Summary:
All good things come to an end, like this little story. Is Abe now immortal? Will he and Henry have eternity together now? Only time will tell. And it's bye bye to the unpleasant and rude Dr. Washington. Maybe. Only time will tell. Jo and Henry finally have time to explore their relationship, and Abe can safely resume his with Fawn.
Notes:
I do not own "Forever" or any of its characters. If I did it would be on Tuesday nights at 8 on the CW. A nice network.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Hanson sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "As a father, myself, not sure I'd know how to deal with one of my kids being in trouble, real trouble, ya know?"
Henry pursed his lips and exchanged a brief, but knowing look with Jo.
vvvv
Finally, Henry was alone in his office and could call and check up on his son. But just as soon as he'd begun dialing the shop's number, he stopped and quickly placed the receiver back in its cradle. Hanson's words rang in his ears: As a father, myself, not sure I'd know how to deal with one of my kids being in trouble, real trouble, ya know? As a matter of fact, he did know. And he wasn't quite sure he was dealing with his son's situation in the best way possible. As with his first experience of his first death and awakening, Abe's situation of first aging backwards, then forwards was a first in his lifetime. And, as with his own condition, there were so many unknowns. What had caused it? Was it permanent? Would a cure ever be found to end it? And another ominous question lurked at the back of his mind regarding Abe: had he now fallen into a different form of immortality? Whenever he ... died ... would he simply revive, de-age, reset and revert back to his original elder age? Or to another age? Or simply die? Or not de-age or ... He closed his eyes and breathed frustration in and out. Yes, so many unknowns. But Jo was waiting for his call. He shook his head slightly, picked up the receiver again, and dialed her cellphone number.
vvvv
One hour before at the antiques shop ...
Abe slowly became aware that he was awake even though his eyes were still closed. The bed was warm and comfortable, too inviting to make a waking move just yet. The remnants of a strange dream faded away like a dissipating mist. He frowned, trying to hold onto it, trying to understand it. It all seemed so real as if it had actually happened. As if he had ... His eyes popped open and he pushed himself up off of the pillow to a sitting position on the bed, his feet planted firmly on the floor. The floor. He looked down at his adult-sized feet. Then threw the comforter back and looked down at his legs, thighs, upper body, his arms, hands. He felt his face, fingers patting, pushing and squeezing all over. He ran both hands through his hair as he rose and walked quickly over to the bureau and examined his reflection. A broad smile slowly crept across his face. The old Abe was back! He practically jumped sideways over to the full length mirror and examined himself from every angle, twisting and turning to make sure this was not a part of that strange dream that had quickly evaporated into the back of his consciousness. He turned suddenly and, in a crouched position, walked over to the nightstand to view the time on the clock radio.
"Wow," he marveled as he ran his hand through his hair and plopped back down onto the bed. "What a trip!" He laughed at the slang word he hadn't used since his student activist days at UC Berkeley. What a trip, indeed. It was all coming back to him now. The dream that wasn't a dream. It had actually happened. He'd de-aged in stages until he'd become a pre-pubescent, then slept his way through various stages of re-aging to his present state. But something was a bit off. Had he come full circle? A photo album lay near the radio on the nightstand, which he grabbed and flipped through the leafs. Eventually, he found a bowling league championship photo from eight summers ago and walked towards the bureau again, holding it under his chin to compare his reflection against it. Almost a perfect match, so ... he wasn't quite back into his early 70's. But even if it was a bit off the mark, he was glad to have reached this stage of ... what? What was this? He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, suddenly feeling the need to scrub off whatever madness that had just recently encased him.
vvvv
"Henry," Jo whispered, hurriedly answering her phone when she saw H. Morgan OCME displayed on the Caller ID.
"Jo. You sound as though you're in a well," he replied. "I believe you wanted me to call you?"
"That's because I'm in a stall in the ladies room. How are you holding up?"
He understood her unspoken concern. How was he holding up, not being able to be with Abe at what may be a crucial time for him. "It's, uh, a bit difficult, but he and I have weathered similar times, so ... But thank you for your concern, and, and for all your help and ... understanding."
"But you'd like to be there with him, right?" When he didn't respond, only sighed, she continued. "Leave, Henry. Go home, be with him. The James autopsy is done, Dr. Washington and his sister will be dealt with and looks like Councilman James will get his divorce a bit quicker than he thought," she wryly noted. "I'll drive you home. To - your home. Drive you to your home."
He chuckled a bit at her flustered last words. "I, I accept, I accept. Thank you, Jo." He smiled into the phone, then his face calmed into a more serious expression as he hung up. They met in the lobby shortly after.
Thirty minutes later, Jo's car pulled up in front of the antiques shop. They'd agreed during the ride from the precinct that he and Abe needed some alone time together. That was true and uppermost in his mind. But for a fleeting second, he realized that he also needed 'alone time', as she called it, with her. It seemed that for one reason or another, back-to-back emergencies, they just couldn't catch a break. This modern use of terminology was, regrettably, beginning to rub off on him. Either from Hanson's free-wheeling, New York-style of speaking, from Lucas' mostly unintelligible mish-mash of single words or initials to express an emotion, or from the police jargon thrown around the precinct. He realized that he wasn't being selfish in wanting to spend time with Jo. Just being human. And she made him ... feel. And he liked it. He liked it very much. But it was time for Abe right now. His feelings were secondary to the needs of his son.
"I hope Abe is ... better, Henry, back together, I don't know." She laughed nervously. "He might be a little embarrassed to see me just yet. But call me if you need me." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek but he abruptly turned his head towards her and planted his lips on top of hers. He clamped his hand onto the back of her neck, pulling her closer, and deepening the kiss. After several breathless moments, they reluctantly pulled away from each other. He felt torn. Again. While he wanted this moment with Jo to last, more of these kinds of moments with her, he, of course, wanted and needed to see about his son.
"I'll call you later with an update," he told her as he got out of the car. They smiled and waved to each other as she drove off back to the precinct. He turned and walked up to the shop's door with the Closed sign still displayed. Once inside, he locked the door and turned around and looked over the many items in the retail portion of the shop. It had been closed to customers for nearly a month now. Thankfully, the lack of revenue had had little impact on their finances. His own personal wealth aside, Abe was a very shrewd businessman and investor, and running the shop had become more of a hobby for him. The fact that it nearly always operated in the black was just an added bonus. He heard movement upstairs and his heart leapt.
"Abraham? Abraham?" he shouted louder than he meant to as he took the stairs three at a time.
"In here, Pops," Abe called from the kitchen.
"Abraham!" Henry was ecstatic to see his son back to normal. He quickly closed the distance between them and Abe stood up from his chair and the two men embraced.
"I'm fine, Dad. I'm okay," he reassured him. They patted each other on the back and pulled away from each other. Abe sat back down at the kitchen table and Henry pulled up a chair close to him. They discussed the extraordinary happenings of the last few days over tea, Thai takeout, and later, brandy in the sitting room.
"So, here I am," Abe sighed, placing a hand over his chest. "Back to my old, lovable self." His shoulders shook with laughter as he gazed into his brandy. "Except ..." He rose up out of his armchair with ease and sat back down. "No more back pain or joint aches." He rolled his shoulders backwards and forwards, then raised his arms over his head and crisscrossed them this way and that. "My overall flexibility has improved about 1000 percent!"
Henry frowned, his body tensed. Was it possible that Abe's body had reset or healed in somewhat the same manner as his did after a death? Was this now Abe's fate, as well? To be immortal?
"Hey, don't look so glum," Abe teased him. "Personally, I'm glad to be rid of all that arthritic joint and sciatic nerve pain." He chuckled again then leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Look, Dad, if this is what I think it is, so be it. If not," he straightened back up and shrugged, "then it was a crazy ride. One I'll never, EVER forget."
"You're saying that you wouldn't mind ... if this ... condition, for want of a better word, persisted?" Henry asked.
Abe sighed and swirled the brandy in his glass. "It hasn't really sunk in, I guess." He took a sip of his brandy. "If it means that you and I can stay together forever, then there's nothing bad about that. No way can I be sad about that." He studied the worried look on his father's face. "Look, it means that you won't have to bury me." He took another quick sip. "Maybe."
"Hmmm, I see." Henry rose and walked towards the stairs, then turned and walked back towards Abe.
"You're that worried that you have to pace?" Abe asked jokingly. "What's to be worried about now? If it happens, it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't."
"What about Fawn? Are you prepared to handle what may come of any relationship you may have with her if ... if you find that you won't age anymore, but she will?" Henry pointed out.
"Dad, we're kind of jumpin' the gun, I think. Let's ... let's just wait and see what happens." He sipped his brandy again. "Or what doesn't happen," he muttered. "Dr. Malhotra wants me for an MRI, I'll go get the MRI," he said with a shrug. "Dad, be happy that I'm back, sort of."
Henry finally traded his frown for a genuine smile. He was greatly relieved to see Abe back in full form. For now, for once, he was going to look on the bright side of things.
"And, for what it's worth, Dad," Abe began, "I now kinda know what it must be like for you." He motioned to him and added, "Dealing with something like this, some strange ... strangeness that just hijacks your normal life and turns ya every which way but loose."
Henry walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, smiling softly at him.
"Do me a favor, Pops. Next time I try to tell you to just tell somebody about yourself and your condition," he shifted in his seat and looked up at Henry, "give me a swift kick in the butt." To which both of them laughed and relaxed with a little more brandy and conversation.
vvvv
One week later ...
Lucas was busy packing some of Dr. Washington's personal items into a small, cardboard box. Ear buds in place, his head bobbed in time with the music. His voice at times growled, then squeaked off key as he gently slam dunked some of the unbreakable items into the box.
"Lucas." Henry called to him from the doorway of Washington's office. "Lucas," he called a bit louder. He walked in and waved his hand to get the young man's attention.
"Oh, hey, Doc, sorry." He pulled one of the ear buds out. "Got caught up in muh happy moment, here," he replied with a grin. "Need something?"
"I just wondered what you were doing here in Washington's office?" Hands clasped behind his back, he walked closer into the room as he looked around at the mostly empty shelves and tale-tell spots on the walls where plaques and certificates had recently hung. "He's only suspended, not fired."
"Yeah, well, tell that to him. He called in this morning to the Chief's office and asked if someone could box up his stuff and have it mailed to him. He has decided to take an extended leave of absence immediately following his suspension. Which means - "
" - he may not return at all," Henry quietly finished his thought. He turned slowly and looked around the small, sparsely-furnished, windowless office, surprisingly a bit smaller than his own. What a gloomy office, he sadly observed. But he was sure that the gloomy box of an office wasn't the entire reason for Washington's brusque behavior. Surprisingly, he had a great deal of respect for his fellow medical professional. He couldn't help but feel that something dire had happened in his past that caused him to develop his currrent sour disposition. "And, more than his present absence, but his probable departure is the cause for your celebritory mood, is it not?"
"Hundo P, Doc!" Lucas pitched another unbreakable knick-knack into the box as if executing a 3-pointer like hoops superstar, Steph Curry.
Henry smiled and shook his head. He didn't know if he was dismayed at yet another of Lucas' mutilations of the English language, or if it was because he understood it - 100%. He watched Lucas carefully lift the last item from a bottom drawer, framed photo of two men leaning close to each other for the shot, smiles beaming from both of their faces. From his vantage point, he couldn't make out who the second man in the photo was.
Lucas studied the photo in his hands before placing it into the box. "Hunh. I never saw Dr. Washington smile in all the four years I've worked here at the morgue. And he seemed to have even fewer friends than you, Doc - no offense."
"None taken," he assured him with a slight nod of his head.
"But he's flashin' a big one and seems all buddy-buddy with this other guy in the photo, whoever he is." Lucas passed the photo to Henry.
Henry took the photo to examine it, but dropped it into the box and turned towards a familiar voice.
"Hey, Lucas. Henry." Jo walked over to Henry's side. "What are you two doing?"
"Keeping a date with the oval office. If you'll excuse me," Lucas jokingly referred to the men's room. He loped off to answer his call from nature after asking them, "Can you guys keep watch over Dr. Washington's stuff til I get back, please? Thanks!" He disappeared out of the office and down the hall.
The detective and the ME shared a laugh over Lucas' antics. Henry placed the lid on the cardboard box and sat down in one of the small chairs facing the desk, Jo sat in another. They stole a quick kiss and discussed plans for their next date. A champagne dinner cruise that would include a private VIP table and view of Liberty Island, among other sights.
Abe's recent MRI and test results had provided no answers for his odd condition and after more than a week, he appeared to be stabilized to his early 60's. When questioned about the recent changes in his slightly more youthful appearance, he attributed it to more rest, more exercise and fresh air, and a healthier diet. But as long as he and his lady friend, Fawn, were still getting along famously, it didn't matter if some of his friends were a bit skeptical and maybe a bit jealous.
Lastly, if Henry and Jo had bothered to view that photo of an ebullient Dr. Washington, they would have discovered that his equally ebullient companion in it was a psychiatrist who worked at Bellevue Hospital. None other than Dr. Lewis Farber. Adam. But that's a story for another time, isn't it?
Notes:
Thank you all for taking this ride with me. I hope you were entertained along the way and will read and review my other stories. I wanted this story to be better and not so many chapters, but it is what it is, as they say.