Carlton sat on the edge of the room, watching the bustle of people move around him. Everyone was talking and laughing. The air felt light and hopeful. He felt comfortable and at ease for the first time in as long as he could remember. The anxiety that had followed him day in and day out as he sat in different hospital rooms all alone melted away with the warmth that everyone brought with their presence. He didn't want to admit it, but he was happy to have the room full of people. He was glad they were all able to come together.

He wasn't able to see everything that was going on around him, and a lot of the conversation was lost on him, but the room wasn't silent. In the last two weeks of therapy, he had spent quite a bit of time sitting in this room completely alone, only the sound of whatever daytime news was playing on TV to fill the empty space so he didn't feel the void.

He watched Marlowe out of the corner of his vision talking to Henry and Karen, laughing at something Karen had just said. He watched Juliet roll her eyes as Selene sang Christmas songs to her belly button. He watched Lily playing with her My Little Pony dolls with Iris, the girls chasing each other around the room, their horses bouncing off the counters and chairs.

Relief and exhaustion settled over him as the conversation eventually began to die down. Iris slumped onto the Chief's lap and Lily had curled up in a ball between Shawn and Gus who were bickering softly over her head. He wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that Lily had spent so much time with them in his absence, but she seemed to be happy with them, so that was good. He would just have to spend quite a bit of time when he got home undoing whatever nonsense they had taught her while he was away.

"Well," Chief Vick said, tapping Iris on the shoulder so she would stand up. "We've had a wonderful night, but I think we have to get home. Someone needs to go to sleep."

"Mom!" Iris started to say, rolling her eyes, but as soon as she opened her mouth a big yawn stretched across her face.

"Yeah, us too," Marlowe said, picking up Lily from between Shawn and Gus. Slowly, the rest of the group began to collect their belongings, give their hugs, and file quietly out the door.

"I love you," Carlton said, kissing his sleeping daughter on the top of his head before kissing his wife. "I'll see you soon."

"Yep," She responded, wrapping a coat around herself and Lily before walking out the door. As he watched his wife carry away his daughter, he felt sparks of envy jump inside his chest. He could picture Marlowe carrying Lily out of the car and up the stairs, helping her put on her pony pajamas, and tucking her into her bed. He wanted to be there. He wanted to help with bedtime and tuck her in and give her goodnight kisses in her bed before laying with Marlowe tucked in his arm and falling asleep in his own bed.

At this rate, he wouldn't even be able to make it up the short flight of stairs to his own bed, let alone carry Lily up them.

He sighed and looked up to find Henry still sitting in the corner of the room, watching him closely.

"Jesus, Henry," Carlton said, squinting to make out the other person in the room who he was almost positive was actually Henry and not just some dark shadow seeping out of his nightmares. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Henry shrugged casually, taking a sip of his beer.

The men sat quietly for a minute before Carlton broke the silence. "You're going to be a grandpa."

"Yeah," Henry smiled to himself, but Carlton could see something resembling regret form in his eyes, "If Shawn ever speaks to me again."

"Spencer's not talking to you?" Carlton watched Henry peeling the paper off the bottle with his thumb. He was guilty of something, but Carlton couldn't read what.

"I may have said some stupid things when he tried to tell me Juliet was pregnant. He got mad and left. And he hasn't really talked to me since."

"He's an idiot. He'll come around. He always does with me, no matter how often I snap at him." Carlton thought of all the times he had yelled at Shawn Spencer over the years. But no matter what he said, Shawn always got over it, making some joke at Gus' expense and they would move on. At first, Carlton had figured it had to do with Juliet. They tried to play nice around her, neither wanting to be on the receiving end of one of her "talking to's." But he liked to think that at a certain point it was because they had become a certain kind of friend. Maybe not share deep dark secrets friends, but definitely bail each other out friends.

"You're not his father," Henry said, crossing his arms tightly.

"And thank the sweet lord for that. I don't need to be letting down anyone else right now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Henry asked, tipping his head slightly.

"Really?" Carlton said, hesitating to open up.

"Try me."

"You saw how many people it took me just to attempt to walk. Not to actually walk. They were picking up my legs for me. If that's what it takes for me to get from point A to point B, what kind of father am I to Lily? I can't play with her or tuck her into her bed. I can barely talk. I'm utterly useless to my entire family."

"Lassiter," Henry said, and Carlton could feel the weight of Henry's eyes. "Didn't your father die when you were fourteen?"

"I was twelve, but yeah." He thought back to the night his mom came home, tears staining her eyes. It was supposed to be a routine procedure, they said. He would be home before the end of the week, they had promised.

But "He's gone" was all his mom could say before sliding down the inside of the front door.

"You know what didn't happen to Lily?" Henry said, his voice short and stern to keep Carlton's attention. "She didn't lose her father at four years old. And do you know what didn't happen to Marlowe? She didn't become a single parent before her child even made it to Kindergarten. You're still here, Lassiter. Even if you can't be home now. And I can promise you, if you ask those girls if they would rather have a version of you who can't yet walk up the stairs or not have you at all, they wouldn't even have to think about it."

"I feel bad not being able to be there for them."

"Great," Henry said, his elbows resting on his knees as he leaned into the conversation more intensely. "Channel that energy. Use it to get home to them. That's all they want, Carlton. They just want you home."

Lassiter looked down from his atrophied leg tightly bound in a brace to his contracted hand folded stiffly into a lazy fist. It was hard to believe that they would want any part in this walking disaster.

"How are you adjusting to being out of the hospital?"

"Not too bad, I guess," Carlton said, afraid to say any more. Afraid to be labeled as crazy and be sent even farther away from his home.

"Man, I remember my little stent in the ICU," Henry said, subconsciously rubbing his shoulder. Carlton thought back to the case they had found with Henry's old partners who ended up being dirty cops. He remembered the phone call he had gotten from O'Hara, clearly upset, telling him that Carp had shot Henry. He had been shot by his partner. He couldn't imagine. He and O'Hara put their lives in each other's hands every day. They trusted each other with everything. Instead, Henry's partner had shot him, left him for dead.

"I remember that too," Carlton said, still shaking his head.

"I was only there for a week. I recovered quickly with some physical therapy. But those five days that I spent in the ICU intubated- I wouldn't wish that on an enemy. Let alone a good friend."

"Did you just call me your friend?"

"Carlton, if you need anything, you can come to me. You are an amazing father and an incredibly strong man- the strongest I know."

"Stronger than Shawn?" Carlton said, a mischievous smile sneaking onto his face.

"Yeah right," Henry said, letting out a laugh. "Shawn couldn't handle an hour of what you are going through right now. You're pretty incredible. And you are an amazing husband to Marlowe. And you're going to make one hell of a role model for Lily as she grows up, watching how strong her Dad is. He doesn't take shit from anyone or anything- not even a major stroke."

"Thank you, Henry," Carlton said, watching the man grab his coat and food tray.

"Any time, Lassiter. And you keep telling that stroke to suck a popsicle."

Carlton smiled at the cane sitting at the foot of his bed. The words felt powerful, like an order, more than an inspirational quote. "Now that I can do."