Not many people surprised Sharon. She had been pretty good at reading people, at least at work, but the Flynn family had surprised her. Sharon sat in a chair watching Hannah with Andy and his dad, three generations of family if she had to be honest. She hadn't said that, but it was true. His dad was nothing like she'd imagined. She'd heard him talk about his dad, but it was nothing like seeing him now in person. She had expected someone like her own parents, her own dad, but he was nothing like that. Andy had said his dad was pretty hard on him, but she'd taken that as any parent wanting the best for a child. Her parents wanted the best for her; she knew that. They had a way of expressing their expectations. Her mother had always been lovingly direct, as Sharon had coined it. Her dad was the quiet, pensive, reserved type. She knew each style, and with that, knew when one was disappointed in her. Sitting here, watching Andy with his dad, she was seeing a different parenting style, one she didn't like. He was much more direct, more negative than she'd imagined. It was becoming very clear to her why Andy was so hard on himself, so sure he was a failure all the time. She was seeing it here, now. It saddened her. Sure, she knew Andy's dad did love him, but this wasn't how she wanted to show her own children love.

"Sharon?" she heard and snapped her head up to meet Andy's gaze. He was sitting in a chair next to his dad's bed, Hannah on his lap, and he'd been talking to his dad. She'd been part of the conversation, in and out, but that was another thing-his dad, Fred, had directed the conversation more at Andy.

"Sorry," she shook her head and pursed her lips. "My mind started to wander."

Fred frowned, "I was asking about her upbringing. Andy here stepped away from the church when he decided divorce was a good idea. Sounds like if you are divorced, it's the same. Are you also like my son and have turned your back on the church?"

"Actually, no," Sharon smiled at him, the smile one of the harder things she'd had to do today, to pretend like she enjoyed speaking to him. "I'm Catholic, yes, and yes, I go to church. Hannah will go to Mass and will be brought up in the church. When it's time for school, I will most likely send her to Catholic school as I did with her sister and brother. I'm in a new city and have not looked into that yet, but it is my plan. As far as Andy, I think it's a stretch to say he's turned his back on the church."

"That's good to hear, that at least one of my grandkids will be brought up in the church, even if you're wrong about Andy's thoughts on the church. That's where you messed up with the other two, Andy," he turned and frowned at him. "You walked away from the church and let your kids do the same."

Andy, still holding Hannah, started to gesture with his hand, "Would you knock it off? Sandra raised them; she didn't want them in Catholic school. They go to Mass some, but that wasn't my call. Now, I know you will turn it around on me and say that I'm the root of that problem. Fact is, I wasn't given any choice in the matter, but it is what it is."

"You know," Sharon leaned forward and gestured to Andy, "from what I know, Andy didn't go to Catholic school, and he understands the church. He did well and went to college too. Affording Catholic school is not easy, and I had to make other sacrifices to make that happen then. I can appreciate that wasn't a possibility for your other grandchildren, but going to Catholic school doesn't just make you a Catholic. She will be brought up in the Catholic church, just as I was, just as Andy was," she gestured to him. "After that, she will have to decide as an adult where she stands. Hannah," Sharon cleared her throat, "as far as school, though, will be all set. That is covered."

Fred nodded, "Finally, something that I don't have to argue. College was expected, at least for my kids."

"As well as mine," Sharon nodded. "Now, I do believe there are some people who are just not suited for college. It's not for everyone. There are many good jobs out there for people who don't go to college. Our country, our world, is full of jobs who need skilled workers. Look at police work," she gestured. "Nonetheless, I do expect and plan Hannah will go to college. She has opportunities many will never have. That, too, will be covered. I have raised two other children who've gone through college."

"It gets expensive," he said, rather gruff.

"Dad, we are both aware of that," Andy said, slightly irritated. "That's why she already has a college account."

Fred looked at Sharon, "You put your kids through school alone?"

"Fred," Sharon said with a small smile, as he'd told her to call him, "I did most everything with my children alone from the moment they came home from the hospital. Putting them through college was just one of many things I did alone, and my biggest worry with that was that somehow my ex-husband would get his hands on the money set aside for college and spend every dime of it. Thankfully, that did not happen."

Fred nodded and looked over to Andy who now had Hannah standing on his lap. She was bucking at him, wanting to get down and move around, and Fred said, "There's a lot more to a kid than just parading her around," he nodded to him. "I expect that you have contributed financially to her. No responsibility these days," he shook his head and sighed. "Our society is in it for the fun, just as you were it sounds. Everything was fun until you knocked her up," he gestured to Sharon. "Now, the responsibility that comes with that is much more than you probably realize."

"I need to clarify this," Sharon pointed at Fred and then at Andy. She looked back to Fred, her tone now changed; she had a bit of an edge to it and trained her eye on Fred, "To start, Andy didn't knock me up alone. This was something that happened between us and only us. You can judge all you want, but this is something that involves the two of us, and we will decide how things are handled with Hannah. Another thing, Andy contributes quite a bit each month to Hannah's college fund, not that it's any of your business, but he does. From what I know, he did the same with his other kids. That, I did not ask; he did that on his own, as he's done a lot on his own. I have not asked him for one dime, not one. He's offered to help on many instances. I know there are men out there who walk away from financial responsibility. I was married to one for years, years! Andy," she looked over to him and gave him a single nod as he now stood with Hannah in his arms, trying to calm her, has never once tried to dodge financial responsibility."

"Well, finally, something I don't have to stay on you to do," he looked to Andy.

"Dad, drop it. This isn't the time to attack Sharon or me. Hannah is here so you can see her. She's your granddaughter," he smiled at Hannah in his arms. "Let's try to focus on her. Sharon said she thinks Hannah looks just like Angela. What do you think?" Andy turned Hannah toward his dad, trying to push the conversation in a different direction. Sharon jumped in too.

"I have always said I see Andy in her eyes, always. The minute I met Angela the other day, I got a glimpse of what Hannah will look like as an adult. Andy and Angela have the same eyes, some of the same facial features and expressions. I clearly see it," she said.

"And, I don't see it at all," he said as he kissed Hannah's head. "Pumpkin here, she looks like her mom to me."

Fred looked at Hannah. Andy sat down on the side of his bed so Fred could get a good look at her. He ran his hand over her head and gave a small smile, "She looks like your mother, Angela too, yes."

"Ahh, so you agree," Sharon raised her eyebrows and chuckled. She gave Andy a small smile when he glanced her way and rolled his eyes. The mood in the room seemed to have changed, but Fred spoke again.

"Well, that brings up something else. You're an alcoholic," he looked to Andy and then to Sharon. "I hope you knew that."

Sharon pursed her lips, "Andy has been upfront about all of that. You are forgetting I've known him for years professionally. All three of my children have that in common, a father with an addiction. Yes, it is something for them to be aware, to even maybe address down the road, but his problems with alcohol are not automatically Hannah's problems."

"Well, we didn't raise him like that either. Andy, your mother and I never could understand that. It was a disappointment that you ruined things with alcohol," he looked to him.

"Dad, if I had a nickel for every single time you said that, I could completely fund Hannah's college account," he stood up, Hannah still in his arms. "You don't need to worry; I'm aware of your disappointment."

Hannah tried to push away from Andy, and Andy looked toward Sharon. "I'll take her," Sharon said, her arms extended to take Hannah.

"We're going to go for a short walk, maybe down to the nurse's area," he said. He looked at the clock, "First day here, so let me see what the deal is about dinner. I forgot to ask earlier. You okay with that?" Andy asked Sharon. The look he gave her, Sharon could see he needed a mental break from his father. She gave a single nod.

"Take your time," she said. "Fred and I can sit here and chat."

"We'll be back," Andy said and stepped out of the room with Hannah. Sharon clasped her hands in front of her and stepped toward Fred.

"Please sit," he gestured to the chair where Andy had been sitting. "You're not what I expected."

"Oh, the feeling is mutual," Sharon said, taking her seat next to him. "You are very hard on him."

"He's messed up a lot, and your being here," he nodded to her, "more proof of his issues. You wouldn't be sitting here if the two of you didn't fool around and bring a baby into this."

"No, we wouldn't. That, you are correct," Sharon said quickly. "Life happens," she shrugged. "You know that as much as I do. Life isn't always picture perfect. Things happen. You've lost your wife; you've seen that life doesn't turn out like we want. That doesn't mean everything about it is awful. Hannah isn't awful. Your life, even with your wife gone, isn't awful. Life changes force you to change. I adapted when Hannah came into the picture. Andy has too, more than I expected. You adapted when your wife passed away. I could go on and on. When my ex up and walked out, leaving me with two small children, I adapted. Now, that doesn't mean we don't carry scars. We all do; we all have our battle scars, but we still adapt."

He nodded slightly listening to her, "Problem is, Andy continues to make mistake after mistake. He's a grown man with a list of horrible mistakes."

"Hmm, that may be true on some level. No one is perfect, but I believe you are choosing to see the negative, something I know I have done myself with many people. Let's take a look at something, shall we? I have known him professionally for a long time. My division investigated bad cops, so to speak or at least investigated cops when they made mistakes. Andy made his share of them. I know that; I investigated many of them, but he's a good man," she said firmly, meeting his eyes. "He's a good police officer, and he's risen to the rank of Lieutenant. He's a detective, not just any detective, but he's a homicide detective in the most elite group of the LAPD. That's huge," she emphasized. "Units like that cannot and do not keep around problems. Andy is not a problem. He's been successful in his career. He's well liked and respected. Sure," she nodded, "he's made his share of mistakes, both professionally and personally. That does not mean he's a horrible man, but instead, mistakes have helped to shape his character."

"I'm still his father and expect more of him," he sighed. "He wasn't raised to be a drunk and walk out on his family."

"We all have expectations for our children, and honestly," she shook her head, "they will always surprise us. In some areas, I know my kids exceed my expectations, and in other ways, they surprise me. I know they've disappointed me too, but I have tried to see through that to the positives. I am not sure you've done that with Andy."

"Have you?" he asked. "From the little I know, you seem very unsure of his motives. He told me you moved away after Hannah was born, moved out of state. He told me you told him you wanted to start over. So, right back at you-are you seeing any positives with him? Praising him to me here is one thing, but the little I know about you, you have your own doubts about him, about his ability as a father. I'd say from what I know about my son, we should both be worried about his abilities as a father."

Sharon just pursed her lips and nodded, "I do; I did. I have thought a lot about that. I believe some of my concerns were not with the person, but of the title. My ex-husband was a lousy father, still is. Going through what I did, I question anyone, no matter what. Andy-he's definitely surprised me-in a good way, more and more each day. That doesn't mean all of my personal concerns, mainly ones I carry, are just gone, but it's almost been," she paused tying to find the right word and shook her head, "a shock, maybe, to see someone trying to do the right thing. I know there are all types of parents out there. You, here today, show me just another angle on parenting. Parents can love their children and have different styles of parenting. I'm seeing more of that, and to be honest, that was hard for me to realize for a very long time."

"Okay, dinner will be around at 6:00," Andy said as he walked back into the room. Sharon sat back in her chair, their conversation somewhat intense, and she let out a sigh. She took a deep breath and looked over to Andy and Hannah. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Hannah was looking at Sharon and just had a look on her face, one Sharon had seen on Andy's face. "Hope you're hungry," he smirked at his dad. Sharon could see the time out from his dad had done him some good. "Mystery meat they are calling meatloaf is on the menu for dinner."

"Meatloaf," he huffed. "I love meatloaf. Hopefully, they don't mess that up here. That's another thing," he gestured to Andy. "You move out there to California and become a vegetarian." Sharon stood and walked to Hannah, who put her arms out to Sharon. Sharon took her in her arms from Andy and kissed her hand. She started to walk her around the room while Andy continued to speak to his dad.

"Yeah, because it's all about the cause with me, Dad," he sighed. "You know my diet change was for my health. I still eat a few things, but mostly, no meat."

"You should be glad he's taken charge of his health," Sharon spoke up from her corner. She smiled at Hannah, focused on her, while she continued to talk, "Many adults just let their health get so bad and never take things into their own hands. I applaud him for being proactive."

Andy turned and eyed her, clearly surprised she was coming to his defense. He gestured to Sharon, "She's holding the reason I want to be healthy. I want to live a long life to watch that one grow up. I can't have her celebrating her high school graduation in a place like this, Dad, watching some old idiot like me. You know what I'm saying. I know I'm old for an infant, and I want to do everything in my power to be here for a very long time."

"Well, I will say, seeing that cute of a kid, it makes me want to get out of a place like this, back to my retirement center. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought you'd show up here telling me I had another granddaughter, but she is a cute one," he admitted, looking between Andy and Sharon.

"Did you want to hold her?" Sharon asked, stepping toward him. Andy gave Sharon a look, and she gave him a slight shrug. "She's getting pretty strong and might be a little feisty to move around, but you're welcome to hold her."

"I probably should with you taking her back to what, Arizona, you say? How in the world, Andy, are you going to be of any use to this child you made if she's in Arizona?" he asked.

"Dad, I'm doing what I can," Andy turned to him and said through gritted teeth. "All I want is to be there for all my kids. I can only do so much for each one because of varying circumstances. Hey, she's here isn't she?"

Sharon put Hannah next to Andy's dad, and he wrapped his arm around her. She quickly moved to her diaper bag and pulled out a small snack for Hannah. "Here," she offered him, "a little bribery to sit with you for a moment."

"Well, Hannah, you are sure a sweet one," Fred smiled at her, the first real smile on his face since they'd arrived. Hannah looked up at him, as if she understood, all dressed in a one-piece sleeveless romper. Sharon had put a little bow in her hair and had her in white soft sandals. Andy had laughed at the shoes, commenting Hannah didn't even walk, but Sharon had insisted a girl always needed shoes. Fred leaned over and kissed her head. Sharon stood to one side, and Andy stood to the other side of his bed. He sat there with Hannah a few moments. Sharon glanced at Andy, but he had his eyes glued on Hannah and his dad. His dad looked up at him and spoke.

"In all of this, you haven't told me what Nicole and Nathan have to say about your little addition here. This affects them. What have they said?" he asked.

"They don't know," Andy offered quickly and shrugged at him. "Go ahead and tell me why that's a mistake too. I'm ready."

"They don't know? You're lying to them about your kid? What, are you ashamed of her? It's bad enough you lied to me, but your own kids too?"

"Look, this has been mess enough. We're trying to figure out everything," he gestured to Sharon. "I hadn't wanted to tell them until I knew what to tell them."

"Here's a thought," his dad shook his head at him and continued, "start with I messed around, made a kid, and now, you have a sister for the rest of your life."

"You have no idea how complicated this is," Sharon added. "You have no idea," she repeated and shook her head. "It seems so simple, so cut and dry to you, but it's far from it. We both have people we have kept out of this, people we don't want to disappoint, as you said yourself. I think we both realize those people will eventually know, but that is for us to decide. One of my greatest regrets is not telling my mom everything before she died. I do regret that, but none of this is just a simple matter."

He frowned and looked down at Hannah, "Seems to me if you have someone this special, you tell the world. I feel like I get mixed messages from you two. She's amazing, but then, she's something we need to hide. I know I'm old and set in my ways. I think it's highly irresponsible to be sleeping around as you two were. It goes against anything I believe, yet, it happened. I don't agree with it, but I'm not going to punish Hannah. I'll let you two know what I think of what has gone on here, but she's innocent. I deserve to know her. I appreciate you bringing her here, and it seems like others deserve the same. You might not like hearing what they have to say, but you did the crime so to speak. Listen to their concerns and move on. I will always tell you what I think, always," he looked to Andy. "I'm going to tell you when I'm disappointed and expect more. I really don't care if you like what I have to say or not. I think you are still making mistakes even now. Hiding the child you had with a woman, just randomly, is a mistake. I raised you better than that."

"Dad, I knew that coming here, I'd get your thoughts on the matter. At the end of the day, though, this is not your issue to handle. It's mine; it's ours. Hannah is part of the family, and I hope you are right and won't hold this against her. She needs to know you love her. You've judged me all my life, and I hope you will not judge her for simply being born," Andy stood there and with hands on his hips, addressed his father. "Now, your dinner should be here soon. Sharon was gracious enough to bring Hannah here to meet you, and I think it's time we leave for the evening. I'll be back tomorrow, but this is when you need to say goodbye to Hannah."

He frowned slightly and looked to the sweet baby, now holding one of her little crackers. He glanced up at Sharon, "You said your other daughter lived here?"

"She does," Sharon nodded with a small smile. "I don't know when, but I will be back to visit. I am guessing that is what you are about to ask."

"You'll bring her to visit, even if he continues to be a disappointment?" he asked.

Sharon looked over to Andy, hoping to catch his eye. He was looking up at the ceiling, and she could see he was holding back, rolling his eyes. When she couldn't catch his gaze, she looked back to Fred, "Hannah is welcome to visit with you anytime Andy wants. I would never stop that. My older children still speak to their grandparents, my ex-husband's parents. I've never stopped that, and I won't here. I will leave that to Andy. With my other kids, my ex wasn't around to ask, but just as you have said, I wasn't about to punish the grandparents. I expect you won't treat Hannah with any ill will and would hope you realize that if Andy wants her here, she will be here."

Andy raised his eyebrows at Sharon, again almost surprised that she'd come to his defense. She gestured to her diaper bag, "I'm going to gather her things and will let you two have a few moments. Andy, bring Hannah with you?" she asked.

"Of course," he nodded to her, a small, kind smile at her. She nodded to him and turned to Fred.

"Fred, I'm very glad I was able to meet you. I am happy to involve you in Hannah's life, however Andy would like. Hannah will always have ties here in New York with her sister here and your family too. I hope you get to feeling better and are back on your feet easily in no time. If you will excuse me, I'll just wait up front." She turned and left before more could be said.

Sharon only had to wait a few minutes in the lobby before Andy came almost barreling into the room, Hannah in his arms. He took a deep breath and stopped in front of her. She could almost see the pain in his eyes. She looked up at him and shook her head slightly while she closed her eyes.

"Let's go," Andy said, his voice agitated. Sharon noted he had a tight grip on Hannah and looked to the door.

She nodded and looked to Hannah, "Want me to take her?"

"No, she's keeping me grounded," he said gruffly. "Sorry, I just need to get out of here."

Sharon put her hand on his arm and looked up at him, "Andy, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. You said your dad was hard on you. I just don't know what to say," she sighed. He just pursed his lips and looked to the ceiling again. She ran her hand over the back of Hannah's hair. Sharon cleared her throat and looked to Andy again, "You're a good man, Andy. You are. You cannot let your dad convince you otherwise. You are a good man."

He looked to her, standing there, and he gestured with his free hand, "Nothing is ever good enough with him, ever. She's perfect," he said, nodding to Hannah. "She's perfect," he repeated and shook his head. "It's not good enough for him."

"Let's get out of here," Sharon nodded to the door. "It's not healthy to stay here. On the way here, you told me you were planning to go back to your sister's place, yes?"

"I'm not judged there," he sighed and shook his head before he nodded, "yeah."

She bit her lip and nodded, looking to the ground and then back up to Andy, "Come back to the hotel, please?" Sharon said that and shrugged when Andy glanced to her. She leaned up, her arm on his, and she kissed him, her fingers wrapped around his arm. He seemed almost surprised at the gesture, but remained rooted in his spot. "You are a good man," she said quietly again as she stepped away from him. "I see that. I would like you to come to the hotel with me, with us," she nodded to Hannah, "tonight, to stay."

He eyed her, still visibly flustered with his visit. He put his free hand on the back of Hannah's head and pulled her closer to him so he could kiss her head. Sharon watched him do that, and then, he spoke to Hannah in a hushed tone, "Kiddo, I will always love you, always. I will always stand behind you and support you, and I hope your mom will let me be there for you." Sharon looked to him as he spoke to Hannah, and then, he looked to her.

"Let's go," she said and ran her hand over Hannah's back, her eyes searching his. "Let's spend the evening with Hannah; let's have a normal evening."

"Sharon, my nerves are shot today. I can't take a night of you trying to run the show, you trying to haul me into bed. I just want to relax, and what you want, I can't tonight," he told her as he spoke.

"I know," she nodded, a small smile. "I think a normal evening would be good for the three of us. I promise, I just want a quiet night."

He narrowed his gaze at her, waiting to see if she had other ideas. She just gave him a small smile, and he looked to Hannah. He looked back at Sharon, "I can't do drama tonight."

"Can you do maybe takeout, a movie on tv, and time with Hannah? That's what I am thinking," she said as she squeezed his arm. "I'd like you to come over tonight, stay, and then, I think we need to talk."

Andy stared at her, the silence hanging between them. Finally, he cleared his throat, "I couldn't imagine a nicer evening," he said. Sharon continued to look at him, and quickly, before she could turn to leave, he leaned in toward her and put his forehead against hers. "Thank you for this, for coming here, and for coming to my defense. Thank you for not bringing up the paperwork, the fact that indeed, I messed up and did walk out on Hannah. Thank you for not making this worse. I didn't expect that."

"I meant every word," she said, clearing her throat. "Let's go and spend the evening with Hannah."