Audrey visits her father on the class trip to NYC. Shawn learns something he never knew about Jon.

The United Hospice of Rockland was in New City about 45 minutes from where the class was staying in New York City. Mr. Feeny had given Audrey special permission to visit her father. Shawn doubted that he and Jon were supposed to go with her, but they went anyway.

Jon seemed particularly nervous about meeting Audrey's father. Shawn didn't understand why. It would be different he'd never met the man before; fathers could be a great hindrance to dating daughters. However, Jon already knew Audrey's dad so Shawn didn't see what the big deal was.

When they arrived at the hospice, he was expecting a hospital and was surprised to see a building that looked more like a big nursing home. It looked even more like one on the inside. This came as a great relief as Shawn hated hospitals and doctors with a passion.

Front desk staff greeted Audrey warmly and gave her an update on her father: no change. A nurse told them they could go on back to Mr. Andrews' room. He was waiting for them.

"Hi, Daddy," Audrey ran over to her father's bedside and gave him a kiss. "How are you?"

The man lying in the hospital bed gave her a weak smile. "Much better now, Princess."

Audrey gave him the flowers they'd brought and spoke to him for awhile. Shawn stood by Audrey's side, unsure of what, if anything, to say. Mr. Andrews saw him and very slowly moved his eyes to the boy. The man's eyes were gray like Audrey's but very clouded. Shawn gave him a tight smile. Mr. Andrews lifted his hand a few inches off of the bed and pointed to him. Shawn looked over his shoulder to see if Jon was behind him.

The man gave a raspy laugh at the boy's reaction. "This must be Shawn."

Shawn was surprised, but pleased, that he knew his name. "Yeah," he said. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Andrews."

The man closes his eyes coughed. He frowned and shakily moved his hand back and forth. "None of that now. Call me Richie if you can't call me Pops yet."

Shawn wrinkled in nose at this. "Pops?"

"You're her kid, aren't you?" He looked at Audrey.

A smile tugged at the corner of teen's mouth. "Yeah."

"And you know, she's my kid, right?"

Shawn couldn't help but grin. He ducked his head shyly and put his hands in his pockets. "Okay, Pops."

The man smiled then turned to Audrey. "Where's J?"

"Hiding," Audrey laughed.

"I am not." Jon stepped out from behind the door. Shawn gave him a wicked grin and laughed, too.

Richie gave him a warm smile. His eyes teared up when he saw the teacher stand behind his daughter and Shawn.

"It's good to see you, J. It's been a long time."

"I know." Jon leaned between Audrey and Shawn to take the man's outstretched hand. "I'm sorry about that, Richie. I shoulda come home sooner." Jon felt guilt-stricken by his lack of care for his former mentor. "I don't know why I stopped writin'."

"You're here now. And I stopped writin' you. Or Audrey did. She took my dictation until she," he paused as looked as his daughter. Audrey shook her head slightly. "Until she got sick."

"Sick?" Shawn asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Audrey gave him a tight smile and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Jon couldn't help but stare at his former mentor. The once larger than life Magnum PI look-alike was now so frail and thin. And looked so old. Richie was propped into a sitting position by the bed that was partially raised. His once bright eyes were now dim; his hair and mustache were just gray wisps of their former self. Jon just couldn't believe that this was his hero. Richie had been invincible, untouchable. He was a real life Superman. How could this be him now?

Richie gave him a moment then asked, "You still go by Jonny?"

Jon shrugged. "Not really. A few people call me that. It's either Jon or Jonathan now."

"Which do you prefer?"

He smiled. "I prefer J."

Richie shook his head slightly with a smile that said he didn't believe the young man."I hear you're teachin' now?"

"Yeah," Jon said. "Out in Philly. Finally made it into a classroom like you wanted. I guess you know Audrey is my student teacher."

"I do." He smiled slightly. "Funny how small the world is, isn't?"

The teacher nodded. "I'm so sorry about Lizzy, Richie. I wished I'd known when it happened. I woulda come home."

Richie waved this off. "You were travelin'. In Europe, if I remember right. I didn't want to call you back."

"But still..."

"But nothing." Even in his greatly weakened state, Richie still held an authority over the younger man Jon didn't argue with him. "You'd come so far by then. I didn't want anythin' to set you back. Comin' to the old neighborhood then woulda been a bad idea."

"Yeah," Jon conceded. "Probably."

"You in contact with anyone from back then?"

"Naw," he said. "Eli and I are still best friends, but no one from here. No one but Audrey." Jon paused and a frowned pinched his brow. "We went to John's last night. Ran into Angelo."

Richie didn't look happy to hear this. "Don't get involved, J. Don't go back to that. Not even to relive the good times. There are some things that never change."

"Says he's been clean four years."

Richie snorted. "By who's calendar?"

Jon pursed his lips. "You sayin' he's not?"

"Did he look clean to you?"

Jon considered this, but he didn't know so he shrugged.

Richie sighed and his voice softened. "I still know what's goin' on out there. People from my Venus days still come to see me."

Jon lit up at the mention of the Venus. "Best times of my life were workin' there for you."

"Best times, huh? Some of most disgusting, too. You remember that stall you had to clean?"

"With a toothbrush," Jon laughed. "Man, I still smell that puke late at night sometimes. Worst punishment you ever handed out."

The men continued on like this. Shawn was fascinated by the back and forth. They clearly knew each other very well at one point. And Jon acted like the son who'd come after a long time away and was eager to gain his father's approval again. What intrigued Shawn even more were the stories behind their words. He was dying to know the details.

After awhile Richie took Audrey's hand and smiled at her. "I'd like to talk to J alone, Princess. Why don't you and Shawn grab somethin' to eat."

"Okay, Daddy," she hugged him and gave Jon a pleased smile before she took Shawn by the hand and led him to the door.

"I don't wanna go," Shawn told her. He looked back at the men who were already in deep conversation. "I wanna hear what they're gonna talk about."

Audrey pointed to the hallway. "And they don't want you, too. Now come on."

Shawn spent thirty minutes wandering around the hospice with Audrey. The care center turned out to also house an assisted living facility. They stopped and talked with several residents, many of whom thought they were their grandchildren. Shawn actually enjoyed slipping into role of different kids and chatting with the residents about their lives. The staff commended him for his kindness and said that many of their people never had any family come to visit and told him that he just brightened their lives for a long time to come.

Shawn rejoined Audrey in a walk around the facility feeling good about himself. Finally, she let him go back to "Pops".

When they returned to the room, Richie sent Audrey away again, this time with Jon. It was Shawn whom he wanted to stay. The teen was delighted by this.

"So," Richie said. There was a rosy flush to his cheeks now and he looked much more alive than when Shawn left with Audrey. "My daughter has told me that you're livin' with J right now and have been for awhile."

"Yeah," Shawn said wondering how much the man knew. "My mom kinda took off and my dad went after her."

"You hear from them much?"

"No," he sighed as feelings of abandonment washed over him. "He's called like once in all the time I've been with Jon. I'm not even sure where he is." The only thing Shawn knew for sure was his dad wasn't anywhere near Air Force One. "Mom's never called at all."

"How do you feel about that?"

Shawn blinked. Other than Jon and Audrey, no other adults consistently asked him how he felt about what was happening to him or what he wanted. They just told him what to think and how to feel. Even well meaning ones like the Matthews and Mr. Feeny. Audrey and her family must be teen-whisperers or something weird to ask him how he felt about things all the time.

"Unwanted. Sometimes I think that Dad found Mom and that they're out there makin' a new life for themselves. I don't think either of them is gonna come back. They don't want me." Shawn couldn't explain why he was telling the old man anything, but there was something about him that made him want to talk. Maybe it was because of Richie's connection to Jon.

Richie nodded. "J says you've been in some trouble."

"Yeah," he huffed his bangs out of his face, "been brought home by the cops a few times. Jon's always bailed me out. I've given him a pretty hard time, too. I'm kinda surprised he hasn't sent me back to the Matthews."

Richie studied him for a long, then said seriously, "Shawn, J's told me about your situation. He won't kick you out. Trust me when I say, J is the best possible person for you to be with right now."

"Why's that?"

"Because he's been where you were headed. There's nothin' you can say or do that will shock him. No point in tryin'. There's nothin' he can't understand."

Shawn badly wanted to ask Richie about what Jon was like at 15, but he hesitated because he really wanted Jon to be the one to tell him. "You guys were real close, huh?"

"Our paths crossed during a time when we both really needed each other. He's like a son to me."

Shawn felt as though the older man was somehow giving him a glimpse into his own future. "Cool," was all he could say.

Richie took his hand. "I'm glad I got to meet you, Shawn."

"Yeah, me, too, Pops," the teen blushed. "I wish I could hang out with you more. I have no idea what the Venus is but it sounds really cool."

The man laughed." My daughter, my son, and my grandson all here with me. My Lizzy would be over the moon to see you all together."

An odd teary lump rose up in the teen's throat at being called Richie's grandson. Audrey had a weird family. It was so quick to adopt random people into it. But he loved the family all the more for that quirk.

"I need you to do somethin' for me, Shawn."

Shawn smiled. "Anything, Pops."

"Don't let those two mess things up."

He grinned. "They are really good together. Apart though, Jon really needs some work."

The man laughed a raspy laugh out loud. "You know, I raised J for awhile."

Shawn's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Like he lived with you?"

"Three years," Richie nodded. "While Lizzy was takin' care of her mom back in the UK."

"I didn't know that."

"Now you do."

Visiting hours were over and Audrey and Jon came to collect him. The conversation was just getting juicy and he hated to leave with the story unfinished. He felt such an intense connection to the man in the bed that he spontaneously hugged him at the last minute. His attachment was illogical but Shawn couldn't help himself.

"Love you, kid," the old man said with tears in his eyes.

Love? Audrey's family was beyond weird.

Shawn scrunched his nose up and his own eyes suddenly filled with tears. How could you have any attachment for someone you just met?

"Love you, Pops, too. See ya soon." Shawn meant every word he said.

Richie pointed at him. "You remember what I told you."

"I will. Always."