Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers, and welcome to anyone new who may be taking a chance on the story. I look forward to hearing from you! As always, feel free to drop me a line - I'm always interested in R/R'ing the work of others, and I'm thrilled when they return the favor.

Onward!

As promised, Claudio arrived on time, lugging a giant suitcase behind him, a stack of letters and cards for Nick from various performers and friends in the WWE tucked neatly under his arm. Nick was surprised; he assumed people would be glad to be rid of him, even if it was only short-term. 'I know what a pain in the ass I can be. Or at least, I feel like I'm a pain in the ass. Looking at Brena, Mother Theresa would probably be a pain in the ass by comparison.'

"My friend! You are looking well. I trust things have improved?" Claudio was beyond enthusiastic, pulling Nick into a one-armed embrace, then pushing him back to survey him. He looked rested and comfortable, dressed in something that could have carried him to the gym or simply carried him through the day – a far cry from the haggard and pained person he'd seen get wheeled into an ambulance.

"I'm feeling better, yeah. Good to see ya, man." Nick's eyes searched Claudio's face for a moment before he dropped his head and shuffled his feet. "Listen, I owe you an apolo-"

Claudio's hands shot up, waving off the apology as though it was poison. "No, no, my friend. You owe me nothing. You were injured, you were not well. As long as you are doing better now, everything past is past."

"Fuck me, you're just as bad as she is." Nick chuckled and waved Claudio into his room, not seeing Meredith's stony glare.

Meredith was glad to see Nick have a visitor; what she wasn't thrilled with was Nick's perpetual need to constantly get in a tiny dig at Brena. She wasn't aware of their conversation over dinner; all she did know that Nick had managed to get Brena down to the cafeteria and further, got her to eat half a dinner. Had she known Brena opened up to him a bit and they'd moved solidly into a genuine friendship, she might have reserved her dirty look for a more deserving party. Opting to leave it at a glare, Meredith focused her attention back on the paperwork and forms cluttering the nurses' station, pausing to answer the phone when it rang – she recognized Brena's cell number immediately.

"What happened?"

"Good grief, Mer, I don't even merit a greeting?" Brena sounded almost happy, and Meredith was glad to hear the lilt in her friend's voice. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to call and let you know Deaglan and I were going to be out past lunch. I know Doctor Morgan doesn't have anything scheduled for us, plus Nick said something about having a visitor and I don't want to be in the way for that. Deaglan's got this smile on his face like you wouldn't believe. I'll send you a picture. Oh – and I'll call the kitchen to have them cancel his lunch tray. I feel like pushing my luck with this, but we'll pick something up from that pub he used to love."

"Well, listen to you. It sounds like smiles all around, not just on Deaglan."

Brena paused and hummed a bit, thinking. "You know, Mer? Honestly? Yeah. I think this is the best I've felt in a while. Deaglan had a low turn, and I think it took me with it a bit."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with, I don't know, say, lasagna for two?" Meredith was half-teasing and half-fishing for information. Nick had remained strangely quiet about their dinner together, only confirming to Meredith that Brena had, in fact, walked with him to the cafeteria, brought Deaglan with them, and had half a serving of part of a meal. Meredith grudgingly respected that Nick stayed largely mum about the details of their dinner together – she'd expected him to blab immediately about whatever they'd done or talked about.

"What do you – oh, Meredith! For heaven's sake." Meredith could almost hear Brena's nose wrinkle. "It didn't take me long to figure out you were behind that. Really, though, thank you. It was nice to sit and talk with someone." 'I didn't realize how much I missed conversation. He's a sweet man, to listen to me complain for a solid hour. Very patient.'

"Wait, what? Sit, yes, but talk?" Meredith looked at the phone slack-jawed. "I mean, uh...right. Talk! Talk. Good thing that you had dinner, then. Yep."

"You sound surprised, Meredith. Is everything okay?"

"Uh...yeah. Yeah, I suppose it is. It's just...that...you-"

"He's not a bad person, Mer. You two are like oil and water, sure...but he's pleasant enough now that he's settled down."

"Whatever you say, Brena. I'll see you two when you get back – just let me know if we should hold dinner."

Meredith replaced the receiver and flipped her pen end-for-end in her hand, thinking back to the things Nick had said to Brena during the first few days of his stay, before looking at his door. "You know, I know you got hit in the head, and hit hard, at that. But...there was something real about what you said to her, how hateful you were. That's what's got me worried. Though...if Brena says you're okay, there might be something to it." Her expression changed to something sinister, aimed at Nick's half-shut door, she continued, "But so help me God, if you throw anything she told you back at her, I'll make sure you don't just rehab on the roof, you'll rehab where they can't find the body parts."

"As bad as who, Nick? And what is bad?"

"My roommate. I mean, my roommate's daughter. Brena. She's out with Deaglan right now – he's my roommate. I think she said they were going out to some pet store, or something. Deaglan's got this thing for birds because of his wife, and the weather finally let up enough for her to take him. You've gotta meet this chick, for real. She's nuts, but in a good way." Nick nudged the door just shut enough for privacy and quiet, and turned to face Claudio while aimlessly shuffling cards and letters around in his hands. Claudio, meanwhile, was trying to decide where to sit and getting little help from Nick as to what seating was allowable – or comfortable.

"It sounds like she has made quite an impression on you," Claudio continued to scan the room, trying to work out where to place himself. He shrugged and settled into the chair near Deaglan's bed, though he had to adjust a few times before he worked into a position that made the stiff chair tolerable. He breathed deeply before continuing. "What is this perfume, ginger? If this is her, I understand the impression." He smiled broadly at Nick, happy to see his friend happy – or at least amused – with Brena.

Nick felt an odd twinge in his mind after Claudio's comment, innocent though it was. "Christmas cookies," he mumbled, "She reminds me of Christmas cookies. God, I still think so fucked-up." Nick slid up onto the edge of his bed, feet bouncing off the rails and supports under the mattress as he kicked them back and forth. 'It's happening again. I'm thinking things all out of order. I shouldn't be thinking about her. Her perfume reminds me of my grandmother, but not in an old-lady way. Holidays. God, I loved Christmas.'

"What is this, Nick? You suddenly look unwell." Claudio leaned forward, concerned, resting his elbows on his knees. "We have not talked in some time. Come, tell me what is bothering you."

"It's not just her, man. It's everything. I mean, she's not bothering me, but..." Nick looked around the room, a helpless expression on his face. "I'm stuck here, sure, there's that, but then she's here, and it's like all my thinking just got completely fucked up. Not her fault, or anything, but shit stopped making sense and...and...just..."

"Slow down, my friend. Start at the beginning." Claudio shifted, giving up on comfort and settled firmly back in Brena's chair. His eyes searched out some clue or prompt in Deaglan's possessions to help his friend explain himself. Surveying the contents of the room, Brena and Deaglan's half was intensely personal; clearly it was their home away from home – if they had a home, anymore. Nick's side was bare in comparison, but Claudio hoped he'd brought enough things to help make it more familiar. Listening to Nick talk about Brena, he also hoped the things he'd brought would give Brena some insight to who Nick was. 'Even if she reads a card, or a letter. He seems so unorganized in his mind, it makes me wonder what she understands of him.'

"I was a dick when I got here. Like, royal pain in the ass. But she – her – Brena – she was just so cool about it. I was fucking horrible to her, and to her uncle – and Christ, once I explain that one to you, you're gonna want to go out a window – but she didn't care. I mean, she did care, but she cared about me. Like, trying to make me feel better."

"You make little sense, my friend. I assume she is why you have a handmade quilt, and not a terrible hospital blanket?" Claudio winked, hoping he'd slow Nick down a bit. 'Your words are a tumble, my friend. Sort yourself out. Perhaps tell me about the blanket?'

"Exactly! Exactly. This is hers. And it smells like her perfume. Or, uh, it used to. It's pretty much gone, now, and I almost want to ask her for another quilt, or to take this one back and make it gingery again, or something. I don't know." Involuntarily, his hands closed around palmfuls of the fabric, bunching it together. The gesture wasn't lost on Claudio; Nick looked like he was seeking something – her – out with his grasp. "I don't even know why that's important. She's just...she's weird. Not in a creepy awkward way, but it's like...you want to be nice to everyone because she's around. One of those people."

"Very patient? Always a kind word for everyone?" 'And why are you so frustrated with this? You have always been kind, as well – or at least, playful – unless this injury has changed you in a way I do not yet understand.'

"Fuck, Claudio, I think you and her might almost be related, if it wasn't for the whole 'She's Irish' thing. If she starts talking about any relatives named Stephen, though, I'm done."

Claudio cleared his throat and smiled, choosing to ignore the comment about Stephen. Backstage, Stephen had made no secret of his amusement that Nick was out of commission thanks to their series of warring high boots and rough bumps, and Claudio had come close to punching him on several occasions. He wasn't amused about the company's decision to push for a concussion awareness media blitz. For one, he doubted Nick would understand what was being asked of him or be able to hold up through it, and while it was no secret to the fans that Nick was out due to injury, Claudio also doubted that he'd want the fans thinking he'd lost his mind in the process of getting hurt.

For two, the media work involved Stephen and Nick in close quarters. Talent Relations had decided it would help the men put aside their differences, promote safety, and discourage backyard wrestlers from attempting untrained, unsafe pseudo-matches. Claudio highly doubted any of those things would be the end result of the media work. Focusing on the other half of the topic – and recalling that Stephen had made more than a few lewd comments about what he'd do to Nick's roommate's daughter if she looked as good as she sounded when he came up to see Nick – he continued. "You sound rather fond of her, Nick, yes?" 'May God save Stephen if he oversteps either Nick's boundaries, or this woman's. From what Nick says, she is kind, but kindness often comes with a spine of steel.'

There, Nick paused. "Fond? Like, not in a dopey makin'-babies way, but yeah, I like her. I like being around her, anyway. She had no idea who I was when I got here, and it was nice to just talk to someone who only wanted to talk. I didn't have an angle to work, with her. It was just conversation, like I was normal."

"And now?" Claudio suddenly looked like the cat who ate the canary, sensing something wistful in Nick's voice. "You said you were not dopey, Nick, did you not?"

"Aw, shut up, Claudio. It's really not like that." 'Isn't it?' Nick rolled his eyes, but continued. "What I was about to say earlier was that she...I dunno. She's so nice."

"You did say that, earlier. She must be exceptional if she has reduced you to a single word." Nick didn't retort, which gave Claudio pause. "Truly, Nick. No comments from you? Either I have hit a nerve, or there is something else at work here."

"When I first got here, I was a dick to her," Nick said quietly, "But like I said, she was real chill about it. And I mean a dick. I think I said she was sleeping with her uncle for the money, or something equally bullshitty." Claudio's eyebrows flew up as his jaw dropped down, but Nick waved him off. The expression remained, however, and the depth and breadth of Nick's injury settled over Claudio like an impossible net. He hadn't realized just how rattled Nick had been – irritable, yes, but not as offensive as all that – and now that Nick was admitting to one horrid comment after another, the gravity of the injury he'd sustained became abundantly clear.

"And Brena just took it, "Nick continued, either not seeing or choosing to ignore the look on Claudio's face, "Like 'whatever,' like it was nothing. Didn't phase her. This was before I actually let anyone here work with me. I think I was too busy being pissed off." 'Well, that and...scared. Not that I'm gonna admit that one out loud.' Nick cleared his throat, hard, and continued. "I had a really bad night; it was like my mind fell apart. I know concussions fuck with your memory, but I was remembering everything, not forgetting. Thinking about work – and I mean way back in the day, Spirit Squad bullshit – my family, old girlfriends, but none of it was in order. None of it made sense."

"But what does this have to do with her, Nick?" Claudio looked lost. 'None of this is in an order that makes sense, my friend. Keep trying; what are you getting at?'

Half a wry smile cracked its way onto Nick's face. "She let me talk to her, and brought me a glass of water. She fixed the quilt so my feet weren't cold. And she had to be tired as shit the night she did it, too. Like I said, she's fuckin' weird. Brena's so busy with her uncle, but she's still got time for me. It's like she makes time for me. Doesn't expect a single fuckin' thing in return, either." Shrugging his shoulders, Nick sighed. "That night, I decided I should stay. Get help."

"Then she has done a good thing for you." Claudio's tone was sincere, but Nick could see the puzzle working behind his eyes. Claudio had much less suspicion of pleasant people than Nick did, but even he was trying to figure Brena out, fit her pieces into a whole picture.

"She only does good things. For everyone. Man, if that was me, or maybe even you – I dunno, you've got patience for that kind of shit, so maybe you'd be okay – but if that was me, I woulda been done. I couldn't handle Deaglan and I sure as shit wouldn't have put up with me. This chick's been through the wars, too. Her parents just dumped her, she snapped her shoulders at college in this...like, recital thing, and now her uncle. And this shit with her uncle only got figured out because her aunt died. Her aunt and uncle, they raised her, can you imagine? Just sitting here, watching your whole life, all your people, die?"

"No, Nick," Claudio was suddenly somber, "No, I cannot imagine." He paused, thoughtful. "Given that she was so gentle with you, why were you being so rude to her?"

"At first? Because I was fuckin' livid that I was stuck here. Thanks, by the way, you fuckin' narc. I know it was you that told the docs I passed out." Nick's smile was mischievous and it gave him away – he wasn't really angry, at least not anymore, and Claudio relaxed. "But really, thank you. I needed to come here. They're giving me stuff for my moods and for the headaches, and they're working on memory exercises and balance drills and shit. It's a good place to be."

"You did not finish your thought." Claudio poured a glass of water for Nick, using Deaglan's pitcher, and walked it over to him. "You were telling me why you were treating...what was her name, Brena? Why you were treating Brena so poorly."

"Fuck. Right. I still do that, get sidetracked real easy." Nick passed the glass of water from hand to hand, grateful for something to look at that wasn't Claudio's questioning eyes. "It was...and this was still before they started working with me...it was more that I was pissed off my brain is as fucked up as it is. That I fucked up at work again. My mind would get going and I just bounced from thought to thought, back and forth. That wasn't her fault, but she was here, so she was a target. Then it turned into a game, like trying to test her. Like, nobody was really that nice. It wasn't possible. And then I saw her uncle..."

"Either you were not as bad as you thought, my friend, or this woman shall be a saint when she passes away."

Nick snorted. "Sainthood. Definitely that. You gotta meet her, C. You're gonna feel the same way I do."

"Oh? And what way is that?" Genuinely confused, Claudio waited for Nick's response – which he seemed to be trying to fish from the bottom of his glass. Nick stared into the water like the words he needed would suddenly surface from it.

"I...I dunno, C. It's nice to have someone around who just wants to talk to me. I'm not gonna lie, though, she got shit all tangled up in my head."

'Ah, there it is. Nick is interested in her.' "You are thinking of her...well, fondly. As I said before."

"No. Well, maybe? I don't know. I look at how she treats her uncle, and she's so...I know I already said patient and nice, but it's not just that. This guy has no idea where he is, who he is – he probably doesn't even know who Brena is, anymore – but she's there. All the time, always there. Dresses him. Feeds him. Takes him out to shop, to walk around, whatever. She doesn't have a life, she has him." Nick paused. "Well, no. I don't mean it like that. I mean he is her life. The way she cares about him? I've never seen anything like that. Ever."

"So you are jealous? Stricken? I do not understand what she has done wrong." 'Is it so surprising to you, Nick, that someone could have room in them for affection?'

"Nothing! That's not what I'm sayin', C. It's like...she does everything right. She should be pissed off, she should be a flying fucking bitch, but she's not. It's...she's..."

"She is devoted to her uncle. She loves him, but it is more than simple love. He is her, she is him, no?"

"No. I mean, yes. Yes! That's it. He needs her, and she's got the option to just fuck off, go live a normal life, but she's here all the time. And it's like it doesn't cross her mind, ever, that she could be somewhere else, doing something else. In her head, if you love someone, this is what you do. You don't ask about it or wonder about it, you just do it."

"And this is so wrong, Nick?"

"No!" Frustrated, Nick banged his glass of water down on the bedside table. "It's like...it's..."

"Calm down, my friend. She must be a special person if you are reacting this way." 'Did you not realize you felt this way, Nick? And what way is it that you feel? Enamored? Alone? Disappointed?'

"It's that nobody's ever been like that for me, and I've been fucked up so many times, and what girlfriend do you ever remember me having who brought me blankets and fixed my curtains and smelled like Christmas cookies?" 'Oh shit, Nemeth. When did that happen? Oh, shit. You really did it, this time.'

Claudio opened his mouth, then closed it, carefully considering his words. 'These are interesting developments for you, Nick. Perhaps you needed the concussion?' "Nick, to be honest, you do not usually have...girlfriends. You have women you see once or twice, but you do not keep them in your life. Ah...I am meaning, to get to know them." Claudio cleared his throat. "It takes time to build the kind of trust and caring you say she displays. Now that you are here for six months-"

"Nah, man." Nick shrugged. "Trust me. Just...nah." 'She wouldn't want anything like me – I'm too much like her uncle, or I will be. But...I think...do I want something like her?' Nick's jaw ticked furiously, and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Whatever you say, my friend." Claudio, knowing that it was better to give up than to push Nick, changed the topic entirely. "Should we have lunch? You have mentioned the food in the past, and I would like to see this place, since you will be here for some time."

"Time is all I have right now, C. C'mon, let's hit the cafeteria." He paused. "Actually...let's pick up something for Brena and Deaglan, while we're there. I'm kinda surprised she's not back by now."

Sliding down from the edge of the bed and passing Claudio, Nick never saw his friend shake his head and smile knowingly.