The words came to Sharon slowly over the next couple of weeks. She has shared them with Andy whenever the burden felt like it was too heavy for her to carry. He understood her need to protect her family, even if he was wary of Lacey and her motives. At the end of things, the decisions about the young woman were not his to make, but Sharon's and all he could do was advise Sharon on the topic and help direct her steps when she was unsure what to do. In the two weeks that she was with them, Lacey has already imprinted herself into their lives. The search for a new house stopped and was replaced by inquiries about a nice Airbnb apartment for Lacey. The talks about work and Rusty's obnoxious vlog that they had around the dinner table were exchanged with conversations about birth plans. It was a little frustrating at times, but Andy has learned to accept that Sharon's compassionate heart would not let her leave behind a young woman who needed care and supervision, even if that woman was her ex-husband's illegitimate child.

"Is Jack coming back to LA tomorrow?" he wondered one evening as they snuggled in bed. Sharon was already half asleep. She would not admit it, but the emotional strain Lacey's presence in the condo brought to her life exhausted her.

"He is," she mumbled sleepily.

"You know that you have to call him and let him in on what's going on," Andy said. He would gladly have this conversation when Sharon was in a better state of alertness, but with Lacey and Rusty, and occasionally Gus crowding the condo, they had very little privacy. Sharon hummed softly. He could tell that she wasn't into talking about it. Her impending conversation with Jack will no doubt be emotional, and open old wounds that she conveniently forgot she had. He knew that there were many issues between Sharon and Jack that she has chosen to file away rather than facing and he could only imagine that dealing with them after she let them fester and boil would not be a pleasant experience at all. He looked at her as she slept and wondered how anyone in their right mind would ever want to cheat on Sharon Raydor. She was smart, funny, caring and beautiful. Every day he had by her side was a gift to him. How could Jackson Raydor not recognize the treasure that he held in his arms? But then, how could Andy complain about Jack's failure as a husband when now he was the lucky man who got to hold her and hopefully spend the rest of his days with her. And in the face of what was to come, he knew that the least he could do to help her now was to shield her through the night and make sure her sleep would be as peaceful as possible.

Morning came faster than Andy wished. The sun rays invaded their room through the gap between the curtains and cast a golden hue around the room. Sharon stirred in bed beside him, and her eyes fluttered open and shut several times before she focused her gaze on him.

"You're already awake," she said and cupped his cheek, pressing her lips to his. Andy replied with a charming smile that he knew made her heart race like crazy.

"I didn't want to miss the sight of you waking up," he said. He loved watching Sharon wake up, although it wasn't always possible since Sharon usually woke up first. "I love the way you scrunch your nose right before you wake up, like you're hanging between sleep and wakefulness and you don't want to wake up. And those cute whimpers you make when you realize you're waking up," Andy smiled. "And I love your eye color when you finally open your eyes. It's a carefree and fresh green hue. It's different than the one you go to bed with." His words made Sharon's eyes sparkle even more brightly. Andy adored her so much, and even though this kind of compliments embarrassed her, he knew that these words might help brighten her day. Sharon would never admit it, but Andy was aware of the fact that she needed all the comfort she could get. It was important to him to provide her indirect support, and not focus on the very thing that was troubling her. The best way he had to do that was expressing his love for her and hope that when she has a weak moment throughout the day, she'll reflect on it and cheer up. Sharon's lips curved up into a dreamy smile.

"I don't think anyone has ever said something that sweet to me, Andy," she replied and captured his lips again. "My stomach is tingling," she said when their lips parted.

"Did I give you butterflies?" Andy teased her. Sharon nodded with a content smile. She was positively glowing. The sight of her took his breath away. He was so lucky to have her, and unlike Jackson Raydor, he would never take it for granted. The shrill sound of Sharon's alarm clock startled them both and Andy watched Sharon's incandescence disappearing at once. He sighed inwardly and pressed one more kiss to her lips before they went out of bed and began getting ready for their day.

The waitress placed Sharon's pasta and Jack's medium rare steak on their dinner table, and they thanked her. She smiled at them kindly and walked away. Sharon chose a restaurant that Jack liked in hopes of getting him in the right mood for the difficult conversation she was about to have with him. Getting into Jack's good graces was never a hard task, and Sharon intended to use every single thing she learned about him during their 30-year marriage to soften him enough, so he would open up towards the young woman who clearly needed his assistance. She took a sip of her sparkling water and picked up her fork.

"I was surprised that you wanted to see me," he said as he cut into the meat on his plate. The sight of the juicy, half-bleeding steak made Sharon's stomach turn. Ever since her relationship with Andy started, she ate less meat than she used to, and after he moved in, she barely consumed any meat. She wouldn't consider herself vegetarian, but somehow the taste, smell, and sight of meat, especially raw became a little off-putting to her.

"It's been a while since you spent that much time with Emily. I was wondering how it was," Sharon replied. Even though she was indeed interested in finding out how his vacation at Emily's was, she was brutally aware of the fact that she was using her daughter to ease into a difficult conversation.

"It was great. I got to see her dance. She's improved since those ballet recitals in 5th grade," Jack chuckled.

"Which production did you watch?" Sharon was curious. Emily was currently participating in two different plays.

"I saw both. She is the best dancer there, Sharon," he said, and his eyes shone as he reflected. "She did wonderfully in A Midsummer Night's Dream, but she danced like an angel in Colorful Fragrance."

"Did she? I haven't had the chance to see that play yet. How was it?"

"Oh, you would love it, Sharon. It's one of the best contemporary ballets I've ever seen, and our baby is the soloist. She carries the whole play beautifully, and I heard that she received wonderful reviews." Sharon has never seen Jack so excited about Emily and her job. He would have preferred that she went to law school or business school.

"That's great. I hope I'll be able to get off work and come watch her," Sharon said.

"But you could ask me about that over the phone instead of inviting me to dinner in a fancy restaurant, so something is going on," Jack noted.

"Yes, that's true." Sharon turned serious. "Something came up when you were away."

"What happened?" Jack wondered.

"Well, a young woman arrived at my condo, looking for you. She claimed that she is your daughter that you gave up for adoption sixteen years ago," Sharon said, trying to keep judgment out of her voice. "She wanted to meet you."

"Look, Sharon…" Jack moved uncomfortably in his chair.

"Is she really your daughter?" Sharon asked.

"Probably," Jack admitted.

"Can you please elaborate?"

"Her mother had a bookstore in Portland; that's where we first met. We began talking about English literature, and she was smart and funny, so I asked her out on a date," Jack described, avoiding Sharon's eyes. "After a month together, she told me she was pregnant. I freaked out and walked out on her, but every time I was in Portland, I dropped in to check on the baby. She listed me as the father on the birth certificate."

"And then her mother died," Sharon stated.

"Yes, she was killed in a car accident," Jack responded. "And DCFS contacted me about the child."

"Why did you decide to give up parental rights?"

"My lifestyle was not suitable for a 2-year-old kid," Jack said. "DCFS said that she was young enough to be adopted, and I thought that she would do well with a decent family who will give her the love she deserved."

"Why not our family?" Sharon asked.

"Would you really agree to take in my illegitimate child?" Jack quirked an eyebrow.

"I think I would," Sharon replied. "It wasn't the girl's fault that you cheated. No one is asked to be born."

"Did she get adopted?" he inquired.

"Unfortunately, she ended up in foster care," Sharon said.

"That was never my intention." The sad expression that spread across Jack's face seemed genuine. "I wanted her to have a good life."

"She said that her foster families were decent. She didn't suffer any violence or abuse," Sharon said.

"So now she's here?" Jack redirected the conversation. Sharon nodded slowly. "And she wants to meet me?"

"Yes, she has been staying at the condo for the past two weeks," Sharon informed him. Jack looked stunned.

"So when can I meet Maisie?" he wondered.

"Lacey." Sharon corrected him.

"It's been a while," he apologized, and Sharon nodded.

"Before you ask to meet her, there is something you should know about her," she said. Jack looked at her curiously. "Lacey is five months pregnant."

"Did she come here because she wants help with her baby?" Jack asked.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Sharon said. "Lacey is not healthy."

"What do you mean?"

"She has a life-threatening medical condition that can't be treated because of her pregnancy," Sharon explained. "And that means that she cannot hold a job to support herself and her baby. She may give birth prematurely."

"I don't suppose she has medical insurance," Jack sighed. Sharon shook her head. "And it's unlikely that any insurance company would agree to insure a sick person."

"Unfortunately not." Sharon watched him carefully, trying to read the expression on his face. She couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

"So she's here because she needs help," he said. Sharon confirmed. "Will her condition be treatable after the baby is born?"

"No, according to the two doctors I took her to," Sharon replied. "It's already looking pretty bad, and will gradually become worse. Her baby seems healthy and is developing as it should, and the doctor believes that she may be able to make it to week 27 or 28 before she has to undergo a C-section."

"Will the baby survive if she gives birth so early?" Sharon noticed that Jack was quite pale. She was surprised that it pained her to see him so concerned.

"It will be viable and will have a chance of 90 percent to survive. If Lacey is lucky, she will get a chance to spend some time with her child."

"That's a tough situation," Jack sighed.

"It is, and that is why I thought it was better to relay this information to you rather than bring her with me," Sharon explained. "Jack, I want you to think hard if you want to meet her at all. Lacey's story will inevitably end with an untimely and painful death, and if you feel that dealing with this will be difficult for you and endanger your sobriety, I think it's might be better that you don't meet her at all."

"I need a few days to think about it," Jack said. Sharon nodded slowly and finished her pasta. "I think I'll forgo dessert if you don't mind." Jack only ate half his steak, but it seemed like he lost interest in it.

"I understand," Sharon replied as Jack motioned for the waitress to bring them the check. She returned a couple of minutes later and placed the check on the table. Jack reached into his pocket. "It's on me, Jack."

"Sharon, you don't have to…" he began to argue.

"Don't worry about it," Sharon insisted.

"Okay, but at least let me leave a tip?" he asked. Sharon responded with a quick nod. They paid for dinner and left the restaurant and waited for the valet to bring their cars.

"Here's my car," Sharon said as the valet boy pulled in front of the restaurant and handed her the keys.

"Sharon," Jack caught her arm and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry for what I put you through. I will call you in a few days." He pressed a kiss to her cheek before he let her go. "Drive safely."

"You too," Sharon replied as she went into her car and drove away from there. Jack's sad expression when he learned of Lacey's condition plagued her thoughts as she drove home and wouldn't let her go even after she was curled in bed next to Andy. It appeared that Jack had taken their conversation and the gravity of the situation seriously, and it was clear to her that the news of Lacey's illness broke his heart. She only hoped that instead of hitting the nearest bar, he would seek an AA meeting.

"It wouldn't be your fault," she heard Andy's voice. "If he decides to drink, it's his choice."

"It would still hurt," Sharon admitted. She didn't love Jack anymore, but she cared about him, and she cared about their children and his relationship with them. She couldn't help but imagine how let down Emily and Ricky would be if Jack fell off the wagon again.

"I know," Andy said and wrapped his arm around her. They both knew that as long as Jack lived, he would be in Sharon's heart in one capacity or another. That was something they wouldn't be able to control, and as Andy often reminded her, they had to accept the things they could not change.

- To Be Continued -

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