Somehow, Sharon managed to get through the four days before Rusty's funeral, even though much of it was spent in a daze of sorrow and pain. When her physical therapist had tried to go easy on her that first day, after she had found out the news, Sharon had put her foot down on that, knowing that she had to be strong for the funeral, for Rusty, for the future she had to face without her son. Andrea and Andy had both cautioned her to take it easy, but she had only scaled back when they were present, going through the exercises over and over when they weren't in the room.
And then, the morning of the funeral arrived, clear and bright, and Sharon felt like the weather was so out of place with the rain in her heart. Andrea showed up shortly after breakfast was finished, and she was already in tears, which set Sharon off. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to keep it together, but this is the second funeral I've had to attend this year, and I don't want to think about how close we came to losing you, too."
Andrea swiped away a few stray tears as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. Sharon reached out for her hands, taking the garment bag from the woman's suddenly limp grip and setting it to the side as she pulled Andrea close to her, letting her head come to rest on Sharon's shoulder as she carded her fingers through her blonde hair. "But I'm still here. I won't leave you, I promise." Turning her head slightly, she pressed her lips to the crown of Andrea's head before gently pushing Andrea away. "And I suppose that I have to get dressed now. How long do we have before�"
"Andy said that he'd be back for us in about thirty minutes. So that doesn't leave us much time, if you want to put makeup on."
"I don't think I can wear mascara today, of all days. I'd cry it off before the service ends. But maybe some lipstick and a muted eyeshadow? Just something to make it look like I'm not knocking on death's door."
Andrea looked like she was going to disagree with her statement, but then she shook her head a little as she helped Sharon to stand. Once they were on their feet, Sharon wrapped the other woman in a warm, tight, hug and tried to keep herself from shattering as she took a few deep, slow, breaths. "I expected him to be waiting for me yesterday, when I went into the office. I went to wave at the watchers who were no longer there. The world has shifted so quickly beneath my feet, that I feel like I'm a foot away from death's door myself some days."
"Oh, don't say that," Sharon breathed out as she gazed up at her friend. The tears were falling faster now, and she reached up to brush a few of them away, rubbing her fingers together as she leaned up on her toes to press her lips against Andrea's in a loving kiss. "I don't want to think that about you."
"Then don't let me think that about you, either," she whispered before resting her forehead against Sharon's, letting their breathing sync up before they both made their way into the bathroom. "I asked your physical therapist, and she informed me that it would be for the best if you didn't wear a bra, since it would put the wrong sort of pressure on your incision. I thumbed through your clothes until I found one of those chemises with support built into it. It's white, though, so hopefully it won't show through your dress."
"I'm certain it will be fine," Sharon murmured as they went into the bathroom. "How are Emily and Ricky?"
"They're settling into my place just fine," Andrea replied as she helped Sharon out of her top before taking a seat on the toilet and looking anywhere but at her body. There was still this odd sense of propriety that the other woman wanted to keep between them, which Sharon thought was sweet but unnecessary, though she would abide by what Andrea wanted, since she knew she couldn't bear to lose her at this point. "Emily wondered why I was staying at the condo, but I told her that we both were looking after each other, and she seemed to buy that, at least for the time being. Ricky's just glad that someone is here to look after you and Andy."
"Those are my children," she whispered as she struggled to pull the chemise over her head. Andrea jumped to her feet and helped her to put it on, the back of her hands brushing against Sharon's chest absently, as if Andrea didn't realise she was touching her, though a peek at the woman in the mirror told Sharon that she had noticed, as her cheeks were a bright pink. "We're all coming back here after the service, yes?"
"That was what you wanted. Gus said that he would take care of the luncheon, his boss was providing the food for us."
"That's so kind of him," she said as she brushed out invisible wrinkles on the chemise. Andrea nodded a little before drifting back to her seat and watching Sharon once more. She rummaged through the small bag of makeup Andrea had brought, finding what she wanted quickly and applying it before unzipping the garment bag and pulling out her dress. The last time she had worn it was for Mariana's funeral, and that brought bad memories to the forefront.
A shaky breath escaped her lips as she pulled the garment out and run the zipper down the back before stepping into it. "Here, let me," Andrea said as she got to her feet once more, coming up behind her and closing the zip, her hands lingering on Sharon's shoulders as they looked at each other in the mirror. "All right, let me brush your hair, I remember that yesterday that movement was still hurting you somewhat."
"It is," she replied as she allowed Andrea to lean against her back and grab the brush, relishing the feel of her body pressed against hers. There was a comfort that familiar weight brought, and she had to remind herself that the thoughts running through her head were wholly inappropriate in her current situation. "Andrea, can we do this on the bed? I still get a little weak at times, even if my strength is slowly returning."
"Of course."
They went out into the other room, and Sharon collapsed on the bed, allowing Andrea to sit behind her and slowly run the brush through her hair, arranging it neatly before setting the brush aside and hooking her chin over Sharon's shoulder. "I don't want to face a world without my son. I know that makes me a weak person, but I just thought that we could escape the shadow of Stroh without losing someone. But life always manages to strike a balance."
Her words slipped off into silence, and she leaned back against Andrea, needing to be close to her as they waited for Andy to arrive.
