"Morning, Sir," Julio looked up at Andy as he started to sit down for their workshop. It was July 3 now, and this was the last place most of the people in the room wanted to be, but here they were. Andy nodded as he put his cup of coffee on the table and looked over at Gabriel.
"No offense, Gabriel, but I thought Mike was in this class with Julio and me," he commented, a questioning look on his face.
"Yeah, he was, that is until Chief got out of this by throwing me under the bus. I'm here to take notes for her, and sure, I get the course done too. She came up with some reason she couldn't go to either of the next classes, and anyway, I am not sure I understand it, but she sent me today and must do some abbreviated part of it next week with the notes I send, something about still taking the end of class little test with the notes I have. I try not to ask," he threw up his hands.
Andy chuckled, "Yeah, well, it's Chief. She seems to talk her way out of a lot and get her way. It's working for her. What's going on?" Andy sat and tried to get comfortable.
"Well, Sir, I was just daring Gabriel here, and he wasn't taking me up on the offer," Julio smirked.
"It's not that good of an offer, a free lunch. Nope, I'm fine right here," he nodded.
"What's the bet or dare, whatever you are debating?" Andy asked as he sipped his coffee.
Julio grinned, "I told Gabriel if he went over there and sat next to the captain all day, I'd buy him lunch tomorrow. She's over there in the corner, and it's like she has a disease or something. No one wants to sit near her."
"And, I told him that wasn't that great of a deal. I don't want to make small talk with her all day. Sure, I can get through a few minutes at work, but we're talking like nine hours, maybe more if the speakers run late. Lunch tomorrow isn't worth it. I'll buy my own lunch," he nodded.
Andy glanced to where the men were looking and sure enough, Sharon was seated across the room by an exit. He hadn't noticed her when he'd walked in, but he wasn't exactly looking for her. He hadn't spoken to her in a couple weeks, not since she returned his phone call with a simple text that said, "I'm in Arizona with my parents. Nothing is wrong." He'd left that alone, as he could tell she didn't want to discuss it more. Apparently, her idiots didn't have that information or just didn't realize that by not knowing where she was or not saying where she was, it was a bit alarming for a-then six-and-a-half-month pregnant woman. Now, she was around seven months by his quick calculation, and by the way she was sitting, he cringed, noting she looked uncomfortable and very pregnant.
"I'll take the bet," Andy nodded and stood. He looked to the men, both of whom were now staring at him, their faces clearly surprised.
"Sir?" Julio looked up at him as Andy continued to look toward her while he took a swig of his coffee. He glanced back at both men and nodded.
"I'll take the bet, but," he held up his hand with a stipulation. "I'm calling lunch today. Now, you'll argue I'll move after lunch. I won't, and you can tell the captain this little plan if I do, but lunch today, and you have to get lunch for the captain too. Just look at her," he glanced. "I'm sure the last thing she wants to do is get out in this heat and find something to eat. Just get both of us a salad or something. I really don't care. You know what I like I'm sure she will eat anything you get. Get a muffin or whatever for her too. I'm sure the kid keeps her hungry."
"Wait, you are going to willingly go sit with her all day? Why?" Gabriel asked.
Andy rolled his eyes and shrugged, "It's no skin off my back. Whatever. I'll see if I can get her to laugh. You two can watch all day. I already got stuck with her back at Christmas on that case. Free lunch sounds nice," he smirked.
"Free lunch, you and the captain," Julio repeated and nodded.
"Yup," Andy took the last sip of his coffee and moved from the table. "I'd better go. This class will be starting soon. There's two of you," he gestured to each of them. "One gets my lunch, and one of you can get hers. Easy. Have a good morning," he flashed a grin and walked toward Sharon. The guys were right; no one wanted to sit near her. She just had that reputation in the building. As the officers were filing in, two were now sitting at the end of Sharon's row, but otherwise, it was empty. She was on the end, and there were five seats between her and the other officers now. He walked over, made his way into the aisle, and he put his phone down next to her. The room was set up as a large classroom would be with stadium seating, chairs and tables in each row. She looked up, as she had been reading through a stack of paperwork.
"You know," he smirked and continued, "this class is a break from work, annoying as it is. You aren't supposed to bring work to the class for the day."
"Are you in here all day too?" she sighed, looking up at him, slightly annoyed.
Andy pulled out the chair and sat down, looking over at her, "Nah, I just like to wander around this place when I'm supposed to be hard at work protecting the citizens of Los Angeles. Of course, I'm in the class today," he rolled his eyes.
"You always get snarky," she snipped and looked back at her paperwork.
"Part of my charm," he flashed a grin. He turned back toward Julio and Gabriel, who were sitting in the back row of the auditorium and waved. Sharon saw him do that out of the corner of her eye. Two more people sat down in their row, and Andy nodded to them.
"You can go and rejoin your group over there," she hummed. "I am well aware no one in this room wants to sit next to me," she stated and signed another form.
Andy leaned toward her slightly, but made sure it was still a respectable distance, mostly for the benefit of the guys watching him and said, "Oh, I'm here all day. See, my team had a bet going. Be lucky it's me because Julio started out by daring Gabriel to sit here all day. He wasn't interested, but obviously, I jumped at the chance to sit next to you and the princess."
Sharon kept her head bent toward the paperwork, but she tilted her head and rolled her eyes at him. She sighed, "Look, whatever deal you made, I'll double to make you go away."
"Really," he paused and put his hand to his mouth to think about it. "That is tempting, but you might want to hear the deal before you suggest that. The deal is they have to buy me lunch, or rather, buy US lunch. I told them that with you being this pregnant, it would be nice if you didn't have to go out in this awful heat today to find lunch. Now, I'm fully capable you can and even to prove a point, would walk miles in the heat today, but in thinking of you and the princess, they will be bringing both of us lunch. Now, if you are offering to double that, that means you are buying me lunch for TWO days. I'm good with that if you are," he flashed a smirk and sat back to cross his arms.
Sharon put down her pen, a bit forcefully and turned toward him, "I don't need others buying me lunch. Because I have no interest in having lunch with you, fine," she waved her hand, "stay."
"Excellent," he nodded and grinned. "So, before this thing starts, how are you doing? How's the princess?"
Sharon looked to him, her lips pursed and shook her head. She let out a long breath, "Fine, and you don't need to worry about me or MY baby."
Andy leaned toward her and dropped his voice, "Come on, Sharon. I'm just asking as a friend. She's getting big," he nodded to her. "Everything going okay."
"Yes, fine as I said. I'm sitting here by the door because the baby has taken residence on my bladder, and I go to the restroom about every half hour. I'm trying not to get irritated, but my body has just completely rebelled against me. Nothing fits. I keep having to buy new clothing," she said with a crisp tone.
He leaned toward her again as the speaker took the stage, "And, I must say, you look lovely in that navy dress."
"Hmm, this tent," she stated, glancing to her last bit of paperwork before the class started. "Your money bought it, so glad you like it." Sharon said that, closed her folder, and she looked to her purse as if she was looking for something. Andy tried not to smile, but he was glad she'd used the money to buy some clothing. He decided to ignore it, especially since the speak had started. Instead, he sat back, crossed his arms, and he tried to pay attention. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he noticed Sharon pulling out a bottle of Tums. She ate a couple and then put the bottle on the table. He nodded to himself. He'd have to ask her about the reflux or heartburn. When she turned forward, he briefly caught her eye and flashed a grin. She let out a low scowl and shook her head. Yes, he was fine with this bet.
During the first break, Andy didn't get a chance to speak to Sharon. She darted out to go to the bathroom, her third trip in the hour and a half they'd been in the conference. He noted that she wasn't kidding about having to use the restroom and wanted to make sure he asked her if she needed anything. Instead, he walked to the back to talk to the guys.
"Enjoying the back row?" he raised his eyebrows at the two.
"Sir, I really can't believe you stayed down there. We both thought you'd come back here. We're not even paying attention," Julio added.
"I even broke down and bought a crossword puzzle book like Provenza has," Gabriel grinned. "These classes are always awful."
"Agree," Andy nodded. "It's fine, where I'm sitting, and I'm going to really enjoy my salad at lunch. Oh," he flashed another grin, "maybe an iced tea or lemonade to go with it? Make sure you get one for the captain too," he winked. The session was about to start, and he knocked on the table before returning to his seat. Sharon was just sitting down too, and he gave her a nod as she sat.
"This day keeps getting worse," she huffed as she sat and snatched her bottle of Tums.
He eyed her and nodded to the bottle, "Baby bothering you?"
She rolled her eyes, "Yes, he is. I'm having a lot of reflux. Doctor said these are okay for now, but I must limit myself each day. I am. I've always had reflux issues when pregnant. This isn't different, but it's just one more thing. I am really irritated because while on that break, I just spoke to my doctor's office. I failed the one-hour glucose test and have to go back."
"Wait, what?" Andy asked. He shook his head, "Sorry, what is that? I don't remember much from when Sandra was pregnant. You failed a test? Is that a problem for the baby?"
She pursed her lips, "No, it shouldn't be. Around 28 weeks, you must take a blood glucose test. It's a one-hour test, and if you fail that, you must go back and sit for a three-hour one. I failed the first one. That could be why he's so big. He's supposed to be around two pounds now, but I feel like he's full grown, like seven pounds! I cannot believe I still have another 12 weeks to go. If I fail the three-hour test, they will then work with me for gestational diabetes, which that would be another issue. I didn't have that with the other two. I've never failed the test."
"Oh," he said quietly and frowned. They didn't have much of an audience again. The men behind them had moved, as had the group of men and women in front of them. The guys next to Andy hadn't returned from the break. The room was only about three quarters of the way full, so there were seats. The speaker started again. "When is your next test? When is this three-hour one?" he asked.
"They are closed tomorrow for the holiday. I have to go in first thing the day after tomorrow," she sighed.
"I'll take you if you want," he offered.
"No," she said and realizing how snappy she sounded, she cleared her throat to speak again, "no, thank you. I'll be fine. Just another hurdle before he arrives."
Andy just nodded, and the two settled into silence. The lecture resumed, and his mind started to wander. He tried not to stare or even look her way, but his eyes couldn't help it. His baby was right there, inside Sharon, growing more and more each day. He almost couldn't believe it. Sandra's pregnancies had been a blur between the long work hours as a patrol cop and the drinking. His drinking had started back then, and if he wasn't working or taking a double shift at work, he was usually at the bar. It didn't get out of hand until after the kids were born, but then, he just needed an escape. He couldn't be a dad. Coming home to babies and toddlers freaked him out, and after long hours, he didn't know how to deal with them. So, he'd started drinking more and more until it was an addiction. Sandra finally threw him out when she sent him to the store for diapers and formula, both things needed immediately, and instead, he went to the bar, blew all the money, slept it off in his car, and finally, drove home. Sandra told him to leave, and he had. That had been the extent of his parenting, and since then, he hadn't done much better, except the drinking. That had finally stopped. Now, he couldn't stop staring at this baby, this life he'd created with Sharon of all people. Every now and then, he could almost see movement, like the princess was kicking. His thoughts were confirmed when her hand would sometimes move to that spot, and she'd run her hand over it. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice his looking at her from the corner of his eye. In just a few short months, Sharon would give birth to a child he'd created. It was crazy. He still couldn't believe it, but he'd been asked and had agreed to walk away. It was for the best.
Their lunch break finally arrived at 12:30, a full half hour after it was promised. As expect, the conference was running late. Andy turned back to the guys and gave them a nod, indicating he'd wait for his lunch. He pointed to his watch, telling them not to be long, and they both nodded. Julio rolled his eyes, and Gabriel smirked at him. With most of the room getting up, Andy turned to find Sharon already back at work on her paperwork.
"You really are a workaholic," he stated.
"Hmm, just have a lot to do. I was in Arizona over a week. Things piled up for me," she added.
"Look," he leaned toward her, "can I do anything? I feel badly about all this. I mean, you're not feeling well. You keep having these appointments. If you need anything, I'm your guy."
She put her pen down and turned to him, the room mostly empty. She just nodded, "Thank you, but I'll be fine. I'm just worried now about this large child and the possibility of gestational diabetes. I'll see my doctor, and hopefully, it's just the test." She squirmed in her seat and put her hand on the top of her mound and grimaced.
Andy eyed her, "What's wrong?"
She shook her head and waved, "He's up under my ribs. It is painful and can take my breath away. I'm also having contractions."
"Contractions!" Andy exclaimed and looked around the room. No one was near them. "Should I like get you to the hospital?"
"No, Braxton Hicks, the almost practice ones. They aren't the real deal, but your body has them sometimes, almost like to get you ready for labor. It's like an intense cramping," she explained.
He gestured with his hand, "Is, is, is it normal? I mean, is it okay to have those this early?"
"It's normal, yes. Look, you don't need to worry. My body knows what to do and when to do it. I've done this before, two times before this. I really want to get some work done while I can. Besides that, you sitting here with me is a bit odd, so maybe you can give me some space? I'm hot too, and I'd just like to concentrate."
"Sure," he nodded. "Thanks for telling me and not treating me like total garbage today," he smirked as he stood. "Your salad will be here soon."
Andy walked away, and he paced around in the lobby for a few minutes, thinking about everything Sharon was dealing with in her pregnancy. He heard his phone buzzing, and he pulled it out to find two text messages. One was from Julio telling him the food was on the way, and the other was from Sara, the woman he had seen last weekend. He'd had a great date with her, but she appeared to be as much of a player as he was. He opened her text, "Busy for the 4th? We could make our own fireworks."
He groaned at that. The idea was tempting, really tempting, but he hated to get involved with anyone. Sure, she seemed to want something casual too, but he just had a red flag on her that she'd get clingy with him. He sighed, almost in disbelief he was telling her this, "Sorry, working. I'm sure you can find any number of guys who would enjoy that. Thanks for the good time last weekend."
Andy put his phone away, hoping that message would be clear to her. He didn't have any dates lined up, and as he thought about Sara, he did need to figure out what he was doing in his life. Maybe he and Provenza would go out together and see if they could meet any women. He nodded, and as he thought more, his phone buzzed again.
"Food is here. You can take it to the captain," Gabriel told him in the text. He sighed and rolled his eyes as he went in search of the guys.
"Thanks for the food," he said when he walked up to them. They had two salads, two drinks, and a bag he assumed was the pastry he'd suggested.
"Sir, you surviving?" Julio grinned.
"Yeah," Andy nodded. "I'm getting all updated on the kid. Captain isn't feeling well. I feel for her."
"We got her some lunch. Maybe that will help," Julio offered. "I even got her two muffins," he smiled slightly. "I have a soft spot for babies."
Andy chuckled, "I'll tell her. Thanks, guys."
He took the food and noted she was still working. As he walked up, she glanced up at him, and her eyes grew wide at the sight of food.
"They really got lunch?" she asked.
"I told you they would. Do you think I'm lying? I haven't lied to you. Why would I start now?" he asked. He handed her the bag of muffins, "Julio has a soft spot for pregnant ladies. He got you two muffins."
She hummed, "Just what I need with failing a blood glucose test, but thanks."
"Sure," he said and sat. "I think they brought you iced tea, so if you don't add sugar, that isn't so bad, right?"
He started to open his lunch. The room was only about half full, and the two ate on their own, without talking, while she signed papers. When Andy finished, he looked over to collect any of her trash and found she'd eaten all the salad and one of the muffins. He took everything and stood.
"I'm going to wash up," he told her. "Need anything?"
"For this class to be over," she grumbled. He just nodded and chuckled while he left.
The rest of the afternoon passed by slowly. They had one quick break, and again, he found Sharon moving toward the bathroom as quickly as she could. The afternoon presenter finished in record time, and Andy chuckled to himself thinking the woman probably had plans and wanted to get going too. As everyone stood to leave just after 5:00, he glanced over to see if Sharon needed any help.
"Need any help, Captain?" he asked, aware they were around others. The rest of their conversations had happened in much lower tones, and now, it was almost hard to speak with the number of others talking.
"I'm fine," she waved at him. "Enjoy your holiday."
"You too," he stood there waiting for her to look up at him. She continued to file paperwork, intent on doing that as long as he stood there. He finally sighed and started to walk away, "Enjoy your holiday, Captain, and tell the princess to lay off kicking you."
Sharon scowled at him, but she didn't say anything. He was in his car, on his way home, when he got a call. His eyes grew wide at the number, and he answered quickly.
"Would you stop calling the baby a princess?" she said, clearly irritated with him. He grinned. Something about her irritated tone made him smile. He did enjoy this particular thing, irritating her about the baby's gender.
"Hey, you don't know what it is either, do you?" he asked.
"No, but-" she started, and he cut her off quickly.
"Exactly, so 50% chance I'm right, and there's a 50% chance you are right. Deal with it. Is that why you called me, seriously?" he asked. She let out a long sigh he could hear. It almost alarmed him, "Sharon? Sharon are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she told him. "I'm in my car, in the parking garage still. I, I, look, I'm sorry I called."
"No," he shook his head. "You didn't just call about the kid. I can tell. What is it?"
"This sounds so stupid. I can't believe I'm asking this, but fine," she sighed. "You are so intent on asking me if I need anything, if you can do anything. Well, there is something, but I don't know how to say it."
"Just blurt it out," he snapped. "What?"
"My hormones are raging. They have been for awhile, and it's getting worse. Many women have a man at home to help with that. I don't. Because you put me in this predicament, I'm asking if you would-" she grew silent and sighed again. Andy's mind started racing, and his eyes grew wide.
"Sleep with you? You want me to sleep with you again? Is that it?" he almost exclaimed.
"Yes, just for the baby. It would be nothing more. I'm a hormonal mess," she told him. "Look, I'm sorry I asked."
"I don't think I can," he replied quickly. "I mean, sure, I could, but I don't think that's a good idea. It didn't work out so well last time, and you've spent months hating me and being nasty, so-"
The line was silent. He could hear her on the other end, but he didn't know what to say. Finally, he heard her clear her throat, "Forget I asked. It's out of line. I'll be fine. I just need to relax on my day off. Forget I asked, "she repeated and hung up the phone.
Andy, who was still driving, stared at the phone a moment before he refocused on the road. He couldn't believe it, that she'd just called for that. It had taken months just to have a somewhat normal conversation with her. No, it was the right thing to do. He'd turned her down too, which was almost a surprise. It was the right thing to do. He definitely needed a guy night with Provenza. The old guy wouldn't believe this story.