No Fools around

"I'm not to handle the scissors when you're around," Henry said very seriously to Audrey as he pieced the material together. "No, its not an April Fools joke. Mom, just about had a raging cow when she saw me with them."

Audrey felt kind of freaky about being here. The little sewing room was once her place. But she'd never know it. Henry even had a pink fuzzy chair to sit in when he was at the sewing machine. This was definitely his space now. Not his pad, but a working space.

There was a long table for cutting out patterns and shelves of fabrics along with books on sewing. There were also compartments for pants and shirts he'd taken apart. At the moment he was wearing boxers on his head.

"Just make yourself at home." He shrugged as he was busy with the pants that he'd said he should have finished yesterday.

She went to the little corner where the couch was. There was a little crate for a coffee table with magazines. He had an electric tea kettle plugged in. Henry kept all sorts of bags of tea and snacks too. Even a bowl of fruit.

"Sorry, you have to babysit." He sewed up what he was working on.

"No problem." Audrey smiled thinking it had been such a long time since they'd really spent some time together. She'd always wanted too. Imagining it, but here she was now, having his brother's baby and well..babysitting.

"Maybe..you shouldn't call it that." She winced as she picked up a magazine packed with DIY projects.

"What else..is it then?" He looked a bit peeved, but he went on to do his steady work for almost an hour. Audrey thought she might fall asleep, but he went to make tea.

"So." He brought her some Camille tea along with a sleeve of short bread cookies. "Did I just about scare the life out of you?" He grinned then.

"What?" She winced.

"You know, what." He wouldn't say it. She didn't want to relieve the frightful moment of his epileptic episode.

"It was a rather interesting dinner party." Audrey smiled as she sipped her tea.

"And..Gage..did you know, about that?" Henry looked nausea just bringing up his cousin.

"No. I didn't." She told him that Carson hadn't brought his brother over. She knew Carson a little. He seemed nice. She hoped he was nice.

"Gage ..is..I dunno.." Henry sighed as he gave her an earful about Gage at Christmas and his little surprises he gave Josie and Dean. "Josie still thinks something was going on with Gage and Halie, but neither will admit to it."

"Well..you know.." Audrey didn't want to judge Gage.

"I know." Henry looked at her. "I shouldn't. Its wrong. And I'm usually wrong. Evidently, about so many things." He smirked.

"About what?" She couldn't help but want to touch her steady stomach that wiggled ever so slightly at Henry's voice.

"You know, I hated, you, when I first met you." Henry chuckled.

"What?" Audrey winced with a smile. "I don't believe you."

"Its true. I couldn't stand you. You, were always late for work. And then..then ... you start seeing my brother. God, I thought..he..is so doomed." Henry went back to his tea and took a cookie and dipped in the hot tea. "But he never doubted, you, for a second." His voice was ever so quiet then.

Suddenly, Audrey felt so happy, but she felt quite sad. She knew Henry was doubting himself.