Tumblr prompt from Anonymous: Sharon sees Andy without a shirt on for the first time.
"Is everything all right?" Sharon asked from the hall, rapping softly on the bathroom door. Fifteen minutes ago Andy had said that he was going to take a shower, but she had yet to hear the water turn on. It had only been a few days since his "dustup with the car" as he liked to call it, and he was still in some considerable pain. He was adamantly refusing to take anything stronger than Advil, and although she found his resolve admirable, she could see him struggling with everyday tasks. To his credit, he never complained.
"Um, I think I may need some help." She heard a hesitant voice say from the other side of the door.
"Okay if I come in?" she asked.
"Yeah," he called, sounding defeated.
Slowly she inched the door open and saw Andy sitting on the closed toilet seat wearing a t-shirt and boxers and looking frustrated.
"I need help with my shirt. It hurts a lot when I raise my arms" he said, staring down at himself. "Rusty usually helps me, but he had an early class."
"Ok then," she said, making her way over toward him. "Can you bend your elbow?"
Removing one sleeve, she pulled the t-shirt over his head and down the other arm. He only winced once during the process, and she could finally see why.
"Oh, Andy," she breathed. His chest was painted with bruises in various shades of purples and blues. She reached out to touch him gently, but stopped herself before her fingers made contact with his skin. She didn't want to cause him more pain, and she had never touched him like this before. Their relationship was still so new, and they were trying to take things slow.
Andy reached out to take her hand in his and brought her fingers to his lips to kiss them softly. "Thank you," he whispered. "I think I can manage the rest on my own."
Sharon smiled down at him. "Okay," she answered. "I'll be just down the hall if you need anything." With a nod, she turned to walk out the door. After closing it behind her, she leaned up against it with a sigh. This living together was definitely going to take some getting used to, although she couldn't exactly say that she didn't enjoy having Andy around all the time. When she heard the water turn on, she smiled and headed to the kitchen to start some breakfast for the two of them.