Justin grabbed his messenger bag and went to the lobby to meet Daphne.

Daphne arrived right at 6:00pm. "Where to, sir?" she joked as Justin threw his bag in the back seat.

"I need to go the Galleria. I think there's a Saks there."

"Woah. Aren't you taking this a little too seriously, Justin? Just because your name's on Brian's accounts doesn't mean he'll give you carte blanche to go shopping." Daphne turned out of the parking lot, toward the Galleria.

"He gave me a check to buy him a robe and some lounge pants. You should know that I wouldn't go around spending his money on myself. I only spend his money if he's there. I've had his credit card before and I only use it for what I need. He's not my sugar daddy!" Justin turned on the radio, pushing the buttons as he tried to find some good music.

"Sorryyyyy. I know better. To the mall it is. This should be fun, shopping without worrying how much money I have to spend," Daphne grinned as she started singing along with the song on the radio.

Justin and Daphne parked at the mall, going to the men's department of Saks. They picked out a robe, several lounge pants and a new shirt for Justin.

"I thought you weren't going to spend Brian's money?" Daphne teased.

"I'll tell him I bought myself a new shirt to go to Babylon and he has to get out of the hospital so he can see me in it. It's an incentive to get better," Justin explained as he brought the purchases to the counter. Handing the cashier his credit card, he paid for the items. " I better put Brian's check in the bank now or I won't have a way to pay for these," he said as he took the bag with his purchases from the salesclerk.

Justin's stomach growled. "I'm hungry. Let's go to your place and fix some food."

Daphne looked at Justin, concern in her face. "Ah, Justin... About that."

"Oh yeah. I'm supposed to take some of this money and buy you food. Brian told me I eat a lot." Justin grinned. "Guess we'll go to the grocery and stock up and then we'll go home. I can always grab a burger at the drive through to hold me over."

Daphne mock hit Justin in the arm. "Only you can say that grabbing a burger is a snack. I can't imagine what your food bills are like."

"I'm a growing boy," Justin laughed. "Brian always teased me that his food bill was cut by three-quarters when I moved out. And I'll have you know that I haven't gained a pound since I graduated from high school." Justin said as he ran his hand down his abs.

"You sound just like a girl, Justin. Defensive about your food intake."

‘I do not. I'm all man. Ask Brian. On second thought, don't ask Brian. He'll probably tell you more then you want to know."

Daphne laughed. "I agree. I really don't want to know."

The two friends went to the grocery, stocked up on quick and easy foods including spaghetti, pizza, and egg rolls. They also bought cereal, yogurt and a few apples and bananas. They brought the food back to Daphne's, and cooked a pizza for dinner.

"I'm stuffed," Daphne said as she ran her hand over her stomach. "Your show is in a few days. When are you leaving?"

Justin got up from the table to throw the pizza box away. "I'm picking the ticket up day after tomorrow from my mom, and my flight is Thursday after lunch. I have to meet with my agent, Sam, on Friday morning before the show, and I'll fly out Saturday morning." Justin returned to the living room and Daphne followed him as they sat on the couch.

"Have you told Brian?"

"No. He was pretty tired today. The physical therapist got him to walk to the door and back to bed," he explained as a way to justify his actions.

"Justin, you've got to talk to him. There's this big pink elephant in the middle of the room and you guys are pretending it isn't there." Daphe grabbed the remote, but didn't turn on the tv.

"I've got to do this right, Daphne. I told him this morning that we were going to talk and that he couldn't kick me out. Even though he's a captive audience, lecturing Brian is just going to piss him off."

"I guess you're right. I just hate to see things so unsettled." Daphne flipped the remote over in her hands.

"They're not unsettled. Brian's awake, and he did admit that he tried to push me away because he couldn't handle the absences. That's huge for him. I've got time, and I just have to hope Michael and Lindsay don't sabotage us this time." Justin went to the refrigerator for a beer and brought one back for Daphne. He popped the top and took a long drink. "It's like they want Brian to be happy, but they don't think he can be happy if he changes."

Daphne took the other beer and popped the top on it. She grabbed two coasters from the side table, placing them on the coffee table in front of them. "That's a load of crap. It's Brian's life."

"I know, but Michael wants Brian to always be 'Brian Fucking Kinney, Stud of Liberty Avenue.' He doesn't want him to change and possibly be in a long-term relationship. Brian's even told me that Michael feels Brian's place should be the back room, getting his cock sucked."

Putting her beer down on the coaster, Daphne turned toward Justin. "Where does Lindsay come in?"

"Even though Lindsay's a lesbian, she still has strong feelings for Brian. That's why Melanie hates Brian so much. Lindsay still has fantasies of this happy little family of Brian, Gus and herself. She told Brian about the article in the Art Forum. I think she hoped that if I went to New York, Brian would forget about me and she could return to her dream world.'

"Cunt. I can't believe I never knew that about Lindsay," Daphne said.

"I sort of understand her, though. Brian has a lot of money and leads a great life. She wants Gus to have all the advantages. Hell, he gives her a ton of money for Gus."

"I didn't know that," Daphne remarked.

"Don't say anything. No one knows but me and Melanie."

"Duh," Daphne said as she mock punched him on the arm.

"Anyway, he loves her in his own way, just not in a romantic way. She may be a lesbian, but part of her wouldn't mind being Brian's wife," Justin sighed as he related the secrets of Brian's two ‘best friends'. "I don't know why I told you all this. It's really between Brian, Lindsay and Michael." Justin shrugged and frowned at his lapse in judgment.

"Don't be sorry. We're best friends and I would tell you the same thing. You need someone to talk to, and I know there's no one in that mixed up group that you could talk to." Daphne stood, going into the kitchen and opening the freezer. "Hey, want some Rocky Road? Ice cream always makes me feel better."

Justin smiled. "Sure, Sounds good. Thanks Daph."

"No problem," she said as she dished the ice cream into two bowls. "We should watch some music videos. I always like to watch the dance routines and see if I can memorize the moves," Daphne said as she picked up the remote and found MTV. They watched MTV and danced with each other until they were both ready for bed.

Justin looked at his watch, "I'm going to shower and go to bed. I stink. Thanks for the distraction," Justin said as he grabbed a towel from the linen closet. "I guess we need to do laundry in the morning. Can't have you running out of towels and I need clean clothes for the trip. I'm sure Brian won't mind if I get there a little later in the day."

Daphne looked in the linen closet. "Yeah, I've only got two clean towels. Got any quarters?"

"A few, but don't they have a change machine?"

"Yeah, but it's usually broken. We can go to the dollar store around the corner. They're pretty good about giving me change. See you in the morning."

Justin showered and went to bed. Daphne stayed up a while, flipping through the channels and then went to bed. They got up in the morning, did laundry, and then Daphne drove Justin to the hospital.

"Same time today? " Daphne asked.

"Make it 7:00, since I got here so late."

"Okay. See you then."

Justin went up to Brian's room, knocking before he entered. No answer came so he walked in to find an empty room. He put down his messenger bag, returning to the nurses station.

"Excuse me, do you know where I can find Brian Kinney. He's in room 514."

"He's with the Physical Therapist. The therapy room is around the corner," the nurse said as she pointed to the right.

"Thanks," Justin said and walked toward the therapy room.

Justin entered the room and saw Brian using his walker. Jose stood behind Brian so he wouldn't fall. Brian tentatively walked about a dozen steps and then leaned back on the seat of the walker.

"Good, Brian. Take a rest and then we'll walk back to your chair," Jose said.

"Shit, twelve steps won't get me very far. I need to do more," Brian insisted.

"You can't overdo it. You've been in bed for almost two weeks. You've got to let your body build up some strength," Jose reminded him.

"Nothing wrong with being in bed for two weeks. I just would have liked to have been awake, and fucking the whole time," Brian joked.

Justin laughed at Brian's little speech and Brian turned his head. "Sunshine, what are you doing here? Come to laugh at the cripple?"

Justin walked over to Brian. "Briannn. I'm not laughing at you, just at what you said. I bet you would love to be in bed for a solid two weeks." He leaned down and whispered in Brian's ear. "If you're really good, I bet I can arrange for you to spend two weeks in bed fucking."

"Yeah?" Brian grinned.

"Could be. Now finish your therapy. I think I saw the vultures getting off the elevator as I walked down here." Justin returned to the outer area of the room and watched Brian walk back to his chair.

"Are you done torturing me?" Brian asked.

"Yes, but you still need some stretching. I'm going to help you lay down on this mat while I do some range of motion. I don't want your limbs to get too stiff, and since you aren't up to walking long distances yet, we need to make sure your legs don't lock up." Jose helped Brian lay on a mat table. He waved Justin over to the table. "I can show you how to do this, and you can do these exercises several times a day if Brian will let you."

Justin looked at Brian. "Is that okay?"

"Sure. I know you can't keep your hands off me."

Justin rolled his eyes. "Show me what to do."

Jose demonstrated the exercises to Justin, and watched as Justin performed each movement. "He can't really be hurt by doing this too much. He may complain, but that just means that his legs are tight. You're helping him heal, so don't worry about it," Jose assured Justin. Jose assisted Brian back to his chair. "We're all done. I'll see you this afternoon."

"Shit, you mean I have to do this again?"

"You need to get strong. We'll be doing therapy twice a day."

"Gee, I'm looking so forward to this. Justin, now I know why you worked so hard to come home. You wanted to avoid the torture."

Jose wheeled Brian back to his room and assisted him into his bed. "You're probably tired. Why don't you rest and I'll see you this afternoon."

Justin turned the blinds up so the sun was blocked. He leaned over to kiss Brian gently on the lips.

"I won't break. Come give me a real kiss." Brian pulled Justin's hand toward his bed.

Justin leaned in closer and gave Brian a deep kiss. Brian returned the kiss, running his hands up and down Justin's arms.

Lindsay and Melanie entered the room without knocking. "Jeez, even when Brian's in the fucking hospital, they're making out like teenagers," Melanie complained as she saw them.

Brian let go of Justin's arms and took his mouth away. "Hello, Lindsay. Where's my kid?"

"He's with the sitter. I wasn't sure you were up to having Gus visit. I'll bring him next time," She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "So how are, Brian? You look good."

Lindsay looked around for a place to sit, and pulled the chair over toward the bed. Justin sat on the bed on Brian's other side, closer to the window, and Melanie stood.

"I'm fabulous, of course. Ready to run a marathon tomorrow," Brian answered. He leaned over to Justin, whispering something in his ear, and Justin grinned.

"Really, Brian," Lindsay encouraged him. "How are you?"

"They took the tube out of my dick, so now I can piss in a damn container. Any more medical information you want to know?" he snarked.

"Never mind. Glad you're feeling better." Lindsay turned toward Justin, "Your show is this week. When are you going back to New York? I'm sure you're excited."

Justin glared at Lindsay, wishing she would shut her mouth, but didn't say anything since he didn't want to start an argument in Brian's room. He silently seethed when he realized that she was up to her old tricks so soon.

"I leave on Thursday and come back on Saturday morning. The show's Friday and I'm sure it will be a success. The gallery owner is showcasing some of my best work, and I'm sharing the show with only one other artist. I'm sorry that you can't come," he said, only a little bit truthfully.

"Oh, I would love to come to your show, but you know..."

"Why Lindsay, if you want to go, you could use my ticket. I don't think the dungeon master will let me get out of here in time, but it's a shame to waste it." Brian looked at Lindsay, watching the look of surprise and happiness cross her face.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Turning toward Melanie she asked, "Do you think I could go? I would love to see the show. Justin always does such wonderful work."

Melanie smiled a fake smile. "I don't know. There's a lot going on this weekend. Gus has a birthday party and J.R..." Melanie stopped talking for a few moments and looked at Lindsay's smiling face. "Well, of course we can work out the logistics. It would be good for you to get away."

Lindsay stood up and gave Melanie a big hug and went to kiss her.

"None of that lesbian stuff in my room. I'm tired, so I think I'll take a nap. Justin will talk to you later to work out the logistics. Bye Lindsay," Brian said as he closed his eyes.

The girls walked out of Brian's room and Brian cautiously opened one eye. "They're gone, right Sunshine?"

"Yeah they're gone." Justin looked at Brian, tying to gage his mood, but could not. "So you had a ticket?" It was really a statement more than a question.

‘Yeah, I had a ticket. I always come to your shows," Brian said as he looked at Justin.

Justin got off the bed, pacing the small room. "So you had a ticket?" Justin touched his index finger of his right hand to the index finger of his left. "Last summer you said you didn't want to see me again." He touched his right index finger to his second finger on his left hand. "You kept me as your Medical Proxy and Power of Attorney." He touched his right index finger to his middle finger. "Brian, what kind of game are you playing?"

"No games, Justin. I said I would call you when I wanted to see you. I wanted to see you, so I bought a ticket to your next show. What's the problem with that?"

"I don't believe you!" Justin raised his voice and hit the closed door with his open hand. "You're a selfish prick who doesn't care for anyone but yourself!"

"I never claimed to be anything else. Why are you so mad?" Brian asked.

Justin took several deep breaths, and then sat down in one of the chairs. He put his head in his hands and stared down at the floor for several minutes. Looking at Brian, he willed the moisture away from his eyes. "Do you have any idea how much it means to me to know that you were planning on coming to the show? Do you know that I dream about you almost every night? I can feel you next to me, your body heat warming me as I lay in my cold bed." Justin couldn't sit still; he stood up and paced the small room like a caged animal. He stopped dead in his tracks, and stared at Brian with the most willful look he could muster. "I love you, Brian. You want me in your life or you wouldn't have kept me on your accounts, kept me as your Medical Proxy, or bought a ticket to my show."

"Okay," Brian nodded.

"Okay? That's all you're going to say?" Justin asked, exasperated with the conversation.

"Look Justin, you know I care for you. Known that for years, ever since the prom. What more do you want?"

"I want..." Justin started, but didn't finish as a knock on the door interrupted him.

"Come in," Brian said. "Hi Michael."

"I was just leaving," Justin said. "I'll be back later."

"Justin. Wait," Brian hesitated.

"Visit with Michael. I'm getting some lunch," Justin said as he walked out the door, grabbing his coat from the chair.