After hanging up with Brian, Debbie had called Jennifer's cell phone and learned that Justin had arrived at Allegheny General Hospital in an ambulance early that morning with a high fever and very low blood sugar. Debbie called Brian back to tell him, and after throwing on a white t-shirt and jeans, he picked her up in front of her house about five minutes later.

Debbie started in on him the moment after Brian rocketed away from the curb. "What the fuck were you thinking, leaving Sunshine alone at the loft last night when he was sick?"

"Like I said, I didn't leave him alone; I left him with one of his friends. Plus, I didn't know he was sick... I mean, I knew before I left that his appetite hadn't been that great and that he was tired, but I didn't know-"

Debbie scoffed. "Yeah, because you were more concerned with getting your dick sucked than to worry about someone else, as usual!"

"I didn't go to Babylon to get my dick sucked!" Brian insisted. "I went because Michael asked me to."

"Then why didn't you stay with Michael, instead of going off with some trick? He, Emmett, and Ted came over to the diner right before my shift ended at midnight, and Michael said that you had split from them not even five minutes after getting there. Then the next time he saw you, you were in the backroom and some guy had your dick down his throat. He said that you were so fucked up that you were barely coherent. He was really looking forward to spending the evening at Babylon with you, like old times, but you ruined it."

Brian thought about informing Debbie about how her little pride and joy had been shit talking Justin that evening, which made him not even want to be around Michael, but decided not to. He instead focused on the busy traffic around them as he pointed the Jeep in the direction of the hospital.

After finding a parking spot, they found their way to a family waiting room near the intensive care unit where Jennifer and Lindsay were sitting together, both looking exhausted. The normally-fashionable Jennifer was dressed in a plain pink t-shirt and black sweatpants while Lindsay wore a gray PIFA sweatshirt and red plaid shorts.

"Have you heard anything new?" Debbie asked Jennifer.

Jennifer shook her head. "It's been about four hours since a doctor said they were trying to stabilize him. He's been in and out of consciousness since they brought him in. They can't run any tests until his sugar is back to normal and his temperature goes down a bit, and then it may be hours before they know what's wrong with him."

"Why are you here?" Brian asked Lindsay.

"Justin showed up at my house around one o'clock this morning, sick as a dog. Mel called for the ambulance, and I rode with him here while she stayed home with Gus. She had to be in court early this morning, and she dropped Gus off at Dusty's house. Justin gave me Jennifer's number on the way, and I called her when we got here."

"Why didn't you call me?" Brian asked her in an angry tone.

"He asked me not to," Lindsay said, standing up. "He was very upset with you, and I don't blame him."

Brian looked down at the floor. "I was drunk... I don't even remember what happened last night."

"Oh, you don't remember bringing a trick home from Babylon and fucking him right in front of Justin?" Lindsay asked, her voice rough. "Justin, who was running a one hundred and four degree fever and throwing up, with blood sugar so low he could hardly walk? One of the medics said that he was surprised Justin even made it over to my house without collapsing!"

Debbie stepped between them. "Honey," she said to Lindsay. "Let's just try to stay calm while we're waiting to hear something about his condition, okay?"

Lindsay wiped the tears from her face and nodded.

Jennifer stood and placed a hand on Lindsay's shoulder. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep, and one of us will call you when we know something?"

"Okay," Lindsay said before giving Jennifer a hug. "I'm sorry we had to meet like this."

"Oh, me, too," Jennifer said, chuckling a bit. "Thank you so much for being there to help Justin, and staying here with me all night."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all. I've only known Justin for a few days, but I can tell that he's a very special young man," Lindsay said. "And I know I'd be worried out of my mind if my son was as sick as Justin is, and there was no way I could have left you sitting here alone."

"Well, thank you again, Lindsay," Jennifer said.

Lindsay gave Debbie a hug goodbye, grabbed her purse, and left the room without acknowledging Brian.

"How will you get home?" Brian called out to Lindsay as he walked into the hallway.

"I'll call Dusty to pick me up," Lindsay said over her shoulder.

Jennifer and Debbie sat down, and Brian walked back into the room and leaned against the wall.

"So... I'm guessing that his father didn't come here with you last night?" Debbie asked Jennifer.

"After Lindsay called me, I asked Craig to come with me, and he said, ‘Why would Iwant to go?' like Justin was a stranger to him or something."

Debbie placed her hand on top of Jennifer's. "I'm so sorry."

Jennifer sniffed. "I never would have imagined Craig treating his own son like this. If I had known he would have disowned him after finding out Justin was gay..." Jennifer shook her head, unable to even finish that sentence.

"Do they... do they think he's rejecting my kidney?" Brian hesitantly asked Jennifer.

"They don't know. It's always a possibility, especially so soon after the transplant. One of the doctors told me that Justin's symptoms match those of an organ rejection, but they could also be from some kind of bug, like a virus or bacteria, that he contracted in the last couple of days. Because he's on immunosuppressants, it makes it harder for his body to fight off infections. He may have even caught something when I brought him here Wednesday for his check-up."

Debbie nodded. "That's why Vic hates going into hospitals, because of all the germs. A bug that could give you or me the sniffles for a few days could easily turn into pneumonia for someone with a compromised immune system like Vic or Justin. When Vic goes in to get his routine check-ups, he wears a mask over his mouth and nose, just to be safe."

Brian looked at Jennifer. "But if it's not a bug... it could be that he's rejecting my kidney?"

Jennifer bit her lip before nodding.

Brian took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before turning to walk out to the hallway, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. He walked several feet before taking a seat in a chair along the wall.

He took his cell phone out of his pocket and hit the speed dial for Michael's cell.

"Hello?" Michael answered groggily.

"Get your ass over to the hospital," Brian demanded.

"What? Why, what happened?" Michael asked.

"Justin's sick. He might be rejecting my kidney."

Brian could hear what sounded like Michael sitting up in his bed, the old mattress and bed frame squeaking. "What good would it do for me to be there? It's not like me and him are friends-"

"Michael, just get in Debbie's car and drive to Allegheny General, now."

Brian gave him directions to find him in the building, and then snapped his phone closed before putting it back in his pocket.

Michael arrived about forty-five minutes later, during which time Brian had continued to work himself up into a state of utter emotional hell. He was carrying a paper coffee cup from McDonalds, which Brian snatched away.

"What the fuck took you so long? The hospital is only about twenty minutes from Deb's house," Brian asked before taking several gulps of the warm coffee.

"I had to take a shower, then stop to get some breakfast," Michael explained as he took a seat next to Brian. "The line in the drive thru was ridiculous."

"I'm so glad you were able to eat at a time like this," Brian sarcastically replied.

"So what's wrong with him?" Michael asked.

Brian shrugged as he stared at the tile floor. "They don't know yet." He then looked over at Michael. "What the fuck happened last night?"

"What do you mean, what happened? The usual."

"Care to elaborate?" Brian asked. "Because the last thing I remember was taking a few shots of Jack, then nothing."

"Well, after the ‘Pecs of Death' contest was over, me and the guys went back down to the dance floor to look for you. We walked around for a little while, and then I went into the backroom. I asked Todd if he had seen you, and he said you were back there somewhere. I found you in the very back, and one of the contestants was blowing you. You looked tweaked out of your mind. I asked you what you had taken, and all you said was, ‘Duh.' I went into the bathroom and found Anita, and she said she sold you some GHB."

"No wonder I blacked out. What time was that?" Brian asked.

"Probably around 9:30. We decided to go over to Woody's to shoot some pool and talk for a couple hours. I told them about me and David, and Emmett got on stage and sang ‘You've Got a Friend' to cheer me up. I tried to call your cell to see if you had gone home or not, but it just rang and rang. We found your Jeep still parked in the same spot, so we went back inside Babylon. You and the trick were dancing and making out, and I asked you if you needed me to drive you home. Ted followed us to the loft, and I dropped you, the trick, and your Jeep off before the three of us went over to the diner."

"And did you not even try to stop me from bringing another guy home, when you knew that Justin was there?" Brian asked.

"For all I know, you guys are into threesomes," Michael said, shrugging.

"Apparently he's not, because Justin was gone when I came to this morning. He somehow ended up at Mel and Linds's house, because they were the ones that called him an ambulance." Brian sat the empty cup on the floor and raked his fingers through his hair. "Christ, I shouldn't have even gone last night. I could tell he wasn't feeling like his normal self yesterday, but he said he was fine and insisted that I go with you."

"Then don't blame yourself," Michael said. "You're not his mother."

As if they had been summoned by the gods, Jennifer and Debbie walked out into the hallway and towards the two men.

"Ma?" Michael said as he and Brian both stood. "What are you doing here?"

"What the fuck do you think I'm doing here?" Debbie said. "Sunshine's sick; where else would I be?"

Michael rolled in his lips, realizing then how much Justin meant to Debbie.

"This is Justin's mother, Jennifer," Brian said to Michael. "Jennifer, Deb's son, Michael."

Michael and Jennifer shook hands.

"The doctor just came by with an update," Debbie told Brian. "He's finally stable enough for them to start on some tests to check his kidney function. It will be a few hours before they know anything. We were about to go down to the cafeteria. Would you like to join us?"

Brian shook his head. "But could you bring me some coffee on your way back up?" He pulled out his wallet, but Debbie said she would pay for it.

Brian sat down again, but Michael remained standing. "Why don't you go back to the loft and get some sleep? You look like shit."

"Thanks a fucking lot," Brian said, "but I'm not leaving until I know if he's going to be okay or not, and until I get to talk to him."

Michael opened his mouth to argue, but silently retook his seat.