New tite: Anytime, McNally

I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but it just kept on going so I split it into two. Also, I'm going to be changing the name of the story when it's all said and done. When I first started, I had trouble deciding what to call it and never really liked what I came up with. I'm not sure how it affects the alerts so I won't do it until later, but I'm renaming it to "Anytime, McNally."

Also, I don't know a lot about liver disease, but I don't think I'm too far off track.

"Andy, I'm here if you need me." Sam promised.

And that's when she knew she had been right to trust Sam because she had never been more certain of anything or anyone in her entire life. She leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips before she looked him in the eye and whispered, "I know."

Sam watched as she walked up to her building and through the door, only pulling away when he saw the lights go on in her apartment.

The next morning Andy woke up early. Normally she would have tried to sleep in a little, but she wasn't sure what time the doctor would be coming in to talk to her dad and she didn't want to miss it.

She grabbed a quick breakfast and shower and headed over to the hospital. As she approached her dad's room, she thought she heard laughter coming from inside. As she got closer she heard her dad talking to someone that he clearly knew. He hadn't had any visitors that she knew of besides herself and Sam, and as she found out yesterday, Boyko. Maybe he was back.

When the door opened further, both men turned to the noise. Her dad smiled, happy to see her and Oliver just looked surprised, actually he looked more like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He had decided yesterday, after he found out from Sam, that he wanted to come and see his former TO. He hoped he could be in and out of there before Andy showed up; he assumed she would be sleeping in.

"Hi Honey." Tommy greeted her.

"Hi Dad." She replied.

"So…yeah…hey McNally." Shaw stuttered out.

"Officer Shaw." She greeted.

"So…yeah…I guess I should leave you two alone." Shaw offered, clearly a little uncomfortable.

"It's fine." Andy assured.

"Are you sure? Cause I know I wasn't supposed to…"

"Sam told me." She explained.

Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, then." He really didn't want to cause Sam any more trouble than he already had.

Oliver stayed for about another half hour and Andy enjoyed listening to his stories about when her dad was his TO. She had heard a little bit from Sam but it was fun to hear the ones that involved her father more. And she was happy to see that he seemed to be enjoying the visit from Shaw as well.

Oliver left telling Andy he'd see her at work later and Tommy told him to keep in touch. When the door closed behind Oliver, Tommy inquired. "You haven't told people?"

Andy was a little sheepish; she wasn't sure she wanted her father to know exactly why she was keeping it to herself. Part of the reason was she preferred to keep private matters private, but the other reason was that she wasn't proud of how her father ended up here.

"It's ok; I understand that you don't want people to know."

"I'm sorry but I just don't think it's any of their business." It was partially true.

"And I'm sure you don't want them asking exactly what happened either." He guessed.

Andy hung her head and then nodded slightly.

"It's ok, honey. I understand. I'm not exactly proud of how I got here either. But they teach you that part of recovery is owning up to what you've done and taking responsibility for your actions. I know you have nothing to own up to, but sometimes it just makes things easier if you tell people. You did tell Swarek."

"That's different."

"Why?"

"Because Sam is…it's just different."

Tommy smiled; he knew. "I just want you to know that I don't care who finds out, and from what Shaw told me people have been worried about you. If they're your friends, they'll just want to be there for you."

She nodded again, not sure exactly how to respond to that.

After a few moments of quiet, Tommy blurted out. "I don't want you to do it."

Andy was confused. "Do what?"

"I don't want you to be the donor if I need a new liver."

Andy was shocked and she felt the need to sit down. "What? Why?"

"I've already caused you enough problems. The last thing I want is for you to have to suffer any more pain because of me. I've done enough already."

"Dad…"

"No." He interrupted. "I mean it Andy…I don't even want you to get tested."

"I appreciate that you don't want to hurt me dad, but…"

"Andy, I know things haven't been easy for you. After your mother left, I really dropped the ball. From the time you were 14, you were always more of the parent than I was. You took care of yourself and you took care of me. Even after you moved out, you still kept taking care of me or tried to. I didn't even make that easy. But now things are going so well for you. I can tell you're happy with your job, and Shaw says you're doing great."

Andy smiled at that; she didn't think he even noticed.

"Andy, I don't want to get in the way of that." He said before continuing a little more reluctantly. "It seems like things are going better for you personally too."

"I've worried about you for a long time, Andy. I was so worried that you wouldn't find someone you can count on. Heaven knows you've never been able to count on your family. I watched you with different guys, but I could always tell that you weren't committed, that you were always holding back. You never trusted any of them. I may be mistaken, but I have a feeling that's changing."

Andy blushed and looked down. Although she and Sam weren't technically in a relationship, she did trust him and depend on him. And it was a really good feeling that had been missing for a long time.

"I'm working on it." Was all she said, but they both knew she was past just working on it.

"I'm glad. I am serious, though Andy...I mean about the transplant."

"Let's not worry about that till we know for sure." Andy bartered.

"OK." He agreed before changing the subject. "So did you bring my car? How are we getting home?"

"If it's ok, I think I'll call Sam to come and get us." She proposed. "He offered yesterday."

Tommy smiled and agreed; that was proof if he ever heard it.

Andy sent Sam a quick text to let him know that they would take him up on his suggestion. When he responded by asking when she needed him, she told him that she would call as soon as she knew the time.

Tommy's lunch arrived at noon and Andy ran to the cafeteria to grab a little something too. They had just finished eating when the doctor came in and closed the door behind him. Andy stood beside her father anxious to hear the news that could change her life.

The doctor started by telling them that Tommy had indeed done a great deal of damage to his liver; it wasn't functioning efficiently and that was why he had gotten so sick. There was good news though; at this point, he did not need a liver transplant.

Andy started to cry in relief. The doctor placed his hand on her arm in reassurance. He was just about to continue when the door opened with a knock and Sam walked in. He had received Andy's text but he didn't want to wait; he wanted to be there for her. He thought he could visit with her and Tommy and then wait outside when the doctor came.

When he saw the doctor already there, he was about to apologize for interrupting and back right out. But then he noticed Andy crying and he was torn. He started to move towards Andy to comfort her when the doctor stopped his progress. "Would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes."

Sam wasn't looking at him; he was looking at Andy. As much as he wanted to stay for her, he was about to turn around and comply when Tommy spoke up. "It's fine; I'd like him to stay."

Tommy received a look of gratitude from both Sam and Andy. Sam rushed over and took Andy in his arms. She didn't fight him at all; she just let him comfort her. She took a deep breath and motioned for the doctor to continue. Sam was still worried though as he had no idea why Andy was crying.

"As I said, we don't feel that a transplant is necessary at this point." Sam met Andy's eyes then and realized that they were tears of relief. He offered her a soft smile which she returned.

"However, you do need to change your lifestyle considerably and it's going to take a lot of work on your part to get your system back on track. You have already done a lot of damage, but thankfully the liver is a very forgiving organ and it has the capacity to regenerate. If you had continued on the path you were on, it would have been too late very soon. But as it is, you still have enough tissue left for it to regenerate. It's going to take some time, but it can happen. But Mr. McNally you cannot afford a relapse. If you start abusing alcohol again, I'm afraid the next time won't be good news."

Tommy nodded his head. He knew he was in for a rough road, but he was sure he could get through it and he was so thankful that Andy wouldn't become collateral damage.

Andy still couldn't speak as she leaned into Sam, relying on his strength. So he asked. "What happens now?"

"I've set up an appointment with our nutritionist and she will assist Mr. McNally with a diet that will help him get through this." He turned to Tommy. "You'll need to watch what you eat. She'll be able to suggest items that will not tax your system and aid in your recovery. If you stay away from the alcohol, and follow her instructions, I don't expect to see you here anytime soon. I won't be seeing you...will I?"

"Absolutely not." Tommy swore.

That broke Andy out of daze; her dad had promised many times before but this was the first time he really sounded like he meant it. She smiled through her tears and Sam could tell she was feeling better; he squeezed her tighter and she looked up to see him wink. He had heard the conviction in Tommy's voice too.

Tommy watched the entire exchange and it did his heart good. He liked seeing Andy like this and he knew Swarek was good for her.

"So can we go then?" Andy asked quietly.

"I'll have the nurse bring in the paperwork and once it's all signed; you can take him home."

All three of them thanked the doctor. When the nurse came in with the papers, she walked Tommy through them as Sam and Andy stepped to the other side of the room.

"Are you ok?" Sam wondered, thankful to finally have a quiet moment alone.

"I'm fine." She assured. "I'm really glad you came though."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

They were looking into each other's eyes and Sam started to lean in. He was so happy that things had worked out for her and so happy that she had let him in. He really wanted to kiss her. They were millimeters apart when they heard someone clearing their throat. They both looked up a little embarrassed; the paperwork was done and Tommy was waiting in a wheelchair that the nurse had brought in.

"I guess we should go then." Sam said before grabbing Andy's hand and leading her towards her father. Sam had to let go of Andy's hand to push the wheelchair and he heard a soft whimper of protest. He looked up at her and grinned. He grabbed her arm and wrapped it around one of his. She smiled back and leaned on his shoulders and mouthed. "Thanks for everything."

"Anytime, McNally."

They drove Tommy home and walked him up to his apartment. He assured them that he would be fine and told them to get going so they could relax a little before work. Andy promised that she would check in with him a few times during the evening. He told her that wouldn't be necessary but conceded when he realized she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Sam then drove Andy towards her apartment. "Do you need to go home?" She asked, hoping he didn't.

"No I wasn't sure how long it would take so I brought everything with me."

"Do you want to come in then?" She offered.

"I thought you'd never ask." He answered with a grin.

After parking in front of her building, Sam followed Andy upstairs. He watched as Andy entered her apartment and proceeded to ignore him; she was completely lost in her own thoughts. After a few minutes, Sam finally reached for Andy's hand to move her to the couch. "Andy, can we sit down?"

She looked up almost surprised that he was there. "Sorry…I just can't believe…I think it's going to be ok."

"It is going to be ok."

"Do you think he really meant it? Because it seemed like he really meant it."

"I do." Sam agreed.

Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Andy, it's going to be ok."

"I know. I'm just so relieved." She explained.

"Me too." He agreed. "I was so tired of seeing you hurting and I really didn't want you to have to go through any more."

She met his eyes. "Thank you so much for being there for me Sam. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"Andy, I wanted to be there. I have never wanted to be there for someone more than I did today. You will never have to worry about doing anything like that alone again."

She reached over and hugged him. "Thanks, Sam."

"Anytime, McNally."

They just stood there in each other's arms both content to be close until Sam broke the silence. "So are you thinking straight yet?"

She leaned back and chuckled not sure she was following this turn in the conversation. "What?"

"Are you thinking straight?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Remember in the Penny last week when you first told me about your Dad."

"Ye-es." Andy thought back over their conversation. 'I wish I was in that place right now Sam, because I know I've been hoping for more too; I really have. I could never fully commit to Luke when my heart wanted you. But I have so much going on right now that I can't even think straight.'

Recognition and joy dawned in her eyes so Sam pushed it a little further. "Still got a lot going on? You know your dad is home now and…"

Andy laughed. "Sam."

"Come on, Andy. I know you just found out, but I think we both know there's something here and it's not going away any time soon. Can we at least agree to give it a shot?"

"Sam Swarek, are you asking me out?"

He looked in her eyes and pulled her close. His lips brushed hers gently. "As a matter of fact…I am."

She smiled against his lips as she recalled another part of their conversation. "You're right, you know."

He looked at her questioningly, waiting for her to continue.

"I can't resist you." She whispered before closing her eyes and deepening the kiss.