DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters, except for Matthew and Moxie. The rest of them belong to James Duff and the Major Crimes franchise.

Chapter 13

As Andy drove, Sharon stared straight ahead, the throbbing in her arm starting to bother her. "Andy, I don't want you alerting the kids that this happened," she softly stated and Andy glanced at her as he turned the corner down the street. They were a few blocks away from the hospital.

"I think they're going to know when they see your arm, babe," he pulled up to the Emergency Room entrance and parked the car. He saw Sharon trying to get her seatbelt off. "Hang on," he told her and unbuckled her seatbelt for her. He got out of the car and walked around to open Sharon's door, helping her out of the car.

He had parked in the police parking area and it was just a short walk to the entrance of the Emergency Room. As soon as he walked in with her, they were greeted by two nurses, one had a wheelchair while the other was holding a clipboard. "I'm her husband, she was involved in a knife attack about 30 minutes ago," Andy informed them as they entered the area.

Andy looked at both of them as he helped Sharon sit down in the wheelchair. "This isn't necessary, I can walk to the room," Sharon insisted but the nurses disagreed. "Don't worry, it's just protocol," one of the nurses said as she wheeled Sharon into an exam room.

Andy walked with the other nurse who was holding the clipboard and she was asking him questions. He answered them to the best of his knowledge. They were mostly about Sharon's recent health history. "The paramedics called ahead and stated that there were two police officers coming to the ER, one with a knife wound to her arm, so we were waiting for you," she smiled, informing Andy as they neared the exam room.

Sharon was being helped out of the chair by the nurse who brought her in when Andy and the other nurse walked in. Sharon winced as sat down on the examining table and the nurse unwrapped her arm. The nurse looked at the knife wound. "Well, I'm surprised you're not in more pain, honey," the nurse told Sharon as she took a look at the wound.

Andy stood there, filing out papers as the two nurses looked over Sharon. "I think the numbing spray that the paramedic sprayed on my arm is wearing off now," Sharon winced again as the nurse started to poke around her arm.

Sharon gave a glance towards Andy and as he looked at her, he could read her mind without her saying anything. He placed the clipboard down on the counter and stood by her side, grabbing her free hand and holding it.

"Okay, I'm going to get some butterfly strips, stitches, and a few more items," the nurse said as she stood up from the stool she was sitting on and walked to the cabinets across the room. Andy gave her a reassuring smile as she sat there on the exam table.

"When was the last time you got a tetanus shot?" she asked Sharon as she went through the cabinets looking for the items she needed. "Last year," Sharon stated, clearing her throat. "Oh good, then you are covered," the nurse walked back to Sharon and Andy.

"Do you have any bleeding disorders?" the nurse asked her. "Um, not that I'm aware of," Sharon responded. "She had an issue with her spleen not too long ago," Andy chimed in, not knowing if that made a difference.

The nurse glanced over her shoulder. "What happened with your spleen, honey?" asking Sharon. "It was enlarged after being shot, but it's back to being normal," Sharon told her and she nodded. "Okay, then I would stick to taking Tylenol for the pain, because what I'm going to use to numb the area will wear off eventually," the nurse explained to them.

"Alright, here we go," the nurse said as she laid out the items on the tray next to the table. "First, I'm going to clean the wound a little more, just to make sure there's no other debris in it," the nurse explained as she opened the package with the swab inside. She gently started to rub Sharon's wound with the swab and Sharon grimaced.

"Here, hold my hand," Andy told her and she held his right hand with hers, squeezing it as the nurse continued to clean her arm. "You're doing good, Sharon," the nurse told her as she ripped open another sterile bag that contained another swab. She took the numbing spray from the tray and shook it before she sprayed her arm.

"This is going to numb the area so that I can be able to stitch up your wound without you being in discomfort," the nurse stated. It felt cool as soon as the spray hit Sharon's arm. "I forgot how much it sucks to get stitches," Sharon muttered.

"I know sweetheart but it's going to help your arm heal," Andy gave a small kiss to her head. The nurse looked at the two of them and smiled. "So, how did you get this?" she asked as she started to thread the needle. "We were after a man who had killed a few people and chased him down to a warehouse," Sharon told her as she started to seal up her wound.

"Oh honey, you were shot not too long ago and now this? Dangerous job you both have," the nurse shook her head. "So, he's your husband and your partner?" she asked, making small talk to take Sharon's mind off of what she was doing to her arm. "She's my boss," Andy smiled. "Oh honey, I'm sure he keeps you busy," the nurse laughed and was ready for the next step.

The nurse started to stitch Sharon's arm and within five minutes, she was done and was wrapping Sharon's arm with gauze. "Okay, so you're going to want to keep this dry for a day or two and then you can take a shower, but keep the stitches dry, wrap saran wrap over them, that usually works, for the first week. Now if you see pink around the wound, that's okay. But, if you see any oozing or puffiness, yellow discharge, either come back here or see your regular doctor. We would prefer you to come back here," the nurse gave out instructions as Sharon and Andy listened.

"How long before they come out?" Andy asked as he could tell Sharon was getting tired. "Two weeks, and you'll go to your regular doctor for that. He will get a copy of today's encounter and in the next couple of days, call his office and make an appointment for two weeks from today," the nurse told them and Andy nodded.

"Ah, looks like some of your friends are here to see you," the nurse stated as she glanced out into the hallway at two men in suits. "Good luck Sharon," she said as she left. "Thank you," Sharon and Andy both said to her and Andy sighed as he saw Sergeant Elliot and another man waiting outside in the hallway.

"Where do you want to talk to the goons?" Andy asked Sharon. "Andy they're not goons," Sharon scolded him. "Sorry," he muttered as he helped her off the exam table. She walked over to Elliot and gave him a smile.

"Sergeant," she nodded to Elliot and he smiled. "Hello Commander, it's good to see you in one piece. When we got the call from your division, I had hoped everyone was okay," Elliot told her and Andy rolled his eyes.

"We can talk down the hallway, and I'm going to need your gun too," Elliot told her and led the way down the hall with Andy trailing behind them. They walked into a break room and the other guy started to close the door before Andy could join them.

Andy glanced at Sharon as he placed his hand on the door, stopping it from closing. "I'll be okay," Sharon smiled at Andy and he nodded. He stood by the door and watched through the glass as Sharon handed Elliot her gun and had a seat at the table.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Provenza's number. "Flynn, how's she doing?" Provenza said as he answered his phone. "Okay I guess, she got stitches and now the goons from FID are here," Andy told him as he kept a close watch on Sharon. "Those are her people Flynn. Who'd they send over?" Provenza asked.

"Elliot and some other guy, who I don't like," Andy gritted his teeth as he kept watching Sharon through the glass window. "We're heading back to the office now, everything is under control on this end," Provenza informed him.

Sharon was talking to Elliot while the other guy just sat there. "So, Commander, please tell me what happened in your own words," Elliot asked Sharon and she started explaining what had transpired.

"We moved into the warehouse facility, Lieutenants Provenza and Tao went ahead to check out the last room while Lieutenant Flynn and myself stayed towards the front and checked on the small office inside. The office was clear, except for a picture of myself, we didn't find anything else in that office," Sharon took a deep breath before continuing.

"Andy and I then moved up the hallway to the next room. That's when Jeffrey opened the door and pulled me inside the room," she cleared her throat. "Take your time, Commander," Elliot said and Sharon smiled and nodded her head.

"I dropped my gun when he pulled me inside and struggled with Jeffrey for what seamed like an eternity. He had a knife and I was blocking his arm from striking me as best as I could. We fought more, I punched him and kicked him. He fell down and as I turned, I tripped and fell. Reaching for my gun and grabbed it and turned around, shooting Jeffrey twice as he came after me again," Sharon finished and looked at Elliot, who was writing some information down on a pad of paper.

Andy was still standing outside the room, watching Sharon sitting there. He knew she was talking, probably telling her re-count of the whole situation that happened. He glanced down at his phone and saw that Ricky had texted him and also Sharon. He sighed as he opened the text message, noting that Ricky had sent his message while they were at the cold storage facility.

He had sent them both a picture of him and Matthew at the zoo in front of some reindeers. The text said 'Matthew found some of Santa's reindeers hanging out at the LA Zoo'. This made Andy smile as he looked back at where Sharon was sitting. He took a deep breath and blew the air out of his mouth slowly.

He saw her stand up from the chair which meant that they were done. "Finally," he muttered to himself as he saw Elliot stand along with the other guy from FID. He held the door open as Sharon walked out. "Everything okay?" he asked her as they walked down the hallway.

Sharon hooked her right arm through Andy's left arm as they walked together. "Yes, just, you know routine things," she sighed. "I have an appointment with Behavioral Sciences tomorrow morning, and the shooting range tomorrow afternoon," she told him and he nodded.

Thinking of something that could change her mood, he remembered the picture. "Oh, Ricky sent us both a picture from the zoo," he added as they walked out of the Emergency Room entrance and over to where the car was parked.

"Oh really?" Sharon stopped as Andy opened her car door for her. He got her settled inside before showing her the picture on his phone. "Oh, look at them," she smiled and held onto Andy's phone as he closed her door.

He walked around the car, pausing briefly in the back and took a deep breath. Today was a close call. They've been having a lot of close calls lately it seemed like. Andy shook his head and continued towards the driver's side, getting in and starting the car. He saw that Sharon had placed his phone in the cup holder in the middle console and had leaned her head back.

"Doing okay?" he asked her and she nodded. "Yes," she told him, barely above a whisper and he pulled out of the spot and pulled away from the hospital. Andy drove the car in the direction of their house and Sharon noticed immediately.

"Where are we going?" she asked him. "Uh, home?" he simply stated as he continued to drive. Sharon shook her head slightly. "I want to go back to the office," she protested. "Sharon, you were just stabbed, you shot the suspect, I think home is a better option, you need to rest and relax," Andy insisted.

"No, I'm fine. Please, go to the office," she told him but he didn't budge. She started to get agitated and used his rank. "Lieutenant Flynn, take me back to the office, that's not a request," she demanded as he drove.

They were currently at a red light, stopped with other traffic. The last thing he wanted to do was get into an argument with her. "Fine," he muttered and turned down the street, heading towards the PAB instead. "Thank you," Sharon said as she looked out her window.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into the parking garage at the PAB and Andy parked the car in their spot. "As your husband and your Lieutenant, I'm advising you against going into the office after all that has happened to you today," Andy told her as he turned in his seat and watched her sit there.

Sharon thought about what he said and then turned in her seat to look at him. "Andy, when you got thrown from that car, didn't you return to work that evening? Without even telling me what had happened to you?" she said.

"Yes," he muttered. "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but I'm fine and I just want to close out this case today, so that we can spend time with our family," she told him and he reluctantly opened his door and got out of the car, grabbing his phone and placing it in his pocket.

He opened up the lift gate in the back and pulled out Sharon's vest, holding it as he walked over to her door and opened it for her. She stepped out of the car and walked with Andy towards the elevators.

They stepped off the elevator together on the ninth floor and made their way to the Murder Room. Sharon walked ahead of Andy as they walked into the office area. Provenza perked his head up from the paperwork he was doing as saw Sharon walking towards her office.

"Commander?" he said, standing up from his desk and walking towards her. "Lieutenant," she said as she glanced around the room, noting that everyone was back and working at their desks. "Uh, you know we have everything under control here," he stated but Sharon stopped him from continuing.

"I appreciate it, but I'm fine, really. I spoke to FID already, I have my appointments tomorrow morning. I'm fine. Let's get this case closed," she told him and then walked into her office, and sat down behind her desk.

Provenza turned around and looked at Andy, who was still carrying her vest. "I thought I told you we had things handled here?" he stated to him as Andy walked closer to his desk. "You know how she is, does it surprise you we're here?" Andy said, placing her vest on the table outside her office door.

"Anyway, I already got my head practically bitten off when I turned the car towards the direction of our house as we left the hospital," he told Provenza as he sat down in his chair, forgetting that he still had his vest on. He stood back up and took his vest off. As he did this he grumbled at the pain in his left shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Provenza noticed the grimace. "I think I hurt my shoulder further when I was banging on that door trying to get it open," Andy placed his vest on the floor next to his desk before sitting back down.

"Besides, she's being stubborn and you and I both know how that gets," Andy said. "I heard that!" Sharon stated, loudly from her office and Andy hung his head. "Uh oh Flynn, sounds like you're in the dog house!" Provenza muttered to him and Andy just smirked at his friend as he watched him walk back to his desk.

TBC