Chapter 11
Robert's heart broke. Andy's career was back on track, but she didn't even get a chance to be promoted to her dream job because she was shot. Of all the situations, Robert had in his head of Andy dying, her getting shot by a cop while defending a young adult, was not one that he had thought of.
That cop would pay for what he did.
S19S19S19S19S19S19S19S19S19S19Jack was in the beanery, everyone else had left but he was frozen. He was sat at the beanery table, and he wasn't able to move. He was in shock. He couldn't believe that Andy, one of his oldest friends, was dead.
Jack had watched as everyone else left the beanery, but he couldn't get up. He couldn't move. His brain was disconnected from his limbs, and he sat silently. His eyes teared up as he recalled the good times they had together.
It was a random memory, but he thought back to when Andy was struggling with losing Ryan, and they talked during one of her first shifts back.
The shift was just ending, and Jack was ready to go home when he walked into the lounge and saw Andy.
"I miss working for your dad," Jack said after seeing that Andy was looking at a picture of all of them together from a few years ago.
"He was a great captain," Andy said shortly.
"The best," Jack agreed. "Did you get any sleep?" Jack asked, knowing that Andy wasn't feeling great lately.
"A little."
"I hate that Ryan died. I hate it for the world. He was a good dude, a good cop. And I hate it for you," Jack told Andy, a bit hesitant, not wanting to upset her more than she already was.
"Thanks. Me, too."
"And I hate that it cost you your promotion," Jack said, and Andy closed her eyes. Losing Ryan was far harder than losing out on captain, but it still hurt.
"Mm. Story of my life. Men who think they know what I can and cannot handle," Andy scoffed. "We saved a woman this shift. She was having a heart attack. I was there, pumping her chest, watching the blood rush back into her lips, and I felt nothing. What is that?" Andy asked, hating that she was feeling like this.
"Some days, the job breaks you. And, you know, some days, life breaks you. Sometimes it's too much to feel at all. Or to feel any of it," Jack said, somewhat wisely, and all Andy could do was nod.
Jack let a tear fall. He hated how broken Andy was and he was willing to do whatever he had to do to make her feel even a little bit less depressed.
"So, what are we doing here?" Andy asked, confused as to why they were standing in a fenced off, empty area.
"This is the place I grew up. Well, one of them, anyway." Jack told her, somewhat vaguely.
"Man, I knew it was bad. But this?" Andy joked.
"Well, there was a house here," Jack replied, fighting the urge to grin.
"Ah. How old?"
"Um, 11 till about 12 and a half," Jack answered.
"Huh." Was all Andy said as she and Jack moved to sit down on the ground.
"Yeah, I had parents brother sister. It was the only place that ever felt like home, and now Dean's starting his own family. I'm tired of bouncing around." Jack admitted to Andy. "I need I need people," Jack said, looking at Andy.
"Mm. I need to move out, too. I can't live with Maya anymore," Andy told Jack. With Maya becoming captain and Ryan having died in that apartment building, she just couldn't do it anymore. "You know, well, maybe we can look together," Andy suggested.
"What? What? You and me? Like roommates? You sure that's a good idea?" Jack asked, surprised that Andy would even think up an idea like that.
"You got a better one?" Andy said back, sass dripping in her voice.
"Okay. Yeah, screw it. Let's find a place together," Andy said, took a sip of her coffee and then spoke again. "Not here, though. I need walls," Andy tried to joke. "Maybe a roof," Andy smirked.
"Mm," Jack nodded, grinning. "Yeah, I am a firefighter, so I can't afford that, okay?" Jack joked back.
Jack sighed. He hated this. He hated it for himself, he hated it for the house, he hated it for the department, and he sure as hell hated that someone as amazing as Andy was taken far too soon.
It was another five minutes before Jack sighed and stood up, made his way to the locker room, got changed and then left the fire station. He made his way towards his car, and instead of starting it he just sat there, in silence, thinking about the day Andy returned to work after her father died.
"It's good to have you back at work," Jack told her as they worked on the truck's engine together.
"It's good to be back. I was starting to get a little stir-crazy," Andy told Jack.
"Yeah? Where?" Jack asked, wondering where Andy had been since she wasn't staying in their apartment.
"What do you mean?" Andy asked, focused on the engine and not noticing how Jack was looking at her.
"Oh, where were you going stir-crazy? I mean, you haven't been home lately." Jack pointed out.
Andy sighed. "It's, it's complicated," Andy said.
"Ah, it's usually just an address," Jack said smartly, and Andy scoffed. "Okay, Andy, this isn't about our history or whatever. You're my friend. And our lives, you know, with everything that's
happened lately, I'm just, I'm just asking my friend if she's," Jack was going to continue talking when Andy finally broke and interrupted.
"Sullivan. It's Sullivan. I'm sleeping at Sullivan's," Andy told him, "Because we got married. So, just shut up about it."
Jack remembered the feeling of shock that had overcome him. Especially when she had been so against marrying him, not that long ago. He understood that every relationship was different, but he hadn't even known they were dating, and he was just shocked that his best friend married their boss.
Jack sighed, entered the key into the car and drove back to his apartment. He entered the apartment with a heavy sigh and dropped his go bag down on the floor. Jack couldn't hold himself up anymore, so he sat down on the floor, leaning his head against the door, letting the tears form again because as soon as he walked in, he saw a picture of him and Andy. It had been taken shortly after the fight for the captain position, after they made up after the high-rise fire.
Jack remembered how Andy disobeyed his direct order and stayed in the building after the explosion happened. He couldn't fight it anymore, and he let out a sob. He would miss her. Maya would miss her. Vic would miss her. The whole station would. Andy meant the world to all of them. She was meant to be captain, and he hated this. He hated that he, that they kept losing people.
Those cops will pay for what they did. Dixon especially.
Next up is either Ross or Theo. Those would be shorter chapters, or a combined chapter, before I get into Andy's family suing the cops and her funeral, and there will be an epilogue.