Thirty-two days. Since Andy's heart attack. Sharon counted the days, couldn't identify the source of her compulsive need to count the days. Andy was getting better. He complied with his doctor's orders, watched his blood pressure, ate well, and performed well in every benchmark that measured his recovery. A few days earlier, he climbed two flights of stairs without much effort, which led the doctor to clear Andy for sexual activity. Sharon wasn't surprised that Andy asked his doctor about that straight away. The man had a healthy sex drive, even when he couldn't have any. She was too worried to indulge him, though, and decided that no matter what advances Andy made, she'd put it off for at least another week, just to be safe.

Sharon was proud of Andy for taking his recovery seriously. While adhering to doctor's orders seemed like an appropriate response to a life-threatening health issue, Sharon knew that many people wouldn't be willing to change their lifestyles even if it meant that they were heading towards an early death. Sharon's father's diabetes necessitated sobriety, but it took a while until he agreed to go to rehab, and by then, his health issued had worsened.

Unfortunately for Andy, there wasn't much he could do to change his lifestyle. He had already changed his diet when he started having issues with his blood pressure, and after his blood clot, he cut back on most of his salt and sugar intake. He was never a smoker, and before his heart attack, he worked out four times a week. The only lifestyle change his doctor suggested was to better cope with stress, which Sharon thought would be the hardest task of all.

Once Andy was cleared for light physical activities, Rainie stepped in to help Andy learn some stress management techniques, and the two began practicing yoga together. Some days, Sharon joined them, to encourage both Andy and herself. When she worked in Internal Affairs, Sharon attended yoga classes twice a week. After transferring to Major Crimes, she no longer had the time to practice yoga. Joining Rainie and Andy's practices made her realize just how out of shape she was, despite swimming at least ten laps daily. Yoga required a different set of muscles and another method of breathing. Even after his heart attack, Andy was in much better shape than her, a testament to his deep commitment to maintaining his health.

"Hey, babe." Andy winked at her as they both went into Warrior I pose. Rainie was out with Heather, so Sharon took the time to practice with Andy. "You look great in that top. Just letting you know." He inhaled deeply before moving to Warrior III. His unsubtle flirting threw Sharon off balance, and she tripped. Andy suppressed a chuckle and slapped Sharon's butt as he transitioned from Warrior to Downward facing Dog.

"You're not getting laid for at least another week." Sharon groaned and sat on the mat, taking a lotus pose.

"The doctor cleared me." Andy straightened and took a similar pose to Sharon's. He wasn't flexible enough to rest his feet on his knees, but Rainie taught him an alternative position.

"But I didn't clear you," Sharon replied.

"We don't even have to go fast. I mean, even foreplay would be fun, don't you think?" he asked.

Sharon knew he was right. Foreplay would be harmless, but it would most likely not end there. They'd never managed to stop at foreplay.

"Come on. I know you wanna," Andy said.

"Of course I want to have sex with you," Sharon teased. "But not until I'm sure you'll survive it."

Andy groaned, but that was the end of the discussion.

Sharon threw a glance at her watch, "Why don't we go to the beach and watch the sunset?" They tried not to be too far away from home in case Andy had a medical emergency, but Sharon knew that Andy would return to work in a few days, and having a relaxing evening out of the condo would be a nice change for both of them.

"Sure," he said. "If you let me drive."

"Only if you promise not to drive like you're in a hot pursuit," Sharon quipped. "And not swear at the other drivers."

"I'll be completely Zen."

Sharon smiled, knowing that Andy's sarcasm was a way for him to express his frustration with the recent setback in his life. She could only imagine how debilitating a heart attack was for his independence.

They folded their yoga mats and stored them before leaving the house. A short time and a "Zen" drive later, they were sitting on a blanket and watching the sun setting into the ocean, coloring the sky in hues of pink and orange.

Andy pulled Sharon closer to his chest, burying his nose in her hair. "You know, when I realized the chest pain I was having was a heart attack, I was terrified. I saw my entire life before my eyes. All the things I haven't done yet, all the people I love."

Sharon's back stiffened, and she couldn't expel her breath from her lungs. She knew Andy had been scared—the desperate look in his eyes as they waited for the medics haunted her dreams. But he'd never spoken about it before.

"You've been such a good caretaker." Andy said. "But I think we've reached the point where you need to stop letting me feel like your patient and allow me to feel like your boyfriend."

Shifting in his arms so that she could see his face, she asked, "Is this about having sex again?"

"No," Andy said. "I know what I need to do to stay healthy. I don't need you to enforce that."

Tears welled in Sharon's eyes. "I'm so scared of losing you."

"I know. But feeling like you're in control isn't going to help. It just causes both of us more stress." Andy paused and took a deep breath. Sharon could sense that he was bracing himself for what he was going to say. "I don't want us to become one of those couples where one partner has the last word. I want us to be equal in this relationship, like we were until all of this happened."

Even as she nodded, the tears now sprung out of Sharon's eyes.

Andy rubbed soothing circles on her back. "It's okay. It's been a rough month for us. We'll get through it."

"I didn't mean to control you or change the balance in our relationship."

Swiping the tears from her cheeks, Andy nodded. "I know, babe. You meant well. But now it's time to get back to normal. We both need it."

Sharon pressed her lips to Andy's. He smiled against her mouth and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing against the small diamond stud she wore.

"I love you, babe. You brought so much light into my life."

Sharon sniffled. "Don't make this sappy."

"What's wrong with sappy if it's true?"

Andy wasn't wrong. Her feelings about Andy's presence in her life were somewhat sappy and cliché, but all of them were genuine.

"Do you think that now that we re-established our equality that we could have sex tonight?" Andy's question permeated Sharon's thoughts.

"Maybe just foreplay," Sharon said.

"I'll take that deal," Andy replied with a smile.

Of course he will, Sharon thought. He was horny as a teenager, and if Sharon was honest with herself, so was she.

-TBC-