Rusty slammed the door shut and rubbed his hands together. Ohio was cold, and he didn't like it. Yes, he'd been called 'California Boy' by many at school, and he'd finally decided he didn't mind the name. It was true; he'd take Southern California any day of the week over the winter tundra Ohio was becoming.
"Sharon?" he called out. The house was lit for the evening, and he'd sent her a text over an hour ago that he was going to be late. It was now after seven, which was late for Rusty when coming from school.
"I'm in the bedroom. I'll be out shortly," she called to him. "Dinner is on the stove, and I waited to eat with you."
Rusty nodded to himself and began to peel off the layers of clothing he had put on for the day. He hung up his warm winter coat, one of the many things Sharon had bought with her store discount. He took off his gloves, scarf, and hat too, reluctant to take off any of that because underneath, his bare skin was freezing. He didn't know how people enjoyed winter, weather below freezing. He bent down to unlace his hiking style boots, another thing he'd let Sharon purchase for him, and he had to admit, he was glad to have them. There was already a thin layer of snow and ice on the ground, and from what he'd heard from his friends, winter was going to get much worse before it got better. It just seemed wrong to him. Thanksgiving was getting closer, and he remembered how nice the weather had been last year on Thanksgiving. That had been in California, though, and somehow, he didn't think the balmy temperatures would return to Ohio. After he finished taking off his many layers, he tried to warm up his hands again as he ran them over his jeans and then wrapped them in his sweater. Sharon had told him she'd made soup, so he started for the kitchen to check on it.
Rusty glanced down the hall toward the bedrooms. He was about to call out to Sharon, but he heard her turn on the vacuum cleaner, so he knew what she was doing. He walked to the stove and smiled at the sight of soup. Yes, on a cold night, soup was perfect. He had a feeling he'd consume a lot of soup over the winter. While Sharon ran the vacuum, he decided to start dishing out the soup. As he was doing so, he heard an odd noise coming from Sharon's purse. Her phone was on the counter, so he moved to her bag, cautiously, not sure what he would find. He wasn't one to go through Sharon's purse, but she was down the hall with the vacuum on, so he dug until he found it, an old phone. He frowned as he pulled it out, and he flipped it open since it didn't even show a caller id.
"Hello?" he said, hesitantly, not sure what he'd hear on the other end.
"Rusty?" he heard, and he jumped back and looked to the phone, knowing the voice, but almost afraid since he hadn't heard that voice in almost a year.
Rusty pulled the phone back up to his ear and stepped out of the kitchen, to look down the hallway toward Sharon's room where she was still running the vacuum. "Lieutenant?" he asked. "Oh, is it you?"
"Rusty," he heard again and then a sigh. It was definitely the lieutenant.
"Oh, I'm so glad to hear from you. You won't believe this place. Wait, did you get Stroh? Is that why you are calling? I can't wait to get out of here. It's-" he was cut off.
"RUSTY!" he heard loudly and jumped, even though the voice wasn't in the room, but on the phone. "DO NOT say another word, do you hear me?" Provenza said sternly.
"Umm, yeah," Rusty grimaced at the stern warning. "Lieutenant, what is going on?"
"Rusty, I'm sorry, but do not tell me anything. You can't tell me a word. I found this phone, and I need to speak to the captain. Is she there with you?" he asked.
"Yeah, she's here," he nodded and then sighed to himself, knowing Provenza couldn't see him. "Hold on. I didn't know she had this phone."
"Rusty, please, don't talk. You need to stay safe. Just get her for me," he asked.
"Sharon," Rusty called down the hall. He'd heard her turn off the vacuum, and he called to her as he walked toward her bedroom. "Sharon," he called again as he reached her doorway. She had her back to him and was bent over, winding up the cord on the vacuum, when she turned to him in the doorway.
"Rusty, what is it?" she asked, now worried. She could see the panic on his face. He had the phone in his hand, which he'd dropped to his side. He held up his hand, and Sharon's eyes grew wide as she saw it. "Rusty, is that Andy?"
He shook his head and handed the phone to her. The color on her face drained as she took the phone from him.
"I heard an odd noise, and I didn't know you had a phone. I dug it out of your purse," he explained as she took the phone.
"Hello?" she asked, the question evident in her voice. She looked to Rusty, wondering who was on the phone.
"Sharon," Provenza said as he sighed.
"Lieutenant," she said, her eyes now wide as she looked to Rusty. He gave her a sympathetic shrug, as he watched her on the phone. "Why do you have this phone?"
"I think you and I both know there's one reason I'd have or even know about this phone, Captain," he told her.
"What happened?" Sharon asked, raising her hand to her heart as her eyes welled up with tears. "Is he okay?"
"He got hurt a couple weeks ago now," Provenza started to say, but Sharon jumped in.
"He was hurt two weeks ago, and I'm just hearing about it now!" she exclaimed. Rusty's eyes also grew wide as he listened to Sharon.
"Hold on," Provenza sighed. He ran his hand through his hair as he started to pace the room. He was still at Andy's house. He'd obviously found the phone, and Andy had told him before he left the hospital that in case something happened to him, to just hit the speed dial for #1 on the phone. Once Provenza had located the phone, he toyed with the idea of taking it back to the hospital and letting Andy do the calling. He had decided he needed to soften the blow before Andy got onto the phone, and while Andy was the idiot who hadn't told him WHY it was so important to get to the house before now, Provenza still felt somewhat at fault for not getting the information to Sharon sooner. "Listen, it's partly my fault," he started with the conversation and sighed again. "I had no idea about all this," he gestured, not that anyone could see him. He continued to pace the room and stopped in front of Andy's bookcase where he shook his head at all the photos of Andy and Sharon, nothing recent, but he wouldn't expect that from the two who were obviously being very careful about the situation. "I'd only put together that he'd probably seen you. Guy hasn't taken vacations in years, and suddenly, he's gone for weeks at a time now. For a long time, he was more irritating than ever, but lately, he's been decent, almost pleasant. I put two and two together, but I didn't know about the phone. I don't know where you are, so you can trust that is safe. I stopped Rusty before he said anything."
"We only recently added the phone," she explained. "Emergency use for the most part, and Louie, this sounds like it. What's going on?" Sharon moved to her bed where she sat on the edge of it. Rusty moved into the room too and took a seat in the rocking chair Sharon had purchased and put in the room only a month ago.
"He was in pursuit of a suspect right after he got back," Provenza started. "Called it a 'dust up' but he was thrown from a moving car." Sharon gasped sharply and put her hand to her mouth.
"Is he okay?" she asked. "Why are you just telling me this if it happened two weeks ago? Was he run over?"
"He's in the hospital now. Look, the idiot didn't tell me about the phone. He kept telling me he needed to get a few things at his place, but quite frankly, the night he was injured, I drove all the way out here, grabbed his suitcase which was still packed, and I have had him at my house. Patrice and I have been keeping an eye on him. He was scheduled to go back to work after just a few days, but the doctor found a blood clot had developed."
"A blood clot! Where?" she asked, her voice now panicked again.
"That's the problem," Provenza sighed as he ran his hand over his face. "Look, I drove back to his place to get this phone. He finally told me about it today. I'm still at his house. Patrice is at the hospital," he said as he looked at a photo of Andy and Sharon from Nicole's wedding. They had been dancing, and it was obvious the photographer asked them to pose for a picture. They were on the dance floor, arms around each other, but both turned toward the camera. They had bright smiles and appeared happy. The present today was a different tale; they were apart and very much alone. Provenza sighed again, knowing that this had to be harder on Sharon than he could imagine.
"Louie, you still haven't told me about the clot," Sharon pleaded. "He's in the hospital, so it's serious. What is going on?" Rusty's eyes grew even larger as he processed what Sharon said. He was just getting bits and pieces of the conversation as he heard Sharon talk.
"It's in his carotid artery," Provenza told her. "The fall he took left him with broken ribs. He was taken by ambulance that afternoon, as I said, right after he got back. Idiot is so stubborn, he came back to work a few hours later, refusing to take most of the medications he'd been given."
"His addiction," Sharon sighed as she shook her head. She was starting to understand the issue.
"Right, so he almost collapsed at work later that night, and he was taken back to the hospital for the second time," Provenza paused to catch his breath. "Look, I had no idea he had a way to communicate with you. You are both smart. I didn't figure you were emailing our using anything like The Facebook. We'd avoided the subject, but I knew he'd had contact with you. If the idiot had told me before now, I would have gotten to this phone before now."
"What's the plan?" Sharon asked, as she cleared her voice and ran her hand over her eyes. She knew she was close to crying. Andy, her Andy, was stuck in the hospital with a potentially life-threatening issue.
"The doctor is going to do surgery today or tomorrow. The last two weeks, they have been watching the clot. He was sent home with me for a couple days after he almost collapsed at work. He seemed to be on the mend, at least as much as one can be with broken ribs and a slight concussion. I'd promised to drive him all the way out here, to his house, after we finished with the current case. We've been swamped lately, getting case after case. It doesn't help that Flynn is out, Davis is away, and Taylor is breathing down my back. I didn't even mention that your dear old ex-husband has been lurking in the building, and that hasn't helped. Anyway, Patrice has been staying with Flynn, or I should clarify that to say that Flynn has been staying with Patrice and me. During the day, she's kept an eye on him, but he collapsed this morning as he was getting ready for a doctor's appointment. He fell in the bathroom, cut his forehead badly, and Patrice kept him alive until the paramedics arrived."
"Oh, my," Sharon sighed. "Andy," she said quietly. "Is he conscious?"
"Yes, he is. He's awake and finally told me why he was so insistent on getting home. He wanted to get to this phone. The doc needs to operate because the clot has moved, most likely triggered by the fall. The clot is much higher, closer to the ear, if you are trying to picture it, and they need to operate immediately. Flynn's blood is being monitored, and as soon as they can, they are going to operate. I drove out here to get this phone and take it to him. I decided to let you know before I got back to the hospital because I didn't want him trying to downplay it to you. It is serious, but the doctor is confident she can get this clot. Sharon, I am sorry you didn't get word sooner. I should have taken Flynn to his house."
"Thank you for telling me," Sharon sighed as she wiped a stray tear. "Let's not talk about what should have been done. The fact is that Andy needs surgery, and I would very much like to speak to him before he has surgery. We discussed the phones and decided these were to be used for emergencies. If this isn't one, I don't know what is. Would you please have him call me?"
"Of course," Provenza nodded. "Sharon, he's going to be okay."
Sharon hung up with Provenza then, and she turned to Rusty who was perched on the edge of her rocking chair.
"What's going on? Andy's hurt?" he asked.
Sharon nodded slightly as she was still a bit dazed. She turned her attention to Rusty, "He was injured as soon as he got back to work after leaving us," she sighed as she held back a tear. "He was thrown from a moving car while in pursuit of a suspect. I don't know all the details, but he's had a couple trips to the hospital where he's been diagnosed with broken ribs and a concussion. Lieutenant Provenza and Patrice have been keeping an eye on him; Andy has been staying with them, which is why he hasn't called me himself. Provenza apologized about not getting the phone, but Andy only told him about the phone today."
"I didn't know about the phone either," Rusty pointed out to her. Sharon offered a small smile, a dazed look, and she nodded at him.
"I know," she nodded again. "Andy and I felt it was necessary. We said it was to be used for emergencies, and this would be one. Andy has apparently been trying to get home to get to the phone, but Provenza has kept him at his place. Andy is in the hospital because he developed a serious blood clot from the fall, and they need to do surgery immediately so it doesn't spread to his brain. Rusty, it's serious."
Rusty's eyes grew even wider, "Is he going to be okay? Sharon, he can't like die. It's Andy. He's going to be okay, right?"
Sharon shrugged, "I don't know. Lieutenant Provenza believes he will be okay, but I know how he is sometimes. He's on his way back to the hospital now with the phone. I am hoping to speak to Andy before they take him to surgery," she coughed out a sob, as she closed her eyes and started to cry. Rusty moved quickly to give her a hug.
"Sharon, it's the lieutenant. He's like the strongest guy I know. He'll be okay. Nothing is going to happen to him."
Sharon just nodded as he head was buried in Rusty's shoulder. "Rusty, I need to speak to him."
"I know," Rusty nodded. "Look, it's what, almost an hour drive to the hospital from his house? Let's have some soup. You need to eat, and it's hot. We can wait for the call and figure this out."
Sharon spent the next half hour picking through her soup as she kept her eyes on the phone, willing it to ring. When it finally did ring, she almost jumped out of her seat. She looked to Rusty, as she tried to calm herself.
"You okay to answer?" he asked, as he sat back in his chair. She just nodded and picked up the phone.
"Hi," she said with a nervousness in her voice. She let her voice waver slightly, and she wiped another tear on her face.
"Hey," he grumbled as he tried to shift in the bed. He winced in pain as he did. Provenza stood next to him where he'd told Andy he had already spoken to Sharon. As much as Andy wanted to yell at him about calling Sharon and worrying her, he knew his friend was honestly trying to help. "How are you?"
Andy heard Provenza grumble and mumble something that sounded like idiot, but he tried to ignore him and focus on the call.
"I'm okay," she said, as she tried to collect herself. "I'm glad to hear your voice, but the question is really how are you doing?"
"I've been better," he groaned as he moved again. "Ribs hurt like you wouldn't believe."
"Hmm, I cracked a couple ribs once, years ago. Yes, it's nasty. Andy, what about this surgery. I am so sorry I'm not there," she sighed.
"I know," he nodded. He looked to Provenza, "I know Provenza filled you in on everything. Doc was in, and she's planning for the surgery now tomorrow first thing, probably around 6:00 or so. My labs weren't the best yet, and she thinks I'll be ready by the morning. They are keeping a watchful eye on the clot. She'll get it tomorrow. I know it's useless to tell you not to worry, but I'll be okay."
"What's the prognosis after that?" she asked.
"Ahh, physical therapy. I'll be here for a few days as well. After that, she said I'll be benched from work most likely through the holidays, maybe through mid-January," he frowned as he glanced to Provenza. Provenza stood there, just listening as Andy continued.
"So, our trip," she bit her lip.
"Yeah," he nodded as he continued to frown. He met Provenza's gaze and shook his head. "January isn't looking good. I think I'll be stuck here in LA." Provenza nodded as he realized the two had plans for January and acknowledged that now, Andy would be stuck here in LA.
"Okay," Sharon wiped her face again. "I just want you to get better. I need you to get through this surgery tomorrow, Andy."
"I will," he nodded. "Promise. I'll be good as new." Sharon let out a snort laugh, which caused Andy to smile. "There, I'd rather hear you laugh. Please don't cry," he sighed.
"I just wish I could be there, to hold you," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry, Andy. I will chew you out later for taking so long to tell me."
"I tried to get to the phone," he started to protest.
"Stop," she said. "I don't need you upset. The point is we're talking now, and I'm so glad I agreed to the phones. You were right about them."
He grinned, "Could you repeat that? Maybe you could say it loudly enough for Provenza to hear you-that I was right about something?"
Sharon was silent, and then she said, "Andy, I love you."
"I love you too," he told her. He glanced to Provenza who was now making gagging faces. "Provenza loves hearing it," he smiled as he chuckled into the phone.
"Would you have him call me when they take you up and finish surgery?" she asked.
"I will," he nodded. "Look, I want you to remain focused, you and your sidekick there. Tell him I wish he was here to keep me from being so bored. We could play chess, but tell him I love him too. I know he'll squirm away at hearing it, but I wanted to say it."
"I will," she sighed as she wiped her face again. She turned to Rusty and offered him a sad smile. "Are you in a lot of pain?" as she turned her attention back to Andy on the phone.
"I won't lie," he said, but then he didn't add anything further.
"Hmm, I will take that as confirmation you are," she nodded to herself. "I need you to get well. We've come this far already, Andy. I need you a few more decades," she admitted.
"Same," he nodded. "I promise to call you as soon as I can, as soon as I'm awake from surgery, deal?"
She let out a laugh, "Here, I thought I was the one who made the deals."
"You've rubbed off on me," he smiled. "I love you. Try not to worry."
"I'll always worry, Andy," she let out a soft sob. "I feel helpless, but I know I can pray everything will work out. I have faith it will."
"Me too," he nodded. "I'll be up and moving around again before you know it. We'll be walking that track." Provenza's eyes grew wide at the mention of doing anything with Sharon. It was the first and only detail that had been released about the two of them in the last year. Andy glanced at Provenza and realized he needed to stop talking about any visit with Sharon. "I'm going to hang up now," he said. "I'm really tired, and the doc told me to rest up."
"Okay," she told him. "I love you, Andy. You get some rest. Would you put me back on the phone with Lieutenant Provenza?"
"I will. Love you, Sweetheart," he told her and nodded to Provenza. "She wants to speak to you again."
Provenza nodded, and he took the phone, "This idiot is going to be fine, you know."
Sharon let out a half laugh, half sob, "Take good care of him, please. That's an order."
"Well, for once, I'll try to follow your orders. I guess you are rubbing off on me too. I'll call in the morning," he told her.
"Please do. Anytime. You can call anytime. I'll answer. Thank you, Louie," she told him and hung up.
Rusty sat there as she hung up and just waited. She let out a couple silent sobs before she wiped her face and forced a smile as she looked to him. "He's going to be okay," she nodded.
"Well, yeah," Rusty smiled slightly. "I think Lieutenant Provenza might actually retire if anything happened to Andy. Work wouldn't be enjoyable if he couldn't tease Andy all day. Sharon, he's going to be fine."
Sharon nodded as she thought, "His health hasn't been the best. He's been working so hard to stay healthy."
"Which is why he'll be fine. He eats well, better than anyone you or I know," Rusty admitted.
Sharon nodded, "Yes, but he's had decades of damage to his body with drinking and bad habits. I hope it's enough."
"Sharon, I just heard you tell him you have faith he'll be okay. Trust that," Rusty told her. "Trust your faith."
