A/N: I ask you to bear with me concerning the medical stuff in this chapter. I know a thing or two about medicine, I researched some stuff that happens in this chapter but it didn't end up to my liking. So please don't be too harsh on me when I bend a thing or two. As far as I am concerned it COULD very well happen like this except for tiny details…so yeah…here you go.

Chapter 14

Dean didn't notice that Sheppard led them into a quiet room away from the busy life on the hallway. He didn't notice that Roman's hand never left his except to push him into a chair and to sit down himself. Then that big, warm paw was right back grabbing onto him as hard as he squeezed back.

He didn't really notice that Sheppard took a seat on the other side of the table, his face carefully neutral. And he hardly heard Roman ask in a broken voice: "What happened?"

Did he want to know? It was still time to get up and flee that room. Flee from the news Sheppard came baring. They weren't good, Dean knew that much. There was that second when Roman's grip loosened just for a tiny fraction and it was now or never Dean supposed. Stay or bolt. Listen or keep running away from the truth.

Damn it. He ran away from the truth for ten years. They both had, Roman and him. So it was time to face the music. After a long, hard swallow Dean's eyes fixed on Sheppard and he felt Roman's surprise when he asked the doctor in a calm and collected voice: "Give it to us straight Doc. What happened? Is he…dead?"

Okay, saying this last word out loud was hard but now that it was out Sheppard didn't need to beat around the bush anymore. If Seth was dead he could confirm it and they would be done with this nerve wrecking waiting.

"Seth is not dead."

Dean felt himself sink back into the chair. Relieve washed over him and a big stone dropped from his heart. And he felt Roman exhale slowly beside him as well. They squeezed each other's hand simultaneously. In sync. As one. So Dean knew how Roman felt right this second. He felt the same way he did. Glad Seth was alive. But the was still the concern written on Sheppard's face so instead of allowing his face to break into a smile he turned back to Sheppard to hear the rest of the news.

"We were able to get the tumor out. Every last bit of it. There was no damage done during the extraction. Seth was responsive the whole time. He did well. Just as we were about to tell him the good news his speech started to slur, his vision darkened. He suffered a stroke to his right side of the brain. We had to put him under and we worked on getting to that stroke, to inject medication to help get rid of it. We were able to get to it in under 30 minutes which is good. We couldn't locate any more bleeders and we woke Seth up at that point. He complained about still having no vision on his left eye and no feeling in his left arm. We started to give him more medication to help keep preventing more blood clots and we sedated him mildly again because he freaked out a little. What we are looking at is, that your…boyfriend….he is half blind and unable to use his left arm. Chances are he can get back part of the function of his arm and maybe the pressure on his just relieved optic nerve will lessen a bit but I fear his eye sight is damaged and he will have just about 30% left of it. I am sorry."

Dean jumped up and his chair tumbled over in the process.

"So what you are saying is Seth is alive. The tumor is out. He may be half blind and his left arm might be more or less useless. But he is alive. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Are you fucking insane Doc? Sorry, I mean…just…we thought he died. But he is fine…took some damage, yes, but nothing we can't work on. I mean he was blind without his glasses before. And his arm…well, he is a fighter, he will work hard to make it work as best as he can. Stop scaring us like that. Let us go to him now so he stops freaking out."

Roman got up and put a hand across Dean's back. For once he didn't try to put Dean in line because his husband voiced the thoughts he had as well. So what if Seth was disabled in some way? He was alive and everything else they could figure out. They would figure out.

"What he said." Roman just pressed out.

"Okay, we can do that. Just, you have to be aware that he is not over the edge yet. He needs rest and close monitoring. Come with me."

When Sheppard led them through the hospital now Dean was aware of his surroundings again. What did it matter if Seth was half blind and partly paralyzed? He was alive and that was all that mattered, right?

"Right?" he asked out loud and Roman studied him.

"It's a start. He is a physical man…he might struggle with this, but we will be there to help him through this."

Roman kissed Dean on his wild hair and Dean felt the love and admiration through that kiss. Roman was proud of him that he had pulled himself together like that. Well, he had realized that Seth was the one who was weak right now, and he didn't need to worry about Dean, so he had to man up and face the music.

They entered a secluded floor and Sheppard gestured them into a room where Seth lay in a huge bed with tubes sticking out of him. A monitor showed all his vital signs and it was beeping nonstop.

Seth was awake. Hardly, but he was awake.

"Sethie? We are here." Dean said and grabbed Seth left hand.

"You might want to move to my other side Dean. Can't see or feel you really well there."

Dean did just that and soon both he and Roman leaned over Seth right side.

Seth speech was still slurred but Sheppard had explained on the way, that this was the one thing that would fade away in days.

"There you are." Seth smiled and relaxed immediately.

"Dean? Can you ask McDreamy if it would be a good idea to crochet little brainy caps? For other patients? So their brains don't feel cold?"

Dean blinked a couple of times. He was crazy, he spoke crazy fluently but it made no sense what Seth babbled about brainy caps.

"Yeah, sure. Later though."

"Cool. Can I make you breakfast on your wedding day?"

Roman stepped in when Dean wanted to say no.

"That is a lovely idea but we already booked something for breakfast that day. A nice coffee shop. You will love it. Why don't you go back to sleep now Seth? We will stay right here. Relax baby."

Roman gently stroked Seth arm and the younger man closed his eyes, feeling considerably better after having the chance to get out the two things that were weighing on his mind ever since the surgery. Soon after he was asleep again.

"He is doing well guys. Stay with him for as long as you want. We will check on him every thirty minutes."

Sheppard left and Dean and Roman looked at Seth right side. There was just room for one man after all. Just before Roman wanted to take Seth left side, the blind side, the paralyzed side, Dean walked over there and draped himself onto the covers.

"I don't mind it one bit Ro. If he is paralyzed I mean. Or blind. I don't care. Doesn't make me love him less. I just want for him to be able to work as an architect, or as whatever makes him happy. And I want him to be able to go out and ride elephants."

Roman extended his arm over Seth sleeping form and squeezed Dean's shoulder.

"I know. And we will work on it, we will get him back on track. Right now it is just important that he is still with us. Do you have any idea how relived I am? To be honest I thought he would die today."

"Me, too. Me, too, so I take him back like this, damaged, any damn day. Because it doesn't matter, right Ro?"

"I give a damn. And I know you are even more open minded than I am. But you are aware that things will change now, right? I mean…we are a pair of three now."

Dean nodded. "Damn right we are. I wouldn't want it any other way. We can go our separate ways, try to be on our own, but in the end…this is it. The three of us against the world."

A/N: Since the question came up...there is one more chapter to come! Stay tuned!