Hey all!

This chapter starts like 20 minutes after the last chapter, so Sharon is still 33 weeks pregnant. This part was a bit hard to write with so many people in one scene, and I know that some characters did not get as much spotlight as I wished, but it is what it is.

Anyways, enjoy the party!

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Chapter 23

*Friday October 8th*

"So, what time is the party?" Sharon asked as they left the doctor's office.

"O'Hara said to be back at my house by 6pm." Carlton responded.

"That gives us like 5 hours to kill. Do you want to go to my beach?"

"Not really. The closest gas station to there is about 10 minutes away and you go to the bathroom every 10 minutes."

"I'm not that bad! Unless I don't feel well and end up drinking too much water. Besides, there are a couple of outhouses, we just have to bring our own toilet paper."

"Can't we just go back to the Psych office and watch a few movies instead?!" He asked as he unlocked his car.

"Lassie! You heard what Doc Jen said! She wants me to start bed rest in a couple of days! Which means I will have weeks to just watch movies and tv shows. Can we please go to the beach?!"

"Fine. Let's grab some lunch first. I don't need you complaining after an hour that you're hungry."

"Thank you, Lassie!"

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Carlton checked his watch and nudged Sharon. "Come on, Sharon, it's time to go."

"Can't we stay just a little bit longer?!"

"No. I don't want to be late for the party. You don't want to get on O'Hara's bad side."

"Good point." Sharon groaned as she stood up. "I'm going to miss this beach so much."

"It's just a beach. You have a beach-front office and your dad's house is right off the beach as well."

"It's just not the same! Here, there's no noisy people, or cars, or jet skis, or loud birds. Just calm, nature noises." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Just peacefulness."

"Well, we won't be getting any peace from either your father or O'Hara if we are late." He grumbled.

"Alright, alright! I'm leaving!"

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"Huh, I thought there would be more cars." Sharon commented as they parked in Carlton's driveway.

"I told O'Hara to keep it small and she said it's more like a family dinner than a party; so only family and a few close friends."

"Oh, well, are you going to have a separate party at the station?"

"I hope not. One party is more than enough for me."

"As long as I'm not hosting, I would be down for a party every weekend."

"Of course you would." Carlton sighed. "Are you ready to head inside? We're already 10 minutes late."

"You can't be late to your own party! Besides, if my dad complains, I can explain how you insisted on a pit stop so I wasn't running to the bathroom as soon as we got here."

"You're the one who insisted on stopping at the Psych office, which was two miles out of our way, and then spent over ten minutes in the bathroom!"

"I'm sorry that I needed to change some pads since I sometimes leak in places that I've never leaked from before."

"TMI, Spencer!" Carlton groaned as he got out of the car.

"Hey, you asked."

"No, I didn't."

Once they reached the porch, Carlton gestured towards the door. "Ladies first."

Sharon tsked. "Man, you just want a human shield so that you're less likely to get pulled into a hug before you can make sure the room is secure."

"While that is a bonus, I was thinking that people would rather see you than me."

"Aww, Lassie! People want to see me just as much as they want to see you! They just want to see the baby bump more! Which I guess means that I am more important than you right now." She grinned.

"Just get in the damn house!" He snapped.

Sharon laughed and leaned close to kiss him on the cheek. "You're still very important to me, Lassie!"

The front door opened and they turned to find Henry glaring at them. "Sharon, stop messing around and get in here! People have been waiting for over a half hour!"

"We're only 10 minutes late." Sharon shrugged.

"It's currently 6:18, which is 28 minutes later than I told you to be here."

"Dad! Do we really have to have this argument right now?! You just said people are waiting!"

Henry shook his head as he stepped back. "And here I thought that Carlton would be a good influence on you."

"Hey! It's Lassie's fault that we're late." Sharon shrugged as she walked past him.

"You can be such a terrible liar at times, kid." Henry whispered as he motioned for Carlton to follow her.

"SURPRISE!" Some people yelled as Sharon and Carlton stepped into the living room.

"It's not really a surprise if I already knew that you all would be here." Sharon grinned as she looked around at everyone gathered. There was Gus, Juliet, Madeleine, Lauren, Karen Vick, Erma, and Doc Jen.

"Well," Gus replied. "It was easier to get everyone to say 'surprise' than 'congratulations on the new baby'."

"But it would have been a lot more accurate."

"Okay you two, knock it off!" Madeleine scolded with a smile as she stepped forward.

"Hey Mom!"

"Oh Goose! You look fantastic!" Madeleine squealed.

"I don't know about that." Sharon laughed awkwardly as they hugged.

"Of course you do!"

"Hey Carlton!" Lauren greeted as she joined him.

"I didn't know you were coming, Lulu." Carlton replied as he let her hug him.

"Of course I came! I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Thank you."

She stepped back with a smile. "I asked Mom if they wanted to come, but she said it was probably best if they didn't. They did send some presents along."

"That was ...nice of them." He grumbled.

Lauren laughed and patted his arm. "You know how it is with Mom. It just takes her awhile to get used to things and change her mind. Honestly, I was surprised that she chose to acknowledge the pregnancy at all. That must have been one hell of a speech Sharon gave her."

"Yes, it was impressive." He smiled as he watched Sharon head over to Erma.

"I am pleased that you have decided to keep the baby." Erma said.

Sharon laughed, "Yeah, I mean, things are definitely way different than I could have ever imagined. Lassie surprised me, to say the least."

Erma smiled, "I can tell by the sparkle in your eyes that you two are soulmates, destined to always find each other."

"Wow, that's interesting. I never really believed in soulmates."

"It does not happen often; but when it does, great things usually come out of it."

"So no pressure." Sharon responded nervously.

"It depends on your definition of great. I do see a strong, unshakeable bond forming between you two."

"I don't know about unshakeable, because it has definitely been a very shaky and rocky year so far."

"As long as you keep trying and do not give up on each other, you will be okay. You still have many trials ahead of you, but rely on Carlton to be your rock and anchor."

"Okay, Nana." Doc Jen interrupted. "Let's stop scaring her. Sharon has enough pressure on her already, and she needs to keep her stress levels down."

Erma nodded, "I am just telling her what I see as truth."

"Congratulations, Carlton." Karen greeted as she joined him.

"Thank you, Chief." Carlton nodded.

"Please, I'm just Karen today." She smiled.

"Karen, thank you for coming."

"You're welcome. It is always nice to be invited to low-stress, non-political parties. Besides, I figured Henry could use a little more support."

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you known the truth about Sharon?"

Karen chuckled. "Almost as soon as it started. I was Henry's Junior Detective, and it was very unusual for Henry to call off work at the last minute. He would always plan in advance his vacation time, unlike others, but he rarely got sick or would only be off half a day if Shawn was sick. So I knew something was up when he didn't come into work for 3 days in a row. When it happened again the next month, I confronted him and he explained what was going on."

"GUS!" Sharon yelled across the room, interrupting all conversations. "Is that your Momma's Jamaican Jerk Chicken I smell?!"

"You know damn well that it is!" Gus replied, crossing his arms. "It's been ready for over an hour now as we waited on you!"

"Dude! Why didn't you tell me?! I would have been here two hours ago! Excuse me." Sharon quickly made her way into the kitchen.

Karen shook her head. "You better follow her before she takes too much food."

"Guster is pretty good about making more than enough food."

"Carlton!" Juliet said as she joined them. "Everyone is waiting on you two to get first dibs!"

"Alright! I'm going!" Carlton rolled his eyes as he went towards the kitchen.

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As Sharon finished her second plate, she asked, "As awesome as it is to have everyone here and to have such delicious food! I have to ask, where are the baby gifts?"

Juliet nudged Gus. "Told you; pay up."

"Gus! Jules! What?!"

Gus shrugged as he passed Juliet a $20 bill. "I bet Juliet that you would ask about presents within 15 minutes of arriving. Juliet bet that you would wait until after most people were done eating. I guess I underestimated how hungry you were."

Sharon scoffed and shook her head. "And you claimed to be my best friend. Of course I would wait until after I got to eat! And stop distracting me! Where are the presents?!"

"In the baby's room, of course." Madeleine answered. "A few of us have already assembled and organized the room for you; although feel free to move things around as you see fit."

"Lassie! Do you want to go check out the room with me?!" Sharon asked as she stood up.

Carlton shrugged. "Might as well."

Juliet smiled as she joined them. "The crib and changing table were purchased by your parents, Sharon. The rocking chair is from Chief Vick. The bookcase and swing are from your mother and step-mother, Carlton."

"Really?" Carlton asked as they stepped into the room.

"Yeah. Lauren coordinated that." Juliet said.

"Wow," Sharon whispered as she looked around. "This is a lot more stuff than I was expecting."

"There were a lot of people chipping in, from both the precinct and Carlton's civil war reenactment group. Most people at the station were more than generous when donating. Gus and I spent about a week shopping for various linens and things that matched."

"You two did great!" Sharon grinned. "This looks amazing!"

"I have to agree." Carlton said. "You did good work."

"Thanks, Carlton!" Juliet smiled. "You two did pick a good theme. A jungle theme is good for either gender and there are so many cute animals that can be incorporated with green and yellow as the main color scheme."

"OMG! What is this?!" Sharon exclaimed as she picked up a couple of pineapple themed clothes off of the dresser.

Juliet laughed. "Those are some handmade outfits done by Francine McNabb. Buzz had asked me a few months ago, before we even decided on a baby shower, if there was a theme they should follow. I told him that pineapples would always be a safe bet with you."

"Oh man! Look! It's a knitted pineapple hat and a jacket with a little pineapple added and, *gasp* look at these socks! This kid is never going to wear these because I never want them to get dirty!"

Juliet smiled. "Well, at that size, they aren't doing much walking. It's more decorative and to keep the baby's feet warm."

"This is a nice collection of books." Carlton said as he picked one up. "Why does this one have two pennies taped to it?"

"What?" Juliet questioned.

"Let me see!" Sharon exclaimed as she placed the clothes back on the dresser and joined Carlton. "It's from my Uncle Jack!"

"How can you be so sure?" He asked.

"The pennies! He was always leaving me pennies whenever he visited, and they usually had some historical significance." She fingered the pennies gently.

"And what is the historical significance of these two?"

"Off the top of my head, nothing besides 1979 being my birth year and 2010 is this year for the baby!" She opened the cover of the book and smiled at the message. "To S.S. Congratulations on the baby! I wish you all the luck and good times on this next big adventure. Love J.S."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Juliet smiled.

"Too bad he couldn't be here for the party."

"Probably because he knew I would slap handcuffs on him so fast that he wouldn't have time to come up with some ridiculous story or promise me 50% of a treasure that he doesn't have." Carlton grumbled. "Now I can add another count of breaking and entering to the list."

"Oh Carlton, relax!" Juliet scolded. "Henry was the last one in here, so he probably left the book."

Sharon shook her head as she leafed through the book. "I wouldn't be surprised if my dad was the one who bought the book and stuck the pennies on."

Carlton frowned, "You really think that Henry would do something like that?"

"Why not?" Sharon shrugged. "He's done it before on my birthdays. Although, the handwriting doesn't look like how my dad usually forges it; so maybe it really is from my Uncle Jack"

"Either way, it was a sweet gesture." Juliet interrupted. "Now, while we did stock some of the drawers, there's a lot that is in the closet. Several people donated gently used baby clothes, up to 18 months, and some toys. Diapers are going to be your major expense, outside of medical bills, so people at the precinct started a diaper fund."

Carlton shook his head. "I still can't believe that so many people care."

"Because babies are magical!" Sharon smiled as she looked through the drawers. "They bring feelings of hope and joy."

Juliet smiled. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

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Once they had returned to the living room, Juliet made Sharon and Carlton sit in chairs in front of the television so that everyone could see them.

"Okay, so I know Carlton said no games, but this wouldn't be a baby shower without at least one!" Juliet smiled as Carlton rolled his eyes. "So, the first part of this game is really simple. Everyone is going to get both a blue card and a pink card. And when I count to three, everyone will hold up whichever color card represents the gender they think the baby is."

"Wait, since Carlton and I already know, are we playing too?" Sharon asked.

Juliet nodded as Gus passed out the cards. "Yes. If you just wait until after everyone else shows their cards, then you can tell us what gender the baby is! And the people who are correct, get a baby bottle full of treats."

"Well, in that case, you probably shouldn't let Doc Jen or Erma play since they already know!"

Erma smiled, "I specifically asked Jenny not to tell me, so I could guess on my own based on old medical practices."

"Huh, okay then." Sharon shrugged as she accepted the cards from Gus. "Thanks, Gus!"

"Alright, is everybody ready?" Juliet asked as she took her own cards. "On the count of three. One, Two, Three!"

Henry, Gus, Karen, and Lauren all held up blue cards while Juliet, Madeleine, and Erma held up pink cards.

Sharon turned to Carlton with a grin. "What do you think, Lassie? Should we make them wait until after dessert?"

He glared at her. "Just show them the card."

"Fine!" Sharon turned to Gus and shrugged. "Gus! That is twice tonight that you've betted wrong!" She held up the pink card and grinned. "I think you should stop while you're behind."

"Wait!" Henry interrupted. "I wouldn't put it past Sharon to hold up the wrong color just to mess with us. Carlton, Doctor Martinez, can you both confirm that the baby is indeed a girl?"

"Yes." Carlton answered.

Jen laughed. "Ordinarily, I would never share a patient's medical information; but I will make an exception in this case since I am just confirming that yes, Sharon is telling the truth."

"Oh, congratulations, Goose!" Madeleine exclaimed. "I know that you were hoping for a girl!'

"Thanks!" Sharon grinned. "It's just one less thing to worry about, and hopefully a girl will be easier to raise."

"Any kid of yours is going to be a handful." Henry commented, earning a smack from Karen. "What, I'm just saying that raising a kid is hard enough, let alone with everything else that Sharon has going on,

Erma smiled. "I think Sharon and Carlton balance each other out nicely, that they won't have a harder time than the average parents."

"Sharon and Carlton are anything but average." Gus said as he started handing out pens. "But one thing is for certain: they have a big support system to help them out."

"Here, here!" Juliet smiled. "And on that note, let's start with part two of our game!"

"Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom." Sharon mumbled as she stood up.

Carlton and Juliet shared a look and Carlton got up to follow her. Before Sharon could enter the bathroom, he stopped her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Sharon sighed as she looked down the hall before pulling Carlton into the bathroom. "I just need a minute to recenter myself." She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest.

"I can kick everyone out, if that would help." Carlton whispered as he placed one arm around her shoulders and his other hand in her hair.

"Mmm, tempting, but I'll be alright in a minute."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now. It's been such an overwhelming day, and my dad's comments hurt a bit more than usual. I don't think I have the emotional energy to rehash it right now."

"Okay. My offer still stands. I can text O'Hara and have everyone out within 5 minutes."

Sharon laughed. "Nah. I should have taken a nap before we came here, but I really wanted to go to the beach. I'm probably good for another hour before I need to lay down."

"Alright. I'll tell O'Hara that they have exactly 50 minutes, and not a second more!"

"Thanks for understanding." She smiled as she pulled back.

"Of course." Carlton cupped her cheek and rubbed her cheekbone gently. "I'm starting to reach the end of my rope as well."

"Well, we definitely don't want to risk that, especially with as many guns as you have laying around." She teased as she gave him a quick kiss. "Now, if you don't mind, I really do need to use the toilet."

Carlton rolled his eyes as he stepped back. "Alright. Just don't take forever!"

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Once the last of their visitors had left, Carlton went to check on Sharon. Juliet had managed to get most of the people out within 40 minutes, since the only things left were the cake and the second half of the game, which consisted of everyone suggesting baby names and the expecting parents giving each name a score of 1 to 10. Juliet and Madeleine had stuck around to help clean up, but they managed to be out within another 20 minutes. Carlton had not seen Sharon since she followed Gus to the kitchen, trying to haggle for more of the Jerk Chicken.

Seeing that the guest room, aka Sharon's room, was empty, Carlton decided to check his room. It was the furthest away from the kitchen and living room, so would have been ideal if Sharon wanted quiet. Sure enough, Sharon was fast asleep on Carlton's bed, hugging a baby blanket to her chest.

Shaking his head, Carlton went to check the doors and get ready for bed. As he walked back into his bedroom to get his phone charger, he heard Sharon mumble.

"Lassie, come to bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Mmm- hmm." She rolled to her side, her eyes still closed. "Plenty room."

"Okay." After hooking up his phone to the charger, he laid down on the other side of the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Closer." Sharon mumbled as she tried to reach a hand back to touch him. "Spooning."

He chuckled. "Okay." Curving around Sharon's back, he tucked one arm under his head and wrapped the other around Sharon, touching her belly. The baby kicked slightly at the contact, then quieted down.

"Mmm, happy baby, happy mama." Sharon mumbled as she placed her hand on top of his and laced their fingers together. "Night."

"Goodnight." Carlton whispered as he closed his eyes.