Here's the last chapter. I had a lot of trouble writing like I imagine, it's still not turning out how I wanted but was it fun to imagine! lol Hope you'll have as much fun as I had imagining these two lovely lovers ;)
What a difference a year could make, Andy mused. His heart constricts with joy at the sound of his wife's laughter. He turns around, abandoning his grilling for a few minutes to look at the scene in front of him. He can't help but smile. He even smiles so hard his cheeks hurt. He never thought he could be that happy. Here, in his new house, stand his friends and family, all gathered to celebrate their move, their retirements but more than anything their second chance. A year ago, Sharon was sicker than ever. She had lost hope, and so did he in some ways. He was sure he was about to lose her. Now, she is glowing and full of life. And he loves a little bit more everyday.
He chuckles, thinking how their afternoon started. Being pulled out of Morpheus' arms by Tao was not how he envisaged his saturday. Well, Sharon and him got, again, mixed up in the days and thought it was friday, that part did not help one bit either. Good thing, they planned in advance and went grocery shopping that very morning. Another good thing was that they took care of putting back their clothes on before falling asleep on the sofa, knowing Rusty Friday's schedule was usually light… Who would have thought he'd have such a happy, fulfilling, exciting relationship that late in his life? Who would have thought that after years on the force he would enjoy retirement so much?
Because he was, so very much. At first, being off meant nothing. They had to move to a foreign city, just the two of them, with no contact whatsoever with their friends and family. Sharon was sick, very sick. He spent all his days and nights at her bedside, taking care of her, adapting to their new environment. Then the days morphed into weeks and without realizing it, he had stopped working for nearly four months. Before that, he'd never admit it to anyone but he kind of thought he would die on the job, hopefully without a stapler in hands like the Old Coot. With his past, he feared that having too much time on his hands meant falling back into the bottle. Now, months later, he knows it's all about finding a balance. While they were still in Salt Lake City, he started volunteering at the hospital where Sharon was. It was convenient: he was on site nearly all the time, she needed a lot of rest, he needed something to do and keep his mind out of the gutter. He started in the medicine and gastro ward, where a lot of alcoholics were hospitalized. That's who he wanted to help but it was just so .. heavy, demanding.. The volunteer coordinator must have felt it and offered to try the children's ward. At first, he wasn't sure but Sharon pushed him a bit into it, reminding him how good he was with family. There, he found a new purpose to his life. Was there a job more incredible than this? He got to cuddle babies while their parents took a well deserved break, he got to play lego for hours (LEGO for HOURS!) and, that part still surprised him, he got into storytelling. His wife always says it comes naturally to him, that he is such a charmer but frankly, he never imagined it.
He chuckles thinking to himself : "Fuck Tao and Badge of justice". He still can't believe that his daily evening storytelling turned into a mother asking him to put his little tales on paper and that now "Louie and Andy's adventures" sells like hot cakes and that they bought that house on his advance. "Oh Yeah, Fuck Tao and Badge, Badge, Badge…" He mutters to himself. What he also never knew before that was that Sharon was into drawing. One evening when he asked her to review his next day's story, he found her doodling on his paper. A few days later, he borrowed some pencils for the evening and she surprised him by putting Louie and Andy to life. He loved how androgyne and easily identifiable to children she made the two protagonists. He was sure it was part of their success. He sighed, he still can't believe they wrote together in a few months 5 albums of their junior goofy detective adventures and will be soon trying to write longer stories for pre-teens. It kept him busy. It made his transition into retirement all the more exciting. When they moved back to LA, he kept volunteering in his local Children's hospital. Just the thought of seeing those innocent kids, playing with them, offering comfort to their parents… it was one of the highlights of his days.
The other one was spending time with his wife. Due to her health scare, she completely stopped working for months. At first, the slightest effort would beat her down. She slept most of her days for weeks, she was out of breath just walking to the bathroom but soon… soon she got better. They left the hospital and moved to a small rental with a beautiful view of the mountains. She started venturing out slowly. First walking around the corner to the convenience store was all an adventure. She was so tired and short of breath. Now, she is not yet back to running but there is nearly no limit to the length of her walks. They even started biking again when they moved to LA. When they returned, she sold her beloved BMW and bought instead two electric bikes for them. She uses hers nearly everyday to go shopping or just to commute to work. Because, of course, his very active wife couldn't stay cooped up at home for too long. He was surprised though that she resigned so easily, without second thoughts even. But the LAPD reached out to her nearly as soon as she left, asking her to manage their Charity. It's a part time job, something she loves and feels invested in. She doesn't have to go to PAB, most of her work consists of doing spreadsheets and thinking about who to ask money for and what to do with it. She works in the shadows, like she did most of her career and he thinks it suits her just right. And since she can work mostly from home and therefore put her health first, she accepted.
That last part still surprises him: how she went from not taking care of herself, nearly killing herself doing so to .. to being more aware and compliant. She is still not perfect, but who is? At least she tries... He smiles, looking at her still laughing with Provenza. He wondered how many times he heard her tell him " it's hard getting used to someone taking care of me". While allowing him to do so, they reached a new level of complicity and intimacy. He can now say he knows her better than anyone else, can anticipate her actions and plan their life accordingly. It's something he always dreamt about, getting that kind of close relationship and he's just so glad he now has the maturity and wisdom to fully appreciate it. This life, together.. He can't think of anything else that makes him that happy. Of course, he should think of their kids but they're adults now, it's different. Even Rusty doesn't need them like he used to. No, now, it's mostly Sharon and him.
Sharon … His beautiful, endearing, funny wife. He's still not completely used to see her like that: so carefree, laughing so much, always smiling... She turns around slightly when that thought crosses his mind, their gaze meets and he can't help but blink to her. She blushed prettily, she's just so pretty these days. He loves how she dresses more according to her mood and less to her position. She's always been very feminine, very sexy but now she has a softness about her that he just adores. Before, he would have never guessed that she had that kind of dress in her closet. Now, seeing her wearing a long flowy dark dress with little purple flowers, that enticing décolleté… and her beautiful long wavy gray hair, she looked nothing like the police Capt…Commander that she was. She looks like a healthy middle aged woman. She looks like a newly retiree ready to embrace life. She looks sexy and he can't have enough of her.
He puts down his utensils and walks to her. He still marveles that she now lets him wrap his arms around her middle and kisses her neck, there, with their guests around. "Mom!" Whined Rusty to the display of affection. Andy locks eyes with him and puts a last kiss on his wife's cheek before moving away from her. He likes to irk the little fucker and he has to admit that since being back in LA, they are much more tactile which only pisses the young man off. They still try to contain themselves but during their absence, something shifted. it might be partly due to her close encounter with death or the fact that they were for so long just the two of them…. Or, that's Andy's theory, it's due to their recent very … fulfilling sexlife. That part was only for him and Sharon to know but God, did they have fun! Sure they still are in the honeymoon phase of their marriage but at nearly 60 yo, he did not think he'll know again that kind of passion and excitement. Being off work meant they had all the luxury to explore their needs when they arose. He sighted, remembering how a year ago he thought in fact that their sexlife was behind them. It did not matter, Sharon's health did, but it was still a shock to go from a healthy intimate relationship to having your newlywed wife pass out just before her orgasm hit during your wedding night. It was one of his worst memories. He still can recall the fear that assaulted him when she stopped moaning and started gasping. Looking from between her legs, he saw her usually pale skin turned ashen, her body covered in cold sticky sweat, her hand holding her chest. He really thought he had killed her at that moment. Before the 911 operator responded to his call, she had come to and asked him to hang up. It put a stop on all sexy times for months though.
With hindsight, he found it kinda funny that he dared talk to her cardiologist about what was bothering her for weeks the very same day Stroh released intimate videos of them. That day, they lost something without knowing it but gained back their intimacy. Sharon had been furious with him, and beet red, when he told her specialist that her high doses of cortisone made her horny. She had to hide her face behind her hands when the doc suggested they resume bedroom activities while being mindful of her limits, asking Andy to take care of her and, only if she tolerated the strain, could they think about increasing and varying activities. It had led them to have a long heart to heart talk about her disease and its consequences, for the both of them and how they saw their future. It had led them to reconnect intimately, to be extra gentle and to take the time to explore that part of their relationship, in depth. It still was a running joke between them that the doc said that : "An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away". They certainly tried to put his philosophy to good use and he intends to keep doing so as long as they can. After all, he's never been more happy to have a bionic dick and a very willing wife. He's never been more happy. And he knows Sharon feels the same. They are madly, sickeningly, incredibly happy.