Sharon's nervousness was evident in her swift and snappy movements as she walked around their bedroom, tidying up after herself. From the angry rattle of the hangers in the closet, and the loud thud that her shoes made when they hit the floor, Andy could clearly tell she was more than just upset. Her normal frustration usually included just sour looks and long silence. Sometimes they incorporated a testy remark or two, and she could be a little short with a person she was angry with. But he has never seen her slam doors, throw things and being exceptionally noisy just to express her exasperation. Her behavior was starting to unnerve him as well. It was not the Sharon he had come to know and love. It was an enraged and frenzied version of her. Climbing out of bed, he caught her wrist as she was about to slam her hairbrush down against her makeup table.

"Sharon, that's enough," he said quietly, turning her towards him and effectively stopping her little tantrum. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but if he did, she would just use it as another chance to run away from a conversation they urgently needed to have. "What's upsetting you?" Sharon's emerald irises flickered and darkened. A concerned expression spread across her face.

"You won't understand," she replied

"I think I have proven myself as an understanding person in the past," Andy argued. The sight of Sharon's conflicted gaze pained him. It wasn't the fact that she didn't trust him to share whatever was going on with him, but the mere fact that something was bringing her so much suffering and she felt that she needed to go through it alone.

"It's something that happened to me in confession," Sharon said, pronouncing the words slowly. Andy looked at her curiously, never letting on that he had an idea what this outburst was all about. "Father Thomas said that he thinks my issues are not spiritual."

"What did he mean by that?" Andy wondered, having a pretty solid idea where the priest was leading the conversation.

"He said that I have a problem that the church cannot fix. He said that the church is a place of love and support, but that my issues were better dealt elsewhere," Sharon explained. Andy arched an eyebrow. "He suggested that I see a therapist." Her eyes filled with tears.

"I see," Andy said. "Why does it bother you so much?"

"Because I think it's my fault," Sharon's voice shook. "I told him that I was mad at God. I think I've offended him, or God, or the church, or all of them, and now he doesn't want to listen to me anymore." She trembled in a desperate attempt to hold back her tears. "I should have never said something so stupid." Andy wrapped his arms around her.

"I am also angry at God," he said quietly. "I'm angry that he took Lacey away. We loved her so much." He felt Sharon's tears wetting his shirt. "She was like a daughter to us, Sharon, wasn't she?" he asked, and Sharon emitted a muffled sound. "And since she died, I've wanted this pain to go away. Some days it's really bad, and I find myself attending two AA meetings. Do you sometimes want to go to a confession twice a day?"

"I try to go once a week, or at least once every two weeks," Sharon replied.

"Do you feel like this is enough for you? Don't you feel like you want to talk about what you're experiencing more often than that?" Andy asked.

"Sometimes," Sharon said.

"So maybe Father Thomas is right. Maybe you need another place where you can discuss what's happening to you. It doesn't have to replace confession, but it could help you deal with the grief, you know?"

"Is your therapist helping you?" Sharon wondered.

"Yes, he does. I tell him how I feel. He doesn't judge me, and sometimes he makes suggestions or informs me about psychological processes that are happening to me, and then I understand myself better, and it's easier to accept what is going on," Andy explained.

"What kind of stuff do you tell him?"

"Well, recently, I've been mostly talking about our family. I told him a lot about Lacey and Maia. I told him what she was like, and that I like to think she had a very specific purpose in this world that she needed to fulfill. I told him that I worry about Maia and what would happen to Julio if she doesn't make it. I told him about you, and how difficult it is for me to see you suffer. And I told him about Rusty; how proud I am of him and what he is doing with his life, how supportive he is of you, how sometimes his sense of humor can help me cope with negative moments," Andy said.

"You told your therapist all that?" Sharon looked surprised. She wiped her wet face on the end of her sleeve.

"I talk about the people I care about because this is what worries me the most. The best thing about going to a therapist is that he is neutral, and can look at the situation from the outside and give valuable advice," Andy explained.

"I know you tried to get me to do this from the beginning, Andy," Sharon said. "And I'm not against it. I have spent a year and a half trying to get Rusty to see one. I just don't know if it will be suitable for me."

"You won't know if you don't give it a try," Andy smiled. "We've been through a difficult experience. We have lost this beautiful girl we both thought of as a daughter. Her child is struggling for her life. We have been spending so much time in the hospital in the last couple of months. It's exhausting, and we are both affected by it. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone and to get a new perspective."

"What perspective did you gain from seeing a therapist?" Sharon asked.

"Well, I started looking at Lacey's death in a different way. I think maybe it's better that she is no longer suffering. She is resting in peace. It hurts us because we miss her, but if she were here, then it would mean she would still be in pain. And I also think that at least we were lucky that we got to know her. It's much better than not knowing her at all." Sharon considered his ideas for a moment and then nodded slowly.

"Do you think Father Thomas is angry at what I said?" she wondered.

"I think you wouldn't be his first congregant to express rage at God. He's probably heard it a few times before. But even if you did offend him, you could always apologize and ask for forgiveness. That's what confessions are for." Andy winked at her and was delighted to see the ends of her mouth curving upwards. Sharon still had a long way before she would be able to find happiness again, but this small smile was just the beginning. Andy wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. Closing his eyes, he wished for many more smiles and happier days.

-To Be Continued-

I'm working on the last couple of chapters and as always, would love to hear your thoughts about this chapter, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.