An Internal Affair

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“Need anything from the first floor while I’m down there?” Andrea asked, rummaging through her bag in the search for her wallet.

Chad looked over at her hopefully. “A wheelchair?”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Nice try.”

“Damn it!”

Andrea laughed as she patted the top of his head in a patronizing manner. “You’ll have to wait until the doctor clears you for one, my dear.”

“But-”

“No ‘buts’, you’re going to wait,” she said with a scowl. “Did you see me trying to walk before the nurses told me it was okay to use crutches?”

Chad narrowed his eyes at her. “Of course I did - you were hopping all over the damn place!” Looking over at Lipson for help and finding none, he sighed. “Fine, I’ll wait.” He folded his arms and glared while Andrea simply smiled as she left to get coffee. “You could’ve stood up for me, you know,” he commented sourly, eyeing his climbing partner.

“I know,” Faith grinned. “But a little bird told me you’d be discharged today anyway.”

He perked up immediately. “Yeah?” She nodded in confirmation and he glanced toward the clock – it’d only be a few minutes until the nurse came to check on him again so he could ask about finally getting the hell out of here.

Andrea came back as Lipson was leaving, and perched on the edge of his bed. “Want some? I didn’t put as much sugar in it as usual.”

Chad looked over at her. “No, I think I’ll have some later.” He waited for a response, then tried again. “At home, you know.” Still nothing. “When I get released.” She finally grinned at him. “How long did you know? You should have told me,” he chastised.

“I know, sweetie. I just wanted it to be a surprise.” She stroked his hair and gave him a kiss.
“Did you figure it out, or strong-arm Faith into telling you?”

“I have my sources,” he said mysteriously. “Steve said that I can come back to work as soon as I finish training to set up audio and video, did he tell you? Of course I could only work on sting operations until I’m strong enough to return to what I’ve been doing.”

She smiled. “Is that what Anderson was doing in here with his computer the last few times I’ve come to see you?”

“Yeah, you don’t need to be able to walk to set up A/V stuff…” They talked about their various work assignments until one of his doctors appeared in the doorway, clipboard in hand. “I want out of here,” Chad said bluntly.

“Well, we’ll see about that.” She checked the paperwork and asked him the same questions that he’d been asked about a million times every day now, then closed the folder with an amused look on her face. “Well, despite your threat to shank one of the nurses if he didn’t get you a wheelchair so you could make your great escape… it seems that you’re well enough to go home.” After giving Andrea a long list of medications he needed to take and precautions she needed to take against Chad ‘running before he could walk’ – the doctor seemed to find this expression particularly hilarious – he was finally discharged and given a wheelchair.

“I wonder if Andrew’s anywhere around… I’d love to run him over in this thing,” Chad sighed wistfully.

Andrea laughed. “He was only doing what you’d asked him to.”

“No, he wasn’t! That was willful and premeditated,” he scowled, flexing the muscles of his right arm – surely he was strong enough by now to knock his cousin into the next week. He was grateful that Andrea hadn’t asked any of Second Team to help her get him to his place; he hadn’t minded that much that they’d seen him in the hospital, but out here was a different story. Andrea was the only one he really trusted not to laugh at his not being able to do most of the things he’d taken for granted before. “This isn’t my car,” he said when she pulled up a new Yukon outside the entrance and opened the passenger-side door.

She tilted her head at him. “Yes, it is. You landed on top of your old one, and I fixed up the paperwork for this new car with Haight’s help.” Andrea held the wheelchair in place as he lifted himself inside, knowing better than to call for help. Regardless of the upper body strength he’d regained, he was still tired when he finally pulled himself up and into the seat. “Let me just get the rest of your paperwork, and put this in the back,” she commented.

He felt better with every mile they put between them and the hospital. “I hate hospitals.”

“Don’t really blame you, Sarge. How long ago did you take your pain meds?”

Chad sighed. “An hour, I think... I don’t want to take those too often.”

“But they help with the pain, sweetheart.”

“I know, but it’s just…ever since I was in IA, I’ve known too many cops in situations like mine who’ve gotten hooked on their medication after an injury.”

Andrea glanced over at him sympathetically. “That’s a whole lotta injury, Sarge, but I guess I can’t really blame you for that either.” She made the turn off onto the street where he lived, and smiled. “Mrs. Marino’s been asking about you lately… I think she just wants to know if you’ll leave your shades open a little more now than you used to,” she teased. She unobtrusively helped him from the car, and he was too tired to even argue when she pushed the wheelchair through the doorway of the house and into the bedroom. “I’ve been after the doctors to release you for weeks now – I know how much you hated being there,” Andrea said softly, stroking his hair after he’d gotten himself into his own bed.

“I’m sick of lying down,” he murmured sleepily. “Wanna walk.”

The cool press of Andrea’s lips against his forehead was the last thing he felt before he fell asleep.

_ _ _ _ _ _


Andrea waited until Chad had fallen asleep before draping a blanket over him and going to retrieve the things Rita had made sure she’d taken with her when they’d left the hospital. She arranged the pill bottles on the sink of the bathroom and propped the braces up against one corner of the living room – with any luck, he’d be able to use them within the next month. Chad still had a long way to go before he was 100% again, but the doctors expected him to make a full recovery. Most of the bones that had been broken as a result of the fall had healed, but the main worry was his spine – with that and the internal injuries that were still slowly healing, she had to watch him like a hawk to make sure he stayed safe and didn’t try anything stupid.

She’d already extracted a promise from him not to try to walk unless she was there to help, and she thanked God that Chad was a man of his word and wouldn’t go against her wishes. Once Ramiro had been sufficiently reassured that he would get his sergeant back on the team, he’d made sure that the force paid for a physical therapist who would hopefully shorten Chad’s down time by actually coming to the house several times a week. Chad had grumbled something fierce about being harassed in his own home, something only a good deal of loving kisses had put an end to.

At least he would walk again – not like she’d love him any less if he never could but Andrea had known how afraid he’d been of being paralyzed and, in his mind, useless. She grinned at the memory of what had happened the day Andrew had been to visit him: his cousin had asked Chad if he felt anything in his legs, since if he didn’t that meant that he wouldn’t be able to walk ever again. Chad had sarcastically suggested that since no one had stabbed him in the leg, he wouldn’t know. Before Andrea could stop him, Andrew had snatched up a fork and sunk the tines into Chad’s left thigh – and the almighty bellow the big man had let out had nearly scared her half to death. “You stabbed me with a fork! Who does something like that? Jesus!” Chad had yelled. Andrew had calmly announced that it seemed as if Chad would walk again, and he would send the bill in the mail.

She made a mental note to warn Andrew that his cousin was out for revenge in his new wheelchair and walked an anxious Meredith, who started whining as soon as he smelled Chad on her clothing. He slipped from her restraining hands when she opened the door, barreling into the bedroom as he howled loud enough to wake the dead. “Merry, no! ”

The happy pit bull leaped onto the bed and snuggled enthusiastically against Chad, drooling all over his owner and barking incessantly until Chad reached out a hand to pet him. “Your breath is as bad as ever - I definitely didn’t miss smelling it,” he informed the dog, who was panting in his face. “Did Andy take good care of you while I was gone?” Meredith growled at Andrea when she made to pull him off the bed, unwilling to leave his human just yet. “Hey! Be nice,” Chad warned. Meredith’s ears drooped pathetically and he skulked out of the room with a reproachful look over his shoulder. “And to think, you called me a Drama King.”

“Sorry about that,” she apologized. “I didn’t think he’d make so much noise.”

Chad stifled a yawn. “That’s okay, I was out for an hour anyway…” He reached for her suddenly. “You know, this is the first time we’ve been truly alone in months.”

Andrea kicked off her flip-flops and crawled into his arms. “We need to be careful,” she admonished.

“Hold me gently,” he cried theatrically, making her giggle. In due course, they had arranged themselves on the bed so that they were pressed together and taking advantage of their newfound privacy. Andrea sighed against his lips and snuggled closer still, flicking her tongue at the corners of his mouth sensually as his hands slid over her body slowly. “Andy,” he panted. “Can we…?”

“Do you think you can?” her eyes widened and she flapped her hands in distress. “Oh, I didn’t mean…! I’m sorry, Sarge.”

Luckily, he thought it was funny and didn’t take offense. “You tell me,” he said with a wink as he caught one of her flailing hands and guided it between his legs.

Her eyes widened again. “Oh, you certainly can.”

“And if I’m not mistaken, I was told that I’d have to return a certain favor…I know it’s a little late, but I don’t forget my promises.” Chad’s fingers walked up her leg and she shivered, trying to move as close as she could without hurting him – his sides were still tender. Minutes later, she’d forgotten her concern as well as her own middle name… he was as good with his hands as he’d ever been. Andrea screamed aloud as she came, writhing against him and blinking back tears that she quickly concealed by pressing her face into the curve of his neck. “I love you,” he murmured, stroking her back.

She regained enough control to lift her head and kiss him again. “I love you too, Sarge.”

His fingers resumed stroking up and down her spine. “I’ve been thinking – that’s about all I can do these days – but… remember when we had that fight about those pictures?”

“Yeah,” she sighed as she settled her head beneath his chin, content to let him touch her. It had been so long since they’d even shared the same bed…

“Do you still want to?”

Andrea started, unable to believe that she’d just let him get her off without worrying about his needs. “Do you still have the condoms here? I kind of let my birth control lapse,” she said shamefacedly, reaching across him to the night table.

He grabbed her arm. “What are you doing?”

She frowned. “You still need to,” and she gestured at his lower body.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Chad laughed. “I was asking if you still wanted to live with me.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Huh?”

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine – God knows I haven’t been the ideal partner lately.” Chad fixed her with a meaningful look. “This is when you say that I’m always the ideal partner,” he prompted.

She laughed despite herself. “Well, you just said it for me… but, really? You want us to move in together?” Andrea held her breath for him to say that no, it had just been a whim that had made him ask.

“That’s what I just said,” Chad said patiently. “So, yes? No? Maybe? Ooof! Hey, I said to hold me gently…!”

tbc…
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