Wow this was emotional and incredible. Love the stories that focus on Sharon and Jack. Their relationship is so indicative of her way of acting even with Andy in the Loving and adult relationship she has w him. Great work!

love love love

dude. . . this was amazing. . . all the feels were perfect

I love it! Hurt and comfort is my jam

Holy crap! This was amazing! I loved it. Would love to read more

What a wonderful piece of writing. I love stories that acknowledge the good times Sharon and Jack must have had before their marriage fell apart. Andy's line "Because he wasn't a horrible person his whole life" perfectly sums up my own thoughts on how their marriage even came to be.
Sharon being angry at herself for all the things she was feeling, and that little bit of clutching her kids' hands, thinking how Jack hadn't left her with nothing after all was tear inducing and so very believable. I could go on and on with a list of things I loved about this, but I'll just say that writing grief can be very challenging, but you've done a marvelous job of it. Looking forward to whatever topic you choose to tackle next.

Very nicely done. Any chance for a second chapter.

Fantastic story. I love how you moved on past retirement (ignoring that god awful season 6) and right into the middle of the story. I appreciate the complexity of emotions you’ve described that someone can have have for an ex. One of the best ff’s I’ve read in MC.

This was incredible. “No, she mourned him now, all of him, the golden boy she married and the clay-footed husband she left behind, as he lay in front of her, practically in pieces” is an amazing piece of writing, but the whole thing is terrific.

Sharon’s feelings towards Jack – the many and wildly varying ones she’s felt and continues to feel over all the years – are perfectly presented. All the different emotions, and her anger at feeling all of them at once, plus her anger and guilt at feeling some of them at all, are completely in character and also written so evocatively. Andy comforting her but giving her space when she needs it is also pitch perfect, and I especially love him guiding Emily into the bedroom and taking himself to the guest room to give mother and daughter time alone, and him not being able to have sex with her an hour after burying her ex-husband.

Sharon remembering young husband Jack saying he couldn’t leave her with nothing and squeezing her adult children’s hands, thinking, “in the end, he didn’t,” – gods, there is an unending list of things I want to single out for praise. This story was truly powerful, and such an honest look at who Jack was as a person, and who he was to Sharon. And it’s not wrapped up in the end; grief is something Sharon will continue to grapple with.

Wonderful story; thank you for posting it.

This was amazing. Loved it. Hope you write more stories

I love when the complexities of Sharon emotions are explored in fic and this was a great example of that. I wish we got to see more of this in the show (probably why I love these fics so much. We were deprived!) You have a nice balance of showing Jack’s charming side and the side we know all too well. I like it when a story depicts some of his good qualities because it’s a reminder of why Sharon fell in love with him in the first place, and that she was naive, not stupid. I sometimes worry about what ppl think of Sharon by the way Jack is represented in stories, if you know what I mean. His many mistakes definitely overshadowed his good qualities, but they were still there. I love the snippets of Shandy in this because it’s great insight into just how well Andy knows Sharon and that he is one of the very few that gets to see all of her. This was beautiful.

What a touching and realistic story. Everyone who's gone through the stages of grief knows that the emotions are more often than not non-linear, and tend to come flooding you all at once. You captured the idea of grief in such a powerful way. It makes so much sense for Sharon to grieve for Jack, even if she doesn't think she has the right to do so. She has been married to him for so many years, has put up with his addiction and manipulation and to realize that she still has so many feelings for him, even if she moved on from him, is devastating in itself. I am glad Andy was there for her and was understanding towards her grief, and that she could break down in front of him. It's not something she could do with anyone else, because she tried to be strong for Ricky and Emily, and it was great to have Andy there being strong for her. Also loved the idea of Jack's tattoo of Ricky and Emily's initials. I think it adds volume to his character and complexity to his relationship with his children. Thanks for this wonderful piece. I'm already waiting for your next one.

This was a great fic, I love how you captured the emotion and everything. So good! You go!

This is beautiful. Grief is not often written well, this is. Thank you

Awesome story