Nick made his way to his usual seat in literature the next afternoon, looking around and immediately noticing that something was different. Jeff wasn't in class. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen him all day. He'd never known Jeff to be absent to one class, let alone take a day off.

"Blaine?"

"Nick?"

"Finn?"

"Noah?"

"Jeff?" Miss Berry looked around, not seeing the blonde head of hair anywhere in the room. "Does anyone know where Jeff is?"

"Probably at home touching himself and looking at photos of Nick."

"Lauren! Go wait outside, I'm sick of this!" Miss Berry yelled.

"Fine, it's probably true though." Lauren said loudly as she left the room.

"He's probably just sick!" Called out Trent.

Nick knew that Trent was probably right, but he couldn't stop worrying. Jeff hadn't responded to any of his calls or texts since he left last night, and Nick knew for a fact that he didn't have a curfew. He wondered if anything had happened to Jeff on his way home, it had been pretty dark. After a lesson that dragged on for what seemed like forever, Nick practically ran out to his car, trying to call Jeff one last time. He was just about to hang up after the sixth ring when someone picked up at the other end of the line, but it wasn't Jeff.

"Hello? This is Jeffrey Sterling's phone." It was a woman.

"Um, hi. Can I please talk to Jeff?" Nick sounded more awkward than he ever had before.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry but that isn't possible right now. Do you have a message that you want delivered once he wakes up?"

"Wakes up? What do you mean? Who are you?" Nick said all at once.

"My name's Linda. I work at the Westerville Base Hospital. I'm in charge of looking after Jeffrey until he wakes up." Replied the woman – Linda – as if everything was perfectly normal.

Nick almost dropped his phone. "Why would Jeff be at the hospital? What happened? Is he okay? What's happening now? Is it bad?"

"Calm down honey, he's going to be alright."

"But what happened to him?" Nick pressed, getting frustrated.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that unless you're family. Are you?" Linda asked.

"Yes, I am. Can I come and see him?" Nick asked.

"Yes, you can. When you get to the hospital, ask for me and I'll come get you." Linda said.

"Thank you so much. I'll be there soon." Nick hung up quickly before starting his car and most likely getting more than one speeding fine as he made his way to the hospital.


He arrived at the hospital, running inside and catching his breath against the reception desk. "Can I please see Linda? It's important." He managed to get out, still struggling to breathe.

"Sure thing." The woman at the reception desk made a call for Linda, and within a few minutes she was running down the stairs towards Nick.

"You're here for Jeffrey, aren't you?" She asked.

"Yes I am. Can I please see him now?" Nick was about to go crazy.

"Of course, follow me." Linda led him up six flights of stairs and down to the very end of an empty corridor, going into the last door on the right.

"Oh, god. What happened to him?" Nick rushed over to the bed by the window, dropping to his knees beside it. Jeff was hooked up to about seven different machines, but that was the least of Nick's worries. Jeff was covered in bruises and cuts and Nick could see a deep cut that went from his shoulder and down towards his chest, disappearing under the hospital gown.

"I need to fill out this form first. What's your name?" Linda clicked her pen against her clipboard.

"Nicholas Curt Duval."

"Relationship with the patient?"

"Boyfriend." Nick blurted out, knowing that he'd fucked up but also knowing that it was the only way they'd let him stay, considering he looked nothing like Jeff and therefore couldn't be related to him.

"Does Jeff have any allergies that you're aware of?"

"None as far as I'm aware. Can you tell me what happened now?" Nick was getting far too impatient right now.

"Yes, yes alright. He phoned an ambulance for himself at about 10pm, saying that he'd been attacked. The paramedics arrived at his house and had to get him on a stretcher because he'd been hit in the chest and he wasn't breathing. He's lost a large amount of blood, along with having some broken ribs, a punctured lung, a fractured collarbone and a few other broken bones." Linda finished looking at Nick, who hadn't realised that he was crying.

"Who did it? Who attacked him?" Nick choked out, wiping away the tears that were still flowing freely from his eyes.

"We don't know. There was no one else home." Linda avoided Nick's eyes.

"What aren't you telling me?" Nick growled.

"He's been talking in his sleep. He's been mumbling about someone named Jamie, asking if he'll stop hurting him. Do you have any idea who Jamie might be?"

"No. I've never heard of anyone named Jamie." Nick was confused as hell and he just wanted to be alone with Jeff. It was like Linda could read his mind.

"I'll leave you alone with him for a bit." Linda left the room and Nick just cracked. He usually never let himself cry, but at the moment he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. He held Jeff's hand in his and cried. And cried and cried and cried. He cried to the point that Linda went home overnight and came back in the morning to find him still crying.

"Nicholas, have you eaten?" She asked worriedly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Nick only shook his head, his body still racking with sobs. "Do your family know where you are? Have you moved since yesterday?" Nick shook his head again, finally looking up at Linda. He looked almost worse than Jeff. His face was red and tear-stained and Jeff's bed was soaked in tears. "I can't let you stay here without calling your family. Who do I call?" Linda asked, looking at him expectantly. He pulled his phone from his pocket, seeing seven missed calls from his mum, four from Nellie, two from Nolan and about thirty texts from the three of them and Quinn combined. He handed his phone to Linda, who opted to call his mum. She answered almost immediately, and Nick could hear her freaking out at her end. After Linda convinced her that Nick was not hurt in any way, she handed the phone back and stepped away to fix Jeff's breathing tube.

"Hey mum."

"Nick! Oh, I was so worried! Why didn't you call?" His mother cried from the end of the line.

"I'm sorry for not calling, I was just really worried about Jeff." He mumbled.

"What? What happened to Jeff?" His mother asked.

"He got attacked and no one was here for him. Can I please stay with him?" Nick knew it was a long shot, but almost dropped his phone when his mum replied.

"Sure sweetie. He needs someone there with him. Just take care of yourself and call me if anything changes. I love you."

"Okay, love you too." Nick hung up and sighed in relief, thankful he could stay with Jeff. He looked up at Linda, who was still adjusting the breathing tubes.

"She says I can stay as long as I call her if something changes." Said Nick, switching screens on his phone to see what Quinn had sent him.

Hey, Duval, where are you? Just thought I'd let you know that ever since you apparently ditched after your lit class, everyone's been saying that you're fucking that Jeff kid. I know you aren't, but just be prepared for it.

Nick groaned, this was the last thing he needed. Fucking hell, why can't they just mind their own business? I obviously had reasons for leaving.

Quinn texted back straight about five minutes later. I know, I got your back, man. Don't let them fuck with you, they aren't worth it. Stay safe dude x

Thanks Fabray. I knew I could count on you.


It was three days after that text and he was still in the same spot. He'd showered and eaten a few times when Linda forced him to, but other than that he'd stayed by Jeff's side, holding his hand and whispering to him when he had nightmares. It was when Nick fell asleep – having a nightmare of his own – that he was woken by a movement in the bed next to him. He switched on the lamp next to his armchair and took a few moment to wake up before he realised why he had woken up. He scrambled to lean over the edge of Jeff's bed, rubbing circles into the back of his hand. "Jeff?" He whispered into the darkness.

"Who is it? What's happening?" Jeff whispered, hardly audible.

"It's Nick. And you're in the hospital. But don't worry, you're okay." Nick replied.

"Nick?" Jeff's eyes cracked open, squinting at him.

"Yeah, it's me. Are you okay? Do you want me to get the nurse?" Nick asked, still holding Jeff's hand.

"Can you? My head hurts." Jeff whispered.

"Of course." Nick leaned over and pressed the button on the edge of Jeff's bed to signal for Linda. She arrived about five minutes later, almost dropping the oxygen tank she was holding when she saw that Jeff was awake. She hurried to the bed, checking all of Jeff's vitals, finally calming down when she realised that he was breathing properly. After she fussed over Jeff for another half-hour, she asked if Jeff needed anything else. "I'm kinda hungry, actually." He said, now that he could talk properly without a tube down his throat.

Linda nodded. "I'll go find something and let you guys have some family time." When she left, Jeff turned to Nick, raising his eyebrow.

"Family time?"

"Yeah. I had to say I was your family because otherwise they wouldn't let me in."

Jeff laughed at that. "But you look nothing like me!"

"That's why I said I was your boyfriend." Nick admitted, not knowing which of them was blushing harder.

"Oh, okay." Jeff laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry, I know it's really weird, but I was worried about you and it was the first thing I could think of."

"Nick, don't start." Jeff looked at him seriously.

"What? Don't start what?" Nick looked quizzically at Jeff.

"Don't start acting like nothing's happening here. I heard you talking about me to Nellie when I was over. I heard what you said about not knowing if you were gay or not."

"Oh, fuck. I'm really sorry man. I get it if you think that's weird." Nick mumbled as he pulled his hand away from Jeff's for the first time in days. Jeff had no time to respond before Linda returned with soup and ice-cream for both of them. They ate and laughed and Nick finally called his mum.

"Hi sweetie!"

"Hi mum. Sorry, I know it's like, 3 in the morning, but I wanted to tell you that Jeff's awake and he's okay."

"Oh, honey that's wonderful! Give him a big hug for me!"

"Ugh, mum! I'll call you later."

"Okay, make sure you do. And make sure to give Jeff that hug!" His mother yelled down the line before she hung up.

"What'd she say?" Jeff asked.

"She – uh. She said I have to give you a hug."

"So are you just gonna sit there?"

Nick was taken aback by Jeff's comment but leaned in anyway, awkwardly hugging the blonde around all of his tubes and casts. He pulled away after a moment and they looked at each other in silence before Linda came back again, followed by a doctor carrying a box of medical supplies and a police officer. "Boys, this is Doctor Smythe and Officer Chang." Linda nodded towards the two strangers.

Doctor Smythe walked over and placed his medical supplies by the bed. "Hi! I'm just going to take a look at Jeff's injuries and see when he can go home."

The police officer took a seat in the chair next to Nick, pulling out a stack of forms. "Hello boys. I just need to ask you a few questions, if that's alright with you?" She gained consent from both of them and got their details before getting to Jeff's injuries. "So, Jeffery, do you remember anything about what happened the night you called the ambulance?"

Jeff gulped. "Um, yeah. I got home later than usual because I was at Nick's house. I went to go put my school bag away and I felt someone come up and push me over. They just started kicking me in the chest and hitting me and I pretended to pass out so they'd leave me alone. I heard them leave and then that's when I called the ambulance."

Officer Chang was writing rapidly before she felt a hand on her arm. She looked up, seeing that it was Nick's hand. "Is there something I can help you with Nicholas?" She asked.

"He's lying." Nick said shortly.

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"He knows who hit him, he just won't say. He had bruises already when he came to my house, I saw them. He kept trying to tell me he walked into a locker, but he was lying and he still is." He explained.

"Jeffrey? Is that true?" Asked Officer Chang.

Jeff sighed. "Yes. I know who it was. I didn't walk into a locker either."

Nick snorted. "Yeah, I know that you idiot."

"Jeffrey, can you tell me who hit you? You don't have to be afraid, they won't hurt you anymore as long as you tell us who it was."

"I – I can't." Jeff erupted into a fit of sobs. Against his better judgement, Nick reached for Jeff's hand again, holding it in his own. "It's okay. It's okay. You can tell her."

Jeff sniffled, looking up at Nick. "I'd rather just tell you. I trust you."

Nick looked at Officer Chang, who nodded curtly and left the room, followed by Linda and Doctor Smythe. "Who was it, Jeff? Who attacked you that night, and every other time? Was it Jamie?"

Jeff's head snapped up. "How do you know about Jamie?" He whimpered in fear, almost shying away from Nick.

Nick's heart broke at the sight of seeing Jeff like that. "You were talking in your sleep. Just tell me everything."

Jeff sighed and closed his eyes. He stayed like that for a few minutes before looking at Nick with red-rimmed eyes. "It was Jamie. He's my brother. He's been abusing me for as long as I remember. It was always just pushing and name calling. Then when my parents died, it got worse. He started hitting me and kicking me and saying all this really terrible stuff to me. Then someone told him I was gay, I don't know who. I never thought it could get worse, but it did. Every night he would beat me up until I passed out. I would wake up and he would leave notes for me, saying stuff like everyone hates you. You're a fag. Kill yourself. No one loves you. You're worthless. You should have died instead. He would always threaten me. He told me he would kill me if I told anyone about what he was doing. I was getting to the point where it didn't matter. I would have just let him kill me. He was right. No one loved me. I got beaten up at home and at school. I had no one. I'd planned everything out. I was going to do it myself. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of letting him kill me. I planned out everything, and you ruined it. Even when you fought against it, you made me feel happy. I knew you didn't hate me like everyone else did. I could see through your whole 'tough guy' thing. I knew you were different from the other skanks. I didn't want to let you close, because I knew I'd get hurt. But I'm happy I did. You saved my life, Nick. I always thought no one could ever love me. Then I heard you talking to Nellie and I couldn't take it anymore. I left because I had no idea what to say after I heard you. I was going home, and I was going to leave. I didn't care if I lived on the streets. I just couldn't stay there anymore." He was cut off as Officer Chang stuck her head through the door.

"Are you two almost done? I don't need the whole story right now, just who it was." Nick nodded, waving her inside. Nick told the short version of the story – Jeff was crying too much to even talk. Once Jeff had calmed down, Officer Chang got the basics from him; where he lived, where Jamie would be, if there was anyone he could stay with.

"He can stay with me!" Nick yelled, making everyone jump.

"Nick, it's okay, I can just-"

"No, no way. You're staying with me. You have nowhere else to go and I can't just leave you. That's not what friends do." Nick stated in a tone that implied the argument was over.

"Friends? You aren't embarrassed to be associated with me?" Jeff blushed.

"Of course not! I was friends with Quinn before she was one of the skanks and she was the biggest geek ever." Nick said simply.

"You aren't gonna make me one of the skanks, are you?" Jeff laughed. "I don't think they like me very much."

"Well, you aren't wrong. Quinn wouldn't mind you, but I'm not so sure about the others."

"So," Officer Chang cut in, turning to Jeff, "you're going to stay with Nicholas?"

"Yes." Jeff nodded

"Well, that's settled then. Once you're fit to go home, you can stay with him." She turned to Nick. "Have you called your mother and asked her about this?"

"She said he could stay if he needed."

"Alright. Well, happy recovery Jeffrey. You're lucky to have someone like Nicholas." She smiled as she left, leaving them alone once again.

"She has no idea how lucky." Jeff mumbled, hoping Nick wouldn't hear. He glanced sideways at the brunette who was rubbing circles into the back of his hand and sighed contently.

"Hey mum."

"Hi honey. How's Jeff?"

"He's recovering really well. Also, can he stay with us? He has nowhere else to go." Nick waited apprehensively for an answer.

"Of course he can. I don't know where he'll sleep though…"she trailed off.

"In my room. He's my friend!" Nick answered as though it was the obvious answer.

"Oh, alright. If you're sure."

"I am." Nick said quickly.

"Okay. I'll set your bed up. See you later."

"Thanks mum, love you."

"Love you too sweetie." Nick's mum said before she hung up.

He looked over at the blonde in the bed, pushing the hair out of his eyes. "Mum says you can stay as long as you need."

Jeff smiled up at him. "Thanks Nick. Really, I can't thank you enough."

"You don't need to. You being alive is enough for me." Nick smiled as Jeff blushed scarlet and pulled the covers over his head. Nick put his head back, listening to Jeff's breathing even out as they both drifted off to sleep.