Sharon walked into the condo after another very long day. She'd had many of them lately, but she wasn't going to complain, not at all. She would gladly take these long days knowing that her life was finally getting back on track. Andy was on the mend, as was their relationship. It wasn't perfect; it would never be perfect, but they were making baby steps. It was ironic that, Andy too, was making baby steps. The doctor had him up and moving around at the hospital, and he would hopefully be going home in the morning. Home. Well, Andy wouldn't be going home, not to his home, but he'd be leaving the hospital for Sharon's condo where he was to stay for at least a week until he got back on his feet. Sharon had spent the last four days going back and forth between the hospital and work, checking on Andy both in the morning and late into the evening. It was the least she could do, and while it was a somewhat stressful time, she had found more peace in the last few days than she had found in herself in a very long time.
She hung up her purse and kicked off her heels before she rounded the corner to the kitchen. She almost jumped back at the sight of Rusty. The main kitchen and dining room lights were off, but he was sitting at the kitchen counter area with the lights on overhead. Sharon noted he had on headphones and was listening to his computer while eating leftovers.
Rusty had not noticed Sharon was home, so she gingerly walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Oh, hey, Sharon," he smiled at her as he turned and continued, "I wasn't sure what time you were coming home tonight. We've barely seen each other this week. Long day at work, I see," he smiled as she walked around to the sink area to get herself a glass of water.
"Long day, yes," she smiled at him as she got her water. "Work, though, wasn't too bad. Thankfully, it's been a rather light week. I just came from the hospital."
"Oh," Rusty frowned, "how is the lieutenant? I stopped in yesterday afternoon again to play chess and again at lunch today. He was looking better to me, and he got mad at the nurse when she told him he couldn't go for another walk around the floor. That was actually pretty funny, watching him get mad at her. She even looked at me and told me that no matter how much my dad tried to convince me, I wasn't to take him out of the room. That was awkward," he rolled his eyes. "We were both scrambling to explain I'm just a friend, but what old guy has friends my age?" he continued to laugh.
Sharon laughed too, as she listened, and she nodded, "He told me you had been by to see him now a few times. That was very nice of you. Thank you for doing that. And, if he's a friend as you say," Sharon gave him a pointed look, "I hope you will call him Andy. You don't need to keep calling him Lieutenant."
Rusty grimaced at Sharon's comment, "Sharon, it's like weird. I can't call him Andy. He is your lieutenant, and after all that's happened, I am doing what you asked-I'm still keeping things the same with us, but it's just weird. You aren't going to see me call Lieutenant Provenza Louie, now are you?"
Sharon chuckled as she nervously ran her hand along the countertop. She knew she needed to have a talk with Rusty, but now she felt even more awkward. Instead, she turned and pulled a leftover casserole out of the refrigerator to heat up some dinner. Patrice had made it, and it wasn't the first food she'd received from the team this week. After her full day with Andy at the hospital where the two had finally talked through things and decided to move forward together, she'd returned to work the next day. She'd stopped by the hospital early that morning to check on Andy, not that she hadn't been there late the night before. That first night, Andy had slept most of the evening she'd been there, but she hadn't wanted to leave him even while he slept. She finally had with a kiss to his forehead when she left. The next morning, she'd arrived just after 6:30 AM to find the doctor in with Andy already. He'd properly introduced Sharon as his girlfriend and told Dr. Lieu and the rest of the staff she was to be included in any discussion from that point forward. He'd signed his paperwork later in the morning to finalize that decision. She'd stayed with him an hour before going to work, and when she had left him that time, she'd kissed him, the first real kiss since he'd been awake. The first kiss, it had been slightly awkward because it was just that, the first, and it was also in his hospital room. It was the first time he could properly respond, but she'd leaned in when she'd said goodbye and kissed him with just the right amount of everything. The kiss had felt right and awkward at the same time if that was possible. She'd pulled back, trying to gauge his reaction, and she didn't get very far before his hand moved to her face and gestured for her to kiss him again. The second had felt a little less awkward, and it had felt even better. The two had broken apart with giddy smiles and a wink from her.
"I will be back this evening. Get some rest today, Lieutenant Flynn," she'd grinned at him.
"Yes ma'am," he'd nodded at her and then corrected himself, "I mean, yes, Captain," he returned her wink. "Could I maybe expect that again tomorrow? I mean," he gestured, "I think it's helping with my recovery."
She had almost doubled over in laughter, something that felt so good after the weeks they'd been at odds with each other. "You can expect that again this evening. I'll be back after work, and no, you can't talk me out of it."
He'd chuckled and nodded, "Have a good day. Tell Provenza to go easy on you."
Provenza and really, the whole team, had done more than go easy on her. They'd been wonderful the whole time he'd been in the hospital, almost as if they knew the two were working on things. Sharon wasn't an idiot; she knew Provenza was aware of that, and apparently, he'd shared the "good" news with the team. That had been evident that first morning back to work after she'd spent the whole day prior at the hospital with Andy. Really, it shouldn't have been a surprise the team was trying to help. Here, Sharon had been out of the office all day, at the hospital nonetheless with a co-worker (and Sharon rolled her eyes at the thought of the team knowing they were more than that, but who was she kidding?), and it shouldn't have surprised her the team realized things were improving between Sharon and Andy. That first morning, she'd arrived to plenty of "welcome back" type comments, and when she'd gone to the break room to get a cup of coffee, she'd found a casserole in the refrigerator with her name on it. She'd almost jumped back seeing, "Captain Raydor" on the top of it, and when she'd opened the small card attached, she'd smiled warmly seeing that Mike's wife had made it. The card, "We know it's a stressful time, and this should keep you and Rusty fed for a few days," had been so sweet. Sharon had been so touched by it, that she'd almost teared up. She'd made a point to walk by Mike's desk when she had returned to her office, and she'd thanked him with a squeeze to his arm. Two days later, she'd found another casserole again, but this time, it was from Patrice, "Louie has been keeping me posted on Andy. He's just as anxious for him to get out of the hospital as I'm suspecting you are too. Hope things are improving in every way," that note had said. Now, as Sharon stood in her kitchen, ready to reheat the casserole from Patrice, she turned back to address her youngest and his concerns with the word, "Andy."
"Rusty," Sharon sighed as she checked her food and put it back in the microwave to reheat it even more, "Andy," she enunciated his name, "will be staying here for a few days again after he is discharged from the hospital. That could be as early as tomorrow, one can hope," she nodded to him. "I hope that is okay, and you're right, that it would be weird for you to call Lieutenant Provenza "Louie," after all this time, but it's a very different situation. It would be weird for me to start calling him that," she chuckled. "I'd have to see him in more social situations to feel ready for that."
Rusty eyed her as he continued to eat. The microwave beeped again, and Sharon turned her attention to that while Rusty questioned her, "How is it different now, Sharon? Fine, the lieutenant is staying here. I get it; the guy is sick. He doesn't have family in town. I'm surprised you are still doing okay with all of this. Wait," he put his fork down and looked at Sharon as she still had her back to him, messing with her food. "What's going on with you two?"
Sharon poked at her food with a fork, and she shrugged. She knew she needed to give Rusty a truthful answer; she didn't have a problem telling people that she and Andy were working on things, but she did have a problem discussing it with her children. She sighed finally and turned to Rusty with her plate in her hand. "Rusty, we are working on things. We both made mistakes, huge mistakes, and to be honest," she smiled at him, "we've been miserable without each other. So, Andy will be staying here for a few days when he is out of the hospital. Once he's cleared to go home, he will do just that, and we plan to explore our feelings."
Rusty made a face, "Explore feelings? Sharon, what does that even mean? Wait," he held up a hand, "I don't want to know, do I?"
Sharon finally let out a small laugh as she tried to take a bite of her food. She was balancing her plate in her hand, and she ended up covering her mouth with her fork. "Rusty," she rolled her eyes and sighed before she continued, "sometimes friendships can turn into something more."
"Eeeew, no," he shook his fork at her. "No, really? You're going there? We have to discuss something more? Sharon, he's the lieutenant! You two can go to dinner all you want. I've even been cool with him hanging around the condo because you are happy. I get the two of you messed up everything, and I'm still not sure how you can forgive each other, but you're going to now jump right from not wanting to see him to telling me there's more than friendship there?"
"You were the one who told me we were dating long ago! Rusty, this shouldn't be a surprise, maybe the fact that we're working on things, but that's what dating is! You should know that much," Sharon exclaimed.
"Yeah," he shrugged, "but not old people dating, not people like your parents," he grimaced. "Oh, yuck, I sound like the hospital; I just referred to you two as my parents, plural. Ugh," he shuddered. Sharon held back any laughter, and that was hard.
"Rusty, he will be a guest here in the condo while he recovers, and then he will go home. At some point, somewhere in the future, he may be here as more than just a guest," she blushed now as she knew she would by jumping right into this conversation. Yes, it was premature, but she felt that the discussion had already been started, and she should just dive right into it. From the talks she and Andy had been having, she knew that a relationship with Andy, especially after she'd been developing one for years already, would eventually progress; neither were in this just for casual dating. It was as she said, hopefully, their last firsts of many-kisses, dates, and the like.
"Wait, what? More than a guest?" he asked, but he was also talking to himself.
"Yes, I think we need to have a plan for overnight guests in the condo," she stated with a nod of her head.
Rusty's eyes grew wide, "Overnight guests? Wait, with him? Sharon, seriously, we cannot be here talking about the lieutenant staying as your overnight guest. Ugh," he grimaced.
"Rusty, I think you are having the wrong reaction to this," she pursed her lips.
"No way," he shook his head. "I don't want to discuss the lieutenant here anytime other than recovering from the hospital," he said as he stood.
"Rusty, you're right," Sharon nodded. "The lieutenant," she emphasized the word and raised her eyebrows, "would not be staying at our condo. Andy might one day in the future. There is a difference," she eyed him. "I hope you will work on using Andy more and more. That isn't just a simple plea; I need you to do that."
"So, I'm going to like have to see him sitting here at the table in that robe, the ugly green robe, Sharon?" he made a face. "I might walk in here one morning and find him eating a bowl of cereal? What am I supposed to do? Sit down and ask him if he's had a good stay? Ugh!" he grimaced again.
Sharon hid her smile as she listened to Rusty pitch his fit. She did understand on some level, but she also knew that Rusty did have a good relationship with Andy, one she wanted the two to work on even more. It was that important; both were in her lives, and if she had any say, neither would ever leave her life. "Rusty, if and when," she said with emphasis on when, "Andy is ever here in the morning, I except you to be respectful and kind. End of discussion, that is," she gestured to him with her hand, "unless you would like to discuss this more? We can discuss Andy as long as you like."
"No," his eyes flew open wide, "I'm good. I'm done talking," he said as he scrambled up from his seat. He started to collect his plate, and Sharon finally had mercy on him.
"I'll get it, Rusty," she nodded. "I'll clean up."
He just nodded and collected his computer. Before he walked away, he remembered something, "Oh, those flowers over there," he pointed to the bar area separating the dining room from the living room, and Sharon's eyes followed, "they came earlier for you. I didn't open the card, but after all this, I have a feeling I know who sent them." He made another face and disappeared from the kitchen.
Sharon covered her mouth, and she chuckled to herself as she finished clearing Rusty's plate. She put hers aside, still half of it uneaten, and she decided to check out the flowers before finishing her dinner. She smiled at them, almost as if she was looking at a person. Only one person would send her favorites, lilies. Jack, the few times he got her flowers, always got her carnations, and she now hated them because they just reminded her how cheap he had always been, not to mention the lack of detail he'd put into her at any point in their marriage. Sharon shook her head when she pulled at the card. It had been written by the flower shop, as she didn't know the handwriting, but the message was nonetheless very special.
"Thank you for taking care of me. I'm sure you didn't think a guy could manage to send a girl flowers while stuck in the hospital, but as I've told you, I'm full of surprises. For the first time in a long time, I'm looking forward to what the future holds-Your Secret Admirer," he'd signed it, and Sharon laughed at that, as if there was any question. She wiped a tear that had formed, and she went in search of her purse and her phone.
"The flowers are beautiful," she sent him a quick message after she had retrieved her phone. She noted he must have his phone right there with him because he started typing right away.
"What flowers?" he texted her back.
She started to laugh again, and before she could type again, he sent her a smiley face and then more.
"I hope they made you happy. I want to keep making you happy. Maybe one day I can actually bring you flowers," he told her in his message.
"I don't need flowers, Andy," she texted him back. She let that text go through, and then, even though she was nervous, she decided to step out on faith a little and be bolder than she'd been. That was what this was all about anymore; Sharon knew she needed to express herself to Andy, so she sent him one more text, "I just need you, Andy."
