Feminista

Thanks so much, anon, I really appreciate it!  

I got the inspiration for the health emergency from a Golden Girls episode, although it’s a little more severe here (but still okay).

Sorry about the overload, but I was working on these simultaneously, so I finished them at around the same time.  I haven’t forgotten the other requests :)

22/24–fever/worry

Sharon was starting dinner one evening and listening to music, and she barely heard Andy come in from work.  He wrapped his arms around her from behind and started singing along to the music.  “Get with it, baby, ‘cause you’re fine and you’re mine and you look so divi-ine. Come and get your love…”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”  Sharon turned her head to kiss him.  

Andy pressed his lips to hers for a few moments before turning away and looking through the medicine cabinet.  “Are we out of those Pepto Bismol caplets?”

“Yeah, I gave Rusty the last two last night, why?”

“My stomach’s kind of bothering me.  I don’t feel sick, it’s just kind of annoying.”

Sharon finished getting dinner together and put it in the oven.  “I’ll run out and get some more.”

“No, I can go—“

“I’ll get it.”  Sharon gently pushed Andy toward the living room.  “Why don’t you lie down until dinner’s ready?”

“Yeah, I think I will.” 

Sharon went to a nearby pharmacy and brought Andy a glass of water and the medicine when she got back.  She sat on the couch beside him and ran her hand through his hair.  “Where does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t really hurt.  This happened a couple of nights ago, and the medicine cleared it right up.  It’s probably just indigestion or something.”

“All right.  Dinner will be ready soon.”

After dinner, Sharon sat on the porch with a glass of wine and FaceTimed Emily just to watch nearly-eleven-month-old Marie toddle around until Emily finally ended the call to put her to bed.  She’d been walking, albeit unsteadily, for a couple of weeks now.  Emily had been an early walker, too.  Her sister called after that, and after they talked for a while, Sharon went inside to get ready for bed.  With Rusty locked in his room studying, she was hoping for some quality time with Andy, but he was already in bed and looked like “quality time” was the last thing on his mind.  She hopped into bed beside him.  “What happened to ‘come and get your love?’”

“It’ll have to wait a couple of days,” Andy muttered.

“What’s the matter?”  Sharon looked him over.  He hadn’t eaten much dinner, if any at all, but the medicine hadn’t had much time to kick in then, and she’d figured he would go back for more after his stomach settled a little.  “Do you feel sick?”

“I’m starting to.  Julio was out yesterday because Mark had a stomach bug, and I was around him a good bit the day before, and I’m afraid I caught it from him.  Earlier, I really just thought it was nothing, or I wouldn’t have kissed you.”

“Honey. It would take more than the threat of a little stomach bug to keep me from kissing you, I can promise you that.”  Sharon pecked him on the lips.  “But I believe this means that your and Rusty’s cracks about how my cooking has caused a depletion of Pepto Bismol were completely uncalled for.”  Before she retired, she and Andy either took turns making dinner, cooked together, or got take-out, but she’d been cooking herself more often since she was usually already home early in the evenings.  Rusty cooked every now and then, too. And, despite Andy’s and Rusty’s dramatics, she’d never caused any of them any digestive trauma.  “Can I get you anything?”  Andy shook his head.  “Wake me up tonight if you start feeling worse, or if you need something.”  She gently nudged him over in the bed.  “Sleep on my side tonight, it’s closer to the bathroom.”

By the time Andy fell asleep, Sharon wasn’t quite ready for bed, so she got another glass of wine and read on the porch for a while.  Having a sick husband, especially with Andy’s medical history, was a bit like having a sick child, and she looked in on him occasionally until she was ready to go to bed.  After making sure the path to the bathroom was clear and putting a glass of water on the nightstand beside him, she crawled under the covers.  The sheets smelled vaguely of Andy, and the familiar comfort of his scent lulled her to sleep.  Yeah, they were going to have to trade sides of the bed more often.  

 Sharon woke up a few hours later to go to the bathroom, and she could tell Andy was sitting up in bed beside her.  She turned a lamp on and turned to him, a little disoriented from being on the wrong side of the bed.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”  Andy winced and held his hand to the upper right part of his stomach.  

Sharon quickly went to the bathroom, wrinkling her nose at the faint smell of vomit, and got back in bed.  “It doesn’t look like nothing, it looks like you’re hurting.  Have you gotten sick? Is your stomach upset?”  Andy nodded.  He knew she already knew the answer to that question.  “And you didn’t wake me because…”

“I know this is hard for you to believe, but it’s possible for people in this house to vomit without you standing over them.”

“Cut the crap, Andy, and tell me what’s wrong.”

“Just a little pain.  I’m sure it’ll go away.  It’s not low enough to be appendicitis, and it’s completely the wrong side to be my heart,” he quickly assured her.  He felt like he was being stabbed in the stomach and his back, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her that.  He was certain it wasn’t his heart, otherwise he would’ve woken Sharon up a while ago, and he wanted to give the pain some time to go away before he did anything about it.

Sharon raised her eyebrows.  “Not every heart attack or case of appendicitis is textbook, Andy, this could possibly be either one.”  She kissed his forehead and held the back of her hand to his cheek.  “You have a bit of a fever.  Something’s not right. I’m taking you to the ER.”

“I’d rather slam my balls in a car door.”  Andy had had more than enough of hospitals in the last few years, both as a patient and a visitor.  

“I’m sure I can arrange that, but we’re going to the hospital first.”

“Sharon, I know Rusty’s and my hospital stints have spooked you—“

“‘Spooked’ implies that my concern is unfounded, which is absolutely not the case.”  Sharon reached over Andy to get his phone and scrolled through his contacts for his doctor’s office.  “I’ll call the on-call doctor in your doctor’s office and see what they say.  If you’re so sure it’s nothing, I’m sure they’ll agree.”  She disconnected her call a few minutes later and threw on some sweatpants and a long-sleeved t-shirt over her nightgown.  “We have to go to the ER…Andrew Flynn, you get your ass out of that bed this second,” Sharon ordered when Andy didn’t move.

“Such great bedside manner,” Andy grumbled.  

Sharon’s expression softened.  “I’m sorry, honey, but I’m worried, and I’m a little concerned that you’re not worried.”  She slipped into a pair of sandals and helped Andy out of bed.  “Your shoes are by the door.  Let’s go.”

“In my pajamas?”

“You’ll just have to change into a gown, anyway.”  Sharon wrapped her arm around his waist and led him to the kitchen.  She grabbed his wallet, her purse, and his flip-flops by the door and helped him to the car.  

When they got to the hospital, Sharon helped Andy inside and to a seat before going to sign him in.  After explaining the problem and some of Andy’s medical history, she was infuriated by the inaction of the woman behind the desk.  “Excuse me, but my husband needs to be seen now.”

“Ma’am, you’ll need to fill out—“

“Ma’am, you need to find someone who doesn’t need help with the word immediately.”  Sharon flashed Andy’s badge that she barely remembered grabbing on the way out the door.  “You don’t want me to have to repeat myself, I can assure you.”

“One moment, please.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought.  Thank you.”

A little while later, it was determined that Andy needed to have his gallbladder taken out.  Sharon kissed his forehead before going to the waiting room.  “I love you.  I’ll be here when you wake up.”  She pointed at the nearest person to her, having no idea whether they were a doctor or nurse or orderly or what.  “He better wake up.”

A few hours later, Andy woke up and couldn’t figure out where he was at first.  He finally realized he was in the hospital, and the memory of having to have surgery came back to him.  He remembered waking up in recovery and struggling to stay awake long enough for them to move him to a regular room so he could see Sharon, but he’d fallen asleep again while they were moving him there.  He felt a soft hand encasing his, and he looked over to see Sharon sleeping in a chair right beside his bed with only the t-shirt he’d been wearing as a pillow.  Damn, she had to be uncomfortable in that thing.  

A few moments later, a pressing need made itself known, and he begrudgingly called for a nurse.  He doubted he could get out of bed by himself, and he’d been in the hospital enough recently to know that the nurses wouldn’t want him out of bed by himself at this point.  

Sharon’s eyes fluttered when she sensed Andy stirring beside her, and she sat up and rubbed the back of her neck.  “Hey, how’re you feeling?” 

“Not so bad…They didn’t give me any…”

“Narcotics?  No.  You still have a local anesthetic, and they’ll give you another one and some milder pain medicine before you leave the hospital.  You okay?”

“Yeah…I just, uh, need to get to the bathroom.  I called for a nurse, but I don’t think I can wait much longer.”

Sharon looked around for the receptacle the nurse had pointed out to her if this problem came up.  “I can help you with this, or I can help you walk to the bathroom.  I guess I’m better than you trying to go by yourself.”

Andy shook his head.  “I’m not using that thing, and you’re not coming to the bathroom with me, either.”

Sharon smoothed her hand over his cheek.  “Well, if you really can’t wait, then I don’t see what other choice you have.  Since when are you so shy about peeing in front of me, anyway?”  That wasn’t anything she’d ever thought about doing in front of him, but he never thought anything about waltzing into the bathroom and taking care of business when she was in there doing something else.

“It’s not, uh, just pee,” Andy mumbled.

Sharon nodded in understanding.  “That’s okay, I really don’t mind.  I’m sure the nurse won’t be long.  I’ll help you get there, and then I’ll come back out here when the nurse gets here.”

“Sure, let’s bring more people into this,” Andy grumbled.  Sharon was right, it was his only option, so he reluctantly let her help him out of bed.  A nurse mercifully arrived as they reached the bathroom, so he took over, and Sharon gratefully retreated back into the room.  

Once Andy was back in bed and had been examined by the nurse, he looked over at Sharon.  “I know my gallbladder had to be removed because of gallstones blocking it or something, but I’m a little fuzzy on the details.  What caused it?”

“They’re not sure,” Sharon answered.  “Any risk factors you would’ve had for it, you took care of years ago.  They’ve run a few tests to rule out some things, but it’s possible that your gallbladder was just inefficient and allowed gallstones to build up.  This just happens sometimes without much of an explanation.”

“Nice…When can I go home?”  

“Probably this evening, but tomorrow at the latest.”  Sharon ran her hand over his forehead.  “Your fever’s about gone, that’s good…I’m sorry about last night.  Or this morning, rather.  I’m not the most pleasant person when I’m afraid for someone I love.  I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Andy nodded.  “Literally.  Speaking of which, we’re going to have to switch sides of the bed more often.”

‘COWBOY TAKE ME AWAY’

I know I was a bit of an ass, and I’m sorry…Jack wrapped Lisa up in his strong arms, resting his chin gently on her head…breathing in her scent, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against his…

She could feel his heart beating, she closed her eyes ~ the sound made her feel safe, relaxed…it was home.

Lisa knew that in some ways Jack had every right to feel a tad synical about her aunt Evelyn’s request for her to come to Istanbul & visit…she hadn’t exactly initially ‘warmed to Lisa’s much older cowboy husband ‘… but they had made it right and Lisa knew that her Aunt could see how much she loved her life with Jack, how settled she had become…how his family were now in fact HER family…

Lisa’s gut told her that there was more to the story than aunt Evelyn was letting on…she just hoped that her ‘gut’ was right.

Her flight was booked, Lisa was leaving tomorrow…a one way ticket until she knew more details and could fully address the issues she felt she would be greeted with upon her arrival.

But right now all Lisa could think about was Jack, his warm embrace and how on earth she would ever mange to leave it again…

As he went to lead her to the large leather lounge in front of the warm fire Lisa stopped Jack in his tracks…a sly smile came across her face, a familiar sparkle in her piercing blue eyes and childlike giggle let Jack know that his ‘strong, independent wife’ had something else in mind for their last night together…

As he padded through the ranch house turning down the lights as he went Jack had a nagging thought that he couldn’t for the life of him push out of his mind.

So many times over the course of their relationship had his age caused Jack much worry and turmoil ; Lisa was 21 years his junior. She was beautiful, she was smart and she attracted many male admirers wherever she went…

It wasn’t that Jack ever doubted her love for him, not for one minute…he only doubted himself and his ability to give her what she deserved.

Even though there had been so many times over the past decade that Lisa had assured him that she chose to be with him because she LOVED him, that she didn’t care about his age, that the cowboy he was and all his stubborn ways were what made him the man that she loved. Deep down he knew that {just as Will had reminded him}…there was just one factor that continued to bother him…

As the last light was dimmed, he rubbed his calloused hands over his unshaven face & grunted to himself as he tried to forget his thoughts ~

The lamp on the big old tall boy made shadows as Jack quietly entered the bedroom…he stopped himself before he spoke, Lisa was standing at the window staring out into the dark star filled Hudson sky.

In the dim light the lamp gave out Jack could see by the expression on her face that Lisa was going to find this trip away as difficult as he was. Her nose was scrunched ( which she did when she was trying to hold it together) and a slight sniffle was attempted to be hidden as she realised Jacks presence in the room.

He had recognised from the first call from Aunt Evelyn that Lisa was torn ( even if she wouldn’t openly admit it) and in his heart Jack knew that although his wife was fiercely independent and incredibly strong willed, she was also equally as loyal and at times quite vulnerable.

Lisa had very little of her own family and her Aunt had always been someone she could turn too for love & support especially in the past when she was going through her difficult divorce from Dan…and given all this, Jack knew that these were the reasons why he had to support Lisa’s trip abroad and keep his own feelings under control.

Jack would openly admit that he would miss Lisa like ‘crazy’ .

He felt somewhat selfish wanting to keep her to himself, having shared her with so many overseas trips in the past there were too many to mention.

He knew the all to familiar ache he would hold in his heart until her return; however what he also knew is that if he let his guard down even slightly it would break Lisa’s {already torn heart} and that was the last thing he wanted to do….

He would just enjoy their last evening before she left and deal with the rest when he had too….

Lisa subtly wiped away a tear as she felt Jacks strong hands rest on her shoulders…

‘It’s okay Lise, I get why you need to go’….

She turned and burrowed her face deep into his soft cotton undershirt trying desperately not to cry…

‘I’ll miss you, but it will be okay. You need to go. I understand that’.

He pulled away slightly so he could look into Lisa’s eyes

‘I’ll be here waiting for you when you get home. Just take care of yourself please Lise…promise me that’….

Jacks voice was soft, but cracked as he spoke.

Lisa new if she looked up at her husband she would probably cry, but he held her face softly in his hands and lifted her chin gently so she could see how much he meant what he said.

‘I mean it Lise, you have my blessing to go. She is your family…and we both know how important family is’…

He continued to look deep into her eyes which had momentarily lost their usual sparkle.

It took Lisa every ounce of whatever if was she needed to not break down in Jacks arms.

She herself had been battling a war of her own over the past 48 hours…

On one hand she very much wanted to help her Aunt whom over the years had given so much valuable support to Lisa through the many ups and downs during her marriage to Dan. She loved her Aunt and she felt that she owed it to her to go…

However deep down as independent as she was and as much as traveling was once such an important part of her life, the thought of leaving Jack now was quite possibly the thing that scared Lisa the most.

They had been through so much over the years and through it all he had been her rock; and it was now more than ever that by his side was the only place she really ever wanted to be.

It was the smallest of things and the tiniest of gestures from Jack that Lisa had now become reliant on. Heartland was her home, overseas trips were almost non existent. Rarely was she away from Jack, the comfort of him by her side at night, the family all around the table for supper, these were what made this trip one that actually frightened her.

‘Thankyou’, was all Lisa could manage to begin with.

She sighed as she contemplated the best way to say how she felt whilst remaining as ‘together’ as possible.

Jack could feel her tense up as he kept his warm embrace firmly around her small frame…

He didn’t speak, he knew Lisa far to well to push. She would talk when she was ready…

They stood together at the window, just taking in each other, enjoying the unusual peace of the Heartland ranch.

It was at least 5 minutes before Lisa released herself from Jacks embrace; she stood back and looked up at his unshaven face, thick salt & pepper hair, that familiar half smile he gave her when he was unsure of what would happen next.

Never letting go of his right hand, Lisa tiptoed up and kissed him softly, his unshaven face once scratched her smooth skin…it no longer bothered her anymore.

she ‘sighed’

‘I’m sorry I have to go Jack’ her head dropped, although only briefly.

‘And I cannot thankyou enough for supporting my decision to go’, she took a small step closer to his body.

‘I’m scared though’ she continued with a nervous giggle.

Jack just listened…he squeezed Lisa’s hand that was in his and bent down to kiss her forehead.

‘I’m scared that if I don’t go and Aunt Evelyn is sick and something happens I’ll never forgive myself’ …. the next sentence was almost a whisper

‘But I’m most scared of not being with you ..and what if’

she couldn’t continue…she dare not say how she felt on the off chance that it confirm what she knew Jack worried about constantly; that she upset him, or worse still, break his heart.

She need not have worried, as her husband could read her like a book…

‘I know why your scared Lise, and I get it, but I want you to just go. Nothing will happen to me while your gone. I promise. I have the girls here to look after me’ and as he chuckled to himself

‘and now Tim here to annoy me’…

They both laughed together as Lisa leant back into his warm, comforting embrace.

‘It’s you who has always told me Lise that I’m still as fit as a man half my age, I can promise you I wont be going anywhere’. Jack tightened his hold on his wife.

‘You just go and deal with whatever it is that’s wrong with Aunt Evelyn, she is family Lise and I’ll be here waiting for you when you get back’ .

Jack could feel Lisa relax in his embrace

‘I don’t want you to worry while your away Lise, really I don’t ‘, he paused then continued in a whisper to her ear

‘I love you Lisa…I don’t know if you’ll ever know just how much’.

Jack’s voice was now becoming raspy with emotion as he had never imagined that what he was going to say would ever be how he would actually feel…

‘I love you Lise, I never thought I would ever love someone again, but watching you with my family…with our family, I only wish I hadn’t have been so pig headed earlier on’.

He went to continue but the words were slow in coming.

Lisa looked up at Jack with that all to familiar sparkle in her eyes and smiled…

‘Maybe if I hadn’t have been so stuck in my ways, such a stubborn old cowboy…perhaps ’ he paused again

‘Perhaps I could have given you the gift that you deserve more than anything else in the world Lise’…..

But before he could go any further Lisa put her index finger over his lips…

‘Shhhh’

Lisa knew what Jack meant, she had gone over in her head so many times about the “what if’s”….like what if they had married earlier?

would he have suffered his heart attack?

Would the family have been more accepting of their marriage if it had happened when he first asked her?

And more often than anything, would she have given Jack more children and indeed become a mother herself?….

As Lisa wrapped her arms tightly around Jacks neck and as she felt his warm breath against her bare skin she wished in that moment that he could take her away…to a secret place that only they knew of.

DID I READ THAT RIGHT?!

OMG TOO MANY FEELS!!

PLEASE. I WANT THESE TWO TOGETHER ON SCREEN AGAIN.

Major Crimes Season 6 Gag Reel

the network had a problem with two people cuddling on sandbags FULLY clothed because they thought it looked  post coital. According to RDM this was one of the notes the network sent to him about the episode. 

I had to ask myself why that’s even a problem to begin with. The only thing I can think of is that…

Laura and Bill are old. 

Eddie and Mary:

Ron Moore is like, “You think THAT’S post coital. TAKE THIS.”

“And THIS.”

“And THIS.”

Oh, this should have been a quickie…(a writing quickie, not a Shandy quickie!) but… it’s me and I have to overthink everything. 

I love this prompt. I love Shandy trying to figure out how to get in the groove. I love @tvfreakd telling me that they absolutely banged after Hostage of Fortune. Mostly, I love Sharon getting laid

The problem with working Major Crimes was that even the days that looked like they were going to end on a high note could suddenly, unexpectedly and heartbreakingly wind up making her wish she’d never agreed to the transfer. Instead of leaving at 5pm after she’d wrapped the case, embarrassed the FBI, and horrified her immediate supervisor with the news that she was in a relationship with Andy Flynn, Sharon was stuck telling a young man that the sister he expected to be reunited with at the PAB was instead wrapped in plastic in the county morgue.

Sharon ushered Gus Wallace out of her office and patted his shoulder, a small, awkward measure of comfort for the boy who had just been given the news that he’d never see his sister again. She promised to meet him at the morgue in the morning for the identification, then gave him a sympathetic smile as he made his way out of the murder room.

She’d thought that finally knowing Alice’s identity would give some sense of closure to the case, but having to tell Gus that his sister was dead – it just opened barely scabbed wounds and left her bleeding all over again at the pain written on his face.

God willing, he’d only have to hear news like this once in his lifetime. Her job was not nearly so kind.

bonus:

Ohhh and I miss the fact that I was waiting the next day from the Masters of Gifs to give us their beautiful work to admire and reblog!!!

It’s when you count up all the things collectively that happened offscreen that I get really angry.

I just read his latest interview and if I hadn’t been infuriated before, I certainly am now. Every time he opens his mouth he just makes things worse. Basically what you get from this interview is that it’s the fans (Mary’s fans) fault for reacting in such a ridiculous and irriational way to a television show.

I find it interesting that while he continues to use Mary as a shield to hide behind and continues to say he killed Sharon off because he couldn’t end the show the way he wanted with her still alive(though why he needed or wanted it to go down that way I still haven’t figured out and he still hasn’t commented) he has yet to offer up any kind of explanation about why he lied to the fans about season 6. Why he offered it up as a gift and said we would be satisfied and gratified. He’s never commented on that, at least as far as anything I’ve seen.

So, here is my take on the article.

Maybe the fact that there is no hope is what has the fans most upset because they weren’t done yet.

GOD, people really don’t get it. We all understood Major Crimes was finished. We aren’t IDIOTS. We had accepted it. Yes, many of us hoped it might get picked up by another network but that inferno of rage did NOT happen because we were upset that there was no hope for MC to get picked up. That INFERNO was created over the senseless killing off of Sharon Raydor. END OF FUCKING STORY.