A Series of Unfortunate Events

Chapter 45

She could hear them before she was able to open her eyes. The beeps of her heart coming from the machines behind her bed. The sounds of her children Emily, Ricky, Rusty, and… Andy, the love of her life, all talking softly or moving about the room. Mostly the sounds of the hospital, which would have sent her into a panic attack if Andy wasn't there holding her hand.

Sharon could feel Andy's hand in hers. In spite of, or perhaps it was because of what he did for a living, Andy's hands were smooth and warm. Not sweaty, creepy warm. They were smooth and warm; they were Andy's hands. The feel of one of them nestled inside her hand made her feel safe. She hated that everything that had happened to her in the last several months had caused this uncharacteristic feeling of underlying panic, but it felt good to know Andy was here with and for her. She squeezed his hand three times. A quiet way to say, I love you they'd worked out since outward signs of affection weren't really professional on the job. Sharon's legs moved restlessly under the covers. It caused a small pain in her groin, she moaned softly.

"Andy, her legs moved, and she groaned. Do you think she might be waking up?" Emily asked hopefully.

He looked over at Sharon's sleeping form. He felt the three faint squeezes of her hand in his. So faint he almost missed them. He squeezed back and said, "yeah, Em, I think she is waking up. The doctor's said they were pulling back on the sedation this morning. They didn't want her to sleep too long, they needed to get her up and walking as soon as they could. To avoid blood clots forming."

"Well, then why did they sedate her in the first place?" Rusty asked him.

"Rusty, we all know your mom hasn't exactly had positive experiences in the hospital , in the recent past, there is a time right after the procedure when it's important for her to be very still. Given her PTSD in regard to hospitals, even she was a bit worried about her ability to stay still once she woke ,they kept her sedated a little , once she wakes up, she won't need to be all that still. Listen, would one of you go get some fresh ice for your mother and perhaps some soup and tea for her? Let the nurse know she's starting to wake up. Also, could somebody call Patrice? She seems to be able to help your mother stay calm in the hospital most of the time."

"I'll go," said Rusty.

"I'll go," said Ricky.

Both sons volunteered at the same time.

"We'll all go," suggested Emily and left the room with the boys trailing behind her.

"Thanks, guys." Andy waited for the kids to leave the room, and then gently stroked Sharon's hair. "Hey, sweetheart, it's time to wake up." He said softly then gave her a kiss on her forehead.

Sharon blinked her eyes and looked over at Andy. He smiled at her, she smiled back and then let her eyes roam the room. "Andy, where are the kids? Where's Livvi?" She questioned, confused. "I… I thought… I heard them."

"Well, you know Livvi isn't allowed here and even if she was, she could pick up germs, so if she's going to have that ear tube surgery next week she can't be sick. So, she's with your parents." He answered as he looked down at her. She nodded once and made a gesture to go on. "Also, Emily, Ricky, and Rusty went out to get some ice and some soup from across the street at the diner. Take it from me, I know from experience the soup here tastes like used dishwater."

Sharon looked at him with raised her eyebrows in amusement and she giggled. "How would you know that, Andy? Drink any used dishwater lately?" She quipped as she tried to sit up.

"Whoa, whoa, Sharon. You can't sit up until the nurse comes in and checks you out. Come on honey, lay back down." Andy cautioned her.

Sharon groaned and lay back, closing her eyes again. Then she opened them. "Andy, um what happened? Clearly, I had some k… kind of surgery?" she asked, "Why don't I remember anything about… about a… a surgery?"

"Well, honey, what do you remember?" Andy asked, concerned.

Sharon rubbed her forehead. "Um… I remember being told I had Cardio…" she swallowed hard "myopathy and I remember Mama begging me to see my father's cardiologist for a second opinion." She looked to Andy for confirmation that she'd remembered correctly.

Andy smiled his encouragement. He reached over to stroke her forehead between her brows. Knowing by the look on her face, that a headache was forming as she tried to force her memory. "Do you remember going to see Dr. Raphael? Being in his office?" he asked gently.

Sharon closed her eyes and tried to think. "Hmm, I think so… but… that's all I… remember. B… being in his office."

"That's because when Dr. Raphael told you, you'd have to have all the tests done that the other doctor had already done plus some others as well, you uh had another panic attack and fainted."

Sharon's face suffused with color from embarrassment. "Ooh, no, not again! I'm so sorry! Andy How embarrassing! I hate the idea of losing control like that! It's humiliating and it keeps happening!. Im so thankful for you,Andy .If this had happened when I was married to Jack, he wouldn't have bothered trying to catch me like you have. For one thing he didn't care enough, and the other is he was never there. I've had to be strong, most of my life but now suddenly I'm no longer strong, I'm a panicky mess! Falling apart every time you turn around. I'm so sorry, Andy, you shouldn't have to deal with this!" She put her face in her hands , not wanting to face him.

Andy pushed Sharon's hands away and gently made her look him in the eye .Her auburn hair fell lanky around her face in messy curls. Her eyes were smoky green and weary. "Sharon, after everything that you've been through the last several months you have nothing to apologize for. It's been a lot Sharon, a lot for anybody to handle. The experiences you've had in the last hospital alone would bring a strong man to his knees. So, your panic attacks are more than understandable and as far as me not having to deal with all this. Honey, I'm here for the long haul. No matter what," he stated firmly.

Sharon smiled at Andy, but then she started to worry again. "Oh, but the doctor…"

"Was briefed by your mother and I about everything that has happened, not to mention the problems you've had with the panic attacks that you have been experiencing since then. He told me what tests needed to be done, and what he expected to find. Then he described what needed to be done to fix the problem. The first part entailed taking care of the tests right then, while you were out. Then following up with the surgery if it was indicated, which it was. Since I'm your medical power of attorney, I signed off on it. I felt getting everything done while you were out was the best thing. I knew you'd want to do what was necessary to make you better, but that your experiences in the last hospital would maybe get in the way, so… I took the decision out of your hands. I hope... well, I hope you're not mad at me," he asked, suddenly looking worried.

Sharon looked at him with wide green eyes, confused by his statement at first. Then the source of his angst became clear. "Mad at you? I admit I have an independent streak a mile wide, but Rusty made me see that I was hurting us by not letting you help. Remember at the Three Palms? What he said about letting you help me? I've been trying to remember those very wise words anytime I feel like insisting on being ultra independent," she said, shaking her head. She reached up and stroked his cheek. Her voice softened as she assured him. "Besides," she sighed and tried to finish her thoughts. "How could I or anyone really, be mad at you for taking care of me when I was unable to take care of myself? I'd be foolish if I was angry, don't you think? In any case, we are each other's medical power of something similar happened to you , and I had to make decisions for you , you wouldn't be mad at me would you?"

"No ,of course not " Andy said shaking his head

Sharon pointed to Andy's chest. "You know me better than I know myself sometimes. Realizing that is what helped me to decide to give you that power. That responsibility and vice versa. How can I fault you for using it to help me get better. So, tell me about this surgery please, and… did it… work?"

"You had an angioplasty surgery to replace a valve that wasn't doing its job."

"So… no more… ca… cardiomyopathy?" she asked hopefully.

Andy sighed and rubbed her fingers. "You never had cardiomyopathy, Sharon. It was a misdiagnosis. Just like your mother thought it would be."

Sharon asked surprised, "But Andy the MRI…I mean how could it have been wrong?"

Andy put his hand up to stop her. "Sharon, honey, it's a technological machine, technology and machines are only as good as the humans that program them and run them. After everything that's happened, we know that better than anybody. It's the truth of technology that It can have glitches. It needs to be calibrated regularly and if it's not and it's used a lot past the calibration date, which I believe is one of the reasons for the glitch. Things can happen. In this case, it malfunctioned while you were inside it and gave a false image which led to a false diagnosis. Don't forget, when humans are involved, there can be all kinds of margins for error." Then he said, "Sharon, you never had cardiomyopathy, you had a valve in your heart that was not doing its job. The symptoms are similar to cardiomyopathy, but unlike cardiomyopathy, it can be repaired or replaced. I mean the valve can be repaired or replaced and it was replaced. So, you should be feeling better in no time."

Sharon pressed her lips together, a sign she was trying to rein in her emotions, "Oh, Andy. I'm so glad. I was so scared I was… I was going to die and leave you, and my family behind." She choked back a sob.

"Me too, Sweetheart. I thought I was losing my best friend and the love of my life, but that's not true. You are going to live." They held hands and he reached over and kissed her tears away.

Suddenly they heard two pairs of footsteps coming into the room. They looked up and saw Magda, the day nurse from the hospital, and Patrice, their friend. Magda was a pale blonde woman about forty who was about Sharon's height, but sturdy. She wore purple scrubs and looked like she could go a few rounds with Mike Tyson. She was nice enough, but Sharon was more comfortable with Patrice. Being a retired nurse, Patrice had seen Andy through his dust up with the car, the blood clot, and his heart attack. Then she had seen Sharon through the aftermath of everything that happened in the desert. The tall African American woman, their friend Provenza was married to, was as beautiful and sweet as Provenza was short and grumpy. They were an odd pair that seemed to fit together.

"Morning, Mrs. Flynn, sorry for the delay, it's been busy around here. Let's get you unhooked from everything and then we can get you to walk around and maybe a shower," Magda said as she pulled the curtain around the bed, and busily started to unhook the IV.

Patrice smiled at Sharon. "Hi, girlfriend, how are you feeling?" she asked, patting Sharon's leg.

"Hi, Patrice. I feel… better. A little tired and achy but much better," she said smiling.

Patrice turned to the nurse. "I'm here to help my friend, Sharon, Magda. What do you want me to unhook?"

"I'm sure Sharon would probably be more comfortable if you were the one to remove the catheter. After I finish removing the IV port, I'll finish up with the heart monitor wires."

Andy stood up and started to move out of the way, but Sharon held tightly to his hand. Her eyes pleaded with him to stay. "It's okay, Sharon, I'm not leaving. I'm just getting out of the way," Andy said in a soothing voice.

"It's alright, Andy, I can work around you. Sit there, hold her hand, keep her distracted and this will go fast," said Patrice. She was well aware of Sharon's issues with hospitals and everything that went with them and wanted to spare her friend from a panic attack. She knew Andy's presence would help her. She quickly and efficiently got rid of the catheter. Sharon squeezed Andy's hand as it was removed but didn't make a sound. Patrice checked the wound site. It looked good. No infection, but when it was touched Sharon moved away. "Is it sore, Sharon?"

"It's sore but...not too…bad." she said with a small grimace.

"Well, good, we'll keep an eye on it then . Listen, honey, we are going to get you sitting up, very slowly ." Patrice said. Sharon nodded. Patrice supported Sharon's back as she sat up. She helped Sharon get her legs off the bed . Once her feet were on the floor , ' Sharon took a deep breath then two. She looked up at Andy and he gave her a smile and a thumbs up. She smiled back at him.

They waited for a few seconds for Sharon to recover. Then Patrice said, "Now it's time to stand up, Sharon. Andy and I will be here to help if you need it.

Sharon nodded and managed to stand with a little support from Patrice. "Good job, Sharon," Andy said, clapping.

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Now I know what you were talking about when you were recovering from your surgery. It feels ridiculous to be clapped for just because I can stand."

"Yup, that's pretty much how I felt, but just glad to see you are getting better Sharon, much better."

Sharon giggled as he echoed her sentiments from when he was in the hospital. "Oh, you!" She said and patted his arm. The next thing was walking. Sharon took a tentative step forward then another and another. She was amazed at how good it felt to be walking around again. However, it didn't take long for her to need to sit down again. Patrice felt her slow down and took her to the bathroom so that she could get a shower. Sharon waved at Andy, and he waved back blowing her a kiss as the door was closed and the fan came on. Then the shower was started. Just as it did, Andy heard a scream that sounded like Emily and several shots were fired.

Without pausing to write a note or tell Sharon where he was going, Andy ran to the elevator bay. His first thought was to use the stairs but the thought of having another angina attack, or even a heart attack and falling down the stairs had him rushing into the nearest open elevator and waiting impatiently for the doors of the elevator to close and then open on the first floor.

Finally, the doors opened, and he ran towards the front doors. He went through them and tried to focus on what was going on in front of him. He could see Ricky, Emily, and Rusty huddled together across the street in front of the cafe. Across from them with a body between the five of them was Jamie Perez and his partner Chad. Jamie had a Sig Sauer and Rusty had his Glock.

Andy looked around and spotted Provenza coming to the scene in his SUV as Andy was coming up on the scene. When he arrived, he looked down and everything in him relaxed.

It was Phillip Stroh, the serial killer who had been the bane of the LAPD, Rusty, and Sharon's existence. He had two bullets in his chest and a bullet right between his eyes. Before Andy could comment, he looked over at Ricky, Emily, and Rusty. He could see that Emily was shaking badly. She was shell shocked. She had a lot of blood on her shoulder, her hair, all over her face and the front of her shirt. Rusty and Ricky had blood on them too. Ricky held her in his arms trying to comfort her.

"Is she okay?" Andy asked, concerned.

"Well, she was close enough to the guy for blood to spurt all over her when he was shot, not to mention the fact, she was right in the middle of everything that happened. The bastard came really close to slitting her throat with a box cutter. If Rusty and Jamie hadn't shot him right over her shoulder, she'd be dead! So, no, she's not okay. She's freaked out and frankly... so am I!" Ricky said, slightly upset.

Andy nodded looking around until he found Detective Sykes. "Amy! Could you come over here?"

Amy looked over and held up a finger to the person she was speaking with. She turned and spoke to Julio who took her place with the witness. Then Amy came over. She wore a pair of black jeans, a royal blue shell, and a black jean jacket. She had black boots on. Her long black hair was curled and pulled back with a rhinestone studded clip.

"Call you from a date, Amy?" Andy heard Mike ask.

"Actually, yes, Lieutenant Coop and I were just about to go into the theater to see a matinee of Sister Act, but I think you'll agree this was more important." She then turned towards Andy, addressing him. "How can I help you, Lieutenant?"

"Yeah, Amy. Could you take Emily to the ER in the hospital and have her checked out? Have them treat any wounds she might have, and then once she's cleaned up and her clothes changed take her to Sharon and Patrice." Andy pulled out his wallet as he said, "here is some money, buy her something to wear at the gift shop. Then start asking her questions once she's calmed down enough to answer. If you wouldn't mind."

"Sure Lieutenant, I'd be glad to," Amy said, then looking Emily in the eye. She calmly said, "come Emily we'll go get you cleaned up. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I… I'm n… not s… sure. M… my s… shoulder, m… maybe?" Emily stuttered. She was still shaking violently. Flynn gave her his leather jacket. "T… thanks A… Andy, "Emily, said and gave him a small smile, then followed Amy.

As their voices faded in the distance, Rusty asked Andy. "Do you really think it's a good idea to send Emily to mom? To let mom, know what just happened? She shouldn't be stressed and Andy, this will really stress her out!"

Andy put a hand on the young man's shoulder as he said, "Rusty, your mom has been through a lot recently, I know and, we should limit her stress but Stroh being at large has been an incredible stressor for your mom. Never knowing when he'd show up and kill you or her or someone else, she loves was a tremendous stressor. Letting her know the threat is dead will help lower her stress level considerably. She's stronger than you think, Rusty and she'd be very angry and hurt if we kept this from her."

As he spoke to Rusty, Andy became aware that Provenza had arrived at the actual crime scene after parking his SUV. When Provenza saw the body and who it was, he said, "Well, it's about time somebody killed the bastard!. So… tell me, what happened? Rusty? Did you shoot him? No wait, tell me exactly what happened first."

Rusty swallowed. "We were right outside the cafe, at a table not far from Jamie and Chad who were in plain clothes. They were sitting at a table very near us. We were eating our lunch and when we stood up to leave with mom and Andy's soup and tea, all the sudden Stroh was just… just…there! A… and he said something like… 'Well, if it isn't Rusty Beck and his entourage'… and he smiled real evil like. It was then I started to release my gun from its holster. Real slow so he wouldn't know what I was doing. It was weird for him to do that, wasn't it? I mean, I thought he was this smart criminal, but he just shows up, in front of all kinds of witnesses and tries to kill Emily! Right in front of them!" Rusty started to pace.

"We, that is mom, I, Andy, and I guess Chief Howard. Also, you Lieutenant Provenza, we all knew he was somewhere in California, but we didn't know for sure that he was in LA! Just in case though, I… I got my carry and conceal license. I've been practicing every day! I also agreed to the security detail to soothe mom's worries. Jamie, Chad, and Gramps have been helping me with target practice too, I guess it paid off. Because I hit him right in the middle of his chest and that's exactly where I was aiming," Rusty rambled. The shock of what had happened was starting to kick in and he was full of nervous energy.

Provenza looked down at Stroh's dead body. "You certainly did that," he said, "but what about the shot between the eyes? Was that you, Jamie?"

"Yes, sir. That was me."

Rusty looked over at Andy. "Do you think mom will be mad, I mean that I killed him instead of wounding him? She said that k… killing someone leaves an in... indelible stain on your soul or something. She said she didn't want that for me, but I don't feel that way! Don't tell Mom I said this, but I'm glad I was able to be the one to rescue us! Because it was bad enough that he was after me, but then he started going after Sharon, and today he tried to kill Emily! Just because she was Sharon's daughter and if Jamie and I hadn't put an end to him, he would have gone after Ricky too! He was trying to kill my entire family… and nobody hurts my family!"

"No, Rusty, you're not in trouble. It was clearly in the defense of your sister, yourself, and Ricky. Frankly, I'm relieved that the bastard is dead. He needed to be killed. As long as he was alive, we'd all be in danger," said Andy sternly.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Rusty said, smiling grimly.

For a few minutes the relief that Stroh was dead and no longer a threat, was the only thing that registered with the two seasoned detectives, but then, suddenly the fact that he'd tried to kill Emily in broad daylight, and she was a brunette not a blonde like Stroh's other victims started to occur to them.

"So, you're saying Stroh just walked up to you three, and tried to slice Emily's throat in broad daylight in front of witnesses?" Provenza asked incredulously.

Rusty nodded his head. "Yeah, um when he looked down at Emily he… he looked …con… fused for a second, but then as he lifted his hand with the box cutter in it, he said something about how 'Emily was beautiful like her mother but too bad it would the death of her' and he was about to slice her throat when I brought my gun out from behind me and shot him twice in the chest."

Jamie piped up to show support for Rusty's actions. "At the very same time sir, I shot him in the head," said Jamie. "It all happened so fast. Like simultaneously! Neither of us knew the other one was going to shoot. There wasn't any time to plan strategies."

"You did the right thing boys," said Provenza proudly. "He was going completely off the reservation, none of this is anywhere close to his MO."

"Yeah, he sure was and if there's one person in this world that deserves to be shot that many times it's Phillip Stroh."

Rusty asked, with trepidation, "Lieutenant, are you sure I'm not in trouble?"

"No, Rusty. You and Jamie had no choice but to shoot him. He was trying to kill your sister. You would have been next, and then Ricky," said Provenza matter-a-factly.

Suddenly Fritz showed up in his full uniform. He looked down at the body and then at the surroundings. "Stroh had to have been really desperate to show up under these conditions. It's broad daylight for crying out loud! I don't understand. I mean, he always acted so smart before... I'd say he was crazy to think he'd get away with this in a public place where there are any number of witnesses, and we all know how he hates to leave witnesses! Do you guys realize how bizarre this is for him to behave? How far away from his MO, this is?"

"Well, Chief, you're a little late to this rodeo. Andy and I already came to those same conclusions just a few minutes ago, but you are right, it is bizarre behavior for Stroh," Provenza said, and shrugged. "My guess is that Morales is the person to ask if there were any underlying health issues that lead to this outcome," added Provenza.

Both Fritz and Andy nodded agreeing with him. Andy looked over at the older man and asked, "Hey Provenza when did you start back to work?"

Provenza barked a small laugh. "Today, actually. The doctor finally cleared me. I was beginning to think he would force me to retire, and I was kind of getting used to the idea but I'm sure glad that I didn't miss this!"

"Yeah, me either. Speaking of which, do you need me? I need to go back to Sharon. We are waiting to find out if she can go home today, and I want her to know she can breathe easier now Stroh is finally dead and we can move on with our lives," Andy asked.

"We can spare you, Flynn. You can go." Provenza made a shoo movement with his hand to indicate Andy to leave. "You are still on family emergency medical leave after all. Go take care of the Cap… the Commander. How is she by the way?"

Andy had turned to walk away but stopped at Provenza's question. "She's better. Still dealing with the fallout from last spring, but the surgery or procedure they did, fixed the heart problem ." He let out a long-relieved breath then explained. "It turned out it wasn't cardiomyopathy at all, it was a faulty heart valve. They have some of the same symptoms and the MRI thing, it wasn't working right. They used it too many times beyond the calibration date, so it gave a false image and as a result it caused them to misdiagnose her. In any case, Sharon needs to follow some restrictions for about a week, but then she can slowly get back to normal activity."

"Will she be coming back to work? "Fritz asked.

Andy grimaced. "Honestly, Fritz. We haven't thought that far ahead. Things have been crazy the past several months and right now, we're taking one day at a time. It seems like it's been one crisis after another since the courtroom killings and now we have Livvi and she really needs us right now. She needs tubes in her ears, and she needs to build up her immunity so she can withstand the tsunami of germs she is going to encounter in daycare. Not to mention Sharon needs more time to recover emotionally from all that happened last spring." Andy gave his side-way smirk to Provenza as he added, "she did mention something about maybe taking some of the paperwork off your hands. She knows how you hate it."

Provenza said, "Tell the Commander… tell Sharon I would welcome that, a break from the endless paperwork, when she is ready, that is."

"She should take all the time she needs to recover." Fritz replied. He knew what it was like to go back to work before one was physically capable. At least his heart was healthy for now.

"Absolutely. Thank you, Fritz, I'll be sure to let her know." Turning back to his partner, Andy asked, "listen Provenza, could you let me know what you find out from Dr. Morales? I know Sharon will want to know and so will I for that matter."

"Sure, Flynn. Sure." The older Lieutenant lightly pushed Flynn to get him moving back to the hospital. "Now go and tell the Commander… tell Sharon hello for me." Provenza added a comforting pat on the back, so Andy would know his friend was there for him.

TBC...