Brain dressed quickly, grabbed his key card and cell phone and hailed a cab to take him to the hospital. His mind raced, thinking of all the things that could have happened to Justin; did he hit his head, was his hand hurt, did he break something.  Who did he need to call?  Shit! He'd have to call Jennifer and what was the name of his boss?  Where was he working?  For fuck's sake, he was working as a birthday party stripper.  What the hell had possessed him?  After I know he's okay, we are going to have a little chat.

Arriving at the hospital, he rushed into the hospital.

"Where's Justin Taylor?  I received a call that he was here."

The nurse looked up at the handsome man and glanced at her paperwork.  "Let me call the doctor for you.  If you'll have a seat over in the chairs, he'll be here in a minute."

Brian went to the chairs, looking at the clock on the wall.  It was 3:00 am; no wonder he was tired.  How long had Justin been here? He'd left the party about midnight.  What happened between then and now?   He ran his hand over his face and hair and put his head in his hands.  He raised his head as he heard footsteps coming toward him and the doctor tapped him in on the shoulder. 

"Mr. Kinney?"

"Yes.  How is he?" Brian asked as he swallowed hard, wishing the doctor could tell him that Justin was just banged up.

"Why don't we move to the patient area?"  He motioned toward a small room to the side of the waiting area.

Brian followed the doctor as a chill ran over his body. He could feel the rivulets of sweat under his arms and his heart racing as he waited for the latest news. Sitting in the chair that the doctor motioned toward, Brian looked at the doctor. 

"Mr. Kinney, Mr. Taylor was brought in a few hours ago.  He was in a car accident. Apparently he wasn't wearing a seat belt and the impact threw him across the back seat into the side of the cab. He must have hit his head because he was unconscious on the ride over and once he arrived."

Brian shook his head, waiting for more information.  "Just fucking tell me!!  Is Justin okay?"

"As far as we can tell, he has no broken bones or internal injuries."

Brian breathed a sigh of relief, but then another chill ran over him.  "What the fuck are you trying to tell me?  If he's not hurt, then why the fuck is he still here?"

"He's had a mild head injury.  We need to watch him for a few days."

"Shit!  Again!"

"Mr. Kinney, has Mr. Taylor had a previous head injury?" The doctor nodded and made a mental note to put this in Mr. Taylor's chart.

"Yeah.  He was hit in the head with a fucking baseball bat when he was in high school.  He was in a coma for three weeks and in rehab for a while." Brian stood up and walked to the window, seeing only the lights of New York.  Normally he enjoyed the view, but tonight it didn't even register.

"I see.  That explains some things."

Brian turned toward the doctor and practically yelled, "What the fuck is wrong with him?  Stop talking in circles, doc.  Just say it."

Used to family members being upset, the doctor did not react to Brian's loud voice. "Mr. Taylor appears a little confused. He didn't know who he was when he was brought in."

"So he's awake?"

"Yes."

Brian started walking toward the doorway and the rooms, but stopped when he realized he did not know which room Justin was in. "Then why am I out here instead of with him?  Show me where he is so that I can be with him!"

"I just want to warn you that he doesn't remember much of anything before the accident."

"Fine.  Well.  Let me deal with that.  Just take me to his damn room!"

"We'll talk later, Mr. Kinney."  The doctor walked toward the hallway and motioned for Brian to follow him.

Brian followed the doctor, thinking that this time he was going to handle Justin's injury differently.  He'd learned his lesson the last time and he wasn't going to stay on the side lines. Taking a deep breath, he stood outside the door and willed his heart to stop pushing through his chest cavity.

Justin was sleeping in the bed, the white sheet pulled lightly over his body. He looked fine, except for a few scraps on the side of Justin's head. Fuck, at least they didn't have to drill a fucking hole in his head. Confusion, my ass, Brian thought, God, what if Justin had amnesia again, and didn't remember... no, he wasn't going to think that. This time will be different.  I'm here for him. This time he won't wonder if I care. Brian pulled up the chair from the corner and sat next to the bed, lightly holding Justin's hand.  Justin didn't stir. Brian watched him sleep for awhile and then lay his head down on the arm of the hand he was holding. Closing his eyes as he allowed the lull of Justin's heart beat to sooth his nerves. A few hours later, the nurse came in to wake Justin, checking on him.  Brian woke as the nurse entered and sat up in the chair. 

"I'm just going to take your vitals."

Justin nodded, appearing to understand. The nurse took his blood pressure and checked his pupils.  "What's your name?"

"Justin Taylor."

"When were you born? October 22, 1982."

"Good.  Why don't you rest and the doctor will be in later." The nurse left the room.

Brian looked at Justin as he rubbed his eyes. "Hey," Brian said softly. He knows his name and his birth date. That's got to be good, right.  Maybe he isn't as confused as the doctor thinks.

Justin looked at Brian, focusing his gaze and trying to remember why he was here.  "Brian...?   What happened?"

"You were in an accident.  Hit your head.  You're in the hospital."

"Oh. So tired."  Justin lay his head back down and was sleeping in a few moments.

Brian clasped his hand again, laid his head back on Justin's arm, and allowed himself to be lulled to sleep again. 

A few hours later, the nurse came in again, waking Justin to check on him. 

Justin sat up again, rubbed his eyes and tried to focus.  "What happened?"

Brian said quietly, "You hit your head. You're in the hospital."

"Oh.... Can I go home?"

"Not yet.  Soon."

"Okay."  Justin looked outside, looking at the raindrops hitting the window.  "It's raining."

"Yeah.  How's your head?"

Justin put his hand to his head and shrugged.  "Okay."

"Good.  Why don't you rest some more.  I'll be here when you get up."

"Okay."  Justin lay his head down and he was out in a few moments.

Brian looked at the clock on the wall. Shit.  I guess I need to call Jennifer.  He covered Justin up with the blanket, leaned over and kissed his forehead.  "Later," he whispered and walked out of the room to go the family waiting area where he got his cell.

When did I become so fucking domesticated that I have Jennifer's number in my phone?  Pushing the contact button on his phone, he searched for her number and called.

"Hello?"

"Hi Jennifer." 

"Brian what's wrong?" knowing that it had to be serious for Brian to say Jennifer instead of his affectionately playful Mother Taylor.

"Justin's in the hospital.  He was in a car accident.  Seems he hit his head but he appears okay."

"Where are you?  I'll be right there."

"We're in New York.  He's at Lenox hospital."

"Okay.  I'll catch the first flight out."

"Okay.  See you."

Brian placed the phone in his pocket and went in search of coffee. 

TBC