Cassidy Sharp

**Cassidy Sharp** is a former soldier who meets Kevin and Nicky and eventually befriends them.

## History

Cassidy's father was in the 101st Airborne Division in the army and flew a Cessna 150 that he called the Screaming Eagle. Cassidy met Ryan when she was fifteen after bumping into her in the hallway, with Ryan immediately deciding she was his favorite person.

Cassidy joined the marines to try and find what her father found in the military. After her first tour fixing helicopters, Ryan flew out to Roda, Spain to meet her. Cassidy saw a text on Ryan's phone from a friend asking if he'd proposed yet; both pretended they hadn't seen it, but Cassidy got a manicure, and Ryan spent four days teasing her before finally proposing on the same bridge where his grandparents met.

Cassidy continued to enlist, searching for what her father found, but continued to be unable to do so, which put a strain on her marriage. At some point, she had a son, Matty. Cassidy is first seen talking to her husband Ryan, telling him she got the Lightning McQueen toy that had been sent by her son, Matty.

She is disappointed she's unable to talk to Matty, who couldn't stay up due to the late hour and time difference. The conversation is cut short as Cassidy is called away, going with her unit to visit a woman in a village to gain a photograph of a bomb maker, in exchange for a Visa for the woman and her child. After agreeing to provide the village with water, Cassidy is given the photograph of the bomb maker. Despite the plan to bring the bomb maker in, he is killed alongside members of the village, which is practically destroyed.

The unit then returns to the village to give grievance money and the Visa for the informant and her child. Cassidy finishes her tour and returns to her home in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, where she is reunited with her husband and son. Cassidy begins drinking after her return, even driving home after drinking, leading to a confrontation with her husband.

After getting a water bill that adds to the same amount as the grievance money paid for casualties at the village, Cassidy has a flashback that leads to her accidentally hitting her son when he grabs her arm. Her husband then tells her to leave, and Cassidy goes to the VA to sign up for therapy sessions and joins AA. During an AA meeting, Cassidy is telling the group about the water bill when Nicky Pearson throws a chair through the window.

After Nicky is arrested and bailed out of jail, he eventually returns to the VA center for treatment, where Kevin waits for him. Cassidy finds Kevin as he sits with Matty in the waiting room and plays games with him. She expresses concern over an unknown adult man being near her son, and Kevin insists everything is fine. She spots Nicky as he leaves a therapist's office, where she acknowledges him being the same person who threw the chair during her meeting. Nicky is unaffected, and insists he wasn't aiming for her, telling her not to flatter herself.

Matty asks if they can hang out with the two men, but Cassidy objects to this.

## Relationships

### Romantic

#### Ryan Sharp

She was married to Ryan Sharp, with whom she has a son. Cassidy started drinking after returning home. Later, after her PTSD grew worse, she and Ryan got divorced.

#### Kevin Pearson

Cassidy met Kevin in rehab. She and Kevin end up having romantic relations, but remain friends and nothing more in the future.

### Matty Sharp

Matty is the son of Cassidy. He is nine years old when first introduced, and twelve when the series ends. Despite Cassidy having a flashback and accidentally hitting him at one point, they have a good relationship.

### Friendships

#### Nicky Pearson

Cassidy and Nicky met after he threw a chair through the window during an AA meeting she was attending. She is wary of him at first, but eventually warms up. Nicky comforts her in several instances, and also seems protective of her. He also has no problem telling her that she and Kevin are morons for sleeping together. In The Guitar Man, he snaps at Kevin for being egocentric and clueless after she is hospitalized for a suicide attempt.

Cassidy also helps Nicky, usually by giving him advice and helping him navigate the modern world.

They share traits of military experience, alcoholism, and PTSD. They also seem to enjoy joking about Kevin together, as seen in Unhinged and The Guitar Man, and regularly attend AA meetings to get better.