Chapter 13

Jeff sat on the edge of his bed, tearfully watching Nick's chest rise and sink beneath the blankets that were wrapped tightly around his frozen body. The brunette was barely breathing when Jeff finally found him in the court-yard. He carried Nick piggy-back style back to the dorm building where he pretty stripped every dorm on their floor of their blankets, laid Nick in his bed and turned him into a human burrito. That was almost an hour ago. Some of the colour had returned to Nick's cheeks and he was breathing steadily, but Jeff wasn't going to even think about leaving until Nick woke up. So here he sat, fingers locked and held against his lips, legs pressed together, leaning forward, barely blinking.

Eventually, lunch time came around, the hallway outside the room filled with boys on their break, must of whom were asking where their bedding had gone, when the dorm room's door opened.

"How's he doing?" Trent asked sitting down beside Jeff.

"Better," Jeff sighed, "I've got him under 28 blankets so that'll keep any body heat he lets out."

"Yeah, about that," Trent started, "I talked to some of the guys and they said if you don't give their blankets back by tonight they're reporting you to Dorm Services."

"I'll give them back when Nick wakes up." Jeff said firmly.

"I figured you'd say that," he sighed in defeat, "Hey, why don't you go get something to eat, I'll watch Nick until you get back."

Jeff opened his mouth to decline, but the gurgle that erupted from his stomach shut him up pretty quickly and he left, leaving Trent with a small "Thanks man."

At the quiet click of the door closing, Trent turned back to Nick's comatose body, "Alright listen, bud," he said in a quiet yet stern tone, "I realize you're kinda down for the count right now but I know you can still hear me, so listen up. You have to wake up, okay? Because that boy who just left, he needs you to be here with him. And I need you to be with him, because let's face it; I've pretty much declared myself captain of your little relationship. And I will not, repeat not, allow the two of you to just drift away from each other because you decided to become Snow White...okay, that was a poor choice of words, but the point is still there. Look man, do you realize what Jeff is feeling right now? He's scared to death, don't you get that?"

"I do."

"Well than you better," he stopped dead in his tracks, "Holy shit, you're alive!"

"Holy shit, you should be a doctor." Nick chuckled weakly.

"No time for sarcasm," Trent jumped up from the bed and ran out the door, "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit..." The sound of the Warbler swearing briefly disappeared, then returned again as Trent came back into the room pulling Jeff into the room by his arm.

"Trent what are you doing?" Jeff questioned in exasperation. Trent merely pointed down at Nick, who gave a small nervous smile to the stunned blonde. Jeff stood there shell-shocked for a good minute and a half before he finally breathed out a tiny "Holy shit."

"Holy shit." Trent agreed, patting Jeff on the shoulder and turning to leave the dorm triumphantly. His work here was done.

Jeff let out a breath as he sat down on the bed next to his boyfriend. He reached out and cupped the side of Nick's face, running a thumb over his now-warm cheek. But the loving touch of his hand soon retracted and smacked the side of Nick's head, not hard enough to hurt him, but defiantly enough to feel it. "What in the world were you doing out there, Nick?" Jeff asked, his voice bordering between frightened and furious, "Do you know how scared I was? Do you know how close I was to calling the hospital? What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry," Nick choked, filling with guilt, "I was angry and..."

"About what?" Jeff interrupted, "What possibly could be so bad that you ran out in a blizzard and nearly froze to death?"

"My mom called me this morning, she and Derrick are getting married."

"What?! How could she do that to you?" Jeff's hands balled into fists around handfuls of blanket. Nick pushed against the heavy layers and tried to sit up straight, looking Jeff in the eye. "She doesn't know about any of this, okay? The fighting, the bruising, the... you know...the thing on my shoulder."

"Well then you need to tell her, Nick! Derrick should be walking into prison now down the aisle."

"I can't just tell her that her boyfriend is kicking the crap out of me, she'll never forgive herself."

"But if you don't tell her, then he'll keep kicking the crap out you and you'll never forgive yourself. Neither of you are safe with that bastard around."

"Well, that's the thing..." Nick trembled as his eyes dropped into his hands, "You know that what Derrick is capable of, right? This," he pointed at his shoulder, "is just the beginning. And I'm scared to death of what he's doing to her... so I need to be there to keep an eye out for her."

"Nick, don't tell me you're actually thinking of going to the wedding..."

"No, it's a little bit more than that," Nick stuttered, "Longer, really... I've been thinking.."

"Nicky, out with it."

"I need to leave Dalton."

Jeff recoiled as if Nick had just punched him in the gut, "No, no, no way. You're not going back there."

"I need to Jeff, she could be in really danger."

"Then go to the police! Show her your scar! Call a relative or something to stay with her!" Jeff demanded, getting up from the bed, wondering aroung the dorm and punching the wall in frustration.

"It's not that simple, okay?"

"Yes, it is! That's all it takes." Jeff took in a slow breath and turned back to Nick, sitting back down next to him and looking square in his eyes, "Nick, last time you were went to Ashville, you came back with a chest full of scars. I love you too much to see that happen again. Not to mention that was over a weekend, imagine what he'll do if you go back full time."

When Jeff looked back at Nick, the brunette's face was completely white again. Jeff jumped up and took his hand. "Nick, are you okay? Are you going to pass out again?"

Nick merely shook his head, and his face ironned into a dazed expression, "You said you love me."

"Yeah," Jeff muttered as his face flushed red, "I guess I did."

"Ah." Nick nodded, feeling suddenly like he was standing on the surface of the sun. "Good. Cause I love you too."

I know. I know. I suck for being away for so long. Please forgive me.

Love Always,

~ELC