So here you go it took me a little while to put this chapter together, but here it is. As usual I own nothing, enjoy.
"Well looky who spent the night." Abe teased while serving up three plates. "The young lady teach you a few thing Pops."
"I appreciate the compliment, but I don't think I'm what one called young anymore." Jo smiled, "Well to Henry of course but certainly not to you Abraham."
"Excuse me." Abe frowned.
"Turns out you aren't the only Vietnam veteran in the house right now." Henry went straight for a cup of tea.
"I never actually served though, I don't think reporters count as veterans." Jo brought up. "Especially reporters who didn't actually set foot in the country before they were killed."
"No kidding." Abe set his silverware down.
"The helicopter I was being brought in on caught some gun fire and crashed." Jo explained.
"She managed to save everyone else on the helicopter." Henry bragged.
"Yea before waking up in a rice paddy." Jo rolled her eyes.
"So serving in Vietnam doesn't make you older than me." Abe argued.
"I've got at least ten years on you Abe." Jo stated.
"So a reporter in Nam huh?" Abe finally started eating again, and Jo just nodded, "I slept with a couple reporters on leave in Bangkok."
"I slept with a couple of soldiers in Bangkok." Jo returned.
"I was really hoping you weren't going to say that." Abe shook his head, "I have very few rules in my life but sleeping with the same woman as my old man is one of them."
"Relax Abe I had a few other things on my mind than sex at the time. I was just messing with you." Jo laughed. "I think your rule is still unbroken." There was silence for a couple minutes until Abe spoke up again.
"Does this mean I have to stop calling you kid?" Abe frowned, "Cause I mean I can it's not that hard of a habit to break considering I had to stop calling him dad in public when I was twenty."
"If you want to call me kid in public I'm not going to stop you." Jo laughed. "I won't stop you. However I do need to get home and shower before work, river water is not the most attractive smell."
"I hadn't even noticed." Henry assured.
"You've probably gone nose blind to the smell after so many deaths in New York." Jo teased, "You want a ride to work?"
"I would love one." Henry pushed his seat out and took both of their dishes to the sink. "Give me just one moment to clean up."
"Take all the time you need." Jo assured.
"I'll keep the lovely lady company." Abe added, waiting for his father to leave the room, "You're going to take care of him aren't you?"
"Excuse me." Jo frowned.
"Henry is…well Henry is Henry. He needs someone around otherwise he will lock himself off to the world. You weren't here when mom died, that destroyed him for nearly a decade. I want to know that you'll take care of him when I'm gone." Abe explained. "I'm not saying you have to be with him in a relationship sense, but he needs a friend."
"I lost my husband of nearly forty years I may not have all of Henry's life experience but I do know what he went through and I like to think I am his friend. Jo assured, "And what if I want to be with him in a relationship sense?" She smirked.
"Well then more power to ya because he is a handful." Abe smiled.
"I could say the same thing about you." Henry returned, "Are you ready to go."
"One quick stop at my house for a shower and a change of clothes and then work." Jo nodded. "See you later Abraham."
"You two old folks go out and have some fun, just don't break any hips." Abe called after them.
"What was it like?" Jo turned to Henry, "To raise Abe?"
"Abe was a model child," Henry chuckled, "To smart for his own good and full of energy. He hit a rebellious phase after he got back from Vietnam, that he may not have grown out of." This earned a laugh from Jo. "Did you and Sean ever?"
"No we thought about it for a period of time but after a number of failed attempts we decided we just weren't meant to have kids." Jo shrugged, "Did you and Abigail?" Jo parked the car and led the way to her home.
"No, we talked about it for a while but ultimately Abe was enough." Henry sighed.
"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable it should only take a couple minutes for me to clean up." Jo called over her shoulder. Henry wandered into the living room and took a seat on the couch. After a couple minutes he decided to take a better look at his surroundings. He had only ever been to Jo house once and never further than the doorstep. He moved from her movie collection to the bookshelf and that was where he was to be found when Jo came back down the stairs. "See anything you like."
"You have a very nice collection." Henry smiled. "You know detective I was thinking you lied to me. You told me you had never been outside of the country."
"And you told me you didn't have any children." Jo returned.
"Fair enough." Henry chuckled. "Though Abraham is adopted so in a manner of speaking he's not actually my child."
"That's crap and you know it." Jo rolled her eyes, "Come one we're going to be late for work."
"Lead the way." Henry nodded.