It's a Parent Thing
Hank could say that the exact moment he heard about the proposal that Kim had gotten from Adam cinched something inside of him. It was as if he was letting her go, like that of a father letting go of his grown daughter. And though he already had a daughter, Hank still considered Erin & Kim honorary daughters. But the moment he learned about Burgess' engagement, he called her into his office. "Are you happy?" is the first thing that comes from his mouth.
"Excuse me?" Kim blinks in confusion at his question.
"Ruzek. Does he make you happy?" Hank asked.
"Yes. Yes, he does, Sarge," Kim replied with a nod and a brief smile.
"Good. I don't want that to change, not for you or for him," Hank told her with a nod. Kim nods in response then looks Hank square in the eyes. "You're dismissed, Patrolman. You have a good night."
Kim turns and walks out as Hank turns to the photo frame on his desk, which contained a photo of himself & Camille with Johanna, Justin & Erin when they were younger. Next to Hank was a happier Alvin & his wife Meredith with their newborn daughter Lexi in her mother's arms; the two families dressed up for a special occasion. You're going to find love again one day, Henry, Camille had told him. You'll find love again. "I found it, Cam. I found it," he says to himself. And then he reaches for the phone to dial the familiar number.
"This is Olivia," the muttered feminine voice said through the line on the phone.
"I'm sorry if I woke you up, but I had to talk to you 'bout something," Hank said in his gravely tone, speaking low enough.
"I'm awake. What's up?" Olivia said, sitting up and cuddling the little boy asleep on her chest closer as one arm wrapped around his slumbering form.
"I'm feeling like a failure," Hank replied.
"What makes you say that?" Olivia asked.
"They're either growing up on me or already have," Hank tells her.
Olivia smiles. "That's 'cause they are, Hank. And you know you can't stop it, even if you have tried repeatedly," she says.
"I know. I just want them to be young again," Hank said.
"But they can't be, Hank. Eventually they'll fly off and you won't know what to do with yourself, a middle-aged man," Olivia tells him. "Besides, you know you have a long way to go before Noah gets that way."
"How's the little man doing these days? Is he keeping his mother out of trouble?"
"He's working on it. We're keeping each other in line, though," Olivia replied. Hank chuckles at her response. "So, who's the lucky couple?"
"Adam Ruzek and Kim Burgess," Hank tells her.
"Ah, the officer in your unit and one of the patrolmen," Olivia said with a nod of her head. She had heard about their story from Hank a while back when they were working the cases together, and found it very sweet how the young male officer had taken his time with his now fiance. "But, from parent to parent, we all have to live with our kids' growing up years."
To her, it was a parent thing. And she was learning early enough with Noah that you didn't change any of that.