Abe tries to convince Henry to tell James the truth about his condition. James blames Jo for Henry's current state and has a fight with her over the phone.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I'm merely borrowing them for my own amusement.

Warnings: Adult Themes, Slash, Temporary Character Death, mentions of Suicide

Spoilers: General spoilers for the whole of Season 1.

Author's Notes: This story exists in an alternate universe in which James Carter is alive in present day. Henry and James had been dating for awhile before Henry started working with Jo. I'm not sure when exactly this story is supposed to take place, but it's probably before the events of episode 8. This story was written for the Big Reveal Ficathon event.

When Henry next opened his eyes, he saw Abe standing over his bed. "Abraham, what is it? I'm afraid I'm feeling a bit under the weather at the moment."

"Sorry Dad, I didn't mean to wake you," Abe answered. "James told me you were sick, so I just came up to see if you needed anything."

"Yes, unfortunately my gunshot wound has become rather badly infected, so James went to fetch me some antibiotics from the pharmacy," Henry explained.

Abe grimaced and nodded. "Can I get you anything to help you feel better?"

"A cup of tea would be lovely, but other than that, I just need rest," Henry answered, smiling softly at his son's concern. "Perhaps a pitcher of water as well. I really should be drinking plenty of fluids."

"Ok, I'll be right back." Abe patted his father's hand before leaving the room. He returned about fifteen minutes later with a cup of tea and a pitcher of water. He handed the cup to Henry and set the pitcher down on the night stand.

"Thank you Abe," said Henry as he accepted the tea. He grimaced a bit as he took a sip, noting the bitter taste that wasn't completely obscured by the generous amount of honey that Abe had added to the tea. "Willow bark?"

"Yeah, you know... to help with the fever and pain," Abe explained.

"Yes, I am quite familiar with the uses for willow bark," Henry replied with a chuckle. "However, I've already taken some Percocet which should help my fever as well as my pain. Though, I suppose I can use all the help I can get." Henry took another sip of the tea, savoring the warmth if not the flavor.

"So how bad is the infection?" Abe asked as he took a seat on the end of the bed.

"It's quite bad I'm afraid," Henry answered with a serious tone and a grim expression on his face, "potentially life-threatening. James was talking about taking me to the hospital if I get any worse. We might be able to hold off on that for awhile though, since I do have all of that IV equipment down in my lab. You have to promise me that you won't let him drag me to the hospital Abe. I can't risk dying there."

Abe sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Yeah ok, I promise. This would be so much easier if you'd just trust James enough to tell him the truth about you."

Henry took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before answering. "I know Abe. I'm just not ready yet. Most people do not react well to the truth."

Abe nodded in sympathy. "I understand, but you'd better get ready, because if you don't get better, then James is going to have to find out one way or another."

"I know. I really should tell him when he gets home," Henry said and finished off his tea before continuing, "but I'm not sure I have the energy for that discussion right now, and he's sure to think I'm delirious from the fever."

"I know you're exhausted, but if you wait until you get worse to tell him, then you'll have even less energy for it than you do now," Abe pointed out. "Well, whatever you decide to do, I'll be here to back you up." Abe gave Henry's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Henry smiled and returned the gesture. "Thank you Abe. It does help knowing that I have your support."

"Well I'd better get started on dinner if I'm going to make you some soup," said Abe taking Henry's empty tea cup.

"Alright, I'll just try to sleep until James returns." Abe patted his hand before getting up and leaving the room. Henry closed his eyes and drifted off again into a fevered sleep.

James headed straight to the bedroom as soon as he returned home. He smiled sadly when he saw that Henry was fast asleep again. He sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over Henry, gently pressing a kiss against his lips.

Henry opened his eyes and gazed lovingly up at James. "Mmm, I think I might just go back to sleep so that you'll do that again."

James laughed and affectionately ruffled Henry's hair. "How about I kiss you again after you take your antibiotics?"

Henry grinned. "That seems fair."

James took the glass from the night stand and filled it from the pitcher. He then handed Henry the glass along with a couple of pills from the prescription bottle. Henry swallowed the pills down with a small gulp of water before placing the glass back on the night stand. Henry let out a soft sigh of pleasure when James kissed him again as promised. "I also got you a treat," said James, placing a brown paper bag on Henry's lap.

Henry raised an eyebrow and peered into the bag. It was filled with half a dozen blueberry scones. "Thank you James. This was very thoughtful of you."

"Well you really should have some food with those pills, and I thought your favorite dessert might cheer you up," James explained.

"Just having you by my side is enough to cheer me up," Henry answered squeezing James's hand. He took one of the scones from the bag and ate a few bites before returning it to the bag.

James frowned. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"No no, it tastes wonderful. I'm afraid I'm just not very hungry right now. Besides, I'll need to save room for dinner," Henry explained to reassure James. "You know my appetite is usually poor when I'm feverish."

James nodded and moved the bag of scones to the night stand. He then reached over to feel Henry's forehead. "Yes you definitely still have a fever, though you don't feel quite as warm as you did before I left. How are you feeling?"

"The Percocet has definitely reduced my pain, but it makes me so tired," Henry answered suppressing a yawn.

"I'm glad it's helping. I hate to see you in pain. I really hope the antibiotics will help too," James replied solemnly.

"Don't worry James. I'll be alright. I'm a survivor." Henry squeezed James's hand in the attempt to reassure him.

"Yeah you'd have to be," James answered with a slightly bitter tone. "It's a wonder that you haven't gotten yourself killed by now."

Henry sighed heavily, but didn't respond, partly because he couldn't bring himself to tell James the truth just yet, but also because it felt like things were starting to stray back towards their earlier fight, and the last thing he wanted was to fight with James right now.

James mentally slapped himself when he saw the pained look on Henry's face and gently squeezed his hand back by way of an apology. "Is there anything you need right now?"

"If it's not too much trouble, would you mind lying next to me while I rest and perhaps read to me?" Henry asked hopefully. He was too tired to read to himself, but at the moment he wasn't tired enough to go back to sleep either.

"Of course Henry. I don't mind at all." James leaned over and kissed Henry on the cheek as he picked up the book from the night stand. He kicked off his shoes and curled up next to Henry on the bed. James opened the book to where Henry had left off, and tenderly caressed his good arm as he read to him, until he drifted off to sleep once more.

An hour later, Abe poked his head into the bedroom. James was lying on his side on the bed next to Henry, stroking his hair as he watched him sleep. "Dinner's ready James. Though I don't know if we should wake Henry or let him sleep."

James glanced up at Abe and gave him a tired smile. "As much as I'd like to let him sleep, we should probably try to get some food into him. He barely took two bites of the scones I brought him."

Abe frowned. "Wow, he must really be sick then."

James's face tensed up in a worried expression. "Yeah he's not well at all." He started shaking Henry gently to wake him up. "Come on, wake up Henry. Dinner's ready." Henry only responded with a low groan and turned over onto his side facing away from James.

Henry jerked awake with a yelp as he felt an explosion of pain in his injured arm. It didn't take him long to realize that he had rolled over onto that side in his sleep. He turned back onto his back, squeezed his eyes shut, and gasped repeatedly as he tried to breathe through the pain.

"Henry!" James exclaimed, unsure what had happened.

Abe rushed to the bedside in alarm. "What's wrong with him?"

James frowned. "I'm not sure. Henry can you tell me what happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

Henry shook his head. "My arm..." he trailed off and gritted his teeth in pain, unable to say anything more.

"Oh!" said James in sudden understanding. He wrapped his arms around Henry to comfort him, careful to avoid his injury. "It's ok, just keep breathing. It'll subside soon." Henry nodded and muffled a moan into his James's shoulder. "His arm is just hurting him a lot from when he rolled onto his side," he explained to Abe.

Abe nodded and sighed in relief. Though he hated to see his father in pain, he was glad that it wasn't anything more serious. He sat down on the edge of the bed and squeezed Henry's hand while James stroked his hair. Henry squeezed his hand back and attempted to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace.

After a few minutes, the pain in Henry's arm faded significantly, and he relaxed against James, still breathing heavily. "Please remind me not to do that again."

James chuckled. "I'll try, but I don't have much control over what you do in your sleep. I could always tie you up, but I think I'd prefer you to be awake for that," he replied cheekily. This earned him a weak laugh from Henry and a disgusted look from Abe.

"I think I just lost my appetite," Abe muttered. "Speaking of which, are you hungry? Dinner's ready."

Henry sighed. "Not really, but I know I should eat something."

"Are you feeling up to coming downstairs to eat at the table, or do you want me to bring you up a tray?" Abe asked gently.

"I think I'd like to come downstairs. I've been lying in this bed for several hours now, and I'll be back here all night long," Henry answered. "Would you please help me out of bed James?"

"Of course Henry." James got out of bed, scooped Henry up in his arms, and started to walk towards the bedroom door.

Henry burst out laughing. "Put me down you ridiculous man! Just because I needed help getting out of bed does not mean I'm not capable of walking."

Abe rolled his eyes at the pair. "I'll just be down in the kitchen," he said and left the room.

James chuckled and set Henry down. Henry put a robe and a pair of slippers on over his pajamas. He was much steadier on his feet than James had expected, and didn't even need to lean on him as they descended the stairs. He supposed the medication must have reduced his fever as well as his pain.

Abe had prepared roast chicken and a salad in addition to the soup he had made for Henry, but Henry couldn't seem to stomach more than a couple of bites of chicken and salad, and he mostly stuck to the soup. James could tell that Henry didn't really want to eat the soup either, but at least he was making a real effort to get some food into him.

About halfway through their meal, the phone started ringing. Henry started to stand up, but James placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I'll get it, you just keep eating," he said giving Henry's shoulder a gentle squeeze as he stood up. James made his way to the kitchen phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey James, it's Jo. Can I talk to Henry?"

James sighed heavily when he heard who was on the line. "Yes he's here, but we're in the middle of dinner right now."

"I'm sorry. There's a crime scene and I can't seem to get a hold of Lucas. He's probably out at some club where it's too loud to hear his phone. I know Henry's still on the mend, but I was hoping he might be up to coming down," Jo answered apologetically.

"No Henry can't come to a crime scene," said James trying, but not quite succeeding, to keep the anger out of his voice. He could tell by the concerned looks on Henry and Abe's faces that the anger must be showing on his face as well. He took a deep breath to steady his voice before continuing. "His gunshot wound is badly infected and he has a fever. In fact, he's going to have to call in sick for the next week at least."

"Yikes! Is he going to be ok?"

"I don't know Jo," James answered honestly. "It's pretty bad. I've started him on a course of antibiotics. If he's lucky, this will be enough to keep him out of the hospital."

"Well tell him I hope he feels better soon. I guess I'll just try Lucas again, or find another ME if he doesn't answer. Would Henry be up for visitors? I can try to stop by after I'm done with the crime scene if it's not too late."

"I don't think that's a good idea," James answered, not liking the idea of Jo being anywhere near Henry while he was recovering. "He needs his rest. Maybe tomorrow if he's up to it, but please call before coming over."

"Ok, I understand. I'll check in tomorrow. Please let me know if there's anything I can do."

"I think you've done quite enough already," James snapped. "Abe and I are more than capable of taking care of Henry."

Jo sighed. "Look I'm sorry James. I completely understand why you're angry with me, but I didn't ask him to take that bullet for me. If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty upset over the whole thing myself. I didn't even want him to come with me, but he was pretty insistent, so I made him wear a bulletproof vest. Unfortunately, those things don't come with sleeves."

James's expression softened somewhat when he heard the detail about the bulletproof vest. At least she had been trying to keep him safe. "Ok, I'm sorry I yelled. I guess Henry is who he is and neither of us could change him even if we wanted to."

Jo laughed sadly. "No we couldn't. Well I'll let you get back to your dinner and I'll call tomorrow to see if Henry's up for visitors. Have a good night."

"You too. Goodbye Jo," James said and hung up the phone. When he made it back to the table, Abe was looking rather uncomfortable, and Henry had an amused smirk on his face. "What?"

"I just love it when you get all protective, even if it's not necessary," Henry answered, reaching out to squeeze James's hand affectionately.

"Just eat your soup," said James with an exasperated roll of his eyes, but he couldn't help smiling and squeezing Henry's hand back.

After dinner, it was right back upstairs for Henry. James helped him to get ready for bed, which included changing the bandage on his wound and applying fresh anti-bacterial ointment. James decided to turn in early as well and got changed for bed. Once James was in bed with Henry, he picked up where he'd left off with the book earlier until they were both fast asleep in each other's arms.