This chapter was longer, but then I felt this was a better place to end it. I hope you all enjoy.
She was exhausted. A long case that had dragged into the night kept them out until after midnight but she was glad to be home with her kids. Riley had been working on logging old case files into the new LAPD online filing system. Taylor was almost too eager to hire the girl for the job since he knew she was a hard worker and there was basically no one she could talk to about the things she read that would be illegal, not that Riley would talk about them. Either way, he had been very pleased with the work Riley put in. She had been working there for over a month now and it seemed like the girl really enjoyed it.
Rusty was still working on Tao's show (which she referred to as such because it was cute how flustered Andy got when she did so) and she was very pleased. It was good for the kids to work until they went to school in January. After Riley's assault she had tried to very casually ask Sharon if it was okay that she went to Santa Monica College with her brother rather than to UCLA. To be honest, the idea made Sharon and Andy feel better too. It was good to have both kids on one campus.
She walked into the condo at one AM, Andy following behind her. They both took off their jackets and hung them on the coat rack as they kicked off their shoes and Phantom let out a loud yawn. The lamp by the door was on but the room was still very dark.
"Need something?" Sharon whispered walking toward the kitchen. "I'm starving."
"Just water for me," Andy replied running his hands down his face as he followed after her. Sharon nodded and grabbed a couple glasses as she pulled an apple out of the fridge for herself. He chuckled at her as she took a bite.
"What?" she asked around the bite of apple as she halfway covered her mouth. Her green eyes were flickering happily at him and he loved that he got to see this side of Sharon. This playful, a little less put together side of Sharon that talked with her mouth full and blushed about it.
He shrugged. "When most people are starving they eat something with a little more substance. You," he walked around the island to trap her against the counter, "eat an apple."
It was impossible to hide her smile. Though she was exhausted, she was glad that she had a man that made her so happy standing in her kitchen with her. His lips came down on hers and he loved the sweet taste of apple on her mouth. It was easy to spend all night just kissing her. There were so few things in life that made him as happy as kissing Sharon Raydor after a long exhausting case.
Her arms came up around his shoulders and into the back of his hair as his hands brushed down her side, lifting her by the thighs so she was sitting on the counter with him between her legs. Their tongues were quickly added to the mix as Sharon pulled Andy's shirt out of his pants and started unbuttoning from the top which was difficult since she was so eager to have as little space as possible between them as possible.
"Sure you're not hungry?" she muttered with a grin against his lips.
Andy growled. "Actually, I'm famished."
"Oh, God!"
The voice had startled the couple into immediately separating. Sharon was off the counter instantly and Andy was on the other side of the island as they stared at a thin brunette young woman stood in the hallway. "Sorry!"
"Emily?" Sharon stuttered realizing her apple was now on the kitchen floor due to her interruption of Andy invading her sense. Being unexpectedly interrupted set her as much into a haze as seeing her oldest daughter standing in her apartment so unexpectedly. "What are you doing here?"
Emily smirked. "Other than walking in on my mother making out with her boyfriend?" She turned to the other person in the room with red cheeks. "Hi Andy."
"Hey, Em," he replied awkwardly waving.
Sharon crossed the room to pull her daughter into a big hug. "I'm so happy to see you, just a little confused."
Emily easily returned the hug. "You can thank the newest members of the family. Those two are very convincing. Hell, Riley booked the flights before she even called us."
Sharon tilted her head. "Us?"
"Ricky's here too," Emily nodded. "All your kids are home."
Tears pricked her eyes as she pulled Emily back into her arms. Emily smirked and lead her head against her mother's. "Happy late adoption day."
Sharon could barely sleep with the knowledge that all her kids were in one place. She was itching for them all to wake up so she could hug them all. She already knew they were going to tease her because there was no way she wasn't going to cry. It was the first time she had been able to wrap her oldest daughter in her arms in years and she could barely convince herself to let her go.
Those kids, Riley and Rusty, if she would have known that they had been saving up since they started their jobs to buy their older siblings plane tickets she would have insisted on helping. Except this was their gift to her.
Andy could feel her still awake next to him. She was too excited, like a kid on Christmas to see her kids in the morning. "Babe, if you don't try and sleep you're going to be too tired to spend the day with them tomorrow."
She rolled over toward her and pouted at him. "I'm too excited to sleep." Her words immediately elicited a laugh from the man. "I have the best kids in the world," she told him like it was the most obvious thing. "How many eighteen year olds would save money to bring their siblings across the country as a present for their mother?"
It was a rather impressive gift, but he knew the kids considered it nothing compared to all she had done for them. They really felt like they were in debt to her and couldn't understand that it was just what parents did. It was hard for them because they spent fifteen years of their life surviving the best they could with an addict mother. Sharon wasn't only giving them a chance to survive, but to actually live.
"I bet they're going to get one hell of a Christmas present," Andy joked making Sharon playfully smack him. "It's not wrong to let people you love spoil you from time to time."
She poke his shoulder playfully before snuggling into him. She knew it was true but she was just very used to doing the spoiling with her kids. Andy liked to spoil her from time to time with gifts and concert tickets or tickets to the opera or something like that. That she could accept.
"Sleep now because I can guarantee that come seven in the morning Riley is going to be bouncing in here to wake us up for breakfast. Why does your kid have to be a morning person?"
Sharon's eyes turned sad. "Because she really hasn't been a sleeping person." Andy sighed and held her tighter.
"She's doing better, Sharon. We knew it would all take time. Maybe having Emily here for a while will help. Dr. Joe told us to be there when she needs us and make it very clear that we love her no matter what she comes to us with."
As Andy took in a shaky breath Sharon bit the inside of her cheek. "This whole thing has been a catalyst to what happened with Wesley Kilburn. I even find her scratching at her scars." She pressed herself up just enough to look Andy in the eye. "The other night she woke me up mumbling about Layla. I just feel like if I had been more focused on making sure that wound healed correctly we wouldn't be struggling so much now."
Running a hand through her hair Andy gave Sharon slight shrug. "We can't change the way things are. We'll get through this. Emily and Ricky are here. Rusty had been doing everything he can to help his sister out. I think we're on the right track, babe."
Sharon nodded before resting her head back on his chest. His hand gently massaged her scalp as she closed her eyes. The sooner she fell asleep, the sooner she could spend the day with all her kids.
Riley startled awake but she couldn't actually remember her dream. By the way her heart was pounding and she was sweating she knew she was heading right into a panic attack but she didn't want wake Emily. She focused on her breathing as her whole body trembled. Carefully moving the covers off and slipping out of bed without disturbing her sister, Riley headed toward the living room. If she could make it to the balcony the cool morning air would help her at least a little.
Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she tried to even her breaths.
"Hey lil sis."
Ricky's voice behind her startled her into spinning around to see him standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. The look in his eyes told her she must have really been a sight because his coffee cup hir the counter with a clank as he nearly ran to her. "What's wrong, kid?"
The anxiety only increased as shame also was added to her overload of emotions that was throwing her world off balance. "Pa-pa-panic-"
"Panic attack?" Ricky asked urgently pushing the blond curls off her sweaty face. "Should I get Mom?"
She shook her head quickly with an urgency in her eyes. "Bal-bal- bal-"
"Balcony?" Riley nodded again and quickly escorted his little sister toward the doors. The moment the cool air hit her face she immediately felt a tinge better. Ricky sat her down in one of the chairs and rubbed her back as she choked out harsh sobs. If she wasn't so focused on breathing she would be ashamed. She knew it was only a matter of time before she would be so embarrassed she wouldn't be able to even look at her brother.
"You're okay, Rye. I'm right here."
Ricky felt like out of all the people in the condo he was the one who could help the least. He knew about what happened, but he felt like this was a girl thing where Emily could help her or even Rusty simply because they were closer. Hell, everyone in the condo was closer to Riley than he was. He had managed to make a pretty awful impression the last time he was there and though he had made up for it some, it was pretty clear Riley was not as willing to forget what he said about them as easily as Rusty was.
"Sure you don't want Mom?" Ricky asked again but Riley shook her head slower this time as her body shook with sobs.
"I-I'm fine," Riley hiccupped wiping her face with the back of her hands. At least now she could speak. "Really. Go drink your cof-coffee."
The scoff he made was a reflex and he immediately realized she had taken it as him laughing at her. "There's no way I'm leaving, kid. I'm your big brother. I'm going to sit here with you until you feel better, okay?"
She continued quietly sobbing but slowly she nodded. She wasn't pleased that Ricky was witnessing her in such distress, but she would be lying to herself if she really said she would rather be alone. There had been too many panic attacks alone and sometimes she just needed someone to be there.
It took a while, but soon enough she did feel better. Her cheeks were still flushed and the embarrassment was definitely settling in. "Uh, thanks," she muttered lamely.
Obviously Ricky was still a bit shaken, but he nodded. "Anytime, kid." Perhaps that was the stupidest thing he could have said but Riley let out a small laugh as she glanced up at him.
"Don't worry, I think we both enjoyed that pretty equally. I just didn't want to wake Emily and I didn't expect anyone to be up."
Ricky nodded as he rubbed the back of his head. He pretty well looked like a giant compared to the five foot one, maybe hundred pound little sister but somehow he felt very small at the moment. Part of him wanted to ask what caused the panic attack but he was pretty sure he didn't actually want to know the answer even if she was willing to give it to him.
"I need to go wash my face," Riley offered she stood up but then hesitated. "Thanks for your help, Ricky, but don't tell Mom about it. She already knows I have them, she doesn't need to know about every single one I have."
Ricky barely nodded as he watched the girl walk away with more strength than he could have imagined would have come from a girl who just stumbled out of her bedroom because of a panic attack.
He wouldn't tell their mother, but it did seem like a good conversation to have with Emily. After all, he was still new at this big brother stuff.
I am actually not sure exactly where I'm going with this, but I hope to have an update up soon. Please review!