I managed to keep my eyes open for another hour or so. A familiar voice told me to go lay down. I'm still not sure if that was Greg or not, not that it really matters now. Who else would it be, anyway. I was out before my head hit the pillow.

A loud clattering. The cane had slipped out of Greg's hand. Just an accident, but it seemed as loud as a cannon blast and scared the daylights out of me.

"Christ, Greg...you nearly gave me a heart attack," I gasped as the blood pounded in my ears.

No response, just his shadowy figure feeling his way to the bed, pulling back the covers and settling in. I flopped back on the pillow and turned my back to him, hoping sleep would come back quickly, hoping to feel a little more human in the morning. Police sirens wailed from somewhere, then faded away.

Several minutes of silence, then I felt him shift and turn over. He was looking at me. I could feel that stare, those blue eyes shining in the pitch black.

"Jimmy," he said in casual tone tinged with lasciviousness.

I opened my eyes and kept quiet. Nothing to look at in the dark room but I kept them open.

"I know you're awake."

I sighed. It was almost impossible to fool him. "What do you want, Greg?"

"Come here."

Too tired to move, so I stayed put.

"Come here."

With a grunt I moved over until a hand grabbed my shoulder and forced me on my back.

"Greg, please–"

"Ssshh...take it easy." His voice was barely a whisper, fingers tracing a path along my jaw. "Take it easy. I know you're tired, Jimmy. Just relax." More tracing, then he pulled me closer. "When I said I missed you being in here, I meant it."

"I know you did."

"Do you now? You're telling the truth, Jimmy, but you have no idea. You have absolutely no idea."

I rested my head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. One arm wrapped around my back while the other played with my hair, that nice little gesture he appeared to enjoy doing almost as much as I enjoyed receiving.

"You're a good man, Jimmy. I meant that too."

"I know."

"Good. Now go back to sleep."


It was my turn to play with his hair.

Awake, still tired, but I wasn't going to move until I had to. The sun was creeping up and some light had made it through the windows. Color was peeking out from behind the shadows. It was supposed to be a warm sunny day. I was beginning to believe it.

Greg was stretched out on his left side, one leg poking out from under the covers, doing whatever he did in his dreams. No fitful sleep for him at the moment. I'd been awake for a while and he hadn't moved for at least twenty minutes. I managed to hook an arm around the back of his neck and began to carefully run my fingers through his dark, coarse hair. No movement. Greg was lost in dreamland. Good for him.

I thought about the day ahead and the work I still needed to catch up on. Patients to see, tedious paperwork that never ended and who knows what surprises might be lurking around the corner. Hopefully I wasn't as behind as I thought was and could catch up in the next day or two. I probably was, but could hope, nonetheless. Maybe I could finish the day without wanting to crawl under my desk.

His breathing hitched and he drew his knees up a bit. No sign of waking up just yet. Again, good for him. He needed the sleep a hell of a lot more than I did.

I wondered if he read any more of the book before coming to bed. I wanted it back.

More sunlight filled up the windows. Ninety minutes before the alarm was set to go off. That was fine with me. I wasn't in any hurry to get and mused over that thought as I continued to lightly run my fingers through his hair.