Sharon knew that she was going to be missed by people pretty quickly, but she didn't want them to see her in her current state. The church had a lovely retiring room attached to the bathroom, and she had disappeared there as the first wave of unnecessary sorrow had swept over her. And here she was, ten minutes later, still in tears as she contemplated the future that stood in front of her.

Slowly, the door swung open, and she swiped at her eyes before looking towards it, wondering if Andy had finally gotten around to looking for her. She loved her husband, with all her heart, but she still knew that when he and Louie got to talking, the rest of the world could fade away. It was one of his many endearing qualities, honestly. To her surprise, though, her eyes caught sight of the dark purple dress that her bridesmaids had worn, and she blinked hard to try and stem the flow of her tears.

"Hey, I was wondering where you had disappeared to," Andrea said as she glided over to the low chaise and took a seat next to Sharon, reaching out to rest her hand on her knee. The warmth of her skin bled through the material of Sharon's dress, and that seemed to settle her heart a little. "Is everything all right?"

She shrugged a little as she fished around in the pocket of her dress for the silk handkerchief that had been her great grandmother's. Sharon lifted it to her face, only to hesitate at wiping away her tears, since she didn't want to stain the delicate fabric. Andrea noticed immediately, and she grabbed out her own handkerchief, reaching out and delicately brushing away the tears. "You don't have to take care of me."

"I kind of do, Sharon. After all, isn't that what a best friend does?"

Sharon nodded as she reached her hand out and touched Andrea's arm gently. "I know that I'm being ridiculous here, Andrea, but I just can't help but feel my life hanging on the brink of a precipice that I might not be able to come back from. You know that I'm having…issues…with my heart."

"Are these issues more serious than you've led me to believe?" she asked, concern tinging her words as she used her other hand to cover Sharon's, holding it close against the cool skin of her upper arm. She didn't know how to answer that question without having Andrea ask a million follow up questions, and the longer the silence stretched out between them, the more piercing it seemed Andrea's gaze became. "Sharon?"

"I need a transplant," she whispered, hating that she wasn't brave enough to speak louder.

The hand over hers pressed down all the harder, and Sharon looked away from Andrea, but not before she saw the woman's large eyes fill with tears of her own. "Sharon, that is extremely serious! I take it that only Andy knows about this?" She nodded. "May I be selfish?"

"You are anything but selfish, honey," she murmured, the endearment easily slipping from her lips. "If anything, I suppose that I would be the selfish one. After all, I've been keeping you out of this particular loop for quite some time. I just, I didn't want anyone to regard me as weak."

"You could never be seen as weak." Andrea moved her hand cup her shoulder, squeezing tenderly as she swallowed. "I just wish that there was a way I could give you my heart."

"But then I wouldn't have you in my life any longer! That would be hell for me."

"Oh."

Sharon turned her head so that she was looking at Andrea once more, seeing that she was still close to crying. "And it doesn't help my heart any to know that Stroh is in the background of our lives once again. I worry that if I were to die before I get a transplant, then everything would go off the rails, and Rusty or Andy might take justice into their own hands and do something stupid. Without me around to tell them no, who knows what might happen?"

"I'm certain that they wouldn't run off half-cocked and take him down in cold blood," she replied, letting her hand run down Sharon's arm until she was clasping her hand. "I mean, they have more sense than that!"

"Sometimes I wonder," Sharon murmured as she scooted closer to Andrea's side, letting her head come to rest on her shoulder. "I've only been able to mold Rusty for a few years, after all. The formative years that he spent under Sharon Beck's dubious parentage are still a large part of him, and I worry that without me here to guide him any longer, those base instincts will take over. Will my motherly influence be enough to hold him in check? Or will he become that scared, feral, child again, looking to protect himself in the only way he knows how?"

"I don't know. I wish I had answers for you, to take away those fears, but I don't. All I can do is be there for you, and tell you that even though you're worried, you have Andy and me. We will never turn our backs on you. Okay?"

Oddly enough, the tender words did make her feel much better, and she nodded a little before taking a deep breath and standing. Heading over to the mirror in the wall, she shook her head at the damage her tears had done to the makeup Emily had so carefully applied to her face. "It is totally obvious that I've been crying, Andrea. Everyone will know that there's something bothering me."

"Here, I'll fix it as best I can. Do you still have your lipstick in your pocket?"

Sharon nodded as she fumbled around once more, fishing the tube of lipstick out and handing it over to Andrea. "I also put the mascara in my pocket, too."

"Perfect."

Andrea gave her a soft smile, and Sharon smiled in return, allowing the younger woman to guide her over to chaise once more. As she sat, Andrea knelt in front of her, taking hold of her handkerchief and gently dabbing at her cheeks. It was adorable, really, watching the tip of Andrea's tongue peep out of her mouth as she worked, and Sharon found herself relaxing a little as the other woman began to hum under her breath.

"It is infinitely harder to apply mascara to another person. How have I never realized this?" Andrea murmured as she dragged the wand up Sharon's lashes.

"Isn't it?" she finally said when Andrea had finished with one eye, not wanting to jostle the wand and get black marks all over her skin. "You're doing a fine job, though."

"Thanks." They shared another soft smile before Andrea started on the next eye. "And now for your lips."

Sharon licked them as she watched Andrea's eyes focus in on them, the movement totally unconscious as she anticipated feeling the creamy lipstick press against her skin. It seemed that she was drawn to Andrea, leaning in as she started to color her lips once more. "Thank you, Andrea," she said, her voice huskier than normal. The other woman didn't seem to notice the tone as she continued to steadily smile at Sharon, offering her support.

"You are most welcome, Sharon," she replied before leaning in and pressing her lips against her cheek in tender comfort. "Now, let's get you back to your guests. The beautiful bride should be adored by all who came to celebrate with her." Sharon nodded and held her hands out to Andrea as together they stood and then she pulled her friend into a tight hug, grateful that she had someone like Andrea in her life as she moved into the uncharted waters of a new marriage.