It looked like a Saturday morning from a television show, almost too good to be true. Andy couldn't remember a time when he'd felt this level of normalcy. He was awake, Sharon was awake, Hannah was awake, and they were all co-existing in his home on this early morning. He was lying on the floor, playing with Hannah, now who had been up for an hour and a half already while Sharon had volunteered to make some breakfast. That had been a nice gesture in his eyes, and it gave him a rare opportunity to play with his daughter. He was loving every minute of it and sure that it was a dream. It wasn't though; it was just a once in a lifetime Saturday morning for him, a time where he could relax and spend the day with Hannah and Sharon. It felt normal, perfect to him, really, and he was really looking forward to the rest of the day.
The three had all been up for almost the same amount of time. Andy woke up early, just after 6:00, and he debated on getting up or trying to get more sleep. Knowing Hannah had been getting up about this time each day, he decided to go ahead and get up. He started the coffee and stepped outside on his back porch to see how the day was shaping up. It felt like it was going to be a nice one; the birds were chirping already, and the air felt light and warm. He managed to have a cup of coffee before Hannah started to cry, and as much as he wanted to give Sharon her privacy, he also wanted to help with Hannah. So, at her first noise, he walked down the hall to grab her. He didn't knock, and he didn't feel badly about that. He walked in, grabbed Hannah, and he tried to quiet her as he turned to leave.
"I can get up and take care of her," Sharon said, her voice still groggy as she sat up on the other side of the bed from the door.
"I've got her," he said. "Get some rest if you can."
It didn't surprise him, when not even 15 minutes later, Sharon came down the hall. Andy was sitting on the couch with Hannah, helping her with her bottle. She could now hold it most of the time, but she would drop it after she started to move around, so it was necessary to still sit with her. He didn't mind, not at all. He looked up when Sharon walked into sight, the sight of her bringing a smile to his face. She had on a simple black shirt that coordinated with her printed pajama pants. Her hair was brushed and partly held up in a clip. She crossed her arms, not in a defensive or angered state, but just as something to do, when she turned toward Andy.
"Morning," he nodded to her and held up his free hand which held the cup of coffee he'd been sipping on while Hannah had her bottle. "Since you decided to join us and not take advantage of your quiet time back there, I have coffee on in the kitchen."
"Morning," she nodded as she listened to him. "She doing okay?"
"Oh, she's great," Andy said. Hannah started to sit up at the sound of Sharon's voice. Andy noticed and shifted her, so she could see Sharon. "Mom's up, kiddo." He looked back at Sharon, "We're doing just fine. I changed her diaper, got her bottle ready, and we're chilling with the morning news."
Sharon glanced around, "I didn't even hear you grab her diaper."
"Resourceful," he winked and nodded toward the door where she saw Hannah's diaper bag sitting on the floor. "I knew she had everything out here. See, I'm not an idiot with her."
"I never said that," she pursed her lips.
"Coffee is ready, Sharon. Grab a cup, grab a seat, and just relax. It's Saturday," he said, ignoring any other comments from her. She looked at the two of them sitting there, Andy relaxed with Hannah in his lap and Hannah, with her small, little chubby hands trying to hold onto her bottle. She was also trying to look at Sharon and dropped her bottle doing so. She instantly started to fuss, and Andy reached for the bottle to give it back to her. Hannah continued to fuss and swatted away at the bottle, even though she didn't realize she was making the situation worse. Andy caught Sharon's gaze and rolled his eyes. Finally, Hannah realized the bottle was right there and allowed Andy to give it back to her. Andy just shook his head.
Sharon pursed her lips, "I see that she's going to want to do things her own way."
"You think?" Andy chuckled. "No idea where she'd get that idea."
"I'll ignore that and get some coffee," she said, turning to the kitchen.
Since then, they had not done much more. They'd both had a couple cups of coffee, Hannah had been fed, and by the time that was all done, Andy looked to Sharon.
"Hungry? I'll make some breakfast. She smells a little ripe," he chuckled. "Let me take care of her first," he said as he lifted her from her high chair.
"I'll cook," she stood quickly, moving to the kitchen, as if almost she wasn't going to argue about it. "If you want to clean up Hannah and get her dressed, I can cook."
"You sure? I don't mind doing both things," he said.
"It's not a problem," she gave him a small shrug.
So, Andy had cleaned up Hannah and had her dressed for the day in a sweet little one-piece romper with purple and white stripes. The clothing would cover her legs when out in the sun, but it was light enough she shouldn't get hot. He ran his hand over her head, smiling at her and her dark hair. He loved her full head of hair, and she looked at him. It was amazing to him she was sitting there just looking back at him. She made a face, and Andy returned it with a silly one. She started to giggle and stuck the block up at her mouth as she played with it. When she did that, she started drooling, and he just chuckled at her. She was drooling a lot now, and he'd forgotten to get a bib for her to wear. He groaned as he stood up in search of one.
"I don't need help," she said to him as he walked into the kitchen.
He raised his eyes at her and shook his head as he picked up the bib on the counter, "Just getting her bib."
"Oh," Sharon said, a spatula in hand as she stood at the stove. "Breakfast will be ready soon."
"French toast, huh?" he smiled. "Sounds great."
A knock at the door had them both look to it. Andy looked beyond Hannah, there on the floor as she was still putting the blocks up to her face. He looked back at Sharon who had a worried expression.
"Oh, crap," he sighed as he started to the door.
"Who is it?" she said, eyeing her appearance again. While Hannah was dressed, neither of the two had changed out of their pajama attire. Sharon was still in hers, and Andy was in a t-shirt and boxers. He was almost surprised Sharon hadn't commented on that, but he hoped she was just more relaxed and comfortable.
"I have a pretty good guess who would stop by unannounced just after 8:00 on a Saturday morning," he rolled his eyes at her. "You're fine. I bet anything it's Provenza."
Andy glanced out the window and could see Provenza's car in the driveway. Knowing that, he flung open the door, but he didn't realize that would scare Hannah slightly. She let out a little cry, and he groaned when he realized he'd done that to her. "What?"
Provenza eyed him as he stood there and nodded, "Exactly," he gestured to Andy. "Just look at yourself."
"What's wrong? I'm in my own home?" he asked.
"She is in your home, both of them. Both of them have you in this almost trance. One isn't dangerous, but the other is. One won't break your heart; she's stolen it forever, but the other," he shook his head and continued, "Flynn, I can hear it in your voice. I came over to find out if you needed backup."
"Backup? We're not at a crime scene," Andy sighed.
"Where did you sleep last night?" Provenza asked him pointedly.
"In my bed," Andy almost yelled at him, but he turned back and saw Hannah's blocks had captured her interest again.
"With?" Provenza asked.
"Me, myself, and I," Andy threw it back at him.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Provenza waited for him.
Andy crossed his arms and put his finger to his mouth as if he was pondering the thought, "Ahh, no. I'm having a nice morning here."
"Well, I came by for several reasons. One, I had to check and make sure you and the captain weren't cuddle in some bed," he said making a horrified face. "That, I'm not convinced, especially with you standing here in your underwear. Two, I had to see the kid. I haven't seen her in awhile now, and I have rights too. Three, Liz made me get this for your kid, and I needed to bring it over while she's here. I'm not paying to ship it to Arizona."
"Wait," Andy pointed at him and shook his head. "There is so much wrong with that, and I'm almost not sure where to start, but let's go with Liz. Why were you talking to Liz?"
"I wasn't talking to her; we were out last night," Provenza groaned. "Our son's birthday is this weekend, and she insisted we get him some tools he wanted. I didn't care anything about it, but she said if she paid and split it with me, I wouldn't pay," he rolled his eyes. "Now, that isn't what we are here to debate, but we were shopping for those tools last night. Since it was already late, that led to coffee and dessert, and we got to talking."
"Please, please, do not tell me Liz ended up in your bed, Provenza. I really don't need to hear that," Andy sighed.
"No! I'm not that stupid, like I would tell you," Provenza said, a horrified look on his face.
"Says the guy who has married women more than once! I'm not seeing the story here," he said, exasperated at him.
"She figured we were going to sit around and watch baseball all weekend. I told her you were busy with your kid, and then, the whole story came out. Anyway, here," he thrust a bag at Andy. "It's all for the beach or whatever. She picked it out, and I know you said you were going to the beach."
Andy raised an eyebrow at Provenza as he held back a smile. He gestured inside, "Sure, go see Hannah. You know, Sharon is in there too."
"I'll overlook that," he said stepping into the house while Andy held the door with the present. He followed Provenza inside.
"Sharon, Provenza is here," Andy called to her, aware she was almost trying to stay hidden in the kitchen.
Provenza looked at Andy as he sat down in the chair near Hannah. He lifted his nose, "What did you make for breakfast?"
"I'm making French toast, Lieutenant," she said, walking around the corner. Andy could tell she'd tried to smooth her hair more, and he knew she was probably mortified to see Provenza at this point of the morning. "I'm just going to assume you're staying for breakfast?"
Andy chuckled at her quick comment. He ran his hand over his face and shook his head. He answered before Provenza could, who was almost in shock.
"Yes, please, if it's not too much trouble, I'm going to say Provenza is staying. He brought a gift for Hannah," he explained as he held up the bag.
"Oh," Sharon's stance changed.
"Captain, I hope it's safe to eat whatever you are making? I mean, I'm not up for food poisoning, or poisoning of any nature today," he smirked.
"Hmm," she crossed her arms at him, "well, I wasn't up for a pajama party, not with TWO LAPD lieutenants this morning, and look where I am," she shrugged. "You can't always get your way." With that, she turned and walked back into the kitchen. Andy started to chuckle again, and Provenza turned to him, horrified.
"How do you sleep with that? She's impossible," he groaned.
"She dishes it right back at you," Andy grinned. "She's great."
Andy looked down at Hannah who was trying to use his legs as a standing board. He reached down and scooped her up into his arms.
"She's like a little person," Provenza gestured. "Does she talk?"
"She's not a dog! No, she's not really talking yet, just babble. I told you she's not walking yet."
"Well, pass her over," Provenza gestured with his hands. "Is she you know, oozing?"
"Oozing?" Andy looked to him with a questioning gaze before he grinned at Hannah.
"Oozing," Provenza repeated with a gesture. "I'm talking about liquids-bad ones-coming out of anywhere on her-diaper, mouth, anywhere else?"
"She's not oozing," Andy said clearly irritated. "Oozing," he repeated and sighed. "She's teething, hence the bib."
Andy handed Hannah to Provenza, and he studied the bib, "Mommy is my favorite. Flynn is this bib hers or yours?" Provenza smirked.
Andy turned red and shook his head, "Knock it off, Provenza."
"Boys, your food is ready," Sharon called to them, and Andy looked up to see her putting two plates on the table.
"Thanks, Sharon," he said and waved his hand at Provenza. "Bring Hannah to the table. You'd better not be tagging along all day. I want this to be a nice day," he hissed at him. "Here we were, minding our own business, enjoying a quiet Saturday morning."
"Sounds like a fantasy," Provenza told him. "Oh wait, it is. She just wants to sleep with you as her toy when she has supervised visits, and you want the fairy tale. You told me to keep an eye on you this visit. I am. No, I will not be with you all day, but I needed to check on the situation this morning. Glad I did. You two are just a few pieces of clothing away from a roll in the sheets," he whispered back as they walked to the table.
"I told you I'm fine!" Andy hissed, and the two stopped talking when Sharon walked back in with her plate and a pitcher of juice.
"Looks great, Sharon, everything except for the visitor," he gave Provenza a smug grin. Provenza sat down next to Hannah. Her high chair was at the head of the table, and he took what had been Sharon's seat this trip. That left Sharon and Andy to sit on the same side of the table, and Andy held her chair as she sat. Andy heard Provenza groan at that.
"Thanks for breakfast, Captain," Provenza nodded at her as she put her napkin on her lap. She looked up at him.
"Just leave the money on the table like a regular restaurant," she said with a straight face and looked to her food. Andy, who was sipping on his juice, almost spit it out. Instead, he started to choke on it as he tried to swallow it. He finally caught his breath and raised his hand.
"Choking was worth it with that comment," he smiled at Sharon. She briefly met his gaze, but then, she looked to Hannah.
"She would probably eat a banana before her nap," she nodded.
Andy jumped up to get her one, and Provenza watched. Provenza turned back to Sharon, "Captain, the little one is getting bigger. She'll be like a real person when she's talking and walking."
"A real person, Lieutenant," Sharon raised her eyebrow at him.
"Well, it's not like she does much now," Provenza chuckled. "She just has you two at her beckon call now, eating, sleeping, all of that. What is planned for day, Flynn? You kept talking about taking Hannah to the beach, and I've tried to remind you she doesn't even know what the beach is."
"That's the point," Andy flashed a grin as he pulled apart banana pieces. "I want to just get out of the house. It's Mother's Day, after all."
"That's tomorrow," he said between bites.
"That is a very good point," Andy nodded as he chewed. "However, someone I know, who does carry the title of a mother, is dodging out of her tomorrow, so it's today," he flashed a grin at Sharon.
"Captain, I presume that would be you," Provenza smirked.
"Well," she said with a sarcastic tone, "I do have two 'real people' as you would call them, who do call me by the title of mother. I have a third, what maybe half person, in your eyes" she shrugged, "who can't enunciate the term, but yes, I could say I'm a mother. I also have the stretch marks to prove it, but I'm guessing you will take my word on that."
Andy dropped his head, trying not to laugh. Provenza looked to her, horrified, and she just smiled and gave him a small shrug.
"Flynn, she's going to make me suffer through breakfast, isn't she?" Provenza asked.
"Oh, yeah," Andy nodded, giving Hannah more of her banana.
"Captain, if the food wasn't so good, I might just leave, but I'll stay," he grumbled.
"To answer your question," Andy said, "we are going to the beach today, yes. I don't know which beach, but it's beach and dinner. No set place or plans, but we are getting out of the house."
"Good thing I'm not a fan of the beach," Provenza grumbled. "I don't do the beach."
"You don't do a lot of things like run, work, really, you are just good at irritating me," Andy shrugged.
"I was not asked about the beach," Sharon said. "I was told we are going."
"Your idea for the day would be to sit here and hide, to not go anywhere with me. I want to do something. I told you we can go to any beach. You're paranoid about seeing people from work. Believe me," he chuckled. "No one would ever put it together we share a kid."
"Flynn is right about that, Captain," Provenza said as he finished his food. "Best French toast I've had this morning."
"Your only French toast," Andy said quickly.
"Not true," Provenza winked and pointed at him. "I had French toast around 5:30."
Andy eyed him, and he paused a moment, staring at Provenza. Sharon watched the interaction, and Andy shook his head as he frowned. "You sent her home that early?"
"I really don't need to hear this," Sharon said as she stood. "If this is when you two discuss your conquests, I'll leave you to that."
"Oh, it's no conquest, Captain," Provenza said with a flat tone. "It was just my ex-wife."
"I can' believe you took her home," Andy said.
"I didn't TAKE her to my home. She showed up there. We drove to the store together to get the birthday gift. We got coffee and dessert. When we got back to my place, she wanted to wrap the gifts, so she could say it was from both of us," he rolled his eyes. "We had wine, and she just didn't go home."
"She just fell into your bed, right," Andy frowned and shook his head at him. "Right."
Sharon had walked into the kitchen, leaving the men at the table. Provenza leaned in, "That's exactly why I came over here. I woke up, realized what a stupid mistake that was AGAIN, and I had to make sure you weren't doing another dumb thing over here. Kid is cute, but you are only going to get hurt, Flynn."
"Thanks for your concern, Provenza," Andy leaned in and winked. "I won't get hurt. I've resisted this long on her visit."
Provenza looked at Hannah, who was now covered in banana. He looked back at Andy, "You still have another day and night with them here."
"She won't be in my bed tonight, Provenza, but I do appreciate you being a good friend," he told him. "Let's clean up." Provenza made a face, and Andy shook his head and pointed to Hannah. "Dishes or Hannah-your choice. I'm going to relieve Sharon so she can shower, and you and I are on clean up duty."
"Fine," Provenza said as he stood. "I'll help, just to make sure clean up duty doesn't involve you 'helping' the captain with her shower."