Hunter threw his suit jacket down on the couch before flopping down on it himself. Michael walked directly into the bedroom. He loosened his tie, letting it dangle around his neck.

"You look beat," Ben said as Michael sat down on the edge of the bed, kicking his shoes off. "Long day?" Ben came up behind him, rubbing the kinks from Michael's shoulders.

"Just slow," Michael said, letting his shoulders relax underneath Ben's hands. "What about you? What'd you teach like a thousand classes today?"

"Five classes and a lecture," Ben laughed. "It wasn't that bad."

"I thought you said you were teaching fewer classes this semester," Michael said.

"And I thought you said you were going to be working fewer hours." Ben added with a smile. "With both of us working all hours, it doesn't leave much time for going out..."

The words echoed again as Michael was snapped from his trance. "Hey" Hunter said again. "I'm going out."

"Where?" Michael said simply.

Hunter shrugged. "Out." Michael wanted more than anything to keep him at home. Never let Hunter leave his sight for fear of losing him too, but he couldn't. He couldn't have the boy pacing the apartment like a caged animal, ready to pounce at the drop of a hat. "I'll be back."

Michael made no attempt to stop him, know that he probably should have, watching at Hunter grabbed only his hat and stepped out of the apartment. He shouldn't be alone, Michael thought. This is hitting him and hitting him hard and all the boy could possibly be thinking is that he's next. But Michael couldn't move. He couldn't even muster up enough energy to pick up the phone and call somebody... anybody.

He only laid back in bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying his hardest to rid his mind of the memories that were tearing his heart to pieces. The only sound he could hear was the rain pelting off the windows and the occasional whisp of wind which rattled the tree branches outside. The background was soon added to however by the sound of the front door opening. The jingle of the keys, it was so familiar. It wasn't Hunter. The only key Hunter kept on his ring was the one to the apartment. This was the sound of metal on metal, multiple keys.

It was at that very moment that Michael stood from the bed, just knowing that these past days had been nothing but a nightmare. He hurried to the bedroom door, quickly looking out. "Ben?" he said with a bright hope in his voice.

But his tone quickly dropped off at the sight of Brian Kinney standing drenched in his living room. " No," he said. "It's me, Mikey. It's me."

"What... what are you doing here Brian?" Michael said heading off in the direction of the kitchen. Brian held back a moment before following him.

"Because we need to talk." Brian said.

Michael laughed. "You didn't say enough already at my Mom's? You thought you'd come rub it in my face some more?"

"I wasn't rubbing anything" Brian remained calm. "Mikey, you're upset."

"Damn right I'm upset," he said "I have every right to be."

"You do" Brian said. "You really do. Michael I know how you feel..."

Michael suddenly spun around, his face torn with anger, depression and sorrow. "You know how I feel?" he said. "How could you possibly know... how I feel? You didn't have to sit there when Ben would have these headaches that made him feel like his head was about to explode. You didn't have to worry about bumping him or touching him too hard, because if you did he would bruise, or watch him just start to bleed... for no reason. You didn't sit up at night listening to him breath because you were afraid that every one would be his last." Michael quickly wiped his eyes to keep tears from spilling over. "And you don't have to live knowing that you're going to have to watch it all happen again to your son. Don't you dare, Brian. Don't you dare tell me that you know how I feel. Because you don't. You don't know anything."

Brian for once was speechless. Michael's eyes were dark as Brian studied his face. It was as if Brian was looking into a totally different person. It was a side of Michael that Brian had never seen. A side that he didn't particularly like.

"Just get out of here Brian."

Brian went unmoved. "Mikey..." he said.

"Just.... just get the hell out of here, OK," Michael said. "I have to wait for Hunter, just go." Brian still didn't budge, gazing at Michael. "Go!"

The anger was just a stage of coping with this, Brian thought. Michael had to be angry at someone and for the time being, Brian would rather Michael taking it out on him than direct it towards somebody else, namely Debbie or Hunter. So he slowly backed away towards the door, letting himself out without saying a word.