The sharp crack of daylight prised open her eyes, her response, to roll with a groan into the back of the couch.
She pulled the blanket further over her bare shoulder. Something felt wrong. She was on a couch apparently semi naked.
A noise distracted her.
"Henry?" she croaked, before rolling her face back into the pillow.
"Sorry Jo, only Abe" he wandered over to the couch, moving discarded bottles aside with his shoe. Choosing a part of the seat not covered with either blanket or body part he relaxed beside her.
"Big night?"
"Your father is a pig," she mumbled into the pillow.
"Henry? really what did he do?"
"Am I on the couch?"
"Umm yes"
"Then your father is a pig. We have an agreement Abe, he dies I get the bed, I die he gets the bed, given I had to drag his sorry arse out of he river last night I would say that the bed was mine"
Abe could not help but grin with affection at the young detective crawling further under the covers as the sun rose higher. "Well from what I heard last night, and maybe what I can see now", he quickly scanned the empty glasses before him "I think you may have passed out"
Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she rolled over to better see the man sitting at the end of he couch.
"Does it get easier Abe, seeing him die I mean? I know what's going to happen but every time there is a 'what if' moment when I feel like I'm going to throw up"
Abe reclined further into the seat, rubbing his chin; he appeared to consider his thoughts before speaking.
"No Jo, it doesn't, wish I could tell you something different," sighing he leaned a little closer "I think a little bit of yourself dies with him each time, its exhausting"
For a moment the mutual experience of the void that threatened them each time Henry disappeared was wordlessly shared. Henry's journey they could not understand, over time it seemed they were learning to understand each others. Jo pulled out her hand and grasped Abe's.
"What I suggest", whispered Abe, gripping her hand briefly tighter "is that you get up and go into that room, remind Henry of etiquette", he grinned "and then remind yourself how precious life is, particularly second chances".
The broadness of her smile broke through the fog of the descending hangover. Gathering the blanket around her she stood up, leaning down to kiss Abe affectionately on the cheek.
"Thank you for being here for me"
"Anytime kid"
She turned towards the hall "Henry!"she yelled "you owe me big time".
Abe looked at his watch, wandering towards the downstairs store, and contemplating the apology that would be demanded of Henry to provide to Jo. He shook his head, grabbed it coat and decided to leave. No good apology was ever rushed.
