Title: What Keeps Us Alive

Summary: When Abe is taken to the hospital, Henry learns that there are many different ways to keep a person alive. Sometimes it's a matter of medicine. And sometimes it's a matter of something else entirely. (Not as supernatural as it sounds, I promise.) Henry whump (or h/c) within. Slight Abe h/c too.

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the tv show Forever nor its characters. Since I am, however, absolutely addicted to the show, I am going to borrow the characters and see what I can do to and with them. Don't worry, I'm gentle.

Author's Note:

First - please forgive the sucky summary, I am absolutely horrid at them.

Second - the time frame for this is probably more like late first season, possibly beginning second. Now, I know that we haven't gotten that far yet but I have hope (foolish though I hope it is not) that we will get there.

Also, this is in the same AU/Universe as my previous fic, Look Before You Leap Rewrite. If you haven't read it, don't fret. All that you need to know is that in the second episode, Hanson had actually shot Henry instead of Jo shooting the gunman.

Third - I apologize for any bad characterization. I do try my best to keep them all IC but sometimes they slip out of it and become OOC.

Enjoy!

oOo

Autumn had settled over New York. Its chilly breezes had been blowing for the past two weeks now, bringing with it the newly fallen leaves and the smells one usually acquaints with the season. Henry looked around as the wind blew, glad for his scarf and thick coat which Abe had reminded him to take before he'd left this morning. For the most part, Henry had been making due with his lighter coat and a thinner scarf since he hadn't really thought it all that cold yet. Now, he agreed it was time to move on to warmer attire.

He turned the corner, eyes still plastered to the sky and the trees above him, rather than on the sidewalk below his feet or the people around him. He knew enough of New York City's inhabitants to know that they'd move out of his way if they were in a big enough hurry. It was why he didn't worry about being in their way as he took in the beauty around him.

A flash of red caught his attention and Henry finally refocused on the sights in front of him, his heart stopping when he did.

Parked in front of the antiques store was an ambulance. Its lights were flashing but otherwise it appeared to have been there for a while as there was no one else around. Henry's heart began to beat once more and this time it was frantic. It pumped adrenaline through his veins, encouraging his legs to start moving at a rapidly faster pace before his brain had had a chance to tell them to start running.

He was halfway down the block when he saw a couple of EMT's pushing a collapsible gurney out of the shop. Much to his dismay, it was not empty and Henry didn't have to try too hard to discover its occupant. There was only one person that was in the store. Abe. Granted the ambulance could have been called for a customer but Henry rather doubted it.

No longer paying attention to anything but that bed, Henry ran harder. His arms swung, pushing his legs as fast as they could, and though Henry was sure that he'd regret running in his work shoes, at this precise moment, he couldn't bring himself to care. All that mattered was getting to Abe and finding out what had happened.

His right foot had just touched the street pavement when a horn suddenly blared as loudly as automobile horns can. Almost absently, Henry noted that they tended to do that a lot in this city. Then the pain came and it suddenly registered why this particular vehicle was honking now and, evidently, at him. He was on the ground by the time he realized that he'd been hit by a car; by a taxi, no less. But it didn't matter. Not the pain searing through his side, the stinging in his hand or throbbing through his knee. All that mattered, and all that would continue to matter until it happened, was getting to Abe before the ambulance drove off.

"Henry!" he heard a familiar voice cry and he painfully struggled to get up. He made it just in time to be greeted by a worried-looking Detective Jo Martinez. Her hands reached out as though to grab him but then she seemed to think better of it and she withdrew. "Are you alright?"

Apparently she'd witnessed his little mishap with the cab. Well, at least the accident hadn't been worse lest his secret be exposed.

"Yes, I'm fine," he brushed off while doing his best to limp passed her. But she wouldn't move and he let out a disappointed sigh when he saw the ambulance drive off. His heart was still racing but he doubted even that would be enough to help him get to the hospital any time soon. And though Abe had a car, Henry detested driving it; especially around the city. "If you'll excuse me, Detective, I need to get to the hospital and find out what has happened to my..friend."

The word friend had not been what he'd wanted to say and, indeed, the truth had almost slipped out. Thankfully he'd caught himself before he could have said the wrong thing but it had been a close call. When one's mind is distracted by worry or concern for a loved one, continuing with a lie gets harder. Something Henry knew all too well.

Jo looked behind her, in time to see the ambulance turning the corner.

"Why don't I give you a lift?" she offered, turning back to face him.

Henry looked at her, trying to gauge if she was doing so out of obligation or desire. He found no hint of the former; only sympathy and concern. He found himself annoyed by both emotions simply because he refused to believe that Abe would not be alright. He did his best to hide it, however, and instead he gave a relieved smile and said, "Thank you," grateful not to have to take the Subway.

Now, she moved out of the way, letting him begin heading towards her car. His first step faltered and he felt slightly into her. She caught him without hesitation and eyed him with concern once again.

Suspecting that she was about to ask him, once again, if he was alright, Henry said, "Sorry. Lost my balance."

Jo nodded. Her brows furrowed and then she asked, "Are you sure you're alright?" She paused and just when he was about to answer, she added, "You're limping and your hand is bleeding."

To stall, Henry got into the car and waited for her to do the same. He probably was not alright, but he was fine enough to put off any first aid until after he'd seen Abe. The problem was that he doubted Jo would agree with his assessment and he was beginning to discover that she was quite stubborn when it came to a friend of hers' health.

Henry wasn't sure when they'd become friends. He just knew that they had. It wasn't a close friendship yet, but he didn't doubt that they'd get there. Both of them just needed to let their guard down a little - something that wasn't likely to happen while Henry was keeping a secret from her. But still. Perhaps, in time he'd begin to trust her more and, maybe even reveal the truth about himself to her.

But they were not at that point yet and so Henry kept himself as closed off as he felt was necessary. Just as she did, him. She was still hurting from her husband's death and she was still too afraid to let someone else close lest they should leave her again. If only Henry could assure her that he was not that person. That he had the power to stay even if he'd died.

The car rocked a little as Jo entered it and closed the door, effectively stopping any wind from further entering the car. Henry played at nonchalance, hoping that she would forget her inquiries and simply drive. When she hesitated in starting the car, he'd thought that she would, in fact, push the topic, but then she blew out an annoyed breath and turned the key in the ignition. They pulled into traffic and then they were on their way to the hospital; to where Abe was.

oOo

Jo drove through the busy New York street, doing her best not to let her road rage get the better of her. It was hard since she was in a bit of a hurry to get to the hospital but she managed. Barely. It certainly didn't help that her mind was going a million miles a minute while also trying to navigate and pay attention to her passenger - all at the same time.

When she'd first heard the call she'd been worried that something had happened to Henry. But when she'd gotten there and found out that it was his friend, Abe, her fears had subsided. Not that she didn't like Abe. She did. She just didn't know him quite as well as she did Henry. Meaning that she wasn't around Abe as much as she was his friend. Through their many cases and the random after-work-drink, Jo and Henry had slowly begun to build a bond based on friendship and nothing more. She wasn't sure if there could be more, honestly as neither she nor he were looking for it. If there was, she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

After exiting the antiques shop, Jo had quickly gotten out of the way so the EMT's could wheel Abe into their ambulance. She'd agreed, per Abe's request, to stay behind and wait for Henry and, if need be, give him a ride to the hospital. It was a little endearing, actually, how worried Abe had been about his friend when he was the one that was having the medical issue. Of course, shortly after extracting that promise, he'd laid back and had struggled to breathe. It had scared her but the EMT's had assured her that all was as well as it could be.

It was then that she heard the squeal of the tires and she looked in the direction of the noise. Needless to say her heart had stopped for a second when she recognized the figure landing on the asphalt. She'd begun running even before she'd called his name, worried that he was really hurt. She'd watched as he'd struggled to stand, the action looking awkward and painful for him but when she'd asked if he was okay, he'd merely brushed aside her concern and given her the type of answer one would give a stranger.

And now here they were, on their way to inquire after his friend. Jo also had a secret plan to get him seen by a doctor while he was there, but she wasn't absolutely certain she could pull that off yet. Henry Morgan could be stubborn when he wanted to be, and right now she knew that his main priority was Abe, not himself.

"I meant to ask you, Detective, why were you at the shop?"

His voice was somewhat soft, sort of lacking its usual strength, and full of curiosity. When she peered over at him, she noticed that he was sitting a little stiffly, but his attention was solely on her, his brown eyes full of worry and even possibly fear.

"I was on my way home from the precinct when I heard the call come over the radio," she answered as though listening to dispatch calls for ambulances was a normal thing for her. It wasn't. Today (or was it tonight since it had been after five?) was just a freak accident. "I was curious so I went to check it out."

She chanced a brief glance over at him and saw that he was smiling. She lifted an eyebrow, silently asking what he was smiling about.

"You were worried about me," he teased, his voice becoming thicker with humor.

Jo scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and?" she challenged.

He feigned apologetic innocence and shifted in his seat, wincing as he did so. "It's nothing," he defended, still smirking a little bit. "I just wasn't expecting it."

"Why not?" she asked, silently wondering what kind of life this man had led to where he didn't expect people to care about him.

This time it was his turn to feign indifference. He shrugged and looked straight ahead. "No reason," he brushed off. Jo opened her mouth to say something more but he interrupted her with, "Oh look, we're here."

Her eyes narrowed at him. Now she was determined to find out what he was hiding. She'd known from the beginning that Henry wasn't all he'd presented to others but she'd been content to let him have his secrets as long as they didn't interfere with him doing his job. She'd found it strange that he had asked to be shot in the shoulder when he'd been taken hostage during the bridge jumper case. She'd left him alone about it because it hadn't really seemed to matter at the time. But she had gone back to watch the video and she hadn't missed the way he'd eyed the camera. It was almost as though he was afraid it would record something that he didn't want seen and she was curious to know what it was.

She found a spot as close to the doors to the ER as she could and parked. Since she was unbuckled and out of the car before Henry, she went to the front of the car to wait for him, watching as he almost gingerly exited and then limped towards the entrance of the hospital's emergency room.

In relative terms, the ER was not very busy. There were the few odds and ends of people who thought their light maladies were worth a trip to the hospital. And there were a couple people who really should be there. But otherwise the waiting room was fairly empty.

"Go sit down while I go check on Abe," she said, making it sound more like a command than anything else.

He raised a challenging eyebrow at her. "Detective, I do know my way around a hospital. Surely, I can find Abe much easier than you."

"Be that as it may," she answered, not arguing his point since she knew he was right. "You're hurt and you shouldn't be traipsing all over the hospital looking. Now go sit down and I'll let you know what I find out."

Henry gave her a look that she knew was meant as a silent lecture but he did as he was told and left her to find out about Abe's status alone. She waited until he was firmly put in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs before she went over to reception and flashed her badge.

"I'm Detective Martinez and I'm here to inquire after a man who was just brought in."

The nurse behind the plexi-glass looked up at her, her eyes showing that she didn't care at all why Jo was there or what she wanted. She sighed and grabbed a list just off to her left. "Name?"

"Abraham, um, Morgan," she said, hoping that she was right. She didn't actually know Abe's last name so she'd given him Henry's but she doubted that was it. She was just about to go and ask Henry was Abe's last name was when the nurse let the sheets on her clipboard fall flat.

"He's being settled into a room in the cardiac unit. You need to go out and enter through the main portion of the hospital. Take the third elevator and go to the fifth floor. He's in room 503."

Surprised that she'd gotten it right, Jo nodded and offered a smile. Neither were returned. Not that she particularly cared if they had been; she was just being polite after all. She went back over to where Henry was sitting, blankly watching the evening news which never reported anything good. He looked up at her when she stood beside him and slowly began to stand.

"He's being settled into a room," she said after seeing his expectant expression. "I know what room but why don't we get you checked out and then we'll go see Abe?" she suggested, figuring now was her chance to try.

This time he crossed his arms over his chest, barely stifling another wince, and glared at her a little. "I told you, Jo, I'm fine."

Ah, so now he was using her given name. He only did that when something was important. Clearly getting up to see his friend was more important to him than his own health. Well, sorry but Jo wasn't having it.

"No, you're not, Henry," she countered, mirroring his stance. "You're standing off balance because you're trying to keep weight off your right leg, you've been moving stiffly since we got into the car and your hand has got to be burning with all that debris in the cuts."

He looked down at the hand in question. It was scraped raw on the palm, moving down to the bottom, and it was red with ragged lines cut into the skin. He grimaced after seeing it and carefully tucked it back under his arm (which was still crossed with the other in defiance), returning his gaze back to her.

"You do know that I could simply go over there and get his room number myself, don't you?" he pointed out, sounding as though asking her what she would do if he tried.

"Yeah, but I'm also pretty sure that I could just as easily force you to sit back down and wait to be seen," she returned, prepared to do just that if he didn't yield and continued being stubborn.

The pair remained in a stand off of sorts. Each one refusing to back down because they believed they were in the right. Jo could see the effort it was taking for Henry to remain upright and she just wished he'd stop being so obstinate and give in already. But then, she supposed she could understand why he wasn't. If their positions had been reversed and her husband had been the one in the hospital, nothing would have stopped her from getting to his side. Although she didn't think Henry loved Abe quite as much as she'd loved her husband, she didn't doubt that he did love him and that was what was driving him. Love and worry.

Jo sighed and Henry smiled, knowing he'd won. Jo made a face at him. "Don't gloat."

She heard him chuckle behind her as she started to walk out of the ER and head up to the main portion of the hospital. Jo made sure to keep her stride relatively slow so that Henry could keep up since he was definitely walking slower than he normally did. Since she definitely reached the door before him, she stopped and waited, a smirk playing on her features.

"So you're fine, huh?" she quipped, watching as he carefully made his way to the doors.

His answering glare was enough to help her attempt to wipe the smirk off her face. It didn't fully work but at least she'd tried.

"In the words of a wise woman, do not gloat," he answered, striding into the hospital before her and looking as though he were trying to hide any signs of something being wrong. He waited for her to join him before he asked, "Now then. Where are we going?"

oOo

Henry limped his way to Abe's room, determined not to let his injuries slow him down. In the grand scheme of things they were mere trifles, anyways, so he didn't see the point in paying them more attention than was necessary. Sure, his leg was making it difficult to get around as easily as he normally would be and his side was making each breath a lesson in pain, but since all Henry was truly concerned about right now was Abe, he ignored them both.

He made it to the room ahead of Jo and he turned around to give her an uncomfortable look, hoping that she would get that he wanted to be alone with Abe for a bit first. She smiled, assuring him that she understood and pointedly went to the waiting room (which was within eyesight of Abe's room) and got comfortable. Within seconds her phone was in her hands and she was typing away on it; though whom she found to talk to, Henry had no idea.

The room was fairly darkened and growing ever still darker as the sun continued to set. The artificial lights in the room had been placed on a low setting to allow the patient to sleep easier but they were still bright enough to allow Henry to see where he was going. When he'd made it to the chair nearest the bed, just to Abe's left, he quietly sat down and tried to slow his heart. It was beating frantically at the sight of his son in the hospital bed; almost so hard that it hurt.

Abe lay, slack-jawed, with a cannula under his nose to supply him with fresh, pure oxygen, a heart monitor attached to his right pointer finger, and an IV taped to the back of his hand. The hospital-supplied gown did little to make him look healthier; in fact it actually made him look sicker as it showed precisely how white Abe looked at the moment. His breathing was deep, even, but sounded a bit strained and Henry wanted nothing more than to fix it. But he wasn't a practicing physician anymore (although he was perfectly up to date on all the latest techniques and such) and he didn't want to intrude on what the doctors were already doing for Abe.

After taking a moment to catch his own breath, Henry reached out and gently gathered Abe's older, more frail-looking hand into his own and held onto it as though holding onto the limb would help him hold on to Abe that much longer.

His heart suddenly broke and the dam that had been holding back tears suddenly released. It felt like, here, in this room, alone, Henry had finally let go of his barriers and everything was starting to crack through. He didn't sob, however. Merely allowed his tears to trail down his face as he held onto his son's hand.

A part of him felt like he should have been there for Abe. As though, if he had been there, he would have been able to stop whatever had happened. Judging by all the symptoms he was seeing, Henry would guess a heart attack. Since he was normally pretty good at diagnoses, he went with that, not wanting to let go of Abe simply to look at his chart.

Now more than ever, Henry wished he could find a way to pass on his curse. Yes, he viewed it as a curse but if it could help Abe live then he would most certainly give it to him; even if it meant that he, himself, had to die.

Henry couldn't imagine living in a world without Abe. He wouldn't do, as a matter of fact. Up until now, the idea had been such a preposterous idea that he hadn't even bothered to contemplate it. Now, however, faced with the unimpeachable proof that Abe will die (although hopefully not soon), Henry was being forced to imagine a future he didn't want to behold.

All through these long years, Abe had been his one constant companion. Granted, at first he hadn't been much for company as he'd needed more than he'd given but as he'd grown older, Henry had begun to depend more and more on his son. He'd tried to hide the truth from Abe as long as he'd could. But then one day, he'd contracted a rather virulent and violent form of pneumonia and his body just hadn't been able to fight it off. It was then that he'd told Abe what to expect and what would happen. Thankfully Abigail had been there and she had helped ease Abe through Henry's death and then reawakening. She'd seen it happen only once before (during wartime) but she knew what to do, at least. From then on, Abe had begun to look at Henry in a different light. He was still his father, but he was also Superman and that, Henry believed, actually helped Abe to sleep better at night because he knew that Henry would always be there for him.

That feeling of never being abandoned was shattered, for both Abe and Henry, when one morning, they both woke up to find Abigail gone. To this day they still don't know what happened but while Abe had remained devastated for a long while, Henry had grown to believe that it was because of him, of his "condition" that she'd left and he'd found that he couldn't blame her. He still grieved for her, of course, but he didn't hold a grudge against her at all.

In the bed, Abe stirred, bringing Henry back to the present with nauseating quickness. Henry quickly used his unoccupied hand to dry his eyes as he didn't want Abe to believe that anything was the matter with him. That would only make Abe worry over nothing and right now all Abe needed to do was rest and get better.

"I see you got here," his son said by way of a greeting. He made to lift his left hand, noticed that Henry was still holding on to it and then let it fall back down to the bed. He did fidget a little, as though he were trying to get comfortable.

Henry gingerly stood, his injuries making their presence known for a brief moment, and went to go help Abe get into a better position.

"Yes, I did," he said, smiling down at his son. He put on his best "father face" and added, "Thank you for your concern but I am perfectly capable of getting to the hospital without the help of the police."

With his hand free, Abe used it to wave off Henry's lecture. "Sure you could," he retorted, his eyes closing for a brief moment before opening them again. The sorrow in them was almost too much for Henry to stand. It didn't take a giant leap of the imagination to figure out what had Abe looking so sad and it was something that Henry wasn't willing to go into at the moment. He couldn't lie and say that he'd be fine when Abe died, but he also didn't want his son to worry about him either. So he changed the subject, hoping that it would help ease the sick man's mind a bit.

"Abraham," he gently said, sitting himself down on the bed near Abe's hip. "What happened?"

"I didn't take anything. I promise," his son said, making Henry smiled as he remembered the near-heart attack he'd had when he'd seen Abe's name on the Aterna client list. Abe smiled as well, having seen that his small joke had come through. Then his face sobered. He looked so tired that Henry wanted to tell him to never mind and they'd talk about it later after Abe had had more rest. But his son beat him to the punch.

"I don't know what happened, Henry," he said. The look in his eyes became distant and Henry could see that he was searching his memory for some sort of clue. "The last thing I remember was helping a client pick out a lovely china set and the next thing I remember is the EMT's hauling me out of the shop. I don't even know what happened to the customer."

"Let's not worry about that now," Henry bid, now standing up and stroking some hair off Abe's forehead. "Right now, just sleep. I'm sure we'll figure out the details soon enough." He smirked a little and added, "We always do."

"That's true, I do," Abe joked, offering a small smile in return. Henry began to sit down and it was then that he noticed a frown overtake his son's face.

"What?" he asked, concerned that something was wrong. He leaned forward, reaching out as though to do whatever it was that Abe needed.

"Are you injured?"

Henry couldn't help it. He laughed. By whatever deity exists, it hurt, but it had burst out of him before he'd known it was going to happen.

"You're the one in the hospital bed and you're worried about me?" he asked, the laugh having thickened his voice slightly and kept a smile on his face longer than it normally would have done in this situation.

"I'm fine," Abe objected. He amended it quickly after a look from Henry. "Or I will be. But you. You've been moving stiffly ever since I woke up. And don't think you've hidden those small grimaces and winces from me because you haven't. Now I'll ask again, are you injured?"

"I'm alright Abraham," Henry lied. He offered as true a smile as he could, even managing to relax back into the uncomfortable chair a bit as he did so.

"Yeah, sure you are," Abe retorted.

It was obvious he wanted to say more but it seemed that his cache of energy had just run out and he wasn't able to draw on any reserves. His eyes closed and though Henry saw him struggle to open them again, he failed miserably and they stayed shut. Soon enough, his breathing evened out to the tune of a man asleep and Henry was left alone with his mind once again.

TBC