All I Need – Is a Little More Time – 6

Three months had passed since Brian and Justin’s first date. They had settled into a comfortable relationship with Brian and Gus, more often then not spending the weekend with Jacob and Justin in the loft on Tremont. 

Brian’s project was coming along well. Justin even had spent time with him on the job site, after hours of course. He refused to actually work for Kinnetik, but he didn’t mind making suggestions. 

“How did Jake do at the new school?” Brian asked after kissing Justin. 

“He said he did fine.” Justin shrugged. “It’s only the first week. I think he’s disappointed that he can’t go to the same school as Gus. You’re sure his mother’s won’t reconsider?” 

“Not a chance, but I’m not giving up.” Brian said. “It would be good for the both of them.” 

“I have to agree. Their tests were so close, you’d think they were twins.” Jacob was enrolled in a school recommended by Saint James Academy for gifted children. It was a school that would challenge his abilities and allow them to develop. Melanie and Lindsay had refused to allow Gus to join his friend at the school, despite the recommendations of the staff at Saint James. “Jacob is letting Gus do all the same lessons on the weekends. They have quite the little school room thing happening.”

“I noticed.” Brian laughed. They were walking on a scaffold above the first floor mezzanine. Brian had been inspecting a mural that was being sculpted. He was such a micro manager, that he had insisted on doing it before they went to the movies. 

“This place is creepy at night.” Justin said. “Be careful, I don’t want you falling on your head.” 

“I’m not going to fall. It’s perfectly safe on this scaffold.” Brian walked up and down pleased with what he saw. 

“For fuck sake, let’s get off of here. I don’t like it.” Justin turned and began to climb the ladder back to the main floor. 

“I’ll only be a minute, you can sit on the fountain and pretend there’s water in it. Better yet, you can take your pants off and bend over, we can pretend it’s Saturday at the mall. I always wanted to fuck in the main foyer.” 

“You are a freak.” Justin said glad to be on the floor. He walked over to the partially finished fountain and sat on the edge before taking out his Blackberry to check his emails. He was engrossed with reading one from his lawyer, when he heard a sickening thump. His heart lurched, a scream caught in his throat and he turned to see Brian lying on the floor in a twisted and bloody heap. Dialing 911 without looking, Justin ran to Brian. He calmly gave the directions to where they were and told them what had happened. It was always like that, when a crisis happened, Justin would go cold, his feelings shut off while he dealt mechanically with the problem. It would only be later he’d allow himself to fall apart. 

He didn’t dare move the unconscious man for fear he’d hurt him worse. All he could do was kneel beside him hold his hand and stroke his forehead, whispering words of comfort as he waited endlessly for the ambulance to come. 

The ride to the hospital terrified Justin, twice Brian’s heart stopped. Twice Justin’s did too as they worked on bringing him around. 

“Daphne, you have to help him.” Justin was shaking violently when he spotted his friend. “They took him away and they won’t let me go in.” 

“Justin, wait until they examine him and clean him up.” She brushed his hair off of his forehead. “Go wash your face and then I have some papers for you to fill out. We checked his pockets and you’re listed at the person to contact in case of emergency.”

“Yeah, we have this thing.” Justin looked around helpless, seeking Brian. Brian who would make things right. “I look after him and he looks after me. We’ve had it for awhile.”

“You never said anything.” Daphne said, trying to keep her friend talking. 

“It’s no big deal.” He continued to shake. “Daphne, for fuck sake, why can’t I be with Brian?” 

“Because you can’t.” she handed him a clip board. “Fill this in. I’ll make sure the doctor understands that you’re Brian’s next of kin. In every possible way except marriage.”

“We are married. We wanted to cover all bases.” Justin shrugged. “We couldn’t live together, but we were married.” 

“Why couldn’t you live together?” Daphne was curious. 

“Cause we’d kill each other. Brian has his ways and I have mine. It worked just fine being together on the weekends and once in a while during the week.” His face crumbled and then with a visible shake, Justin pulled himself together. “Daphne, please check on him at least.” 

“I will.” She watched while he finished the forms, signing the last one. “Maybe you should call Emmett to tell him you’ll be home late. He’s probably wondering where you got to.” Emmett was keeping Jacob company, the boy refusing to let it be called baby sitting. 
“I’ll call him.” Justin said, “Just find out please.” He couldn’t concentrate on anything. He was barely breathing, barely holding in the screams that threatened to take over his mind. How could he call anyone, if he said the words, then they’d be true. He couldn’t do it. He had to see Brian first. Why did loving someone hurt so fucking much? And the worst part, the part he couldn’t voice, was that Brian, the Brian he felt in his head and his heart every minute of the day, that Brian was silent. He wasn’t gone, he was silent. There was no sudden laughter filling Justin’s mind, no flush of pleasure, nothing, just silence. And that hurt worse than anything else.

“The doctor will talk to you now.” Daphne said. She steered her friend toward a small waiting room. “Ran, this is Justin, Brian’s husband. Justin, this is my friend and Brian’s doctor Ran Bigelow.” 

“Tell me how he is?” Justin’s voice shook.

“We’re prepping him for surgery right now to relieve the pressure that’s building up in his skull. His skull was fractured but other than that and considerable bruising, we can’t find anything else wrong. His fall wasn’t far, but he did land on concrete. He hasn’t regained consciousness yet, his vitals are stable now which is why we need to relieve the pressure now and not wait until later.”

“Can I see him before he goes?” 

“I’m sorry Justin, but he’s already in the theatre. Perhaps you should notify any family he has. It’s bad; I’m not going to kid you. He could use all the prayers he can get.”

“Daphne, are you going to be with him?” Justin asked. 

“Sorry Jus, I’m needed in the ER. But I’ll keep checking on him.” 

Justin sat down, his eyes bleak as he watched the doctor disappear behind doors that led to pain and mystery.

More than an hour passed. He felt his cell phone vibrate more than once. Finally he got up and stepped outside, knowing he shouldn’t use it in the hospital. “Hey.” It was Emmett. “Em, I can’t talk now. Brian’s been hurt, his in surgery. Please stay with Jacob for me. I can’t leave here right now.” Tears rolled silently down Justin’s face, the first tears he’d shed since the accident. He didn’t know he was crying, all he knew was that it was real now that he’d said the words. And he didn’t want real. 

Emmett asked questions and talked for a few minutes, Justin answered, but he wasn’t sure what he said. Finally unable to talk anymore, he closed his phone. He had to get inside.

Justin wasn’t sure when he was joined by Lindsay and Melanie and a sleepy Gus. He never noticed Michael appearing or Debbie. Sometime during the evening hours Emmett and Jacob appeared. Jacob wrapped himself around Justin who sat on the floor his head on his knees. No one else had said a word to him. It was as if he was invisible. Finally, Doctor Bigelow came out. “Justin, Mr. Taylor.” He said walking over to Justin. He held out his hand and pulled Justin to his feet. “He’s in recovery.” He began.

“What are you talking to him for, I’m his best friend.” Michael said belligerently. 

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Taylor is the patient’s husband and recorded next of kin.” Doctor Bigelow put his hand on Justin’s arm. “If you’d like to see him for a moment, you can. He’s still unconscious. We’re moving him to ICU where he’ll be monitored for another few days.” 

“Jake, can you stay with Uncle Emmett please?” Justin asked, ignoring Michael and the rest of them. “I’m going to see how Daddy B is doing.” 

“Okay Uncle Jus.” Jacob gave him a quick hug before taking Emmett’s hand. 

Justin turned to Lindsay. “I’ll be able to tell you more about what happened when I’ve seen Brian.” He got down to Gus’ level. Gus was holding Jacob’s hand. “Gus, don’t you worry. I’ll look after your daddy.”

“For always?” Gus asked.

“For always.” Justin promised, kissing the boy and giving him a quick hug before standing up again.

“You can’t…” Lindsay began, but stopped talking when she saw the look in Justin’s eyes. 

Justin followed the doctor inside the double doors. His heart quickened the closer he got to Brian. 

“Justin, you know he’s not going to look good don’t you?” Ran said. The doctor looked exhausted and Justin put his hand on his arm.

“Ran, I know. As long as he’s breathing, I know he’ll recover. It’ll just take time.”

“It’s because of his old head injury that things were worse than they might have been.”

“I thought maybe that was it.” Justin sighed. “I’m glad he has people like you and Daphne here to watch out for him. Any idea on recovery time?” 

“No, we can’t tell. First he has to wake up. He’s slipped into a coma, but that’s his body’s way of coping and recovering. Unfortunately we don’t know how long he’ll be like this. It’s a wait and see game. Brian is young and strong. He has you and his son to live for. His other injuries are minor, a couple of cracked ribs, bruises that are rather deep, things that are painful, but not life threatening. We’ll do everything we can.” 

“I know you will.” Justin placed his hand on the door to the recovery room. “I’m ready to see him now.” 

He pushed open the door only to see a number of curtain enclosed cubicles. He didn’t need to ask which one Brian was in. His feet took him to the right one on their own. Brian lay hooked up to various machines, his face pale, his head bandaged. Justin could see that it had been partially shaved. Brian was going to hate that. He’d have to get his barber in as soon as he could. 

“Hey Kinney, this is a hell of a way for you to fuck up our weekend.” They had planned on taking the boys camping. Well Brian’s idea of camping, which was a cabin in the woods not far from the city. Justin leaned in and kissed Brian’s lips, shocked with how cold they were. He hoped it was because of the breathing tube. “I want you to know that I have your back on this. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll see you when you get to the ICU.” He bent down to whisper in his ear. “You fight and you fight hard you stubborn Irish bastard. When you wake up, I promise you I’ll move in with you even if it’s at the top of the tallest building in the world.” 

Though Brian continued to sleep, Justin thought he might have seen just the tiniest flicker of movement in the corner of his mouth. Not a smile, but it could have been. Turning, he walked away, it was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, leaving the man he loved lying there alone. But it was necessary and Justin never shirked his responsibilities. 

Justin walked directly to Lindsay. Lindsay, as well as the rest of them, had ignored him but he felt he had to tell her what the doctor had said. “No visitors are allowed for at least twenty four hours, maybe even forty eight.” He told her once he’d relayed the details of Brian’s accident. “And then only one at a time for short intervals.”

“But.” She began, “We’re his family.” 

“I’m his husband. He is not to be subjected to any drama. Besides, he’s in a coma, there’s no point in doing anything other than see that he’s alive.”

“We’ll just see about that.” Melanie began. “I’ve never heard of any such marriage. We barely know you.”

“But then I’m not married to you, am I? I’m married to Brian and I have his full power of attorney for all of his affairs and that includes his living will.” Justin spoke with the full resonance of hundreds of years of WASP upbringing. He would not be intimidated; this was made crystal clear by both the tone of his voice and his body stance. 

“Just a darn minute here, Brian is like a son to me.” Debbie began.

“And I feel your pain…” Justin interrupted. “But Brian is my husband and it’s going to be up to me to make sure his wishes are looked after ,not to mention making sure his recovery is smooth. I’m not going to keep any of you from seeing him. Just not now. He needs time, even a couple of days will help him.”

“If he’s in a coma, what the fuck does it matter?” Debbie got right in Justin’s face, her own face red with anger.

“It matters because he will hear you. He’ll hear you all whine and winge, bitch and moan and it won’t be good for him. Brian needs some time. If you love him, I mean really love him and not his bank account, you’ll give him that time.” 

“Of all the insulting things I’ve heard you say, that just about takes the cake.” Melanie began. 

“Don’t start Ms. Markus. I’ve seen the checks he’s written to you and your partner. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. You’d think the two of you could manage your money better. You are after all, a professional.” He turned to Michael. “And don’t you start. I’ve seen many a check with your name on it. You might try actually working at your comic book shop. I understand that’s a sure fire way to bring in an income.”

Emmett said nothing, his mouth quirked a time or two, but he had to agree with Justin. The others did tend to use Brian for a check book more than a friend. 

Justin turned to them. “I’d like to take Gus and Jacob up to the ICU and show them that Brian is alive. They can’t go in, but they will be able to see him through the window. I’ve already cleared it with his doctor. Lindsay, you can bring Gus if you don’t want him alone with me.”

“Emmett, I hate to have to ask you this, but can you stay the night with Jacob at the loft? I’ll be home to take him to school.” 

“Don’t you worry Hun, of course I will.” Emmett hugged Justin. “You just worry about that man of yours.” 

“I’ll take the boys up now. We won’t be long.” 

Justin held out his hand to Jacob. He wasn’t surprised to see Gus following with Lindsay. He could hear the buzz of the rest of them talking as the elevator doors shut.

Lindsay started to say something but Justin interrupted. “If you don’t mind, any discussion will be done when we are alone. I’ll give you my cell phone number, don’t hesitate to call. If I’m not busy, I’ll answer.” He reached into his wallet and pulled out a business card, handing it to Lindsay. The elevator stopped and they stepped out to be met by Ran. 

“Hey Justin.” Ran said with a smile. “Daphne is going to sit with him after her shift.” He bent down so he was at eye level with Gus and Jacob. “You boys must be Gus and Jacob. I’m Doctor Ran Bigelow, but my friends call me Ran.” He glanced up at Justin. “I’m going to be your daddy’s doctor. He fell down and cracked his head.”

“Did he cry?” Gus asked.

“No, he didn’t cry.” Ran answered. “It hurt, but his head decided to go to sleep so the hurt would get all better. He’s asleep right now. I’m going to show you that he’s just sleeping. You have to promise me you won’t laugh at him because we have lots of cool machines hooked up to him. His head won’t let him wake up, so the machines tell us how his heart is and things like that.” 

“Can we touch him?” Jacob asked.

“Not today. Today he needs to rest, but you can look at him and you can whisper to him.”

“Okay.” Gus said. He held onto Jacob’s hand. 

“There’s a window, how can he hear if we whisper?” Jacob asked.

“He’s a daddy, daddy always hear stuff that their kids whisper.” Ran stood up and taking Gus’ hand, led the two boys over to the window. Justin and Lindsay followed saying nothing. Justin’s hands were clenched so tightly he could feel his nails piercing his palms. It was either that or he’d fly apart in a million pieces. All Lindsay could see when she looked at the blond was a stoic blankness on his face and in his eyes. 

The boys watched Brian through the window. “I love you daddy B” Jacob whispered. 

“I love you daddy.” Gus whispered. He turned to Justin, “Daddy needs our bears.”

“That’s right Uncle Jus, Daddy B needs my Marine Angel bear and he needs Leather Bear.” There was a touch of anxiety in both boys’ voices. 

“I’ll make sure he gets them.” Justin said, trying his best not to choke up. 

“Everyone knows that bear love will fix him.” Gus looked at Jacob. “That’s right, isn’t it Jake?” 

Jake nodded his agreement. He turned to Gus and hugged him. “I want daddy B to snuggle us again.” He whispered to his friend. 

“Maybe we can ask your Angel Daddy to watch over him.”

“Yeah, he’s a Marine; Marine’s always take care of their own. And daddy B is my daddy B.” Jacob declared, happy now that they had something to hold on to.  
“I didn’t realize how close Brian is to your nephew.” Lindsay said her voice soft. “He calls him daddy B.”

“He’s always done that. Brian treats him like a son, the boys like brothers.” Justin said, unable to take his eyes of Brian, willing him to get better.

“Why don’t we know about you and Brian? Why all the secrecy?” she had to ask.

“Brian and I have had a relationship from the first moment we met. Neither one of us was or is prepared to discuss it with anyone.”

“But he married you. It’s hard to believe he did that.” 

“Actually, I married him. He had to talk long and hard to convince me I should. But he’s a stubborn Irishman, and wore me down. We did it a couple of months ago, just a private thing, more for times like this than any other reason.”

“So it’s a marriage of convenience?” she asked.

“No, it’s convenient we married, but we love each other, always have and always will. We just didn’t need the rings to prove it.” It was then that Lindsay noticed the platinum band on Justin’s hand and realized that Brian had been wearing one identical to it. She had never thought of it being anything other than just a ring. 

“You really are married.” She whispered looking at his hand.

“Yes.”

“But you don’t live together.”

“It’s complicated.” Justin huffed a laugh, “But it works for us.”

“But Michael and Debbie, they don’t know.”

“I guess they do now.” Justin shrugged. “We have to go. I promised we wouldn’t stay long.” Reluctantly he turned from the window. “If you don’t mind, I really don’t want to talk right now. Can you take Jacob to Emmett please? Tell Em I’ll be home for breakfast.” 

“Aren’t you going to stay with Brian?” 

“When I can, I’ll be with him. When I can’t, he’ll be in my heart.” Justin bent down and kissed Jacob and Gus. “I’ve got his back boys, don’t worry.” He said softly. “Jacob, make sure Emmett leaves the ice cream alone. I’ll be home for breakfast.” 

“Okay Uncle Jus.” Jacob said. “I love you.” 

“I love you too Buddy.” Justin gave him a hug. “And you too Sonny Boy.” He hugged Gus before turning and walking into Brian’s room, closing the door gently behind him.

Downstairs in the emergency section, the whole family continued to wait. Each one of them getting more and more agitated the longer it took for Lindsay and the boys to return. 

Lindsay stepped off the elevator and took a deep breath. She wasn’t looking forward to dealing with everyone. Now she could see why Brian and Justin had kept their relationship quiet. She was surprised that Emmett and Daphne had gone along with it, but then they didn’t see much of them, so it had no doubt been easy. 

“Brian is resting, Justin is staying until morning. We might as well go home.” Lindsay began. 

Jacob walked over to Emmett and took his hand. “I’m sleepy.” He said. 

“We’ll tuck you in soon.” Emmett smiled at the boy. They’d become close over the months. “Your Daddy B will want you to go to school in the morning.”

“Okay.” Jacob said with a yawn. He and Emmett walked out of the hospital with only a small wave to the rest of them.

Debbie, Michael, and Melanie surrounded Lindsay and Gus, all of them talking at once. Finally Lindsay held up her hand. “I’m tired and I imagine the rest of you are as well. Mel and I are going to take Gus home. Justin is right, there’s nothing we can do for Brian right now. He’ll call if there’s any change.”

“That Justin has no right to not let us see Brian.” Debbie began. 

And Lindsay wondered if that’s what they all sounded like; refusing to hear what Justin had to say about his relationship with Brian. “Debbie, Michael, Justin is right. He is Brian’s husband.” Lindsay shook her head when Michael started to protest. “I’m going home. Brian will need us all, but not right now.” 

In a small room on the fourth floor, Justin sat quietly beside Brian’s bed. Daphne had stayed with him for a few hours, but he’d sent her home. He held Brian’s hand in both of his, willing every bit of strength he had into the other man, until finally, his head on the bed, he fell asleep to the lullaby of blips from the various machines. 

By six in the morning, nothing much had changed other than Brian’s complexion had lost that dead grey look it had when he’d first entered the ICU. Justin took that as a good sign. “Okay big guy. I guess I’m going to have to work for Kinnetik after all. I’m going home to shower and change. I’ll take Jake to school and stop in at Kinnetik for a meeting. I know you have some things on your calendar for today, I’ll take the meetings and let you know how things went.” 

“Jake and I’ll be up to see you after dinner.” Justin kissed both of Brian’s closed eyes and then his lips. “Damn, we’ll have to get that ventilator out soon, it interferes with our kisses.”

He turned and walked out the door. He was going to have a busy day.

“Hi Uncle Jus.” Jacob ran over to Justin and threw his arms around him. “How is Daddy B?” 

“He’s pretty much the same.” Justin said as he kissed his nephew. “We’ll take him Marine Angel bear tonight. They may be moving him into a regular room.”

Emmett came out of the bathroom towel drying his hair. “I can’t stay Hun, I have to get ready for work. But if you want me to stay with Jacob tonight, I can.”

“Daphne said she’ll take him home after her shift. He’s going to be at the hospital with me. I really appreciate both of you stepping in this way.” 

“That’s what friends are for.” Emmett gave him a hug. “Are you going back to the hospital once Jacob is at school?” 

“I wish I could, but I need to head to Kinnetik to get them organized and prepared for Brian’s absence. I suppose I’ll have to go into business mode, sucks to be me.” He sighed. “Brian is probably laughing himself silly right now.” 

“Oh, that should be fun.” Emmett clapped his hands. “Are you going to start wearing Armani like your man?” 

“No, well maybe my Armani jeans, but not a suit.” Justin laughed. “It’s one thing having to run Kinnetik and quite another to start wearing a suit and tie. I don’t want to upstage Mr. Kinney yet.” 

“I thought I might swing by the hospital on my way to work.” Emmett hesitated. “I could take the bear. Jacob is concerned that Brian is alone.” 

“That would be nice Em. If they give you any slack, sic Daphne on them.” Justin smiled, his smile never quite reaching his eyes. 

“Thanks Uncle Em.” Jacob said his voice quiet. “I’ll go get him.” 

“He’s a nice kid.” Emmett said watching Jacob run to his bed for the bear. “You’re lucky to have him in your life. Heck, I’m lucky to have him in mine.” 

“Jacob is what kept me going for years.” Justin admitted. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Justin had been to Kinnetik often, though never during business hours. He didn’t think it was appropriate and Brian had never questioned the fact. So when he walked in, he was surprised to find a well dressed blonde come up to him and say. “You’re Justin Taylor, Brian isn’t here.” 

He knew the woman had to be Cynthia, Brian had described her well. “Yes I am, shall we go into Brian’s office, I have something I need to tell you.” 

Curious, but recognizing the voice of authority when she heard it, Cynthia followed Justin to her boss’s office. Justin unlocked the door and walked in, turning on the lights before sitting in Brian’s chair. He leaned forward and looked at Cynthia who was by now sitting down. “Brian was in an accident on the latest project site. He’s in a coma, but is expected to recover. We just don’t know when. While I’m not an architect I do have a business degree. So while future projects may have to be put on hold depending on the quality of the staff’s work, this project will continue. The drawings have been done and signed off on. The general contractor is working out well and the sub trades are on target. I’ll be overseeing the day to day work including site checks. If I have any questions or concerns I’ll ask you to point me in the right direction for answers.” He sat back. “Do you have any questions?” 

“Mr. Taylor… “ she began.

“You can call me Justin. And I assure you I do have Brian’s power of attorney to run Kinnetik and any other of Brian’s business dealings, or personal ones for that matter.” 

“I…” she smiled, her smile slightly wavered. “Is Brian going to be alright?” 

“I believe he will be. I have to believe that.” Justin sighed. “But he’s not at the moment and I know this project means a great deal to him.”

“Yes, it’s at a point where daily contact is important. It’s so easy to get off track at this stage.” She agreed. 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to schedule a staff meeting for say an hour from now in the boardroom. Meanwhile I’m going to review Brian’s daily files and return any waiting phone calls.”

Cynthia was impressed with Justin. He might look like he was young, but he certainly was business oriented. “I’ll set up the meeting” she smiled. “Good luck at Kinnetik.” She walked to the door. “Can we visit Brian?” 

“He’s in intensive care right now. But I’ll let you know when he can have visitors.” Justin sighed. He wanted desperately to be with Brian. “You know Brian wouldn’t want anyone seeing him at less than his best.” 
Cynthia chuckled. “I know. I’ll tell the other staff to stay away.” 

“I appreciate that Cynthia.” Justin had opened Brian’s computer and signed in. 

The fact that he knew Brian’s passwords didn’t go unnoticed by Cynthia. Brian had mentioned Justin once or twice, but she had no idea they were this close. 

Justin’s staff meeting went surprisingly well when he was able to answer all job related questions with knowing authority. He was glad that Brian had liked to talk about his work day, it made things easier. He spent the day on the job site and reluctantly agreed to take on a design job for one of the stores, escaping from the site in time to pick up Jacob at school.

“Hey Buddy.” He said, opening the door for his nephew. “School go okay?” 

“It was okay, I researched head injuries.” He said, his voice sad. “Daddy B sure is in trouble.” 

“Jacob, you have to understand, everyone is different. Brian’s head injury was the result of a fall. He hit it at the same place he’d injured his head as a kid.” 

“Did he fall when he was a kid?” Jacob asked.

“No, he was hit with something.” Justin didn’t want to go into details. “It was a long time ago.” 

“That’s very sad.” Jacob looked down at his hands. “Will Daddy B wake up?” 

“Yes he will, we just don’t know when.” Justin was glad the hospital wasn’t far away. He couldn’t take a lot of questions when he really had no answers himself. 

Jacob was quiet the rest of the drive to the hospital. He watched everything carefully as they drove and then parked. “Is it okay to park here?” he asked. Justin had parked on the street rather than the hospital parking lot. 

“I don’t like parking garages. This is okay; we just have to walk a bit further.” 

“Okay, it’s exercise, right Uncle Jus?” Jacob took his hand. 

“That’s right.” Justin smiled. “Damn Buddy, you’re getting tall.” 

“I’m going to be taller than you.” Jacob grinned. “Waaaaaay taller.” 

“No doubt.” Justin said as they stepped through the door. He checked in at the reception area to see if Brian had been moved from the ICU, getting his new room number. 

No one paid them any attention as they made their way to Brian’s private room. He was happy to see that the ventilator had been removed, but not happy to see that his eyes were still shut, or his breathing was so shallow. “Hey.” He said, bending down to kiss Brian. “I brought Jake.” He was pleased to see both bears tucked on either side of his husband. 

Justin pulled the chair closer so Jake could stand on it to reach Brian. The boy leaned forward and kissed Brian’s cheeks, first one and then the other. “Hey Daddy B.” he whispered. “I love you sooooo much. Marine Angel bear is guarding you and Leather bear is helping.” 

“Hey Justin, Jake.” Daphne bounced in. “Brian is off the ventilator, that’s cool.” She kissed Brian’s cheek and then Justin’s; at the same time as scooping up Brian’s wrist to check his pulse. It was an automatic gesture. 

“Hey Daphne.” Justin smiled at his friend. 

“I have a plan and I don’t want to hear any arguing.” She began. “I’m taking Jacob home right now to your place after a short pit stop at mine. I’ll feed him and stay for the evening. You visit with Brian and tell him about your day. Come home at eleven, I’ll stay here and watch him until it’s time for my shift. You know I can snooze with one eye open.” 

“Are you sure?” Justin asked. 

“I’m sure.” She said with a smile. “You can spend the night with Jacob, take him to school, stop in here and then head to Kinnetik. I know you’ve probably got them all shaking in their boots.” 

“This could work.” Justin nodded. 

“It will for the next few days. We’ll review after that.” She grinned. “Come on now Jacob, Auntie Daphne needs a shower and she knows for a fact that Emmett baked cookies this morning.”

“Do you have milk?” Jacob asked. 

“Of course.” Daphne held out her hand for Jake’s, giving Justin a quick hug they left the room. 

“Why does it always seem like a storm blew through when Daphne’s here?” Justin asked Brian. He sat on the chair by Brian’s head and began to talk about his day. His hands unconsciously playing with Brian’s fingers, stealing an occasional kiss, but never stopping as he related the events of the day.