Red was sick again, stage 4 liver failure. He knew it was from all the drinking he did throughout his lifetime.
Liz came home after picking Agnes up from school. She didn't know if Red was in his study drinking or if he was in bed sleeping. After shutting the door, Liz puts her keys in the bowl. "Agnes, go do your homework. I'm gonna go check on your father."
"Okay mom. Can I talk to you later about dad?" She asked as she was worried about Red.
Liz smiled at her daughter, "Sure baby." She then went to her husband's study to see if he was there. She knocked on the door "Raymond?" She waited a few seconds before she opened the door. He wasn't in the room, she shut the door behind her; she then went towards their room. She opened the door and saw Red on top of the sheets with his hands crossed over his stomach. He was knocked out snoring, Liz smiled as she walked inside. She grabbed a light gray throw blanket they kept in their room and placed it on him. She walked out of the room and shut the door, she went to Agnes' room and knocked on her door.
Agnes opened the door. "Everything okay mom?" She asked
"Yes, your father is sleeping. Did you want to talk now or later?"
"Later, I wanna get my homework done. Maybe after dinner or when dad goes back to bed, if it's not too late at night." She said looking down at her math homework and then back at Liz.
Liz was proud of her daughter wanting to get her homework done and not procrastinate. "Okay well if you need me, I'll be laying down with your father. I'll be in to check on you in about an hour."
Agnes nodded and then continued her homework.
Liz walks back to the bedroom, where Red was still sleeping. Liz slips in bed with him, she kisses his cheek "I love you Raymond." She whispered in his ear. She laid her head down next to his. Liz began to doze off next to her husband.
An hour later Liz woke up to Red being awake looking at her. "Hey sweetheart. Is everything alright?" Red asked, looking at his wife.
"Yes and no. We're worried about you. I don't want to lose my husband yet. We've only been married for three years." Liz stated her fears. She knew after Red left this world, she would never marry again. Her entire heart and being belongs to him.
He holds his wife and looks at her softly "Lizzie, sweetheart. I know and these past three years have been amazing. You gave me a second chance at life and you also gave me Agnes. I didn't deserve a second chance at life or having another family." He then looked down
Liz sighed listening to her husband. "Yeah it's been amazing but still Red. We need you here, our family was complete when we had Agnes. I'm not giving up on you. You did deserve a second family. You're a fantastic father and an amazing husband. What would I do without you Red?"
Red kissed her cheek softly "I'm trying Lizzie, but having end stage liver cancer, there's not much that I can do. I'm sorry my love, I don't regret our time together." He said giving up after being in so much pain.
Liz let tears fall from her eyes. "Raymond, I don't wanna talk about you dying right now. I can't get my head around how unfair it is. I can't live without you and I don't want to." She began sobbing knowing that this reality that she was so afraid of might come true soon.
Red wipes Lizzie's tears from her eyes. "Everything's gonna to be alright." He kissed the top of her head
Liz shook her head "No it won't be Raymond. I don't wanna talk about this right now." She knew he wasn't going to get better
"We all need to be prepared for the inevitable Lizzie. You heard what the doctor said." He said holding her close to him even though he was weak.
She kissed him softly on the lips. Afraid that it could be any day now that they would lose him forever. "I know but I don't wanna live without you Raymond."
It pained Red to see his Lizzie like this. "I know love, I can't either. I will wait for you like I did to be with you after Tom." He kissed her head gently
Agnes was done with her homework, she put it back in her bag. She heard her parents talking, she went to their bedroom door and knocked.
"Come in Agnes." Red spoke wanting to see his daughter. Red was holding Liz close to him not wanting to let go of his wife.
Agnes walked in and saw her father holding her mother like it was his last time. "I just wanted to tell mom that I was done with my homework." She said walking towards the couple. She walked over to Red and hugged him. Just like Liz, Agnes started to cry. "Dad I don't wanna lose you." She sniffled through her tears into his back.
Red let go of Liz with one hand and gently twisted his body without hurting him or Agnes. He held Agnes and Liz, he kissed Agnes' head. "I know baby, we did everything we could possibly do. Just know that I will never leave the two of you, I will watch and still protect you." He said "I have my ways." He began to cough
Agnes looked at him and started to worry more. "Should I get you some water dad?" She asked as his coughing fit continued.
Red sat up still coughing and nodded at Agnes.
She went to give him some water to drink. She then sat with Liz, cuddling with her.
Red drank the water that his daughter gave him, he laid back down and looked at his second family. In a way he regrets not letting Agnes have a little brother or sister, but with his circumstances he's totally fine with it. He didn't want two kids and his wife to constantly worry about him in his last days. It was already too much with one child and his wife worrying about him. He smiles at them softly "I love you both so much."
"We love you too." Liz said holding Agnes who still had tears in her eyes. Agnes and Liz stay in the room with him until he falls asleep again. Once they noticed he was asleep, they walked out of the room. Liz followed Agnes to her room. "You wanna talk now?"
Agnes wiped her eyes. "I'm scared mom. I'm not ready, dad's the most important man in my life. I don't wanna lose my rock just yet."
Liz hugged her as Agnes cried. "I know baby, he's my rock too, and he's the most important man in my life too. I won't ever love another man as much as I love your father." She said as if it was a vow.
Agnes nodded and held her mothers hand. "Mom, would you ever remarry?" She asked curiously
"No never Agnes. There's no other man for me other than Raymond Reddington."
"Sorry I was just curious."
"Don't be sorry, you were curious. I gave you my answer."
Agnes hugs Liz. "Does Uncle Dembe know what's going on?"
"No, but I'll call him. He knows about the prognosis but he doesn't know that he hasn't been getting out of bed." She grabbed her phone from her pocket and dialed Dembe's phone number.
"Hello, Elizabeth. How's Raymond?" He asked curiously
"That's why I'm calling, you need to get here and spend some time with him. He hasn't gotten out of bed, I'm not sure how much more time we have with him."
"I'm leaving now, I'll be at the house in a few minutes."
"Thanks Dembe, we will see you soon." Liz said before hanging up
About a half hour later Dembe showed up, Agnes let him in and gave him a hug. "He's in the bedroom. Mom can take you."
Liz walked down the steps seeing her husband's bodyguard and friend as she walked to greet him. "Hey Dembe, thanks for coming over." She said and then led him to her and Red's bedroom. She opened the door for Dembe to see his friend sleeping on the bed.
Dembe walked over and sat down on a chair and held his hand. "Raymond, you need to fight, I know that's the last thing you wanna hear right now. We all need you, not just Elizabeth and Agnes but I do too. You saved me when I was a kid but our bond is like brotherhood." Dembe sat there with him and waited for his friend to wake up.
Soon after Red woke up and looked at Dembe "Dembe…" he said and then coughed "You know those videos I did a while ago?"
"Yes."
"Give them to Liz and Agnes after I'm gone, not before. Understand?"
Dembe nods, understanding what his friend was getting at.
An hour later Red started coughing again as Dembe was still spending time with his friend. "Dembe go get Lizzie and Agnes…."
Soon Liz and Agnes come into the room with Dembe. Liz and Agnes sat on the bed and Dembe sat on the chair. "Raymond what's going on?" Liz asks concerned
"I think it's gonna happen any minute and I want all the important people in my life all in one room." He coughed again. "Dembe when I'm gone keep an eye on them for me." He spoke gently towards his friend as he breathing started to shallow out. Then he looked at his wife and daughter. "My beautiful girls. Agnes, promise me you'll move past this and know that I'll be here with you every day. I won't be in pain anymore baby." He reached to hold her hand again. Then he looked at Lizzie and smiled at her "Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be fine. When I get wherever I'm going, I'm gonna find Sam and tell him everything. I'm sure he knows it all anyway but I still will. In sickness and in health Lizzie, remember that. Tears are only temporary girls, I'll see you and Dembe again. I love you so much Elizabeth Reddington." Red leaned over to kiss Lizzie on the lips for the last time. It was soft to say goodbye but not a forever goodbye. He laid back down holding Liz and Agnes hand in his own as he looked at Dembe and then at his family one more time before shutting his eyes. A minute later he was gone.
Lizzie kept her promise to Red that she would never marry after he died. Her and Agnes missed him every day. Over the years the house changed a lot. Liz didn't want to move since it was the first and last place her and Red lived in together. Agnes met James in college during Biology class. Both James and Agnes were going for Veterinary sciences. Agnes was striving to be a Vet Tech and James a Veterinarian.
They ended up getting married a few years after they graduated from college. A few years later they welcomed a healthy baby boy and named him after Red in honor of her father. When Lizzie found out she smiled and then cried. She stays at the house and babysits her grandson while Agnes and James work at their clinic. Lizzie knew Red would've loved having a grandson. She still missed him after all these years, her life was never the same.
About 30 years later…..
Liz got sick with kidney cancer a few years earlier. She tried everything to keep herself from ending up in the end stages right away like her husband. She fought for years with kidney cancer, every treatment available she tried but her body had rejected all of it. It was like her body was ready to give up so that she could be with her husband for eternity now. She was a few years older than Red was when he died, boy had she missed the hell out of him. She ended up in the hospital because of an uti and she couldn't take meds for it. She called Agnes from the hospital.
Agnes and James closed the clinic for the day as an emergency they had the receptionist call all the patients to cancel appointments. James drove them to where Liz was. Once they got to Liz's room, they saw baby Raymond in his car seat on the chair near her. "Mom what happened?"
"I had pain in the kidneys so I called 9-1-1. Turns out I have a case of uti. Not sure what all they can do. Agnes, can I talk to you alone for a minute?" She asked, looking at Agnes and James.
James took the cue to leave the room. Agnes sat down near her mom. "What's going on?"
Liz smiles and kisses her hand softly. "I'm getting really weak honey. I'm not gonna fight it, I'm tired of fighting. I'm gonna see your father soon, I'm gonna tell him everything about you, James and baby Raymond. He would've loved to hear you named your son after him. Whatever happens I love you so much. You made us so proud of you honey. Please tell baby Raymond about your father and I as he grows up." Liz smiles at her softly "Can I hold him one more time?" She asked
Agnes nodded and walked over grabbing her son from his car seat. "You never have to ask mom. I love you too mom and I will tell him." She handed the baby to Liz.
Raymond cooed at Liz and smiled.
Liz smiles softly realizing for the first time "Oh my goodness. Agnes, did you realize that he has your fathers eyes." She rubbed her eye when a stray tear fell from it. Liz then held the baby and kissed him "I love you so much baby Raymond. I'm gonna see your grandpa soon, he would've loved you." She kissed his cheek again and then handed him off to Agnes.
Agnes nods when Liz brings up her son's eyes. She grabbed him from her mother. Agnes texted her husband to join again.
James walked in the room and stayed with them, as he sat next to his wife and held her.
A few hours later Liz looked at Agnes "I love you Agnes, James watch after her for me. Make sure she's okay."
"Of course." He nodded as he held onto his wife worried about her well being.
"Good. Don't forget Agnes. We both love you so much." Liz said as those were her last words before taking her last breath.
James held a weeping Agnes in his arms as she watched her mother pass on.
After Life
Red was sitting in a house looking out over a beautiful garden just like from the house he owned with Lizzie.
Lizzie appeared behind him, she gasped gently and then covered her mouth. She knew he heard her.
He turned around and saw his wife standing there. "Lizzie? You have no idea how long I've been waiting here for you." He walked over, wrapped his arms around her hips pulling her close to him and kissed her like no tomorrow. "I missed you so much."
Lizzie smiled back at him, "I missed you so much." She said and then she filled him all in on Agnes and her life.
"She named a son after me?" He asked surprised
"Yes, he was so adorable. He smiled at me and had your eyes. I missed these eyes so much." She kissed him again.
"See darling I told you tears were only temporary." He smiles at her softly
"Yes you did."
"Dembe, Cooper, Sam, and Charline are all here if you would like to see them." He said
She remembered everyone she lost after her husband. "They can wait. I only want to see you and spend time with you for now."
"Yes they can, I'll lead the way my dear." Red said grabbing her hand
Liz smiled and followed her husband before they met with their friends.