Abby sat in front of her television set, trying her hardest to focus on the show that was playing. As much as she tried, she couldn't concentrate on it. Her mind was hundreds of miles away on a small island off the coast of Seattle. Frustration threatened to overwhelm her as she buried her head in one of her couch pillows and let loose a scream. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Why did he have to choose there? Of all places! Abby's mind was in constant turmoil and had been for several weeks.
Her best friend, Henry Dunn, had approached her, in person, a few weeks back. She had been surprised when he had dropped by her apartment one morning and asked if she wanted to have lunch with him as he had something to tell her. Millions of things had run rampant through her mind. Were he and Trish fighting again? Had Mr. Wellington finally put his foot down about Henry dating his daughter? Was something wrong with JD? Uncle Marty? Abby's racing thoughts had skidded to an abrupt stop. She had realized that Henry had been supremely happy when he had stopped in, so it couldn't be anything bad. Abby had to put her musings on hold as her publisher had called soon after Henry left, to talk about her latest project.
Two hours later, Abby had strolled through the entrance of the classy restaurant that Henry had picked out. She had been a little surprised at his expensive choice, but she had had to remind herself that Henry was actually doing quite well in the business world. While he was nowhere near as wealthy as the Wellingtons, he was quite successful and considered well off for a bachelor.
Abby had spotted Henry in a secluded alcove seating near a corner window and had quickly approached him. They had hugged in the familiar fashion of two people who were the best of friends before sitting down. Abby noticed that Henry couldn't stop grinning and she soon realized how infectious that was. Henry then announced the important "something." He was getting married to Trish! Abby had had to control herself to keep from leaping across the table to grab him in an enthusiastic bear hug. She quickly asked for more news about the happy event. She had listened rapturously as he told of the initial plans that Trish had for the wedding, about how she had already planned out events for an entire week! Abby's eyes had widened at that, but she quickly brushed the surprise aside. Trish came from money, so she could afford to host wedding activities for an entire week.
Henry had then gone on to list who he was thinking of asking to be his best man and his groomsmen. Abby smiled at Henry's mention of Sully. Sully was an excellent choice for best man. He would take prodigious care of Henry during his last days as a bachelor, but he would also stand firm by Henry's side as he waited by the altar on the happiest day of his life. As for the other potential groomsmen, Booth, Danny, and Malcolm; Abby couldn't wait to see them again. Abby was good friends with Sully, having met him through Henry one summer when Sully joined Henry on the island, but the others she had only interacted with infrequently as she had moved to Los Angeles by then and Henry only brought them on rare occasions to visit.
Henry listed off Trish's candidates for bridesmaids, mentioning that Trish had always planned on having her sister as her maid-of-honor. Trish had made up her mind on that back when she was just a child. As for the bridesmaids themselves, Abby had only met Lucy once or twice as she often accompanied Trish to Harper's Island years ago. The others, Abby had never met before.
Henry and Abby had had fun catching up on old times, paying particular attention to keeping the conversation well away from the year 2001. Whenever they strayed too close, Abby always changed topics quickly and abruptly. Once she had caught Henry's eye as she did so and she saw a glimmer of...hurt? in his eyes. She had been unsure of what it was, but she didn't want to start down that path. She was, in all actuality, still healing.
The bomb dropped after Henry had paid the bill. He was getting married on Harper's Island. Abby had been stunned into silence and for almost five minutes, she sat in absolute shock, staring blankly at the white linen tablecloth, her mouth opened in the surprised O-shape. Henry hadn't pressed the issue; he had let her sit in silence until the news had fully sunk in. Finally, she had raised her eyes to meet his and uttered the only word her lips could form, Why? Henry had been adamant about creating happy memories on the island again, especially after so much heartache. He felt it would be good for those who had been there that day, as a part of the healing process, and it was really the only thing he wanted out of his wedding. He was fully prepared to let Trish have her way with the rest of the plans, but he just wanted the location. Trish, he went on, had been apprehensive but when he explained his reasoning to her, she had been unable to say no to him. She had actually praised his forward thinking about using their wedding as a way to associate good memories with the island again.
An explosion from the television almost sent Abby farther back in her memories; back to a place she didn't want to go as it still scared her. Luckily, though, her phone rang seconds later and she was pulled back to the present. Glancing down at the display, she saw Henry's name lighting up the screen. She bit her lip as she struggled with what to tell him. Honestly, she still didn't have an answer for him. She knew he would be satisfied, up until the boat's departure, with anything but a definite "no." She hit the "answer" button.