Brian woke with a hangover. Shit. Well, I don't have to be at the hospital for three hours. Maybe if I work out, I'll sweat the alcohol from my body and Justin won't know the difference. Why do I do these things?

Getting on the treadmill, he ran six miles, and then did 100 sit ups and push ups. After drinking a bottle of water to replenish his body, he felt invigorated and walked to the shower to get clean. Dressing in a pair of worn blue jeans and a black turtleneck, he admired himself in the mirror. You've still got it Kinney. He poured himself some Guava juice and toasted two pieces of wheat bread. He checked CNN's website as he ate and looked at the financial pages as well. Brown Athletics and Liberty Air are both doing well; I guess I'll be working on new campaigns for the fall season. Maybe Justin can help me with some of the concepts, since he won't be able to paint his normal canvas for a while. That should keep him occupied. Hmm, I'll have to mention it in a few days.

He placed his dishes in the dishwasher, grabbed his keys and drove to the hospital. Walking into Justin's room, he found Justin dressed and sitting in a chair.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"You ready to go?" Brian asked hopefully.

"No. Doc hasn't been here yet. What took you so long?"

"I ran this morning. Figured I would be busy for a few days," Brian said with a toothy grin.

"Don't I even get a good morning kiss?" Justin half-whined.

"Oh, if you insist. Demanding little man aren't you?" Brian teased as he walked to Justin's chair and gave Justin a quick kiss.

"Last time I checked, you weren't complaining," Justin teased.

Brian felt Justin's crotch and his cock started to swell.

"Brian, don't. The doc will be here any minute. Save it for when we get home," Justin admonished.

"Since when did you become a prude? I'll save it for you, but only because I like you." Brian stood up and turned toward Justin. "Since you're not ready to go, I'll go see Mikey; it'll get everyone off my back."

Justin grinned at Brian's see-through explanation. "You do that. I'm not going anywhere. What room is he in? I'll come down if they release me."

"They won't let you come down on your own. They fucking made me take a wheelchair to the entrance of the hospital when they released me. I had to endure the indignity of being pushed in a chair, only to stand up once I got outside the sliding doors to walk back up to the fifth floor," Brian stated, his experience exaggerated in Kinney fashion.

Justin laughed, but stopped as he held his side. "I would have loved to see that. Shame they don't have videotapes at the hospital entrance like they do the drive-thru," Justin teased.

"Twat," Brian called out as he walked out of the room.

He walked to Michael's room, where he found Jose talking to Michael and Ben.

"Hi Brian," Jose greeted him and then turned back to his patient. "You did really well on your first session, Michael. Remember, it will be very important to not put any weight on your leg for at least two weeks. You broke it in several places and it's being held together with plates and screws. Any weight could shift the hardware and you could end up with a crooked leg," he carefully explained.

"Better listen, Mikey. He knows what he's talking about," Brian chimed in.

"You still need to learn how to transfer from your chair to the toilet and to practice transferring to cars or other chairs," Jose explained as he motioned to the wheelchair. Looking at Ben, he said, "I'll need to teach you safe ways to transfer Michael. You obviously work out, but you can still hurt yourself if you aren't doing the transfers correctly."

"I think the best thing is to stay in the wheelchair, Michael. You need to make sure and call me when you need to transfer. I don't want you hurt," Ben stated matter of factly.

"I'm not a five year old," Michael whined. "I get it. Stay off the leg for at least two weeks," Michael repeated. "So when can I go home?"

"Usually they have you stay a few days after surgery, but you'll have to ask your doctors. I can't sign off until I feel you're safe to transfer."

"Thanks, Jose," Ben said as he shook Jose's hand.

"No problem. I'll see you again this afternoon." Jose walked out of the room.

Brian walked over to the window and looked out at the street. I always look out the window. Wonder what I find so fascinating about them? "Have you heard from Theodore? Did he find the shower chair and ramp?"

"He called this morning. He found them in the storage area of the loft and brought them up. Are you sure you don't mind us staying there, Brian? It's your home," Michael asked again.

"Mikey, you can't go home to Stepford Avenue. The loft is accessible and we'll be at Britin. It isn't a big deal. Besides, Debbie can pop in to check on you without leaving the neighborhood," Brian explained.

Michael groaned. "I didn't think about that. Maybe we should rent a hotel for a few weeks, honey," Michael batted his puppy dog eyes at his spouse.

Ben and Brian laughed at Michael's antics, knowing they were only for show. "I think it's a great idea that we stay at the loft. Deb is close by if you need something while I'm in class and Hunter can come down on his lunch hour. The Youth Center is not far from the Loft and as the director, he has some leeway in his work hours," Ben explained.

Michael pouted a little, but it appeared to only be in jest. "I guess it is a good thing that I hired Sam to work in the store full time. He really does a great job." Michael looked at Brian staring out the window, his hand close to his mouth so he could put his thumb by the top of his teeth.

"Brian, is everything okay? You're awfully quiet," Michael asked solicitously.

"I'm fine. Just peachy. Why wouldn't I be? Justin and you are okay, although it looks like it might be a day or so until you get released, and I won't have to visit this goddamned hospital," Brian snapped.

"Okay," Michael said, acquiescing to his friend's reply.

"I've got to go, Mikey. Professor, you take good care of him. Do you need anything? I had the cleaning service come by the Loft and I'll call the grocery to deliver food when you get sprung. Didn't want you to rely on Debbie's casserole for all your nourishment," Brian informed them.

"You didn't have to do that, Brian," Ben remarked.

"Believe me, professor; you'll be glad you don't have to shop. You'll have your hands full taking care of Michael. Unfortunately, my broken leg is not the distant memory that I would like it to be," Brian explained as he turned toward Michael. He touched his forehead with Michael's, kissed him briefly on the lips. "Gotta go. Hopefully the doctor has deemed it okay to release Justin from this hell hole."

Brian walked back to Justin's room, plastering a fake smile on his face. "Doc come in yet?" he asked hopefully.

"He just left. The nurse is bringing my chariot as we speak. Why don't you go get the car?" Justin suggested.

"See you downstairs." Brian kissed Justin quickly on the lips and went to get the car. Driving it to the front circle, he parked it and got out to wait for Justin. Justin arrived a few minutes later. He attempted to stand up from the wheelchair, but found he had a difficult time pushing up out of the chair. Brian recognized the struggle, and leaned over to assist him.

Justin moaned in pain.

"I've got you," Brian whispered. "Don't fight it." He gently helped Justin get up and then Justin walked to the car. Brian opened the car and Justin got in with difficulty. Brian leaned over and buckled his seat belt, stopping to brush a quick kiss on his lips. He closed the door and walked around to the driver's side, opened the door and let himself in.

"Why don't you close your eyes and rest," Brian suggested.

"I think I'll keep them open. Last time I did that, I woke up in the hospital," Justin commented matter of factly.

"Shit!" Brian cursed.

"It's okay, Brian. I know you're just trying to take care of me. That's who you are and I wouldn't have it any other way. Now why don't you worry about driving and I'll look at the scenery. The snow on the ground is pristine."

Brian drove to Britin, following the speed limits and taking the curves slower than normal. Oftentimes he used his drive to West Virginia to brainstorm about campaigns, but today his mind was 100% on the road and getting his passenger home safely. They arrived at Britin a little after 1:00 p.m.

He walked around to the passenger side of the car, opening the door for Justin. Leaning down, he gently grabbed Justin by the waist, lifting him out. Justin took a deep breath prior to Brian's help and that seemed to help with the pain. Once out of the car, he could walk to the house. Brian unlocked the door, allowing Justin to enter first. Justin walked to the media room, sitting in the recliner, where he pushed the chair back.

"It's easier to lay back a little with these ribs," he explained. His stomach growled loudly.

"Ah, I see I must feed the monster," Brian teased. "Would you like a sandwich?"

"Sounds fine. Breakfast was watery eggs and dry toast. Maybe two sandwiches?" Justin suggested.

"Sure. I'll go fix us some ham and cheese sandwiches. Here's the remote." Brian handed Justin the control and went to the kitchen to fix lunch. When he returned to the media room, Justin was sound asleep in the chair. He took the throw off the back of the couch, laying it on Justin's sleeping form. He sat on the couch and ate his sandwich while he watched his partner rest. Justin appeared to be sleeping very soundly, so he took the sandwiches and placed them in plastic bags and put them in the refrigerator. I can be very domestic if I want to be. Justin would be so proud. He checked on Justin again. Seeing him still asleep, Brian grabbed his briefcase and laptop and brought them into the media room so he could work.

Brian sat on the couch since there were no desks in the room. They had designed the room as a recreational get away and purposely filled it with overstuffed couches, two recliners and a futon recliner. Brian smiled as he looked at the room. Justin had the right idea when we decorated this room. Each piece of furniture has been initiated multiple times and I can see us everywhere. There's not a bad seat in the room; anywhere we sit we can see the big screen and be comfortable.

Brian had slides of contact boards for the latest Targus account and he critically reviewed the art work on each slide. If Justin had done these slides, I wouldn't be giving them such a critical eye. The man has a gift for presenting the unusual. I know his talents would be wasted in advertising, but it sure would make my life so much easier. He made notes on the changes he wanted and booted up his computer to check his email. When he was at Kinnetik yesterday, he hadn't taken the time to do so and knew that he would probably have at least a hundred messages to wade through since he'd been gone for almost a week. He and Justin had taken a mini working vacation to New York, prior to the Comic-Con. Justin needed to see Sam about his upcoming show and they caught Anthony and Cleopatra and Suddenly Last Summer while in town. Justin had an affinity for the theater and Brian indulged him when they went to New York.

He turned down the sound on the computer so he wouldn't wake Justin, and clicked on the first message. He'd read about half the messages when he heard Justin shifting in his chair. He placed his laptop on the end table and walked to the kitchen to grab Justin's sandwiches.

Justin opened his eyes just as Brian returned with the sandwiches. "Hey, that was quick," he commented.

"Not really, Twat. You've been asleep for an hour," Brian teased.

"No shit?" Justin questioned Brian's statement.

"No shit. Do you think you can eat reclining like that?" Brian asked as he eyed the angle of Justin's chair.

"Probably not," Justin agreed. "I'll push the foot rest down." Justin attempted it and only winced slightly at the movement. "I never realized how moving involves all my body."

"Just be careful--don't want you puncturing a lung. I never realized how far we are from a hospital. It took almost forty five minutes to drive here."

Justin looked at Brian with a slight grin, "You goof. The hospital is two miles down the road."

"What?" Brian answered, perplexed.

"You obviously don't travel beyond the turnoff to Britin. If you keep going down the street, you'll find a shopping center and a hospital."

"I knew you were good for something. Are you hungry? I've got your sandwiches." Brian handed Justin his plate and Justin placed it in his lap. He picked up the sandwiches with his good hand and didn't appear to have any difficulty eating. "Can I have a drink?" Justin asked.

"I'll see what's in the pantry. I called Rosa and asked her to shop for us, but I have no idea what she bought." Brian went into the kitchen and found soda, placing some in the fridge to get cold. He saw several individual bottles of chocolate milk and decided that would be acceptable.

"Have some chocolate milk. It was the only thing cold." Brian said, bringing over a TV tray for Justin to place his bottle on, placing it on his good side. "Need anything else? Pain meds? A blow job?"

Justin smiled at Brian's antics. "Only you would offer me pain medication within the same sentence as a blow job."

"You told me I was at your beck and call and I wouldn't want you to be deprived," Brian said, tongue-in-cheek.

Justin shook his head. "Well, sex does provide the body with endorphins, which are the body's natural pain relievers," Justin explained as if he was repeating some lecture in biology class.

"I knew you were smart. So I repeat, do you need anything? Pain meds? A blow job?"

"I'll take a rain check on the blow job, but pain meds don't sound so bad." Justin answered and then finished eating his second sandwich. "The nurses told me to make sure I eat before taking them since they would make me sick. The last thing I want is to be throwing up in my condition."

"That is not a picture I really want to see. Thank you for that lovely visual." He took the plate and the empty bottle of milk and brought them to the kitchen, and then went to the foyer where he had placed Justin's medication. He grabbed the bottles and brought them back. "What did you take this morning?"

"I took the Darvocet. I can take the Ibuprophen now and the Darvocet in two hours," Justin explained.

Brian took out a large white pill and gave it to Justin, along with a large glass of water. "You're sure Darvocet is okay? You're not allergic to it?"

"No. I discussed the meds with the doctor this morning" Justin stated. "You would have known if you'd been there," Justin reminded him.

Brian winced at the jab, but didn't respond. I'm glad he doesn't know why I wasn't there. He'd be so pissed.

Justin swallowed the pill and leaned the chair back, waiting for it to take effect. Brian watched Justin's face relax as the medication took hold of his body. He covered Justin's body again with the throw and gently kissed his lips. "Sleep Sunshine," he whispered.

Brian returned to his emails and was happy when he had waded through them. The sun was starting to set by then and he decided he'd done enough work for the day. He knew tomorrow he would have to really put in more hours, but he wanted to make sure Justin was settled before spending a lot of his time running Kinnetik. He was thankful that Ted and Cynthia knew the business so well and he could trust them to run things without him. They'd done a superb job when he had his incident seven years ago and he was certain that this time would be no different.

He decided that he should find something for dinner. It wasn't that he didn't know his way around a kitchen like most people thought, he just didn't like the mess that cooking made. He preferred his surroundings pristine, and cooking was always messy. He thoroughly enjoyed Justin's cooking and he assisted him numerous times in the kitchen. It was always understood that Brian would help with cooking, and to set the table, but he would not do clean up. He occasionally helped dry the dishes, but that was why he bought Justin a $1000 dishwasher and preferred he use that instead.

Brian went into the kitchen and looked in the freezer for some food. Finding a bag of chicken, he took out two breasts and put them on a plate, and placed them in the microwave to defrost. While it was thawing he got out the sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes from the refrigerator. Placing them in a small pan, he put a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and cooked the tomatoes and artichokes until they were warm. The microwave dinged and he took out the chicken, adding it to the pan. He cooked the chicken for ten minutes on each side and placed each breast on a plate. He left the plates in the oven and then turned the oven to warm.

Returning to the media room, he saw that Justin was getting restless again, a sign that he was waking up. He opened his eyes and sniffed. "Smells good. Don't tell me you cooked?" Justin teased.

"Then I won't tell you, but there are two chicken breasts with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes in the oven at this moment, and I don't see Rosa anywhere in sight," Brian replied, tongue-in-cheek.

"Thank you. I know you hate to cook," Justin replied, genuine delight in his voice.

"Don't get used to it. Now why don't you sit up and I'll bring in the food," Brian directed.

Justin sat up again and Brian brought him his dinner. Brian brought over a lap tray that had bean bags in the bottom. This allowed the tray to conform to Justin's lap and yet give him a flat surface to place the plate. Justin looked at the food and then looked at Brian.

"Can you cut my chicken for me?"

Brian nodded and took the plate. He cut up the chicken in bite-sized pieces. "I didn't think. Here you are," he said as he handed Justin the plate again. "Here's a bottle of water too. I'm sure you're thirsty."

Justin ate a few bites of chicken. "This is good. Who knew you could cook?"

"Of course it's good. I have many talents, I just don't show them all," Brian said as he looked at Justin. "You done?"

"Yeah. I'm going to watch some TV. Want to join me?" Justin asked as he pushed the remote to turn the TV on.

"Sure. You want to watch a movie or just the tube?" Brian inquired as he got up to look at their choices.

"I don't care. Why don't you choose a movie? I think I can sit on the couch with you while we watch. I miss you," Justin said.

Brian held his gaze. "Sounds good. Why don't we watch Live Free or Die Hard?"

"Okay. Can you help me up? It's a little hard to get up out of the chair," Justin suggested.

Brian helped him up and Justin walked to the couch to sit down. "That wasn't so bad. I just have to be really careful."

Brian put the movie in the player, and they began to watch the movie.