I Am Not Yours

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July 1916

As soon as Henry arrived back in Hope Valley, the citizens around him noticed how he seemed to carry himself like a wounded puppy returning from his trip. They wondered if perhaps it had something to do with his son. No one really knew. No one really asked.

He went about his business as he usually had, coming back to the reality that his glimpse of having friends or a family at Abigail's childhood home was just that, a glimpse. He continued his work at the oil company and kept to himself as usual. Jesse, Lee, or Carson soon attempted to approach him and ask how his trip went, but Henry would deny their company and tell them that he was either too busy to talk about it or that it wasn't important enough to discuss.

He hadn't realized just how much people had begun to pay attention to him or his well being since he arrived until Rosemary eventually marched her way over to Gowen Petroleum, stepping inside without so much as a knock.

"Henry Gowen." She said sternly, standing across from his desk with her fists on her hips.

His eyes slowly looked up at her from the book he had been trying to feel interested in. "Rosemary...Can I help you?" He forced a smile.

"What on earth happened to you?"

"Happened to me?" He wondered aloud.

"Yes. On your trip to see your son."

Henry closed his book and set it down on his desk. "May I ask why you are interested?"

"No. You may not." The actress told him. "You were gone for quite a while, longer than Jesse says you were supposed to be gone for, and he was worried about you. WE were worried about you." She paused, expecting him to respond to her, but when he didn't, she continued. "You didn't even notify Lucas how long you'd be gone for and he almost called the authorities to find out if you had gone and run off with his cut of the money from Gowen Petroleum."

"That does sound like something I would do." He said with a hint of defeat in his tone though his expression never waned from the look of confidence.

"And we-" Rosemary stopped what she was going to say as she processed the words that came out of Henry's mouth. She furrowed her brows in confusion and looked at the man as if trying to read him. "It took Elizabeth, Jesse, Lee, myself, and even Carson to convince him to give you some more time to return before he could do anything rash."

"And why would you all do that?" He asked her.

"Because, Henry....believe it or not...some of us have gained some faith in you." She told him with a kind smile.

"Perhaps we should blame Abigail for that." He said, more to himself than to Rosemary.

"Or you." The blonde countered. "For patching things up with your son....for returning with Becky that Christmas...for ultimately trying to be a good man. We see potential in you, Henry. And you shouldn't have to deal with the trials in your health alone."

"Oh, I see." Henry nodded. There it was. The REAL reason she was being nice to him. He stood up from his chair behind his desk and slowly walked around it as he spoke to her. "You didn't come here to show me friendly support or ask about my trip. You came to pity the lonely man in town who may be ill. How much did Carson tell you about my debacle?" He asked her, making his way to the door and opening it, holding it for her as if to tell her to leave. "Not too much, clearly, otherwise you would know that pitying me is not worth it. I am not dying. I just have a lot of stress in the business and he really shouldn't be sharing my diagnoses with other people."

"Henry, it's nothing like th-"

"Get out." He said softly. "I don't need your pity or anyone else's."