"Phoenix" now begins and ends with a funeral. Kind of poetic, don't you think?
"Try to Remember" from "The Fantasticks" was Jerry's signature song from his Broadway career. Unfotrunately, geocities won't let me upload an MP3 file.
"Oh, god, Lennie! It's only been a couple of days, and already I miss you so much!" He struggled to hold back the tears. Everything had happened so fast. The diagnosis, beginning treatment, then suddenly, unexpectedly, the end. The end of everything � all their hopes and dreams together.
Four years. That was all they'd had. Four years which had changed his life, changed HIM, almost beyond recognition. Four years of an unexpected love. They'd counted on so much more. Earlier this year Lennie had retired from the NYPD. Over 25 years of service and he'd managed to survive, only to be taken down by cancer. It just wasn't fair!
Since Lennie's retirement, they'd been talking about when Jack would make his exit from the DA's office. Maybe buying a little house up in Connecticut where Jack could start a small law practice. Jack hadn't been real sure about that one; Lennie was such a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker. Jack couldn't imagine him leaving his beloved city. The man was a walking map of every street, every pool hall, every hot dog stand in the city. And Broadway � he just loved Broadway. What was that old song he was always whistling?
Try to remember the kind of September
when life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
when grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
when you were a tender and callow fellow,
Try to remember and if you remember then follow.
He and Lennie had met in the September of their lives. The flush of youth was gone, both were scarred and battered in spirit. But somehow out of that they had found love and joy. There were so many moments they'd shared, good and bad, but always together. Lennie's love had gotten him through some rough spots. And the good times � oh, they had been so good. A smile tugged at his lips as he remembered that New Year's Eve party at the Leather Rose that Mike and Abbie had dragged them to �
Try to remember when life was so tender
that no one wept except the willow.
Try to remember when life was so tender that
dreams were kept beside your pillow.
Try to remember when life was so tender that
love was an ember about to billow.
Try to remember and if you remember then follow.
Best of all was the day they'd played hookey from work and ended up promising each other forever. // Till death do us part � // The tear finally won it's battle for escape as his fingers tried to get past the glove to touch the ring on his left hand.
"Oh, Lennie. What am I going to do without you? I don't know if I can do this again �"
Claire. She had been taken from him too soon too. But back then, he'd been alone. Now, maybe not so much. Perhaps that was Lennie's greatest gift to him; their 'family.' Somehow in the tragedy that had been 9/11, they had both found long-lost daughters. Julia and their grandson Tommy had been here for the funeral, and assured Jack that he would always be 'Grandpa Jack.' His Katie hadn't been able to come because her partner Beth was too pregnant to travel. Soon he'd have another grandchild to spoil.
And of course the Logans. Last night, Mike and Abbie had come over and brought the photos from HER sonogram. No doubts now, it was a boy. His name had already been decided � Leonard Michael Logan. By the time Abbie got it out, they had all been crying and holding on to each other.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
although you know the snow will follow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
without the hurt the heart is hollow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
the fire of September that made us mellow.
Deep in December our hearts should remember and follow.
Yes, the loss hurt, hurt more than he could have imagined. But Lennie had given him so much, he owed it to him to go on, to remember their time together, to honor his life and his love. Lennie wasn't a religious man; he'd admitted that he really didn't believe in an afterlife, and besides, if there was a heaven there was no way they'd let HIM in! Typical Lennie Briscoe humor. No, it was simply the nature of things, the circle of life coming to a close. As two new circles prepared to open.
Jack reached into his jacket and pulled out the single red rose and laid it across the gravestone. "I love you, Lennie. I always will." He put his helmet back on and got on the bike, heading back to the home they had shared. Time to make plans to head out to San Francisco to see his granddaughter born �
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Disclaimer: These characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC; I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit.