Justin made his calls, and Brian worked most of the afternoon. As the sun waned, Justin turned on the lights and worked on his latest sketches. Occasionally he glanced at Brian, watching for signs of fatigue, but it appeared that he was adjusting to being home.

"Shit! I promise I told them all not to come until tomorrow," Justin lamented as he heard the familiar buzz announcing a visitor to the loft.

Brian smiled as he stretched and directed, "I told you they wouldn't listen. Go see who it is?"

"Yes," Justin said as he pressed the button.

"It's me, Deb. I know you said not to come over, but with this blizzard, I was worried that you couldn't get to the store. So I packed a few things from the diner and walked over."

Justin pressed the buzzer unlocking the door to the building. "Come on up, Debbie." He opened the door and waited for the lift to bring her up to the loft.

She walked right into the kitchen as if it were her own. "Now I've got some meat loaf, tuna casserole and a few turkey sandwiches. Of course, I bought lemon bars, too," she announced as she began unpacking her bag. She opened the refrigerator, placing the containers on the shelves. "You boys have food in there. I'm proud of you, Sunshine."

"Thanks for bringing over the food, but you didn't have to. As you can see, Brian is doing just fine," Justin said as he tried to steer her towards the door.

"Sunshine, I just got here, and I've been working all day! Come sit down and tell me all about that art show. You haven't been by to see me since you got back," Debbie urged.

"Justin, go sit with Debbie and tell her all about ‘Nude York,'" Brian instructed.

Justin rolled his eyes, but did as Brian asked and sat with Debbie. "....So, it was a great success. Of course, I hope that my next show will be solo, and I want everyone to be there."

"I'd love to see it. Your mom must be so proud of you!" She placed a big kiss on Justin's cheek and then rubbed her thumb to smear the lipstick color off. When his cheek was clear, she hugged Justin in one of her famous squeezes.

"Deb, it's late. Let me walk you home," Justin insisted as he saw the light of the street lights from outside.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I can walk. It's not far," Debbie insisted.

"I'll walk you home. Its slick out there, and Michael would never forgive me if you slipped on your way home. Brian can take care of himself."

"Well, okay. Brian, you take care," She directed as she kissed him goodbye.

"Yes Mom," Brian answered.

"Why don't you stop for the night? It is your first night back and..." Justin suggested as he leaned over to kiss Brian on the cheek.

"I'll stop when I'm ready, Justin. Now, go take Debbie home. Take the ‘Vette--that way, it won't take as long. You know where I keep the keys."

Justin opened his mouth to respond, but decided against it. He grabbed the keys from the drawer and walked Deb out to the car.

"Thanks for the food, Deb. As you can see, his highness, Brian Kinney is the same stubborn asshole we all know and love. You don't have to check up on him." Justin opened the car door for Debbie.

"You know, I don't think I've ever ridden in this car. I can't believe he lets you drive it," Debbie commented as she put on her seatbelt.

"Things change. One day, you and everyone else will accept that Brian is not the man you thought he was," Justin stated. He put on his seat belt and started the ignition. "I fucking hate snow! Why couldn't I be born in some warm city where it didn't snow all winter long?" Justin lamented.

He backed out the car and cautiously drove Deb home. She lived a ten minute walk from the diner and the diner was only a few minutes from the loft. The drive only took five minutes by car. He stopped the car in Deb's driveway and got out to walk her to the door.

"Believe me, Sunshine; I know better than anyone that there is more to Brian Kinney than meets the eye. Just be careful. I don't want either one of you hurt." She kissed him again and turned to unlock the door. "Now go. He needs you, even if he won't say so."

Justin drove back to the loft, returning in less than half an hour.

He walked in to see Brian pinching the bridge of his nose, signaling that he had a headache. Justin went over to massage Brian's back and shoulders.

"Hungry?" Justin asked.

"Not really, but I know you're going to tell me to eat something if I'm going to take a pain pill." Brian reached for Justin's hand and brought it to his lips, brushing it with a gentle kiss. Justin moved his body in front of Brian's, placing his wrists around Brian's neck. Leaning down, he gently kissed Brian and Brian reciprocated.

Pulling away from the kiss, Justin said, "I'll heat you up some tuna casserole, then we can watch some television."

"Okay," Brian acquiesced.

Justin heated the casserole and gave Brian another pain pill. Brian didn't want to sit on the couch with his cast, so he agreed to return to the wheelchair. Justin sat next to the chair while they watched ‘Mutiny on the Bounty.' Justin glanced at Brian several times, and saw that he was fighting to keep his eyes open. He waited until the movie was over before suggesting they go to bed. Brian did not fight the suggestion.

The next morning, Brian woke with a full bladder. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed his crutches. He made his way to the bathroom unassisted, but found that he couldn't piss without giving up a crutch.

"Justin!" he yelled in frustration. "Justin, get your ass in here, now!"

Justin sat up in bed at the sound of Brian's voice and looked around. Realizing Brian was in the bathroom, he hurried in. "What do you need?"

"Hold the damn crutch. I gotta piss." He shoved the crutch toward Justin as he reached for his dick. He pissed, sighing with relief. "I'll take that," he said as he reached for the crutch in Justin's hand. "Now, help me in the shower. I've got a limo coming at nine, and I need to be ready."

"If I'm not here, you'll have to sit down and piss. I doubt Cynthia will hold it for you," Justin teased.

Brian smiled at Justin's comment as he hobbled to the sink to wash his hands. "No, I don't think she would hold it for me. Now there were some nurses that would have been more than happy to do the honors," Brian said tongue in cheek.

Justin emptied his bladder. "Brian, are you sure about this? Cynthia can work here. She told me she didn't mind coming to the loft."

"I need to get back to the office. So, are you going to help me or not?" Brian asked again, the exasperation barely hidden in his tone.

"Let me gather the supplies." After washing his hands, Justin grabbed the shower chair and placed it in the shower stall. He went to the kitchen, got the saran wrap, and wrapped Brian's leg. He adjusted the water, and then signaled for Brian to get in.

"Aren't you coming in?"

"No. Not enough room. Can you do this with your crutches? Won't they slip?"

"I can't exactly roll my chair in, so how do you suggest I get in?" Brian said tersely.

Justin turned off the shower and opened the shower door. "I guess you'll have to turn the water on yourself once you get seated. Why don't you use your crutches and go sit on the seat, then I'll take your crutches and you can turn on the shower."

Brian walked to the shower, but he couldn't get over the lip of the shower door. "I can't fucking hop on one leg!" he yelled when he realized his dilemma. "Christ. I'm not taking any more sponge baths."

"How'd you take a shower at the hospital?" Justin questioned him, hoping to find a solution.

"It was a roll in shower, so I didn't think about it. I rolled my wheelchair in; the first time I tried to stand up, of course, I ended up on the fucking floor."

"Oh," Justin said. "Why don't I take your shower chair to the sink and give you a sponge bath today, and then I can talk to Drew and see if he can come over and help lift you into the shower tonight. You could take your showers at night, instead of the mornings," Justin suggested.

Brian turned toward Justin with a bright red face. "Are you fucking nuts? I will not be carried into the shower for the next eight weeks! I'll call Jose and see what he suggests." Brian slowly used his crutches, making his way to the phone in the kitchen and called Jose. Luckily, his card was sitting out on the counter with all the medical discharge papers.

The phone rang five times before the voice mail came on. "You have reached Jose. I'm currently assisting patients, but if you will leave your name and phone number, I will get back to you as soon as possible."

"Shit! Look Jose, this is Brian. I need to talk to you as soon as possible. Call me at 222-3333." Brian disconnected the phone and threw it across the room. It landed on the rug by the couch.

Justin watched Brian's tantrum, but didn't say anything. "Want some breakfast? Maybe by the time you're finished, Jose will have called you back," Justin asked calmly. He went to the floor and picked up the phone, pushing the button to ensure he received a dial tone. He placed the phone back in its charging cradle and went to the refrigerator, grabbing the guava juice. "Have some juice," he said as he poured a small glass. "Sit down. Your leg is going to start throbbing."

Brian picked up the juice and drank the contents in one swallow. Then, he went to the computer table, motioning for Justin to bring a chair and a pillow. Justin brought the items. "You want me to cancel the car?"

"Yeah... I can't fucking go to the office without a shower. I stink. I'll call Cynthia and tell her it will be at least tomorrow before I come in."

Justin called the limo company and then went to the bedroom to make the bed.

"I thought you were going to make breakfast," Brian reminded Justin.

"You never answered me. What do you want?" Justin yelled from the bedroom.

"Wheat toast and one egg white, scrambled."

"That won't fill you up," Justin commented as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Let me be the judge of that. After I eat, I guess you can give me a sponge bath. At least you will be more excited by the prospect of seeing me naked than the male nurse that I had."

As they finished breakfast, the phone rang.

"Hello," Justin answered.

"... Hi Jose. Yeah, I'll let you speak to him." He handed the phone to Brian.

"I need to take a shower. Any suggestions?"

"... I got a chair. I can use my crutches to get to the stall, but I can't get over the lip of the shower. I can't exactly hop over the bar."

"...So I have to wait until I get a walking cast. That sucks. Isn't there some little ramp my wheelchair could use to get over the lip?"

"...I was afraid you'd say that. So I guess its sponge baths for at least a week until I can stand on the leg."

"...No, I don't have a tub. See you in a few weeks."

Justin looked at Brian to relay the conversation. "Essentially, I'm fucked for another week. If I had a tub, I could sit in my wheelchair and slide onto the shower chair. If I take a shower, I have to have a roll in shower - something I don't have. So, lucky you... you get to give me sponge baths for at least the next week."

Justin got up to kiss Brian. "Just think of all the blow jobs I can give you," he reminded Brian. "You-naked-at my mercy. That should be fun." He grinned.

Brian smiled, running his eyes over Justin's crotch. "So why don't we start now? I stink, and Cynthia's coming at 10:00. That should be sufficient time for you to blow me at least twice and get me clean," Brian suggested.

"Sounds good to me! Let me go move your shower chair to the sink and gather your toiletries. I'll meet you there."

Brian made his way to the bathroom as Justin gathered the supplies. Justin blew Brian during his "sponge bath" which helped Brian relax a little. He then helped Brian get dressed in sweats and an Armani t-shirt.

"Thanks. I like the smell of men's bodies, but I hate the smell of my own dirty body," Brian commented as he eyed himself. "I think my crutches will get in my way while Cynthia is working here. Help me into my wheelchair and put the ramp over the stairs."

Justin smiled and did as Brian asked. He was proud that Brian was accepting of some of his limitations. He knew that Brian would not come out and say using crutches was hard, but this allowed him to save face. He leaned over and kissed Brian, using a little tongue.

"Brian," Justin hesitated. "If you could have taken a shower, what were you planning to wear to work? You can't put your cast in any of your pants."

"You're right, I can't. I had Theodore special order several pairs of pants for me. They're hanging in the right side of the closet." Brian smiled at Justin's exasperated look.

"Why didn't you tell me? I was really worried about getting you dressed."

Brian laughed. "It's fun to keep you guessing, Justin. Cynthia will be here any time. What are your plans for the day?"

"I'm supposed to meet my mom around 11:00, and she's going to show me some properties for potential studio space. Then we're going to lunch," Justin responded. He cleared away the breakfast dishes. "I'm going to take my shower." He walked back to the bedroom and Brian continued to work.

By the time Justin finished his shower, Cynthia had arrived, and they were hard at work. Justin kissed Brian, reminded him where his meds were, and left.


Justin met his mother and she showed him a few properties. None of them were what he was looking for, so she agreed to continue searching. They stopped at the diner for lunch. Jennifer asked about the trip home and Brian's adjustment to the loft. Justin relayed the trials of the morning, but insisted that they would get through the difficult time.

"Have you heard from Sam? I'm so anxious to hear what the critics said about your show," Jennifer asked as she perused the menu.

"I haven't had time to look at my email. I've had my hands full with Brian," Justin explained as he picked up the menu.

Deb came over. "Sunshine, shouldn't you be at the loft with Brian?"

Justin shook his head. "He's not an invalid, Debbie. He just has a broken leg. I'll have a hamburger, fries and a chocolate shake."

"I'll have the tuna melt," Jennifer said.

"Coming right up," Debbie said as she wrote down their orders.

"Justin, you need to keep in touch with Sam. You've worked too hard to let it go."

"Mom, I'm not letting anything go. I just haven't had time. I promise, my art is important to me, but so is Brian. Right now, he has to come first."

Jennifer reached out and grasped Justin's hand. "I understand... and I trust you. So how's Daphne?"

Their food arrived and they caught up on each other's lives while eating. Justin insisted on paying the bill, leaving a nice tip for Debbie.

"I've got to go to the art store and order some new canvas and paints. I'll talk to you later this week. Call me if you find studio space; I want to have a place as soon as possible."

Jennifer walked with Justin to the counter, and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Take care, Justin. I love you, sweetheart." She watched as Justin left the diner.

‘He's a good kid. Don't worry about him and Brian, Jennifer. The big lug loves him, he just doesn't say it out loud," Debbie assured her. "Say, why don't you go visit him? It's just a few blocks away."

"No, I have a client this afternoon. And, I think I'll wait until Justin invites me. I don't want to intrude on them. They have enough to deal with right now. Well, bye, Debbie."

"Bye, see you soon." Debbie watched as Jennifer left the diner.