Doug jolted upwards in a panicked state as he awoke from his restless sleep. The sheriff found himself to be perspiring heavily. His elevated heart rate and shaking hands didn't help, either. Another bad dream, just as expected. He was quite used to the horrible events that would take place in them by now, but the one thing he'll never adjust to is the aftermath; the unexplainable anxiousness and fear that he'd be left with. He knows Jack will be okay. The doctor had said as much. And yet, there was still that tiny, annoying voice in his head that whispered he wasn't; that Jack's condition was only temporarily stable and that he'll bite the dust sooner rather than later.

Adjusting to the barely lit bedroom, he noticed it couldn't be past six in the morning. Visiting hours don't start for while, and Doug wasn't going back to sleep any time soon, so he decided to start a pot of coffee. Slowly, he undid himself from the tangle of sheets, his sweat making the covers slightly stick to his muscular figure. The room he and Jack shared was messy from their latest night in, which almost felt like weeks ago. Doug hadn't the heart to clean it up, despite his tendency for tidiness. In the worst possible scenario, he had wanted a way to remember their last good night together.

So Doug refused to fix anything, even if it bothered him to no end, because it made it feel like nothing had changed. As if he'd walk into their kitchen and see his man drinking milk straight from the carton. Doug would chastise him with no malicious intent behind his raised voice, the growing smile betraying his tone. Jack would look back with the brightest grin Doug had ever seen come from another man, and he would approach cheerfully, placing the milk down on the nearest countertop. Doug would stretch his arms outward, inviting his lover into a warm embrace. They would then kiss with such fervor, breakfast an idea left far behind.

But there was no Jack this time. No hug or kiss to greet him good morning. Doug entered the dark kitchen, just illuminated by the peeking sun above the horizon. Eyes still groggy from his lack of proper sleep, Doug felt around for the container of coffee, hoping Jack and he still had enough left for one more pot. His fingers grazed the cold glass of their coffee jar before being pulled back into reality by a ring of the doorbell.

Caught off guard, Doug flinched at the blaring sound, both intrigued by who had rung this early in the morning and annoyed by the prospect of a visitor. He didn't feel up to putting a fake smile for some empathetic Capesider. Doug stood still for while, hoping the lack of a response would discourage whoever was at the front door to leave him alone. Another ring had suggested that tactic wasn't going to work.

Eventually Doug acquiesced, too deprived of energy to put much more of a fight. He lumbered towards the front door of their house, and clumsily unlocked it only to be greeted by the familiar presence of his younger brother.

"Pacey?" Doug would have been lying if he said he wasn't surprised. His brother had quite the record of sleeping in until a questionable hour in the afternoon. "What are you doing here so early?"

Pacey revealed an Ice House takeout bag from behind his back. "I couldn't go back sleep when I woke up, so I decided to be a good brother for once and bring some breakfast. Can I come in?"

Doug stared at the bag of food for a few seconds before turning his attention back to Pacey. The unexpected act of kindness from his brother was, well, unexpected to say the least. That doesn't mean he wasn't grateful, however.

"Yeah, sure. Come in, Pacey." The other man gave a small nod in thanks, and strode into the house. Doug closed the door and made an attempt to quickly follow Pacey back into the kitchen. He had already opened the boxes filled with assortments of various breakfast foods and spread them across the dining table. "Did you make all of this?"

"Yup." Pacey answered without turning his head. "I've been kinda restless with everything that's been going on with… well, y'know."

Doug didn't need Pacey to finish his sentence to know where the conversation was heading. He hesitated before speaking up. "Have you… heard anything from the doctors?"

At that, Pacey turned to face Doug, but without completely meeting his questioning gaze. "No. They haven't said anything yet." He looked up at his brother just in time to see the hurt and disappointment that flashed across his face in response to his answer. "B-But, that could be a good thing, Dougie! At least it means that Jack hasn't gotten worse."

The mention of Jack's name made Doug reel even more. He crossed his arms in an attempt to hang on to the warmth of his shirt, which Pacey noticed was one of Jack's. "But it also means he hasn't gotten any better."

"Look, I know things don't seem so good right now, Doug, but I promise you that Jack will make it through this. You should know better than anyone that he's pretty damn tough."

Doug smirked lightly at that comment. It was true, Jack was the bravest, most strongest person he's ever had the pleasure of knowing. Plus, he had Doug at his side to support him, no matter the circumstances. "Yeah… I suppose you're right."

"Of course, I am. Now c'mon. Let's get some food in you before we head over to the hospital."

The morning air had brought with it a chilling wind, but neither Doug nor Pacey had paid much mind to it. They arrived at the hospital a few minutes before visiting hours properly started, but the nurses noticed the restlessness in both men's eyes before letting them through. Doug was few strides ahead of Pacey as they walked through the fluorescent white hallways. He was eager to be back in the same room as Jack, desperately wanting to be by his side and to feel his warm touch once again. Soon enough, they stopped before the right door. Pacey had spoken up first.

"I'll give you two some time. I'll be just outside in case something happens, alright?"

Doug turned to face his brother as he leaned in to give a small hug. "Thanks. I really appreciate- "

"Yeah, yeah, don't get too sentimental on me now, Dougie. Save that for Jack." Pacey chuckled as Doug gave a light punch to his shoulder.

"Okay, here goes…"

Doug pushed gently on the door, as if to not disturb the quiet peace of the small room. He stuck his head in first, noticing how still Jack looked, his only motion coming from his slow but steady breaths. It wasn't long until Doug fully entered, letting the door close on its own with a barely audible click.

"Hey, honey…" Doug spoke to no one in particular. The use of the endearing term came natural to him, even if he wasn't so keen on using it at first. "Y'know, you're getting everyone pretty worked up. Even Pacey, if you can believe it. Jen called this morning on my way here. She's hoping for a quick recovery, like the rest of us. She also said she's sorry she couldn't be here, but she thinks that me being by your side is more than enough."

Doug pulled a stray chair closer to Jack's bed when he noticed his legs were shaking, steadily settling himself down before continuing. "I'm not leaving your side, you know that right? When you wake up, I'm going to be right here for you. Once this is all over, we'll go wherever you want. Let's take a break from Capeside and have a well deserved vacation. I don't care if it's local or across the Atlantic. As long as I'm there with you, I know we'll have a great time."

He shifted forward, taking one of Jack's hand and holding it within his own. Doug placed a soft kiss atop the other man's fingers. "I promise things will be okay. I love you, Jack."

The day proceeded as uneventful as one could expect, much to Doug's dismay. He let Pacey have a turn to be alone with Jack, though he didn't stray too far from the slightly ajar door, just in case something happened that he should know about. Eventually they switched positions again, with Pacey waiting outside while Doug remained with Jack. He had turned on the television for some background noise, but barely paid much attention to it. The images on the screen had little relevance compared to the one of Jack resting peacefully in front of him. The man's features were all but present, which highlighted just how fragile and young he appeared, even with all that he's been through. Doug only found it to be more endearing, as if he was constantly given more reasons to love Jack.

Later, Pacey had volunteered to get some food from the Ice House for lunch and dinner, and Doug was grateful that he didn't take no for an answer. The two of them ate in content silence in the hospital's cafeteria.

Soon enough, the sun began its descent below the skyline, shades of orange and yellow seeping through Jack's windows. Pacey had decided to retire for the evening, saying that he couldn't handle another night without sleep in anything other than his own bed. Doug had promised to contact him if anything happened, and they said their goodbyes.

Doug felt the pull of sleep tug on his eyelids, and eventually even he succumbed to the exhaustion of having to wait for something, or anything, to change.

"Doug…"

The quiet, familiar voice sent jolts through Doug's body. He opened his eyes just enough to see the most beautiful man stare at him with an equally tired expression. "Jack? Oh, Jack!"

Doug had practically bolted from his chair and to Jack's bedside. The sting of tears threatened to be released as he spoke. "H-How are you feeling, honey? How long have you been awake? What-"

Jack only laughed at Doug's frantic nature. "Doug, if I'm being honest, I still feel like shit, but with you here, I'm a lot better than if you weren't." His voice was still raspy and coarse, but it was still lovely for Doug to hear. "And don't worry, I've only just woken up a few minutes ago. I wasn't about to wait any more than I had to for me to see your face again."

Doug sighed a breath of pure relief. He couldn't help it, and soon enough the repressed emotions of the past few days all came out through his tears. "Jack… Jack I've missed you so much. I really thought that… that…"

"Shh… I know, but I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere." Jack weakly reached for Doug's hand, and the other man eagerly met him halfway. "I've missed you, too, y'know."

Doug bent down carefully as to not aggravate anything on Jack, and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

"I love you, Jack. I hope you know that."

"Of course, I know, Doug. I love you, too."