Well Henry, your test results look good." The doctor read from the man's file. "Though your cholesterol is getting up in numbers, so you might want to keep an eye on that. Otherwise I'll be seeing you in another year."
"Thanks Doc. I feel great anyway." Henry was in good spirits, he felt great. Ready to out on the boat again.
With that Henry Spencer stood up from the chair in the doctor's office, took two steps and collapsed.
With a hospital full of people, doctors and nurses, clammering over him, the most modern medical services available at their touch. No one was able to revive him.
RIP Henry Spencer.
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3 Months Later
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At Gus' urging, pushing and prodding. Shawn finally makes his way into his dad's bedroom.
His sanctuary.
It's only been three months. Shawn still wasn't ready to go in there.
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"Shawn it's time." Gus is at his side.
It's time to start breaking down Henry's memories, putting stuff away.
After several hours of reminiscing, sorting and storing, Gus finds the box in the back of the closet.
"What's this?"
"Oh dad probably kept a running tab on the people he put away or the love letters he and his girlfriends were writing to each other. You know before the computer age. Go ahead and open it."
Gus opens the box and finds pictures, cards; Henry really did save the stuff from Shawn.
Then as Gus starts to read them, his face starts to pale, this stuff isn't from Shawn or about Shawn. This can't be right.
He reads a couple of the older letters, it's true.
At the bottom of the pile is an official looking document.
"Dude!"
Gus jumps at the sound of his friend as he tries to hide the document behind his back.
"What is it, secret stash of love letters? A secret will? Unknown safety deposit box?"
"No Shawn"
But Shawn had already grabbed it and started to read it
It was a birth certificate.
Name of child: Bethany Spencer Walters
Mother: Linda Renee Walters
Father: Henry Daniel Spencer. (Haha, Dad's name was Henry Daniel Spencer, and…uh, wait and this Henry Spencer had the same date of birth. And what else was funny was that Bethany was his paternal grandmother's name.)
But the girl was born in Dade County, Florida.
Henry moved to Dade County, Florida for a couple of years when Shawn was a young adult.
What was dad doing with this girl's birth certificate? And what are these cards and pictures.
The piece of paper attached to the birth certificate explained it all.
It was confirmation of test results that Henry Daniel Spencer was the father of Bethany Spencer Walters.
Shawn picks up and reads some of the cards, and looks at the pictures.
"Dad? Had another child?"
Shawn looks at the date of birth, and quickly calculates the time frame.
She was born almost seven years after Shawn. Henry would have had to have the affair the summer that Madeline had taken Shawn to stay with friends during summer vacation.
"Shawn…"
"Dad ha-had an affair." Shawn tries to get the words out.
"Shawn" Gus tries to rationalize the findings to his best friend. "I'm sure there's an explanation for this."
"I have a sister." He says in disbelief.
Shawn begins looking through the pictures. From an infant to an adult. He saw that 'Bethany' favored Henry.
She sent him birthday cards, father's day cards, just because cards, graduation announcements, letters. Henry kept them all.
And letters from Linda, the paramour, the whore, the woman he cheated on his mom with.
Why didn't he tell him? Why didn't anyone tell him? Shawn was pacing and furious.
"How could he keep this a secret from me for 25 years?"
"Shawn you should really read the letters first to understand--"
"No, no I don't, he lied about this my whole life and - - - "
Shawn eyes falls on a certain picture in the box. He picks it up and stares. He's seen this picture before.
"Dude come on." As Shawn heads out the door and down the stairs.
"Shawn where are we going?"
"To talk to someone about a picture."