Here's a triple chapter update for you! We hope you enjoy! As always please review and follow! We love hearing from you and how much you love the story. I know it's sad right now but not to worry, she has brighter days ahead. Happy Reading!

-D.H Caldwell and HAS5245

Jack watched as Andy closed her eyes and breathed deeply a few times, before opening her eyes again. He waited anxiously for her decision. She smiled bittersweetly as she faced him, "I was coming home before you gave the speech, but I love the thought. When I coded I saw Robert and my Dad and Ryan. I wanted to give up, in all honesty, and stay with them. However, they told me to wake up and go home. Then you came to bring me back and make everything make sense like you always do, like Ryan used to do. Besides the seeing dead people thing really freaked me the hell out"

"I'm glad I'm able to do that. Wait, you saw Robert when you coded? Huh, I would have thought you would have seen pearly white gates or a bright light like they do in the movies", Jack chuckled as Andy lightly nudged his shoulder.

"No, I saw Robert. But anyways, I'm coming home. I just need a few days to finalize a few things here, if you're willing to stay in the middle of nowhere for that long", she told him as she typed out a quick to-do list on her phone. Even though she was in pain, she still systematically remembered everything that she would have to do before going back to Seattle. She figured she would have to talk to Nolan and give her one week's notice, clean out the little apartment she had, and forward all her mail to her condo in Seattle. She sighed as she thought about the condo. She made a mental note to herself to text Maya and ask if the mail could be forwarded to her apartment or the station. There was no way Andy could go back to her and Robert's old house, there was just too much pain there. Anyways, she figured that she probably got evicted, having been two months behind on the rent. She was so caught up in thinking about the things she had to do, that she almost didn't notice Jack take her phone from her. He held it in his hands smirking as she looked at him unimpressed, "I was using that"

Jack chuckled, "Not anymore. You hit your head off the steering wheel, light isn't good for that sort of thing". Andy scowled at him as he scrolled through her hastily written to-do list. "Clean apartment, talk to Nolan. Who the hell is Nolan? Haven't you been holed up in an apartment, wallowing in grief and eating nothing but take out for two months?" Jack questioned sarcastically.

"You don't know me at all do you? I got a job at the local station here, and George Nolan is the captain there. I'm kind of like the pseudo Captain with Nolan putting half of the operations of the station on me" Andy corrected him, much to his shock. How was she able to get a job without her station calling Maya for a reference or access to her credentials? "Damn it, I was out all night and I still didn't get my stupid drill for my hook. Nolan's going to be pissed", Andy muttered.

"You were in a car accident, I'm sure he'll forgive the place such a dump that they have you hanging your gear on hooks?" Jack asked

"You could say that again. If our station is Grey Sloan then this station is like Pac North", Andy answered, frustrated. "You know, that place that blew up with you guys inside it?", she furthered.

Jack rolled his eyes at the thought and muttered, "How could I forget? According to you it's the thing I'm not allowed to do again"

"I can't wait to go home with you. I missed you so much", Andy told him sleepily as she yawned.

"You missed me?", he asked

Andy smirked lightly at him as he put his arm around her, "Don't act surprised. Of course I missed you and your goofy smile and your laugh. I missed how you could make me laugh no matter how I'm feeling and how you crack the stupidest jokes, even if some of them aren't funny. I missed Maya so much. I miss Teddy being our newbie. I miss Travis and Ben. I even miss Dean and Vic fighting all the time"

"Good, because I missed you like crazy. Your smile, your laugh, the way you would talk sense into me if I thought about doing something stupid like sleep with Maya or Eva, the blind dates that you were setting me up on after Inara left me, and how you would tease me when they were awful. I really missed you.", Jack started.

"I didn't cause too much worry, did I?", she asked

Jack smirked and chuckled, speaking sarcastically at first, "No, not at all. You only had the whole station scared half to death. Marsha, your mother…."

Andy cut him off the minute she overheard the word mother, "My mother was worried? The woman who ran away for twenty one years of my life? Are you serious?". Jack nodded affirmatively and read off the barrage of texts Elena had sent him after his plane landed at the airport. Andy listened carefully, frowning at every word. She never really pictured her mother as the worrying type, and thought that even the concern she showed before the funeral was strange. It seemed to her that her mother was trying to make up for the years of being out of her life by being in full force. Andy wasn't quite sure how she felt about that yet, and decided to put any and all feelings towards her mother to the side until later. Right now she was laying in a hospital bed, injured, and needed to focus primarily on getting better so she could go back to work and keep herself busy, mostly to avoid all the other emotions swirling around in her head. "I'll call her later, right now I just want to see about getting out of here. Staying in bed and doing nothing all day isn't really my thing", she reminded him.

"I know. After Ryan died, you practically begged Maya to let you work. And that was the first time I argued with her", he admitted, still not proud of what he had said, remembering the conversation they had as Andy left in the aid car. Andy noticed him upset and put a friendly hand on his shoulder; she thanked him for having her back all the time, whether she liked it or not. "You give me crap, set me straight when I need it. I have your back even if I know you're wrong. That's how it works", he reminded her as she smiled at him.

"Thank you for coming to get me", she whispered as she yawned. It had been more than a long night for both of them, as they spent more time catching up over the cardboard coffee than sleeping. "How is it that we've stayed up until five in the morning? The sun's coming up", she chuckled. "I've actually been getting used to seeing the sunrise, I haven't slept that great since you know. Before I totaled my car, I used to drive to Carlton Point and sit on the hood of my car, like I did with Ryan, and watch the sunrise. It looked so beautiful when it snowed, the orange sun rising over the white trees and the clear water. The crunch of my boots on the leaves as I got back in my car. I was the only one around there, and some mornings it would be so peaceful. I would sit there and talk to Ryan, or my dad, or my husband about everything going on in my life. I would sit there for a whole hour, no matter how cold I was", she recalled as she stole a glance at the orange sun peeking through the window.

Jack looked out the window at the sun, peeking up over the mountains, casting a glow on the leftover fall foliage. "It must have been a beautiful thing to see every morning"

"It was", Andy answered simply as she watched the sunrise with him. "How's the condo?", she asked, changing the subject. She noticed Jack's caught in the headlights look as she mentioned her former home. "Why do you look like you know something I don't? Did they evict me?"

"Technically no. Your lease ended before they could evict you", Jack admitted, unwillingly.

Andy closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair, "Because Robert and I were looking to buy a house before he died. He didn't renew the lease because, the week after I left, we were going to put an offer down on that green house I showed you". Jack remembered how excited she had been when she showed him the Zillow listing for the green one family colonial sitting on her old street. It had the big yard that she wanted and Jack had made a joke about being the fun uncle teaching her kids how to play soccer in the yard. Now that dream was gone with her husband and just about any sense or normalcy in her life. Andy snapped him out of his thoughts by continuing on about the condo, "Oh well, it's not like I could go back to condo and face that place anyways. Work is going to be enough of a reminder of what I lost, I don't need to cry everytime I walk through my front door. Sucks that I'm homeless though"

"You're not homeless. You still have your room at my place if you want it back", Jack offered hoping she would take him up on it. Maya had actually suggested they do that when they were packing. She told him that Andy would need a friend, a solid friend, and with her and Andy's friendship being on the rocks, it wouldn't be a good idea for them to be roommates again. She explained that they needed to learn to be friends again first. Andy arched an eyebrow at him and he immediately started pulling back on his offer, thinking she was uncomfortable, "It's up to you of course. I understand if you don't want to considering what happened last time"

Andy jabbed him in the side with her elbow, "Yeah, like I'm going to run off to stay with my secret husband again". Jack looked at her silently wondering how she could crack jokes about her husband being dead so early on. Andy noticed this and shook her head, "Forget I said that. Living with you would actually be nice, and it might do me a bit of good to have a roommate when I go back. Just please use Tupperware this time"

"Promise. As long as you don't overstuff the couch with those throw pillows with weird sayings on them or disappear for nights on end" he joked as she looked at him with the same silent expression he used with her earlier, only the look she gave him warned him not to continue his joke. "How is it alright for you and not me?", he questioned

"Because I was his wife, and he was jealous of you. There's a difference", Andy stated. "Also for the record, throw pillows make a room, and for that reason I am putting them on the couch in our-I mean the apartment", she told him, correcting herself briefly. She didn't want to call his place home just yet; she hadn't been there since after the bowling alley when they went to pick up her stuff. She was afraid that if she called it as such, she would be taking away from the home she built with Robert.

Jack picked up on the correction and smiled at her, "It's our apartment Andy. Not mine, ours. What's mine is yours. Now, neither of us have slept and Dr. Collins told you that she's having some ortho doctor get you up and moving tomorrow, actually today now. It's probably going to be incredibly painful so you need your strength"

"Says the guy who pulled an all-nighter after a six hour flight", Andy chuckled, before frowning again. "You sleep, I can't. I'm thinking about my husband. God, I miss him. Everything about him, even the annoying parts I miss. I miss how he used to yell at us and I miss the way he used to look at me and tell me that he loved me. I miss how we used to salsa dance in the living room at night. I miss him and my heart is broken every single day when I have to wake up and see that he's not next to me and remember that he's dead. So I find it easier not to sleep"

Jack pulled her into a hug and she let herself cry for the first time in months. "And you think pulling all nighters is better? Andy, you're exhausted. How do you even function at work?"

"Dunkin' Donuts?" Andy answered as Jack looked at her, confused. "It's a coffee place with terrible coffee but great donuts. The people at the one down the street know my name and have my order ready for me every morning", she explained as he looked it up, shrugging when he saw the menu. He was Seattle raised, so he was partial to Starbucks. He looked up from his phone a second later and noticed Andy thinking about something, something most likely very important.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked

Andy sighed, "Work. I'm preparing myself for how hard it's going to be to walk into work everyday only to be reminded of what I lost in every room, corner, and crevice of that building", she confessed, not looking forward to stepping back into the very place that made her leave in the first place.

"I knew that. Which is why as interim captain, I'm benching you", Jack replied as Andy looked at him quizzically. She wasn't even back yet and she was already benched. She shook her head, thinking that sometimes Jack just didn't make sense.

Andy spoke in an even tone as she answered him, "Why? How long? One week? Maybe two?".

"Not even close. You're taking a leave of absence for three months, nearly four". Jack could tell she wasn't happy with him, but benching her was the best decision he ever made. She would thank him later for it and would come out stronger in the end. He was saving her from her worst enemy, herself. Her job would be waiting for her when she got better, but him and Maya both agreed that for the meantime it would be best for her to rest and curb her grief and the deep depression that stemmed from that. He put his hand on her shoulder and locked eyes with her. "You'll finally be captain when you come back, so we need you healthy. I'm doing this for your own good. Anyways, you can't work with a boot on, so that needs to be off and I believe Dr. Collins said 12 weeks", he assured

"So you're telling me if I go to PT and get this thing off I can come back to work?", she asked only for Jack to shake his head. Andy sighed and rolled her eyes, "What else do I need to do to come back? Tell me and I'll do it. I'll do anything"

Jack smiled as she leaned her head on his shoulder, "How about you say that after I tell you what you need to do? Knowing you, you won't be particularly happy about it". Andy gave him a look and urged him to continue. Jack sighed, not ready to explain the requirements she had to meet to go back, "Andy, you need to be mentally cleared as well as physically. You've gone through more trauma in one year than anyone should go through in a lifetime. You've barely had time to process anything before the next one happened"

Andy scoffed at Jack's reasoning, "It's resilience. I bounce back easy and I work. Plain and simple". She sighed knowing that Maya had something to do with this. She couldn't believe that after the talk they had, Maya still thought she was crazy and now running away made Maya think Andy was crazy enough to go to psych. Andy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I don't know what Bishop told you, but I'm not crazy Jack. I swear on my father's grave", she muttered under her breath, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No one said you were. I'm scheduling you to meet with Dr. Katherine Wyatt at Grey Sloan. She's one of the best over there", Jack answered trying to diffuse the obviously tense situation.

Andy tensed up and gave him that non-blinking look she used when she felt hurt about something, "Why? You know how much I hate talking about my feelings. We Herrera's never talk about our feelings; we embrace the pain". She looked at Jack silently and felt bad because he looked nothing but concerned for her. Andy realized that he wasn't judging her, but offering her the leave out of love. He was there for her just like he always was.

Jack sighed and responded to her question honestly. "And how's that going for you? Andy, trauma is nothing to screw around with. Not dealing with it puts you at risk for alcohol use, depression, anxiety. Those are all things that can keep you from coming back, and I'll be damned if I have to spend another six months without you there", he stated, not realizing he was yelling until Andy stared at him blankly, obviously stunned. He couldn't help it, he felt very strongly about having her back at work with him. With everyone around him driving him insane, he needed her. However, before anything else, he needed her to help herself and be well. It killed him to force her to get help, but he knew that doing it was his best shot at getting the Andy he knew and loved back. His voice softened as he took a deep breath, "Now I've scheduled you three times a week to start. You're also meeting with a grief group on Monday nights. You'll do fine. I'll even go with you if you want me to"

Andy sighed, he was reassuring in his persuasion for her to go to therapy, "Ok, fine. I guess I can try to talk to her. As long as she doesn't try to get in my head like Diane did". She looked out the window at the now glowing sun peeking through the curtains. "I never said how sorry I am for putting you through all of this. You shouldn't have had to deal with it, and I'm honestly surprised you didn't stop looking for me" she apologized as she watched to sky clear over the mountains in the distance.

"You don't have to apologize", he smiled as he watched the sunrise too. He had to admit, the New England sun was beautiful, especially with the snow on the trees and the grass. The sun peeking over that scene in the pink sky was a view like no other. He pushed a strand of her hair back and looked into her eyes where he could see the hardened pain that would melt away with time. "Andy, you never have to apologize, not to me. I would run to the ends of the earth if I had to for you. I'm just so glad that you're coming home where you belong. You're coming home to where people can help you, that is if you're willing to accept it" Jack assured her as he kissed her on the forehead.

Andy sighed as she thought about what was waiting for her back home. The last time she even reached out for help, her own best friend rebuked her and gaslighted her several times, making her wonder if she was crazy. She wasn't so sure about therapy, but would do it to make Jack happy and to get back to work. She didn't know if the meeting would go well or if she would be triggered. The last time she had been in a therapist's office, it was for marriage counseling with Robert, two days before he died. After a certain point of never feeling like she was heard, she closed herself off entirely. She was so closed off that she didn't see Jack standing in front of her, there for her, until Robert went to rehab. He had been her rock during that time, picking her up from visits when he knew she needed a friend and parking in a random parking lot to talk about what had happened in the rehab. Andy's frown turned into a confident smile. She would be just fine, if not anyone else she would have Jack, and that was all she needed. "I'll accept. On one condition", she smirked.

"What?", Jack asked

"I get to make your, I mean our, apartment a little more home-like. No offense Gibson, but your attempt at interior design sucks", she chuckled as she envisioned what she was going to do with the place and the items that she was going to buy to make the place nice like she had it when the two of them moved in there. "I want to put pictures on the walls, and pillows on the couch, and one of those little candles that crackles when you light it. Maybe pine scented?", she planned and suggested while Jack stuck his hands out in a quizzical expression.

"Or you could just open the window when it rains? There's your pine smell", he laughed as he also imagined what she was going to do to the house. He had to admit, it would be nice to come back to a home when he was done with shift instead of going back to someplace he went on his days off. "Also, I'm always at the station, that's why I haven't decorated in a while. And you took the decorations when you moved in with Robert", he added unafraid to talk about him. Andy had to show her feelings at some point and what better way than to do so with him. Jack grimaced thinking about the house now. There were no pictures or candles, and the bookshelf had an embarrassing number of books on it gathering dust. He figured that she would take care of that right away and figured that roaming Amazon would give her something to do in the months that she was homebound and the days that he was on shift. "Don't you just want to sit back and watch Netflix?", he asked, wanting to make sure before he let her commit to taking on the apartment.

Andy shook her head and frowned at his question, "Me? Netflix? God no, I'm cleaning, decorating, and doing anything to keep busy. I may even get into knitting or puzzles, who the hell knows". She noticed him smirking when she mentioned knitting. "You know that I'll….", she started before he finished her sentence.

"Go stir crazy if you don't work? Yeah, I know. Two words, Bridal Shop. You almost worked yourself to tears when Ryan died, don't think I didn't see that", he replied as he thought back to the blank expression she wore after they saved the shop owner. He had watched as Andy walked away from it all, completely numb. She didn't talk to him about it until the next day when they were in the lounge looking at that old photo and he was finally able to get her to open up. If she didn't have something to keep her occupied he knew that the grief would just eat away at her until she withered away to nothing. "Fine, you can work on the apartment. Just buy candles that smell good. None of that Strawberry or French Toast shit", he compromised.

Andy chuckled at his stipulation and a small smile crept to her lips. "Don't worry, I won't", she promised before falling asleep.