A/N: We've reached the penultimate chapter. Not far to go now, so please stick with me :)
And remember, reviews are my lifeblood (hint, hint)!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN :: Cleared
The next couple of weeks passed by in a whirlwind of physical therapy appointments, doctors check-ups and mandatory psychological evaluations - with Sharon trying very, very hard not to go completely stir-crazy in the midst of it all. She had eventually managed to convince Andy - after a week of him driving her to and from every appointment - that she was perfectly capable of managing the trips herself. As much as she loved him and appreciated his help - and she really did - she also relished having a little time outside the condo by herself. Taking things slowly was something she still had no real choice over, her body not yet being completely healed, but it had actually proved to be something of a blessing. It allowed her the opportunity to see the things she usually missed in the busy rush of everyday life. She had spent two whole afternoons just sitting quietly in the park, calmly watching the world go by. A simple pleasure, but an indulgence that she would never normally allow herself. It was a rare gift and one she had come to treasure.
By the following Friday - and despite these moments of respite - Sharon had had more than enough of being a lady of leisure. In an effort to feel useful again, she had decided that she would venture to the grocery store on her way back from her therapy appointment. Andy and Rusty had both been great about staying on top of the shopping, but today they were each busy with school and work and there were several things that they were now completely out of at home.
Andy had left the condo before she woke this morning. The team had a big case on the go - not that he would tell her much about it, insisting that she didn't need to worry about work until she was back there. No amount of subtle probing, wheedling or outright begging had managed to change his mind. He simply smiled that infuriating, beautiful, lopsided smile of his - and promptly changed the subject. When that didn't work, he would attempt to kiss her quiet instead. That, she had to admit, usually did the trick - at least for a little while. Sharon appreciated that he was just looking after her but, honestly, she hated feeling so useless. Plus, she was bored out of her mind, stuck at home all day.
As she pulled up in the parking lot at the store, Sharon's thoughts stayed firmly on her new-found relationship. Andy had still not returned to his home and Sharon wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. Part of her thought that she should be encouraging him to leave - and the old Sharon would have been. After all, she had been living alone - or as a single parent - for the best part of three decades. She was used to it. She liked it. Her independence was something she valued - cherished, even. Still, even as the thought entered her head, it was immediately pushed aside by how she actually felt. The only thing that she could bring herself to feel was joy at having him there. At having found this gentle, caring, wonderful man. She hadn't been lying when she told him that she slept better with him around. In fact, everything seemed better with him around. Her heart leapt every time at the realisation that he was willing to be here for her - no, that he wanted to be here. Instead of looking forward to his eventual departure from her condo, she found herself dreading the idea of his leaving.
She was startled out of her thoughts by the ringing of her cell phone. Cutting the car engine, she glanced at the screen and frowned. Assistant Chief Taylor. Silently hoping for good news, she took a deep breath and answered the call.
Provenza looked up sharply from the pile of paperwork on his desk at the sound of familiar footsteps crossing the murder room. An unbidden smile briefly crossed his face at the sight of his Captain, who was uncharacteristically dressed in jeans, fitted t-shirt and a smart but casual jacket. She looked good, the lieutenant thought as he watched her approach. No - she looked great. There was a healthy glow about her and she no longer moved as if in constant pain. He wondered if this meant they would be getting her back soon and he silently offered a prayer to the gods of never-ending paperwork that this was the case.
His smile vanished as he suddenly remembered the enormous pile of unfinished reports that he had dumped unceremoniously onto the desk in her office last week and he stood as if to greet her, his body effectively blocking her view of the room.
"Captain," he smiled. "How nice to see you. Were we expecting you?"
Sharon returned his smile, casting a brief knowing glance in the direction of her office. He wasn't as good at hiding things as he liked to think and he was definitely trying to divert her attention, to avoid her seeing something. She would make sure to sneak a look in there later, she decided.
"Thank you, Lieutenant." She touched his arm briefly. "I wasn't planning on coming in today. Chief Taylor called me to discuss my return to work."
"So soon?" Provenza's relief at the thought that she might be coming back to relieve him from the tedium of form-filling was replaced with concern. Upon closer inspection, she still seemed slightly drawn, the events of the last few weeks evident in her eyes even as she managed to keep them from showing on her face or in her countenance. Of course, she looked a hundred times better than when he last saw her in the hospital, but she was not quite back to herself, either. "Are you sure that's wise, Sharon?"
She offered him a warm smile.
"I'm fine, Lieutenant." She rolled her eyes at his skeptical frown. "Really, I'm doing so much better. The doctors have declared me fit to return to duty, as long as I take things easy for a couple of weeks." She looked down then, before continuing in a low voice. "And I'm going crazy at home." The look Sharon gave him then was almost pleading and his frown softened into a sympathetic smile. "Besides," she continued, a wicked grin flashing across her features. "It looks like you could use some help with the paperwork." She deftly sidestepped him so that she could fully see in through her office windows. As she had suspected, the stack of files and papers on her desk was unmistakeable.
Sharon allowed herself a triumphant grin, before folding her arms across her chest and turning back to face her lieutenant, who shrugged sheepishly at her. She glared at him disapprovingly over the top of her glasses and was about to speak when she was interrupted.
"Captain!"
Provenza was saved by Amy's joyful cry as she entered the room, closely followed by Julio, Mike and Buzz. Their animated discussion had ceased as soon as they realised their Captain was in the room, and they were looking at her with undisguised joy on their faces. Sharon glanced up and smiled at her team, warmth flooding through her at their reaction to her presence. Even after all this time, she was still somewhat unused to anyone other than FID officers being pleased by her arrival. Realising just how much this team cared about her brought tears to her eyes and a lump to her throat. She hummed to herself contentedly.
Amy practically ran over to where she still stood with Provenza, skidding to a stop just before she crashed into Sharon. She bounced on the spot for a moment, unsure of the correct protocol in a situation such as this, before throwing caution to the wind and pulling Sharon into a tight hug.
"It's great to see you, Captain!" she enthused. Sharon chuckled and hugged the detective back warmly. "You look amazing!"
Amy stepped back quickly, embarrassed by her sudden show of emotion, worried that she had crossed a line.
"Thank you, Amy." Sharon squeezed the young woman's arm reassuringly before turning to the rest of her team.
"Good to see you, Ma'am."
"You look well."
"Are you coming back to work, Captain?"
Sharon laughed and held up a hand at the onslaught.
"It's good to see you too, Julio - all of you. I am well, thank you, Mike. Buzz - I'm here to see Chief Taylor, I hope to be back at work soon." They smiled and nodded at her words. "I need to thank you all - for what you did for me while I was in the hospital… Taking care of the condo, and my phone… I…" She took a shaky breath and swallowed hard, closing her eyes briefly against the tears that were threatening to fall. She felt Provenza's hand touch her upper arm supportively and she turned to him, offering him a watery smile before continuing. "I really appreciated everything. It meant so much." She rested a hand against her heart, unconsciously emphasising her gratitude. "Thank you all."
"You're welcome, Ma'am." It was Julio who spoke for all of them. "We're just happy that you're okay."
"And we can't wait to have you back," Amy added excitedly.
"Especially Lieutenant Provenza," Julio grinned. "Paperwork is not his friend."
Provenza grumbled under his breath, wondering how the subject had managed to come full circle and end up back on his lack of pen-pushing skills. He looked at the Captain, who had an amused smirk on her face.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" he reminded her gruffly. "And the rest of you - back to work, this case won't solve itself!"
Sharon chuckled.
"I do indeed, Lieutenant, thank you for the reminder." She started to walk away from him, before turning back suddenly. "Oh, um, where is Andy?"
She suddenly realised that she hadn't yet seen him today, and a pang of disappointment hit her that he was not with the others.
"He's with Morales, Ma'am," Julio called out from his desk. "Would you like me to call down for him?"
Sharon wavered for a moment. A big part of her really wanted to see him - would have given anything to have Julio call him and get him up here now. However, the rational part of her knew that she still had to get this relationship past Taylor. Calling Andy away from a case just so that she could say hello would probably not go down awfully well with the Assistant Chief. She shook her head slightly.
"No, that's okay," she replied, deliberately keeping her tone light. "Thank you, Julio. I'll talk to him later."
Her detective nodded his acknowledgement and she faced Provenza once more.
"Lieutenant." He looked up at the soft tone in her voice.
"Captain?"
"Is there anything in that paper mountain in my office that can't wait until Monday?"
His cheeks coloured but he shook his head.
"No. Anything urgent I'm taking care of now."
Sharon nodded thoughtfully, then offered him a smile.
"Then leave it, Lieutenant," she said finally. "I'll deal with it when I get back."
Provenza's mouth fell open and it was all she could do not to giggle as he barely managed a nod and a strangled "thank you" in response. Then, with a smile and a wave to her team, she turned and headed slowly away from the murder room.
"Come in."
The reply to her knock on Taylor's office door was abrupt and Sharon took a deep breath, hoping that this wouldn't set the tone for their meeting. She was ready to fight for her return to work, but she had really been hoping that she wouldn't have to. Casting her eyes skyward for a moment, Sharon pushed the door slowly open and stepped inside.
"Ah, Captain Raydor." Chief Taylor looked up and smiled at her. That was weird. "Sharon. It's so good to see you."
Her eyes had widened slightly at the warmth of his greeting and she blinked at him slowly, before recovering herself enough to give an appropriate response.
"Thank you, Chief. It's good to be here."
He gestured to a chair in front of his desk and she sat down carefully, still slightly thrown by his unexpected friendliness.
"How are you, Sharon?" He seemed genuinely concerned and she felt herself relax slightly.
"I'm fine. Good. Much better." She chuckled self-consciously. It wasn't like her to be this nervous around anyone, but the attack had thrown her more than she cared to admit. It would take some time until she felt comfortable in her own skin again - until she felt completely back in control. "I'm good, Chief," she said again, more confidently. "Thank you."
He studied her carefully, his expression giving nothing away.
"I see your doctors have decided that you are fit to return to work - albeit on light duties."
"That's right," she agreed cautiously, still ready to go on the defensive if need be.
He leaned forwards in his seat, his hands clasped on the desk in front of him, and met her firm gaze with his own.
"Do you feel ready?"
She continued to meet his gaze unblinkingly.
"Yes, Chief. I do."
It was true. If there had been any doubt before, seeing her team had confirmed to her that she had the support in place to be able to step back into her role as Captain. They had reassured her completely. If she had been anxious to return to work before, now she was desperate to be back.
The surety of her reply must have reassured Taylor, because he smiled and nodded once more.
"In that case, I see no reason why you shouldn't come back on Monday morning." He chuckled as her eyes reflected her joy. "You'll be desk-bound for the first two weeks. If everything goes smoothly, you can return to normal duties after that."
Sharon nodded eagerly. That was just fine with her. She would probably need two weeks to clear up Provenza's paperwork disaster, anyway.
"Thank you, Chief."
Taylor looked down at his desk then and cleared his throat, pausing before he spoke again.
"I understand that Jackson contacted you." Sharon gave a small nod. "Has that situation been dealt with?"
"Yes, Chief. Gavin Baker handled it."
Taylor smirked slightly, remembering only too well the department's dealings with Sharon's lawyer friend.
"Ah. In that case, it has definitely been dealt with."
Sharon allowed herself a chuckle in return.
"I think that's everything, then," Taylor smiled. He looked at Sharon expectantly when she made no move to rise from her seat. Her hands twisted awkwardly in her lap and she suddenly refused to quite meet his gaze. "Was there something else, Captain?"
"Actually, Chief…" she started.
Taylor interrupted her immediately.
"If this is about the situation with you and Lieutenant Flynn, you really don't need to say anything."
Sharon looked up at him then, confused. She wasn't completely surprised that he knew about her and Andy - it didn't take a genius to figure out that there was more to their relationship than just friendship, especially given all the time Andy had taken off work to look after her. But still, the Chief's calm acceptance had thrown her.
"Chief, I need to report a change in my relationship with a subordinate…"
"Sharon," he interrupted her again with a smile. "Consider it reported."
She looked at him incredulously which only caused his smile to widen.
"Look," he started, spreading his hands in front of him. "We may not always see eye to eye, but one thing I am certain of is that you will always follow the rules. As long as this change doesn't impact on your squad, I don't need to hear any more about it. Okay?"
She looked at him for a long moment, before nodding slowly.
"Okay," she agreed. "Thank you, Chief."
He gave her a brief nod before dismissing her with a movement of his hand. She stood and made her way to the door, opening it before turning again at the sound of his voice.
"Captain?"
"Yes, Chief?"
"I'll see you on Monday."