A/N: There are only two chapters left for this story, so I thought I'd let you know. Thank you for sticking out with me all this time.


Despite being ill during winter break, Sharon managed to complete all the required reading for the next term. She knew that it would give her a head start in the next semester since she summarized all of them and could refer to her notes whenever she needed.

In the two days before the end of the break, students began filtering into the campus as they've returned from their vacation. Sharon realized that as hard as it was to get used to the silence at the beginning of the break, she now craved it.

"Oh, my God, what happened to you?" Sullivan asked when she returned from her vacation. She dragged her suitcase behind her.

Sharon looked at her roommate. Her long pink hair was tucked under a beanie and she looked relaxed. Winter break definitely did her some good.

"Meningitis," Sharon replied simply.

The expression on Sullivan's face changed from cheerful to concern. She walked to Sharon and looked at her closely. "You lost shitloads of weight, and you look really pale. Do you still have it?"

"No. I'm fine," Sharon offered her roommate a comforting smile.

"Now I feel terrible about leaving you here alone," Sullivan said.

"Don't feel this way," Sharon said. "I'm glad that you got to spend time with your family."

"Me too. I didn't realize how much I've missed them until now."

Sharon could relate. She knew from the very first day that she missed her family and friends back home, but she agreed that being busy dulled the longing.

For the next hour or so, Sharon listened to Sullivan talking about her winter break and everything she did. It was good to have Sullivan back, and Sharon realized that she truly missed her presence over the holiday. It was good to get back to normal, even if that normal was only going to last one more semester.

Sharon's foot shook under the desk as she tried to listen to the module the lecturer explained to the class. Karen, the student sitting next to her, sent her a vicious look, but Sharon ignored her. She was counting the minutes until Andy's arrival in San Francisco.

After his canceled trip into the city back in December, Sharon was afraid to hope that his spring break visit will happen, but he had called her a week earlier and let her know that he had flight tickets and that he will be able to make it to San Francisco as planned.

As she sat in her last class before the break, Sharon could feel the anticipation filling every cell in her body. It's been eight months since the last time they saw each other in person, and with three months still to go until the end of the academic year, Sharon needed his visit like oxygen.

Even three months after winter break, Sharon had not been able to regain the weight she lost and became tired more easily than before. The doctor said it could take a while for her body to recover from such a traumatic experience, and recommended occupational therapy. If only Sharon had time to spare for it, she would have gone. She hoped that Andy's visit would heal all her afflictions.

Sharon couldn't be happier when the lecturer dismissed the class, wishing his students a pleasant vacation. Sharon was fond of this lecturer, who must have been about Ricky's age, and reminded her of him. He was engaging and his lectures were fascinating, which was different than a few of the more drab classes by other lecturers. Still, with the conclusion of the class, Sharon made a beeline towards the exit and almost ran the way to her dorm.

Sullivan was there, her nose stuck in her phone as she scrolled endlessly through Twitter. Because spring break was only four days long, she decided to stay on campus. Sharon suspected it may have been because she didn't want to leave her alone in case Andy couldn't make it again. For some reason, Sullivan felt guilty for leaving Sharon over winter break, even though what happened was not her fault.

"Hey," Sullivan greeted her.

"Hi," Sharon replied as she took her duffle bag out of her closet and began to pack for the weekend.

"Excited?" Sullivan asked.

"You have no idea." Sharon flashed a radiant smile at her roommate.

Sullivan got up and walked towards Sharon's closet and inspected her clothes. "I hope you're planning to pack something sexy."

Sharon snorted.

"No, I'm serious. After so long, you're probably dying to get some action going," Sullivan said.

"You'll never know," Sharon teased her.

"Of course I will. You'll have the look," Sullivan said with a smug smile.

Sharon arched an eyebrow. "Well, in that case, I'll make sure to keep a straight face the next time I walk in here," she said. "What are you planning for your vacation?"

"I'll probably hit a couple of parties," Sullivan said. "Maybe I'll catch a movie or something, too."

"That sounds nice. If you feel like you need company, just give me a call. I won't be far."

"Like I would dare to interrupt you and your husband on your vacation," Sullivan replied.

Sharon insisted that Sullivan could call her any time if she needed something and zipped her duffle bag. "Okay, I'm ready. I hope you have a good time."

"You too, Sharon. You need it."

Sharon smiled at her roommate whose company has been a lifeline to her over the last three months, and shrugged as if it was nothing. Still, she knew that Sullivan was right. She needed a vacation and she needed to see Andy.

Slinging the duffle bag strap on her shoulder, she left the room and made her way down the two flights of stairs in the Student Residence Hall. She exited the building and made her way out of campus and towards the bus station. Since she flew to San Francisco when she moved here, and because students were not granted parking spots on campus, Sharon had to use the bus. As she got on the bus that would take her to the hotel where she and Andy planned to spend their vacation, it occurred to her that she hasn't driven in eight months. Surprisingly, it barely had any influence on her life in this city, mostly because her world was limited to the campus and the surrounding area, where everything was within a walking distance.

Sharon checked into the Marriott and got her room key while leaving the other for Andy at the reception. She went upstairs to the room. Andy's flight was scheduled to land at 7 p.m. and he was supposed to take a cab from the airport to the hotel. Sharon assumed that he would arrive at around 8 p.m., which was two hours away. The time gap offered Sharon a chance to indulge in a pampering bath, another privilege she hadn't had in the last eight months. Her residence hall had communal showers that offered very little privacy. It took Sharon a few weeks to get used to it, but as her school assignments began piling up, she couldn't afford to spend much time in the shower anyway. Seeing the jet tub the hotel room offered almost gave her a culture shock. Almost.

She felt her back muscles relaxing as she lay in the warm water in the tub. Until now, she hadn't realized that her spine carried that much tension. The bath water made her drowsy, and she let her eyes fall shut for a few minutes. When she opened them, the bathwater were cold and she realized that she dosed off and decided to get out of the bath.

Once she was out of the shower, Sharon dressed up and threw a glance at her watch. It was almost eight. Her stomach twitched painfully, and Sharon was barely able to contain the wave of nausea that washed over her. She usually felt this way before exams, so she knew that it meant that she was nervous. As soon as she admitted to herself that she was feeling anxious about meeting Andy, all her fears flooded her at once. This year had been challenging so far, and it was hard to define the unstable communication between Sharon and Andy as a long-distance relationship. What if they couldn't find a common language anymore? What if Andy no longer felt the same about her? Was he faithful to her while she was gone and does she have the right to be angry if he wasn't when it was her who left him? It took a long moment for Sharon to get out of her own head and realize that despite being married to this man for almost a decade, she still carried some trauma related to her first marriage and Jack's infidelity. Once she recognized the source of her distress, it was easier for her to calm down. Andy was not Jack, and she has always known this.

Sharon opened the mini bar and grabbed a can of coke. The sugar in the fizzy drink would help her calm down. She drank it slowly, and welcomed the sugar rush. Once she finished her coke, she went to brush her teeth. Even though she felt less distraught, Sharon did not feel entirely calm. The doubts about the effects of her prolonged absence on their relationship still remained on her mind when she heard the knock on the door, followed by a clicking sound as Andy opened the door and entered the room.

"Babe?" Sharon heard his voice.

She stepped outside of the bathroom and stood in front of him, unable to take another step towards him. It took Sharon a moment to notice the mop of soft red hair peeping from the baby sling on Andy's chest.

"Look at you," Andy said, closing the distance between them. One of his palms came to cup her cheek while the other went into her hair. "You look so different."

Tears veiled Sharon's eyes. Andy was there. Ember was there.

"You're dressed like a teenager." His lips curved up in a smile as his eyes raked over her.

Sharon opened her mouth to say something, but the words jumbled in her head and never made it past the threshold of her lips.

One of Andy's hands left her hair and took her hand instead. "I love you," he whispered.

That was all she needed to hear. "Me too."

"We're standing in the doorway," Andy smiled goofily and motioned towards the room.

Sharon nodded and, with her hand still in his, led him inside the room. "You brought Ember."

"Yes, Rainie thought you'd like to spend some time with her, and she seemed to need a vacation from motherhood for a few days," Andy explained.

"Is everything okay with her?" Sharon asked.

"Yes, she's a wonderful mother. Don't worry," Andy said as he went back to the hall to bring his suitcase and Ember's stroller into the room.

"I can't believe you carried all of this and Ember on your own," Sharon said.

Andy shrugged. "I'm used to it."

Sharon watched as he removed sleeping Ember from the sling and put her on the bed. Ember barely steered.

"She's so big," Sharon sighed. She looked at the sleeping infant and gently caressed the soft coppery curls. "I can't believe she's gonna be one year old next month. I've missed so much."

"No, babe, you've barely missed anything. Ember doesn't do anything monumental. She's a baby, so all you're missing is baby stuff." Andy took a seat on the bed next to Sharon. "You'll be there for the big things."

Tears filled Sharon's eyes. "I should have never agreed to come here, Andy."

"Babe, look at me." Andy took both of her hands in his. "In three months, you're going to graduate with a master's degree. Then, you'll come back home and do amazing things in the new position. Save the city and all that."

"Save the city." Sharon snorted. Andy always knew how to make her laugh.

Andy leaned in and captured her lips. "I'm so proud of you, babe. It's gonna be worth it."

"I hope," Sharon said.

"So, how about I take a quick shower, and then we'll go for food?"

"That sounds great, except Ember is sleeping. Should we wake her up?" Sharon asked.

"She'll probably wake up soon anyway, but we can put her in the stroller even if she doesn't," Andy said.

Dammit, he was so good with babies. From her conversations with Rainie, Sharon knew that Andy was a great help with Ember. She's seen him with Emily and Lily, too. Babies softened him, took the sarcasm out of him, and exposed a side of him that Sharon enjoyed watching.

While Andy was in the shower, Sharon dialed the reception and asked for a cot for Ember, which arrived a mere moment before Andy came out of the shower.

"Oh, great." Andy said when he saw Sharon moving Ember from the bed to the cot.

"Andy, why don't we dine in?" Sharon suggested. "It wouldn't feel right to take her out. She looks so peaceful."

"She only looks like that when she's asleep. When she's awake, she's like the Energizer Bunny."

His words made Sharon burst into laughter. "All the more reason to order room service."

After they ordered from the room service menu, they took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Let me look at you," Andy said and cupped her chin. "You look so different than you were in LA."

Sharon wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing.

"Your hair is longer," he said, raking his fingers through her hair. She had grown it longer than it used to be and styled it differently. Nowadays, styled her hair in either a messy bun or half bun, like she saw other students doing. It was an easy and comfortable do that saved her a lot of time on styling. This evening, it was in a half bun.

"Yeah, I decided to grow it," Sharon said.

Andy pulled the elastic that held her bun and let her hair fall on her shoulders. "I like your highlights."

Sharon smiled. "I let my roommate experiment on my hair, and it turned out fab, so I kept it," Sharon explained.

"God, you talk like those kids!" Andy said. "Who are you, and what did you do with my wife?"

Sharon giggled. "While you're at that, I should probably tell you that my roommate convinced me to pierce my ears." Sharon tucked a strand of hair behind her ear to expose her upper lobe earring and her helix ring.

"These are nice," Andy complimented her. "Did you get that on both ears?"

"No, just this one. Hurt like crazy. It was worse than when my mom pierced my ears with a sewing needle when I was eleven,"

"That sounds like a horror story," Andy said.

"You have no idea."

"I know you feel like you missed out on everything, but I'm beginning to feel like I'm the one who missed out on my wife. You're so different than who you were back home." Andy's voice was sad.

"I'm still me, Andy. I'm just trying to fit in here," Sharon replied and took his hand.

"Seems like it's working. I mean, you're stunning, but I doubt everyone at home would recognize you if you show up to work with this hair and wearing torn jeans and a My Chemical Romance T-shirt."

"Just to make it clear, the MCR T-shirt was bought by Rainie, who was the one to choose my wardrobe before I came here. But have you ever listened to their music?"

"Pure noise," Andy commented.

"No, seriously. I had a chance to listen to some of their songs and they're deep. But according to my roommate, I'm one generation behind, which I guess is a compliment considering our age difference. So apparently, nowadays kids listen to Billie Eilish," Sharon said.

Andy made a disgusted face that made Sharon smile. "You might want to consider writing a book about your remote year. It seems like you've made a few anthropological discoveries here."

"Come on, you should be more open minded, especially considering the fact that Ember will probably grow up listening to even worse artists," Sharon teased.

"No way. Ember is going to listen to all the great legends of our generation, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Queen, Fleetwood Mac," Andy said.

"I'll never say no to Stevie Nicks," Sharon agreed.

"I mean, could you ever? Our music was cool. Today's music is trash."

The glint in Andy's eyes when he argued his point made Sharon smile. She missed this banter with him, knowing that no matter who wins the debate, it was still an important part of their relationship. She leaned forward and captured his lips.

Andy wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer as he lay back, bringing her on top of him.

Feeling his so close made every nerve end in Sharon's body tingle with excitement. She craved his touch, needed it like air.

A knock on the door marked the arrival of their dinner, and Sharon reluctantly drew back. The loss of contact when Andy got off the bed to open was scorching her skin. She lied back, panting as she watched him roll the cart with their plates into the small seating area between the balcony door and the bed. It took her a moment to regulate her breath, get up, and help Andy set their dinner table.

Sharon and Andy sat and ate their dinner in relative quiet. Andy seemed particularly hungry, and Sharon enjoyed watching him eat.

"Umm, do you still watch your blood pressure?" Sharon asked as she watched her husband devouring a full plate of creamy pasta.

"Yeah. I eat pretty lean meals. Sometimes Rainie cooks us a more hearty meal, but other than that, I'm watching my salt and sugars pretty well. What about you? You're playing with your food but haven't taken a bite."

"I'm actually not that hungry," Sharon said.

Andy looked at her for a long moment and Sharon couldn't decipher the meaning behind his blank expression.

"I didn't really wanna say it, but you lost a lot of weight," Andy said. "And it doesn't look particularly healthy."

"My appetite is not great since I've been to the hospital. The doctor said there's nothing wrong with me. He thinks it's in my head – sent me to occupational therapy," Sharon said. "I just can't eat much. I get nauseous."

"Maybe you should go to a few occupational therapy sessions, then," Andy suggested.

"The clinic's schedule conflicts with my school schedule," Sharon said.

"Then find a clinic that works different hours. Babe, I don't think you're at a healthy weight right now, and you need to take care of it. Maybe your hospitalization experience caused some emotional trauma. I mean, it must have been terrifying to be alone in a situation like that."

"It was," Sharon admitted. "I promise I'll get that checked out again, Andy."

Sharon made an honest attempt to eat, but the food made her feel ill and she stopped. Andy looked at her worriedly, but she assured him she was okay and that she would try again later.

After they finished eating, Sharon and Andy went to bed. Even though they were both tired, they laid in the dark and spoke for hours, telling each other what life was like on their end. Those late night conversation were something Sharon missed. The closeness of Andy's body to hers made her feel loved and when Sharon's exhaustion finally took over, she rested her head on Andy's shoulder and closed her eyes, knowing that tomorrow morning she'll wake up and Andy will still be there.

-TBC-