A/N: This is the twenty-third chapter! Special thanks to my amazing beta CMemlovr for beta reading! Please review for the next chapter! I hope you like it!

Sharon was frozen in place by fear. Quietly, she tried to talk the other woman down, "Drop the weapon, Sharon. You don't know what you're doing, but if you stop this and talk to me, we can figure things out," she attempted to affect a reassuring tone, but could hear the tremor of fear that rang through it.

"There's nothing to talk about," she spat, "you stole him from me."

"There's plenty to discuss," countered Sharon as calmly as possible, "but none of that is possible if you don't drop the knife."

"You're wrong – plenty's possible if you are removed from my way," she snarled, "I could get my son back, all with this knife."

Fear clenched at Sharon's heart, and she felt her stomach drop as she realised that this situation was not only dangerous for her. "Please, Sharon," she murmured, attempting a different technique, "Put it down. It's not just me you'd be hurting if you went through with this."

"And that's the icing on the cake, really," chortled Sharon.

"Why?" she whispered, dread crashing through her body.

"You stole my child from me – it's only fitting that the same is done to you."

Sharon's eyes welled with tears – she hated that she'd left her service weapon at the office today of all days, leaving her defenceless against Sharon Beck.

"We can talk about this," she protested.

"What is there to talk about? You took my son – can't possibly imagine what it feels like to have your child ripped from you, with no chance of ever getting him back."

"I do understand," replied Sharon empathetically.

"How could you possibly understand?" she shrieked. Then, calming, she continued, "but you will understand. Today, you'll understand," her voice became menacing as she stalked towards Sharon.

Instinctively, Sharon tried to shield her belly, the thought of her unborn child being harmed too much for her to bear.

********* ... ********

Back in the café, Nicole and Andrea had become antsy waiting for Sharon's return.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," muttered Andrea darkly. Despite not knowing the severity of the situation, Andrea trusted her gut enough to inform Provenza of a possible situation. Better safe than sorry, she reasoned, as she texted the Lieutenant their current location.

"You and me both," agreed Nicole, "We should check out what's going on – that woman makes me nervous."

Nodding in agreement, Andrea led the way to where they had last seen Sharon. Spotting her some distance away, they watch as she retreats cautiously from Sharon Beck.

"Back off, Sharon! I'm not playing around with you, anymore," Sharon growled audibly, the seething fury in her tone almost tangible.

"You started this by taking away my son!" yelled Sharon Beck, "but make no mistake, I'll finish it," she dropped to a menacing drawl.

Watching the events pan out before them, Andrea and Nicole rushed to Sharon's aid.

"Oh my God, Sharon! Watch out!" called Nicole, shielding her from the advancing form of Sharon Beck.

"You okay?" pressed Andrea, searching her friend's body for injuries.

"I'm fine – she's got a knife, though," hissed Sharon, indicating the weapon in Sharon Beck's hand.

"Shit," cursed Andrea softly, "Sharon, get out of here. You can't be in this situation in your present condition."

"Are you all just going to stand there, or what?" mocked Sharon Beck, surveying their interaction closely.

"What the hell do you want?" Andrea's voice flared with fury.

"Rusty," she replied simply.

"Try again," snarled Andrea, "that young man is Sharon's son – and you lost your rights to him the minute you decided to abandon him."

A crowd had begun to gather, but Andrea paid them no mind, her attention focussed fully on the woman before her.

"Just go away," interjected Nicole angrily.

"No chance," replied Sharon, laughing mirthlessly, "she stole my child, and now it's her turn to experience the same pain."

"What makes you think you'll get anywhere near Sharon?" pressed Nicole, her eyes flashing dangerously. Suddenly, she darted out and made to grab the knife from Sharon's hand. Acting reflexively, Sharon thrust the knife away from her body defensively, catching Nicole in the chest. Realising what she'd done, she dropped the knife's hilt the moment she felt the blade breaching Nicole's skin.

Shock and fear for Nicole propelled Sharon to catch her as she fell, blood already seeping out of her wound and soaking into her clothes.

Just then, Provenza and the team arrived. Seeing their presence, Andrea commanded, "Arrest her!" while indicating a shocked Sharon Beck standing a short distance away from them. Surveying the scene, Provenza made a quick decision and dispatched the team to complete the order. "Where's Andy?" she asked more quietly.

"I couldn't get a hold of him," replied Provenza wearily.

"When you do, tell him to get to the hospital. Nicole's lost a lot of blood…"

"I'll call him again now," he replied, blanching.

Sharon's cries of guilt and anguish tore at his heartstrings, and he desperately hoped that Andy would finally pick up. Thankfully, he did.

"What's going on, Provenza?" Andy sounded worried.

"You need to get to the hospital, ASAP," replied Provenza grimly.

"Sharon?" his voice was breathless.

"No, Nicole." Provenza's tone was as professional as possible.

"I'll be there soon," promised Andy, already moving towards the door.

*********...********

Sharon and Andrea sat together in the waiting room, their hands clasped together for comfort.

"I just feel so guilty – Nicole wouldn't even have been there if it weren't for me."

"Calm down, Sharon. You have nothing to feel guilty about; the only guilty party here is Sharon Beck," replied Andrea firmly and reassuringly.

Andy's arrival spared Sharon from further voicing her thoughts.

"What happened, Sharon?" he asked hollowly, sitting beside her.

She hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder, "Please forgive me."

"Andrea," he pleaded, "what happened?"

Sighing, Andrea replied, "Sharon Beck threatened Sharon's life – while Nicole and I were attempting to protect Sharon and diffuse the situation, Nicole tried to disarm Sharon and took a knife to the chest in the process." Andrea relayed the news as sympathetically as possible.

Shushing Sharon absent-mindedly, he murmured quietly, "none of this was your fault."

"If I hadn't asked her to join us-" she choked.

"It doesn't matter. You didn't ask Sharon Beck to attack you, nor did you ask her to attack my daughter." Glancing down at her, Andy did a double take as he realised that she was painted in blood.

"Is that?" he nodded quietly towards her bloodied clothes.

"Yes," she whispered softly, "I held Nicole while we waited for the ambulance."

Silence fell between them, broken by Andrea, who asked, "has anyone called Rusty?"

"No, not yet," replied Andy hoarsely, "I couldn't find the words," he admitted wearily.

Worry for his daughter gnawed in the pit of his stomach. Equally, anxiety about how he might discuss this with Rusty caused his heart to race. He couldn't tell his son that his mother had been the cause when he already blamed himself so much. Looking to distract himself, he murmured, "Nicole?"

"In surgery," replied Andrea.

"And Provenza?"

"With the team, going over the scene."

The shrill tone of Sharon's phone cut into their conversation, and Andy glanced down at the screen, his heart stopping when he saw Rusty's name there. Deftly, he rejected the call and returned his attention to Andrea.

"And Sharon Beck?"

"It's likely that she's been arrested by now," replied Andrea. The response wasn't good enough for Andy, who wished that she'd been forced to suffer more than just arrest. "Why didn't you take the call?" asked Andrea, noting the lingering stiffness in Andy's posture.

"It was Rusty." He grimaced, "I wasn't sure how to tell him," he explained.

"He's probably worried sick," interjected Sharon quietly.

"I know, but I don't know how to tell him the truth," confessed Andy tiredly.

"Don't let him panic, Andy," advised Andrea, "just, break it to him gently."

Nodding, Andy tapped Rusty's name on the phone and called him back.

"Rusty," he began, stopping when he realised that he didn't know what to say.

"Andy? Where's mom?" his voice rang out with clear worry.

"Your mom's fine," he replied softly, "but Nicole's not doing too well."

"Nicole? What happened? Where are you?!"

"At the hospital," replied Andy heavily, "could you come over here?"

"I'll be there in twenty," he promised as he hung up.

*********...********

Sharon, Andy and Andrea had been sat in silent vigil in the waiting room when Provenza arrived.

"I'm so sorry, Andy," he began sincerely, "How is she?"

"Still in surgery," replied Andy hoarsely.

Provenza put a reassuring hand on his shoulder before sitting beside him.

"If she's as stubborn as her father, she'll pull through," Provenza smiled comfortingly. Turning to Sharon, he asked, "how are you, Captain?"

"I've been better," she replied sadly.

At that moment, Rusty rushed into the waiting room, spotting his mother instantly and moving to her side to hug her tightly. Provenza took his leave to return to the office as Rusty sat beside his mother.

"Are you okay, mom?"

"I'm fine," she murmured quietly.

"What happened to Nicole?" he asked, his attention turned to Andy.

Andy glanced towards Andrea for support before answering. "When Andrea, Sharon and Nicole went for coffee together today…your mom, she-" he sucked in a breath, unable to continue.

"My mom?" he asked blankly, before realising that Andy had been referring to his mother.

"Your mother asked to talk to Sharon alone, and we left them together at Sharon's insistence. When Nicole and I went to check on Sharon, we noticed that your mother had a knife and had tried to kill Sharon," Andrea delivered the news bluntly, her hand squeezing Rusty's shoulder sympathetically.

"What happened?" he asked numbly.

"Nicole tried to take the knife from her and was severely injured in the process."

"I just…I can't believe that she tried to kill someone," he muttered darkly, his blood pounding in his ears as the shock set in.

"Rusty, look at me," Sharon forced him to meet her eyes, "this is not your fault."

"You're all bloody," he noted grimly.

"It's because I held Nicole," she reassured him.

"You should go home and change," suggested Andy.

"Not until I'm sure Nicole's fine," she replied resolutely.

"Okay."

A few moments later, the doctor emerged from surgery.

"How's my daughter?" pressed Andy instantly.

"The surgery was successful. She did lose a lot of blood, but with a transfusion she should be fine," he reassured them.

A sigh of relief sounded between them collectively.

"When can we see her?" asked Sharon.

"Once she's clear of the anaesthetic the nurse will let you in."

"Thank you," replied Andy earnestly as the doctor turned to leave.

Sharon sank into Andy's side, relief flooding her body.

"It's all going to be alright," smiled Andy disbelievingly.

"I'm so glad," murmured Sharon. Then, unable to stop herself, she apologised to Andy again.

"Why are you apologising?" asked Rusty, "It was my mother who did this; I'm to blame."

"Neither of you is in any way responsible for this," interrupted Andy firmly, "the only person responsible is Sharon Beck."

The tension was broken by the shrill ring of Andy's phone. On seeing Provenza's name, he answered.

"Yeah?"

"How is she?"

"The doctor said that she'll be out of the woods soon."

"I'm glad. We were all worried – so I'll let the team know the good news."

"Thanks for your concern, Provenza."

As Andy hung up, Andrea asked, "Was that Provenza?"

"Yeah," he smiled. Then, turning to Sharon he said, "Let's go home, Sharon. You need to change your clothes."

"Fine, but I want to be back as soon as possible," countered Sharon.

"Don't worry, we'll hold down the fort for you," smiled Andrea.

**********...********

Having changed her clothes and cleaned herself of the blood, Sharon gazed pensively at her reflection, surprised when Andy smiled lightly at her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Better, now that I know that Nicole's going to be okay."

"You can't blame yourself, you know," he murmured softly, "Sharon Beck's been arrested and it wasn't your fault to begin with."

"I guess I know that, I just can't help thinking-"

"We didn't know what she was capable of. But now, the most important part is making sure that Nicole recovers well," finished Andy firmly, his gaze soft. "Ready to get back to the hospital?"

Smiling softly, Sharon nodded in the affirmative.

Andrea and Rusty sat as Sharon and Andy had left them.

"Something wrong?" asked Sharon, noting Rusty's expression.

"No, just…thinking."

"I know what you're thinking," sighed Andrea, "But you're not to blame for this."

"Logically I know that, but I feel guilty because Nicole and Andy had to suffer because of my mother."

"Nicole is going to be fine now, and so is Andy. Allowing yourself to feel guilty for your mother's actions does nothing for the situation," encouraged Andrea, smiling softly.

As Andy and Sharon rounded the corner to meet them, their conversation ceased.

"How's Nicole?" asked Sharon immediately.

"She's doing okay," replied Andrea, just as the nurse left Nicole's room.

Andy approached her anxiously and asked, "Any changes in her condition?"

"She's doing just fine. You can go in and see her, if you'd like," she smiled in response.

"Thanks," he grinned.

Opening the door to admit himself and Sharon into the room, Andy was relieved to see Nicole smile at the sight of her.

"How are you?" he asked.

"A little sore," she teased, "but just fine," she replied wearily.

"I'm so sorry, Nicole," Sharon spoke to her feet as she apologised.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"You tried to protect me, and-"

"And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I know it was a stupid and risky decision, but I didn't think about it, I just did it because I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you or your baby."

Andy smiled softly, pride in his daughter swelling in his breast. "I'm so glad you're okay," he murmured, emotion choking his throat.

"Me too," she smiled wryly. "Where's Andrea?"

"Outside with Rusty."

"Rusty's here, too?" she smiled, "Can I see them?"

Andy nodded and went to fetch them from the waiting room. As they entered the room, Rusty couldn't help the guilt that surged in his chest.

"How are you feeling?" Andrea asked softly.

"Fine," she replied. Then, turning to Rusty she beckoned for him to come closer.

"I'm glad you're okay," he smiled tightly.

"Don't think that I'm going to stop teasing you just because I'm bed ridden," she joked lightly.

Rusty laughed before replying, "I'll be glad to take the teasing if it means you'll get out of hospital sooner."

"Jokes aside, for now, so that you can concentrate on getting well again," interrupted Sharon.

"No teasing, then," replied Rusty.

"For now," laughed Nicole.

Andy was thrilled that she was feeling well enough to joke with Rusty.

"I think I'll leave you to rest," interjected Andrea quietly.

"As will we – Sharon needs to rest, too," added Andy.

"I'm fine," Sharon protested.

"You've had a helluva day, Sharon. You can't tell me that you don't need to rest now," he replied disapprovingly.

Sharon nodded, aware that he was right. Kissing his daughter on the forehead, Andy bade his goodbye before leaving the room with Sharon and Rusty in tow.

"You okay?" Andy asked suddenly, noting Sharon's discomfort.

"Fine, fine, just a little sore."

"You sure?"prodded Andrea.

"I'm sure," she replied quietly.

"Why don't you see a doctor, while we're here?" suggested Andy worriedly.

"There's no need, I just want to go home." She smiled tiredly, reassuring him.

"Do you want a hand?" asked Rusty.

"I'm alright. But you could hold my purse, if you wanted to."

"If you need anything at all, call me," insisted Andrea, "and you take care of her," she instructed, turning her attention to Andy.

"'Course I will," smiled Andy, taking Sharon by the arm and helping her to the car.

*********...*********

Several hours later, Sharon sat on her bed preparing to sleep as Andy watched her motions.

"Are you sure you're okay? It could be something serious."

Sharon smiled softly and took his hand. "Stop worrying. I'm fine."

"I just worry about you and the baby."

"But we're both fine, and I have Nicole to thank."

"And Nicole is fine, too. Sharon Beck's been arrested, and everything is good."

"I think so, too," she smiled, "I just don't want anything to happen to the baby."

"Nothing will," smiled Andy, his hand finding her belly, "not while I'm with you." He hugged her tightly, protectively. He wouldn't allow her to be put in danger again.

~~~ TBC ~~~