The whole week had been a blur. Major Crimes had caught three homicides in ten days. Not only was that unusual, it resulted in the sleep deprivation of the entire team. Sharon had done her best to get them all home by 11pm as often as she could, but even that hadn't been possible the last few nights. It resulted in a cranky, overworked team with few resources and limited patience. For Andy, it made an already uncomfortable situation worse.
Not only had he and Sharon not talked about their recent conversation (Andy was still hesitant to call it a break-up), they had barely talked at all. Sharon communicated mostly with Provenza, who then passed along information to his partner. Andy couldn't quite decide if Sharon was intentionally avoiding him or not. Given how busy the team had been, it was understandable that Sharon's priorities were in getting quick results, not catering to his need for closure. Nevertheless, Wednesday came and the team closed their last case. Sharon asked Taylor to give the next murder to Robbery/Homicide, and he agreed that unless the governor or president was shot in LA, he would let her team have a couple of days of well-deserved break. While everyone finished up their paperwork late in the afternoon, Sharon intentionally procrastinated with hers. She wasn't really in any rush to get home; Rusty was working and she knew there was an unavoidable conversation headed her way regarding Andy Flynn.
On the one hand, Sharon had been grateful for the rush of work that came immediately after she had ended things with Andy. She didn't have time to dwell, and therefore didn't have time to regret. But now, in the soft glow of a slowly setting sun, Sharon was coming to terms with what she had done.
Pulling her out of a cloud of self-doubt, Sharon heard a quiet knock on her office door. "We're all finished here, Captain. Sykes and Julio headed out a few minutes ago. I'm just checking if you need anything before I leave as well?" It was a genuine offer, but given the bags bulking under Lieutenant Provenza's eyes, Sharon knew she better not take him up on it. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'm all set here. Enjoy your night, try to rest up." She delivered a soft smile and unintentionally let her eyes wander over Provenza's shoulder and out her office window, where she saw another grey-haired man packing up for the night. Provenza caught her glance and quickly checked the murder room to see what had gotten her attention. Upon realizing who she was looking at, he tried to regain her focus. "Alright, well uh…goodnight, Captain. See you in a couple of days." Sharon returned her gaze to Provenza and nodded. As he left her office, she made a point to look down at her paperwork and not let her Lieutenant see her ogling Andy again. She heard him slap his partner on the shoulder and say goodbye, followed by something muttered that Sharon couldn't quite make out.
After a few seconds, Sharon thought she could risk looking away from the paperwork she was only pretending to fill out. She immediately wished she hadn't. Out her window, in front of his desk, Andy was standing stark still, looking into Sharon's office at her. He didn't move, even after she returned his eye contact. They both just stared, each hearing their own side of an unspoken conversation. When Andy moved, Sharon thought he'd finally decided to come into her office. Instead, he grabbed his suit jacked off his chair and left. Sharon let out an aching breath, gathered up her own belongings, and decided to finish up her paperwork at home.
After a long shower and two glasses of white wine, Sharon had completed the last bit of administrative paperwork on their latest homicide. Unfortunately, this left her completely without distraction. She hugged a pillow to her chest, leaned back on the couch, and shut her eyes. When she heard her phone buzz on the coffee table, she almost jumped off the couch to get it. Much to her disappointment, it was only a text from Rusty telling her not to worry but he'd be home late. Figures, Sharon thought. Andy had always been the one to call and text, something she hadn't realized she'd taken for granted until now. Because now, when she most wanted him to call her so they could talk, he was still angry and unwilling to reach out.
And Sharon refused to dial him. She still didn't know if breaking-up had been the right decision or not. It was true that their relationship had officially gotten in the way of their chain-of-command. Even Andy couldn't deny that. And he was out of line to expect Sharon to back him up when he had clearly been out of line. That still didn't explain why Andy had hit Rickman in the first place. On that point, Andy had been right–Sharon didn't really let him explain himself. She got too caught up in Delp's disdainful tone and needing to come across as unbiased.
Ugh. Maybe she should just call him.