Brian's head had slowly drifted downward until his chin was resting against his breastbone. The nurse, a young newbie who still believed in 'happily ever after', even though she hadn't found Mr. Right herself, smiled as she moved about the darkened room. There was only one hour left before the sun would start to peek through the blinds of the hospital room. Despite the early morning hour, she knew that the napping man had been sitting next to the patient for countless hours already. During her night shift she had spotted the handsome hunk bending over the patient several times and kissing the unconscious young man full on the lips. It had given her a surprising tingle every time. She hoped someone would love her enough to be so devoted some day.

Brian was startled awake suddenly when the young nurse he had seen a number of times during the night hit his chair accidentally as she passed by with the small-wheeled cart carrying blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, and other various medical equipment. His head popped up and the first thing he did was glance over at Justin's still face. The white bandage encircling his head stood out starkly even in the dimly-lit room. Every time Brian saw the thick strips of gauze and padding wound around Justin's head, his hands balled up into fists and he had to force himself to calm down. It was Friday morning, or nearly morning, and there still wasn't any news from Carl concerning the case. Carl had finally left hours ago, taking an exhausted Debbie home. He promised to return first thing in the morning. Being a cop had its advantages, earning Brian the privilege of remaining in Justin's room all night despite the normal prohibitive visiting hours. 

Justin had awakened a number of times since first being brought to the hospital but never for more than a few minutes or so. The last time, which had been around two a.m., had lasted the longest. Justin remained awake for almost ten minutes this time and the doctors were quite pleased with his cognitive abilities. He had answered all the questions asked of him in a drowsy but completely lucid way. Brian's only disappointment was that Justin couldn't remember anything about the actual attack outside of hearing someone scream. It had happened too fast or he simply didn't get a good look at his attacker when the witness screamed, drawing Justin's attention to her. The one good thing that came out of all this was that Justin could clearly remember hearing Brian profess his love when he regained consciousness the first time. When his eyes opened again at two, they immediately sought out Brian's face. He didn't have to look far. Brian was sitting right next to him in the same chair he had been in all night. 

Brian leaned over and kissed Justin ever so gently as if he was afraid his touch would hurt the young man even more. Justin smiled at him for the first time and Brian thought he had never seen a sight more beautiful. He wanted to say so many things to Justin, but the pain in the young man's head made him too drowsy to remain awake for long. They had to be careful what they gave him for pain so that they could monitor the concussion. It killed Brian that he couldn't take all that pain away from Justin. He would have gladly taken it on himself if it would have helped his lover, but all he could do was stay by Justin's side until he was back to himself. Jennifer had wanted to stay with Justin herself, but Debbie had convinced her that she needed to be with her daughter and explain what had happened and that Justin would be in good hands with Brian. She and Carl both promised to pick her up early and take her back to the hospital in the morning. After receiving the doctor's assurances that Justin should be alright, she reluctantly agreed to leave her son in Brian's capable care during the night.

Now, with less than an hour before sunrise, Brian watched the nurse leave the room with apologies for disturbing his rest. He glanced over at Justin, laying peacefully in the hospital bed, and cursed the bastard who put him there. The one thing that they knew for certain was that there was only one attacker. This matched the evidence that forensics had gathered at the scene of Billy's attack. The evidence seemed to point to only one other pair of recent shoeprints ground into the grassless area of the swing set that Billy was using in the park. Billy still couldn't remember the actual attack, but he felt that there had only been the one attacker. Brian was convinced that the same man had attacked Justin. This made it personal. This also meant that Billy and Justin's attack might have nothing to do with the rash of gay bashings that had occurred before theirs. Brian just wanted answers. He felt in his heart that Justin wouldn't be safe until he got them. As the dark thoughts crowded Brian's brain, he heard a slight sound next to him. He realized it was Justin.

"You're still here?" Justin croaked through his chapped lips. "I'm really thirsty, Brian."

Brian lifted the cup with the bent straw that was sitting on the rolling table next to the bed and leaned in so that Justin could sip the cooling water. 

"Now where the hell else would I be, Sunshine? Some asshole tries to put a hole in that beautiful blond head of yours and I'm just going to go about my day like nothing happened?"

"I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you, Brian. I really thought I'd be safe at the Museum in the middle of the day," Justin almost cried. 

"Stop it...do you hear me. I told you before, you have nothing to apologize for. Who would have ever thought that someone would attack you in a place like that where there are people around all the time, not to mention guards? Whoever did this has got to be crazy. But don't you worry about a thing. We'll catch him. He left behind evidence and a witness. It's just a matter of time now."

Brian saw the tears glinting on his cheeks from the pale light over Justin's bed and it scared him.

"What's the matter Justin? Are you hurting?" he asked anxiously. "I'll get the doctor for you."

"No, wait Brian," Justin begged, grabbing at Brian's pants leg to stop him from leaving.

Brian stopped in his tracks and turned back to Justin. 

"What is it, Justin? Just tell me."

"I'm hurting...yes...but that's not why I'm so upset. I can't believe I put you through all this. If I had paid attention to your concerns this would never have happened. I love you Brian, and it kills me to see you so upset."

Brian took Justin's hand in his and kissed the palm tenderly. He then leaned down so that he could kiss Justin's sweet lips. He nuzzled Justin's neck just below his ear which was half covered by the bandage. He whispered to his lover.

"I love you Justin, and anything that hurts you...hurts me too. But you're going to be fine and we'll get the bastard who did this. Until then, I promise you that no one will ever get the chance to hurt you again. You have my word on that."

"I believe you, Brian," Justin whispered back. "And it's almost worth it just to hear you tell me you love me."

Brian started to protest, looking deeply into Justin's eyes, but then he saw the old twinkle there.

"I said almost," he laughed quietly. 

"I'm sure I would have gotten around to admitting it without you risking your life, idiot," he admonished gently. "All you had to do was ask."

"Yeah, sure," Justin remarked skeptically. "So how much do you love me exactly?"

Brian grinned. He then bent back down and captured Justin's lips again, only this time applying a bit more pressure than he had when Justin first woke up. The kiss was filled with promises and affection. As he pulled away he smiled lovingly into Justin's eyes.

"That's all," Justin challenged.

Brian grinned wider. He captured Justin's lips with a bit more force, this time letting his own lips work their magic as he tasted those delicious lips with more vigor.

"Better...but I'm not sure I'm convinced yet," Justin challenged again, despite the throbbing in his head.

Brian went in for the kill this time. His mouth clamped down on Justin's and his tongue caressed the willing lips until they opened wide, allowing Brian to explore the soft warmth inside. The kiss was as ardent as it could be, given the restrictions caused by Justin's condition. Brian didn't let go until he heard a soft moan coming from Justin. He feared he had gone too far and caused his lover pain so he pulled away. Justin reluctantly let Brian go with only a mild sound of protest.

"Did I hurt you?" Brian asked anxiously.

Justin grabbed Brian's hand and brought it to his lips. 

"You could never hurt me, Brian. You've just given me the best medicine I could ask for. I have plenty of incentive to get well quickly. The sooner I'm out of this hospital bed, the sooner I can be back in yours where I belong."

"I want that too, Justin. My place...our place will be an empty shell without you. I want that cute little ass of yours back home ASAP. That's an order, young man."

"Yes sir, Officer Kinney," Justin agreed.

The two continued to banter for a few more minutes until they were interrupted by an older night nurse checking on the condition of the patient. She immediately scribbled some notes on Justin's chart at the end of the bed and smiled at the two. She walked over to Justin and took out a penlight. She shined it into his eyes one at a time to check for pupil reaction. She pulled back the sheets and checked his reflexes for the umpteenth time. She went back to the chart and wrote some more scribbles. She finally spoke up.

"Is there anything I can get you Mr. Taylor? On a scale of one to ten can you tell me what kind of pain you're feeling, if there is any?"

"I don't need anything else. I have what I need right here," he added, lifting Brian's hand. "I am feeling some pain in my head," he continued, "but I'd say it wasn't more than a five or six on that scale...at least for now. Can you tell me when I can go home?"

"Now don't be in too big of a hurry. Anyway, I can't help you there. You'll need to talk to your doctor. He'll be in to see you in a few hours. You have Dr. Mitchell. He is one of our best and brightest. Just be patient. You took a nasty blow to the head but it looks like you really lucked out. From what I heard, your assailant was interrupted at just the right moment. In cases like this they usually want to keep a close watch on the patient for at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours, so it won't be long. It sounds to me like you are far more alert this time than ever before."

"I'm still feeling really tired, but not so groggy," Justin agreed. 

"Well then, you just keep resting and we'll be back to check on you soon. I'll report your improvement as soon as I leave here." The older woman glanced over at Brian. "Now don't you let him get too excited. He needs to remain quiet and calm. It will help his healing tremendously." She smiled to take the sting out of her warning.

"I give you my word, he will follow all orders," Brian promised.

The nurse nodded and left the couple alone again. 

"You heard the nurse," Brian told Justin. "No more hot kisses. It might get you too worked up. That could cause a setback. We can't have that."

Justin quirked his finger in a 'come hither' gesture. Brian leaned down closer to Justin. When they were only inches apart, Justin reached up and placed his hands firmly on Brian's stubbly cheeks. He looked his lover straight in the face.

"You stop kissing me like that and I'll make you bottom for me every day for a month when I'm back on my feet," Justin threatened.

"This is punishment?" Brian laughed softly, leaning in further so that he could capture Justin's lips again. 

This time the kiss was softer....more gentle, but still filled with all the passion and love the men felt for each other. A few minutes later, Justin was again asleep and Brian sat back in his chair once more, his hand resting on top of Justin's. Brian sighed deeply. By some miracle, it looked like Justin would be alright. All he had to do was be patient. The morning had brought good news. He wondered if Carl would bring him some good news too. He prayed it would be so.

********************************************************

Chris Hobbs was in a deep state of panic and fear. He knew he had fucked up badly. He had run out of the Museum like a scared rabbit with hounds at his heels. In his panic he had left behind his tire iron...and even worse, a witness who saw his face. He knew it was only a matter of time before the cops would be on his trail. His only hope was to run. He had gone home first and grabbed the gun his father kept in the family safe. Better to be prepared just in case he needed it. He was glad his mom was out shopping. It gave him the chance to grab both the gun and the money his dad always kept in the safe for emergencies....more than twenty thousand dollars in total. He knew it would be stupid to leave town with his own car. His only hope was to get out of town in someone else's car. 

Immediately after leaving his house with a hastily-packed suitcase, not leaving a note of explanation as to why he had disappeared for his parents, Chris hurried over to his closest friend's house. Eddie, better known as 'Bulldog' to his teammates, was the first guy Chris had roped into his plans for ridding Pittsburgh of its queer problem. He was the one guy who had stood by him most firmly when Chris revealed what he had done to Billy. Chris was sure he would back him up again. Just in case he wasn't in the mood to get too involved in this latest fiasco, Chris would tell him a lie that was believable.

Once Chris arrived at Eddie's house, he found the former jock lounging poolside, a cold can of beer in his grip. He hadn't gotten a Summer job yet, and his parents could have cared less. He was their only child and they had spoiled him rotten his entire life. He owned a souped-up Jag that he had been given for a graduation present. Chris wasted no time in convincing Eddie that he needed to borrow Eddie's car just for the night. He claimed his own vehicle was acting up and needed to go in the shop and he had a hot date with the one girl that nearly every member of the football team had been trying to nail all year long. Eddie didn't even question why the girl, who had ignored Chris throughout the school year, was suddenly so willing to date him. He trusted Chris. He handed over a cold brew and the keys and wished his buddy 'good luck'. 

Thirty minutes later Chris was beyond the city limits and on his way to New York City. A guy could get lost in that big city easily. He'd ditch the car at the airport once he got there and let them think he was on a plane out of the country if they found it before Eddie got it back. He'd be damned if he was going to hang around and let himself get caught. Justin Taylor had already ruined his life. There would be no college, no football scholarship, no big man on campus for him. But there would also be no prison for him. That was all there was to it. As he put more and more miles between himself and his home town, Chris wondered if it had all been worth it. He had no way of knowing whether Justin was still alive or just injured...and if he was only injured, just how bad it was. He prayed it was everything the little fag deserved. 

By the time that his victim woke up early in the morning, Chris was already in the 'Big Apple' and had abandoned Eddie's car. He had taken a cab from JFK International Airport to a hotel downtown where he had stayed with his folks on a holiday several years earlier. It would be temporary until he could find a used car to buy so he could move around easier and find a less conspicuous place to stay. He called Eddie from a pay phone and spilled the whole truth about the events that had led him to where he was now. He apologized to his old friend, who all but cursed him up one end and down the other, and told him where he could find his car. He promised to repay Eddie for the plane ticket he would have to buy to get his car back and they ended their call with Eddie giving his solemn word that no one would hear a word about any of this mess. When Chris laid his head down on the pillow after midnight that fateful night, he had calmed down considerably. He was certain that he would never have to deal with Taylor ever again.

He was wrong.

To be continued..................................