While You're Making Other Plans

By Miss Shannon & Glistening Sun

26

Sharon was about to confess how wrong her motherly intuition had been when the door opened and Rusty's head popped in.

"Mom?"

"Rusty, honey! Come here!"

Rusty had heard from Lieutenant Provenza about Sharon having been admitted to hospital and almost loosing the baby and the story about Andy not being Little Peaches' father and he was worried. When he finally laid eyes on his mom, he didn't think, his legs propelled him forward and he flung himself on her bed. Sharon was just as happy to see her son again opening her arms wide while all Andy could think of was the baby and how terribly weak Sharon had seemed just a few minutes ago. He saw Rusty flying towards her and instinctively put himself between the boy and his fiancée and unborn child, sending Rusty spinning to the floor with a loud thud. The little family was still looking at each other flabbergasted, Rusty too stunned to pick himself up, Sharon trying to figure out what exactly had just happened and Andy rubbing his aching shoulder when the door opened again.

"Another altercation in your room? What was it this time, Ms Raydor? I don't even see any interns here."

Sharon blushed and awkwardly shifted herself into a more upright position. The muscles in her abdomen contracted at the slightest exertion and she barely suppressed a groan, "Doctor, these are my son and my fiancé. They're back," she offered as though these words would explain the boy on the floor and the grey-haired man in her bed.

The doctor smiled and raised an eyebrow, "I guess every family celebrates a reunion a little differently. Are you injured, young man?"

Rusty only shook his head and Andy finally had the presence of mind to slip off the bed and help Rusty get up.

"And you, Ms Raydor? Any more contractions? I told you I would prefer you lying down and on your left side if at all possible. I'm not sure if we'll be able to stop labour again, particularly seeing how badly you reacted to the drugs the first time."

Rusty's and Andy's eyes both widened in horror and Sharon nodded, acquiescing. As soon as the doctor was out the door mumbling about patients that just seemed to attract the crazy, Sharon held out a hand to her son, "Rusty, honey, come here. Let me look at you." When Rusty took a step towards her she chuckled, "Gentle, honey, so my protector here won't feel the need to bodycheck you again." She tried giving Andy a stern look, but she couldn't be angry with him, not at this moment, they had all been through too much. And then Rusty was finally in her arms and she could ruffle his hair and feel him alive and well, "I missed you so much, honey. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Mom."

Andy smiled. Rusty was so much like Sharon. He sat down on the bed beside them, an arm sneaking around Sharon to support her and, hesitating at first, he wrapped his other arm around Rusty's shoulders and pulled the boy close. For a moment time stopped. Their little patchwork family was finally reunited and judging by the kicks even the youngest member recognised the importance of the moment.

"Rusty, I'm sorry that Jack put you through this."

"But it's not your fault, mom. The guy's crazy and … well, we're out now. I … he isn't really my little sister's father, is he? That was just Lieutenant Provenza being …"

"What the fuck? How can he talk to you about this? I swear, the old man has gone crazy now!"

"Rusty, Andy is his … eh, Andy is the little one's dad." Oh dear, it had almost slipped out! But this wasn't really the moment to reveal her baby's gender. Andy had to know first … well, and Sharon really didn't feel up to dealing with the ridicule of both her son and Andy at the same time. "Lieutenant Provenza misinterpreted the evidence at the …"

"Like hell he did! I swear the old man's got it coming."

"Andy, calm down. Can't you feel how you're aggravating Little Peach?" Sharon winced when a little foot hit that sore spot on her rib again. Rusty was right, the little one was reacting to her parents' distress. But he had never addressed Andy in such a way before. It seemed like their four days of captivity had changed something between them, too. She wondered what else she would discover.

Her hand found Andy's and she squeezed it tightly. "Honey, this little one is yours through and through, you know that, I know that and that's all that counts."

Andy huffed an annoyed breath and the baby kicked again. Gosh, if only she wasn't still so sore.

Then, after a few breaths that became deeper and deeper, she could finally feel him starting to relax, his body becoming slack and heavy. Thank God! She really didn't want to talk about her second in command and his antics now, she just wanted to curl up in Andy's arms and sleep. Soon enough Andy's free hand was moving over her belly, warm and familiar, his voice whispering soothing words to the baby. And of course his son listened to him and calmed down almost immediately.

"Oh my boys, I've missed you both so very much," she whispered into their embrace and felt her two big boys chuckling – while her smallest gave her a gentle kick.

/

It had taken all their powers of persuasion and the promise of homemade burgers from Patrice for both Rusty and Emily to leave their mother's side for the night. Andy would stay, there was no way Sharon wasn't sleeping in his arms tonight, but figuring out the logistics of sharing the rather narrow hospital bed had proved to be quite a challenge. Andy's suggestion to put up the railing had earned him an exasperated look. Hey, he was only trying to help. He resolved to do it anyway once she was asleep. Luckily, one of the doctors had taken pity on them and had found them one of those beds for overweight patients that gave them a little room. He had teased her about it, but one glare had silenced him.

Sharon hummed happily and closed her eyes when Andy ran his fingers through her hair like he'd been longing to do for so long. He watched her breathe in his scent and the smile on her face was positively angelic, particularly since she tried to hide what she was doing. There had been times during the past days when he had wondered whether he would ever get to hold her like that again, her cold feet squeezed between his calves and her breath warm against his neck. He smirked when his eyes caught sight of the small stuffed toy she held in one of her hands: Mr Owl. He was glad somebody had thought of getting him for her.

Andy was tired, but he didn't want to fall asleep just yet. Instead he watched Sharon, taking in the details of her features. God, he had missed her so much. He wanted to hold her and shield her from all the world had thrown at them recently and now that he'd seen for himself how unpredictable and dangerous her ex-husband could be, that desire had only increased. He had survived the four days in the poolhouse just fine, and Rusty would be okay, but to see what it had done to Sharon broke his heart – and it made him incredibly angry. It was only the knowledge what it would do to her that kept him from driving over to Jack's place and beating the man to a pulp.

Sharon must have been worried sick. She had been sparse with the details, just like he had been when talking about his abduction and captivity, but he could tell from the way she held herself and winced at even the slightest kick of the baby how sick she had been. Today she looked every single one of her fifty-one years, dark circles marring the skin underneath her eyes, her protruding belly almost grotesque in its size compared to her small frame. He chided himself for even thinking such a thing about her, but he felt incredibly guilty. Guilty that he had misjudged Jack, guilty about the arrangement he had made with Rusty that had led to their fight. God, they still needed to talk about that. He didn't see how she would let Rusty go now. He felt guilty when he saw how much pain she was in – and he almost felt guilty for having been so careless to knock her up in the first place. But he couldn't feel guilty for having created a child they both loved so much already.

He let his hands trail down her back and slipped them under her shirt feeling her shiver in response.

"Are you awake?" she whispered and sounded like she barely was. Andy hummed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "All I could think these last few days was that the last time we saw each other, I was angry with you. That was all I could think of – that the last words I said to you were so nasty and …"

"Sweetheart, you were upset, it's okay."

"No! It's not okay. That was all I could think about, that the last time we talked I was so angry with you for going behind my back with Rusty. You know, I couldn't sleep the night you were abducted and Gavin practically begged me to call you and ask you to come and I was so stubborn and decided a night apart would suit you right and … God, Andy, I didn't know if I would ever see you again and I didn't want your last memory of me to be that I hated you."

Andy swallowed hard past the lump in his throat. How could she even think that? "Sharon, listen. I could never think that you hate me. Okay? I understood you, you were upset and worried about Rusty and you felt blindsided. I did go behind your back, I know that, I meant well, but it would have been better to be upfront with you from the start. Sharon, I love you and I don't doubt what you feel for me. I know you, sweetheart, don't forget that."

"Rusty said you were screaming my name at night," she said and adjusted her head so she could look at him more directly, her gaze searching his.

"He told you that, uh?" The little rascal. They had had a lot of time to talk during their captivity, and most of it had been about Sharon. Rusty had promised him not to say anything that would upset her even more.

"In all fairness, I made him tell me."

Andy took a deep breath. That sounded more like it. "I dreamt of you," he admitted pulling her closer, "and sometimes I dreamt that he was coming for you."

She sighed, "I still can't believe the man I married did this. I feel like I should have known."

"Honey, no! None of this is your fault. If anything, I should have been more careful. The guy was drunk off his ass, I honestly didn't think he'd do much. He seemed harmless. I'm not even sure he knew he shut us in the poolhouse when he left. He was singing and dancing and serenading you."

"It's embarrassing." She broke their gaze and hid her face against his chest, but he still noticed the faint blush on her cheeks.

"Sharon, you are not responsible for Jack's actions, you never were and you're certainly not now. Rusty and I had too little to eat, but we're fine. We … we actually had some really good conversations.

She looked up at him again. "Yes, I noticed that your relationship seems … changed." She yawned so long and so intensely that Andy was afraid her jaw would become unhinged. When her mouth was finally closed again he pressed a warm kiss to her lips. "I think it's time for you to sleep now. Just rest, I'll be here and I'll hold you all night long." That she settled down without another word, snuggling into him with Mr Owl just under her chin, was sign enough of how exhausted she really was.

When Andy woke up again it was with a rush of panic. It took him a while to recognise that he was no longer in the poolhouse and that Sharon was sleeping safely in his arms. But something had woken him up. Then Sharon moved, mumbling something that sounded like 'forgive you'.

"Sweetheart, it's okay. I'm not angry with you," he said softly hoping she would settle down again, but she shuddered instead. "We don't even have a home for our family."

He wasn't sure whether she was actually awake, but he tightened his embrace, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Was it just him or was the skin burning? "Sweetheart, we have the condo and the water damage can be repaired, we've got my house, we have friends we can stay with."

"But the children," she whispered pitifully.

Was she awake or was she still dreaming? Andy couldn't decide, so he tried a logical and analytic response that should normally work. "Rusty and Emily are staying with Provenza. Ricky knows to call Julio or Provenza should Jack contact him. You're here, safe in my arms and our youngest one is sleeping. That's all we need to know for tonight."

"But I was angry with you."

Andy was starting to get worried now. This wasn't the way Sharon usually responded and now she was starting to shiver in his arms. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"Achy and feverish."

That she would admit that so freely shocked him more than her actual words. How bad must she be feeling if she said it so directly? He dropped another kiss on her sweaty forehead and pulled the covers more tightly around them. He took a deep breath and hoped his voice was calm and soothing enough not to spook her. "Just close your eyes and rest. I'm going to call the doctor for something to take the edge of."

"Can't … pregnant," she whispered.