Finally. A good night of sleep in their very own and extremely comfortable bed. What a relief to be home. The simple fact to be out of the hospital and not surrounded by monitors and machines anymore was already helping Sharon relax a little. As planned, she had been on bed rest ever since she had been released from the hospital. It wasn't as easy as she had thought it would be. She was constantly tempted by a few things to do, clean a little, do the laundry or do any kind of house stuff. She so loved taking care of their beautiful and loving nest where soon enough another life would fill their walls with joy and laughter. Or so, she dearly hoped.

Andy had stayed the first two days but then Rusty came home and he obviously had to go back to work. Chief Taylor was already upset about Sharon needing all these compromises plus almost 3 weeks off, so better not upset him more than reasonable. Of course, he was already aware of her pregnancy, as was the team and probably the whole building. She had one more week before going back to work and she already dreaded the looks. It was absurd how people couldn't just live their lives without judging the others. She was well aware of her age and the exception she represented. Everyone could guess she was closer to menopause than to having a baby but somehow things were meant to be this way.

Hormones. They were getting the best of her. She was usually so fearless and careless about people's opinion that she was surprised with her own apprehension. After all, these people couldn't do anything to her except talk, although words could still be quite hurtful sometimes. It would be a difficult moment to go through but she would hang in there because the baby she was carrying was worth every sacrifice. And Andy would be there with her all the way through this. That thought alone made her heart feel a little lighter.

Bored with the book she was trying to read but couldn't manage to focus on, she decided to take a short walk to reach the kitchen and make herself a little mid-afternoon snack. She was joined by Rusty fully shocked to see her on her feet.

- Sharon? What are you doing in the kitchen? he questioned her. You should have asked me!

- Hey Rusty! Don't worry I'm allowed to walk a little a day, she smiled warmly in order to reassure him.

- Hum.. okay. Do you need help?

- That's sweet of you to ask! I'm just cutting a few slices of fruit. There… you can slice that orange if you want.

Rusty seemed smoother with her. It felt like he wanted to support her although he didn't know how to show affection and much less put into words. She felt like it could be the right opportunity to have a talk with him. As her snack was ready to be eaten, she picked two forks and invited Rusty to share it with her. They sat across each other around the dinner table.

- I wanted to thank you, Rusty. I've noticed you've been helping me a lot lately and I truly appreciate all you do, she started.

- No problem, Sharon, he kept looking at the plate of fruit.

- You know, I'm really happy to have you here with me. So is Andy… Don't worry, I know that you're preoccupied and want us to find your mum so that you can be with her and we're doing all we can to do so… but, Rusty cut her off.

- No…

- What do you mean? No what? she looked at him waiting for him to explain himself.

- No, I'm not only thinking about finding my mum. I kinda like it here…

- Okay then… that's good! I'm glad you feel that way, she smiled.

- Sharon… before the car crash, I told you I wanted to…

- Rusty… It's okay…

- But I want to explain. Listen, before the car crash, I told you I wanted to leave because I felt unwelcome here. But you were right, it was not true. I did and do feel better here than I expected… but you seemed upset and I thought I had disappointed you or that something was wrong with me… Anyways, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have told you that.

Sharon was taken aback. She hadn't pictured such a confession. She felt him very uncomfortable and tense, his eyes avoiding hers. He had stopped eating.

- Okay. Thank you for your apologies. I know it's a lot for you to lay out your thoughts like that so I'm really thankful for your honesty. I'm afraid I have to apologize to you too. I was indeed upset before the accident but it wasn't because of you, Rusty. I'm so sorry you thought so… there is absolutely nothing wrong with you and as I said we're happy to have you with us.

- Why were you upset then? he finally met her eyes.

- Well… I had found out that I was pregnant… and I was a little unsettled…

- Why? she could see he was now interested in knowing the truth.

- Well, first of all because I wasn't expecting to still be able to have children at my age. Then… because Andy and I had never really talked about welcoming a new baby… and finally because… I guess I felt a little self-conscious and scared to share the news.

- Scared of what? I see people being scared of you but never the other way around, the corner of his lip curved upwards which made Sharon chuckle.

- You're right… usually I tend to spark off fear and anger, she chuckled again at the insight of the teenager.

- Yup… you do impress people a lot around the office. So what were you so afraid of?

- I guess I was feeling a little scared because I knew I would have to face people's looks and comments and although I look impassive, it can still hurt sometimes, Sharon finally confessed quite vulnerably.

- I understand, he paused trying to put the words together. To me, you shouldn't be worried about it. You're always so annoyingly in love with children whenever you see one and you talk about yours all the time. You seem to care about them and from what I've been told you've done a lot for them. So I think… you're a good mom and you'll sure be a good mom to this one too. That's the most important thing. To hell what people think of you being pregnant now – although yeah… gross… Rusty explained making funny faces when talking about her being pregnant which made Sharon have a good giggle seeing him so uncomfortable. Anyways you see the point, he chuckled embarrassed.

- I do see your point. Thank you for your kind words. I'll try to remember that when I go back to work next week.

- Well you should because I do agree with Andy… there's no way you can hide that much longer! Rusty was clearly reaching his limit and stood up ready to go hide in his room.

- I am not showing! It's impossible! she emphasized, the baby is still like the size of a…

- A lemon… I know, Rusty cut her off and rolled his eyes upwards.

- How do you know? she was suddenly curious, her eyes wide with surprise.

- How do I know? There's lemon all over the place! his hands made an emphasized gesture; you guys are so weird with your fruit obsession… Rusty started walking back upstairs after putting his fork in the dishwasher.

- Well, it's not a fruit obsession, it's because…

- Yeah, I know! Weird! he shouted from upstairs.

Sharon, still at the table, was still laughing. That kid was definitely smart. Maybe it was indeed a fruit obsession. Andy had really gotten into it and had bought anything that had lemon in it for the "lemon week". He was just so adorable she didn't have the heart to tell him it was maybe a little too much.

/

It felt like she had been avoiding the floor for weeks. Andy didn't even allow her to help with dinner if she wasn't off her feet. She literally had to sit on the kitchen counter for him to be reassured and of course she couldn't climb on it by herself. He would help her up and down all the time. Such a mother hen. Almost ridiculous. She couldn't help but smile at the memory of him being so adorably worried about her. Now how weird to know she could be back on her feet so much time in a row, after being careful for over two weeks! Would Andy really be comfortable with it? She guessed not but she was happy about it anyways. Feeling a little more independent was more like her true self.

She hadn't slept much but it was to be expected. She felt like a kid on the first day of school. It was funny to feel so uncomfortable to go back to a job she had been doing forever. Provenza would be annoyed to have to pass on the lead back to her but he would still be able to assist her in the afternoons when she would be working from home. She could only hope the team would be happy to have her back.

/

Sharon was definitely thrilled to be walking through the corridors of the Police building alongside the proud Lieutenant Flynn, who had volunteered to lend his strong arm to his wife. She could feel he wasn't at ease with her being able to work but she had promised to be wise and reasonable. As footsteps could be heard approaching, everyone stopped in their tracks and harbored a bright smile to welcome their Captain. Even Provenza felt secretly joyful at the idea of having her around in the mornings, although he would never admit it to anyone. After a few seconds, they saw a ginger head appear around the corner hanging to a tall pepper and salt guy's arm.

- Hello everyone! Sharon smiled warmly.

- Welcome back, Captain! greeted Julio.

- We missed you, added cheerfully Amy and made everyone roll their eyes heavenwards.

- There she is! Our very own Captain Rulebook! Provenza emphasized sarcastically.

- Yes, finally back! Sharon gratefully answered.

- Oh Captain! Before we get into work… I decided to upgrade our floor and bought a printer for us! Louie explained proudly.

- It's so generous of you, Lieutenant.

- I know! Which is why I'm asking for a one dollar tax for every sheet printed here, he explained shaking his little coin jar.

Even Sharon couldn't help but roll her eyes in despair. That old grumpy Lieutenant couldn't do a nice thing without anything in return. Well, that wasn't exactly true but it took a lot for him to express some sympathy for his peers. As Sharon headed to her office, everyone followed her with their eyes expecting a reaction. She disappeared behind the door frame only to reappear barely a few seconds later. Her eyes were wet with tears although anyone could tell she was trying as hard as she could to keep them at bay.

- Oh… you guys… she managed to say her voice suddenly higher than usual.

- An apple a day… Andy started his smile wider than ever.

- Keeps the doctor away! Everyone in the room completed the saying in unison, and the whole team, including Sharon, laughed out loud.

Andy walked to his wife and placed his arms around her. He softly kissed her mouth and murmured in her ear – "Happy apple week!". Her office was filled with apple pie, apple juice, all kinds of apples and God only knew what else. The team was apparently also keeping track with the baby's size and it was just adorable. She felt suddenly relieved and strong again, ready to face the looks and the gossips now that her heart felt full. Her team was supporting her and that was all she needed right now.

/

The so called "Apple week" kept indeed the doctor away. As far as Sharon and the baby's health were concerned, nothing to worry about for now. Sharon had an ultrasound throughout the week and everything seemed fine. It had been a good trial week and Sharon was satisfied. She had been careful not to overdo it and of course Andy had kept her under close watch, checking on her every half hour if not every 15 minutes. On the other hand, the Major Crimes unit had caught a terrible and bloody case. She had tried as much as possible to stay at the station and supervise the team from afar but unfortunately it hadn't always been possible. They were facing a very skilled murderer, that probably had more experience with crime than they had thought initially. The case promised to be longer to solve and draining for everyone. Therefore, finally reaching the weekend, the brave Captain of the Major Crimes unit was absolutely exhausted. She sighed heavily as she placed her last file on top of the already quite high pile. Paperwork would get the best of her one day. The doctor had agreed to let her keep working part time for the following weeks and she was okay with that much. She felt like her body wouldn't let her do much more anyways. So unless it was absolutely necessary for her to stay at work the whole day, she had to imperatively go home and rest in the afternoons – doctor's orders.

Her first trimester was nearing its end and although she was scared of the outcome – whether or not she would be able to carry their baby to term, or whether or not the baby would be healthy – she couldn't help but feel excited for the weeks to come. Now the first months almost behind them, they would be able to breathe just a little better. And Andy and Rusty were right, she would start showing very soon and she was looking forward to going into every step of this pregnancy alongside her dear husband, the most excited daddy-to-be she had ever seen.

She was changing, her body was changing and she could tell by the whole lot of clothes she couldn't wear anymore, not to mention her precious high-heels she was forced to abandon for obvious reasons. She felt deep inside that this whole journey would feel completely different from the three previous ones and yet she kept feeling the strong love she already felt for their little apple.