asked. The team had been quiet, and they were all very interested to see what was so controversial for Andy's birthday gift.
"Dad, I'm sorry. Like I said, I ordered it awhile ago from that frame shop. I was ordering some prints for the house," she shrugged, " and, then they offered to deliver it when I said you worked nearby."
Andy just nodded as he held the large photo. It was a 10x12 size picture in a matted, larger frame. He looked up to the team, "It's a picture," he said as he stated the obvious. "It's ahh, well, almost a family picture."
Nicole hung her head, as Andy turned it around for the team to see. They all stood to walk toward them, and Nicole clarified things as they did. "I framed this picture of Dad, Sharon, the boys, Dean, myself, Rusty, and even my brother," she admitted. "Last December, we all went to the Nutcracker," she explained.
"Ahh, yes, we remember well," Provenza nodded toward her, and then he rolled his eyes as he met Andy's gaze.
"Right," she nodded and continued, "so, after the ballet, Dad suggested we all get dessert. The boys were starving, and the evening had gone so well. We went to a nearby restaurant for dessert, and we asked the waiter to take this picture. It came out so well," she shrugged. "I thought he would like it. We don't have many with everyone, but now," she shook her head and turned to Andy. "Dad, I'm sorry."
Andy stared at the photo while Nicole spoke. He ran his hand over it, and he just continued with his blank stare. "That was a wonderful night," he said fondly. "We thought the boys ordered a big dessert," he chuckled quietly. "Remember, Nic, they brought out the boys' sundaes first, and they were huge. The boys were ecstatic, and then if those weren't big enough, they brought out that piece of chocolate cake Sharon had ordered for us to share," he shook his head. "Now, that was the biggest dessert I've ever seen."
"Sorry I'm so late," the team all turned quickly as they heard Sharon enter the room. She looked a little frazzled, but she was in one of her favorite suits, a black skirt, matching jacket, with a deep purple top. Her heels gave her away as she moved quickly through the room, and everyone recognized her frenzied state after a long meeting with Taylor. She stopped when she noticed everyone around Andy's desk. Nicole turned too, and her smile grew when she saw Sharon.
"Sharon," she said happily and walked quickly across the room to greet her. The team dispersed, and Andy started to pack up the photo before it became an even bigger topic of discussion.
"Nicole," Sharon smiled warmly at the sight of her. The two women had become good friends, very good friends. Nicole liked Sharon a lot, and the feeling was mutual. Sharon gave Nicole a quick hug, and then she stepped back to study her. Andy was still trying to pack up the picture, while the team had all taken their seats to watch the family drama unfold.
"It's lovely to see you," Sharon smiled at her. "I suppose you are here to take your dad to lunch."
"Oh, right, yes," Nicole nodded. "Dad, care to join me for lunch? I can take care of that for you too," she gestured to his hand, where he was still trying to shove the frame in the box. It had been packed so well, and he was trying very hard not to break it.
"Lunch, oh, yes, that sounds nice," he said as he finally gave up and put the frame and box, which was still a mess, in his desk chair. He rolled up his chair to his desk, so it would be hard to see what was there, now almost hidden. Sharon gave an odd glance toward him, and he just smiled at Nicole. "Ahh, Captain?" he looked to her to make sure it was okay he take off for lunch. Sharon snapped her head up with a moment of panic on her face, as she was afraid Andy had just asked her to join them. That would have been a normal question, but she quickly realized he was asking permission to go to lunch.
"Have a nice lunch," she nodded to him, and she turned and smiled at Nicole. "It was wonderful to see you. Enjoy your time," she gave her a sad smile and then turned toward Provenza. "Lieutenant, I think this would be a good time for everyone to go to lunch," she nodded.
"You heard her," Provenza stood and grabbed his jacket. "Lunch, everyone, and then ah, Captain, say 1:00 here for your Taylor review?"
"Yes, thank you," she nodded to him, to the room, and to Nicole before she started to her office.
Sharon retreated to her office where she busied herself with paperwork for a good 20 minutes, and when she looked up, she found the room empty. Everyone had followed her suggestion for lunch. She glanced toward Andy's desk, and her curiosity got the better of her. She could see something sticking up from his chair, and per Andy's style, the gift was a mess. While she hadn't commented, she had noticed the team disperse quickly when she entered the room, and when she coupled that with Andy's behavior around the gift, she wondered what it was. Sharon stood, and she opened the side door, now very curious. No one was in the room; even their normal patrol officers were at lunch, and so, without moving his chair, she tried to peek at the gift. It was a frame, so she figured it was a picture or a painting. She checked again, and no one was around, so she moved the one piece of tissue paper still in the way. What she saw surprised her, and it made her gasp quietly. It was a lovely picture, one she wanted to pull out and admire right then and there, but she knew she couldn't do that. Nicole had obviously had the picture professionally framed, and it looked wonderful in the frame. Sharon sighed as she continued to look at it, happier times with his family. She missed all of them, but just saying that wasn't going to fix everything.
Sharon packed up the gift to the state it had been, probably a bit better, and then she returned to her office. She set an alarm on her phone for 4:00. They'd have cheesecake at 4:00 to celebrate Andy's birthday, and then she would release everyone for the day. It was the least she could do when they had all been working hard, and after all, it was his birthday. She'd work in a quiet office and then join Rusty for dinner at home.
The afternoon passed quickly, and at 4:00, Sharon left her office and walked to the break room to put out the cheesecake. She pulled out the rest of the police car birthday plates from Rusty's party, a tiny hint of gratification for using them for Andy's birthday too, and she sliced the cheesecake. After she had it sliced and the toppings out, she went in search of the team.
"Everyone," she said after they turned toward her at the sound of her shoes. "I've got cheesecake in the break room," she nodded toward Andy. "It seems we have another birthday."
The team all stood, and Julio and Buzz grinned at the idea of a homemade dessert. "Ma'am you made my day," Julio grinned.
"Captain, don't ever tell my sister that I prefer your cheesecake," Buzz grinned. "I look forward to this day now each year, and I was even worried we wouldn't have cheesecake this year."
Sharon just gave him a small smile as she nodded to the team. Before Andy and Provenza walked by her, as they were pulling up the rear, she turned and followed the rest of the team. It only took a few moments to assemble, and after a very off-key round of 'Happy Birthday,' Sharon served everyone. She gave Andy his slice first, and when he took the plate from her, and nodded and gave her a small smile.
"Thank you for the cheesecake, Captain," he said.
She tried to hide her surprised expression at his now again calling her captain. Of course, that was her rank, but he hadn't called her that in a long time, at least not when the two were speaking directly to each other. She'd noted it earlier in the day when he'd asked permission to go to lunch, but she'd brushed that off as his just being professional in front of the team and Nicole. Now, after so long, it almost hurt. "Happy Birthday," she forced a smile and gave him his dessert.
"I know this takes effort," he gestured to the cheesecake, but the double meaning wasn't lost on Sharon. "I really appreciate it. It's still my favorite dessert."
"You're welcome, Andy," she nodded. "Whatever is left, please take it home."
Before anything else could be said, Provenza interrupted, possibly with impeccable timing, "Captain, just a question, is the cheesecake safe for all of us to eat?"
The comment broke the ice; Sharon smiled toward Provenza, "I suppose you'll have to find out, Lieutenant."
The team spent the next few minutes enjoying their dessert, and then Sharon told them to go home for the evening. Andy hadn't mentioned the card she'd left for him, but he also might not have seen it. She wasn't looking for recognition; all she had done was leave a card for him. She almost felt badly about it too; it was such a lousy card. Sharon was almost embarrassed. It was simple, just a card with a cake and candles on it that said, 'Happy Birthday,' and inside, it had a basic greeting she couldn't remember. It was something about enjoying one's special day, but it wasn't a good card. She'd only signed, 'Sharon' at the bottom, no note or anything else. She'd almost put, 'Sharon Raydor,' but she knew that might even cause him to roll his eyes and throw it away. She wasn't trying to be mean; she just didn't know what to say or how to say it. The real card, the card she'd bought for him weeks ago when she'd bought Rusty's card too, was home, packed away, and she had no intention of giving that to him. It had been perfect, perfect for the moment, but the moment had passed.
Sharon had planned to stay at work, but the thought of being there when Andy left for the day almost made her nauseous, so she told Provenza she would be leaving but would return later. He nodded to her, and she grabbed her purse and was out of the office before most of the team finished talking in the break room.
Her destination became clear as she rode the elevator to the parking garage. To be honest, she didn't have a destination in mind when she decided to chicken out and avoid Andy, but as she got in her car, she turned it in a familiar direction, to her church. She wasn't sure what she was seeking, but she always found peace there, often answers too, just from sitting and praying. It only took her 20 minutes to arrive, and when she did, she walked slowly up the front steps and sighed as she entered. She felt a bit better already. The confessional was occupied, so she took a seat in the pew and started to think and eventually then started to pray. Deep down, she knew she needed to speak to Andy; she just didn't want to do that. She also didn't want to walk away. That was becoming more and more evident, no matter how much of a mess things were currently. She continued to pray, and when she finished, she looked and stood to move to the confessional. She tried to come every couple weeks, but it had not been almost a month.
Her time with the priest was private, but when she finished, she felt somewhat better. She'd told him that her emotions were all over the place, and that she knew what she needed to do, that she at least needed to speak to Andy, but she was having trouble executing the plan. He continued to encourage her, while he offered no specific answer. She stepped out, now back into the main sanctuary area of the church, and she took a deep breath. When she was finally ready to head home, she started toward the front door. She wasn't even to the back of the sanctuary when she ran into the subject of her thoughts.
"Andy?" she looked at him with total surprise on his face. She could tell he didn't expect to see her either. His face was just as surprised.
"Captain," he nodded and looked to the ground.
"What are you doing here at my church? Did you follow me?" she asked, now almost irritated.
"No, no, no!" he said with surprise as he looked up to her. She could see panic setting in, and it was then she realized he had not followed her. "I didn't follow you. Look, I've been coming here now for the last few weeks."
"My church?" she asked.
He sighed and looked up before he looked to the ground again, "It's a long story," he tried to end the explanation there, but he could tell Sharon wasn't going to just let him leave it at that. "Look, when I stopped by your place that one night, and I couldn't see you, I started driving around. I almost drove to Nicole's house, but she wasn't very happy with me then either. I ended up here, which was better than the alternative of a liquor store. Of course, I knew this was your church, but I saw they were having an AA meeting that night. So, I stayed," he shrugged. "You know I have my own AA group too, but that night, I just needed another meeting. Your priest was still here, and after the meeting, he recognized me from coming to things for Rusty. We got to talking, and since then, I've come a couple times to talk to him."
Sharon's eyes grew wide as she listened. Andy had been coming here to speak with her priest, and of course, she'd just spoken to him as well. It was almost comical, but thankfully, she knew the priest took his vows very seriously.
"I see," she crossed her arms and looked to the ground.
"Look, I won't show up here again," he said. "I just had time before I wanted to show up at Provenza's place, and well, you know he doesn't live far away either."
Sharon realized this was the perfect opportunity to suggest she and Andy talk, but as she had done before with her relationships, she pushed that idea aside. "I won't keep you, then," she nodded. "Andy, if you are finding what you need here, do not stop coming on my account. We can certainly handle running into each other here."
He nodded, the relief evident on his face. "Thanks, Captain."
She nodded and pulled her purse onto her shoulder as she started to walk away. She did turn before she got too far away from him to correct one thing, "Sharon has always been fine, Andy."