It was late Monday afternoon the next week before Andy saw her again, and he wasn't sure how that would go. Just days ago, she'd asked him to sleep with her again, this time just to "help her out" as he and Provenza had discussed over the last few days. It was the right decision to turn her down; he knew it because things were already complicated. She'd been nasty to him for months, and now, she when she wanted something; she was asking him to sleep with her again. No, he didn't want that, but he did want to know if the princess was okay, and with that in mind, he found a reason to check on her late Monday afternoon.
Actually, Provenza helped with that. The team had some paperwork due in FID, and the chief had told Provenza to have it sent upstairs. He turned toward Andy, eyed him, and nodded at the stack in his hand.
"Provenza, really?" Andy asked, slightly irritated. The rest of the team looked between the men and chuckled. Deep down he knew his best friend was throwing him a bone and giving him a reason to go upstairs, but he had to make it look good in front of the team.
"Oh, just because you irritate me to no end, Flynn, I've voluntold you for this task," he waved the papers. "Go, visit the sacred FID office, and the rest of you can go home. Chief already told me she had dinner plans with Fritz."
Andy threw a scowl at Provenza, but both men knew it was an act. Provenza had listened to him rant about Sharon's idea for days, telling Andy it was a bad idea. Andy had listened, but both men were now wondering if the baby was okay. He'd done a little research on gestational diabetes and knew it could be serious for Sharon and the baby. Andy was secretly relieved to go upstairs to her office and have a moment to ask about her test and doctor's appointment. As he glanced at his watch, he noted it was after 6:00 and hoped she would still be in the office. Then, he rolled his eyes; of course, she'd still be in the office. She was a workaholic and was always there. It didn't take long for the elevator, and he stared at the doors, his mind blank, as he rode to her floor. The elevator opened, and he found most of the FID area dark, but he could see her light on, blinds closed, and the door partly closed. She'd apparently sent her team home already and being the boss, had stayed to finish paperwork. It was a relief, and with that, he moved quickly toward her door.
With the door partly open, he knocked and pushed it the rest of the way open to find Sharon hard at work at her desk. She looked up at the interruption and sighed, while he closed the door and threw a smirk her way. She pushed back in her chair and put her hands over her stomach again, almost in protection mode, but he could see the exhaustion on her face. She looked almost weary, and he was glad he'd interrupted her; she needed a break.
"Hi," he said quietly. "Your team is gone?" he asked as if a question. He didn't want to speak about anything personal if people were still lurking in the quiet office, even behind closed doors.
She pursed her lips and then ran her thumb and finger over the bridge of her nose. He could almost see she had a headache. The baby was doing her in, one day at a time. She closed her eyes when she rubbed the bridge of her nose, and then, she opened them and looked to him, "They are, yes. I sent them home around 4:00. We had a very late night last night, little sleep, and an early morning. I take it you are here for some reason and aren't checking up on my leadership skills?"
He rolled his eyes and handed over the paperwork to her. He shrugged, "I suppose it's a little of both. Here's the paperwork you needed from our team. You and Chief are such good friends, so be grateful she didn't come," he smirked again.
Sharon reached up to accept the paperwork, and she scowled at him, "I'm not sure you are any better." She grimaced in her seat and changed position, the pain visible.
He gestured toward her in pain, "I also wanted to check on you. How's the princess doing? I mean, did you get the result of your glucose test?"
She had started to open the file, but at the mention of the test, she looked up to eye him and nodded, "We're fine. I mean, the test was okay. I don't have gestational diabetes, thank goodness, but I am going to watch what I eat even more. I'm not sure that will even help, but it will make me feel like I'm doing all I can. I already eat well, unlike your chief. Aside from scaring me for a few days and the inconvenience of the three-hour test, all is okay. Now, I could do without the exhaustion, indigestion, reflux, frequent bathroom trips, swollen everything, and internal somersaults."
"That's great news," Andy grinned. "I'm really happy to hear that, Sharon, I mean the test." She eyed him with a glare, but she looked to the folder while he stood there. He sighed, and said, "Look, no one is around here right now. I've slept with you and made a human life. I'm going to call you Sharon. It's one thing if others are around, but aside from the kid, who isn't talking by the way, no one is here. You are Sharon, and my name," he flashed an annoying grin, "is Andy."
She hummed, but she studied the file, her hand running over her stomach as she did. Andy waited to make sure nothing else was needed, and as he was doing that, he glanced to her desk. She was meticulous even with her stacks, but he could see what looked to be an ultrasound picture over next to her cup of tea.
"Hey, is that the princess?" he asked, nodding to her picture.
Her eyes followed, and she moved the file over the picture and looked back at him, "There's nothing to see."
He rolled his eyes again, "Come on, Sharon. May I see the ultrasound picture? I know that's what it is. Look, you are still mad at me. Fine," he shrugged. "I'm not going to sleep with you again just because you think it's my duty for knocking you up. We've been at odds for months, and while this," he gestured between them, "is better, I'm not doing it. You told me to forget about you, the princess, move on, and date. I'm doing all that. So, it's not happening, no matter how amazing it was before."
She slapped the file down on her desk, "I am not sitting here thinking that. I have moved on from that comment. It was a moment of total exhaustion and just all around stress. Don't flatter yourself that I sit at home dreaming of our times together. Now, as you just said, you've moved on, so you don't need to see the picture, and you can certainly move on for the evening. I'm sure you have a date."
Andy pursed his lips, nodded, and then he sat down in the chair across from her. She continued to eye him as he did, and he rested his arms on his knees, the two locking eyes almost as if in a stalemate. He opened his mouth, paused, and then he spoke, "Look, I've done what you want regarding the baby. It's still a kid I made. I just want to see the picture. These ultrasound things are so much better than anything ever before. Like it or not, we do work in the same building. I'm going to see her. 'm going to notice things about her, like if she has my eyes or yours, if she has my grin, if she has your hair color or mine. The resemblance will be there, so why the hatred again? A few days ago, you wanted me to take you back to your condo and have a repeat of what made her. Now, I'm not good enough to see a simple picture?"
Sharon scowled, but she reached to the pile of files and pulled out the picture. She put it on her desk, meaning that Andy would have to stand and put forth effort to see the picture. She nodded to it, "There's your look."
Andy flew out of his seat and pounced on the picture, enough that it scared Sharon. She sat back in her chair and cradled her hands around her stomach again. Andy stood, staring at the picture.
"Wow, this is amazing!" he smiled brightly at her. "I can't believe they can see things this clearly."
She nodded, still quiet. The room was silent for a few more moments while he looked at the ultrasound picture, and she cleared her throat, "The technology is very advanced. I didn't even get one of the fancy ultrasounds they now offer. I don't want to find out the gender, so I've stayed away from those. Still, my doctor's office checks on the baby somewhat regularly. They went ahead and did a check-up when I had my testing. He's fine still, which is a relief. She closed her eyes in some pain again, and he looked to her, concerned.
"You okay?" he asked, somehow the tension now broken.
She nodded and bit her lip, "It's just those Braxton Hicks contractions. The books say they aren't that painful, but these have been. I know I'm not in labor, but wow. I didn't have these like I am now with Emily or Ricky. They are beyond the mild cramping feeling. Sometimes, the way he's sitting with the pain, it almost takes my breath away. She started to stand, Andy watching as she did, her stomach now bigger than it was, and he nodded to her.
"Need some help?" he asked. He then clarified, "I mean, do you need help standing?"
"I've got it. My feet are swollen. My hands are swollen. 29 weeks, and I'm ready to pop. At least, I'm into the third trimester now, and I know if he's born, he has a much better chance now," she sighed as she stood and braced her hand on her desk. She put her other hand on her lower back to help her balance. "I just need to use the bathroom. It feels like he's jumping on my bladder. So, if you will excuse me, the paperwork looks to be in order. I'll let your chief know if I need anything."
Andy nodded and stood to the side to let her pass, trying to be a gentleman for her. She stopped and looked at him, wondering why he was doing that. He gestured with his hand for her to go first, and he shook his head. "I'm trying to be polite," he said finally. He looked to his hand and saw he was still holding the ultrasound photo. He lifted it to give to her, but before he did that, he held it almost over her stomach, as if he was envisioning the princess inside based on the photo. Sharon looked at him, then, with the photo, realizing what he was doing. He met her gaze and gestured to her again.
"May I feel her?" he asked.
Sharon shook her head and rolled her eyes, "I don't think-wait, will you go away and stop asking about him?"
"I haven't exactly been intrusive, Sharon. I just want to feel my kid. I kinda feel like it's the least you can do. I see her kicking you at times, and I'd just like to feel her for once," he explained. He offered the picture back to her as a truce or a bargaining chip. She carefully snatched it, her eyes locked on his and then she looked to the ceiling and nodded. "This is a one-time offer."
"Great," he grinned and put his hand to the side. She put hers over his to move it to a better spot, and it only took a few seconds before he felt the baby kicking. "Oh, wow!" his eyes widened. Sharon removed her hand from his and looked away, not wanting to be part of this moment she was stuck in the middle of right now. "I can see why that hurts," he gave her a sympathetic smile. "Thanks," he said and removed his hand. Sharon glanced to him and away again. When her eyes met his on another glance, she quickly took the last step between them and kissed him. It took Andy by surprise, and he put both his hands on the sides of the baby there at her stomach, but then, almost as realization was setting in for him, he pulled back, as did she.
"What was that?" he asked.
"I'm sorry," she said, tearfully. "That was me with my hormones again. I'm sorry, and hormones are no excuse. It was just a moment. I'm going to use the bathroom. Please, just go. That won't happen again. I had a moment."
She moved to her door as quickly as she could. Andy stood there, looking at the floor, the awkwardness registering with both. He sighed and shook his head. He'd been warned. She'd told him her hormones were a mess, but this wasn't good for him, for either of them. It had been a moment, one where he'd felt his baby, and yeah, he'd even kissed her back. They shared a baby, a true miracle, and kissing someone in that moment of realization didn't seem so wrong. It did now. That was over, and he needed to go. She was toxic for him; he knew that. She was cold and hot with him, one moment refusing to let him see the ultrasound and the next, almost lunging at him. He looked around, noting she was still gone, and he turned and walked to the elevator. His part in her life was ending. Yes, he wanted to know about the baby right now, to make sure both Sharon and the princess were healthy, and yes, he'd want to check on them when the baby was born, but after that, he knew his part had to finally end. He just needed to keep telling himself that.