A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. Things in my life are a bit complicated right now, so I can't promise that I'll post regularly, but I haven't abandoned this story. I'm still writing it, just a bit slower.
As always, I wanna thank the awesome blossom-of-snow for her help editing this story. She's rockin' it.
Dealing with Jack at work had always been an exhausting and emotionally taxing task for Sharon, but this encounter was exasperated by his decision to bring their personal relationship into her workplace. During his unsanctioned visit, Jack made several sarcastic remarks about her relationship with Andy, and in return, she told him to go to hell. Sharon could deal with his mean-spirited teasing, but once he broke Andy's health issue to the Major Crimes Squad, she couldn't control the fury that took over her. And if that wasn't enough, Andy's blood clot weighed heavily on her mind. Their relationship was so new, and the clot was threatening to take it away from her, from them.
Knowing that Andy was waiting for her at the condo didn't make her feel better. He was the perfect guest, and she loved having him there, but the thought that his continued stay marked deterioration in his health soured the pleasure.
Her head felt heavy when she unlocked the door to the condo. The idea that she had to tell Andy that the team knew about his health issues made a lump settle at the base of her throat.
As soon as she walked through the door, Andy turned the volume on the TV down and turned to her. "Hi there, babe."
His smile was endearing, but in this case, seeing it only made her feel guiltier. Sharon wished she could return the smile. She took a moment to discard her purse and jacket at the entrance before stepping into the living room and taking a seat by his side.
"How was your day?" he asked.
Sharon's eyes filled with tears, and she bit her trembling bottom lip.
"Can't be that bad," Andy said, rubbing her back.
Sharon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I gotta tell you something, but please don't get mad, okay?"
"Why would I get mad at you?" He took her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles.
"I did something you won't like."
"You didn't tell the team about my blood clot, did you?" Andy asked.
Sharon barely held back the tears that welled in her eyes.
"Oh, crap." Andy's face flushed, and Sharon feared that his clot might migrate up his neck.
"I'm so sorry, Andy. Jack mentioned that you weren't doing well in front of the whole team and Taylor." She paused, bracing herself for the possibility of one of Andy's infamous outbursts. In the depth of her heart, Sharon knew that he would never raise his voice on her, but memories of how upsetting news was handled in her past relationships still made her body go into defense mode. "They started asking questions. Taylor wouldn't let it go."
"I'm going to be bound to a desk forever, won't I?" Andy groaned.
"For a while," Sharon confirmed. "I'm really sorry, Andy. If there was a way I could have avoided that, I would have."
"I'm not mad at you, Sharon," Andy squeezed her hand. "Your ex-husband is a grade-A asshole."
"He is," Sharon agreed. She rested her head on Andy's shoulder and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the living room was dark, and both she and Andy were covered with a throw blanket. She lifted her head from Andy's shoulder, and he stirred.
"Oh, great, you're up. I was beginning to lose feeling in my arm," he joked.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Because you look so adorable when you sleep. You make this funny little sound, like a moan, but softer," Andy said.
Sharon hummed and kissed his cheek. "I'll have to remember you like that." Before Andy could respond, she gasped, "What time is it?" Sharon fished her phone out of her skirt pocket. She winced when the bright light from the screen hit her eyes. It was 2:00 a.m. "Let's go to bed."
They got up and walked to the bedroom as quietly as they could. Sharon fumbled with the buttons of her shirt while Andy unzipped her skirt, quickly pushing it down her body.
"That slip is sexy as hell," he said as Sharon finally managed to undo all the buttons of her blouse.
"I thought we're not supposed to – you know." Sharon motioned between them.
"We're not, but I can still appreciate what I see."
"I'll keep that in mind," Sharon said as she quickly unclasped her bra and exchanged the silk slip for a cotton nightgown. They crawled into bed together. "How's your shoulder?"
"It's better," Andy replied. "It was nice having you so close. I wish we could do more."
"I'm sure once your meds start kicking in and the clot breaks down, we'll be able to go back to where we left off."
"I can't wait for that to happen. Looking at you and not being able to touch you is torture."
"If it's any consolation, I feel the same. I miss you. I mean, you're right here, but I miss feeling you," Sharon admitted and felt her cheeks blushing in the dark.
"I know it's not a substitute for anything, but my hand is always here for you to hold until we can do more. And I'm sorry that I can't provide you with what you need right now," Andy said and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "It's going to be okay."
"I'll hold you to this promise," Sharon replied as she closed her eyes and let sleep claim her again.
While Andy was able to sleep through the night, Sharon woke up several times and made sure he was still breathing, still with her. She knew he hated that she fussed around him, but she was worried about his health. Every time she woke up, she spent several minutes listening to his breathing and watching his chest rise and fall with every breath. Even in the dark, she could see that his face was calm. It made her feel better. In her heart, she said a quick prayer for him and asked God to watch over him when she couldn't.
Morning greeted them with soft sunrays that washed the bedroom in warm light, but neither of them was ready to get up. Sharon spooned closer to Andy and buried her face in his chest. She felt his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her even closer.
"Good morning, beautiful," he rasped, and the sound of his voice made her heart flutter in relief.
Sharon responded with a soft hum. "Morning," she mumbled after a moment, feeling the exhaustion of the sleepless night. "Hold me tighter."
Andy happily obliged, and in the warmth of his arms, Sharon allowed herself to fall back asleep. It was the sweet smell that wafted into the room that woke them up, about half an hour later.
"Smells like Rainie is baking something delicious."
"It makes me want to get up, even though I really don't want to," Sharon spoke against Andy's chest.
As if on cue, Andy's stomach growled loudly, and Sharon giggled.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh away," Andy grumbled. "I know you're hungry too."
"I am," Sharon agreed. "I'm just more subtle about it."
After quickly going through their morning routine, they walked down the hall to the living room, holding hands and rubbing their shoulders together as they walked. They were surprised to find a strange girl sitting at the dining table, while Rainie cooked breakfast in the kitchen.
"Good morning," Sharon said.
The girl returned a shy smile.
"Mom, this is Heather. We're doing an art project together for school, and I invited her for breakfast so we can go and work on our project. I hope it's okay," Rainie said.
"Of course. It's nice to meet you, Heather," Sharon greeted her. Heather had dark hair that cascaded over her shoulder and piercing blue eyes. When she smiled shyly, Sharon could see she had dimples.
"I've made enough for everyone, so feel free to join us," Rainie said.
"Thank you, sweetie. We'd love that," Sharon said as she and Andy took their seats at the table.
Breakfast started a bit awkwardly as Sharon and Andy tried to get a sense of what kind of person Heather was and about her relationship with Rainie. The flush that covered Rainie's face did not escape Sharon, nor did the fact that the girls were holding hands under the table. She smiled into her cup of coffee, feeling a joyful tingle inside her chest. She wanted Rainie to be happy and feel like she deserved to be loved. She didn't know Heather yet, but she appeared to be a nice and intelligent girl, and Sharon hoped this relationship would be good for her daughter.
After they finished eating, Sharon and Andy insisted that they will be the ones to clean up while the girls should go work on their art project.
"This girl didn't come here to work on no art project. You know that, right?" Andy asked after the girls retreated to Rainie's bedroom.
"Of course not," Sharon replied. "Although it surprises me how Rainie never thinks we would figure things like that out. I mean, it's our job to solve crimes that are much more complicated than this."
"Teenagers, they think they're so smart," Andy grinned.
Sharon shrugged. If Rainie needed more time to figure this relationship out, or to find the courage to tell Sharon about it, it was fine. After nursing Rainie's broken heart once before, Sharon wanted her daughter to experience a healthy relationship, where she mattered. She knew that it was too early to tell if this relationship had any future, but she hoped for the best.
"I can read your thoughts," Andy whispered into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "And she's going to be just fine no matter how this turns out."
"How do you know that?"
"Because she has a mother like you who will stand by her side no matter what," Andy replied.
Sharon hummed and turned in his arms. "Do you wanna go see a movie and let them spend some time together?"
A wicked smile spread across Andy's face as if she suggested they'll destroy the set of Badge of Justice. That man was a hopeless romantic, that was for sure, and Sharon was quite convinced by now that he was a keeper.
-TBC-