"Are you about ready, Michael?" Ben called out from the kitchen. "I made some waffles this morning."

"I'm wheeling down in a minute," he yelled back. "I will be so happy if that doctor puts a heel on my cast. I can't wait to walk again."

"I was talking to Justin last week and he told me that even after Brian got the walking cast, he still used the wheelchair sometimes. He said stairs are still a real pain and the walking cast can be hard on your back since your legs are still uneven," Ben explained.

"I really don't care if I have to use the wheelchair sometimes. I'm just really tired of being in it all the time. Going to Ma's for Sunday dinner was a real pain. I can barely maneuver in her house with it. She has so much furniture!" Michael whined as he finished putting on his shirt.

"She does have a lot of stuff. We need to hurry up if we're going to be on time. I'm so glad that we have the SUV to drive," Ben stated as he placed several pancakes on a plate. "Taking the bus would be a nightmare." He sat down and placed a whole wheat pancake on his plate. After covering it with spreadable fruit, he cut a piece and ate it. "These whole wheat pancakes are really good."

Michael wheeled himself to the table. "Thanks for making pancakes. I guess this is a special day." he leaned over and kissed his spouse. Grabbing his fork, he stabbed some pancakes and brought them to his mouth.

"If I get my walking cast, do you think we can go home? I really miss our house," Michael said as he looked at Ben with his puppy dog eyes.

Ben finished the pancake that he was eating and took a drink of orange juice before he answered. "Let's see what the doctor says. Even with a heel on your cast, you still have to walk upstairs to get to our bedroom. Those may be a lot for you to handle."

Michael nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I always dreamed about the loft and what it would be like to stay here, but I really don't find it very homelike. Brian may like the clean lines and white couches, but I prefer our warm colors and a little mess. It seems so cold sometimes. Of course, Justin has added a few things to Brian's collection, but...."

Ben took the empty plates to the sink, rinsed them and placed them in the dishwasher. "I understand, Michael. This isn't home, but it may have to be our home for a few more weeks. Be patient." Ben leaned down and gave Michael a kiss on the lips. "I'll grab the keys and go get the car started. I'll meet you downstairs."

They met at the car a few minutes later and drove to the hospital. They saw the doctor after a twenty minute wait.

"Mr. Novotny, I think your leg has healed sufficiently that we can place a heel stump on it. When you leave here, I'm having my assistant call down to Physical Therapy to see if there is a therapist available. You'll need to learn how to walk with the stump."

The assistant came back in a few minutes later. "Jose said you can come by now since his next patient had to cancel. He's one of our best therapists and I think you'll like him." She reached in a drawer and handed them a map of the facility. "You'll need to take the elevator on the left down to the third floor. When you exit the elevator, you turn right and then go down four doors to the department. You'll need to stay in your wheelchair until you meet with Jose. It's hospital policy."

Michael smiled and squeezed Ben's hand after hearing the good news. They went down to Physical Therapy and waited for Jose to be free.

"Hi Jose," Ben greeted the therapist.

Wondering how they knew his name he shook hands with them and then his memory kicked in. "Hello. I see you got your heel stump. Let's wheel you over here and start our session. This one will be short too. There's not much to walking with a stump, but you'll need to stretch your other leg. You haven't used it for a few weeks and the muscles are very weak. At first you'll only want to be up for a few minutes for things like moving from place to place or maybe a very short shower. After a few days you can start to stand for at least half an hour or so," Jose explained.

Michael frowned. "I hadn't thought about the leg weakness. I just thought I could go back to all my activities. Can I go back to work if I have a stool to rest on?"

"That would probably be okay. But if you're taking any medication or have any other health issues, you need to talk to your doctor. I can only give you information regarding the physical limitations."

"Let's get started. I want to stand up so I can kiss my hubby," Michael explained.

Ben blushed and Jose gave a soft smile at the comment. Jose completed the therapy session in thirty minutes.

"You've done really well, Michael. I see you've kept up your exercises while you've been home. You'll be very happy you did since it has helped you recover quickly. Stay off the leg as much as possible. While you have the walking cast, your leg bones are still soft. Drink lots of milk and continue your exercises. I'll see you back in about six weeks for therapy."

"More therapy?" Ben questioned.

"Once he gets his cast off, his leg will be atrophied and he will need to come for therapy to strengthen it and build it back up."

"I see. How long will that last?"

"It depends on the person. For someone like Michael. I would say about one to two weeks."

"Thanks, Jose. I'll make sure he does his therapy," Ben said as he shook Jose's hand. "Come on, Michael; let's stop by the store on our way back to the loft."

"I was hoping you'd remember. It seems like it's been forever since I was there and I really need to get down there."

"We'll go down for a little while, but when I say we're leaving..."

"Okay. Do you think we could stop by the diner?" Michael asked hopefully.

"Maybe. You don't want to overdo it, Michael."

They walked down to the car, but by the time they reached the vehicle, Michael appeared tired.

"You okay?" Ben asked solicitously. Reaching out for Michael's arm, he helped support his partner travel the last 100 yards. "It's not a walk in the park. No pun intended." He unlocked the car and Michael started to get in.

"Ahhh," he cried out.

"What? What's wrong?" Ben reached out to hold Michael up as he swayed.

"I can't bend my leg to get in the car."

Ben pushed the wheelchair toward Michael. He'd been pushing it back to the car and was about to place it in the trunk. "You've been doing all your transferring from the wheelchair and Jose said your leg was going to be weak," Ben reminded him. "It'll be a few days before you can easily bend to get in a car. Cars are pretty low down, but you'll do fine if you transfer from your chair," he explained.

"Now that you said something, I do remember Brian having problems getting in and out of the car when he broke his leg. I just wish it was healed. I'm tired of you helping me."

Ben gave Michael a long kiss on the lips. "That's what partners do, Michael. We're together for better or worse and you've taken care of me when I've come home from the hospital. Now it's my turn."

"I know. It's just I'd rather not have a turn."

Ben assisted Michael into the wheelchair and then Michael transferred to the car with little fanfare. Ben placed the wheelchair in the trunk and returned to the driver's side. "Do you still want to go to the store? Maybe we should wait for tomorrow?" Ben hesitated, but felt he had to voice his concerns.

"Let's go to the store for a little bit. We'll wait for the diner until tomorrow."

Ben leaned over and kissed Michael. "Sounds like a plan. Zephyr and his professor are off to Red Cape Comics, home of Rage and JT creations," Ben announced as he backed out the car.

They arrived at the comic store and Ben got out the wheelchair for Michael to use. Michael willingly transferred, and then entered the shop where they were greeted by Sam, the new employee Michael had hired a month before the accident.

"Hey Sam," Michael said as he wheeled into the store. Since his leg was extended he couldn't maneuver far into the store for fear he would hit a display or glass case. "How you holding up?"

"Good. Sales of Rage have been very high since the new issue came out two weeks ago. I think the Comic-Con really gave you guys some good exposure. The action figures of JT, Rage and Zephyr are supposed to arrive tomorrow. I know they'll sell really well." Sam went over to the computer and opened up the email program, printing out several messages. He clicked on the Excel spreadsheet and printed out the latest sales figures from the last three weeks. "The online distributors are very pleased with the sales from last month and our sales here have been pretty good as well. I'd say you guys should do more Cons. It's great for business," Sam concluded as he handed Michael all the printouts.

Michael reviewed the information. "Wow. I never would've thought that we'd be making this kind of money from Rage, but its all here. Look Ben," he said excitedly handling him the papers. "Our sales have tripled since the Con. Maybe we should do more of them."

Ben reviewed the information and nodded his head in agreement. "You guys have done really well; however, I think I'd hold off on any more Cons in the near future. I think Brian and Justin might be a little spooked about doing any very soon."

Michael frowned. "Yeah. I guess you're right. Brian was pretty freaked out by the accident and the last time I saw him he was still blaming himself. Maybe I should go see him. I know he's been busy with Justin and I guess that's why he hasn't called." Michael suggested.

"Since we're in town, I guess we could go by Kinnetik. We'll drive. I don't want you overdoing it," Ben declared.

"I'll wait here while you go get the car."

Ben and Michael drove to Kinnetik, Ben letting Michael out in front of the old bathhouse. Michael walked in and greeted Cynthia.

"Cynthia, Is he available?" Michael asked, having learned long ago not to disturb Brian without ensuring he was not in the middle of a presentation.

Cynthia looked up from her desk when she heard her name and was surprised to see Michael. "Hi Michael. How's your leg healing? I didn't know you had a walking stub."

Michael smiled at her. "Just got it today. Is he busy? Since I was in town, I thought I'd stop by."

Cynthia shook her head. "Sorry Michael. He hasn't come in today."

Michael looked at his watch. "It's almost 11:00. Where is he?"

Ben walked in the door and answered. "Michael, Cynthia isn't Brian's keeper. Justin said he was working from home last night and that was why they didn't come to dinner. I bet he's just working from home today." Ben smiled at Cynthia and she nodded in agreement.

"I'll let him know you stopped by... if you'd like," Cynthia offered as she returned to her papers on her desk.

Michael nodded, "Thanks." He turned to Ben. "I guess we can go home," the disappointment evident in his voice.

Ted walked into the lobby, having heard Michael. "Michael," he walked to his friend and gave him a hug. "You got your cast stump. Congratulations."

Michael hugged Ted back. "Yeah. I came to share the news with Brian, but he isn't here. Is he working from home, Ted?"

Ted inwardly flinched, but appeared calm on the outside. "I haven't seen him today." Turning toward Cynthia, he asked, "Have you seen Brian today, Cynthia?"

"No. As I told Michael, he's not been here today."

"Sorry, Michael. He's been working a lot from home," Ted reiterated Cynthia's earlier statement.

Michael nodded and smiled at Ted. "Maybe I'll get out to Britin later this week." He walked toward the door and waited while Ben retrieved the car.

When Michael and Ben left, Ted turned toward Cynthia. "Have you heard from him today?"

"No." Cynthia frowned. She took her files from the desk and started making notations on the margin of the Targus campaign.

"Damn," Ted muttered under his breath as he took his files and returned to his office.


Justin woke as the morning sun shone through the windows.

"Shit," he cursed out loud when he looked at the clock, seeing that it was a little after 7:00.

Turning to his side, he almost fell off the futon, but stopped the fall as his body hugged the back of the furniture.

Brian's going to kill me. I promised him I wouldn't fall asleep on the futon and come to bed. The last time I fell asleep out here, I almost got pneumonia since the heat was set on a timer and went off in the early evening. I was so wrapped up in my painting, I didn't remember. I guess I should go back to the house and grovel a little.

Justin pulled open the covers and looked around his studio, seeing the space littered with his stuff.

"What the fuck?" he asked out loud, surveying the space. "Shit! I didn't fall asleep while painting. I left the house after Brian..."

He sat back down on the futon, pulling his blankets over his legs. Brian cheated on me. I can't even say the words out loud. Oh my God! He cheated. Fresh tears streamed down his face as the hurt washed over him. He pulled back the blankets again, this time getting under them and mashing his face into the pillow. He pulled a second pillow over his head and, like a turtle, retreated from his life.


Brian reached over to the other side of the bed, expecting to feel the warmth of Justin by his side. His hand touched cold sheets and an obviously unslept in bed.

Shit. How many times have I told Justin not to fall asleep in the studio. He almost caught pneumonia last year when he slept out in the cold. I better go drag his sorry ass inside. Brian pulled the blankets off his legs, swinging them to the side of the bed. He pulled on some sweats and walked downstairs. There were several boxes sitting on the floor by the back door and Justin's favorite coffee mug was on top.

Brian slid to the floor, being held up by the wall. Fresh tears flowed down his cheeks. Justin, what have I done? he asked himself as the never ending reel of the trick vied for his attention. 'You've got a lovely cock and I'd love to suck you off again. The other night was hot. You've got a lovely cock and I'd love to suck you off again. The other night was hot.' "SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" he yelled to the room. Unfortunately, his yelling failed to turn off the voice.


TBC