The Lincolns Come to Town

Summary/Warning : Rick's parents come to visit. No warning. Rated G.

Rick felt like a kid on Christmas. Not only was he officially off for the next four day, but Drew also had an extended weekend, meaning they'd actually get to spend some time together. To top it all off, his parents were coming to stay for a couple days on their way down to Mexico for their anniversary. He was so excited that he practically bounced while waiting in the baggage claim area for his mom and dad.

Their plan had just landed, a red eye direct flight from Montana to San Antonio. His dad always said it was the best time to fly, much to his mom's disdain. Still, she agreed to it, claiming it was because the tickets were cheaper but really it was to keep his dad from complaining. He had just barely made it to the airport before their plane landed after his shift, in fact he was still in his uniform which was earning him some confused or worried looks. He ignored them, eyes scanning the thin crowd of travelers looking for the only two he cared about at the moment. When he saw them, his face lit up.

"Mom! Dad!" He called, waving.

The two were walking together, hand in hand, also scanning the crowd. His father was the first to see him and waved back, pointing him out to his mom. When she saw him, her face also lit up and she waved as well. It didn't take long after that for the trio to reunite.

"Well hello there, Officer," his mom laughed as she stood on her tiptoes to hug her son. Nancy Lincoln, at fifty eight, was only five foot three and slender. She had graying brown hair and a tan complexion with stormy green eyes. Despite her age, she remained youthful and felt no need to hide the laugh lines that were slowly forming on her face.

"Hey mom," Rick said, kissing the top of her head. After a moment, he straightened up and hugged his dad.

Paul Lincoln was Rick's height, and an older version of his son. He still maintained a crew cut from his Army days, but it was almost white now. At sixty, he was still an active and healthy man, working as a Foreman for a ranch. He had a weathered, hard look to him on the outside but inside, he was a big old softy, albeit, a tad rough around the edges. "Hey there kiddo," he said, returning the hug, "you look tired."

"It was a long shift. A little rough, but all my guys made it home today so that's all that matters. Besides, I'm off now. I don't even wanna think about work," he said as he released his dad, the three of them now starting off to the baggage carousel.

"That's the spirit. Can you let some of it rub off onto your father?" His mom laughed.

"Hey now, Roger just needed to know when the feed was going to be in. It was just one call," his dad responded, attempting to defend himself.

Nancy fixed him with just a look though, and to add insult to injury, stated, "well Roger better get it together because if you answer that phone while we're in Mexico it's gonna end up in the water."

Rick laughed as his dad surrendered to his mom with a simple, "yes dear," and the good natured banter and small talk continued while they waited for the bags. It was only about fifteen minutes later that they found themselves in Rick's Jeep on their way to breakfast.

"So what did you want for breakfast?" Rick asked, as he dialed Drew's number.

"Bar-B-Que," came his dad's answer, making his mom roll her eyes.

"Your father could eat steak all day long, I, however, like pancakes," she said, making both men laugh.

"Don't worry, I know the perfect place," Rick said as Drew's phone ringed.

On the third ring, the line picked up and a female, in a overtly flirty tone said, "well hello stranger. Did you miss me?"

"Say hi to my parents Kristin, you're on speaker," Rick said with an eye roll.

"Well that's awkward," the young doctor laughed.

"Can you get my boyfriend please?"

"Yeah… give me a second…" she said, still laughing.

Rick shook his head, and, seeing the confused expression on his mother's face, said "Kristin's one of the doctors at Drew's hospital and one of his best friends."

"Ah," she said, her confusion turning to amusement.

"Hey… sorry about that," Drew said, sounding both tired and amused. He then mumbled "just go away," to someone, probably Kristin because Eick could still here her in the background.

"So you're still at work," Rick commented, both annoyed and amused. Drew was supposed to have been the early out today, had even promised to leave early so that he could meet the Lincoln's for breakfast. Clearly that hadn't happened.

"I'm leaving now. We got busy last night. Something about a SWAT raid," and there was an accusation in his voice that made Rick laugh. "What did you decide for breakfast?" Drew continued.

"Dad wants Bar-B-Que and mom wants pancakes," was the answer.

"So Pete's. Got it. See y'all in twenty minutes, I got to stop and let Scout out," he said before hanging up the phone.

Rick sighed, rolling his eyes as his dad chuckled. "He sounds about as tired as you look," his father commented.

"There was a raid last night and fire was exchanged. No officers were hurt, but a couple suspects got injured. The hospital was already backed up and we needed them to send out a doctor. Looks like Drew got held over because of it," Rick answered.

"You were shot at?" His mom asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

Rick blushed, shrinking a little, "I mean… I was, but only sort of. They were shooting in our direction but they didn't hit anything…"

"That doesn't make it better," she said.

"Let it rest, Nancy. It's his job," his father said, coming to his son's defense.

"I still don't have to like it," she replied but she relented and changed the subject. "So tell me about this dog you got?"

-line-

They were already seated with their food ordered by the time Drew made it. The young doctor looked as tired as he sounded, but he still smiled warmly enough when he saw them. Coming over to where they sat, he gave Rick a quick kiss on the check before greeting the others. Drew had met the Lincolns several times, before Rick had come out, but then he had just been the "friend" from boot camp. This was the first time he was meeting them as the "boyfriend". It made him a little nervous.

"I ordered for you," Rick said as Drew settled in. "Tea and the steak."

"I told him to wait for you but he said you were predictable," Paul added.

"He's right," Drew confirmed, "but I bet you he got the brisket omelette with potatoes and gravy."

Paul laughed, "Guess you're predictable too, huh, kiddo?"

"I never said I wasn't," Rick shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee.

"How was the flight?" Drew asked..

"It was horrible," Nancy said, making the other two Lincolns laugh.

"What are you talking about? I thought it was great," Paul teased.

"That's because he slept. The whole time," Nancy said, rolling her eyes, "as soon as he sat down he was out. Must be something the Army taught him."

"Definitely is," Rick and Drew said at the same time, making Paul laugh.

"It's a whole class during basic, "how to fall asleep anywhere". Really helpful in all types of situations," Paul joked, making Nancy shake her head.

"Anyway, the flight was fine except the civilian didn't get to sleep," Nancy said. "Now, Rick told me about his exciting shift last night, so how was yours Drew? You didn't get shot at too, did you?"

Rick blushed, ducking down some both from the glare he got from his mother and now Drew. "You were shot at?" Drew asked.

"Not directly," Rick tried to defend himself.

Drew rolled his eyes before returning his attention to Nancy. "It wasn't a bad night, just busy. Thursday through Saturday usually is." As he talked, he played with the cuffs on his shirt, tugging on them to make sure that they covered the still visible scars. It was a nervous habit he had developed since coming back from Afghanistan. Rick put his hand on Drew's wrist giving the other a reassuring squeeze.

"I remember those days in the ER," Nancy said, "I hated it at the time, but I miss it now."

"You want to come work at SAM? You can take my shifts," Drew said with a tired smile.

"Oh no. My nursing days are done, and I never wanted to be a doctor," Nancy replied.

"She just wanted to tell the doctors what to do," Paul said, and everyone laughed.

"Somebody has to keep us in line, might as well be the ones who know what's going on," Drew said as the food arrived.

"I always knew I liked you," Nancy said smiling.

The rest of breakfast continued on with friendly teasing and exchanging of stories. Slowly, Drew did begin to relax. His anxiety faded, however, he still fidgeted with the cuff of his shirt or just hid his hands all together. Rick ignored him, used to the behavior by now, but it did not go unnoticed by his parents though they didn't say anything. After an hour or so, the group finished their meal, Rick and his father fought over the check while Drew sneakily paid for it and laughed at their mock outrage. The four then separated, Drew heading to his pick up and Rick, with his parents, to his Jeep.

After several moments of a pleasant silence, Nancy commented, "the scars bother him, don't they?"

Rick sighed, a sad smile on his face, "he's come real long way… but yeah. All the scars bother him. I'm not sure he even knows that he's fidgeting any more."

"No, he knows," Paul said softly, an unfortunate understanding. Paul had not been a POW, but he had been trapped behind enemy lines and officially declared MIA during one part of his service.

Rick sighed again, "he really is doing better though. He doesn't flinch anymore when people notice them."

"We're not saying that he's not, honey, it's just… we're concerned about him. He went through a major trauma and it's not something that you can't just bounce back from," Nancy soothed.

Rick nodded, chewing his lip for a moment, "he's okay. I mean, overall. Most of the flashbacks he's been getting are from the concussion. Major Florence, his doctor, she thinks his brain is trying to remember what happened. And he's never been violent during any of them, never a danger. They're just… they're hard to watch."

"Oh, that, I understand," Nancy said, looking to her husband.

"How has he been going back to work?" Paul asked.

"Actually, better. That's been helping," Rick said.

"That's good," Paul replied as Rick pulled into the apartment complex behind Drew's pick up.

"Here we are…" Rick said, preparing to change the subject. Smiling over at his mom he added, "ready to meet your grand pup?"

-line-

It was the quiet of the night now, or rather, the quiet of the early morning. When they had first arrived at the apartment, everyone had needed a nap but that afternoon had been spent with a little sightseeing in San Antonio. They had all had a lovely evening and were looking forward to more sightseeing in the morning. Everyone had turned in for the evening, except for Drew who was still up reading with Scout at his side.

The pair were out on the balcony, enjoying the rare cool night when they heard rattling in the kitchen. "Rick?" Drew called softly, getting up from his spot.

"Wrong Lincoln," came the answer, "where do you all keep the coffee?"

Drew shook his head, amused. Like father, like son, he thought making his way into the kitchen. Paul was there, standing in front of the coffee maker, looking confused. "It's above the fridge. I hide it from Rick," Drew answered as he retrieved it.

"That's a dangerous game you play," Paul joked as Drew set about setting up the coffee maker.

"He once drank three pots without realizing it and was up for thirty six hours. He lost privileges," Drew laughed.

"That sounds like my son," Paul said, shaking his head. "You're not a coffee drinker?"

"Oh no, I am, but I like sleep. And my sleep schedule is already crazy, so I don't need to make it worse," Drew said, pulling out the sugar. He had already gotten the milk out.

"That why you're awake now? Can't sleep?" Paul asked.

Drew shrugged. "Yes and no. I'm supposed to be on night shift so my brain is in gear."

"And the no part?" Paul presses silently. It hadn't escaped his notice, Drew trying to hide his wrists.

Looking down at his right wrist, Drew ran his thumb over the scare there. It was fading more and more every day, but for now, at least to him, they remained vivid as ever. "It's not always easy turning off my head," he said, not able to look Paul in the eye.

Paul was quiet for a moment, allowing himself the time to understand the words. He could remember the days he had spent lost in the desert, by himself and avoiding the Iraqi soldiers he'd escaped from. They had never gotten the chance to take him, he had managed to elude, but that fear he knew.

"Forty seven hours was my hell," Paul said, "how long was yours?"

"Thirty six hours is what they tell me. It was longer in my head," Drew said, voice tight.

"Yeah… I would have sworn it was a year when it happened. But nope…. Forty seven hours. Not even two days and it changed my perspective of everything I thought was important. I had gone my whole life never truly acknowledging God and in those hours I never once stopped praying. I had spent my whole married life taking my wife for granted. Always just think she'd be there, and when faced with the possibility of losing her I realized I abandoned my family. Forty seven hours scared me into the man I became. It made me who I was now. But it took some time to realize that. It took a lot of work to get past it."

"How did you get through it?" Drew asked.

"Which part? The running for my life or the nearly dying of heat stroke?" Paul asked with an expression that looked so much like Rick, it made Drew shake his head.

"No. The coming home part. Returning to normalcy… how did you do it?"

"It wasn't pretty. I wasn't exactly the easiest person to deal with when I first came back. Lucky for me Nancy was there and it was her who got it through my head… she told me, "Paul, you're trying to get back to normal but you've got to accept that you don't have a normal anymore. What you need to be doing is building a new normal and not worrying about the old." And she was right. You can't go back to what you were, you gotta make due with who you are now."

Drew sighed and shook his head. "I swear I'm trying."

"Yeah, I know you are. But you've gotta give yourself a break." Paul said.

Drew shook his head, "some days I'm fine. Everything is on even ground and I can just move forward. Other days I can't remember why I'm trying so hard."

Paul nodded. This was something he also understood. "Tell me something , what promise did you make? What did you swear you'd do if the universe let you live? For me, I promised I would make more time for Nancy and the boys. I would be present for them, be a real person in their lives. What did you promise?"

Drew blushed and looked down at the counter, taking a moment to brace himself. He knew that Paul was much more accepting and understanding than his father, but he still felt awkward, being open. "Uh… well, I promised I'd ask Rick to marry me.."

Paul gave a soft "huff" almost like a laugh, but not quite. "Well, why haven't you? It's been… three, four months?"

"Four, I think," Drew said, a little caught off guard. This wasn't exactly the conversation he pictured having at three AM nor was that the response he expected.

"Well you need to get on that. Christ, I'm gonna be buried by the time you boys get it together. Why haven't you just asked him?"

A wistful smile graced Drew's face, "I don't feel like I'm back yet. I feel like I'm stuck. Every time I think I get somewhere and then I fall backwards."

"Maybe that's because you're not walking the right path," Paul said as he poured himself a mug of coffee. "I'm sure your doctor and my son and everybody else are being reassuring and trying their best when they tell you to take it slow, give it time, and all that psych feel good shit…" that made Drew chuckle as Paul continued.

"I mean, don't get me wrong. They're right. But sometimes it just gets to the point it's not working. I mean, us soldiers, we're not exactly the smartest. You may have a fancy degree, but we are really just a bunch of boys being boys. And no matter how educated you are, fart jokes are still funny." That made Drew laugh and Paul smiled, taking a sip of a coffee before he went on. "So, with that in mind… I double dare you to go out today with your sleeves rolled up."

Drew laughed, he had to, because Paul had the exact same look Rick got when he was being mischievous. "Alright… you're on," he agreed.

There was a pleasant silence for a moment as Paul sipped his coffee. The older man then took a deep breath and said, "for what it's worth, if it's worth anything at all Drew… I couldn't see my son happier with anyone other than you. I can say with certainty Nancy and I would be very proud to have you in our family."

Drew felt a wave of emotion wash over him, the warmth and unconditional acceptance of the words were a powerful thing for him. "Thank you," he managed to say, grateful for the blessing.

-line-

Rick was sitting with his parents on the balcony of the apartment, enjoying a drink and the coolness of the evening. It was the last night of his parents' stay and he was slightly disappointed that Drew couldn't be with them. The other, despite being off for the weekend, had been called in due to a structural collapse. There were several people suspected of having crush injuries and Drew was the closest thing to an expert on those types of injuries they had.

"San Antonio is lovely Rick, you boys have such a nice place here," his mom said while petting Scout. The giant mutt had fallen head over heels for Nancy and had all but glued himself to her since she arrived.

"It is… we want more room though. We're talking about buying a house…" Rick said. "There's a couple of old ranches that are up for sale that we wanted to look at."

Nancy gave her husband a knowing look and he just winked at her. "Buying a house together, huh? That sounds like a big step."

"Especially for someone with one leg," Rick joked, making his dad snicker and his mom roll her eyes.

"You know exactly what I meant…" she said scolding him.

Rick laughed, "yeah…it is a big step and I'm… I don't know, I think it's right? I mean, we've both had a lot thrown at us this past year but… we survived it. I just…"

"Rick," his mother said, interrupting his rambling, "are you going to purpose?"

Rick blushed and couldn't look at his parents, "maybe? I don't know if it's too soon though… like, I don't know if Drew's ready… or if he even wants to get married. I mean, we've talked about it, but with everything that's happened… I don't know…"

Paul smiled to himself, giving his wife a wink that Rick didn't see. "Well, you could just ask. Or better yet, just go and do it."

"Oh, you better not…" his mom said, "if you get married and I'm not there, I'm gonna be mad."

"You're okay with it?" Rick asked, a little surprised. When he had first come out, his parents had seemed a little overwhelmed and he wasn't sure they had completely accepted him. Even with this weekend being as pleasant and relaxing as it had been, he was still nervous.

"Rick, the only thing that ever bothered me about you being gay is that it took thirty two years for you to tell me. That was it," his father said, "and even that had nothing to do with you. What wasn't comfortable for me was the idea you thought you had to hide."

"We had tried to always tell your brother and you that no matter what, you could come to us. That we would always love you and listen," his mom continued. "It took us both a little time to understand that meant you needed to come to us in your own time. That was all. We both like Drew. He's a good man and as long as you're both happy, then that's all we want."

Rick couldn't speak for a long moment, too many emotions were coursing through him. Excitement for the future, love for his parents and life in general, relief at finally knowing he was accepted… it was all a lot to take in. "Thank you… I… it means a lot to know you both approve."

His mom squeezed his hand, smiling at him. "We love you kiddo," she said. "Just don't have a wedding without us. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," he said laughing. "But I don't even know if Drew is ready… so, don't worry…" Rick was going to say more but then his phone rang. Looking at it he shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said, "it's work…" then standing and heading inside, he answered, "Lincoln."

Paul waited until the door was closed and he was sure his son couldn't hear him before turning to his wife and saying, "Drew wants to purpose."

"No shit Sherlock. But who do you think is going to purpose first?" Nancy asked.

"A bottle of rum on Drew," Paul said

Nancy laughed, "you're on." The two elder Lincolns toasted on it, both smiling.

-line-

Two Weeks Later

It was a couple days before the end of their vacation. Nancy and Paul had had a wonderful time at the resort and were currently sitting on the beach enjoying the sunset. Paul was reading, holding his wife's hand as she people watched when her phone buzzed.

Checking the phone, she smiled and looked mischievously to her husband saying, "want to go to Santa Fe?"

Her husband looked at her with a raised eyebrow and asked, "what's in Santa Fe?"

"Oh… a wedding…" she said, showing him the message from Rick.

Her husband laughed. "I'll make the flight changes tomorrow."

"I would also like my rum," she said as she called her son. Paul just stuck his tongue out at her.

-end-