A/N: This story is based on the promo for episode 5x20 - Shockwave part 1.

Everything was blurry, and that was a sure sign that she had lost her glasses. She tried to reach for them, but all she could feel was the tips of her fingers pressing against the grainy pavement. She tried to focus on what was closest to her. Faces; four of them, hovering above her. She blinked her eyes a few times in an attempt to recognize them. A mop of sandy blond hair – that was Buzz. A dark haired woman. The young detective Sykes. And a bald man – Lieutenant Tao. And the last one, who leaned closest to her – almond shaped brown eyes. It was Julio. The four of them were standing above her. She could see their lips moving, but the only sound she could hear was a whoosh sound going through her ears.

Her fingers dug into the pavement in an attempt to push herself up, but her body refused to cooperate. She could see Lieutenant Tao's lips moving, trying to tell her something, but she couldn't understand what it was.

"I can't hear you," she could feel her vocal chords moving inside her throat, and the words reverberating through her mouth, but she couldn't hear her own words.

"You. Are. Hurt. Don't. Get. Up." Tao said the words slowly, and Sharon was finally able to understand.

"I don't feel anything," her words made a concerned expression spread across Tao's face. Sharon followed him with her eyes. "Shock," Tao responded, and Sharon decided to trust his words. Her eyelids felt heavy, and the sunlight was blinding. She closed her eyes and sank into darkness.

Andy wrapped his arms around Sharon's wet body and lifted her out of the full bathtub, helping her move to the chair that was now permanently placed in their bathroom. He reached for her thick bathrobe and put it around her, helping her move her hands into the sleeves. Then he grabbed a towel and began absorbing the water from her hair. Sharon slowly lifted her arm and tried to curl her fingers around the towel. It was a movement she was learning to perform again, and she was getting better at it, but she still couldn't hold a spoon at dinner. In fact, even opening her mouth wide enough for a spoon was a challenge. Andy usually used a teaspoon to help her eat the gooey mashed food. He was helping her do everything these days.

Brain damage. How absurd. She was a perfectly healthy woman before the incident. A bomb went off; a shockwave pushed her backward. She hit her head on the pavement. The impact left her incapacitated. The sound of the explosion tore her eardrums and left her almost deaf. She could hear now, thanks to hearing aids, and the doctors said that they might be able to restore her hearing with a cochlear implant. She was still considering the surgery. But before that, she still had to undergo three other surgeries that would hopefully help her regain some of her motor functions. Oh, how she would love to be able to feed herself and brush her teeth. She would love to do her makeup and put her glasses on. Ever since her injury, Andy has been her hands and feet; he was even her mouth some days.

"Good job, Sharon!" he said when she managed to get a hold of the towel. He grabbed the hairbrush from the counter and offered it to her. "Now try this," he said, and Sharon lifted her arm and tried to hold the brush. She only managed to curl her fingers loosely around the handle. Andy smiled at her with pride and placed his fingers on hers, gently guiding her hand that was holding the brush towards her hair and helping her untangle it. She knew he was perfectly happy to do anything for her, but he was aware of her need to try doing things herself, and the importance of it to her recovery.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, the words coming out of her mouth slower than she liked them to be.

"Because I love you," was his response.

"We are not married," she stated.

"We will be soon," he replied.

"No," Sharon replied. "We won't."

"Of course we will. We have a wedding date, and we both got an annulment, and we already sent out invitations months ago."

"Andy, I can't marry you," she said. "Not like this. It's unfair."

"I love you, and I will take you for wife no matter what," Andy replied.

"We need to break up," Sharon said. "I can't… I am an invalid, Andy. I can't do anything on my own. I try to touch you, and my hands slap you instead. I try to kiss you, and I start to drool or choke. I want to have sex with you, but I can't move under you, let alone be on top. I am not the wife you imagined, and I will never be because I am no longer me."

"Of course you're you, Sharon. Yes, you're slower, and your body is not cooperating like before, and I know it's most likely a permanent situation," Andy said. "And I don't care. I love you. I love you. I love you." He could see tears streaming down her cheeks. "You need to stop crying, honey. It makes it harder for you to breathe."

"I love you, but I can't live this way," she said and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, all she could see was a blinding light.

"Good, she's awake," someone said. "Sharon, can you hear me?" Her heart beat loudly in her chest as soon as she heard the slightest noise. It was muffled, and the vibration of the sound made her ears burn with pain, but at least she heard something. She hummed slowly. Where was she? Where was Andy? Has he left her?

"Good," the person said. "You're pupils are reacting well." The light went off, and Sharon blinked. "Can you move your fingers of your right hand for me?" Sharon was surprised at the ease at which she tapped on the bed. The person, she assumed it was a doctor, asked her to repeat the action with her left hand and then requested her to lift her arms off the bed. She did that as well. The doctor seemed satisfied. "So, your right foot is twisted, you may have broken it, so I'll send you upstairs for X-rays, and we will perform a CT to make sure the hit to your head didn't cause any damage, but you seem just fine to me. It's just a precaution." Sharon let out a sigh of relief. "I'm an ER doctor, not an ENT, but it appears that the explosion might have damaged your ear drum, and you may experience some hearing problems, but I'll get a professional, and he'll be able to do a more thorough examination."

"Where's Andy?" was the only think Sharon could think of, and she didn't bother filtering her thoughts.

"Who?"

"My fiancé," Sharon explained.

"I'm here, sweetheart," she felt Andy's fingers caressing her cheek. The doctor has moved on to another patient.

"I had the most horrible dream while I was unconscious," she said, a bit hysterically. "I… I almost let you go. I'm so sorry, Andy." Her eyes teared up.

"It was just a dream, and I'm here. I'm not going away, and I'm not giving you up no matter what. Do you hear me, Sharon?" Even though her ears were aching, she heard him loud and clear.

"Do you know how much I love you?" she asked, and he captured her lips in a kiss. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she saw the man she loved, the man who would always be by her side, the man who will forever have her heart, in sickness and in health, until death do them part.

THE END

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