Justin's family and friends gathered excitedly around the slight nurse as she clarified, "He's not totally out of the woods yet. But his blood pressure has risen slightly and his kidneys seem to be working on their own again for now. Both are good signs," she confirmed encouragingly.

Brian could not help the relieved smile that suddenly appeared on his face. Wanting desperately to see for himself that Justin was finally awake, he hurried toward the entrance doors to intensive care and then stopped, turning to look at Jennifer for silent permission.

"Go! I can see him afterward. Tell him we love him," she added, eyes shining with happy tears this time. That was all the encouragement Brian needed before he eagerly opened the double doors, Julie closely following on his heels. She stopped at the nearby nurse's station, curiously watching him as he passed by, gratitude and elation readily apparent now on his handsome, but tired face. He reached out to touch her briefly on the arm in an unspoken thank you before turning his attention to the room directly to her right.

Brian's concentration instantly zeroed in on his partner, who was not only awake but was miraculously sitting up in the bed. A man, obviously a doctor of some sort as evidenced by his white coat and stethoscope, was reading over Justin's chart studiously. Both men looked up as Brian came into the room, but the brunet's gaze was strictly reserved for the beautiful, blond vision whose amazing blue eyes were staring back at him intently.

The other man spoke up just then. "Dr. Monahan," the man said in introduction, nodding briefly at the visitor. "I hope you're Brian," he asked. "Because this patient needs to stay calm and get some rest, which he apparently won't do until he sees him."

"Don't worry, doc," Brian reassured him, never taking his eyes off Justin. "That's me. And I'll make damned sure he takes it easy, even if I have to SIT on him."

"Well, I wouldn't recommend THAT," he replied lightly. "But try to keep him QUIET. His body has been through a lot the last couple of days. Do you know if his mother is still out in the waiting area?" At Brian's nod of confirmation, he again warned Justin, "Remember what I said, young man. LOTS of rest – give your body time to heal." Nodding again at Brian, he advised, "I'm going to go give his mother an update on his condition," before heading briskly out the door.

A pair of hazel eyes locked onto blue ones; Brian moved somewhat hesitantly toward the bed, almost refusing to dare hope that his most desired wish had finally come true – the man he loved was finally awake. He let out a shaky breath he had been holding as Justin reached out a pale, slender hand to grasp his.

"Well, I guess that lets fucking out, since you need to stay quiet, huh?" Brian teased. "How are you feeling, Sunshine?" He finally sat down next to the bed, never letting go of the warm, soft hand.

"My throat still feels like shit, and I ache all over. And not in a good, life-affirming way," he answered softly in a raspy voice, a previous memory abruptly coming to the surface.

"Oh, I don't know, Sunshine. In my opinion, it's a fucking GOOD, life-affirming way," he said huskily, emotions constricting his own throat all of a sudden. His thoughts turned serious, as he revisited their last conversation in the hotel's lobby. It seemed like so long ago, but he knew the pain he had caused had to still be bubbling just under the surface.

"Justin? About the other night….."

"No, Brian, it's okay…."

"NO, Justin, it's NOT okay. You have to know…." Brian averted his eyes in embarrassment as he continued. "Daphne talked to Annie and she explained why you were meeting that, that FIDDLER." Justin had to smile slightly – even now Brian refused to call Ethan by his actual name, almost as if he could wish the man had never existed.

"Brian, listen to me. I DO understand. I heard what you said. I heard you tell me how much you love me. And I also recall something about groveling?" Blue eyes looked up at Brian mischievously through the long lashes.

Brian stammered, "You HEARD that? But you were unconscious."

"Unconscious, Mr. Kinney. NOT dead." He missed the slight shudder that went through Brian at the mere thought of what might have happened. "I'm going to make sure I get everything that's coming to me."

"Oh, don't worry, Sunshine, I intend for both of us to get what's coming." Justin rolled his eyes. "And make no mistake about it. As soon as your body heals and stops aching, I'm planning on inflicting a more pleasurable type of pain on you in our bed for at least a week." The sexy drawl and intense look Brian was giving him as he continued to caress the blond's hand and draw imaginary circles on his palm made the artist's body tingle all over. "That's a promise," he vowed, finally leaning closer to kiss the full lips firmly, his tongue seeking and obtaining a welcomed entrance into his lover's mouth. A satisfied sigh emitted from Justin as Brian's free hand wound itself around the other man's neck, ruffling the blond hair at his nape gently.

After several seconds, Brian reluctantly pulled back before their actions quickly escalated into a much more physical level; Justin groaned in disappointment. "The doctor said you needed to rest, Justin," the brunet reminded him reproachfully.

"Bri-an," Justin whined. He reached toward his partner in an attempt to pull him back by the neck for another kiss; to him one wasn't nearly enough. But Brian was not to be deterred; his need for Justin to heal and get out of the hospital as soon as possible superseded his immediate desires for now.

"Uh, uh, uh, Sunshine," he admonished the younger man. "There'll be plenty of time for that when you get out, trust me." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Julie again standing in the doorway, smiling.

"You look good together, Brian."

Brian smiled. "Yeah, we do, don't we? Justin, this is Julie. Julie, this is my partner, Justin," he announced proudly. The deep love the two had for each other was written clearly on both their faces.

"Well, I hate to say it, but Dr. Monahan wants Justin to get some rest," she said, nurse mode back in place. Smiling at both men's matching looks of disappointment, she laughed softly, adding, "Just for a little while. I promise I'll get you back in here after dinner time. I'll give you a couple more minutes to say goodbye," she said, winking, as she left them alone.

Brian turned his attention back to his lover, still clutching the pale hand. He couldn't stop thinking how lucky he was; lucky that this remarkable young man loved him, despite all his faults, and lucky that he would now have the rest of his life to continually prove to Justin just how precious he was to him. Smiling tenderly at his partner, he said softly, "I'll be back soon. I guess I'll have to let your mom see you, too. But her time will be strictly limited," he said seriously, eliciting a slight chuckle from the blond. He leaned forward to once again place a soft kiss on the inviting lips before pulling back. Resigning himself to being separated from his partner, Brian at last loosened his grip on the other's hand and stood up, stretching to relieve his now-stiff back.

"Later," he said, getting the same soft response from Justin in return. He backed out of the room, maintaining the other's gaze until he was forced to finally turn around and walk back toward the waiting room, a heavy burden finally lifted from his shoulders.