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OOM: The Women Henry Loves
Oct. 2nd, 2012 10:27 pm[ooc: Set prior to episode 6.08 "The Tao of Gus")
The sun hasn't yet raised when Henry Spencer puts on his favorite Hawaiian shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, the boat is already prepared and the truck’s been gassed up… he just can’t sleep for the life of him. Not when every time he closes his eyes he’s overwhelmed with the knowledge that only hours before a wonderful woman had been wrapped in his arms, loving him as much as he loves her… and soon after the sun began to warm the California coast he’ll be out on his boat with Karen and her daughter – trying his best not to screw it all up.
Which is why, he tells himself, that he’s doing the math to figure out what time it is in Madeline’s world and dialing her number like he had a hundred years ago when he’d call her from Tom Blair’s after one too many drinks and couldn't even fool himself into thinking he was within legal limits.
“Jesus, Henry… you’re too old to make a drunken booty call.” Madeline’s voice answers and he can’t help but grin.
“Love you too, Maddy.”
“Henry, it’s three in the morning in California. If you’re not drunk, you’re getting ready to go fishing.”
“The latter for almost the last decade.” He still can’t help but smile, hearing the teasing long-standing admiration in her voice. “I, uh… I just wanted to ask you something before you’re too busy and I’m too stubborn to ask it.”
“Oh? A Henry Spencer question… I’m all ears.”
“Hey, this isn't easy for me and you know that.”
Madeline was quiet for a long moment and he could hear her moving into another room and closing the door. Alone. “Alright, Henry. What’s going on?”
He doesn't even know what he wants to say to her, something about Karen and what’s going on and before he knows it he’s asking; “Remember when we first fell in love?”
“Hot and heavy, like a hundred years ago…” Madeline laughs and continues; “why? That’s ancient history, Henry…”
He knows where she’s going with it and that she’s going to ask if he’s missing her and he can’t go down that road. Not anymore. “I… I think I’m in love.”
Another long silence and then she laughs. “In love? Another whirlwind Henry Spencer romance? Last I heard you were still playing the dating game.”
“I, uh… I got lucky.” So very lucky. Luckier than he ever thought he could be. “ We've been going out a couple months, but… you know how it is.”
“Oh dear.” She sighs and then laughs again; “Oh, honey… Henry… sweetheart….”
“I love her,” he says with more conviction than before, sure that what he’s saying is the absolute truth. “And, uh… she loves me too.”
“That’s wonderful! I’m really happy for you.”
A long silence draws between them and eventually he realizes there’s a lump in his throat. His mind is going back to the empty box in his sock drawer, to the ring he’d been saving for some day when Shawn got married that he knew all too well was currently in his son’s possession. “I’m going to ask her to marry me. Not right now, I mean… not any time soon, but she’s the one. I think she’s the only other woman I could ever see myself loving as much as I love you.”
Love. Not loved. No, he’ll always love her – she was his wife, and he’d abused that by cheating on her with his job. Now Karen is his job… she knows what it’s like to be a cop’s wife because she’s been married to the force just as long as he was.
He’s not shocked by Madeline’s silence, not even worried. She’s right, it’s troubling. It’s too soon. He has no right to be thinking about things like proposing and making good with her daughter. He should be thinking about their next date and whether or not he can afford to buy her that bracelet that he caught her looking at online.
“That’s nice.” She replies calmly, with that same clinical tone that she’s always used when she’s thinking like a psychologist and not a wife or a mother. “So, uh… your lady love got a name?”
Henry almost doesn’t tell her, but he knows it’s better to hear it from him than after Shawn finds out. “Karen.” He sighs, licking his lips before finishing; “Karen Vick.”
“As in Chief Vick? As in your boss?”
“As in my friend. Okay? Her marriage was falling apart and I… I was there to pick up the pieces.”
“That is just like you, Henry.” Her clinical tone vanishes, replaced with an almost bitter mix of humor and sarcasm; “You always feel like you need a project.”
“I know, Maddy… but this is different. She’s not like the roof or the boat or the coffee table… I really do love her.”
There’s another brief silence and he hears an intercom beep. “I have to go, Henry. Thank you for telling me, just… be careful, okay? Don’t rush this.”
“I won’t.” He swallows again, the words lingering on his lips even as he hears the line go silent; “Thank you.”
The sun hasn't yet raised when Henry Spencer puts on his favorite Hawaiian shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, the boat is already prepared and the truck’s been gassed up… he just can’t sleep for the life of him. Not when every time he closes his eyes he’s overwhelmed with the knowledge that only hours before a wonderful woman had been wrapped in his arms, loving him as much as he loves her… and soon after the sun began to warm the California coast he’ll be out on his boat with Karen and her daughter – trying his best not to screw it all up.
Which is why, he tells himself, that he’s doing the math to figure out what time it is in Madeline’s world and dialing her number like he had a hundred years ago when he’d call her from Tom Blair’s after one too many drinks and couldn't even fool himself into thinking he was within legal limits.
“Jesus, Henry… you’re too old to make a drunken booty call.” Madeline’s voice answers and he can’t help but grin.
“Love you too, Maddy.”
“Henry, it’s three in the morning in California. If you’re not drunk, you’re getting ready to go fishing.”
“The latter for almost the last decade.” He still can’t help but smile, hearing the teasing long-standing admiration in her voice. “I, uh… I just wanted to ask you something before you’re too busy and I’m too stubborn to ask it.”
“Oh? A Henry Spencer question… I’m all ears.”
“Hey, this isn't easy for me and you know that.”
Madeline was quiet for a long moment and he could hear her moving into another room and closing the door. Alone. “Alright, Henry. What’s going on?”
He doesn't even know what he wants to say to her, something about Karen and what’s going on and before he knows it he’s asking; “Remember when we first fell in love?”
“Hot and heavy, like a hundred years ago…” Madeline laughs and continues; “why? That’s ancient history, Henry…”
He knows where she’s going with it and that she’s going to ask if he’s missing her and he can’t go down that road. Not anymore. “I… I think I’m in love.”
Another long silence and then she laughs. “In love? Another whirlwind Henry Spencer romance? Last I heard you were still playing the dating game.”
“I, uh… I got lucky.” So very lucky. Luckier than he ever thought he could be. “ We've been going out a couple months, but… you know how it is.”
“Oh dear.” She sighs and then laughs again; “Oh, honey… Henry… sweetheart….”
“I love her,” he says with more conviction than before, sure that what he’s saying is the absolute truth. “And, uh… she loves me too.”
“That’s wonderful! I’m really happy for you.”
A long silence draws between them and eventually he realizes there’s a lump in his throat. His mind is going back to the empty box in his sock drawer, to the ring he’d been saving for some day when Shawn got married that he knew all too well was currently in his son’s possession. “I’m going to ask her to marry me. Not right now, I mean… not any time soon, but she’s the one. I think she’s the only other woman I could ever see myself loving as much as I love you.”
Love. Not loved. No, he’ll always love her – she was his wife, and he’d abused that by cheating on her with his job. Now Karen is his job… she knows what it’s like to be a cop’s wife because she’s been married to the force just as long as he was.
He’s not shocked by Madeline’s silence, not even worried. She’s right, it’s troubling. It’s too soon. He has no right to be thinking about things like proposing and making good with her daughter. He should be thinking about their next date and whether or not he can afford to buy her that bracelet that he caught her looking at online.
“That’s nice.” She replies calmly, with that same clinical tone that she’s always used when she’s thinking like a psychologist and not a wife or a mother. “So, uh… your lady love got a name?”
Henry almost doesn’t tell her, but he knows it’s better to hear it from him than after Shawn finds out. “Karen.” He sighs, licking his lips before finishing; “Karen Vick.”
“As in Chief Vick? As in your boss?”
“As in my friend. Okay? Her marriage was falling apart and I… I was there to pick up the pieces.”
“That is just like you, Henry.” Her clinical tone vanishes, replaced with an almost bitter mix of humor and sarcasm; “You always feel like you need a project.”
“I know, Maddy… but this is different. She’s not like the roof or the boat or the coffee table… I really do love her.”
There’s another brief silence and he hears an intercom beep. “I have to go, Henry. Thank you for telling me, just… be careful, okay? Don’t rush this.”
“I won’t.” He swallows again, the words lingering on his lips even as he hears the line go silent; “Thank you.”