Sharon POV
"You're going to follow me around? Then I suggest you start right now."
It was the first thing I said after Wright's unbelievably inappropriate remark, and I didn't wait around to see my squad's response, but instead turned on my heel, heading for Chief Taylor's office.
And maybe it seems like I'm running to daddy, I don't know, but there are a few things I need to set straight.
"Whoa, hey, are you okay?" Andy asked when I nearly plowed him over in the hall.
"No," I said sharply.
"Ah, it's Lieutenant Flynn," Wright said as he sauntered into the hall behind me. I guess he did decide to follow me.
But before he could say anything else, I whirled on him and said sharply, "Not another word. Not one more word, are we clear?"
"Sure," he asked with feigned innocence, holding up his hands as if to ward off an attack. Then he looked over at Andy and shrugged and said, "Women."
"Are you kidding me with that?" Andy fired back, and Wright looked surprised by his lack of commiseration, but I can't even get mad about his remark because I'm still so mad about his other comment.
I can just imagine what's being said inside the murder room right about now. And Andy's going to walk into it unprepared because I can't say anything in front of Wright, and God knows he's not going to give me a minute alone.
"Let it go, Andy," I said with forced calm, catching his eye and holding it for a moment as I did my best to convey an apology.
Not that it's my fault we just got outed, but I still somehow feel responsible. Maybe if I'd reported Wright officially, for his inappropriate behavior, he wouldn't be in the hall with us, trying to ease his way into our line of sight.
Reluctantly, I turned away from Andy, leaving him behind as I made my way to Taylor's office, with Wright directly on my heels.
"I get that you're mad, but I'm not sure why," he said as he hustled to keep up.
I bit my tongue, holding onto my response as I knocked on Taylor's door.
"I had a feeling I'd see you this morning," the chief said on a tired sigh as he let us into his office. "Listen, Captain, I can't stop the audit. It's protocol, based on the number of recent investigations in your division."
He made a point to ignore Wright, so I did the same, but I still had to take a couple of deep breaths before I spoke, repeating to Taylor what Wright said in front of my squad.
"Is that why you're ticked?" Wright asked on a laugh. "Come on, Sharon, lighten up. It was just a joke."
"A joke?" I repeated with venom, turning towards him and jabbing my finger into his chest. "Talking about my private life in front of the people who work for me? Talking about who may or may not be in my bed? That's wildly inappropriate, and completely unacceptable, and I won't tolerate another word from you on anything relating to my personal life!"
"Maybe you need to work on your sense of humor," he said dismissively.
"My division doesn't know about me and Andy," I bit out . "Or at least they didn't, but I suppose everyone knows now."
"What? No way. There's no way those people didn't know."
"I'm not obligated to tell anyone other than my superior," I stated firmly. "I was going to give it some time before…no, wait, I don't need to explain my decision to you. The fact of the matter is that it was yet another secret you divulged, something you ascertained only because of your IA position. You have no respect for anyone's privacy."
Wright was still staring at me disbelievingly, and then he looked past me to Taylor, and said, "Come on, Chief, back me up here. You've seen the way they look at each other. And they work with detectives. It has to be common knowledge."
"It wasn't your place to say anything about it," I reiterated, enunciating each word carefully to get my point across.
"It was a joke!" he yelled.
"It was tactless and improper in a work setting."
"They weren't kidding about you, were they?"
"Who wasn't? About what?"
Since we'd devolved into a juvenile shouting match, Taylor finally interjected, "Captains, can we all settle down and take a breath for a minute please?"
I took a step back, dropping my gaze to the floor for a minute as I worked to calm my temper.
I must be spending too much time with Andy lately, I thought wryly. His hostility is rubbing off on me. Of course, in this instance it's completely justified.
"Now," Taylor began after a moment of silence. "Wright, your comment is something that won't happen again. Personal relationships are not to be discussed. Period. And for this incident, I'm putting a note in your jacket. Understood?"
"But Chief…"
"Am I understood?" he repeated forcefully.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Now get out, and give me a minute with Captain Raydor."
I kept staring at the floor until Wright was gone, and then I turned on Taylor, my anger still in overdrive.
"Hang on," he preempted. "He was wrong. And that mark in his file is going to be very detailed, okay?"
"Okay," I acknowledged. "But the damage is already done."
He held my gaze for an extra beat as he fought with a smile.
"What?" I asked petulantly.
"Do you really think your squad didn't know? He did have a point about the way you and Flynn look at each other. Why do you think I backdated that disclosure form to August?"
"Chief, we've never…I mean, nothing inappropriate…"
I trailed off as he started chuckling.
"Sharon, I'm not saying you did anything wrong. I'm just saying…you can't hide love."
I closed my eyes and exhaled heavily, unable to form any type of denial.
I love you.
Andy's words to me last night.
Hearing them in my head again now goes a long way towards calming me down.
I still need to tell him, I thought.
"You let him get to you," Taylor continued quietly. "Again."
"I know. It was just so…"
"Inappropriate," he finished. "I know. But you need to get used to the fact that he's an uncouth, loud-mouthed, arrogant little son of a bitch."
His dramatic description had me finally smiling, just a little, and then he added, "But you're stuck with him. I can't do anything to stop it. All I can do is try to help you keep him in line for the next two weeks."
"Oh my God," I conceded, sighing as I said the words. "It's going to be a long two weeks, isn't it?"
"Interminable," he agreed. "But you can handle it. I've got your back."
I nodded appreciatively, and then thought about poor Andy, back in the murder room, likely facing merciless teasing all due to Wright's remark.
"If he mouths off to Andy, I might not be able to control the outcome," I warned. "I might not want to."
"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it, Captain."
If the look Andy gave Wright, once we arrived back in the murder room, was any indication, I have a feeling we may be crossing that bridge a whole lot sooner than Taylor expects.
"So what are we doing today?" Wright asked me as he paused in front of the murder board, seemingly oblivious to the daggers Andy was sending his way.
I glanced around the room at the faces of the rest of my detectives, and I was relieved to only see despise for Wright, and sympathy for me for having to deal with him.
So maybe everyone did already know, I decided.
I pushed that thought away, too, though because even though they may have suspected something, having Wright talking about us in bed together…it's just too much.
"We're finishing the paperwork from yesterday," I answered brusquely as I moved towards my office.
"Great, sounds like fun," he responded.
He was inches behind me when I got into my office, and I turned around quickly, causing him to pull up short.
"You know, one of the attributes of a good IA detective is to know how to stay out of the way and only speak up when necessary," I said sharply.
"What, I'm in your way?" he asked innocently.
"Just…sit down and keep your mouth shut," I said, and then I turned around and went to my desk. My phone was buzzing in my pocket as I sat down, so I pulled it out to check the text.
It was from Andy, of course.
I'm going to kill him.
I fought the urge to look at him through the window, instead just smirking as I typed a response.
You're going to have to beat me to it.
I said it to try to make him laugh, but I'm only partially kidding. And then, since he didn't bring it up, I sent another text.
How did it go in here, after I left?
"Is that what paperwork looks like, Captain? Because it looks to me like you're texting your boyfriend," Wright remarked.
I wondered briefly if I annoyed Chief Johnson as much as Wright is me.
No way, I decided.
I drove her crazy, without a doubt, just by virtue of my presence, but I certainly never crossed the line of professionalism.
"Actually, I'm checking in with my son," I lied. "Not that it's any of your business."
He pulled out a notebook and jotted something down and then flashed me a smile.
"I'm just keeping an accurate accounting of your day."
"The purpose of the investigation is to make sure we follow procedure," I reminded him. "Not to micromanage every second of my time."
"Maybe. Maybe not."
He wants my job, I reminded myself. He's going to use anything he can against me, even if it's something so petty as reporting that I sent a few personal text messages during the course of the day.
I stared at him for a moment, and then shook my head and looked back at my phone, which had just indicated an incoming text.
The pool isn't on us anymore. Now it's on who kills Wright and when.
I couldn't stop the quick laugh, and even though I was going to be done with my phone, I had to respond.
There was a pool on us?
I set my phone down and got to work, but after another minute, it buzzed again.
Odds were heavy that you'd find a way to let me down easy. Tao bet on the longshot.
I don't know if he's kidding or not, but I think so. He seems to be of the opinion that everyone thinks he's not good enough for me.
It reminds me of our first time together, that Sunday afternoon three weeks ago. His expression, when he came into the room and I was stripping down…it was just…so cute. Like he thought he wasn't supposed to have followed me. Like he didn't belong there with me. And when I smiled at him, he finally let himself actually look at me, and God, the heat from his stare was enough to nearly drive me crazy.
And I don't know from where I found the courage to be so bold that day. I only know that I just wanted him, and we'd danced around each other for so long, or rather I'd been in denial for so long, that I had to be the one to do something.
I'm so glad I did, too.
I just…love him.
I really need to tell him.
I glanced up and saw Wright sitting there, just staring at me with this condescending little half-smile on his face, and I hate the incongruous feeling that goes with thinking of Andy while being stared at by Wright.
It made me shift my focus where it belonged, back onto my work.
An hour or so passed in silence, and as my inbox became manageable, I started thinking of ways I might be able to ditch Wright, in order to talk with Andy alone.
I want to hear what was said about us.
And I want to tell him I love him.
"You know, you had this job," Wight said, his voice breaking through my thoughts. "So you know how difficult it can be."
I looked up at him and found him watching me with something that looks like sincerity.
"Internal Affairs can be difficult, yes," I agreed.
"And being the new guy. That's not so easy, either," he added.
"True."
"So…I'm just saying, maybe I came on too strong. I've always had the need to be accepted, and I can see how I went about it the wrong way, when it comes to you and your squad. I just, I've got a lot of respect for you, and I wanted to fit in, and what I said this morning…I thought the guys would laugh. I honestly thought everyone already knew about you two."
As far as apologies go, I've certainly heard better, but I guess I've heard worse, too.
I set down my pen and leaned back in my chair a little, opening myself to conversation, because honestly, if I have to go through two weeks at the stress level I've felt this morning, I'm going to make myself sick. Maybe if I listen to what he has to say, we can forge some sort of truce until this investigation is over.
"How did you do it?" he continued. "How did you do this job, investigating other departments, and still have friends?"
"Oh, well, I didn't," I replied. "Not within the LAPD, anyway."
"You? Not have friends? I find that hard to believe," he said, and now he's smiling at me, and I can't be sure, but I think he's gone back to flirting with me.
I don't like it, but it's still better than telling sex jokes in my murder room.
"No one likes Internal Affairs," I said, not responding to his assertion. "Get used to it, or find another job."
He laughed, more so than was necessary, and I shifted my gaze to the window to find Andy looking at us. Or rather, looking at Wright, as he sits across from my desk, leaning back casually with one foot resting on the opposite leg. I continued to stare at Andy for a moment, trying to draw his attention, but he was too focused on Wright, and it makes me curious as to what he's thinking. I mean, I know he doesn't like the man, and I know he was a little jealous on Monday, but surely he doesn't honestly think he has anything to worry about, as far as he and I are concerned.
Except that he said he loved me and I didn't respond, I thought, and I'm suddenly more anxious than ever to tell him. I don't want him worrying about me and Wright. Or me and anyone.
"Easier said than done," Wright remarked. I moved my gaze back to him while my mind debated if it would be possible to sneak Andy into the ladies' room with me, and then Wright caught my attention when he said, "You know, my wife died last year. And it's been…well, tough. That's why I moved down here from San Francisco. I just couldn't stand to be there anymore, when it seemed like she was everywhere I looked."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"She was sick for a while," he offered. He went silent for a moment, and then took a deep breath, as though he were shrugging off the memory, and then he said, "So yeah, maybe I'm trying a little too hard to make a new life for myself."
As much as I hate it, I'm starting to feel sorry for him.
"Give yourself time," I said.
"Thanks," he said, smiling broadly at me. "I appreciate you giving me the chance to explain myself. There's hope for us yet, right? Maybe you'll reconsider my offer. Drinks? Tonight?"
As he made the offer, Lieutenant Provenza knocked and pushed open the door. The look he gave Wright would suggest he heard him ask me out for drinks, although it's hard to tell with Provenza. He glares at most people.
"Captain, we just got a call from Traffic. Seems they towed an abandoned vehicle, and once it was on the lot, they discovered a body in the trunk."
"Okay," I said with a nod. "Does the vehicle registration match the victim?"
"It's a rental. And no ID on the vic."
"Find out from where the vehicle was towed, and send Julio and Amy to check it out. Take the others with you to the impound lot."
"You aren't going?" Wright asked in surprise.
"I don't always go out with the team. Sometimes it's good to coordinate from here."
"Oh. Well, I'll go with them. I can ride with you and Lieutenant Flynn, right?" he asked Provenza.
I didn't hear my lieutenant's grumbled response, but I can imagine. It's probably similar to what Andy had to say about the matter. As relieved as I was to have Wright out of my office, I spent the next several hours worrying about what he might be saying to Andy. Although he did seem sincere with his explanation of his obnoxious actions.
Of course, then he also asked me out again.
I just want the day to hurry up and end, so that I can go home and relax with Andy.
With the pick-up of the new case, the afternoon moved along quickly. We were able to ID the body, and we found the rental information on the vehicle, so then we interviewed that man, only to find out that he supposedly returned the vehicle yesterday.
A trip to the rental agency showed the car was returned, but then left on the street, with the keys in the ignition, during a busy time, and once an employee finally got around to moving it, it was gone.
"So the car was stolen. We've got nothing, ma'am," Julio said after returning from the rental place.
"Do we have the financials on our victim yet? Phone records? Employment information?" I questioned.
"Oh, good questions," Wright interjected, making another note in his little book. I rolled my eyes at him, and looked over at Andy, who had been working on those details, but then Mike spoke up.
"ID was a fake. So…we're back to square one on the vic."
"The license in the wallet isn't our guy?" I asked in surprise. "Did you confirm that with the person whose name was on the license?"
"He's dead," Andy told me.
"No kidding, Lieutenant," Wright said smartly.
"Not the guy in the trunk, genius. I mean, the name on the license. It belongs to a guy who died six years ago."
"Nothing showed on the prints?" I asked Mike, who just shook his head, clearly frustrated.
"Okay," I said as I glanced at the clock. "Okay, so…let's call it a night. If we have to start fresh, let's start fresh in the morning."
I went into my office to get my things, and as I turned around, of course, there was Wright, directly behind me.
"We don't need the commentating," I said to him, trying to be nice, but still annoyed with him. "When we're going over our information, random comments are counterproductive."
"My apologies," he stated. "So…the drink?"
"No, Captain," I said on a sigh. "I can't think of any other way to say that. I appreciate the offer, I really do, and I'm doing my best to get along with you on the work front, but if you're looking for a friend, go another direction."
"Yeah, okay, sure," he said with a shrug. "Good night, Captain."
He left, and I turned back to my desk, looking to see if I need anything else for the night.
"I'm going to head home, Captain. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
I turned around again, surprised by Andy's words as he stood in the doorway. I looked over to the murder room, thinking maybe he was saying it for someone else's benefit, but it's largely empty.
"You're going home? You mean, to my home, right?"
"Ah…no," he said, looking down at his feet as he kicked lightly at the floor. "I mean my home. You know, I haven't been there in a while, and I thought it might be a good idea to…um…you know, just…yeah," he trailed off.
"Oh," I replied softly, and I wish he would look at me, so I could see what he's thinking, but he's still looking downward, and I guess I can't fault him for wanting to make a trip to his own place. He has been at mine more often than not lately, but still… "Are you coming over later?"
"I don't…know, um…no, probably not. I'll just…"
He stopped talking again, not finishing the thought, and now I'm feeling scared that something is going on here. It's like we had a fight and we're bordering on breaking up, except we didn't.
Last night was incredible, and he loves me, and I know I need to say it, but I can't say it now because then he'll think I'm only saying it to make him happy, and God, why didn't I just say it back to him last night?
"Andy," I began, moving from behind my desk to go stand as close to him as I dared. He eased back slightly, like he was afraid I was going to touch him, and I can't believe how much it hurts, seeing him pull away from me like that. "What's going on? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he answered, and he finally brought his eyes to mine, and I can see the hurt in his eyes, too, and I'm just so lost that I have no idea what to say. "I just think I need to go home."
"Okay," I said, even though it's anything but okay, and yet what am I supposed to do?
"So, I'll see you in the morning," he said, and then without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
TBC...