3 days in a hospital could have seemed like the eternity if it wasn't for Andy. He was making her stay a peaceful and loving bubble where only them existed. Sharon's pregnancy was declared a high-risk pregnancy, but he didn't let the news cloud her mood. He was more than positive and ready to do absolutely everything he could to make the process as easy as possible for her. He was just adorable and she knew only too well how lucky she was to be able to call him hers. When she thought she couldn't love him more, she kept seeing new sides of him that were even better. It was funny for her to step into this new adventure with him.

Although both of them had already been through parenthood, it was so different to be in this together. It was like actually doing it for the very first time. If only her first two babies had had such a supportive dad. Andy was so determined to help her feel better that just seeing all the efforts he was making had her heart melting. He could also become annoying not letting her do anything by herself but she knew he meant well. The doctors were quite concerned about the baby as the accident had been very dangerous. It had worried him a lot, even though he was trying to hide it. Sharon and the baby were closely monitored and regularly checked on. Andy had been sweet to get her a few of her things so she could at least wear comfortable clothes and have her care products she so liked.

The team had visited twice but Rusty hadn't dared to walk into the hospital room. Sharon knew she would have to talk to him. The last time they had talked, he had mentioned being ready to leave and she never got the chance to understand why he was feeling that way. Now with the accident and the baby news, she was worried about Rusty feeling even more unwelcome, although they were more than happy to help him. Maybe Andy would have to talk to him too. Throughout the first hospital days, they had planned for him to stay at Provenza's but from what Louie had told them, the teenager wasn't too happy about the old Lieutenant's cooking skills.

She still had to stay two more days at the hospital and was already ordered to stay on bedrest at home for the two weeks following her hospitalization – the occasion for Lieutenant Grumpy to keep pulling the strings for a little longer at the station. The team had taken the news pretty well, although she could see their astonishment. They were probably as surprised as she was to know it was still possible at their ancient age. Sharon felt a little self-conscious about that but Andy couldn't care less about people's opinion. He truly helped her feel great and light about it. After all, the most important was that they were already crazy about the little miracle growing inside her and they wanted to put all their energy into helping the baby grow as healthy as possible.

Sharon was delighted to still be able to go back to work even though her pregnancy was at risk. She had managed to negotiate with her OB/gyn to start with the mornings and see how she would feel. Of course, she was conscient that she would need to make some compromises and talk to Chief Taylor who wouldn't be too thrilled about it. But it was so important for her to be able to work. She needed to feel useful and she was definitely passionate about her job. After all she was carrying a baby, not invalid. It was good to know that doctors still felt safe for her to go back to work despite the risky nature of her pregnancy. She knew Andy was uncomfortable with the idea of her going back to work even with compromises but he was doing his best to respect her wish.

For now, she was still at the hospital. Two more days to go. She was waiting for Andy to come back from the little food shop she loved. She was definitely starving and she now had the amazing excuse to be eating for two. Sharon was 10 weeks along. In her previous pregnancies she hadn't felt sick or bad in general. But for this one, it had felt a little different from the very beginning. She had felt tremendously tired quite early on. It was actually the symptom she had noticed the most along with her breasts almost doubling their size.

A knock on the door interrupted Sharon's random thoughts.

- Hey baby! Got your favorite dish in here! he smiled warmly laying everything out on the small table near the window of her hospital room.

- God, smells delicious! I'm starving! she answered chuckling.

Carefully, she stood up by herself one foot after the other. She was wearing her favorite pair of yoga pants, a white tank top with a round neck and a light blue cardigan over it. She cautiously walked to the table using the bottom of the hospital bed to support her. She felt better and better with each passing day. She still had to be off her feet as much as possible but the doctors encouraged her to walk a little bit a day.

- And here she comes! Andy widely smiled to her then pulled her in for a kiss and finally pulled the chair for her to sit comfortably.

- Thank you, such a gentleman! she patted his chest.

- Always, for my girl! he winked.

They started eating, both hungry, they enjoyed their meal thoroughly, almost not talking, too focused on their food. Now reaching the end of it, Andy started observing his wife with his loving eyes. After devouring her last bite, she caught his look and almost blushed.

- You know… when you look at me like that… you could almost unsettle me… she smiled embarrassed.

- Ooohh I'm curious now, he chuckled… how am I looking at you exactly?

- Well I don't know, you're observing me and looking at me with those deep brown eyes that have my heart melt, she smiled self-consciously.

- Oh that! Well I don't know I just can't help it you're too amazing for me to look at you any other way, Andy chuckled and got closer to his wife, dropping a smooth kiss on her neck.

Sharon immediately placed her hand on his cheek and invited him to look at her in the eye.

- I love you and I'm so lucky to have you, Andy… she whispered, their noses almost touching.

He gave her the most genuine smile and kissed her deeply. As they were pulling away after a heated kiss, he added:

- Love you more… don't want anybody else to share my life with, Sweetheart. It has always been you and it always will be. I feel like the luckiest guy of the Universe right now, he took her hand in his. I know that your life hasn't always been an easy ride and I know that there're things that I unfortunately can't change or can't control but from now on, you have my word, I'll do absolutely anything I can to make you feel as happy as you make me feel every single day.

Tears were forming in her eyes. Damn hormones. Sharon stood up and gently sat on his lap. She snuggled into his embrace, needing nothing else but to be with him. With her finger she started tracing the side of his face, then his eyebrow, his nose and ended with his lips that she grazed with a kiss.

- I'm already the happiest woman of the whole world, thanks to you. I only need to be with you, honey, I don't need anything else but you.

- Pretty good news coz' I'm not planning on leaving any time soon. Really, I'll stick to you like a leech, he chuckled and she laughed in response.

His hand lovingly landed on her stomach. Their little miracle was still so tiny and yet it already meant so much to them.

- You know, in a couple of months, I'll be as huge as a whale, she chuckled, you won't even be able to have me on your lap like that.

- I'm a strong man, Mrs Flynn. Moreover, I happen to love whales, he gave her a proud grin.

- That's a good thing then, lucky me! she giggled and shot her eyebrows up.

- By the way, I think you're showing already… his smile now all goofy. It's like growing at the speed of light ever since we got here!

- Honey, that's psychological, she chuckled touched by his enthusiasm.

- No! I swear! I can see a bump there!

- But, honey, our baby is like the size of a fig. See how small that is? Pretty impossible to be showing that soon, she explained quite factually still smiling.

- A fig? Oh really? How sweet… he mimed the shape of it with his fingers. Indeed, that's tiny, he said now becoming pensive.

- Yup, very unlikely to make a bump just yet, she kissed him on the cheek.

- Question here… How long will it be a fig? he asked feeling suddenly curious.

- Well, basically a pregnancy is 40 weeks. Each passing week of the development of the fetus you can compare it to a fruit or a vegetable that will help you picture the size and the weight of your baby.

- Oh I see, so you're 10 weeks along and 10 weeks is a fig… which means next week we'll reach another size therefore another fruit or veggie, he resonated out loud.

- Correct. You're brilliant, Lieutenant! I should definitely have a word with your superior… she smirked.

- Oh yeah, tell her I'm not just a troublemaker! he winked which made her giggle. How do you know all that stuff about the fruits and the veggies?

- Oh that's because when I was pregnant with Ricky, Emily couldn't stop asking tons of questions about the baby and its size. You know, it was sometimes difficult for her to be patient and understand that the baby would need to grow inside my tummy for several months before she'd be able to finally meet her brother. So I used that comparison to help her wait patiently for my due date, she warmly smiled remembering those dear memories.

- Which reminds me… have you told the kids yet? he asked raising his eyebrows, he knew how delicate the subject was.

- Well… she sighed heavily looking away.

- Hey Sweetheart, what's the matter? he looked for her eyes.

- It's just that… I still need to tell them and I don't really know how they're gonna take the news… I guess that with a mother in her late forties they're probably not expecting such big bomb drop.

- Probably not but neither were we and look at us! We're happier than ever to be expecting against all odds! he tried to cheer her up.

How could she explain to him that she dreaded their reaction because she felt too old for this. Her children were grown, Andy's kids were grown and now a new baby in the family. They would probably get used to the idea but she most definitely felt embarrassed and self-conscious. And to add a little pressure on top of that, she felt scared to announce it when the future was so uncertain. After all, she knew how risky her pregnancy was. It could be over in just a split second. But she couldn't tell him about her worries because she knew only too well how worried he was already.

What Sharon didn't remember at that moment, was that Andy knew his wife by heart. Every expression. Every look. Every gesture. No need to spell it out for him. She was scared to lose the baby and he couldn't blame her. He was worried sick about his wife and his baby. But he believed in fate. They had finally had a chance to be together and now they were blessed with that little miracle. He wouldn't through in the towel. He couldn't give up on the woman of his life now that he finally had the opportunity to make it up to her. He hadn't been there for her the first time around but now it would be different. He was determined to fight for the life of his baby no matter what.

/

When he saw it laid out on the shelf at the superstore, he couldn't help but smile. He had to get one of those for her, just to see her grin and gently slap his chest for being stupidly funny and goofy. It would definitely enlighten their last evening spent at the hospital. He was looking forward to bringing her back home with him. She wouldn't be able to do much just yet but at least she'd be home with him and would get much better sleep than in a hospital.

Rusty would be back home in no time as well. Andy wanted to have a talk with the kid. He was probably aware of Sharon's pregnancy by now. Louie had never been too good at keeping secrets. But he wanted to make sure the teenager wouldn't upset Sharon too much. The last thing she needed was to be drained by a rebellious kid going on and on like a broken record about his mother. Rusty probably didn't measure his words but Andy had a rough time seeing him treat Sharon so harshly. He also wanted the kid to understand that they were happy to help him and that he was very welcome in their home as long as he would treat Sharon well.

As he entered the hospital room with their dinner, he found her bed empty. Sharon wasn't in sight. He called for her and heard her shouting from the bathroom.

- Did the doctor finally pass by? he asked speaking loud enough for her to hear his voice over the running water.

- Yes, he left a few minutes ago.

- So what did he say? Andy leaned against the door frame of the bathroom while she was still changing and washing her face.

- Everything looks good to him. I was relieved when he said the scar is healing great. No sign of infection. And the baby is fine so far. He also checked the placenta. Seems to be holding up, she sighed through her smile, releasing some kind of stress she'd been keeping.

Andy wrapped his arms from behind her and dropped a kiss on her neck after inhaling her flowery scent he so loved. He heard her chuckle against his cheek.

- See, everything's gonna be alright, Sweetheart, he whispered in her ear.

He held out one of his hands in front of her belly. His fingers were closed around something she couldn't decipher just yet. She gave him a quizzical look and encouraged him to open his hand so that she would finally be able to see what he could possibly be hiding. He then felt her burst into laughter in his arms at the sight of it. How amazing to feel her suddenly submerged by such joy. He had missed seeing her so light.

- You're kidding me! You bought a fig! she turned around in his arms so that she would be able to see his face.

- I know, he chuckled, totally absurd but it felt so funny to see a bunch of those laid out on the shelf after our talk yesterday that I couldn't help but take one for you.

- Well, that's gonna be the perfect dessert! Thank you, honey. You sure do know what to do to make me have a good laugh! she smiled to him and kissed him.

He couldn't control the future, but at least he could try and make each step of their long journey a little lighter and funnier.