A/N 6.01 Sanctuary City Part 1 missing scene. No beta, all mistakes are mine.
A/N2 Originally I had planned to start a new story for season 6, but after I started writing this, I changed my mind. It seemed to flow well and reflect upon other chapters of Hearts after Midnight.
The sound of the condo door closing drew Andy's attention away from the book in his lap. Without speaking or even a second glance, Rusty rounded the corner to the hallway. The slam of his bedroom door soon followed, echoing through the quiet space. With a roll of his eyes and soft shake of his head, Andy stood, silently making his way to their partially open bedroom door. He peaked inside, finally letting out the breath he didn't realize he was holding at the sight of her still sleeping form. He pulled the door almost closed, leaving it open only a few inches. Padding back to the sofa in his sock feet, Andy once again settled into the corner of the sofa, his attention easily migrating back to his book. Seven pages later at the sound of on-coming footsteps, he gently closed his book.
"Where's Mom?" The kid's tone was clipped as he continued into the kitchen. Running his hand across his face, Andy slipped his reading glasses off. He turned, watching as Rusty held the refrigerator door open, "there's still two pieces of chicken in here…" by this time Andy was standing to the right of the sofa, "One was for me and one was for Mom." He peered at Andy over the top of the refrigerator door.
"She thought she wanted soup instead…" The sound of the refrigerator being slammed shut, stopped Andy in his tracks. His eyes met Rusty's now only a few feet away, the anger and irritation evident. "Sharon told me about Gus…"
Rusty slowly shook his head, "I'm not discussing Gus."
Raising his hands in the air, Andy backed away, "Fine…fine, I was just trying to help…"
"Instead trying to help me, have you thought about helping Mom!" the bite to Rusty's words did not go unnoticed.
"Excuse me?" Andy tried to keep his voice calm.
"I have text messages from Emily and Ricky, both wanting to know how Mom's appointment with her doctor went. The appointment," Rusty's voice rose with each word, "you…let her miss."
With a deep sigh, Andy stepped toward the balcony door, "Come on…" he motioned. With a scowl, Rusty remained unmoving. "Please?" Quietly sliding the glass door open, Andy's dark eyes met Rusty's once again. "Rusty…" his tone was dangerously low. With a huff, the kid stepped across the living room, through the door still held open by Andy.
"I don't understand…" Rusty started before Andy could get the door closed all the way.
"What I don't understand," Andy interrupted, "is why we have to continue having this same conversation over and over again. Do you honestly think I don't have your Mom's best interest at heart?" He stepped to the railing, looking out over the distant lights, his tone grew louder, "How dare you! How dare you once again question my concern!"
"I'm not questioning..." Rusty stammered. "It's just...If roles were reversed, Mom would have insisted you go to your doctor and you just let her…"
"Rusty…" Andy ran both hands over his face, "I called and spoke directly to your mother's doctor this afternoon. I explained everything that has been going on and we... both agreed that it would be best to reschedule. I didn't just…" his breath caught, "let her skip it."
"I didn't know…" Rusty started.
"Of course, you didn't know," the frustration in Andy's voice was unmistakable. "You never gave me a chance to tell you. You just automatically assumed once again that I…" Anger threatened to consume him, "Just forget it!" His hands gripped the railings, his eyes slipped closed as he willed himself to calm down. After a few measured breaths he turned, finally looking at Rusty, "Have you stopped for even one minute to think about what this case is doing to her? You know what the church and that school mean to her. Not to mention..." his words died slowly on his lips, "Damn-it..." Andy shook his head and turned away.
"Not to mention? Not to mention what?" worry seeped through Rusty's voice.
"Hobbs came to see your Mom tonight, there's new information on Stroh." Andy stepped closer, his tone dropping even more. "I don't exactly know what...I didn't want to push her, she said we would all discuss it...in the morning. But it's just one more thing..."
"I didn't know..." Rusty repeated for the second time tonight. He looked down unable to meet Andy's glare.
"Here's the thing, let's forget Stroh for a moment; other than that sick bastard, I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know. Sharon has spent her entire life taking care of everyone else, putting everyone and everything before herself. And that is not going to change, I…We… just have to work harder to find ways to help her that don't seem so… obvious. Why do you think I asked you to bring her something to eat yesterday?"
Rusty shrugged, "I…guess, I assumed you were too busy."
"Nope, wrong answer." Slowly shaking his head, Andy moved to sit in a nearby chair, "I knew, if you were the one to bring her dinner, she would stop and take a few minutes to sit with you, maybe eat a little more than she would if I asked her to." Leaning forward, Andy rested his head in his hands, "I know trust comes really hard for you but, Rusty…can't you see we are in this together? We both love your mother, we both are worried sick about her and we both would do anything to make sure that she is okay."
Silence filled the night air for what seemed like several minutes, Andy looked up at the sound of a chair scrapping across the tile of the balcony floor. Pulling the chair closer, Rusty sat with a deep sigh, "I know that…deep down, I really do. I just let…other things cloud my judgement. I am sorry…I honestly believe that you are every bit as worried as I am. Where is she, by the way, you never said."
Andy's eyes met Rusty's, even in the dim light, he could see the concern etched deep within them, "She fell asleep while I was running her bath, I just didn't have the heart to wake her."
Rusty leaned forward with another deep sigh, "I take it she didn't get any rest last night?"
Andy slowly shook his head, "Between you and me, I don't think she has even sat on the new sofa in her office."
Rusty's soft chuckle echoed through the night, "I told you…"
Andy couldn't help but join in, "Don't even get me started, I think team has a bet going…"
"Just like they did when you and Mom weren't…dating." Rusty's emphasis on the word dating made them both laugh even harder. So hard in fact, neither heard the soft whoosh of the door sliding open.
"You two are having a good time." Both men looked up, surprised at the low sound of her voice. Andy stood, quickly pulling her into his arms. "Sorry I fell asleep, I guess I didn't realize how tired I really was," she leaned in placing a soft kiss to his cheek.
Pulling her even tighter, Andy slowly ran his hands up and down the blush cashmere robe covering her back while he eyed Rusty. "The Kid and I were just about to have some dinner, so you're just in time."
"Oh, okay…" she shivered into the warmth of Andy's hold, "That sounds good, I like the idea of the three of us sitting down together."
Rusty stood, moving quickly to the open doorway, he paused, taking a moment to meet Andy's eyes over his mother's shoulder, "Me too, Mom. Me too."
