Forever

Mike's hair never really had grayed. He had some gray, sure, but instead of spreading gradually through, he had bold streaks at his temples and hiding underneath the black. Carolyn pushed her hand through his hair, studying the hidden gray and thought he would just wake up one morning with a full head of white hair.

A pang of worry shot through her, then: If he had that many mornings left.

"Mom?" Andy's voice was strained, but quiet. Carolyn put on a smile and turned to face her son. She stepped away from her husband and met Andy near the doorway of the room, giving him a fierce hug.

"It was a heart attack, they're pretty sure," she said quietly. "They're keeping an eye on him tonight and will run some tests in the morning." She kept her hands on his arms and smiled at him proudly. "Go on," she said, tilting her head toward her husband.

Andy let go of his Mom and walked ten paces to his father's hospital bed. Mike seemed asleep, but he opened his eyes and looked up at his son. Seeing Andy in his full patrol uniform brought a spark to his eyes and a proud smile to his lips.

"Hi, Dad."

"Son." Mike could read the worry on the younger man's face. "I'm fine," he said.

"Dad…" Andy looked him over quickly.

Mike reached for his son's hand and shrugged. "They'll fix me up."

In the hall, Carolyn met Bobby and Alex with hugs. She filled them in on Mike's condition and the three looked through the open room door at Andy, who stood by his father's side.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked her friend.

Carolyn had to swallow a deep breath to answer without tears. "I think so."

Bobby put an arm over Carolyn's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. He saw Andy coming towards them and said, "I'm gonna, uh…"

On the way into the room, he gave the younger man a hug and a pat on the arm. Then Bobby went to sit by Mike.

"Hard to believe we were ever that handsome," Bobby said, with a glance in Andy's direction.

"Speak for yourself. I still am," Mike retorted.

That one snarky remark lifted a weight off Bobby's shoulders. Mike was all right.

Out in the hall, Carolyn was reassuring her son. "Go home and change. We'll be fine."

Andy looked back at his father, then turned to his mother. "You're sure, Mom?"

"The nurses don't seem worried. I think he'll be fine tonight."

"I'll come back, stay the night."

"Okay." Andy gave his Mom and Alex a kiss and hurried away, leaving the two women alone.

Alex took Carolyn by the hand. "Walk with me," she said.

"It was completely unexpected," Carolyn explained. "We were just getting ready to go out and he sat down on the bed and grabbed his arm… Alex, I've never been so scared. The look on his face…"

"But you got him here, they're taking care of him."

"He said his Dad had heart problems. I never knew that." Alex gave her hand a squeeze and they walked down the hall together.

Knowing Andy would return soon, Bobby & Alex said their goodbyes and promised to return in the morning. "Sorry," Mike said to Alex.

"For what?"

"Dragging you out here, messing up your evening."

"We're retired, Mike. It's not like we have to get up in the morning." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "We'll see you tomorrow." He raised a hand in a weak wave and they left.

Finally alone with him, Carolyn took his hand and sat on the edge of the bed beside him. "How are you?" she asked in a whisper.

"Just tired, now. I guess a bad ticker will do that."

Her hand ran through his thick hair. "Andy will be back soon."

Mike smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her fingers in his hair. "He's a great kid," He said.

"You'll get no argument from me," she said. Their son, now 24, had completed a 4 year degree in criminal justice and then gone to the Police Academy. He was a rookie cop in Brooklyn, and so far, had earned nothing but respect from everyone he'd worked with. Mike and Carolyn both were proud of their son.

"Speak of the Devil," Mike said, grinning. Carolyn stepped back and they watched Andy walk up. She kissed her son's cheek, a gesture he had to bend over to receive. At 6'6", Andy was taller than his father.

"Hey," Andy said. He was still concerned, but not as tense as he was earlier in the evening. "Anything new?"

Carolyn shook her head. "He's doing fine," she said. She went and sat in the visitor's chair.

Mike yawned, and rubbed his face with his hand.

"Get some rest, Dad. You don't have to stay up for me."

Mike nodded, and with a smile, he closed his eyes. Andy got the other chair and sat, but almost immediately, his cell phone buzzed. He dug into his jeans pocket and got it out. He read quickly and texted a reply. Looking over at his Mom, he explained, "Katie."

She smiled and nodded and turned to look at her husband. He was still pale, but he wasn't in pain anymore. They were feeding him oxygen through a tube under his nose and had given him an IV for who knows what. Compared to earlier in the evening, he looked great. She leaned her head back against the chair and closed her eyes, while Andy silently texted back and forth with his best friend, Katie Goren.

The morning brought a round of tests, and a lot of waiting. By ten o'clock, Mike was back in his room, waiting for the doctor to make his rounds. Bobby and Alex joined Carolyn in Mike's room, while Katie went to meet Andy in the cafeteria.

"How is he, Andy?"

"Pretty tired. He's tired of being here, too. He can't stand being poked and prodded and being wired to the heart monitor."

"Sounds like your Dad. He must be feeling better." She took a bite of her breakfast sandwich and studied her friend. "How are you?"

Andy shrugged. "This is scary shit, Kate. Dad's never had any kind of heart problem before. He's always been in good shape, and pretty healthy."

Katie stretched out her hand and laid it on Andy's arm.

Andy continued. "I… I never thought about… losing him before. I mean, not really. I guess some of his detective work was dangerous, but I was so little then I never knew."

"All of our parents are getting old," she said. Katie had been afraid for her parents many times, especially her father. His health had always been a concern, in one way or another. "You know, it's good, though. Now he knows he has a problem, he can look out for it. You know, eat right and all that."

Andy nodded his head. "How's your new job?"

Katie, after finishing her degree in Psychology, had just hired on with NYPD as a department shrink. In addition to providing therapy to officers, she did evaluations of criminals and was called as an expert witness in the courtroom. She shrugged. "They think I'm too young. The cops don't want me to treat them because they think I'm just a kid, and the lawyers don't want me to testify because a jury will see me that way."

Andy offered her a consoling smile. "Don't worry, Kate. Once you hit the stand a couple of times, they'll all want you on their team."

"You're sweet, Andy. How's Angela?"

Andy shook his head. "Oh, you know, on again, off again. I don't know."

Katie frowned. "Did you tell her?"

He nodded. "She said I could call her if I needed her and to give him her best."

"But she didn't come?"

He shook his head. "It was late, you know."

"Andy." Katie waited until he looked into her eyes, but then she decided against saying anything to him. He had to realize on his own that Angela was not the girl for him. "Shall we go upstairs?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm done." As they walked upstairs, Katie tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.

Another day, and a minor procedure, and Mike Logan was finally sent home. Andy was there waiting for them when they arrived.

"What are you doing here?" Mike asked. Andy had a place a couple of miles away.

"I stocked up your fridge. You guys don't need to be running out for groceries for a few days."

"Thanks." Mike sat in his recliner, blissfully happy to be home.

Carolyn walked past him and joined her son in the kitchen. "Katie made a couple of casseroles and stuck them in the freezer for you. Take it easy, Mom. And call me if you need anything. Don't let him climb out on the roof or anything."

Carolyn put her palm on his cheek. "You're such a good son. Are you working tonight?"

"Yeah. But you can still call if you need anything."

"I know."

He kissed her cheek. "I love you, Mom." As he walked to the front door, he stopped and kissed his father on the top of his head. "I love you, Dad."

"Don't get all mushy on me, I can still kick your ass," Mike said, but with a smile on his face.