Sharon was back in duty, working in the mornings – but not to Andy's delight who was more reassured to be able to keep an eye on her, although not quite happy to know she'd not be able to rest and relax as much as she did on bed rest. It had been a few weeks since things were more or less back to normal. Martha had gone back to Utah after spending a week with everyone. She had insisted on coming back once the baby would be there to help the mama a little and Sharon had gladly accepted, although she had felt a little self-conscious not willing to be a burden for the old lady.

Sharon was now well into her seventh month. Butternut squash week. Her appointments with her gynecologist were more frequent as they knew they were getting closer to the delivery. She'd probably give birth through her 8th month and they had to be ready for it. Everything was still going surprisingly well, the baby presenting no abnormalities so far and growing well. They still had no clue about the baby's gender as they were happy to keep it a surprise. Everyone had bet on one particular gender. Obviously, the girls wanted a little sister and the boys wanted a little brother.

Surprisingly, Rusty had taken part in the bets and voted for a little girl, although he was still afraid to consider the baby a possible sibling to him. He was secretly trying to hide his fear of being abandoned again, left out of their bubble of joy. Sharon was no fool and knew exactly what he was so afraid of. The last few months had been hard on their most recent family addition. The Major Crimes unit had finally found his mother. Unfortunately, when he had been on the verge of being reunited with her, he had once again understood that he was unwanted. It had been hard on the poor thing who was still struggling to find out who he was and where he belonged. He had slowly started to accept that maybe, just maybe, Sharon and Andy could actually be a little more than a foster family to him. But considering himself a relative to them was still too much. It didn't matter though, Sharon knew he'd come around and wanted to let him take the time he needed to reach that point. But when it came to her, she had already adopted him and already considered him her child. She would fight tooth and nail for his safety and his happiness within their loving family.

The mama-to-be was experiencing a bit more of lightheadedness and she had been diagnosed with supine hypotensive syndrome. Nothing unusual as she was very familiar with that. She had developed it too when she was pregnant with Ricky. She basically needed to be careful with her sleeping positions as laying on her back would eventually slow down her heartbeat and make her feel lightheaded. The same would happen if she stood up too fast. But this was nothing she wouldn't be able to deal with. She had to remain as calm as possible and not do things too quickly to avoid getting dizzy.

Physically, she could easily be spotted miles away with such a prominent middle. The baby kept being pretty active which always reassured her, although it was sometimes uncomfortable. She couldn't be in any position for too long or her back would start killing her. She was reaching a challenging point of her pregnancy where she definitely felt her age hunting her. Her body was getting more and more swollen. The doctor had even advised for her take off her jewelry before her fingers would swell too much. Anytime she could sit she'd have to put her feet up because of her ankles being quite inflated as well.

Provenza loved making fun of her because of her now quite large size. He'd immediately get a side-look from Andy warning him not to be upsetting to their former Captain who was doing her best to deal with her pregnancy while still working. Taylor knew she would have to take her maternity leave quite soon but wasn't okay with letting her go just yet as she had barely been back from two weeks of bed rest. She had a lot of paperwork to catch up on and things were definitely not ready for anyone to take over her position for an extended period of time.

That week had been quite exhausting and they were only 3 days into it. They had caught a case involving politic figures and of course Taylor was eager to solve the investigation hoping for a generous donation to the Police Department of Los Angeles. Therefore, the Assistant Chief was constantly on their back. Things never changed, it was always about the money, although what truly mattered to Captain Raydor and her team was mostly the victims.

Amy and Julio had just been back with one of their main suspects. Apparently, the arrest hadn't been easy as the man had tried to flee and had given them a hard time. Amy's arm was bruised, and the arch of Julio's eyebrow was bleeding. Andy knocked twice on the Captain's office door and got in, looking for his wife. He found her laid down on the couch, feet up on a pile of cushions and reading what seemed like a report from where he was standing.

- Hey Sweetheart! Are you okay? he asked concerned.

Andy walked up to his wife and sat down on the edge of the couch. One hand met instinctively the top of her middle and the other dived into her hair striking her cheek with his thumb. He lowered himself to taste her lips.

- Yes! I just couldn't be at my desk anymore, my back is having a hard time, she chuckled. I'm an old lady, she shrugged.

- Don't be too hard on yourself, you're growing a human in there! he smiled to her, stroking her belly.

- Yeah and it's definitely harder than I remember, she chuckled again her hand meeting his.

- Thank you for doing this for us, Sweetheart, he whispered kissing her deeper this time. You're rocking it, baby.

- I love you, she whispered holding his face between her hands and looking him straight in the eye.

Three knocks resonated in her office followed by Provenza's angry mumbles.

- Come on love birds! Damn it! The suspect is waiting! he shouted from the other side of the door, not daring to open it.

- Coming! Andy shouting rolling his eyes heavenwards.

- Back to work, she tilted her head and shrugged.

- Let me help you up, Andy grabbed her hand and slid his other hand behind her back to support her.

- Thank you, gentleman… she curved up the corner of her lips.

- Milady… he answered bringing her hand to his lips.

A few minutes later, the Flynns finally showed up in the Electronic room. Sharon took a look at their guest through the camera and commanded for Julio to follow her. Andy caught her arm in silent plea for her no to go. He didn't like the idea of her facing that creep even if Julio was there with her. She nodded understanding his concern but she was confident. These guys didn't scare her and while filmed and accompanied there wasn't much he could do to hurt her.

Andy stood in front of the screens, keep a close eye on the guy, ready to step out at any second to get his wife out of there. The Captain and the detective opened the door to interview room 1 and Julio closed it behind them. They both took a seat, Sharon being sat on the left and him on the right across their vicious suspect. She laid out an open file and started:

- So, Mr Becker, I am Captain Sharon Raydor and this is Detective Sanchez here. Is there anything you'd like to tell us before we start?

The man remained silent and gave them a faint smile.

- I see. So let's begin… she continued quite factually.

She then started walking the guy through what they had found, obviously sliding in a few white lies to see the suspect's reaction. At first, he'd only repeat that he was innocent and that they didn't have anything against him. Until Sharon changed her approach. It was not long before he took the bait. His pride was wounded and he started backlashing at her. Andy was tense, not liking the turn of events. The guy was getting too aggressive with his words and his hands were fidgeting although he was handcuffed. His hand was now on the door handle, ready to burst out of the room and get his wife out of there.

Julio raised his voice a bit, to scare the creep out a little. The Captain threw her last card to get the confession she needed but things took an unexpected turn. The man grabbed the plastic glass of water he had been given earlier and threw it at them. Sharon gasped in surprise at the cool water wetting her. Julio got up, walked around the table to grab the jerk by his collar. There was spilled water everywhere, all over her, on the table and on the floor. Maybe Andy hadn't been so wrong about not wanting her to face the suspect. Her heart was racing and it couldn't be good neither for the baby nor for her.

Sharon schooled her features and stood up to leave the room declaring that their interview was over. Now a step away from the door, she felt dizzy. Thos damn dizzy spells. She hadn't been careful with standing up slowly because she felt too stressed. She tried to reach for the handle or a wall to help her feel more stable. In vain. She tried to take one more step to reach anything closeby but with the water under her shoes she slipped and felt her body collapse.

Andy was hurrying to interview room 1, walking as fast as he could. The door wasn't opened yet so he pushed it opem, determined to have a word with the bastard before taking his wife away. Only, when he opened the door, he didn't see what he expected to see. Sharon had visibly lost balance. She had her right arm spread forward trying to reach something and her left hand under her belly as if she wanted to protect the baby from the fall she knew she was about to take. Andy spread out both arms hoping to catch her but he could only reach for her forearm which he pulled against him as strongly as she could. Her back hit the table which made her grunt in pain but Andy's pulling helped her slow her down and get her back on her two feet, balanced.

- Got you, Sweetheart, he said under his breath still making some effort to settle her in his arms.

- Oh! You're the one who did this? the suspect suddenly asked laughing, Julio still clenching his shirt below his neck.

- Did what? groaned Andy, trying to control himself.

- Knocked up the old broad… disgusting man… he shamelessly added.

Julio gave him a good shake managing not to punch him although that's all he wanted to do. Andy was boiling, his blood pulsing in his veins. And Sharon knew it, which is why she squeezed his arms in his embrace asking for him to focus on her again. They looked at each other for a few seconds while remaining silent. What needed to be said had been said through the look they exchanged. Andy moved next to her turning his back to the creep and placed his arm around her snuggling her into his side. His other hand held hers to help her walk.

Once out, she asked for him to take her to the lady's room. She was a bit shook up and needed to freshen up. Not mentioning that she needed to use to toilet again. He escorted her not softening his grip around her. His heart was still racing.

- What happened? Are you okay? he blurted out concerned.

- Felt dizzy again… I probably stood up too fast, then the floor was wet and I lost my balance, she explained trying to remain as calm as possible.

- You scared the crap out of me… did you hurt yourself? he added hurriedly.

- My back hurts, she sighed in complaint. I hit the table but I think other than that, I think we're okay. The baby's moving like crazy…

- Once we're in the lady's room I want to have a look at your back…

Andy was more than worried. They didn't need any more complications. It was already challenging enough as it was. And he wouldn't take any risks. He needed to make sure she was really alright. Once in the lady's room he slowly let go of her making sure she was feeling up to standing by herself. She let him check her back and except for a nice pulsing red mark already turning into a bruise, she'd hopefully be fine. She walked into one of the cubicles, not locking the door.

- Oh my god, Sweetheart… my heart is still racing… I got so scared! Andy was clearly still caught up in his emotions, almost regretting not having been able to give that guy a good punch in the face for the scare he'd inflicted them.

Finishing his sentence, he realized she was suddenly very silent. He couldn't hear any noises coming from the cubicle. He called her name but didn't get any answer which made him call for her again and push the cubicle's door open. She raised her head to meet his eyes. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

- I… Andy… I'm… I'm bleeding, Andy… she mumbled in her sobs, her voice shaky and high-pitched with fear.

- Okay, Sweetheart… let's not get ahead of ourselves… I'm calling your gyn right now. Don't worry, okay? It's gonna be alright, I won't let anything happen to you or the baby, I promise… he kissed her forehead and took her hand in his.

Sharon was not even able to answer him as she was feeling panic take over her system. She had to remain as calm as possible, she knew it. And yet, it was too difficult not to give in to fear. Andy was already on the phone with her doctor when she heard him repeat several times his question to her.

- Sharon, sweetheart, listen to me… he squeezed her hand to catch her attention.

- Yes… she answered almost unconsciously.

- How's the bleeding? She's asking how's the bleeding… he needed an answer.

- I… a few drops only… she mumbled sniffling.

- Do you feel any pain? he asked again.

- No… just my back…

Andy shared the information over the phone and relaxed a bit as the doctor seemed less panicked than they were. He had to get her there as soon as possible for an emergency check. When he finally hung up, he realized how paralyzed she was. She was silently crying holding onto her belly. He kneeled in front of her trying to make eye contact and get her back with him.

- Sweetheart… look at me… he said his hands now on both sides of her face.

He waited for her eyes to meet his.

- Do you trust me? he asked, his voice calm and reassuring.

She nodded.

- Good. Coz' I swear to God, I won't let anything happen to you, my Love. Or to our baby… the doctor said it could be many different things, okay? We don't need to think of the worse just yet. Besides, it's a few drops, she said it was probably not too bad. Now I'm gonna help you up and I'm rushing you there so that she can check and see what is causing the bleeding, okay?

- Okay… she whispered.

- I promise, I won't leave you even for a second. We're in this together, he kissed her forehead and took her hands in his.

Sharon did her best to focus and do what she was asked. Once she was ready, Andy insisted on scooping her and took her to their car murmuring continuously reassuring words for her to relax a little. Her arms were tightly around him, her face nuzzled in the crook of his neck. The trip took barely a few minutes as Andy shamelessly used the siren. Once in her gynecologist's cabinet, Doctor Walker was already expecting them. Sharon laid down on her back and pulled her shirt up automatically. She was not completely attentive, feeling bleary. She released a breath she'd been holding when she finally heard the baby's heartbeat.

- Everything's fine, Sharon. The baby is okay, the heartbeat's steady and you're not in labor. Now, from what I understood you bumped into something and almost took a fall before you noticed you were bleeding, correct?

- Yes, she nodded and so did Andy right next to her, holding her hand tightly.

- Right, so the bleeding is actually due to placenta previa. Sometimes, we don't even get to know there's placenta previa if nothing occurs and causes a little bleeding.

- Is something wrong with the placenta again? Sharon blurted out, worried again that it might not be good news.

- No, don't worry. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just that your placenta is attached lower in your uterus. Therefore, it's covering your cervix. In other words it is covering the baby's exit way, she explained quite factually.

- Okay and could it lead up to difficulties for the delivery then? Andy asked concerned.

- Well, it can correct itself throughout the rest of the pregnancy as there're still a lot of changes to be done in the uterus. But if it stays there until your delivery, then we'll envision a C-section to make things easier.

- So the bleeding should stop, right? Sharon interrupted her as she needed to make sure she was understanding everything correctly.

- Absolutely, the fall you almost took probably put some pressure on it, making you bleed a little but it should definitely stop. Moreover, your mucus plug is still in place. The water pocket is intact as well. A little bleeding can happen with placenta previa but there's nothing to worry about, I can assure you, Sharon.

Both Andy and Sharon sighed in relief.

- I'd be more worried about your back though, she chuckled lightening the mood.

- Yeah… tell me about it! Sharon answered smiling, now feeling less tense.

- But Sharon… I'm still concerned… I think we should consider a maternity leave quite soon. You're 29 weeks pregnant, in a high-risk pregnancy and we already had a bunch of major scares here. I think you should take it easy and rest as much as you can. Growing a little human is tiring and hard on your body and it's okay to slow down a bit to make sure you carry as far along as possible. You have at least 5 more weeks to go and we wouldn't want the baby to come earlier than that.

Sharon knew it would be coming up anytime soon but she wasn't expecting to have to make such decision now. No need to talk to Andy about it because it was obvious that he'd agree with her doctor. He had already been worried to have her back in duty after her faint at work. Now she was still convinced she could keep working for another couple of weeks. But all things considered, they had indeed faced a couple of challenging situations and quite a few scares. Was it worth it to tempt fate over a job? Not when their child's life was put on the line. She eventually agreed, negotiating one more week only to be able to take care of the last adjustments before she'd hand her job over to Provenza. Taylor wouldn't be thrilled with the news though, she knew.

/

Heading home, she could feel her heartbeat finally slowing down and feeling more regular. She unconsciously stroked her middle seeking for comfort. Her baby was alright and it was the only thing that truly mattered. She still had a few weeks to go before the baby would be ready to get out of her protective womb and she could only hope to be able to shelter it that far. She turned her head, now admiring her husband. How thankful she was to have him by her side. Once again he had proven her he was there for her, for them, no matter what. While she was too shocked to even think about what to do about her bleeding, he had taken over and taken care of her as he usually did.

She extended her arm until her left hand reached his arm. She intertwined their arms and let her head lean on his shoulder. He kissed the crown of her head. Both remained in a peaceful silence as they were heading back to the station so that Sharon would be able to get her coat and her purse that she had left on her desk. Andy would then drive her home and had planned to take the afternoon off to stay with his wife. She had been pretty shaken up and he didn't have it in him to leave her home alone.

/

Andy had called Provenza from the car to take over the command as the Captain needed to rest and he'd stay with her to watch over her. Obviously, the old grumpy Lieutenant had mumbled something unpleasant, faking to be annoyed at having to take over but Andy knew his pal secretly understood and even enjoyed being the one in charge.

She had rested most of the afternoon as the peak of stress had earned her a heavy wave of much needed sleep. Andy had taken care of a few things on his computer while she had slept a few hours snuggled into his side. She had then taken a hot bubble bath – Andy's sweet treat. She had enjoyed every bit of it as the hot water had helped her relax her back muscles and calmed the baby down. The littleone had peacefully drifted off for a few hours.

After her pleasant bath, Sharon joined her husband in the kitchen, smelling their delicious dinner from the bathroom. Rusty had gone to Provenza's place for the night so that they would be able to relax and rest after their little scare. Reaching the kitchen, her arms came naturally around him, hugging him from behind, her prominent middle pressing against his back.

- Mmh… smells delicious Mr Flynn. What are you cooking? she teased.

- Oh Mrs Flynn, there you are! You've been greatly missed! He teased back, his voice low-pitched.

- Oh really? She gave him a grin although he couldn't see it.

- I need you to taste this… he turned around in her arms and brought a spoon to her lips.

- This is amazing! Perfect! I'm starving…

The cook was definitely satisfied with her comment. He put the spoon down and wrapped his arms around his wife. Only he hit a spot on her back that earned him a grunt of complaint from his wife.

- Ouch! This is definitely bruised, she declared now rubbing the spot with her own hand. How does it look? she turned around lifting the back of her tank top.

- Oh… purplish I'm afraid… let me just go grab that cream we have for that. It'll surely help… he kissed her forehead, turned off the hotplates and left the kitchen.

Andy went to the bathroom and opened the medicine cupboard. As he didn't find what he was looking for, he went to their bedroom remembering suddenly they had used it recently and had probably put it in one of their nightstands. Meanwhile Sharon put on the table for the two of them, quietly humming a tune. Once she was done with it, she sat on her chair at the dining table and took the mail she hadn't got time to look at earlier. She leafed through the pile, opening each envelope and checking its content.

Andy was whether taking his time or maybe not actually finding the cream he was looking for. As she was done with the mail, she stood up and decided to go look around the house to see if she could find her husband. If he hadn't found the cream yet she wouldn't complain if they could just eat first as she was starving and eating for two. The baby clearly claimed its meal! Just like him she went to their bathroom first and then ended up going to their room, hoping to finally find him.

She pushed their door open and found him sitting on the edge of their bed, head down, reading something. She gently approached him thinking he was maybe reading the instructions. Suddenly, she understood. He had found it. Her letter. His letter, actually. It was meant for him to read after all. But not like this. He wasn't supposed to read it without any context. The poor thing was probably more than confused. Only when he raised his head having heard her steps, he didn't seem confused. Tears were wetting his cheeks. He finally broke the silence.

- Sharon… he sighed, what is this?