A/N: This is the twenty-first chapter! Special thanks to my amazing beta CMemlovr for beta reading! Please review for the next chapter! I hope you like it!
Sharon, Andrea and Nicole had been enjoying their conversation together when Andy finally arrived home. Smiling as she heard him enter the apartment, Sharon glanced towards Andy as he came towards the living room.
"I wasn't expecting you so soon," she commented as he sat beside her.
Smiling lightly, he replied, "I know, but work was slow, so I thought I might surprise you. Besides, I missed you." Turning to the other women, he asked, "How have you been?"
"We've had a good day," grinned Nicole, "though it seems that you've had a better one."
"How so?"
"She meant that you're obviously pleased by how well the appointment went this morning," interjected Andrea.
"You've got a point," replied Andy, nodding, "I can't begin to describe how happy I am that Sharon and the baby are well."
"And I'll bet that you'll be happier once the baby's here," smiled Andrea.
Grinning easily, he replied, "Words can't describe how excited I am to be a father again."
Nicole smiled softly, "Hold your horses, dad – there's a while yet until the baby's born, and you need to be prepared for every eventuality."
"What do you mean?" he asked, surprised.
"What are you going to do when the baby wakes you up at every hour? Are you ready for all the sleepless nights brought on by a child?" she teased.
"Actually, Nicole makes an interesting argument - are you ready for such a big change?" pressed Andrea curiously.
Glancing at Andy, Sharon echoed their remark; "Are you ready?"
Looking at her unwaveringly, Andy replied, "Are you?"
"I asked first," she teased lightly.
"It's not a test, dad – just an honest curiosity," added Nicole, anticipating her father's response.
Maintaining Sharon's gaze, Andy replied, "Honestly, the sleepless nights won't bother me. I just want to make sure that the baby's healthy and that I am being the best father I can be. I'm glad that I have this chance with Sharon, and I'm not going to blow it."
Sharon's eyes watered, "You're going to be a great father, Andy," she murmured hoarsely.
Nicole and Andrea exchanged a glance, feeling as though they had intruded on an intensely intimate moment.
Breaking the moment, Nicole interjected, "When I asked you if you were ready I already knew that the answer would be yes - I just wanted to hear you say it." She cleared her throat before continuing, "I'm proud to be your daughter, and can honestly say that you're a good dad."
"I can already see how beautiful this family's going to be with the addition of the little one," smiled Andrea.
******** ... ********
When Nicole and Andrea had left, Sharon settled down on the couch to read and was quickly joined by Andy.
Noting his preoccupation, Sharon asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he replied honestly, kissing her forehead gently, "Are you hungry?"
Glancing at the clock, Sharon responded, "I am, but we should wait for Rusty."
"Sounds good."
Several hours passed and Rusty still hadn't come home, causing Sharon to worry. Andy noticed her anxiety and set a soothing hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly.
"Everything alright?" he asked quietly.
Sharon inhaled deeply, attempting to calm herself, "I'm not sure, Andy. I'm worried about Rusty – he should be home by now."
Taking her hand reassuringly, Andy replied in a soothing tone – "He's not a little boy, Sharon, I'm sure he just lost track of time with his friends."
"He should've at least called by now," insisted Sharon worriedly.
"He should," Andy agreed quietly, "but for now, it would be best not to jump to any conclusions. C'mon, let's have dinner – can't have the baby getting hungry," he smiled reassuringly.
"I guess I should eat, but I'm so worried I don't think I could keep it down," admitted Sharon.
Sighing, Andy handed her the phone, "Call him and check on where he is," he suggested, hoping that it would help to calm her nerves.
Nodding gratefully, she took the proffered phone and attempted to call him several times, each time resulting in no answer. "His phone must be off," she murmured, worrying her lip between her teeth.
Andy squeezed her shoulder gently, "It's likely that his battery died – try not to worry for now, Sharon. Let's have dinner, and you can ream him when he comes home," he suggested playfully, a hint of pleading entering his tone, despite his attempts at levity.
Sharon agreed hesitantly, knowing that she had to eat but also feeling too anxious to really want to eat anything. Though he didn't show it, Andy was also incredibly worried about Rusty's absence – something niggled in his subconscious, and he had the foreboding feeling that it had to do with Sharon Beck. As Sharon went through the motions of having dinner, Andy did his best to hide his feelings so as not to worry her unnecessarily.
Towards the end of their meal, the apartment door snapped shut, causing Sharon to dart to the living room.
"Rusty, where have you been?" she demanded, her anxiety only somewhat abated.
"I'm sorry I'm late, mom. I was with friends," smiled Rusty apologetically.
"Do you know how worried I was?" she pressed, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, and I'm sorry that I worried you."
"I called you so many times!" she continued, ranting now that her anxiety had bubbled over.
"My battery died," he mumbled, "I'm sorry," he repeated.
"C'mon, Sharon, the kid's fine. Late, but fine," Andy sighed, hoping to calm Sharon.
"Fine, he's okay – but I was worried sick!" insisted Sharon.
"I know – and I'm so sorry, mom. But please, can we discuss this tomorrow? I'm exhausted."
"Fine," huffed Sharon, "tomorrow, then. Good night," she bit out.
Hesitantly, Rusty pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek before going to his bedroom.
Taking Sharon's hand, Andy murmured, "I know you were worried, Sharon, but you need to calm down – he's fine!"
Sighing, Sharon replied, "He might be fine physically, but there's something he's hiding from me, and I don't like it."
Worry churned in Andy's gut as he was reminded of Rusty's meeting with Sharon Beck. He couldn't tell her about it now - not while she was already so emotional. "I'm sure he's just tired, honey. I can talk to him if you want me to," he offered, hoping that she wouldn't insist on talking to him herself.
Sharon smiled softly, "Thanks, Andy."
He kissed her gently, "Always."
********* ... *********
About an hour later, Sharon was already fast asleep, but Andy couldn't seem to drift off. As he watched her sleep, he decided that he should talk to Rusty.
Finding him awake, Andy knocked on his door before asking, "Mind if we talk?" Rusty nodded in assent, and Andy took a seat beside him. "Your mom was really worried about you," he began.
"I know, but I can't help it. I can't tell her the truth – it'll kill her. At the same time, I've never hidden anything from her, and I hate that I'm doing it now."
"I understand, Rusty. But I'm glad that you are hiding this from her," he admitted guiltily, "she can't handle anything else right now."
"I know – that's why I asked to keep this between us."
"Have you seen her again?" Andy asked suddenly, his tone making it very clear who she was.
"I haven't," replied Rusty stiffly, "And I'd prefer to keep it that way, if it won't worry mom. I feel awful."
Andy clapped his hand on Rusty's shoulder consolingly, "I know, Rusty, but it'll work out eventually."
"I hope so," muttered Rusty miserably.
*********...*********
The next day Sharon sat pensively in her office. Noting her absent expression, Andy approached her office concernedly.
"Hey," he called softly, drawing her attention, "lunch?" he asked, hoping that he sounded casual. She made a non-committal noise in response, to which Andy replied, "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing really," she sighed, "I guess I'm just tired."
"Then we should definitely go for lunch," he smirked playfully, "You'll feel better afterwards," he added, more seriously.
"Fine," she agreed reluctantly.
As they sat at the restaurant together, Andy noticed that Sharon had barely touched her food but to play with it.
Taking her hand gently across the table, he asked, "Are you okay?"
"I am," she smiled tightly, "Don't worry."
"Then why aren't you eating?" he pressed.
"I am – just slowly. I think I just need to rest."
Andy nodded, "In that case, I'll drop you off at home and get back to work."
"That sounds good," she admitted.
******** ... ********
A couple of hours later, Sharon sat in the living room, watching a film as her hand traced nonsense patterns on her belly.
"Hey mom, I'm just going to step out – my results are back from my exams and I can pick them up from college." Rusty stood before her, worry clear in his expression.
"Don't look so concerned," she smiled, "I'm sure that you've done well."
"Hope so," muttered Rusty, kissing his mom on the cheek before leaving. Sharon smirked lightly – she believed in Rusty, even if he didn't believe in himself.
A few minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. Knowing that both Rusty and Andy had keys of their own, she wondered who it might be. Moving to open the door, she was surprised to find Sharon Beck standing on the other side.
"What are you doing here?" Sharon asked stonily.
"I know it's unexpected," she replied hesitantly, "But I need to talk to you."
Rolling her eyes lightly, Sharon asked, "Why's that?"
"I wanted to apologise for all the trouble that I've caused – with the calls and messages-"
"Look, I don't want to talk about this, so let's just drop it, okay?" She invited her inside, despite her initial misgivings. "I know you want to talk about Rusty," she added.
"I do," replied Sharon Beck hesitantly, "But you have to understand – as a mother, too-"
"Understand what?" interrupted Sharon coldly.
Tears began to leak from Sharon Beck's eyes as she replied, "I can't stand being without my son. Rusty's my child, and I can't live without him. You can't keep him from me." Her voice shook accusingly.
"You can't just demand your son back, Sharon," she replied icily, "did you ever think for one second that you could just command him back to you simply because you gave birth to him?"
"I-"
"I understand," assured Sharon, "But you can't just pretend that everything you did – leaving Rusty on the street and using his sexuality against him – meant nothing. He was so hurt, so damaged, when he came to me. He didn't deserve to be treated that way."
"I know – and I know that I'm to blame. You can't imagine how sorry I am."
"Being sorry's not going to change anything, Sharon. Rusty decided to cut you out of his life, and I have to support him. Now, if that was it, I don't think we have anything else to talk about," intoned Sharon stonily.
"Please, just take care of him," she begged, fresh tears falling from her eyes.
"That, I can promise you," replied Sharon firmly, leading Sharon Beck out of her apartment and shutting the door behind her.
Sinking down against the door frame, she wondered whether she should tell Rusty and Andy that she had had this conversation with Sharon Beck – after all, they'd probably be worried, furious, or both.
********...********
That evening, Andy and Rusty were talking in the living room when Sharon sat beside them, still preoccupied by her conversation with Sharon Beck.
Regarding her closely, Andy asked her, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Andy," she sighed, "I just needed to tell you both something."
"What?"
"Sharon Beck paid me an unexpected visit today."
Andy's eyes widened concernedly, yet he remained silent.
"My mom was here?" intoned Rusty. Sharon nodded soberly. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"
"She just wanted to talk," shrugged Sharon, casting a reassuring glance at Andy.
"And you're not hiding anything from us?" pressed Andy.
"Why would I hide anything? She just wanted to talk," replied Sharon simply.
"She did say that she wanted me back," mused Rusty anxiously. His thoughts turned to the possibility that his mom had started using again. Sharon took his hand reassuringly.
"She seemed lucid – calm, even."
"And she didn't hurt you in any way?" insisted Rusty.
"She didn't," confirmed Sharon, "she just wanted to talk."
Andy sighed audibly, "I'm glad that she didn't do anything – if something had happened to you or the baby-" the thought didn't bear finishing.
"It was fine," interrupted Sharon sharply. Andy wanted to believe her, but something told him that the situation had stressed her out more than she'd let on. "She seems to have changed," she added, her expression softening. "She's made her mistakes, and it's up to Rusty to decide whether or not he wants her back in his life, but she seems to have learnt from her past."
"Maybe it seemed that way, but I don't believe that she can change," asserted Andy.
"I'm sorry she came to see you like that," added Rusty, "I don't know why she came here."
"Maybe your mother has really changed, Rusty. It seemed like she wanted to fix her mistakes, starting with what she'd done to you," smiled Sharon.
"I just can't see that happening," replied Rusty dully.
Andy nodded in agreement, "after everything she's put the kid through, I don't think we can trust her. Don't you remember the calls and messages she left you?"
"Of course I remember," she replied sharply, "but she apologised, and it seems like she genuinely wants to change."
"She apologised? What is the world coming to?" he asked, startled.
"Let up, Andy," she warned, "She's a mom too – sometimes parents can make mistakes, as you well know."
"I do know – but I also know that she abandoned Rusty," protested Andy.
"I can speak for myself," asserted Rusty, still caught in his own thoughts.
"I'm not trying to start a fight," insisted Andy, "I'm just worried about Sharon."
"I know," Rusty gritted out, "My mom never really cared about anyone else – but Sharon, she loves me the same way she loves her kids. I never knew where I was with my mom, but with Sharon-" his voice became raspy, and he struggled to finish his sentence.
The rawness of Rusty's emotions tugged on Sharon's heartstrings, and she approached him reassuringly, "you are my son. I love you as my son – I may not have given birth to you, but you are as much my child as Emily and Ricky." She hugged him tightly, squeezing him consolingly.
"I know," he mumbled, his voice muffled in Sharon's hair, "I'm just so sorry that it's my mom causing all this stress."
Pulling away slightly, Sharon met Rusty's eye firmly, "None of this is your fault, Rusty. Promise me that you won't keep blaming yourself, okay?"
Rusty nodded minutely, but just enough to satisfy Sharon.
Watching their interaction, Andy was pleased that Sharon had taken the incident so calmly.
*********...*********
That night, Andy was once again unable to sleep. Sharon's calm attitude in her discussion about Sharon Beck had him curious. Turning to face her, he noticed that Sharon wasn't asleep either.
"Can't sleep either?" he muttered.
"Nope," she sighed.
Andy moved closer to her, "Are you still thinking about what Rusty said?"
"I guess – I think I'm just sad that Rusty still doesn't really think of himself as a part of this family. I love him for who he is, not just as a stand in for a second son that I never had."
Squeezing her hand reassuringly, Andy took his time responding, "He knows, Sharon. He's just confused – with everything that happened with his mother, it's understandable."
"He shouldn't have to feel that way," sighed Sharon.
"Actually, I'll be honest, I'm more confused by how well you've reacted to this whole situation," confessed Andy.
Sharon smiled softly before replying. "I'm still worried – I guess I just figured out how to control myself, knowing that it negatively impacts the baby whenever I get upset. It's tough as hell, but I'm trying."
Kissing her gently, Andy murmured, "I'm glad that you're trying."
"Doesn't mean that I'll ever be completely calm," she warned, "but I'm trying."
"That's all I can ask," smiled Andy.
"I don't know about you, but it's much easier when you're around," she grinned.
"I'm the same," he assured her, holding her to him tightly.
He loved these quiet moments between the two of them, fleeting though they were.
~~~ TBC ~~~