-SHANDY-
Author's Note: Hope you enjoy and thank you for all the support and reviews. Please enjoy this chapter.
-SHANDY-
The Major Crimes division was still working when it came time for Rusty to meet his mom, he had been uncharacteristically happy all day; asking questions and smiling, which the team found both frustrating and unnerving.
"Hey Lieutenant Flynn, you ready to go," Rusty asked with an hour to go. Flynn looked up from his phone his stare quite blank.
"Er…yeah. Gimme 20 minutes will ya" he got up and rushed out the door. Sharon was in her office and she watched him go, a feeling of emptiness filled her stomach. She picked up her phone and called her mother.
"Mom, are you with Rosa?" She asked as soon as her mom answered.
"She took a turn for the worst. Nio has called Andy though" She answered
"That's what I thought Mom, can you keep me updated?" Sharon nodded looking at Rusty who was practically bursting with anticipation.
"Of course. I've got to go, we can talk soon. I love you" Eileen replied, Sharon, told her mom she loved her too and then hung up.
"Lieutenant Provenza, a word" She called from her office door. Provenza huffed putting his crossword down.
"Is there something wrong?" He asked.
"Yes, I want you to take Rusty to the bus station please" She instructed.
"What's wrong with Flynn?" He asked crossing his arms.
"I know that you and Andy are close. How much has he told you about his mother?" Sharon questioned sitting in her chair, Provenza taking the opportunity to sit opposite her.
"That she moved into the area and she knows your mother, why?" Provenza was unimpressed by her question and even more unimpressed at the prospect of spending time with Rusty Beck.
"Oh, I thought you would know. Rosa is sick, he had to go and see her." She replied, taken aback that Andy hadn't informed his best friend of his situation.
"Oh right, how come you knew? Honestly, this thing between you two is beyond ridiculous" He mumbled sitting in the chair.
"I would have thought that obvious Lieutenant. My mother." Sharon fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"Anyway, I need you to take Rusty to the bus station, please" She requested, he huffed once more before getting out of the chair and leaving mumbling his objections at the same time.
-SHANDY-
"So, why are you taking me, Lieutenant? Where's Flynn?" Rusty Asked the older man as they drove to the bus station.
"Eh, he had a family emergency" Provenza replied.
"But he promised to be here. How can I trust you, people, if you break your promises?" Rusty turned away.
"Hey, the captain found your mom, didn't she?" Provenza answered irritated at Rusty's behaviour. "And for your information, Flynn had to go see his own mother." He added.
"Flynn's mom is alive." Rusty scoffed, Flynn wasn't exactly young, he could imagine being alive and having such old child.
"Yeah well maybe not for much longer" Provenza commented as he parked the car. The two waited in silence for the bus, Rusty occasionally craning his neck to see the arriving buses.
"Lieutenant, can you do me a favoru, when she arrives?" Rusty asked as he slumped in his seat.
"I suppose" came the gruff reply.
"be nice to her. Like, make sure to be glad she is here." He requested and then with force sat up "and make sure her hotel doesn't have an open bar or even a mini bar, she doesn't like those" he exclaimed with panic across his face, Provenza watched him for all his moodiness Rusty Beck was a nervous and scared 16-year-old boy who just wanted his mother.
"I can do that, Rusty. Now, here's her bus" The two walked over and waited for all passengers to leave. None of them even resembling Sharon Beck, Provenza got on the bus and handed the driver a picture. Upon leaving the bus he realized Rusty was gone. He groaned, a hand to his forehead, the captain was going to kill him.
-SHANDY-
The crisis of a missing Rusty was short lived when Rose phoned her mother to tell her there was a 'Hysterical 16-year-old with blonde hair and red eyes' in the house. Sharon had sighed heavily and told the team he was no longer missing and that there were no hard feelings. Sharon, however, left that night with a heavy feeling in her heart; Andy had phoned or texted her and she wanted to make sure he was okay.
She drove for a while, she went into the retirement village to find Rosa had been moved to the hospital after complications with her condition and the hospital refused to let any more visitors in to see her. Weary Sharon drove home and decided to wait.
It was 2 am, Sharon was sat at her dining table with paperwork strewn over the table top and her laptop providing a bright light in the relatively dark room. Her mother had called at 9 to tell her of Rosa's death. Giving her best wishes she had hung up and stared at the walls.
Andy wasn't answering her; no calls or texts. She knew he would come when he was ready and she would keep him close. She stared at the words on her paperwork, barely registering them at all, the light of her laptop illuminated her face as she sat in darkness, with a deep breath in and a firm shake of her head she went back to her notes.
A timid knock broke her attention switching the laptop off and stacking the paperwork she answered the door. Sharon guessed that she wouldn't have been able to hear if she had been in bed; perhaps that had been his intention, he couldn't ask for help if he wasn't heard. He looked terrible when she moved aside to let him in, he was holding his suit jacket and she could see the tie poking out of the pocket, his head was hung and he barely stopped to speak to her; heading straight for her bedroom.
Sharon appeared in her bedroom moments later to find Andy had discarded his clothes on a nearby chair and looked as though he had fallen into her bed. With the utmost care she tucked him and got into bed herself, she took his hand in hers and closed her eyes; praying that he would talk to her in the morning.
-SHANDY-
When Andy awoke the next morning his hand felt warm, for a split second he thought he must have fallen asleep on his ma's hospital bed, again, but as he opened his eyes he realized that beige tones around were from his girlfriend's bedroom. Sharon was still asleep beside him and his hand was warm because she was holding it gently. He looked at the clock on her side and saw it was almost 7. Carefully he got out of the bed and set the alarm to go off at half-past rather than the top of the hour; this would hopefully give him enough time to get ready and get out without disturbing her too much.
He collected his clothes from the chair but something caught his eye. A fresh suit hanging from her closet door. He smiled to himself and made a mental note to thank Sharon when she woke up; maybe leaving before she was awake was a bad idea.
-SHANDY-
Author's Note: I'm sorry, killing Rosa was difficult but the character was old, she was approaching 90, so people at that age die. I'm keeping Eileen alive for a few more years, she is the same age as Rosa but is somewhat healthier due to her change in lifestyle, she married into a better financial situation. I hope that you will enjoy how this plays out and affects the characters. Maybe Ghost Rosa will turn up in the future.
As always thanks for reading and have a great day.
Next Time: "Would you have liked me to wake you at 2 in the morning, I can make it happen if you want." She replied Rusty scoffed simply joining them at the table for food.