DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters, except for Matthew and Moxie. The rest of them belong to James Duff and the Major Crimes franchise.
A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!
Chapter 10
Sharon had read Matthew a bed time story and felt like they were making some progress with him, after one session with Doctor Joe. She knew something else was bothering him but figured with him seeing Doctor Joe again tomorrow afternoon, maybe he would open up to her and Andy again. Sharon made her way to their bedroom and got herself ready for bed.
Emily stopped outside of her mother's room and saw her standing in the middle of the room. "Mom?" she whispered and Sharon turned around. "Oh, honey, is everything okay?" she asked her. "Yes, Mom, I'm just wondering about you?" Emily gestured with her hand and Sharon waved her off. "I'm good," Sharon walked towards her daughter and gave her a hug.
"Thank you for everything that you've done for me so far while being here," Sharon whispered to her and she smiled. "You're welcome, Mom," Emily had a tear in her eye as she pulled away. "I'm going to go to bed now," she added and then walked down the hallway to the guest room. Sharon took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom to continue getting herself ready for bed.
Andy pulled his car into the driveway and opened the garage door, pulling the car inside and turning it off. He sat there for a few minutes, collecting his thoughts before climbing out of the driver's side and walking towards the house. A part of him was hoping Sharon was still up waiting for him, but the other part of him was hoping she was asleep because he knew that she needed her rest.
He walked through the back door, closing and locking it up behind him and made his way into the kitchen. He stood by the island counter and saw that Sharon had left him a note, telling him about the food that she left in the oven for him. He smiled and walked over to the oven, opening the door and instantly smelling the lasagna that was waiting for him.
He loosened his tie before taking out the leftover container of lasagna and placing it on top of the stove. He fixed himself a plate and placed it in the microwave to heat it up. He turned around and walked over to the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of water from inside. He placed the bottle on the table and returned back to the microwave as it had alerted that his food was ready. He took his suit jacket off and rolled up his sleeves.
Andy sat down to eat his food and heard someone coming down the stairs. He knew it was Sharon without even looking up as he took a few bites of the food on his plate. "Hi," she whispered to him as she joined him in the kitchen. "Hi," he chewed his food and swallowed as he watched her sit down next to him. "How was Matthew's time with Doctor Joe?" he asked her.
"I think it went well," she shifted in her chair. "He opened up to me a little bit after dinner and we played a new game that he had played with Doctor Joe, Connect Four," she told him as she watched him eat. "That's good to hear," he said as he chewed his food.
"I know you're mad at me for showing up at the office earlier today," Sharon told him as she caressed his left hand. He turned it over and she placed her hand in his. "I'm not mad, just worried about you," he sighed as he ate. "I'm feeling much better, and my side hurts less," she smiled at him as he ate his food. "Well, that's good," he told her as he placed his fork down on the table.
"Sharon, sweetheart, I," he started to struggle with his words as they sat at the kitchen table. Sharon shook her head. "I know I should have told you that we were stopping by when I had you on the phone earlier, but I knew you would protest it, and I thought there was no harm in stopping and sitting in my office, while we waited for you," she rambled as she played with his left hand.
"What if we had a suspect there and things got out of hand, and you got re-injured? I wouldn't be able to take that," his voice was raspy. She watched him sit there. "Andy, you can't keep me hidden away forever, and eventually the doctor will clear me to return to normal duty, hopefully on Monday," she added and looked at him.
"I know that, believe me, I do. But, god Sharon!" he looked up towards the ceiling. "It could have been much worse. I could have lost you and I don't know what I would do if that ever happened!" he looked back at her and she stood up. "Are you done eating?" she asked him and he nodded. She took his plate and placed it in the sink, returning back to him as he watched her.
She reached down for his hand and held it. He stood up and they walked upstairs to their bedroom. Sharon closed their door and Andy turned around. He took a ragged breath as she stood in front of him. "Andy, I know it's difficult to send someone that you love into potential harm's way every day. I do that with you. And sometimes I have difficulty with that, but I know that's part of the job and I've learned to deal with it," she caressed his arms as he stood there.
"When you've gotten injured over the years, I was afraid of losing you to a suspect or whomever else you encountered. I had my reservations, recently, after you had gotten shot, about returning you to active duty, and I wanted to keep you safe. I thought that the only way to do that would be to keep you on desk duty, even after your doctor released you," she confessed to him and he reached for her pulling her into his chest. He never knew this and she never told him until now.
"After you had your blood clot surgery, and you were recovering at the condo, I saw how much you wanted to be on your own, wanting to go back to work, and wanting to get back into the field again," she told him as she looked into his eyes and caressed his face with her hand. "Thank god your doctor didn't release you until much later," she chuckled and he did as well.
"I'm sorry," he whispered to her. "Why are you sorry?" she shook her head and wondered. "Because I keep telling you I know what it's like and what you're going through, being sidelined, watching everything and not being able to participate in the job that you love. And then I try to keep you away," he told her and she shook her head again.
"I know you don't need a knight in shining armor to come rescue you, you're more than capable of doing that yourself," he whispered. "And besides, my armor is a little dull," he added, jokingly and she smiled. "Sometimes it is nice to be rescued," she admitted as they both stood there.
She looked down for a moment at their feet and looked back up at him. "Andy," she whispered but he interrupted her. "And then you drive me crazy and I want to make love to you but I know we can't yet because you're not cleared by your doctor, and that's why I took a cold shower this morning," he took a breath and she smiled.
They stood there in their bedroom. "I know I have a lot of things I need to work through and I'm hoping Doctor Peters can help me tomorrow night," he told her and she nodded, knowing that this discussion they just had was just the beginning. She must have given him a sad look because he reached down and kissed her on her lips.
"I know you want to help me with that, and you are," he whispered as they broke apart. He lifted her chin so that she looked into his eyes. He then kissed her forehead and headed into the bathroom to get himself ready for bed. She stood there, wrapping her arms around herself, as she watched him retreat into the bathroom and closed the door.
She wiped a tear from her eye and then slipped into their bed and waited for him to be finished. He stood in front of the mirror, hands on both sides of the sink, and looked at himself. He had stubble coming in on his face and his eyes were tired. He brushed his teeth and turned the light off. He stepped back into their bedroom and saw that Sharon was already lying in bed. He quickly changed his clothes in their closet and joined her.
"You know, you slept better than you had in days when I held you," she told him as he slid in behind her, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her neck and she turned around to face him. "Let me hold you and you can tell me about the case after I left," she ran her hand through his hair and he moved over her and settled in on her right side instead.
He laid his head down on her right shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. "We went to Billy's residence and spoke to his wife. She told us that he wasn't home but as we took a look around, we heard a noise coming from upstairs. We get up there and there's Billy trying to climb out the window. I grab him and pull him back in. We then find the murder weapon in a closet in the bedroom, along with betting slips and papers," he told her as she caressed his back.
"He asked for a lawyer after Provenza and I spoke to him back at the office. He rattled off some names after his lawyer came and we're holding him now overnight," he yawned and settled his hand over her stomach. He closed his eyes and his breathing evened out. Sharon held him and listened to him but the next thing Sharon knew, she heard him lightly snoring. She snuggled closer to him and fell asleep herself.
The next morning…
Andy must have been dreaming because he found himself outside on a busy street in downtown LA. He was walking with Sharon and Matthew and they got to a park. Matthew ran ahead of them and started to play on the swings. They had a seat on a bench and were watching him when Bill Croelick showed up. "What the hell are you doing here?" Andy yelled but it seemed like only he could see him. He glanced at Sharon who was busy watching Matthew and then he looked to see where Matthew was. He shouted but nothing came out. "Sharon," he called out to her but she didn't hear him. Croelick walked closer to him and he went for his gun but he didn't have it. He again called Sharon, trying to get her attention to no avail. Croelick was struggling with Andy. "I'm going to watch them burn and so are you," Croelick sneered at him. Andy landed on his back. He watched Croelick get closer to Sharon and he screamed to warn her.
Sharon woke up to Andy mumbling something in his sleep. He was lying on his back and his right hand was on his stomach but his left hand was over his head. Whatever dream he was having, he was not happy, Sharon determined as she sat up and tried to wake him. "Andy, Andy," she whispered to him as she lightly tapped his body. Andy jerked up and looked around, his eyes finally focusing on Sharon. "What happened?" he asked as he tried to catch his breath. "You were dreaming, mumbling about something," she told him as she rubbed her back.
He ran his hand across his face and through his hair. Yeah, he was dreaming alright he thought to himself. "Thank goodness," he muttered under his breath as he got his bearings and looked at Sharon. "Want to tell me about it?" she asked him as they sat up in their bed but Andy shook his head. "No," he said breathlessly.
She was a little shocked by his answer right away. She ran her hand down his face and cupped his chin. He closed his eyes for a second as he melted into her touch. He re-opened his eyes and looked into her green ones. "It was weird and I don't want to re-live it," he shrugged his shoulders, assuring Sharon that he was okay. He pulled her in for a hug and then slowly lowered himself back on the bed, pulling her with him.
They settled back down, with Andy holding Sharon now. She relaxed into his embrace and closed her eyes. He turned his head to glance at the clock, noting that it was closer to five o'clock than he thought. He took a deep breath and lied there, holding her, while he looked up at the ceiling.
His alarm went off an hour later and he blinked a couple of times before he reached over to turn the annoying noise off. Sharon stirred in her sleep as she felt him move under her. She slid off of him, allowing him to sit up and eventually to stand up and get ready for work. Sharon sat up and sat on the edge of their bed. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and made her way into their closet.
"Did Billy give you a last name of this Frankie person?" she asked him as she watched him go through his suits. Andy decided to go with his black suit and greyish shirt, so Sharon picked his black and grey striped tie for him to wear with it. "Uh, no, only his first name," Andy told her as he passed her and went into the bathroom. "So we're not really sure if we can find him then?" Sharon followed him in the bathroom and watched him get undressed.
He turned the shower on and stepped inside of it, closing the glass door. "I'm sure we'll be able to find him. Mike is working on getting a staffing list from the construction company," he shouted over the water as he took a shower. Sharon sat down on the bench next to the sink and waited for him to be done. "Who's going to interview the coaching staff?" Sharon asked over the noise of the shower.
Andy opened the glass door slightly and had one eye closed as shampoo was running down from his face. "Provenza and I were going to do that, and yes, before you ask, I already told him that I have a meeting at 7 tonight and need to be back no later than 4," he told her and rinsed his head.
"Well, at least you're not taking a cold shower this morning," she mumbled to herself as she saw the mirror starting to fog up from the steam of the shower. Sharon moved towards the shower door with a towel. The water turned off and Andy stepped outside, taking the towel that Sharon offered him. She breathed in his scent and hummed. "You smell nice," she smiled and kissed his lips.
He was careful not to drip any water on her as she stood there. He moved his hands up to her arms and held her. They broke for air and she patted his cheek with her hand. "I'm going to get Matthew up so you can get dressed without any distractions," she smiled and slowly retreated from the bathroom. Andy took a deep breath as he watched her leave him and reluctantly, started getting himself ready for work.
Sharon walked into the hallway and saw that Matthew's door was already opened. She glanced down the hall to see if the bathroom was occupied but the door was open and the light was off. She moved closer to his door and pushed it open. The light was on but Matthew wasn't in the room nor was Moxie. Sharon wasn't going to panic just yet as she made her way down the stairs to the first floor.
She saw the kitchen light over the table was on and heard some noises coming from the room. As she came closer to the kitchen, she saw Matthew standing up next to the island counter and he was playing the Connect Four game by himself. Moxie was also there, sitting down next to him.
"Matthew!" she whispered loudly to him which startled him. He turned around and saw his mom standing at the entrance looking at him. His eyes went wide and he thought he was in trouble. "Sorry?" he told her as she came closer to him. Moxie stood up and wagged his tail as Sharon made her way over to Matthew.
"You don't need to be sorry," she ruffled his hair. "How long have you been down here playing that game?" she asked him as she leaned on the island counter. "Maybe a few minutes?" he shrugged his shoulders. "Come on, why don't you go upstairs and get yourself ready for school, okay?" she shooed him out of the kitchen and Matthew went back upstairs, without Moxie.
Moxie looked at Sharon who was putting the game away in its box and watched her place the box back where the games were kept in the mud room. Moxie followed her there and kept wagging his tail. "Do you need to go out?" she asked the dog and he got excited. She turned around and unlocked the door, switching on the backyard flood light as she let the dog outside. Moxie ran into the yard and did his duties. Sharon kept a watchful eye on the dog as she stood by the door.
Moxie was sniffing around and Sharon called out to the dog. "Come on Moxie! Breakfast time!" she called and Moxie came running back towards Sharon as she opened the door. Moxie stood in the mud room waiting for Sharon to make his breakfast and then quickly ate all of his food.
Sharon walked back into the kitchen and decided to make everyone breakfast so when they came down, they would have a hot meal waiting for them. She took out the eggs and bread from the refrigerator and grabbed the frying pan from one of the cabinets. She was startled when she heard Emily's voice in the kitchen. "Mom, what are you doing?" she asked her.
Sharon looked over at her daughter who was standing by the kitchen table. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm making everyone breakfast," she told her as she tended to the eggs that were cooking on the stove. "I know that, but you shouldn't be doing that," Emily shook her head. "And, how were you able to get at the frying pans without bending down?" Emily asked as she held her hands on her hips.
"Oh, big deal! So I bent over and picked out the frying pan from the cabinet," Sharon stated and rolled her eyes. She walked over to the toaster and placed the toast on a plate as she continued to move around the kitchen. "You know you're not supposed to do that, doctor's orders, no bending over!" Emily read the rules to her.
"Emily Raydor! You will not treat me like I'm a child!" Sharon pointed the spatula at her daughter and Emily held up her hands. She walked over to grab some dishes from a cabinet and then placed them on the table.
Upstairs, Andy was shaving his face when he saw Matthew out of the corner of his eye walk slowly into the bathroom. Andy turned and looked at him, shaving cream on his face still. "Hey buddy!" he said as he turned to continue shaving. "Hi," Matthew mumbled as he watched his dad for a moment.
"Something wrong?" Andy asked him as he wiped his face with a towel. "I just, wanted to tell you," Matthew said as he shuffled his feet. Andy saw him struggling with his words, just like he had done last night with Sharon. "Hey, you can tell me anything," Andy assured him as he placed the towel on the sink.
"I'm really sorry about not telling you or Mommy about my test, and about forging your signature," Matthew stated and then took a deep breath. Andy looked at him. "We went through this already, bud. I told you I forgave you, and I didn't want you doing it again," Andy patted Matthew's shoulder as he walked over to where his dress shirt was hung up.
"I know, but I feel like I betrayed your trust and I don't want you to think that you and Mommy made a mistake," Matthew watched Andy put on his shirt. "A mistake, what kind of mistake?" Andy asked him as he tucked his shirt in. "Of adopting me," Matthew mumbled. "Alright, stop right there!" Andy told him.
"Matthew, I thought your mom and I went over this with you before?" Andy got down to his level so that Matthew could look in his eyes. Matthew shrugged his shoulders and then looked at the floor. "Look at me," Andy sighed and moved Matthew's chin with his hand. "You're not a mistake," he told him and Matthew nodded.
TBC