Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“This is Jo,” Jo Martinez answered her cell phone as she continued filling out the report on her computer.


“Hey Jo, it's Abe. Have you seen Henry today?”


Jo frowned as she hit save on her computer and focused on the phone call. “No, I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon when he delivered the final autopsy results for the latest case. Why, is something wrong?”


“Henry didn't come home last night and Lucas said he didn't show up for work this morning.”


“And he didn't mention anything about going out after work?”


“You know Henry, he rarely goes out and gets less action than a monk.”


“Abe!” She tried not to blush as she glanced around the precinct.


“Sorry. Even if he did go out, he would have called me, or at least shown up to work today.”


Jo sighed, “You're right, and Henry usually doesn't play hooky. You know I can't fill out a missing person’s report until he's been missing for 48 hours, unless there's evidence of foul play?”


“No, no threats or ransom that I'm aware of. Can you unofficially look around the station? Check the security cameras like last time?”


“Sure, it's a slow week so I’ll see what I can turn up.”


“Thanks, Jo. Please call me if you find anything.”


“Of course. Bye Abe.”


“Bye.”


Jo bit her lip as she tapped her cell phone.


“Alright, what's wrong?” Mike asked from his desk.


Jo frowned as she turned towards him. “Henry didn't come home last night and didn't show up for work today.”


“Maybe he got himself a hot date last night and overslept this morning. You can try calling Miss Payne.”


“Molly and Henry went out once like six months ago. Besides, this is Henry. He's not in the habit of skipping work, well at least not a whole day and not without telling someone. I told Abe I would unofficially poke around the station.”


“Let me know if you need any help. He might be a royal pain in the butt sometimes, but I wouldn't want anything to happen to him.”


Jo laughed, “Thanks, Mike. I won't tell Henry that you care.”

*A week later*

Jo sighed as she talked into her phone. “Look, Abe. I get that you're worried, I am too, but the NYPD doesn't have the resources to check every security camera in the city for one person, especially when we can't rule out that he just left by his own freewill.” Jo ran a hand through her hair.


“Henry wouldn't leave without telling me!”


“I know, Abe.”


“Can you at least increase the number of patrols at the East River?”


“I don't know what good that would do, but I have told the Unis to keep an eye on the riverfront for someone matching Henry's description.”


“Thanks.”


She sighed as she checked the time. “Have you eaten yet? Would you like to have dinner with me? I can pick something up.”


“Sure, Jo. Although let me cook, it gives me something to do besides worrying.”


“Alright, but I will wash the dishes afterwards, no argument!”


“Be careful what you wish for.”


She laughed. “I should be there in an hour.”

*A Month Later*

Jo frowned as she looked around the fire-damaged building.


“Are you sure it's safe to be in here?”


Mike grunted as he secured his mask. “The fire chief says that structurally it's sound, benefits of an old brick building, but to keep your mask on because of all the chemicals they detected, especially near the body. They tried to air it out as much as possible before letting us in, but it could still be dangerous.”


“Got it.” Jo kept a hand on her mask as she followed Mike into what, she assumed, used to be an office. “Any hints on who our vic is?”


“No clue. Fingerprints and hair are burned off and it looks like our vic got their teeth knocked out, all of them, so no dental records either. Our only hope is if their DNA is on file so we can match it to marrow, or something like that. At least that's what Lucas said.”


“Is Lucas coming? I haven't seen him in a while.”


“No, Doctor Washington won't let him come to crime scenes. I called him while I was waiting for you; I figured he could use a good mystery right about now.”


“Yeah, Washington has Lucas on a short leash and Lucas has complained about being bored.” Jo took a look around the room. “If everything is burnt and we can't ID the vic right now, why were we even called out here?”


“Formality? Fire department needs homicide to view the crime scene whenever they find a body.”


“And we have. So can we go now? I’d rather not risk any more lung damage than I already get from living in the city.”


“You go on ahead Jo, I’ll wait for forensics.”


“Don't endanger yourself.”


“Karen would kill me if I got sick or killed from this.” He laughed.


“Not funny, Mike.”

*A few days later*

“Have you heard anything from the lab about a possible DNA match?” Mike asked Jo as they both got up to refill their coffee mugs.


“No, nothing.”


“Me neither. Usually they get back to us within 48 hours even if they get nothing, unless there's a backlog of cases, but it's been a pretty slow month.”


Jo sighed. “Maybe I'll give them a call.”


“You might not have to.” Mike pointed towards one of the lab techs as they nervously made their way to the lieutenant’s office. “That can't be good.”


“It could be about a different case.”


“Maybe. But if it's bad enough for them to go straight to Lieu, then the feds might get involved.”


Jo shook her head as they headed back to their desks. “Stop being such a worrier, Mike.”


“One of us needs to keep their eyes wide open so we don't miss anything.”


“And one of us needs to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground.” She put her mug down as she heard her name.


“Martinez! Hanson!” Reece called from her doorway. “My office, now.”


Jo and Mike shared a look as they complied. “What's up, Lieu?” Mike asked as they entered the office.


“Close the door and take a seat.” Reece said as she leaned against her desk, the lab tech standing nervously off to the side.


“Is something wrong?” Jo asked as she stood behind the chairs.


“Jo, please sit.” Reece said gently. “I will be transferring the fire victim case to another precinct.”


“Why?” Mike asked as Jo continued to stand


“Because of who the DNA matched to.” Reece looked at Jo and her expression softened. “Henry Morgan.”


“What?!” Mike exclaimed as the blood drained from Jo's face. “There must be some mistake!”


The lab tech cleared their throat before saying, “The M.E.’s office took DNA from two separate locations on the body, and they both matched what we have on file for him.”


“No.” Jo whispered as she held onto the chair in front of her.


Reece came over and placed a hand on Jo's shoulder. “I'm sorry. I know Henry has been missing for over a month and this is not how we wanted to find him. You can both take as much time off as you need and give your active cases to Detective Smith.”


“What about his roommate, Abe? Are you going to call him?” Mike asked.


“I was going to ask if either of you….”


“I'll do it.” Jo whispered. “I’ll go to his place now.”


“And I’ll come with you.” Mike added 


“Mike….”


“Jo! You're in no position to drive right now. It'll be safer for everyone if I take you. I can wait for you outside if you prefer.”


Jo nodded. “Thanks Mike.”

When Jo entered the antiques shop a half hour later, Abe was talking with a customer. “Hey, Jo! What are you doing here in the middle of the day?”


“Hi Abe. Something came up and I need to talk to you.” She nervously wrung her hands.


Abe stared at her for a few seconds before nodding. “Yeah, okay. Um, why don't you head upstairs and I'll join you in a couple of minutes?”


“Okay.”


“And help yourself to anything in the kitchen. Mi casa es tu casa, and all that jazz.”


“Thanks.” Jo nodded as she headed up the stairs. 


The place was immaculate, as if Abe spent half his free time venting his worry and frustration out on the dust. The only clutter was the corkboard by the dining room table. Abe was trying to make connections that the police hadn't thought of yet and was personally getting surveillance video from various shops. In the middle of the board was a picture of Henry, taken during one of their dinners. Jo couldn't remember what the topic was, but Henry was so passionate about it that she took a photo of him before Henry even noticed. 


Pulling the photo off the board, Jo traced Henry's features, lingering on his smile. “I'm sorry, Henry,” she whispered.


Footsteps announced Abe's arrival and Jo quickly brushed away the few tears that had escaped.


“Sorry about the wait, that was one tough customer.” He frowned as he joined her. “What's wrong?”


Jo looked at Abe. “We might have found Henry.”


“That's good news, right?”


“No, Abe.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Henry's dead. We were too late.”


“What are you talking about? Henry can't be dead.”


“We found a badly burned body in a warehouse fire and forensics matched the DNA to Henry's.” She looked down at the photo in her hands.


“Is that the only proof? Because then they're wrong.”


“They double checked. Every city worker in the police department and in the OCME has to have their DNA on file as part of their background check.”


“And Henry doesn't, at least not his real DNA.” Abe laid a hand on Jo's shoulder. “Henry can't have his DNA on file, it would raise too many questions, so he used mine.”


“Wait,” Jo shook her head and finally looked at Abe. “Are you saying you helped Henry commit a criminal offense?!”


“We'll come back to that later. The point is, they don't have Henry's actual DNA in the system to match it to. So someone tampered with Henry's file to make it look like he's dead since I’m obviously not dead either.”


“Why wouldn't Henry want his DNA on file? He's a medical examiner, he's seen how many John Does go unclaimed each year.”


“It's not so much that Henry wouldn't want to be identified by his DNA, it's that he doesn't want anyone examining his DNA. Let's just say that he has very unique blood that could draw attention from the wrong people, possibly including the people who kidnapped him in the first place!”


“Why would Henry’s DNA draw anyone's attention.”


“Because he has antibodies that no living person should have, at least not someone of his supposed age. And he doesn't know when or even if those records are destroyed after someone terminates employment.”


“Abe, you're not making any sense.” She shook her head 


He took a deep breath. “Jo, Henry can't die!”


“What? Everybody dies.”


“I mean, yes he can die, a lot more often than he should, but he doesn't stay dead. He's immortal.”


“Abe,” Jo sighed.


“I'm not crazy or lying.” Abe took out his keys as he headed over to the locked file cabinet. “I’ve been trying to get Henry to tell you for over a year now, but he was too scared. He hasn't had the best luck when telling people his secret, besides my mom and I.” He unlocked the top drawer and pulled out a thick folder. “But part of him does want to tell you, he just hasn't worked up the nerve yet. So I collected a file in case I ever had to explain it to you myself. It took me a while to figure out the new scanner-printer we got, I had to ask Lucas to come over, but this is almost everything I have on Henry: Photos. News articles. Birth certificates.”


“Birth certificates?”


“His and mine.” Abe took a deep breath as he handed over the file. “Henry is my father. Adopted father.”


“What?!”


“Henry and Abigail found me at a concentration camp and adopted me after the war.” 


“Abe.” Jo sighed. “This doesn't make any sense. You're twice his age.”


“Appearances can be deceiving. Just, look through the whole file before you try to have me committed.” He joked.


She shook her head. “Abe, this is too much. I can't deal with this on top of finding out that Henry's dead.”


“But Henry isn't dead. This proves it!”


“No one is going to believe you.”


“I only need you to believe me. And I need you to not give up the search for Henry. If someone is going through all this trouble to fake his death, he must be in grave danger; no pun intended.”


Jo handed the file back. “Look, Mike is waiting for me outside. I should go."


“Why don't you stay? I can make us lunch, put something in the oven for dinner, and we can go through this file together.”


“I can't, I'm sorry.”


“Tomorrow?”


Jo sighed, “Maybe.”


“Come over anytime tomorrow, I’ll be here all day.” He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I promise you, Henry is not dead. We will find him, alive.”


“I hope you're right.” Jo whispered.

Chapter Text

*One Year later*

As two police officers patrolled along the river, one of them saw a figure sitting near the shore. 


“Hey Allen, is that person naked?” She grimaced.


“Yep.” The older officer sighed. “Why don't you call it in while I talk to him?”


“Sure,” the rookie replied as she grabbed her radio. “Better you than me.”


Allen rolled his eyes as he walked over. “Excuse me, sir? Are you alright?” As he got closer, Allen noticed that the person was shivering and hunched over, trying to preserve as much body heat as possible. “I'm Officer Joe Allen with the NYPD. Can you tell me your name?” He got no response. 


“Dispatch would like to know if we need any assistance?” The rookie asked as she kept a few meters behind her partner.


“An ambulance would be helpful, Barry, this guy might be hypothermic. Sir? I'm going to place my jacket around your shoulders. Is that alright?”


The person still made no indication that they noticed someone talking to them. 


After making sure that the jacket pockets were empty, Allen slowly approached the naked person from the side and carefully placed the jacket on their shoulders. When the person still did not move, Allen buttoned the collar of the jacket so it would stay on. 


“EMTs should be here in a few minutes.”


Allen nodded, “Why don't you go flag them down? I’ll stay here with our new friend.”


“Yes, sir.” Barry nodded as she left.


Allen knelt down to get a better look at the person's face. “You picked the wrong time of year to go for a swim, although by the look of you, you probably didn't choose to.” Allen frowned. “Do I know you? You look vaguely familiar, even while looking like a drowned rat.”


Allen's radio sprang to life and the other person didn't react. “Hey Allen, the EMTs are here and heading your way.”


“Thanks, Barry. Hey, can you head back to the patrol car and pull up the missing persons reports. I swear I’ve seen this guy before.”


“Maybe he's a nudist.”


“Maybe. Or a skinny dipper.” Allen frowned as he remembered something. “A repeat skinny dipper, although I haven't seen him in over a year.”


“A repeat skinny dipper? Wow, why am I not surprised?”


“We have a couple of them.” Allen shook his head as he stood up. “EMTs are here and I need to talk to dispatch.”


“Roger that.”

Reece was about to leave her office after a late meeting when her desk phone rang. With a sigh, she answered, “Reece.”


“Lieutenant, this is Supervisor Johnson at Manhattan dispatch.”


“How can I help you, Johnson?”


“Patrol by East River Park picked up a possible skinny dipper who is in a near-catatonic state. Officer Allen seems to think you need to see him.”


“And why is that?”


“Allen believes that it might be a Dr Henry Morgan; someone who you have indicated you wish to deal with personally.”


Reece frowned, “Where are they now?”


“EMTs are transporting him to the hospital.”


“Tell them I will meet them there. Thank you.”


“Yes sir.”

When Reece arrived at the hospital, she was told that the patient was currently being examined and it might be a while before a doctor could talk with her. 


Reece pulled out a photocopy of the front page of Henry's personnel file and handed it to the receptionist. “When someone gets a chance, can you let me know if this is the person that was brought in?”


“I’ll pass this onto the nurses.”


“Thank you. If it is Doctor Morgan, he has been missing and assumed dead for over a year, so I would like to be the one to contact his next of kin.” 


“Understood.” The receptionist made a note and stood up. “If you would like to take a seat, I'll let the nurse know where to find you.”


“Thank you.” Stepping away to a quiet corner, Reece called Mike. 


“Hanson.”


“Detective, I apologize for calling you at home.”


“It's okay, Lieu, I know you only call after hours when it's important. Is there a body we need to see?”


“Sort of. Only this body is alive, just presumed dead.”


“What? You've lost me.”


“I'm currently at the hospital awaiting word if they have Dr. Morgan.”


“Henry?!”


“Yes. A patrol found a wet and naked man near the East River. Sound familiar? The officers and EMTs could not get him to speak, and I have not seen him yet, so it is only speculation right now.”


“Wow. Does Jo know?”


“Not yet. I wanted to confirm that it's him first, especially after what had happened with the fire victim last year.”


“Yeah, Abe never claimed the body while Jo pushed for more evidence, which led to a bunch of dead ends and us not closing the case.”


“Looks like they were right.”


“What do you need me to do?”


“Do you know if Jo is home tonight?”


“I think she might be having dinner with Abe. They try to get together a few times a week.”


“Alright. If you can, I would like you to stay available tonight. Once I confirm whether or not it is Henry, I will call you back and possibly ask you to pick up Jo.”


“Got it, Lieu. I'm sure Karen will understand if I have to leave before putting the boys to bed.”


“Thank you.”

It was almost 10pm when Jo and Abe entered the waiting room.


“Is it him?! Is it really Henry?!” Jo asked as she reached Reece first.


“Yes, it is.”


“I knew he wasn't dead!” Abe smiled. “Can I see him?”


“In a minute. According to the doctor, Henry is perfectly healthy physically. Mentally, that's another question.”


“Why? What's wrong?”


“Henry isn't talking or acknowledging outside stimuli. The doctor would like to do a CT scan to rule out brain damage, but his behavior is consistent with trauma response.”


Abe frowned, “You're saying he has PTSD?”


“Not officially, but that diagnosis could come later down the road. They suggested that we don't overwhelm him in case it triggers a more serious response, and prefer only one of you go in the room tonight.”


Jo nodded as she shakily sat down. “Abe can go first. I'll, um, I'll come back in the morning.” 


“No, Jo.” Abe protested. “You should come with me. I want you there, and Henry would want you there too.”

When they looked through the window of the hospital room door, they spotted Henry laying under the blankets and seemingly staring at the ceiling. 


“I’ve known Henry my whole life, and I've never seen him look so vulnerable before.” Abe whispered.


Jo squeezed his shoulder. “He's likely been through something very traumatic; it's not an unexpected response. They did give him a light sedative that will hopefully let him sleep.”


“It is unusual for Henry. Even after that business with his fake stalker, he wasn't like this. He was a bit despondent at times, but he didn't shut down completely.”


“He's been gone for a year, it builds up. Don't expect him to bounce back so easily.”


“He always bounces back, or at least pretends to. It just feels so wrong, seeing him in that bed.”


“The doctor said he can come home in a day or two, if his tests are clear and he's alert.”


“Of course they'll be clear!” He glanced around them before whispering, “He was picked up at the East River, which means that he died. All injuries are erased and there are no scars; at least not physical ones.”


“Abe….” Jo sighed.


“I know you don't completely believe me, but everything I’ve told you is true. You'll see that he looks the same today as he did the last time you saw him, at least physically. Now come on, this reunion is way overdue.” Abe took a deep breath as he opened the door. 


“Hi Henry,” Abe greeted softly as he slowly approached the bed while Jo stayed just inside the doorway. “Aren't you a sight for sore eyes.” Getting no response, Abe continued, “Of course, you haven't aged a day. Me, I’ve probably aged five years since the last time you saw me; what was it 13, 14 months ago?”


Glancing to make sure that no one else had entered, Abe placed a hand on Henry's shoulder and leaned closer. “Come on, Pops! It's just us. Give me a sign that you can hear me! I'm not going anywhere, I will stay here all week if I have to.”


“Abe,” Jo spoke up. “The doctor doesn't want anyone staying overnight.”


“I don't care! He's my dad and I'm not going to abandon him, not after he's been missing for so long, and not until he tells me himself that I need to leave, once his stubborn parental and doctor instincts kick in.”


Jo shook her head. “Okay, I'm too tired to fight you. I'm going to get some coffee, would you like some?”


“Hospitals don't carry real coffee, but sure, I’ll take some caffeinated water. Thanks, Jo.”


“Of course.”


Once Jo left, Abe pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. “Jo has been a saint this past year. I had to tell Jo your secret because they thought you died in a fire; but she doesn't completely believe me. I think she was just humoring an old man who didn't want to accept a friend's death. I showed her the file, the one with all the evidence of you that we have, and she was still skeptical. Other than you dying right in front of her, I’m not sure she will truly believe. Although you showing up again, mostly unharmed, must have shaken her.”


With a sigh, Abe found Henry's hand and squeezed it with both of his own. “You know I don't like lecturing, at least not without an active audience, so you need to wake up for me and we can have an actual conversation, Pops.” Abe felt the slightest twitch of a finger and smiled. “Thanks, Pops.”

*The next afternoon*

A frantic knocking at the hospital room door interrupted Abe as he was reading the paper out loud. “I can only think of one person who would be that desperate and obnoxious to see you, besides myself and Jo, of course.” Abe mused as he got up to open the door. “Hi Lucas.”


“Holy Batman, Abe!” Lucas exclaimed as he hugged Abe tightly. “I can't believe that he's been found! And why didn't anyone tell me! I had to overhear it from one of the rookie cops at the corner cafe!”


“I'm sorry, Lucas. It just happened so fast. I probably would have forgotten to tell Jo if she wasn't already with me when I got the news.”


“Just don't let it happen again! Not that this should ever happen again!”


“Lucas, can you let go of me now?”


“Yeah, of course.” Lucas stepped back and looked towards the bed. “How is he?”


Abe sighed as he went back to his seat. “Physically, fine. Mentally, he seems to have checked out. I’ve gotten a few reactions like a hand squeeze and his head turned in my direction; but nothing lucid enough for the doctors to let him come home yet.”


“And the doctors can't do anything?”


“There's nothing to fix physically, and a psychiatrist won't be called until Henry is more responsive. So for now I’ve just been talking to him, catching him up on the news.”


“Can I help?! I can read to him. Maybe one of my graphic novels will annoy him enough for him to tell me to stop.” Lucas smiled.


“Aren't you supposed to be at work?”


“I took the rest of the day off as soon as I heard. Doctor Washington won't miss me and it's been a slow week anyways.”


Abe checked his watch. “Jo said that she would be back in about a half hour. I guess if you want to stay, I’ll head home for a shower and change of clothes.”


“Yeah, of course. Don't forget to eat while you're gone.”


“A nurse brought me Henry's lunch earlier, but I’ll sneak some real food in when I come back.”


“Sounds good.” Lucas looked through the pile of magazines that were clearly taken from a waiting room. “Oh, Scientific American, I bet Henry would love to hear about some of the breakthroughs that have happened recently.”


“Have at it, kid. Those articles make my head spin.” Abe grabbed his coat and headed for the door. “Thanks Lucas.”


“Sure thing.”

Chapter Text

*A few days later*

Abe jerked awake when he heard a soft thud. Looking around, he noticed that his book had fallen from his hand onto the floor. “I guess I'm more tired than I thought.” He glanced at the clock. “I think the cafeteria is open for another hour, I’ll go grab a cup of coffee and be right back.”


As Abe was about to stand up, he noticed a pressure on his right arm. “What the….” He froze as he saw the hand grasping him. “Pops?” He looked up to see Henry staring right at him. “About damn time, Pops! I was getting tired of only hearing my own voice. I was going to bring some jazz records tomorrow.”


Henry opened his mouth a few times, but no sound came out.


Abe frowned, “Don't feel like talking yet?”


Henry frowned and shook his head. 


“That's okay. I'm just glad to see you back in the land of the living.” Abe flinched, “Sorry, wrong choice of words. It's nice to see you alert. Jo will also be happy to see you. She comes in at night so I can get some sleep. Even Lucas visits in the early morning before he heads to work; I didn't know he could get up that early. Although maybe he's just staying up all night and crashing after work.”


Henry rolled his eyes even as he gave a slight smile.


“We've all missed you, a lot, so you better get used to being hovered over for the next while.”


Henry touched the tube leading to and going down his nose.


Abe gently took his hand away. “That's a feeding tube. You’ve been basically catatonic for the past few days since you turned up, and they needed to get nutrients into ya.”


Henry sighed as he moved the blanket to check the rest of his body.


“Physically, you're fine.” Abe squeezed his shoulder. “You must have died recently since you turned up by the river. They couldn't find a scratch on you. The only reason you're still in the hospital is because your mind had checked out.”


Henry sighed then looked to his side and adjusted the bed before he pressed the nurse's call button. He showed it to Abe and raised an eyebrow.


Abe winced, “Yeah, I probably should have called them as soon as I noticed you were awake.”


A few seconds later, the door opened and an older nurse walked in. “Good Evening Abe, what seems to be the problem?”


“Nothing's wrong, Tiff. Henry woke up!” Abe grinned.


The nurse smiled at Henry as she came closer. “Hello Henry! My name is Tiffany and I have the privilege of watching over you in the evenings.”


Henry bowed his head slightly.


“Henry doesn't seem able to talk at the moment.” Abe commented.


Tiffany nodded as she checked Henry's vitals. “That's okay, Abe and I are more than happy to talk. Everything looks okay, as far as I can tell. Henry, would you like some water.”


Henry hesitated before nodding slowly.


“It will feel a little weird with the feeding tube, but the lubrication will help your throat.” She held a cup up to Henry's mouth.


Henry placed a shaky hand on the cup and slowly took a sip, grimacing when he swallowed.


“That's perfect.” She put the cup down and stepped back. “I will ask the night shift doctor to examine you, and maybe take the feeding tube out altogether.”


Abe smiled as he patted Henry's arm. “Thanks Tiff.”


“Of course, dear. I'll be back soon.”


Once they were alone again, Abe leaned closer. “Pops, are you okay? Besides having no voice?”


Henry looked down and shook his head as a tear slipped out. 


“Alright. Take all the time you need. I’ll be right here.”


Henry leaned over and pulled Abe into an awkward hug. 


“Thanks, Pops.” Abe whispered as he returned the hug.

*Half Hour later*

Shortly after the doctor had taken the feeding tube out, Jo showed up with food. 


“Hey Abe, I hope you like turkey sandwiches since that's all the corner store had and I didn't feel like waiting for anything fresh.” Jo smiled as she walked over towards Abe, barely glancing at the bed. “My phone died, or else I would have called and *gasp*” She looked at the bed again. “Henry?!”


Henry gave her a shaky smile before looking down.


Abe cleared his throat. “Henry has been awake for about a half hour now. He just got his feeding tube taken out, but no solid foods for at least a day. You said you got sandwiches?”


“Um, yeah. Turkey.” She handed Abe the bag and sat down. She smiled at Henry. “I'm glad you're back. I missed you a lot.”


Henry nodded, still keeping his head down and grasping the edge of the blanket.


Jo frowned and looked at Abe. “Is something wrong?”


Abe sighed as he placed one of the sandwiches and a bag of chips on the end table next to him and handed the bag back to Jo. “Henry hasn't gotten around to speaking yet. But that just means that you and I can talk about whatever we want without him lecturing us about how stuff was done decades ago or him criticizing our food choices.”


Jo reached over and squeezed Henry's hand. “You just take all the time you need. I never thought I would see you again, so just having you here with us is a miracle.”


Henry looked at her as tears fell down his face. He tried to speak a few times before shaking his head. Abe handed him a napkin and Henry reluctantly wiped his face.


“Sorry Pops. I'm fresh out of handkerchiefs. You’ll have to suffer like the rest of us mortals of the 21st century and use whatever is available. I can ask Tiff for a box of tissues the next time she comes in.”


Henry rolled his eyes before blowing his nose. Unable to reach the trash can, he handed the used napkin back to Abe. Abe sighed as he took it and tossed it in the trash can.


“I needed to wash my hands anyway. Maybe on my way back from the restroom, I’ll swing by the cafeteria.” Abe stood and stretched. “Jo, would you like some hospital coffee?”


Jo smiled. “Sure, sounds good.”


“I wouldn't call it good.” Abe grumbled as he left.


Once they were alone, Jo took Henry's hand again. “Henry?” She waited until he was looking at her before continuing. “Hey. I think you should know that Abe told me your secret, about a month after you disappeared. I didn't believe him at first, I thought it was a weird grief response since we found a body that we thought was yours. But the deeper I dug into your life, the more I believed. Everything just makes sense now. Abe has told me so many stories and showed me the few pictures he has of you.” 


She sighed at the nervous look on Henry's face and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “You're probably so scared right now, and you have every right to be. I understand how crucial it is to keep your life a secret. I won't ever turn you in or betray you. I promise to protect you and Abe for as long as I live. I know one day you will have to leave and start over, and I will be devastated. But until that day, I will not abandon you; I might even follow you.”


Jo wiped a few tears from her own face. “I don't know why I'm crying. Maybe it's delayed relief from knowing you're not dead.”


Henry tugged on her hand and held out his other arm.


“Don't tell me you want a hug, because then I might never stop crying.”


Henry gave her a pointed look as he nodded.


“Fine.” Jo sniffled as she stood up. “Good thing I forgot to put on make-up this morning.”


Henry pulled her into a tight hug, placing his chin on her shoulder. 


Jo let out a laugh as she cried, “I hope you enjoy having a wet shoulder.”


Henry just nodded as he also let out a few tears. 


After about a minute, they were interrupted by Abe. 


“As sweet as this scene is, Jo's back is probably killing her right now and our food is getting cold.”


Jo laughed shakily as she stepped back and wiped at her face with her sleeve. “Abe, I brought sandwiches, they're already cold.”


“Well, the coffee isn't and I’d prefer to drink it before it gets even more unpalatable.” Abe handed Henry a smoothie. “Here you go, Pops.” Henry grimaced as he took it. “Don't give me that look! It was either blueberry or banana and you're allergic to bananas.”


Henry took a sip before putting it down and moving his hand in a repetitive motion.


“What does that mean?” Abe frowned as he unwrapped his sandwich.


Jo took out her notepad. “I think Henry wants something to write on.”


Henry nodded as he took the offered notepad and pen.


“Aw, geez. I'm sorry, Pops. I should have thought of that earlier.”


Henry wrote something quickly before tearing off the sheet and handing it to Jo.


Jo looked at it before handing it to Abe. “I can't read this chicken scratch.”


Abe chuckled as Henry frowned. “This is Henry's old-timey Regency era handwriting and it takes a while to understand it; although it is a bit messier than usual. I believe he wrote ‘Communication would be much easier if Abe had learned sign language as a child.’ Sorry, Pops. You know I tried, but I could never remember half the motions.” Abe shrugged as he took a bite of his sandwich.


“Henry, you know sign language?” Jo asked.


Henry nodded as he waited for Abe to explain, “Yep. American, British, and French. Along with the dozen or two verbal languages he knows.”


“Hmm. I only know Spanish and English. NYC public schools didn't exactly offer many languages.”


“I picked up some signs in the army, mostly for shore leave, if you know what I mean.”


Jo laughed as Henry just shook his head. “Well, I think Lucas knows sign language, you could talk with him.”


Henry rolled his eyes as he wrote something down slowly, trying to make it easier for Jo to read. Jo grinned as she read: “‘Maybe. It will be hard to interrupt him telling me about all the comic book stories that he's read recently.’ Yeah, you're probably right.” She shook her head as she picked up her sandwich again.


Henry drank more of his smoothie as he examined the room, barely giving anything a moment’s glance until he found the window and stared at the night sky.


“Hey Pops! Are you okay?” Abe asked a few minutes later.


Henry flinched before he picked up the pen again. He wrote a few words before showing them: “I want to leave NOW.”


“Pops, you heard the doctor. They want to run an MRI scan on you in the morning if you're still not talking, and then have you meet with a psychiatrist.”


“A.M.A.”


“Pops, please! Just listen to the doctors for once. If they don't find anything treatable, then we can leave right after that. Okay?”


Henry huffed before writing quickly: “Already died, therefore they won't find anything. It's psychological.”


“Then at least wait for the shrink.”


“Can't tell them anything.”


Abe sighed and looked at Jo. “Henry's right. This probably involves his secret and he can't exactly tell that to a random hospital shrink without getting committed to the loony bin.”


Jo looked between the two men. “I don't know.”


“Look, we're already risked a lot by having Henry admitted here in the first place. We don't need them digging deeper. There's no reason to keep him longer.”


“Okay.” Jo sighed and stood up. “I’ll tell the nurses. Just know that you're going to lose your official police protection.”


Henry shot Abe a confused look as Jo left.


Abe shrugged. “Since we didn't know what happened to you, the police wanted to keep you guarded in case someone came looking for you again.”


Henry took a deep breath and wrote shakily before handing the paper to Abe. 


Abe frowned as he read it. “Pops?”


Henry shook his head as he brought his knees up and wrapped his arms around them.


They sat in silence for a few minutes until Jo returned with Nurse Tiffany. Jo frowned when Henry flinched and she glanced at Abe, “Hey Henry? Tiffany is going to disconnect you from the equipment and help you get dressed.”


“I guess that's my cue to take a walk.” Abe said as he stood up. “Jo, care to escort me?”


“Sure. We'll be right back, Henry.”


Henry nodded but didn't look up.


Once they were in the hallway, Jo asked, “What happened? I was only gone for a few minutes!”


Abe silently handed the paper to Jo as he led them to a quiet corner.


“‘He’s dead’. Who is?” Jo whispered.


Abe shrugged, “My guess is Henry's kidnapper. He wanted to know why he had a guard, so I told him it was in case someone came back for him. He wrote that and then basically shut down again.”


“If he's right, then we don't have to worry; but I still want to watch out for you two just in case he's mistaken.”


“And I will appreciate your presence, especially with this quiet Henry.”


“We just need to be patient and not push him too hard. I’ll see if Lucas is able to stop by tomorrow, maybe Henry is more comfortable with signing and will open up a little more.”


“At least Lucas will make the conversation less depressing.”


“Abe!”


“Sorry!”

Chapter Text

When he reached the top of the stairs in the apartment, Henry paused to catch his breath.


"You okay there, Pops?" Abe asked and he stopped a few steps behind him.


Henry nodded.


"I guess being bed-ridden for half a week really saps your strength, even if you did have a river reset recently.” Abe coughed a couple of times. “Although I don't have that excuse for being winded myself. Do you want me to bring a chair over to you?"


Henry shook his head and walked over to the nearest seat in the kitchen.


"Okay." Abe took a deep breath as he went to the sink to fill a couple of glasses with water. "Why don't you take a break while I go change the sheets on your bed." He handed Henry one glass and took a sip from another.


Henry dipped his head and mouthed, "Thank you."


"No problem." Abe headed towards the bedrooms as they heard Jo enter the shop downstairs. 


Jo frowned as she looked around. "Hey Henry, where's Abe?" 


Henry gestured towards the bedrooms. 


Jo groaned as she went that way. "I told him to let me change the sheets. He's too old to be doing everything himself."


Henry smiled as he heard the two of them bickering. Looking around the apartment, he was comforted by the familiar environment. He frowned when he noticed the corkboard in the corner. Sparing a glance towards the bedrooms, Henry got up and examined the board. He quickly determined it detailed Abe's search for Henry. There was a map of the Lower Eastside; a timeline of Henry's last day; stills from security cameras; list of people to look into, with most of the names crossed off; updates on Adam; notes on the fire victim.


Jo joined him a few minutes later. "Abe never gave up looking for you. Whenever he hit a dead end, he would look for a different angle, find someone else to interview. He managed to get footage from almost every security camera between the subway stop and here. He was working on tracking the van. Abe would make a really good detective."


Henry briefly touched a grainy photo of a black van that Abe had next to a notecard with a few notes.


"There's a city block nearby where there were no working cameras, and that van shows up right before you disappear. Unfortunately, the plates are from a car that had been stolen months earlier and we were only able to track the van for a couple of miles before we lost it."


Henry nodded as he turned away from the board and took out the notepad. "Did Abe go to bed?"


"Yeah.” She smiled. “Once I managed to wrangle the sheets away from him, he admitted how exhausted he was and decided to call it a night."


"Are you staying up?"


"For maybe a half hour or so. Do you want to join me? I mean sit with me. On the couch." She blushed.


Henry smiled slightly as he gestured for her to go first.


"Yeah, okay." She went over and sat on the couch cushion closest to the end table. She picked up a laptop and opened it.


Henry grabbed his water and joined her, frowning when he recognized the laptop as belonging to Abe.


"Abe let me create a profile." Jo mentioned as she opened a news website. "Since the only TV is in Abe's room and I spend so much time here, I use his laptop to check the news. Or respond to emails if something is urgent."


He thought for a moment before writing: "Did I miss any big or important news?"


She shrugged. "A few things. I can pull up some articles for you in a minute."


"Who is running for president?"


"You don't want to know." Jo laughed. "You probably wouldn't believe me."


Henry frowned. “It can't be that bad.”


“Oh but it is. Let's leave that can of worms for another night. Let me think if there was anything closer to home.” Jo stared into the distance as she thought. After a minute she said, “You have your typical staff turnover at the station and OCME, although most people higher up are still around. One of Hanson's kids managed to break a leg, but it healed well.” She sighed as she looked back at him. “Abe was hospitalized for a bit.”


Henry grabbed her arm and attempted to say something.


Jo smiled gently as she covered his hand. “It was the flu that progressed into pneumonia. I was able to convince him to go to the hospital before it became life-threatening. He was on oxygen for a couple of days and was able to come home within a week with antibiotics. I stayed here for about a month as he recovered. This was just a few months ago, which is one of the reasons why he and I were arguing earlier since he's still affected by it.”


Henry nodded and mouthed, “Thank you.”


“Of course. Abe needed someone to look out for him while you were gone and you are my partner; it was the least I could do. There were a couple of really bad days where he would cry out for you, his dad, and it damn near broke my heart.” She squeezed his hand. “You two have such a deep bond and care for each other so much. Abe would have kept looking for you for years and not given up hope. I had the hardest time getting him to leave the hospital this week, even to just go home to shower. He wouldn't be gone for more than an hour and slept in that uncomfortable chair. Last night, Tiffany managed to get him to take a nap on an empty bed down the hall, but it only lasted about three hours before he came back. If you hadn't woken up tonight, Tiffany was talking about admitting Abe and giving him sedatives.”


Henry frowned and examined Jo’s face. “And you?” He mouthed as he pointed at her with his free hand.


She shrugged, “I was able to get some sleep here and there, although I'm definitely starting to reach my limit of sleepless nights.” She covered a yawn. “Speaking of sleep, I should probably get some. I'm sorry I won't be able to stay up longer.”


He shook his head as he grabbed his notepad and wrote: “No need to apologize, you deserve rest.”


“Thanks. If you want to stay up and look at old news articles, I won't mind. You know I’m a heavy sleeper.”


“Not tonight. Thank you.”


“Okay.” She turned off the laptop and stood up. “I'm gonna use the bathroom and then set up camp out here. Do you need anything?”


Henry shook his head as he stood up. He took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Good night.” He mouthed before bowing his head.


“Good night, Henry.” Jo blushed as she headed down the hall. 


Henry smiled as he went to refill his glass before going to his bedroom.

*Middle of the night*

Abe woke up with a start when he felt his bed move. “What's da matter?” He muttered as he looked around.


Henry was sitting on the side of the bed, a scared expression on his face.


“Hey Pops, what's wrong?”


Henry reached a hand out slowly and placed it on Abe’s chest over his heart.


“Yeah, I'm here. I'm real and alive. And so are you.” Abe said gently as he laid a hand over Henry's. “Why don't you get under the covers so we can both get some more sleep? I'm never too old for a sleepover with my dad.”


Henry nodded as he moved closer and laid his head on Abe's chest.


“Um, Pops, that might be a little too close?”


Henry sniffled as he trembled slightly and clutched Abe's shirt.


“You know what, never mind. This is fine. Why don't you close your eyes and we try to sleep?” Abe shifted slightly and pulled the covers over Henry as well.

Chapter Text

“Good Morning, Henry.” Jo greeted as Henry entered the kitchen. 


Henry nodded without making eye contact as he walked over to the cabinet. He pulled out a glass, filled it halfway with water, then joined Jo at the table. 


“Rough night?” She asked as she took a sip from her coffee cup.


He nodded.


“Did you get any sleep?”


Henry shrugged as he continued to stare at the glass of water. 


“Would you like some coffee?”


That got Henry to look up. He frowned as he looked between Jo’s cup and the French press.


“Abe taught me how to use it. While I'm not a fan of how much slower it is than an American coffee maker, I have to admit it tastes a whole lot better. I almost never drink the station coffee anymore and have spent more money than I care to admit at specialty coffee shops.”


Henry smiled slightly at that.


“So would you like me to make you a cup?” 


He nodded. 


“Okay.” She smiled and walked over to the French press. “I'm afraid you'll have to wait for Abe to finish his shower if you want a full breakfast; Abe doesn't trust me using the stove alone, but I can make toast.”


Henry shook his head as he got up to grab the bread. Once the toaster was started, he went over to open the fridge and frowned at the lack of food. 


“Abe hasn't been to the store in almost two weeks now. He usually tries to take me with him when I can get a weekday free. We were planning to go the day after you turned up.” She glanced in the fridge. “The stuff he was going to make that morning is probably still good. After breakfast, I’ll ask if he wants to go shopping or prefers me to go alone.”


Henry picked up the grocery list and wrote, “Work?”


“Lieu gave me the day off. I’ll have to go in tomorrow, but today I'm all yours.”  She blushed as she turned to check the coffee. “I mean, I’m available all day to help.”


Henry shook his head as he grabbed eggs and various vegetables.

An hour later, there was a loud knocking on the door downstairs, causing Henry to jump.


“That'll be Lucas.” Jo said gently as she stood up. “I’ll go let him in and try to get him to be calm when he gets up here.”


Abe snorted, "Good luck with that.” He grabbed their plates and brought them to the sink.


Henry closed his eyes and placed a hand over his heart.


“You okay, Pops?”


Henry slowly nodded as he focused on his breathing.


A few minutes later, when they heard footsteps on the stairs, Henry stood up and braced himself with feet shoulder-width apart and hands clasped in front of him.


Jo cleared the landing first, and, when Lucas caught sight of Henry, he grinned widely and squealed, “Henry!” He started forward, but Jo yanked him back. “Sorry! I just missed the big guy so much!” Lucas turned to Henry and said as he signed, “Hi Doctor Morgan! I'm glad you're back.”


Henry smiled slightly as he signed back. “Hi Lucas. You don't have to sign to me, I can hear just fine.”


“Oh, right.” Lucas blushed. “Permission to give you a hug?”


“Just this once.” Henry signed. He looked at Jo and nodded.


Once Jo let go of him, Lucas quickly went to Henry and engulfed him in a bear hug. “I'm so glad that you're not dead,” he whispered.


Henry patted him on the back.


“Lucas?” Jo prompted after a bit.


Lucas let go and stepped back. “Sorry. I just missed Henry so much! I would have visited last night, but Dr Washington had me doing scut work and, by the time I got out of there, I needed a shower and it was pretty late and you all were leaving the hospital anyways. Today I don't have to be at work until noon, which is why I'm here now, but if you need me as an interpreter, I can stick around all day and take vacation time.”


Henry shook his head and signed, “No need to waste all your free time on me.”


“It's not a waste. You're my friend that I thought had died! I would much rather hang out with you than with Dr W. Even after a year of working directly under him, he still doesn't let me take the lead or even get my name right sometimes.”


Henry frowned. “You need to stand up for yourself.”


“I know that, but this past year was really rough.” Lucas glanced at the others before whispering,“I thought you were dead and that I had helped perform your autopsy! Honestly, for a while it was a struggle just to make it through each work day without getting fired. I didn't wanna rock the boat even more.”


“I'm sorry.” Henry signed before placing a hand on Lucas's shoulder 


“It's not your fault. At least I got him to stop calling me ‘boy’. Anyways, enough about me! How can I help? Is there anything that you all want to talk about that I can help as an interpreter?”


Jo shook her head. “Actually, Abe and I wanted to pick up groceries and we're wondering if you wouldn't mind staying here with Henry?”


“You want me to babysit?” Lucas winced.


“No, I want you to catch up with your friend, maybe share some office gossip. Unless you want to go with Abe and I'll stay here, but it might take longer since you don't know all our usual vendors.”


“No, I can stay. Unless Henry prefers some other arrangement?”


Henry shook his head. “You can help me around the house. It will go faster if I can sign than if I have to write everything down.”


“Yeah, especially with your chicken scratch.”


Henry frowned as Abe and Jo laughed.

“So Doc, what you wanna do first?” Lucas asked once Henry returned from brushing his teeth.


“As you said, I don't need a babysitter.”


“Yeah, of course not.”


“Nevertheless….”


“What’s that sign?”


Henry shook his head. “Would you mind helping me in the basement?”


“The basement? Oh! You mean your creepy mad scientist lair?!” 


Henry frowned. “You don't have to come if you think it's creepy.”


“What?! No! I love your creepy lab! It's so cool! I would love to hang out down there!” Lucas grinned.


Henry smiled slightly as he led the way downstairs.


As they walked past the doorway into the shop, Henry glanced out the front windows and stopped. 


“What's wrong?” Lucas asked as he looked between the door and Henry.


“Why is the Detective sitting outside?”


“Oh, um. Would you believe me if I said Mike just dropped me off?”


“You've been here for 20 minutes. No need to waste his time with a stake out.”


“Doc, we're all just worried, okay? We don't know what happened or if they might come back for you. Since you don't wanna be in the hospital, this is the next best thing.”


Henry shook his head. “Not necessary.”


“Honestly, I’m surprised that Jo left at all. She and Mike argued about it when I got here. At the hospital, she only left your room because the Lieutenant posted someone near your door and made Jo go to work, but then Jo would come right back to the hospital afterwards. She and Abe slept there every night and made sure someone was with you at all times.”


Henry sighed as he continued to the basement.


“I know you're a private person, but we care about you and want to keep you safe.” As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Lucas shivered. “Wow! It’s freezing down here!” Lucas exclaimed as he rubbed his arms.


Henry looked around before pointing at a window. “That window is broken and letting the cold air in. The basement only has one free standing radiator and it is most likely struggling to compensate.”


“Okay. Do you think you have any supplies to fix the window?”


Henry nodded and went over to a closet door. Opening it, he quickly scanned everything before pulling out a piece of plywood, hammer, nails, and a hand saw.


“What are you going to do with that?” Lucas asked.


Henry handed the saw and hammer to Lucas and signed, “Cover the window until we can get someone to replace it.”


“Don't you have, like, an electric saw?”


Henry shook his head as he grabbed a pencil off the desk and went to the window. He quickly drew the necessary lines on the plywood and went over to the desk. He signed “I need you to lean on the wood and hold it still as I cut it.”


“Do you want me to cut it instead?”


“I can do it.”


“Yeah, sure.” Lucas nodded as he handed over the saw and got in position. “Ready.”


Henry nodded as he lined up the saw then quickly and efficiently cut the wood. 


“Wow, you are like really good at that and have very straight lines. Were you a carpenter in a past life.”


“Just a lot of practice.” Henry signed before handing the wood to Lucas. “Hold this up to the window.”


“Okay.”


As Henry drove the nails in, Lucas commented, “You could have used an electric drill, although you're also pretty quick with the hammer.”


Henry shook his head as he finished. He stepped back and signed, “The nails will be easier to take out once we get someone to properly fix the window.”


“If you say so.” Lucas looked at the stuff sitting on the shelves of the nearby cabinet. “Most of these are unaffected.”


Henry frowned as he checked the dehumidifier. “This is damaged. I'm surprised it did not start a fire.”


“Can it be fixed?”


“Not sure.” Henry unplugged it and brought it over to the desk. “Abe is better at fixing appliances than I am. Can you grab the dehumidifier from the living room? We need to get rid of some of this moisture.”


“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

When Lucas came back down, he found Henry staring at the gurney and breathing too fast.


Lucas gently placed the dehumidifier on the floor as he called out, “Um, Henry?”


Henry jumped and moved further away from Lucas. 


“Woah! Hey, it's just me, just Lucas. Are you okay, Doc?”


Henry shook his head and shakily signed, “Flashback.”


“Yeah, okay, um…. Do you need me to get you anything or call someone?”


“Chair.”


“Sure.” Lucas pulled the desk chair over to Henry and guided him into it. “You just take all the time you need. Do you want me to tell you a story to distract you?”


Henry nodded as he lowered his head down to his knees.


“Okay, um. How about the time I solved a murder practically by myself?”


Henry nodded.


“A few months ago, there was this young woman named Emma who, at first glance, looked like she died from a drug overdose and had previously worked on the streets. Dr W was quick to issue the COD since it was a Saturday. But one of her friends, who came to ID the body, said that Emma had been clean for over a year and was saving up to move out of the city. While Jo said that she could pull some resources for me, she couldn't do any legwork without actual evidence since they had like half a dozen other cases piling up. So I spent almost all my free time for a week tracking down Emma's last movements. 


“Apparently she had met up with an ex-boyfriend at a diner outside of town, that was the last anyone knew. One diner staff said they tried to help Emma, but they had left before the cops showed up. I found Emma's phone in the dumpster behind the diner and discovered that the ex had sent threatening texts in the days leading up to her disappearance. That's when Jo was allowed to officially help and we tracked down the ex and found footage of him stealing the drugs from the hospital he worked at. He confessed pretty quickly, saying that he killed Emma because he didn't like anyone leaving him. 


“Dr W was a little peeved at me for going behind his back, but he couldn't officially reprimand me since I technically didn't do anything wrong.” Lucas sighed. “It was a little awkward for about a month there until one of the other AMEs screwed up majorly and Dr W could submit a complaint about them. He keeps talking about retiring but says that no one seems competent enough to take over, or that no one is as good as you, Doc, and he would hate to tarnish your legacy by having some halfwit take over, his words not mine.”


Henry sat up slowly and looked at Lucas. “Thank you,” he signed. 


“Of course. Do you want me to do something about the gurney? I don't think I can move it out of the room by myself, but maybe I can move it out of sight or cover it up?”


“A tarp in the closet.”


“On it.” Lucas nodded as he went over to the closet. He quickly located the tarp and returned. He spread the tarp over the gurney and moved it a bit more out of the way. 


Henry waited until Lucas rejoined to sign, “You did a good job.”


“It's just a tarp and the gurney has wheels, so not that hard.” Lucas shrugged.


“No, solving the murder of Emma.”


“You would have solved it in half the time. I just got lucky.”


“No. You followed the clues, persevered. I'm proud of you.”


“Well, I had a great mentor.” Lucas smiled. “I kept thinking, what would Henry do? How would Henry interpret this? I might have even talked in a fake British accent a few times.”


Henry chuckled a weak, breathy laugh. “Whatever helps you to solve it.”


“You might regret giving me that permission.”


“Only time will tell.” Henry stood up. “We should start cleaning, the musty smell is beginning to bother me.”


“And here I thought you enjoyed old smells, like old books.”


“Most old smells are not good for you. The smell of old books is caused by the chemical breakdown of the materials….”


“God, I missed your lectures.” Lucas grinned.

Chapter Text

When Jo and Abe returned to the apartment, they found it empty.


“You don't think they left?” Abe asked as they placed their bags on the table.


“No, Mike was still outside. He would have noticed them leaving.”


“Then they're probably in the basement. You wanna head on down while I put stuff away?”


“Sure.” Jo replied as she hung up her coat on the way to the stairs.


When she reached the basement, she watched Henry signing rapidly as Lucas looked on attentively.


Lucas nodded, “But they were able to view them later?” 


Henry nodded as he signed again.


“Huh, weird.”


“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important?” Jo asked as she walked over to them.


Lucas jumped, but Henry merely turned and nodded at her.


Lucas shook his head, “Oh, no. Henry was just explaining to me the history of home video cameras.”


“Interesting. Why?”


"I came across some of Abe's old tapes and asked about them. I hope they're not water damaged from the excessive humidity."


"Me too. Hey Lucas, do you mind heading upstairs to help Abe put away the groceries?"


"Sure." Lucas nodded as he ran up the stairs.


Jo stepped closer to Henry. "I hope Lucas wasn't too much of a nuisance?"


Henry shook his head as he walked over to the chalkboard and wrote, "It was nice to get out of my head for a bit, and Lucas is an active listener."


"Then I apologize for interrupting."


"No need, but thank you."


"Do you need any help down here?"


"Waiting on the dehumidifier to do its job, almost everything else is cleaned up."


"I hope your journals are okay."


"Most are salvageable."


"Good. Abe told me about them and how precious they are. He would have let me read them, but said that you write in Gaelic?"


"Welsh."


"Right, sorry."


Henry frowned as he wrote. "There is a difference."


"Not to a Spanish girl from Harlem." Jo smiled.


Henry cleared the board then wrote two long lines: “Welsh: Mi gerddaf gyda thi beth bynnag ddaw” and “Irish Gaelic: Beidh mé ag siúl leat is cuma cad”.


Jo shook her head. "Yeah, those look way too similar, especially in your fancy cursive."


Henry huffed as he erased everything on the board.


Jo laughed, “What does that mean, anyways?”


He paused before picking up the chalk and wrote, “From a traditional Welsh poem, means: I will walk with you whatever comes.”


“Oh, Henry.” Jo sighed. “The sentiment is mutual. God, how I missed you. If only I could hear your voice.”


Henry placed a hand on his throat and closed his eyes.


"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I know you said it was psychological trauma, so it's not easy to fix. Just me running my big mouth. *sigh* Maybe I should go upstairs and send Lucas back down."


Henry grabbed Jo's hand as she turned away. His mouth opened a few times before he shook his head and wrote on the board, "Stay? Please?"


"Of course," She smiled. "Do you want to give me a tour?"


"There's not much to see." He frowned.


"Depends on what you're looking at." She walked over to his desk and picked up one of his journals. "You're the one who says that there's always a story to be found."


Henry shook his head as he wrote, "You complain about my long stories. There's not enough space on this chalkboard, especially since you don't like my fancy cursive."


Jo laughed, "Then I guess I'll just have to take a rain check." She walked over to the music player and put a different record on. "How about a dance? You don't need to talk in order to dance."


"Talk with your body." He put the chalk down and joined her.


"Even better." Jo grinned as she held her arms up and out to the side.


Henry gave her a look as he pulled her close and put her left arm around his shoulders before wrapping his right arm around her back and holding her right hand up. 


“Obviously I'm not used to this type of close dancing.” She blushed.


Henry shrugged as he started them in a simple sway.


“Hmm, this is nice.” Jo mumbled as she closed her eyes.


Henry nodded as he slowly moved them in a circle.


As the song ended, Jo sniffled and wiped a few tears away. “I’m sorry. I’m usually not this emotional. I wanted to believe Abe so badly when he told me your secret, but I also didn’t want to think about what you could be going through that kept you away. So many people tried to get me to accept that you were dead, but I didn’t want to lose hope. You became such an integral part of my life and the thought of moving on was almost unbearable, almost as bad as after Sean died. At least with Sean, I had definitive evidence and closure; for you it was circumstantial. If it wasn’t for Abe and his companionship, I probably would have gone back into the bottle, or worse.”


Henry pulled her closer and kissed her cheek.


Jo let out a shaky laugh. “And here I am complaining while you went through something so horrible and traumatic. I should be comforting you, not the other way around.”


Henry shook his head before leaning it against hers.


“Thanks, Henry.” Jo whispered as the next song slowed even more.


A few minutes later, they heard footsteps across the ceiling before heading down the stairs. They pulled apart and Jo turned away from the staircase as she wiped her face.


“Hey Henry, did you want….” Lucas started to ask as he came into view, but stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Oh, sorry. Did I interrupt anything?”


Henry shook his head as he signed, “You’re fine, Lucas. What were you saying?”


“Oh, um. Do you need me to help with anything else? I have about an hour before I have to head to work.”


“Can you take the bag of trash outside?”


“What about the leeches? I thought you wanted help cleaning their tank?”


Jo grimaced as she glanced at the tank in the corner.


Henry shook his head. “It won’t take me long by myself and I wouldn’t want you showing up to work smelling like them.”


“It’s the morgue, nobody would mind, or even notice, honestly.”


“Only hearing half the conversation is so weird, but I get the gist.” Jo laughed as she patted Henry on the back. “Don’t expect me to help you with the leeches. I tried helping Abe once and almost threw up. Abe was very grateful for winter when they basically hibernated due to the cold.”


Henry nodded and pointed at the trash bag before signing, “If you can just take that, it would help.”


“Okay.” Lucas grabbed the bag. “Oh, Abe decided he wanted to bake some bread and it will probably take him all day but he doesn’t need help either. So if no one wants me around, I can go grab a bite to eat before work.”


“Of course we want you around.” Henry signed. “It has been a very overwhelming 24 hours and I think I need to take a nap. Once I clean the tank for the leeches, I will most likely go, as you say, fruit out in the living room.”


Lucas laughed, “No Henry! That is not the saying!”


“What?” Jo frowned as she looked between the two men. “What did Henry say?”


“Veg out! The saying is Veg out in front of the TV.” Lucas corrected as he chuckled. “What you said has a totally different meaning and I don’t think Jo needs to hear it repeated.”


Henry blushed and signed, “Sorry.”


“Which, seeing as you’re British, I’m surprised you didn’t know that.” Lucas frowned 


“Okay,” Jo interrupted. “Moving on. Lucas, thank you for your help today. I will see you at work tomorrow.”


“Oh, yeah, okay.” Lucas waved. “Bye Henry. Have them call me if you want someone to talk to.”


“Thank you, good day.” Henry signed.

During dinner, Jo said, “Henry, I have to go into work tomorrow. Reece won't let me assign anyone to watch the shop, but would you like to come to the precinct with me?”


Henry shook his head. 


“Okay. I’ll try to check in during my lunch break, but you can text me anytime.”


Henry frowned as he picked up the burner phone they got him. 


“I know you don't want it, but it will help, especially while you can't talk.”


Abe nodded, “Yeah, we even got you the version with the bigger buttons to make it easier. Just no dying on us, don't want to lose the phone or have the cops pick you up naked again while mute.”


Henry rolled his eyes.


Jo smiled before continuing. “And I don't want to pressure you, but it would help if I can get your statement. The department has an ASL interpreter that we can contact, or, if you prefer, you can write it out or type it.”


Henry picked up the notebook and wrote, “I will write it so you have a full account.”


“Okay. Do you want to start tonight while I'm still here?”


Henry nodded and focused back on his food.


“Alright. Abe, is it okay if I stay here another night?”


“Yeah, you're more than welcome. You can even sleep on Henry's bed, since he might be bunking with me like last night.”


Henry blushed and signed “Sorry.”


“It's okay, Pops. I don't mind being a human teddy bear, as long as it helps you sleep. Plus Jo shouldn't have to suffer another night on the couch.”


Jo shrugged, “I don't mind the couch, it's actually more comfortable than my own bed.”


“That reminds me, you still need to get a new mattress.”


“I know, but the type of mattress you recommended I can't exactly afford on a cop's salary.”


“Which is why I offered to pay for half.”


“I'm not taking your money. It's bad enough that I eat so much of your food.”


“Your companionship is more than enough compensation.”


“Are you calling me a call girl?” Jo smirked.


“Of course not! If anything, you give me a reason to cook everyday. Otherwise, I might have to get a microwave and turn into one of those sad bachelors who only eats unhealthy frozen dinners.”


Henry made a disgusted face as Jo laughed, “Well, if it's for your health, then I guess it's not so bad. But don't knock microwaves, they are a lifesaver.”


“Yeah, but they shouldn't be your most used kitchen appliance.” Abe added as he stood up. “Speaking of unhealthy eating, I think we should have some ice cream tonight.”


“It's freezing outside!” Jo complained.


“But it's toasty inside! We can have it with that cake Maureen dropped off.”


Henry frowned while Jo sighed, “I thought you stopped seeing her months ago?”


“Only because she went out of town, but we still talk. She got back a week ago and heard about Henry. She wanted to bring us something but she doesn't cook, so she dropped off cake and wine.” Abe took out some bowls and wine glasses. “Sorry Pops, no wine for you yet.”


Jo shook her head as she got up to help him. “I don't understand why you don't just marry her.”


“We tried that twice, didn't work out either time. We're much better as friends with benefits.”


“Woah, I did not need to hear that!” Jo laughed as Henry shot up.


“Relax, both of you. Nothing happened when she dropped off the treats today. She did want to say hi to Henry, but you were both napping.” Abe shrugged as he brought the wine and glasses over to the table. “She's about to go on another cruise, so I won't see her for a few months, but we promised to keep in touch.”


Jo shook her head as she finished serving the cake and ice cream. “You could do so much better than Maureen.”


“True, but at least we have a lot of fun when we are together, in more ways than one!” Abe grinned as Jo blushed and Henry covered his face.

Chapter Text

An hour later found Henry staring at a blank page of a standard-sized notebook, pen in his hand.


Jo sat in the dining room chair next to him and quietly said, “You can start wherever you want or skip parts entirely. You don't have to go in order and you don't have to do it all in one sitting. We can take breaks whenever you need or stop completely.”


Henry nodded as he started writing.


“The day I was kidnapped seemed like any other night as I made my way home after working late at the morgue. I was not paying attention to my surroundings and I did not notice the van pull over until it was too late. A male of average build and height jumped out of the van and attacked me with a syringe. As I was distracted, he was able to pull me into the alleyway and get me into a chokehold, and I slowly lost consciousness. I think he was alone. I never saw anyone else the whole time. 


“Based on the symptoms I experienced, I believe the sedative lasted about an hour. When I came to, I was tied up and gagged in the back of the van. We drove for approximately another hour before the van stopped. He tased me before dragging me out of the van and into an old barn. He tied me to a table and left me there overnight alone, still gagged. 


“When he came back the next day, he gave me some water and explained the situation. He had seen me reawaken in the water a couple of times and wanted to find out why. He made the connection that something supernatural happened and decided to buy this property; it had a large pond on site and the closest neighbors were a half mile away. 


“First, he tortured me in an attempt to get me to reveal my secret. I, of course, refused. Then one day, maybe a week and a half into my captivity, he went too far and killed me. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. I tried to run once I found myself in the pond, but he shot me and recaptured me. After killing me a second time, he said he needed to think and left me alone for a week.”


Henry took a deep breath as he turned to the next page. 


“Henry, you can take a break at any time.” Jo reminded him. She had been looking over his shoulder to read as he wrote.


Henry shook his head, tore out a page and wrote, “Better to keep going.”


“Okay.” She placed a hand on his back and kept it there as he continued.


“Once he returned, he told me that he wanted to see how many different ways I could die and how long each method took. Every couple of days, he would kill me in a different way, taking notes and theorizing. I would reawaken in the pond to find a couple of large dogs guarding it. He had them kill me many times, so I knew better than to try to run. He would collect me with a gun and return me to the barn.


“He never gave me clothes, he said it wasn't worth it after my clothes disappeared the first time. He did have several dog shock collars he kept on me to discourage me from yelling. I never got any food and rarely received water. I lost count of how many times I died; I must have frozen to death at least a dozen times, sometimes still near the pond, and I died from dog bites twice that. Even though my body was constantly restored, the psychological damage made it hard to fight back.”


Henry stopped and covered his face with his hands. Jo rubbed his back as she waited. 


Abe, noticing the extended silence, looked up from the book he was pretending to read in the living room. He made to get up, but Jo just shook her head. 


After a few minutes, Henry lowered his hands and shakily picked up his glass of water to take a sip.


“You're doing great, Henry.” Jo whispered.


Henry simply nodded as he turned back to the notebook and continued writing.


“He also wouldn't feed the dogs every day, which contributed to his demise. The last time he went to fetch me from the pond after killing me, he neglected to shut one of the gates correctly. The dogs attacked us both. He barely had time to raise his gun and shoot one of them before the other was on us. The shock collar ended up being both a blessing and a curse since the dog couldn't tear into me as much without receiving a shock, but it also meant that it took longer for me to die. I closed my eyes as I listened to the man's dying screams, praying that I wasn't about to enter a hellish loop of awakening only to be killed by the dogs again. I'm not sure how, or why it happened then, but after I died that time, I found myself in the East River. I barely made it to shore before my brain couldn't take it anymore and shut down.”


"Oh Henry,” Jo whispered as Henry put the pen down. “I'm so sorry. This was horrible."


Henry nodded as he slid the notebook towards her. 


“Thank you for doing this.” Jo touched the notebook gently. "I'm going to have to edit this to get rid of the references to you dying, or even about the dogs attacking since there was no sign of that when you were admitted to the hospital."


Henry wrote on the scrap paper. "Tomorrow I can write a modified version."


"No, it's fine. I don't want you revisiting this more than you have to. I'll revise it and bring it back for you to review. If you're willing, I would like a description of the guy. You can see a sketch artist if you want, but it's not necessary."


Henry nodded as he pulled the notebook closer and turned to the next page.


"You don't have to do it right now, we can take a break."


Henry shook his head and started writing. Jo reached across his shoulders to give him a squeeze. 


"Okay. Thanks."

*The next day, police station*

There was a light knock before the door to the seldom-used conference room was opened and Mike walked in. "Hey Jo, what are you doing in here?"


Jo wiped some tears away as she sat back from the computer. "I'm trying to type up Henry's statement."


"Aw, geeze. You shouldn't have to do that. I can take over or we can get someone else to do it."


"No, it's a bit too sensitive and I would rather do it myself."


"You know Lieu wouldn't want you working on it."


"Since she hasn't officially reopened Henry's case yet, I can still do his statement."


"Well, if you decide that you can't finish it, let me know."


"Thanks.” She sighed as she looked down at the notebook. “It's just that….It's not only what happened to him that is hard. It's learning more about his life and, um, what he must have gone through before we even met him.”


“If you want to talk about it, I’m listening.” He put a hand on her shoulder.


“Thanks, but this is Henry's life, I doubt he would want me to tell you anything.”


“Yeah, I know how secretive the guy is. But I'm here if you need anything.”


“Actually, I could use your help on something.” 


“I hope it's not illegal.”


She laughed. “No, but can I send you on a possibly fruitless search?"


"Maybe. What does it entail?"


"Well, Henry said that his captor had him on an abandoned farm a few hours away. But he doesn't know where or if his captor’s body would have even been found yet; plus they were attacked by hungry dogs, so there might not be much of a body left."


"Yeah, that does sound fruitless. Do you at least have a description of the guy?"


"Yeah." She ripped out one of the pages from the notebook and handed it over. "It's not very unique, though."


"Okay, I guess I can send a general inquiry for mauled to death by dogs in the last week or two."


"Henry thinks the guy died the same day he was found."


"But he said they were several hours away from the city on an abandoned farm? How did he get back into the city the same day? That doesn't add up."


"Please, Mike. I know it doesn't make sense, but trust me?"


"Okay. I only have paperwork to catch up on today, so I guess I can send out that query before lunch. And then rope one of the rookies into sorting through answers."


"Thanks." Jo smiled softly.

*Later that evening*

Abe smiled as he opened the door. "Hey Jo, Lucas. Come on in!"


"Thanks Abe.” Jo smiled as she walked in. “How's Henry?"


"Quiet, no surprise there. I had to open the shop for a few hours for some regulars and Henry mostly stayed in the living room, listening to music and staring into space. I offered to turn on a movie, but he refused."


"Did he eat lunch?"


"Barely. Tonight I’ve made my mom's lasagna, hopefully that perks him up."


"Oh, I love lasagna!" Lucas smiled as he bounded up the stairs. 


Jo shook her head as she watched him go.


“Hey, are you okay?” Abe asked.


She sighed, “I don't know. I guess I'm still coming to terms with Henry's secret and what it entails. I had to lie on an official police report and change his witness statement, both of which could get me kicked off the force and possibly charged with obstruction. I had to lie to my partner, even though he just wanted to help. Then I look back at all the lies Henry must have told that first year I got to know him. Changing details of his life so no one got suspicious. How he couldn't properly mourn Abigail when we found out what happened to her. No wonder he doesn't let anyone get close. It must be so lonely for him. And for you! Pretending that your dad isn't the same guy who looks like he could be your own son. How you can't openly show affection like regular families. That part breaks my heart.” She sniffled and looked down.


Abe nodded and patted her shoulder. “I know. What makes it harder is that Henry is British, so he's naturally a standoffish guy.” He joked.


“Abe.” She groaned.


“But seriously, I get it. Growing up with Henry, having him around my whole life, it's been hard. I’ve had to tell countless lies to friends, lovers, even my mom's family. But it's worth it because he's a great guy. The day he realized he could no longer be a doctor nearly broke him. He was on his way home from work when he interrupted a hit from a loan shark. When Henry went to help the victim, the shark shot him too. Henry had to choose between saving a dying man, or risk his secret being found out since he was also dying. He chose to run away and hide when he heard the police. I was still a kid at the time, so not only was he protecting himself, he was also protecting me and my mom. He was devastated and quit his job at the hospital the next day. That guilt still haunts him. He went into teaching for a little bit, but soon found it too hard emotionally. Then for a few decades, he disappeared and I wouldn't hear from him for months or years outside of a postcard or short phone call. 


“So yeah, I would rather lie for him than not have him around. And now almost 60 years since he stepped away from being a doctor, he's found himself a job that enables him to still help people, just in a different way.”


“Thank you for trusting me with all this.” Jo smiled.


“Eh, you're a good person. And you've definitely proven yourself trustworthy.” He gave her a quick hug. “We better get upstairs. The lasagna should be done any minute now and I'll never hear the end of it from either of those two if it burns.”


“Alright.”

Jo cleared the table as Henry told Lucas about how cars overtook public transport, sometimes having to repeat signs that Lucas was unfamiliar with. Lucas, more often than not, signed while he asked his questions out loud.


Abe chuckled as he watched from near the fridge. "Pops really is in his element when he's teaching someone."


"Yeah. And Lucas is a great student." Jo smiled as she started running the water.


"Oh, you don't have to wash the dishes, I can get to them tomorrow,"


"You cooked, this is the least I can do. You really do need to take it easy."


"Yeah yeah. I don't need anymore reminders of my age."


"NO WAY!" Lucas exclaimed as Henry nodded.


Jo started to reprimand Lucas when Abe stopped her. "They're fine. This is the most lively Henry has been all day. It's only 7:30, so let them be loud now. I'm probably going to kick Lucas out in an hour. Will you be sleeping here tonight?"


Jo sighed, "I shouldn't, but part of me hates leaving Henry defenseless, at least until we confirm that his captor is dead,"


"Then stay. Same arrangement as last night."


"Oh, how very kind of you to offer someone else's bed again." She smiled.


"Not like Pops is going to use it any time soon."


"How can you be so sure?"


Abe sighed as he picked up a towel, “He barely slept last night because of several nightmares. And he was squeezing me so hard at times, I think he left some bruises.”


“I'm sorry.”


“Eh, I’ll survive.”


“If you need a break, I can watch while Henry sleeps.”


“You know Henry would never agree to that. He would rather suffer alone than impose on you.”


“It's not an imposition if I offer.”


“Let's see how tonight goes. Last night was probably so bad only because he had written out what happened to him. Maybe tonight he'll be so exhausted that he'll sleep right through the night. If needed, you can be Henry's teddy bear in his octopus arms tomorrow night.”


Jo laughed, “Okay, deal.”

Chapter Text

*The next day*

When Jo arrived at the shop after work, Abe was helping a few customers and told Jo that Henry was in the basement. Heading down the stairs, she heard the haunting chords of a classical music piece. 


Henry was sitting at his desk, eyes closed, and right hand moving to the music. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and just quietly observed Henry. While he physically looked the same as ever, the stress of the past year was definitely weighing him down. Even as he lost himself in the music, she could tell that he still was not at peace. 


Once the piece ended, Henry dropped his hand and just sat there in silence.


“Hi Henry,” Jo spoke softly. 


Henry slowly opened his eyes and started to move his lips, only to stop when no sound came out. He sighed as he opted for just a wave.


“That was a gorgeous piece of music.” She moved to the record player and stopped it from skipping. “Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6. Is it supposed to be so emotional?”


Henry nodded and wrote in a notebook: “Most classical pieces are meant to evoke emotions.”


“Fair enough.” Jo shrugged and leaned against the desk next to Henry. “I guess I should have asked if it's supposed to make you want to cry.”


“Many of Tchaikovsky’s pieces have a natural sadness to them; this one in particular is dedicated to a secret affair that was riddled with grief and loneliness due to the nature of the relationship.”


“Any particular reason you decided on this one?”


Henry shrugged. “It seemed appropriate.”


“You're grieving a relationship?”


He hesitated before writing, “I feel the loneliness of not being able to efficiently communicate with those closest to me.”


“Oh, I'm sorry Henry.” Jo frowned. “Lucas had to stay late at work today, or else I would have brought him again. I learned the ASL alphabet, but it would take me three times as long to figure out what you're saying than just having you write it.”


“It's okay.”


“Hey, do you want to help me make dinner?” Jo asked. Henry raised an eyebrow at her. “I was thinking, since Abe seems busy, I can make pasta. I know how to boil water. If you want anything more elaborate, you'll have to make it yourself.”


Henry grinned as he wrote, “It would be my pleasure.” He stood up and indicated for Jo to lead the way.


“Hmm, I hope this isn't one of those ‘be careful what you wish for’ moments.” Jo joked.

“Thanks for making dinner, Pops.” Abe said as he pushed his plate away.


“Hey, I helped!” Jo chimed in.


“I could tell by the mess that was left behind.” Abe joked.


“Rude!” She laughed. “Next time, I’m buying a frozen entree and making it in the microwave.”


“You'd have to bring a microwave too.” He was interrupted by a yawn. “I should get started on those dishes before I fall asleep at the table.”


Henry stood up and shook his head. He pointed first at himself and Jo then the dishes.


“I agree with Henry, we'll do the dishes. Why don't you head on to bed?”


“I can't leave all the chores to you two.”


“You need sleep. Henry and I are more than capable of cleaning up.”


Abe yawned as he stood up. “Alright. I'm too tired to argue. I’ll see you two in the morning.” He walked by Henry and patted him on the shoulder. “Goodnight Pops. Night Jo.”


Henry nodded as they watched Abe go.


“Sweet Dreams.” Jo added as she grabbed some of the plates.


As she was running the water, Henry came over and showed her the notebook. “Is Abe not expecting me to join him tonight?”


Jo sighed as she turned towards him. “I offered Abe a break. His body's not as resilient as ours and the lack of proper sleep is affecting him. Since I don't work tomorrow, I offered to stay up while you sleep in your own bed.”


Henry shook his head as he wrote, “You shouldn't sacrifice your sleep either. I will sleep on the couch tonight.”


“Henry. I’m used to skipping sleep every once in a while and you're still recovering.” She crossed her arms. “You know I can be just as stubborn as you.”


“Then we should share the bed so we both get some sleep, if that's okay with you?”


Jo blushed slightly as she turned back to the sink. “Yeah, of course. We're adults, we can platonically share a bed.”


Henry touched her arm and waited for her to look at him before mouthing and signing, “Thank you.”


“Of course.”

Jo tapped her hands nervously on the bed as she waited for Henry to lie down next to her. It was a queen sized mattress, so they had plenty of space, and they were both wearing sleep pants and T-shirts. She continued to stare at the ceiling as Henry laid down on the bed and faced her. He covered her hand closest to him and gave it a squeeze. 


Jo laughed, “I don't know why I'm so nervous, it's just sleeping.” She turned her head to look at him. “And you're too much of a gentleman to do anything unbecoming.”


Henry folded his arms, tucking his hands under his armpits, and raised an eyebrow. 


“Yeah, good luck keeping that position all night.” She turned back to the ceiling and closed her eyes. “I'm going to attempt counting sheep while I listen to the traffic outside.”


When she felt the bed move, she looked over to catch Henry fiddling with a radio and soft classical music filled the room. 


“Yeah, that will definitely send me to sleep real quick. Thanks Henry.”


Henry nodded at her before getting back onto the bed and under the covers. He folded his hands across his belly and closed his eyes.


With a shake of her head, Jo followed his lead and slowly fell asleep.

A few hours later, Jo was awakened by movement on the bed. “Henry.” She whispered as she turned towards him. Henry had his arms covering his face and he was moving about with jerky movements.


“Henry, it's okay. You're safe.” Jo whispered as she grabbed his arms. He tried to escape her hold, but she just held on tighter. “Henry, you are safe. You're at home. Nothing is hurting you. Please look at me!”


Henry startled awake and quickly locked eyes with her. “Jo.” He croaked.


Jo grinned, “Yeah, it's me. You said my name!”


“I…” He cleared his throat and shook his head.


“It's okay, you don't have to speak.” She sat back and relaxed her hold, rubbing his one arm in a gentle pattern.


Henry closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breathing. 


Once she noticed the tension leave his body, Jo whispered, “Would you like to try to go back to sleep?”


Henry nodded and signed, “Thank you.”


“Of course.” She smiled as she laid back down. 


Henry turned onto his side and slowly took her hand. Jo mirrored his position. “Be careful, Henry. You don't want to give Abe anymore ammunition to tease us with in the morning.”


Henry rolled his eyes as he leaned closer and kissed her forehead then their joined hands. He opened his mouth a few times before croaking out, “Jo?”


“Yeah?”
 

“Than's.”


She blinked as a few tears fell. “As that Welsh poem says, I will walk with you whatever may come.”


Henry smiled as he squeezed her hand.

“Good Morning, Pops!” Abe greeted as he briefly looked up from the skillet.


It took Henry a couple of tries before he could croak out, “Abe.”


Abe whipped his head around and grinned, “Hey, what a surprise!”


“Still…tryin’.” Henry nodded.


“Well, don't strain yourself. Progress is progress, and I can be a very patient man.”


Henry raised an eyebrow, “Since wh-when?”


“Since always, just because you've always been too impatient to notice. Why don't you set the table? The eggs are just about done. And where's Jo?”


“Still s-sleep-n.”


“Then I guess we should be nice and save her some French toast.”


Henry nodded as he grabbed the plates.

*Two days later*

Abe was doing some bookkeeping when the phone rang. “Abe’s Antiques, how can I help you?”


“Hey Abe, it’s Jo. Is Henry around? I need to talk to both of you.”


“Yeah, he’s down in the basement with Lucas. Let me go get him.”


“Thanks.”


Abe set the phone down gently and went over to the staircase. “Hey Henry! Jo is on the phone. Can you come up here for a minute?” 


“Crummy timing!” Lucas complained. “Henry is on his way.”


“Thanks Lucas.” Abe replied as Henry appeared at the bottom of the stairs. “I know you have a phone downstairs, but Jo wants to talk to both of us and it will be easier for me to respond for ya if we’re right next to each other.”


Henry simply nodded as he climbed the stairs. He went over and picked up the phone, holding it between the two of them. “Hello Jo.” He croaked.


“Hey Henry. Is Abe still there?”


“Yeah, I’m right next to him. What’s up?”


“Well, we had sent out a BOLO about a possible death caused by dog attack and we got a hit late yesterday.”


“That’s good news, right?” Abe asked.


“Possibly. They have an ID on the victim, but Henry, we need you to come down to the station to look at some photos to confirm this was the same guy that kidnapped you.”


Abe frowned, “Is that really necessary? I mean, the guy is dead and Henry is free.”


“We need to be able to officially connect the two cases and close them. With Henry’s statement, it will also save the sheriff’s office time since they won’t have to look for a murderer.”


“The dead guy is the murderer.”


“I know that, but they don’t and I can’t tell them everything. Look, I can take Henry to work with me tomorrow, and we will have an ASL interpreter to be impartial. We will have Henry identify the guy, sign his statement, and then I can have him home by lunch. How does that sound?”


Abe frowned as he looked at Henry. “What do you think, Pops?”


Henry nodded. “Okay, tomah-morrow.”


“Thank you.”


“Alright.” Abe sighed. “But you don’t have to worry about taking him home afterwards, I can swing by the station on my way back from the West Side. I have a few pieces to pick up.”


“Deal.”


“Good. Now, what time should we expect you for dinner tonight?”


“I don’t think that I can make it tonight. We’ve got a late meeting with the mayor’s office, then we have to debrief afterwards. I’ll be lucky to leave by midnight.”


“We will wait up for you. I'm making chili tonight, and can keep it warm for ya.”


“That's sweet of you, but I’ll probably just grab something to eat at my desk.”


“Alright, but you're still welcome to sleep in Pop's bed tonight.”


Jo laughed as Henry blushed. “Thanks for offering Henry's bed, again.”


“He's standing right next to me and isn't protesting.”


“Henry is too much of a gentleman to take back the offer. I've got to go. I’ll let you know later how things are looking.”


“Okay, no problem. Thanks Jo.”


“Bye Jo,” Henry croaked out.


“Bye guys.”

Jo smiled as Henry unlocked the door. “Hey Henry!”


“De–tive.” He frowned at the missing syllable.


“You're doing great.” She entered and took off her coat. “Is Abe still awake?”


Henry shook his head as he locked up. “Sleep.”


“I’m not surprised, it's almost midnight.” She started for the stairs. “I'm sorry for keeping you up. I could have gone to my own house for once.”


“No p-problem.”


“Henry, I know you're a morning person and hardly ever see midnight without a good reason.”


“You're a good reason.”


“If you say so.” Jo blushed. As Jo reached the top, she immediately spotted Abe sleeping on the couch. “Tsk, you guys are ridiculous! Neither of you needed to wait for me.”


She walked over and nudged Abe's shoulder. “Hey Abe.”


“Hmm.” Abe grunted as he woke up.


“Why don't you go sleep in your own bed? I think your back would appreciate it.”


“Oh, hey Jo.” Abe yawned. “Yeah, you're probably right. Hey Pops, you mind staying up with Jo?”


Henry nodded as Jo shook her head. “It’s pretty late and I'm about ready to hit the sack too, so it won't be too much longer.”


“Great. Good night.” Abe waved as he walked towards his bedroom.


“G’night.” “Sleep tight.”


Jo walked to the sink to fill a glass of water and then grabbed a piece of pie. “I promise I won't stay up too much longer, you don't have to wait for me.”


“I’m fine.” He grabbed a glass of water for himself.


“I can also sleep on the couch, I’ve done it enough times.”


“No, we can sh-share. My bed.”


“Okay.” After a minute of eating, she commented. “Your voice is sounding better.”


Henry frowned. “Slow. Fr-frustrating.”


“Yeah, but it's progress. You'll probably be back to lecturing within a week.”


He shrugged. 


“How long was Lucas here today?”


“6 hours.”


“Was that too long?”


He shook his head. “Good kid. Helpful. We cleaned. Played chess.”


“Uh huh.” Jo nodded as she picked up her last piece of pie. “What all did you lecture him on?”


“History of chess.”


“And?” She smirked.


Henry rolled his eyes. “Natural cleaning rem-remedies.”


“I did notice the smell of vinegar and citrus when I walked in. Smells much better than some of the cleaning products I have at home.” She grinned as she got up. “That was good pie. I'm gonna have to ask Abe where he got it.”


“Maureen.” Henry shook his head as he followed. “Overcooked.”


“Maybe. But it definitely hit the spot after a long day of work.” She placed her dishes in the sink. “Okay, I'm gonna go to the bathroom first and then I'll see you in your bedroom in a few?”


“Yes.” Henry nodded

Chapter Text

*The next morning*

Henry froze as the elevator doors opened to reveal the bullpen of the precinct. Since it was 10am, the floor was pretty crowded and very lively.


Jo exited the elevator before she noticed that Henry wasn’t following. “Henry?” She asked as she threw out a hand to hold the doors open. “Are you okay?”


Henry shook his head and covered his ears.


“It’s too loud? Okay, well, after we check in with the Lieutenant, then we will find you a quiet room. Would that be okay?”


Henry started to nod, but jumped when an alarm sounded.


“That’s just the elevator, warning that the doors are still open. Can you exit the elevator for me, please?”


As Henry complied, he noticed that it had quieted down as almost every head had turned towards the two of them. Lowering his hands, Henry quickly made his way to the Lieutenant’s office and purposely avoided eye contact with anyone.


Jo shared a glance with Mike as she followed.


“Alright everyone, show’s over.” Reece called out from outside her office door. “Get back to work!” As Henry approached, Reece stepped aside. “Good Morning, Doctor Morgan.”


Henry nodded as he walked past her with his head down.


“Thanks, Lieu.” Jo smiled.


“Of course. One of the perks of the job.” She shut the door and went to stand in front of her desk. “Hello Henry, it’s good to see you again.”


Henry started to pull out his notebook and pen when Reece stopped him. “You can sign with me. I learned ASL as a child.”


Jo frowned. “I didn't know that.”


“I don’t use it very often since I’m not fluent enough to be a certified interpreter. Speaking of which, the interpreter should be here in about a half hour.”


Henry nodded and signed, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”


“You’re welcome. By the way, I noticed that you had a little trouble getting off of the elevator. Anything I can help with?”


He blushed and shook his head slightly. “The sudden increase in noise was overwhelming. It’s been awhile since I was surrounded by so many people and it was a bit of a shock when the doors opened.”


“Hmm, well maybe I can help with the volume a bit.” Reece walked around her desk and pulled a small package out of one of the drawers. “I occasionally have to use earplugs around certain people who are sometimes a bit too…enthusiastic in their volume.”


“Present company excepted?” Jo joked.


“Of course. Most people on this floor talk at manageable levels. The ones who don’t, well, let’s just say that I don’t plan on having a buzz cut any time soon.”


Jo laughed, “Maybe Henry needs to grow out his hair to hide earplugs.”


“I would love to see how Henry’s curls look longer.” Reece smirked.


Henry rolled his eyes.

“Are you okay, Henry?” Jo asked.


Henry nodded as he silently stared out the windows of the conference room. 


“Are you nervous about meeting the interpreter?”


He shook his head. 


Jo frowned. “Okay. I just hope you're not relapsing.” She mumbled.


Henry just shook his head again and continued looking out the window.


“Okay,” Jo sighed as she turned back to her report.


A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Jo glanced at Henry before getting up to open it. “Hi.” Jo greeted. 


“Hello Detective. I'm Doctor Sally Springfield, the ASL interpreter.”


“Welcome, I’m Jo Martinez. Please, come on in.”


“Thank you.”


“Hey Henry?” Jo prompted.


Henry took a deep breath before standing up and turning towards them. “Hello Doctor” he signed.


“Hello Doctor Morgan.”


“You can call me Henry.” 


“Lovely.” Susan turned to Jo. “Detective, I believe a Detective Hanson will be joining us.”


“Yeah, let me go grab him.” She glanced at Henry. “I’ll be right back.”


Once the door closed, Henry took a deep, calming breath before signing, “Thank you for coming. I appreciate it.”


“Of course. The department can provide plenty of accommodations for many disabilities, however temporary. An interpreter can be provided for you if you decide to return to work.”


Henry shook his head, “Not necessary. It is a psychological response to the trauma I endured and there has already been some improvement as I work through it. Right now the stress of being back in the busy station is compounding with it. I should be fine by the time I return to work.”


“Good to hear. Just know that you have options available.”


“Thank you.”


There was a knock as Jo walked in, followed by Mike. 


“Hey Doc,” Mike greeted. 


Henry bowed his head to him. 


“Hey, Mike Hanson, how ya doing?” Mike held out his hand.


“Doctor Sally Springfield.” She shook his hand. “I’m well, and you?”


“Alive, healthy, and kicking. So, shall we get started?” Mike looked at Henry and gestured to a chair as he sat down across from it.


Henry nodded as he complied.


“Okay Doc, here’s how it’s going to work: I’m going to show you a photo of six different guys and you just need to tell us which of them was the guy who kidnapped you. We are video recording and Doctor Springfield will be interpreting if you have any questions. If you get overwhelmed, we can stop anytime. Sound good?”


Henry nodded and signed as Susan interpreted, “Yes, thank you Detective.”


“Alright.” Mike opened the folder he had brought in with him and started pulling out photos one by one and putting them on the table in front of Henry. They all showed middle-aged white men with brown hair and brown eyes. 


Henry inhaled sharply when he saw the fourth photo. Mike glanced at Jo, but didn’t say anything until all the photos were on the table.


“Okay Doc, just take your time examining each photo and let us know if any of them is the guy.”


Henry gave all the photos a courtesy glance before signing with shaky hands. “It was the fourth one.”


“Are you absolutely sure?” Mike asked.


“Yes. The crooked nose from multiple breaks is hard to forget, as well as the faint scar near the eyebrow.”


“Okay. I’ll note that you identified photo number four.” Mike quickly picked up the photos and returned them to the folder. He pulled out a few sheets of printed paper and handed them to Henry. “And here is your statement that Jo typed up. Just double check that it’s correct and then sign and date it on the last page.”


Henry nodded as he read it quickly and picked up the offered pen.


“That was quick, Doc. Why am I not surprised that you can speed read?” Mike joked as Henry added his signature. “Well, that’s about all I have at the moment. Do you have any questions for me?”


“Did they find the dogs?” Henry signed as Susan interpreted.


“Yeah,” Mike grimaced. “One dog was already dead and they had to shoot the second one as it attacked them.”


Henry nodded. “What about my pocket watch?”


“I don't know. Last I heard, they were still analyzing the farm, but I’ll ask them to keep an eye out for it. Since they found the guy dead, you shouldn’t have to worry about testifying in court and we’re keeping your name far away from the reporters.”


“Reporters?” Henry frowned.


“Yeah. While it might not be news here in the Big City, it definitely rocked the small town that it happened near. We’re keeping it as tight-lipped as possible since we know how private of a person you are.”


“Thank you.”


“Of course. Do you have any other questions?”


Henry shook his head and looked down at the table.


“Okay.” Mike stood and picked up the folders. “I will go fax this all over to the sheriff's office. I’ll see ya later, Doc. Thanks again Doctor Springfield.”


“My pleasure.” Susan responded as Mike left.


Jo walked over and squatted down next to Henry. “Hey, I know this was a bit overwhelming; but you have a meeting with HR in ten minutes. Do you need a restroom break or some coffee?”


Henry shook his head.


“Okay, do you mind if I send Susan on a break?”


Henry shook his head and looked at Susan. “Is it okay to send you off for a few minutes?”


“Whatever makes you most comfortable. Should I meet you by HR in ten minutes?”


“Yes, thank you.” Henry signed.


“You’re welcome.” Susan smiled and left the room.


Once they were alone, Henry turned towards Jo and pulled her into a hug. He whispered hoarsely into her neck, “Thank you for being here.”


“Of course.” Jo smiled as she returned the hug. “Anything for you.”

*A half hour later*

Jo found herself glancing at her phone every few seconds while she was supposed to read through witness statements.


“You know,” Mike piped up from his desk. “You can just take the rest of the day off. I don’t know why you are trying to force yourself to work when you clearly can’t concentrate.”


Jo shook her head, “I’ve taken off too much time in the past few weeks, I would hate to add even more to your plate.”


“Do you see me complaining? I can handle it. Henry is the one who needs the help.”


“Exactly.” Jo sighed. “Ugg, I wish I could be in that meeting between Henry and HR.”


“Hey, no news is good news, right? If they weren’t going to offer him his job back, he would have been in and out in five minutes. Since it’s been almost a half hour, they must be negotiating.”


“The negotiating is what’s worrying me, especially since he’s not completely verbal yet.”


“But you said he’s progressing. Maybe he’s on one of his history tangents right now and that’s why it’s taking so long since he has to go through the translator.”


“Maybe.” They both looked up as the elevator opened. 


“Hey. What’s Lucas doing up here?” Mike asked.


“I don’t know. Hi Lucas!”


“Hi Jo. Hi Mike. Where’s Henry? I thought he was coming in today?”


“He’s with HR.”


“Sweet, I hope that means that he’s coming back to work.”


Mike grinned, “What, you’re this eager to get out from Doctor Washington?”


“Uh, Duh! Besides being set in his old ways, Doc W doesn’t let me try anything new and never lets me go to crime scenes. The only times I leave the morgue are during my breaks.”


“So I guess that means you’re on your lunch break now?”


“Yeah.”


Mike nodded as he stood up. “Then let’s go get some street food. Jo, do you want us to bring you back anything?”


“Sure, whatever you end up getting is fine with me.”


“What about Henry, should we get him something?”


Jo laughed, “Henry doesn’t like greasy street food, he says they add too many unhealthy chemicals. I think Abe was planning on picking Henry up around noon, so they will probably eat when they get home.”


“Alright. We’ll be back in a half hour. Come on, Lucas.” Miked called as he headed for the elevators.


Lucas sighed, “Yeah, I’m coming. Tell Henry I said hi and I hope he comes back to work soon, but not before he’s ready!”


“Okay,” Jo smiled as she turned back to her reports.


About 10 minutes later, Henry exited the elevator and joined Jo at her desk. Jo smiled, “Hey, did everything go okay?”


“Yes,” Henry whispered as he pulled out his phone and gave it to Jo.


She looked through the exchange with Abe and tried not to laugh at some of the spelling errors from Henry. “Okay, so they want you to schedule a physical exam and a psych eval within the next week or two. And you can start back by the end of the month? Henry, that’s wonderful!”


Henry nodded distractedly as he looked around the bullpen, flinching when someone dropped a folder on a desk. Jo noticed that Henry had the earplugs in and was gripping his pant legs.


Jo scrolled to the end of the texts where Abe mentioned when he would arrive. “I see Abe is on his way, do you want to wait for him outside? I can come with you.”


Henry smiled with relief as he stood and took the phone back. “Thank you.”


“Of course.” She put on her coat and led the way. “Let’s go. By the way, Lucas was looking for you a little bit ago. Mike took him outside to grab some food, so we might run into them.”


He shook his head good-naturedly as they waited for the elevator. “He doesn't n-need to see, sees me every other day.” Henry struggled to get out.


“Hey, he means well, even if he is getting a little obsessive. Just think of how excited he’s going to be once he hears that you’ll be back to work soon!” Jo grinned.


Henry sighed as they entered the elevator.

Chapter Text

*Next week*

As Jo came down the stairs into the basement, she found Henry staring at the notebook in front of him, Opera music playing in the background. “Hey Henry.”


“Jo.” He smiled as he leaned back. “Good afternoon. How are you?”


“Good Evening. It's almost 8.” She smirked as she watched Henry glance at the clock on the desk. “An interview with a suspect ran late, which was frustrating, but otherwise I’m good. How was your psych eval today?”


Henry shrugged. “As expected. They follow the same format every time and I know exactly how they would like me to answer.”


“So you cheated?”


“No. I know the criteria and there's nothing that should prevent me from returning to work.”


“Except when you get overwhelmed and stop talking?” She gave him a look.


“That, but those spells are happening less and less and for shorter periods. I should be recovered by the time I return to work next week.”


“Unless the stress of returning to work triggers it?”


“Thankfully I have a very competent assistant who also knows sign language, so we shouldn't have any problems.”


“Competent, eh? Wow, such high praise. I hope it doesn't go to Lucas's head.”


He huffed, “Are you done teasing me?”


“For the moment.” She grinned before glancing down. “What are you working on?”


Henry hesitated before answering, “I’m trying to log some of the deaths from my captivity.”


“Oh, Henry.” Jo came around the desk and stood behind his chair, placing her hands on his shoulders.


“I'm not being as impartial as I usually am when recording my deaths.”


“You don't have to be.”


“As it's part of my research about my condition, it is immensely important to be as objective as possible.” He looked back down at the notebook, which Jo noted had an outline of a human body on it and some writing she could not interpret.


“I’m all for leaving it in the past and moving on.”


“There's still the question of how I was able to reawaken in the East River when I was over a hundred miles away.”


Jo hummed as she leaned down, crossing her arms across his chest and leaning her head against his. “Can we just leave it as a miracle? Someone finally looking out for you?


“We might have to, I don't have any explanation for it.” He squeezed one of her hands. “Thank you, Jo, for being here.”


“Of course.” They stayed like that for about a minute before Jo’s back started to hurt. Standing up, she asked, “Where's Abe?”


“Out bowling with his friends.” He turned his chair towards her.


“Ah, so just the two of us. Are you hungry?”


“I guess it is dinner time, isn't it?”


“Yeah, almost past. Were you planning anything for dinner?”


“Yes, but I meant to start it a few hours ago.” Henry turned off the record player. “I believe Abe mentioned plenty of leftovers.”


“I love leftovers.” She smiled.


“I have found that you're easy to please.”


“Hey!” Jo protested as she swatted his arm. “Don't call me easy!”


“Only when it comes to food!” Henry corrected as he hid a smile. “You appreciate any food, especially homemade.”


“Uh-huh. Sure.” She grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the stairs. “I'm still going to make you wash the dishes tonight.”


“Oh course, dear.”

*Two Weeks later*

“Hey Abe!” Jo greeted as she entered the apartment.


“Hi Jo.” Abe called as he closed the oven. “Impeccable timing, as usual. Dinner should be ready in 15 minutes.”


“Great! Where’s Henry?”


“Last I checked, he was in his room taking a nap. Do you mind waking him for dinner?”


“Sure.” Jo hung up her coat before walking down the hall. She knocked gently before opening the door slowly. “Henry? Are you decent?”


Henry snorted softly, “I don’t really sleep in the nude, even if half the precinct seems to think so.”


“That’s too bad, it would definitely make our sleepovers more interesting.” Jo joked as she sat on the edge of the bed.


He sat up and smirked, “You are more than welcome to sleep unclothed, if you don’t mind risking Abraham catching sight of you.”


“I don’t know who would be more embarrassed. Although the teasing from Abe would be endless.” She took his hand and gave it a squeeze.


“Indeed. He’s already insufferable about you sleeping in my bed almost every night.”


Jo shrugged, “He’s secretly happy for us.”


“It’s not a secret.” Henry yawned. 


She laughed. “I don’t know how Lucas convinced you to do a movie marathon last night.”


“Maybe if you and Abe weren’t both busy, I would have had an easier time saying no. Abe still insists that I need a babysitter most nights.”


“He’s just concerned about you developing PTSD. Speaking of Abe, he said dinner would be done soon.”


“Thank you, my dear.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I will be out in a few minutes.”


“Okay, but you missed.”


“I thought you didn’t like morning breath?”


“I don’t, so you owe me double kisses after you brush your teeth.” She stood up and made for the door. “If I wanted a kiss on the cheek, I would ask Abe for one.”


“And he would gladly oblige anytime.”

After dinner, Jo and Henry cuddled on the couch. “So, how does it feel being back at work?”


“Good. Natural. Overwhelming. Tiring”


Jo laughed. “And has Lucas been behaving himself?”


“For the most part. Since I am only back on a part-time basis at the moment, Lucas still has to report to Dr Washington for half his shift. Therefore he will spend a significant portion of his time with me complaining. He is useful, though. Besides being able to anticipate my needs, there have been a few moments where I have become overwhelmed and had to rely on ASL for communication, and Lucas has been able to seamlessly make the switch with me. I will be talking to the board about getting Lucas a raise and hopefully a bonus.”


“Aww, you have a soft spot for him.” Jo teased.


“Naturally. Although I do believe in rewarding people who go above and beyond their job duties to help others.”


“Lucas is also being a good friend.” Jo suddenly sat up. “Speaking of good friends, I almost forgot.”


“Forgot what?”


Jo smiled as she went over to her coat. “Mike drove all the way out to the sheriff's office and back to pick up your pocket watch.”


“What?” Henry whispered.


“Yeah, he said you now owe him big time since it took him longer than expected.” She came back over to the couch and held out the watch. “I’m surprised it's still ticking.”


“Detective Hanson must have wound it.” Henry took it and inspected it. “I'm surprised it's not damaged from the elements.”


“That's the thing, when they searched the guy's place, it was locked away in a cabinet. Maybe he forgot about it.”


“I guess it doesn't matter either way. I am eternally grateful to have it in my possession again.”


“One day, you'll have to tell me the real story behind the watch, but not tonight.” Jo yawned. “I’m sorry, but I think it’s time I call it a night.”


“Are you staying here?” 


“Only if I’m welcomed.” She smirked.


“You are always welcomed, even if I’m not here.” He stood and put the watch in his pocket.


“Hmm, at this point, I might as well just move in. I’ve only slept at my place twice in the past month.”


“Then why don't you move in?”


Jo scoffed, “Excuse me, Mr. Old-school take-things-slow, is asking me to move in?! Isn't that a bit fast?”


“As you said, you barely spend any time at your own place. Might as well save money on mortgage and utilities, plus you wouldn't have to worry about buying a new mattress.”


“And what happens when you have to leave New York when people start to notice that you're not aging?”


“You'll come with me, of course.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it.


“Of course, he says. As if it's already a done deal.”


“You are the one who brought it up at the hospital.”


“I did, didn't I.” Jo shrugged as Henry stepped closer to her. “We'll see. It's too late at night to be making big decisions.”


“We both know you will.” He leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss.


Jo smiled, “I think I can be convinced. What was that Welsh poem? I’m with you whatever comes?”


“Mi gerddaf gyda thi beth bynnag ddaw.”


“Exactly.” She leaned in for a longer kiss and Henry happily obliged.