Juliet was still asleep when Henry woke up. He took an afghan from the couch and covered her with it. He wanted to move her to the bed but wasn't sure if his knees or back could handle it; he didn't want to risk waking her up anyway. He was heading towards the kitchen to get something to drink when there was a knock at the door. Opening it up, he found the Chief standing before him.
"Karen." He leaned against the door, his body language telling her she better be there for a good reason.
"Henry. Can I come in?" Her posture clearly showed that she wasn't intimidated.
"So long as you're quiet; Juliet's still asleep in the living room." He moved aside to let the woman in. They went to the kitchen and Henry poured them both a glass of water and started some coffee.
"What brings you back here Karen?" Henry's voice sent the message loud and clear: that she'd better get straight to the point.
"I wanted to tell you what happened. We already told Juliet, but I know you want to know." She took a deep breath and studied her water glass as Henry poured two mugs of coffee. She normally took one cream and one sugar in hers, but today she drank it black. Her voice was slow and her words carefully chosen when she spoke.
"Carlton, Shawn and I were at a mechanic shop talking to the owner. Shawn suspected he was guilty but he wanted to talk to him again. We were leaving the shop and were about to get to the car. Carlton and Shawn were arguing about evidence and gut feelings and visions and whatever else they argue about, when Shawn suddenly got quiet. Someone's two-year-old was in the middle of the road and a car was speeding towards him.
"Shawn, he-he just ran into the road and scooped up the kid in his arms. The driver's brakes were squealing but he was still moving too fast. Shawn turned his back to the car to protect the boy; they were both thrown. The kid's fine, just a little shaken. But Shawn-"she cut off and stared at the coffee in her cup. Both were silent for a long time. Finally, Henry cleared his throat.
"How- what was the COD?" Karen winced slightly as Henry's inner cop came out, but knew it was the easiest way for him to cope.
"Henry, it was really bad." She really didn't want to tell him. He looked up at her with a murderous look in his eye.
"I want to see him." She shook her head.
"No, Henry. I'm sorry. It's not anything anyone should see. And that's my final decision." He looked ready to kill her with his bare hands, and she was sure he could do it too; but Henry could tell she would not back down. He couldn't see his son's body.
"Then tell me every detail of how my son died. Tell me, Karen!" His voice was much louder and she glanced towards the living room, reminding him of his own warning. His eyes darted to the doorway for a second before he closed them and rubbed his hands wearily over his face. Karen bit her lip as she considered telling him. She finally gave in.
"Punctured lungs, brain trauma and internal bleeding." Henry's eyes closed again. She chose not to go into further detail when she saw his shoulders sag. He looked older than she'd ever seen him. "I'm sorry Henry. There was nothing anyone could have done. He died in minutes." Henry's head was resting on his arms on the countertop. His voice was muffled.
"Did he say anything?" She shook her head even though he couldn't see it, and her voice was soft.
"He said, 'sorry Jules'." Henry sighed and sat up.
"That kid. All his life, immature, irresponsible, a womanizer- then he meets Juliet." He looked over toward the doorway again with a soft look in his eyes. "When he met her, I could tell it was different. Shawn seemed different; he even looked different. I was sure he was playing some colossal joke when he told me he was proposing. When he actually said 'I do'," Henry sighed. "They've been married fourteen months now, and I'm still not sure this isn't some dream, that I'm not going to wake up and be ticked off by some more of Shawn's childish antics." He looked out the window. "He really loves her." He shook his head. "Loved, her."
Karen stared at her coffee cup once more before she stood. "I should go. There's some paperwork to fill out, and-"her voice trailed off. "I'm sorry, Henry." Henry waited for the click of the closing door before he got down from the kitchen stool. He leaned against the island counter and slid down to the floor. For a while he simply sat there, staring at nothing, his mind slipping between emptiness and too many thoughts. Finally his tormented brain stopped on one thought, and it screamed at him, torturing him over and over again.
"SHAWN IS DEAD. YOUR SON IS DEAD. HE'S DEAD." Henry broke down and cried.