A/N: This is the fourteenthchapter! Special thanks to my amazing beta CMemlovr for beta reading! Please review for the next chapter! I hope you like it!
Happy couldn't even begin to describe how Sharon felt now that Rusty was home.
"I've got so much to tell you, mom! I had a great time with my friends, but I missed you, too."
"I missed you too, honey. But I'm glad you're having fun."
Grinning, Rusty turned to Andy and asked, "How was she, while I was away?"
Laughing in response, Andy shot a teasing look at Sharon before replying, "Like a bomb."
Chuckling quietly, Sharon watched their interaction lovingly. "Rusty, anything to drink?" she asked, pointing towards his empty glass.
"Thanks, mom, I'm fine."
"I'm glad that it's finally the weekend," commented Andy.
"Me too," agreed Sharon, "I think I need a vacation."
"Mom?" ventured Rusty, noting Sharon's darker expression "was everything alright while I was gone?" Andy and Sharon exchanged a loaded glance, and Sharon felt that she should tell Rusty about Jack.
"Well, actually, yes. In the last couple of days, we had some news-"
"Bad news?" pressed Rusty gently.
"I'm not really sure how to answer that," confessed Sharon warily.
"What is it?"
"Jack was found dead," replied Sharon, the words stumbling out of her mouth, "murdered, to be precise," she clarified gently.
"Why?" asked Rusty, still surprised by the news.
"I think we've had enough of this conversation," interrupted Andy delicately, not wanting to stress Sharon by making her think about her ex-husband.
"Oh, yeah, sorry," apologised Rusty, recognising how he might have come off as insensitive, "actually, I might catch up on some of the sleep I missed, if you don't mind," he smiled lightly, kissing his mother on the cheek before heading for his bedroom.
Taking her hand, Andy asked, "Would you like to go for a walk, as it's the weekend?"
"Much as I'd love to, I'm bushed. Maybe tomorrow?" she suggested apologetically.
Smiling Andy replied, "That's fine, darling. It's normal for you to feel tired at this stage of the pregnancy."
"Thanks for being so understanding," smiled Sharon, "I'm glad that I have you, Andy."
Sitting beside her, Andy grinned and hugged her tightly.
"I'm just doing what any guy should," he chuckled.
"I know, but I still appreciate it," she smiled gently; "when I'm with you everything just feels right." She cuddled into his side contentedly.
"Do you know how much I love you?"
"No more than I love you," she teased, grinning as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "You'll always be with me, right?" she asked quietly.
"Of course, Sharon. What's brought this on?" he questioned concernedly.
"Nothing, I – I guess I just wanted to check."
"I'll never leave your side, Sharon. For as long as you'll have me, I'll be there. I love you."
Sharon smiled softly, changing the subject slightly, "Are you going to be with me for the baby's birth?"
"Absolutely," reassured Andy, "there's no way that I'm missing the moment I become a father again."
"Good," mumbled Sharon, "I'm not sure I'd be able to take giving birth alone."
"Not that you have to worry about it, but I think you could – you're strong enough to do it." He placed his hand comfortingly on her belly.
"I can't wait until the baby's born," admitted Sharon, smiling softly.
"You and me both," grinned Andy. "There is something else I'd like to talk about, though," he hedged.
"What is it?"
"Getting married," replied Andy, shrugging self-consciously.
Surprised, it took Sharon a moment to respond. "As wonderful as it would be, I think we should wait, Andy. With the pregnancy and its risks, maybe we should wait until after I've given birth."
Nodding understandingly, Andy pressed his lips to Sharon's before replying, "So long as we're together, I can wait forever."
Sharon smiled softly, letting the moment hang between them. Then, wanting to break the silence between them, she teasingly asked, "Now, will you help with the dishes, Lieutenant?"
"If that's an order, Captain, I'll do anything." He kissed her lightly on the cheek, content that their weekend looked to be stress-free, at least.
********...********
An hour later, Sharon was lounging in the sitting room reading a magazine while Rusty napped in his room and Andy stepped out on an errand. Disrupting the peaceful quiet in the apartment, a knock sounded at the door. Opening the door, Sharon was surprised to find Andrea standing before her.
"What a lovely surprise! Come in," smiled Sharon, pulling her friend in for a tight hug.
"I wanted to talk to you," Andrea murmured, "I felt bad about how you found out about Jack – how I told you about it."
Sharon led Andrea to the sitting room, situating herself and her friend on the couch comfortably.
"Don't," replied Sharon earnestly, "you didn't know that I hadn't been informed, and you were expressing your concern."
"But still, I should've thought about how it might affect you and the baby-"
"I'm fine, as is the baby. Besides, I don't want to think about Jack – mostly because it frequently leads to a headache," she chuckles dryly, hoping to set her friend at ease.
"I understand," Andrea smiled mirthlessly," how did the kids react?"
"They handled it well – I was surprised at first, but they explained that they found it difficult to mourn him the way most kids would because they hadn't really known him as their father." Sharon sighed softly and placed her hand on her belly.
"I'm glad it worked out," remarked Andrea sincerely. "Where are Andy and Rusty?" she asked curiously.
"Rusty's napping in his room – apparently his friends don't sleep much," she laughed, "and Andy had an errand to run."
"You look so much happier now that Rusty's home," noted Andrea, smiling.
"You're right. I guess it's because I don't feel like I have to worry about him when he's with me. The only concern right now is Sharon Beck-"
"And she's not a pressing one," insisted Andrea, "so how about you tell me something good. Something about the baby?" pressed Andrea.
"Oh, well, we've chosen names for the baby – to be prepared for either sex," smiled Sharon.
"What have you chosen?" asked Andrea eagerly.
"We liked Daniel for a boy, and Kate for a girl," grinned Sharon.
"Oh, they sound perfect," replied Andrea, her expression softening.
"Also worth mentioning," Sharon smiled, her eyes twinkling, "Andy's thinking about marriage."
"I'm so happy for you! Did you say yes?"
"He hasn't proposed yet – I told him to hold off until after the birth."
"That makes sense, I guess," grumbled Andrea, "but you look like something else is worrying you."
"Well," she hedged, "I'm still concerned about how risky this pregnancy is-"
"Have you had any indication from the doctors that something's wrong?" asked Andrea with concern.
"No," sighed Sharon apprehensively, "I just can't shake the feeling that something might happen. I'm doing my best not to worry Andy, but I'm scared," she admitted.
"Why?" asked Andrea softly.
"This pregnancy has the potential to be threatening to my life and the baby's. If anything happens, I want Andy to choose the baby, but he's not even willing to consider the eventuality-"
"I understand how you feel, Sharon, but you can't let yourself be consumed by fatalistic thoughts like that. It's not healthy – for you or the baby," interjected Andrea softly, hoping to assuage her friend's concerns.
"Maybe I'm worrying for nothing," admitted Sharon, "but I really want this for me and Andy. I want to raise this child together."
"And you will," reassured Andrea, "follow the doctor's orders and do your best and it'll all turn out fine," smiled Andrea, receiving one from Sharon in return
********...********
That evening, Sharon and Andy prepared dinner together in companionable silence.
"Finally, all done," remarked Sharon, satisfied by the result of their combined effort.
"Good thing I came home when I did," smirked Andy.
"Thanks for that, by the way. I don't know that I'd have been able to finish everything in time by myself."
They exchanged a small smile before Andy suggested that Sharon call Rusty from his room. Entering her son's room, Sharon sat beside his blanketed form on the bed, pulling the covers away from his face gently.
"Rusty?" she called softly, "it's time for dinner."
"I don't feel so good," he mumbled hoarsely.
Worried, Sharon pressed her palm to his forehead – he was burning up. "What are you feeling?"
"Shivery, and everything hurts," he moaned.
"Sharon?" Andy called quietly, noting that Rusty had remained in bed all day. Entering his room, Andy asked, "what's the matter?"
"He has a fever," replied Sharon concernedly.
Sitting on Rusty's other side, Andy addressed Sharon gently, "go – I'll get whatever Rusty needs from the medicine cabinet. He'll be fine," he smiled softly, letting Sharon know that there was no need to worry. "How are you feeling, kid?" he asked, addressing his question to Rusty.
"Everything hurts," groaned Rusty, shivering.
Sharon stood worriedly in the doorway, watching Andy interact with Rusty. She was glad that he had a father figure in his life, but was too worried about Rusty's condition to dwell on it.
"Alright, it looks like you've caught the nasty cold that's been going around," said Andy, mostly to reassure Sharon than to inform Rusty.
Understanding his meaning, Sharon grabbed the appropriate tablets from the medicine cabinet and handed them to Andy.
An hour later, his temperature began to drop to normal, and he seemed more alert. In that time, Sharon and Andy hadn't left Rusty's side.
"How are you feeling?" asked Sharon kindly.
"Better," smiled Rusty reassuringly.
"He's a strong kid, Sharon. I'm sure a little cold can't take him down," laughed Andy.
"Oh, hey," interrupted Rusty, "was Andrea here earlier? I thought I heard her voice."
"She came by while you were sleeping," smiled Sharon, "she seemed thrilled that we've got potential names for the baby."
"You've already chosen names?" asked Rusty, surprised.
"We didn't really get the opportunity to tell you," said Andy apologetically.
"That's fine," reassured Rusty, "what've you chosen?" he asked curiously.
"Lie back – you're too sick to be sitting up," interrupted Sharon, pressing her son back into his bed.
"Tell me the names, first," laughed Rusty.
"Fine," chuckled Sharon, succeeding in getting him to lie down, "we chose Daniel for a boy, and Kate for a girl."
"I can't wait until I'm a big brother – those names are really nice."
"Your mom's got good taste, kid," smiled Andy.
"Though, you should be careful what you wish for," laughed Sharon, "once we have a newborn up at all hours, you probably won't be so fond of them."
"It doesn't matter – I'm old enough to help out when that happens," replied Rusty earnestly.
"You're going to be a great brother, Rusty," remarked Sharon, smiling.
"But for now, I think you need to rest some more," interjected Andy calmly.
"I agree," added Sharon softly, "I'll come back in a little while to check on you, okay?" leaning down, she kissed her son's cheek gently.
As they left his room, Sharon aired her concern for Rusty's condition.
"It's normal for you to worry, Sharon. You're his mom – it's part of your job," laughed Andy, "I just wish I'd been able to do this for Nicole," he sighed.
"I know it hurts, Andy, but just think: you'll have the opportunity to be there for someone else soon."
"I guess, I just can't help thinking that I'm not a great dad," admitted Andy quietly.
"You've been there when she needed you, and you'll be a good dad again to this little one," she replied, gesturing to her belly, "I'm sure Nicole doesn't fault you for your mistakes – she clearly loves you dearly."
Nodding pensively, Andy replied, "I hope so. I made a lot of mistakes back then that I'm definitely not going to repeat. I'm glad that we have this chance, together."
Sharon smiled, "Me too, Andy. Soon enough we'll be parents to a new child, and you and I can work on not repeating the mistakes we made before." Sharon kissed him softly before leading him to their room. She was exhausted, and fell asleep the minute her head hit the pillow.
Andy, however, returned to Rusty's room to check up on him.
"You awake, kid?" asked Andy softly.
"No – I slept all day. It's harder now. Come in," he invited.
Sitting next to Rusty, Andy glanced at him concernedly. "How are you feeling?"
"Better now," replied Rusty honestly, "the medicine's working. How's mom?"
"Sleeping – she's tired."
"Makes sense – she is pregnant, after all."
Silence fell between them, until Andy decided to broach a subject he'd been considering for quite a while.
"Hey, Rusty?"
"Yeah?"
"You know that I love you like a son, right?"
"I do, Andy," he replied softly, earnestly.
"Then, could I ask something of you?" asked Andy nervously.
"Sure."
"If you'd like to, could you call me…dad?"
Confused, Rusty glanced at Andy, "I- uh…"
"It understand if it doesn't feel right to you," assured Andy, slightly sadly.
"No, it's – I want to, I just need time to get used to it," reassured Rusty.
"Take all the time you need," smiled Andy, glad that he and Rusty had reached a point in their relationship where the younger man considered him to be like a father. Hugging him tightly, Andy bade Rusty goodnight before leaving his room.
He knew he'd need time, but Andy couldn't say he wasn't eager to hear Rusty call him 'dad' soon.
~~~ TBC ~~~
