Chapter 14: Punch. Drunk. Love.

Andy was walking out of Reuben's Deli, when all of a sudden, a sucker punch hit him in the eye.

Andy turned to see who the offender was and saw that it was none other than Jackson Raydor.

Punches started flying in front of the deli, until the owner, Bruce came out and broke the two of them up.

"Enough!" said Bruce.

"Sorry, Bruce," Andy apologized.

"This guy's been screwing my wife for months. Of course, I'm gonna hit him," yelled Jack.

"Ex-wife. Or did you forget you signed the papers jackass?!" retorted Andy.

"Enough! You both walk away now or I'm calling the police. Now get!" shouted Bruce.

"Sorry, Bruce. It won't happen again," said Andy as he walked one way and Jack walked the other.

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Provenza when Andy walked into the squad room with a black eye and a busted lip.

"Sharon's ex-husband thought I was screwing her and hit me. It's not a big deal," Andy brushed him off as he headed towards the break room for some ice.

"Are you screwing her?" asked Provenza.

"No!" exclaimed Andy.

"Then why did he think you were screwing her?" asked Provenza.

"Because I showed up at her house in the middle of the night and arrested him for drunk and disorderly a few months back. How that means I'm screwing her is beyond me. He's a deranged drunk who refuses to get help," answered Andy.

"This Sharon sounds like trouble. I'd stay away from her if I were you," Provenza inserted his opinion.

"Bullshit. She's my friend. If I can keep that jackass away from her and the kids, I'm gonna do it," said Andy.

"Whatever," said Provenza as he walked away and back into the squad room to look up something.

He looked up Sharon's name in the directory and saw she worked in the Force Investigation Division and thought to himself that Andy was in more trouble than he thought with this one.

He made the decision to go down a couple floors and talk to this Sharon Raydor gal because she had his partner in knots.

Meanwhile, down a few floors, Sharon was in her office doing paperwork when there was a knock on the door of her office.

"Hey Serge. There's a Louie Provenza from Robbery Homicide here to see you," said the officer.

"Send him in. Thanks, Kevin," said Sharon as Kevin tried to lead Provenza in.

"I've got at least fifteen or twenty years on you, probie. I think I can lead myself into the Sergeant's office," replied Provenza gruffly.

Sharon thought to herself that this guy was just as gruff and grumpy as Andy had told her he was.

"How can I help you, Sergeant?" asked Sharon.

"You can help me by staying the hell away from my partner," Provenza told her.

"I think Andy's qualified to make his own decisions on whom he interacts with," Sharon shot back.

"Not when it involves your ex-husband. He thinks the two of you are sleeping together!" exclaimed Provenza.

"I can assure you that's not true. Not that it would be any of your business if we were," replied Sharon matter of factly.

"Well, it becomes my business when my partner comes into the squad room after lunch with a black eye and a busted lip from your ex-husband," retorted Provenza.

"What? When was this? Is he okay?" asked Sharon.

"Come upstairs and see for yourself," replied Provenza as he left her office and headed for the elevators.

Instead of going up into Andy's squad room and likely making a scene, she called him and told him to meet her at the top of the parking garage at 6:15pm.

Once Andy got off the phone, he said to Provenza, "You told her?!"

"What did you expect me to do? You've been acting weird lately and now this. I wish you'd just stay away from that woman. She seems like trouble," Provenza told him.

"I think that's my decision to make, don't you think?" asked Andy.

"Fine. Do what you want. Just don't come complaining to me if it all goes sideways," said Provenza.

"Fine," replied Andy grumpily.

Six fifteen came around and Andy went to go meet an already waiting Sharon at the top of the parking garage.

As he walked towards her, she looked at his face horrified.

"Oh my god! He did this to you?" Sharon asked him, referring to Jack.

"Yeah. Whacked me in the eye as I was coming out of Reuben's. Bruce had to break us up," Andy told Sharon.

"Us? Meaning you were both fighting?" questioned Sharon.

"Yeah," said Andy nonchalantly.

"I don't need you getting in fights for me. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," Sharon told him.

"I know that, Sharon, but if it keeps his drunk ass away from you and the kids, I'm willing to take a few hits," Andy told her.

"I don't need you for that, Andy! I can handle Jack myself!" exclaimed Sharon exasperatedly.

"I didn't start the fight Sharon, but I sure as hell was gonna finish it!" yelled Andy.

"Are you listening to anything I'm saying Andy? I don't need you to defend my honor or whatever this is," Sharon told him.

"Sharon, he thinks we're screwing!" yelled Andy exasperatedly.

"So what?! Let him think whatever he wants. Just don't let him goad you into another fight. Are we clear?" asked Sharon.

"No, we're not clear. I don't regret what I did and I'd do it again if provoked," Andy told her.

"Provenza was right. You're acting totally out of character lately," an incensed Sharon told him.

"I did it for you," Andy told her calmly.

"You what? How many times have I told you that I don't need you for that?!" exclaimed Sharon.

"Then, what do you need me for?!" Because I'm tired of playing this in between game with you," Andy told her exasperatedly.

"What are you talking about?" Sharon asked him concernedly.

"This in between friends and something more game we've been playing for months. Let's just be honest. I care about you. A lot more than I should and definitely as more than a friend at this point. You're my best friend and every time something exciting happens, you're the first person I wanna tell. When the kids have something exciting to celebrate, you're the one I want to be there by my side. Hell, when the bad stuff happens, I want you there, too," admitted Andy.

Sharon's eyes look from one side of the parking garage to the other for an exit before she bolts her way towards the stairwell and to her car.

Meanwhile, Andy is left standing at the top of the parking garage alone and wondering what he just did.

Did he make the right decision to tell her how he felt or would it just push her even further away.

Only time would tell.

Or at least that's what he told himself fifteen minutes later as he took the elevator down to the floor his car was parked on.