So, story has been finished and I will be posting the last parts. This will also be my last Lethal Weapon story as inspiration has gone.

Part 10

Todd was happy to be released two hours later. He didn't need his colleagues to tell him to take things easy for the next couple of days.

"What's the verdict?" Brooks wrapped an arm around his partner once Todd appeared in the doorway. The fact that his lover was on his feet and steady was reassuring, but he couldn't stop worrying.

"Cracked rib, grade 2 concussion, just as Martin's friend said. You'll have to check on me through the night."

Martin moved closer as well, unwilling to infringe on their privacy, but also eager to support Todd. "I can't believe it happened at our parking lot!" He'd texted Ronnie and his father in law had promised to personally take care of the matter. Those bigots wouldn't get off easy. "Thankfully Reacher was around!" There was no way to express his gratitude to his friend. He'd always be indebted to the MP.

"I'm sorry, babe, but date night is canceled. Do you mind?" Todd tried some humor in order to settle Brooks' nerves and hoped it worked.

"You're alive and relatively well, which is the only thing that matters." Brooks pressed a kiss onto his lover's brow. "We're heading home ASAP. You had quite the evening!" Exchanging a look with Martin told him that they shared their worries. They both wanted Todd in bed and resting. "Come on, let's do this. Martin, get the truck and start the engine." It was raining and Brooks didn't want Todd exposed to the elements any longer than necessary.

"At least I'm walking out of here instead of being wheeled out," Todd quipped and winked at Martin, who looked awfully pale. "Sorry for scaring you."

"Not your fault." It was too bad the five of them were in custody. He'd have loved to deal out some punishment himself, though he had to admit Reacher had done a great job. Martin made his way over to the truck, drove it up to the entrance and made sure Todd was safely tucked away in between them. "You can rest," he told Todd. "We've got this."

"I know you do," Todd agreed as exhaustion made him rest his head against Brooks' shoulder. Although he was a bit dizzy, he turned his head and looked at Martin, who drove remarkably cautiously. "Your friend packs quite the punch. He took them out in minutes and they didn't get up again."

Martin grinned broadly. "You have no idea! We ended up in fights all the time, and as I said, he's great backup. The best!" His phone rang and he reached for it, while keeping both eyes on the road as he had a precious cargo. "Riggs," he said without checking who was calling.

"Reacher here, checking up on your friend. Bailey hooked me up."

Martin knew his friend wasn't big on phone calls. If possible Reacher avoided them. "He's gonna live. You were right with your diagnoses. We're taking him home so he can rest. Why don't you join us there?"

"Not tonight, Riggs. I'm heading back to Falltime, and no, you're not tagging along. You're needed someplace else. I've got this. I'll let you know if something comes up."

And Reacher ended the call, just like that. And Murtaugh had the nerve to complain about his phone etiquette. For his partner's sake, he hoped Roger didn't have to reach the MP!

/

"Careful now." Brooks hovered close and watched Todd's every step. "Martin, get the door, will you?" Todd had never been injured before and Brooks found it hard to adjust. Dealing with an injured Martin Riggs was challenging, but now that Todd was down, his concern reached new heights.

Martin opened the door, dealt with the alarm and switched on the lights. He supported Todd as well, though the injured man glared at him. Well, at least now Todd knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of someone's concern.

Brooks considered the stairs and then looked at Todd. "I don't want you climbing those."

"Let me," Martin said and intervened before either of them could protest. He slid his arms beneath Todd's knees and gently lifted him, cradling him against his chest. "Lead the way, Brooks!"

Brooks moved quickly upstairs and opened the bedroom door. "Put him on the bed." He made way for Martin and assisted his lover in laying down and getting comfortable.

Martin realized he needed to give them some space. Yeah, he was part of their little family and they'd accepted him, loved him, but this was different. They were a couple. "I'll head for the kitchen and make some tea," Martin said as he headed for the doorway. "Call if you need me."

"Thanks, Martin." Now that the Texan had gone, Brooks fully focused on Todd. "How are you doing? Want me to get you out of your clothes and into some sweats or your pajamas?" Tenderly, he stroked his lover's hair, hoping to soothe.

Todd smiled. "Just get me out of my clothes and into a T-shirt. The rest is too much of a bother."

Brooks carried out Todd's wishes and soon had his lover settled comfortably in bed. "How are you doing? For real?" Now that Martin wasn't around he wanted the truth. Todd might pretend being fine for Martin's sake.

"Stop worrying!" Todd stroked Brooks' facial skin and smiled. "I'm fine. Yes, I've got a grinding headache and my ribs hurt, but I'll live."

Brooks felt relieved. "Anything in particular you want me to do? Anything you need?"

"Why don't you check on Martin and then join me in bed? I'm in a snuggling mood and you should make good use of that!" Making tea was taking Martin a long time and he worried. "Go on, see what's up with him."

Brooks disliked leaving his lover, but complied. After carefully tucking the duvet around his lover's form and making sure Todd was comfortable, he moved downstairs, where he found Martin staring out of the window. Apparently the Texan had never made it to the kitchen in the first place. Walking up to him, Brooks said, "Hey, Todd's gonna be fine. Don't worry." He wrapped an arm around Martin and became aware of the tremors running through the Texan's body. "Hey, talk to me." He should have expected something like this. Martin had let them in, had made them a part of his life and now that Todd was injured, his emotions were all over the place. Brooks turned Martin toward him and cocked his head, searching those brown eyes. "Martin, talk to me," he repeated.

Martin shivered, then shrugged. "It's my fault. If Reacher hadn't shown up, Todd wouldn't –"

Brooks cut him short, determined to set Martin straight. "This is most certainly NOT your fault, Martin. Those five bigots are to blame. Look, something like this can happen anytime and everywhere, even at the precinct. But I do know one thing for certain; this has nothing to do with you. This was a hate crime. Don't do this to yourself. Todd will kick your ass if he hears you blame yourself for the assault. It has NOTHING to do with you," he repeated, emphasizing those words.

Martin gingerly made eye contact. "How can you be sure?"

"How can you even ask that question? Martin, those bigots hate gays. Don't blame yourself for something you had no part in. I know it hurts," he added belatedly. "But you can't save us all the time. Hell, you saved my life twice! It's hard to accept, I get that, but things like this will happen. Let go of the guilt, Martin, and make us some tea instead. Todd will be grumpy if he has to wait much longer." He hadn't thought it possible, but Martin might even be more worried about Todd than he was. It was a sudden revelation. "Come with me," he said and guided Martin into the kitchen. "Sit down and don't do anything!" Considering the state Martin was in, Brooks worried about the younger man accidentally causing accidents, so he made tea instead. Once it was ready, he handed Martin the mug. "Take it to Todd and make sure he behaves. I'll grab a bite to eat and then I'll join you."

Martin, feeling numb, nodded and mechanically headed for their bedroom. In the doorway, he wavered. Todd was in bed, wrapped up in the duvet and seemingly asleep. He didn't want to disturb the man's sleep, so he started to turn around.

For some reason every sound, no matter how small, seemed way more intense and Martin shuffling his feet drew his attention. Todd hadn't been sleeping, merely resting his eyes as he was waiting for Brooks to return. He wasn't surprised to find Martin staring at him instead. "Is that tea?" Todd slowly elbowed himself in a sitting position and noticed Martin quickly marching over to the bed, setting down the tea and assisting him. "You make an excellent nurse," he quipped and grabbed the front of Martin's shirt. "Come, sit with me."

Martin swallowed hard, feeling strangely nervous, but not knowing why. "Brooks made tea." He handed Todd the mug and convinced himself the older man's hand wasn't shaky before letting go.

"My favorite!" Todd sipped carefully before handing the mug back to Martin who placed it onto the nightstand. "What's going on in your head? And don't lie. I'm not in the mood for it." Todd wrapped his fingers around Martin's hand and held it tightly. Wow, looked like Martin had a harder time dealing with this than Brooks!

"I worried… about losing you," Martin whispered, carefully avoiding eye contact. "I don't know what I'd do if you…" Words failed him.

Todd slipped his fingers into Martin's hair and used the hold to turn his head toward him. "I'm here. I'm fine, well, apart from a mild concussion and a cracked rib. I'm not leaving you." Todd cringed, realizing Martin's eyes were swimming. "Ah, come here." Slowly, he pulled Martin toward him and hugged him. "We're in this together, okay? It's the three of us against the rest of the world." He was growing sleep though. "Now lie down, sitting up is making me dizzy."

Martin acted at once and lowered his charge onto the mattress, softly yelping because Todd refused to let go and pulled him along. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? Pull up the duvet, will you? I'm freezing! A little body heat is nice!" Todd smiled tiredly and watched Martin tucking the duvet around them.

"Brooks won't like this," Martin muttered, chuckling in spite of everything. He had no choice but to make himself comfortable as he didn't want to aggravate Todd's injuries.

"Brooks is okay with it, " Brooks said as he happened upon them. "What? We're having a sleepover and no one told me?" He slipped out of his jacket and shoes and snuggled up to Todd, spooning behind him and wrapping his arms around his lover. "We need a bigger bed!"

Martin wasn't sure he should stay, but Todd's grip kept him in place. "Uh," he started, wondering what to do.

"Just stay where you are," Todd said, briefly opening his eyes. "I'll let go eventually, but not yet." Martin needed him – needed to know they were okay. "Now let me sleep, both of you, shut up!"

Brooks gave Martin a wink. "We'd better do as he says."

"Sure," Martin replied, giving in. He'd stay. He was happy where he was.

/

Like most mornings, Martin woke up at dawn. It was five in the morning and Todd had finally released his octopus like grip. Now that his freedom had been returned to him, Martin carefully got to his feet. He tucked the duvet back around them and soundlessly left the room. Damn, he needed coffee to get him through the day! He sneaked into the kitchen and got the coffee maker going. An odd sound coming from outside drew his attention and when he looked out of the window, he stared straight at Reacher, grinning back at him. Martin gestured toward the front door, telling his friend to move his ass and enter the proper way. A minute later, he opened the door and Reacher stepped inside. "You're early," Martin remarked.

Reacher noticed the smell of freshly made coffee and gave his friend a hopeful look. "Got some coffee for me too?"

Martin was very much aware of his friend's addiction and grinned, signaling him to follow him into the kitchen. "Let me guess, you want some grease too! How about bacon and eggs?"

"I gratefully accept!" Reacher sat down at the kitchen table. The moment Riggs placed the coffee in front of him, he took hold of it and sipped. Like him, Riggs like his coffee strong and black! "How's the doc doing?" His friend's expression darkened.

"He's okay, I guess. Still, I can't believe that happened at the precinct! It's the one place where everyone should be safe!"

"You know what it's like," Reacher chided Riggs. "You find bigots everywhere. We dealt with our share in the army and navy too." Sometimes he'd arrested them and sometimes he'd used his fists instead. "You should teach Doran some basic self defense," he suggested and smiled because Riggs just put a plate filled with scrambled egg and bacon in front of him.

"Not sure about that," Todd muttered as he stepped into the kitchen. Their talking had awoken him and he'd decided to find out what was happening. He'd left Brooks to his sleep; his partner had looked worn out!

"What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting!" Martin hurried over to Todd's side and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, ignoring the other man's objections. "At least sit down!"

Todd sighed. "Don't overreact, Martin! It's a cracked rib!" Todd sat down next to Reacher and felt slightly nauseous looking at the greasy food in front of the man.

"And you're concussed!" Martin pointed out, wondering why Brooks had allowed Todd to leave the bed! Come to think of it… "Where's Brooks?"

"Asleep and don't you dare wake him! He needs his sleep!" Todd wagged a finger at Martin. "Make me some tea instead!" Maybe if he kept Martin busy, the younger man stopped fussing! "And I think I can manage some fruit, but not that," he added and pointed at Reacher's meal.

"I'm on it," Martin announced. He'd gotten quite good at brewing Todd's tea and then sliced some mango and apple, offering Todd the hot drink and fruits. "Is that okay?"

"Fine!" Todd waited for the tea to cool and started on the mango first. From the corner of his eye, he studied Reacher. The man seemed at ease and enjoyed his breakfast. "Thanks," he said, after thinking it over. He still had one hell of a headache, making it harder than normal for him to express himself. "I didn't yet thank you properly. Thanks for intervening. You didn't have to. You were outnumbered."

Reacher chuckled. "They didn't present a danger, Doran, don't worry about it. My offer stands though; if you want to learn some self defense I can teach you some very basic stuff which will keep you safe." He emptied his coffee and looked at Riggs, who promptly refilled his mug.

"I'm not sure about that," Todd whispered, his headache worsening. "I suck at hurting people."

"Even when they're about to beat you up?" Reacher studied the surgeon in turn. "I understand you – to some degree," he admitted. "You're a good guy. You patch them up and want to see them back on their feet, but if it's them or you, you might think about defending yourself."

"I know you're right," Todd grudgingly admitted. "But it goes against everything I believe in. I want to help, not inflict pain."

"Just think about it," Reacher advised. "You might change your mind." He'd finished breakfast and cast another hopeful look at the coffee maker.

Martin picked up on it and offered another refill. "Your addiction's gotten worse!"

"Well, it's my only vice as you're well aware!" Reacher leaned back in his chair and continued to study Doran. "You should get more rest or that headache will get worse. Trust me, I've been there."

"Yeah, after one of our many bar room brawls!" Martin quipped before turning his attention to Todd. "Is he right? You're having a headache?" Which wouldn't surprise him.

"Yeah, but don't fuss about it." He sipped from his herbal tea. Todd was about to assure Martin that he was okay when Brooks marched into the kitchen. The look on his partner's face told him that he was in trouble. "Brooks," he said, trying to steer his partner away from lecturing him as he wasn't in the mood for it; not with his head throbbing like that. "Don't. Just don't. Not now. My head's killing me!"

Brooks only needed to take one look at his lover to know Todd was sincere. The way his partner pinched his eyes indicated a headache, so he tabled the argument for later. "You should be in bed," he said instead, while making his way over to him and sitting down next to Todd. "Why did you leave?"

"I heard voices." Todd moved closer and snuggled up to his life partner. After resting his head against Brooks' shoulder, he closed his eyes. Brooks wrapped an arm around him and hugged him close. In times like these, it didn't matter if Brooks was angry with him, his partner always put him first. Oh, Brooks would tear him a new one once he'd recovered, Todd knew that, but right now, his partner was solely focused on his well being. "Maybe you can help me over to the couch? Looks like I'm still tired."

"At least you're being sensible," Brooks mumbled and helped Todd to his feet. "I've got this," he said, addressing Martin. "You entertain Reacher instead."

Martin watched them slowly head for the living room; he worried about Todd, he couldn't help it. Maybe Reacher was right and he should teach Todd to defend himself. Just a few tricks would do. He'd offer later. "So what brings you here this early?"

"Bailey called. Shame she didn't join the army and became MP!" She'd had truly impressed him! "They found the two missing victims; Frank Simmons and Gene Richards. I don't have any details yet. We should head for the station for an update. Maybe we shouldn't tell your captain yet. He'll want to join us, but he's needed here."

"He'll find out eventually and then he'll be mad as hell that we didn't tell him." Martin wasn't sure what to do. "Well, we can try to keep him in the dark. There's nothing he can do at any rate. So you're here because you want a lift? Did you walk here?" He didn't have to ask – not really. Reacher either walked or took the bus.

"I walked," Reacher confirmed. "And a ride downtown sounds fine. So, are you ready to go?"

Martin looked at his clothes, which he'd slept in. "Give me five to change and we're good to go."

"Get moving, Riggs!" In the meantime, he'd finish his coffee and think things over. He wanted to find Mack's killer; the quicker the better!

TBC