AN: And now we have arrived at the end. I have absolutely loved writing this, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Here is the final, super duper sappy chapter. Enjoy, and please leave a review :)

THREE DAYS LATER

The first thing Malcolm became aware of was the soreness of his throat. He needed water. When was the last time he had water? He tried to open his eyes, to leave the blackness that he saw all around him, but they were too heavy. Opening his eyes could wait.

The second thing he became aware of was the peace he felt. There was faint pain across his entire body, a little sharper in his ankle, but it wasn't anything he couldn't power through. Malcolm was lying down, surrounded by softness and warmth. There was something on his wrist, but it didn't feel like his restraints. Whatever it was, it was moving, lightly, running slowly across his hand in calming ministrations. It felt good. It felt like safety, like home. There was a steady beeping noise in the background, along with muffled voices that Malcolm couldn't quite make out, but he found that he didn't mind. He felt better than he had a while, but considering how much pain he'd been in when he stepped onto a bear trap, that was a pretty low bar.

The bear trap.

The Albanians.

JT.

Malcolm forced his eyes open as it all came rushing back to him, like a dam collapsing and releasing a river of memories that Malcolm would've rather forgotten. He had thought he was going to die out there in that cold forest. Malcolm looked wildly around, but he was too weak to turn his head.

"Hey, hey," a calming voice said to his left. The pressure on his hand increased, and Malcolm immediately felt just a little bit better. It was Gil, he could see him out of the corner of his eye. "You're okay, I'm right here. JT's here too."

"J-JT?" Malcolm managed to croak out. His throat was dry and scratchy. Even just speaking those two syllables hurt.

"He's okay," Gil said softly. It was then that Malcolm realized that Gil was whispering - so who were the muffled voices he'd heard before? Gil motioned to the other side of the room, and, with seemingly herculean effort, Malcolm managed to turn his head over to past the foot of the hospital bed, where a couch lay. JT was sound asleep, his arm in a sling. Other than that, he looked unharmed. "And you're okay too," Gil continued. He reached to the side and procured a bottle of water, and helped Malcolm to take a few sips. Malcolm wanted more, but Gil pulled it away. "You need to go slow. You've been out for a few days."

"Gil," Malcolm said. He didn't know what else to say. He had been so scared, but he was alive, and he was in the hospital, and he was okay. But he'd stepped on a bear trap. What if he'd lost the limb? Tears gathered in his eyes as he thought about it. He was too scared to look.

"It's okay," Gil insisted as the tears started to fall. "I'm right here, you're okay, kid."

"Is my- my foot- is it-," he broke off. Malcolm couldn't even say it.

"It'll be fine, it's still there," Gil insisted. He stood up from his seat right next to the bed and pulled back the blankets that covered Malcolm, revealing his casted ankle. The cast reached from his toes all the way up to just below his knee. "Surgeries have come a long way. Eight weeks and this cast will be gone, then you can start physical therapy, and soon enough, you'll be good as new."

Malcolm let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as more tears fell, this time fueled by relief. He hadn't lost the limb. He was going to be okay. His wrist was casted as well, where the drill had broken the bones, and that arm was in a sling. Malcolm could feel the bandages on his shoulder, as well as on his thigh and ribs.

"It was pretty bad, when you got in," Gil said, his voice heavy with regret as he sat back down his chair, blankets once again keeping Malcolm warm, as well as Gil's hand covering his own. "You'd lost a lot of blood, but the transfusions were successful. You're gonna be okay."

But Gil had mentioned that it had been a few days, and Malcolm had heard voices before he woke up. Could it have been his mom and Ainsley? Dani? Tally? He missed them so much.

"Where's my mom?" he asked, his voice breaking. Maybe Malcolm was too old to be wanting his mom, but he didn't care. On a psychological level, Malcolm knew it was a base instinct to seek out maternal care at any age, no matter what society said.

"We convinced the girls to all get some real sleep at the hotel," Gil replied with a nod. "They just left a few minutes before you woke up. Convincing Tally to leave while JT stayed wasn't easy, but Dani managed it. They'll be back in the morning, unless you want me to call them back sooner."

Malcolm just managed to shake his head. If they needed real sleep, he didn't want to be the reason why they didn't get any. It was bad enough that Gil and JT were sacrificing a real bed for him. He looked back over at the man on the couch. If it weren't for JT, Malcolm would be dead. The only reason he was alive was JT. How could he ever make it up to the man? What could be done to repay him?

"He's fine," Gil continued, likely seeing Malcolm staring at JT. "He just needs some rest, and time for his shoulder to heal, and he'll be good as new. He's barely left the room since you've been in here."

"He saved me," Malcolm muttered. "He could've gotten away, but he saved me instead. Then he stayed with me, even though that could've meant he would die too. Why would he do that for me?" he asked, turning back to Gil with tears in his eyes. Malcolm was so used to Gil being the only one who ever did anything like that for him. Why would JT be willing to sacrifice his own life for Malcolm's, especially when he had a baby on the way? Malcolm just wasn't worth that risk.

"Oh, kid," Gil sighed, continuing to gently run his hand up and down Malcolm's arm in calming ministrations. "This team loves you. We're a family, and that's what you do for family. You are worth so much more than you think you are. We all know what you would do for us. Don't you know we would all do the same for you?" Gil shook his head and gave Malcolm's hand a squeeze. "We love you so much."

Malcolm dropped his gaze, unsure how to respond. He loved his team more than anything, and of course he wanted them to love him in return, but now that he was actually hearing that they did love him, Malcolm wasn't sure if he could believe it. On an intellectual level, Malcolm knew he only doubted their love because of his father. Dr. Whitly had drilled into him that he was too messed up for people to love, that everyone was going to leave him, that the only one who loved him was his father, and that he would never be anything more than a useful tool for others to use and then discard once he'd lost his usefulness. Despite the work that Gil had done to dismantle those thoughts and ideas, Malcolm still had a hard time not believing that they were the truth. Even when he was directly faced with the opposite, Malcolm's mind just couldn't comprehend the reality that he could be loved.

"He's right," came a husky voice from the other side of the room. Malcolm looked up to see JT sitting up on the couch. The man groaned as he stretched a bit, clearly having just woken up. JT stood and walked over to the other side of the bed, planting himself down in the chair and mirroring Gil's position. "We care about you, dude. And I'm so glad you're okay," he said, then averted his gaze, but not before Malcolm saw the tears that glistened in them. "You scared us, man, you scared me." JT looked back up at Malcolm. There were still tears in his eyes. "Out in the woods, when I was holding you, I thought you were dying, kid, and there was nothing I could do about it. Gil sent me with you to protect you, and I failed." JT shook his head and looked away.

"You saved my life," Malcolm immediately replied. He could still feel Gil holding his hand, which was beginning to shake. But Gil's steady presence was soothing, and calmed him, despite the memories of the torture and the pain. "You came back for me, you got me out of there, and then you stayed with me until help arrived. I would be dead if it weren't for you."

"He's right," Gil added before JT could reply. "This kid can't stay out of trouble no matter what, but if it weren't for you, JT, I would've- he would've-," he broke off for a moment, his voice breaking. "I would've lost my kid if it weren't for you. You kept him alive, you were ready to protect him or die trying. I could never ask for more than that." Gil shook his head, squeezing Malcolm's hand.

Malcolm reached up with his other hand - the one in the cast thanks to the power drill breaking the bones in his wrist - as much as he could while still keeping it in its position in the sling, just enough to lift it towards JT. JT quickly got the message and reached out and took a light hold of it, taking Malcolm's fingers in his hand more than anything else. He was fast enough that Malcolm barely had time to feel any pain before his wrist and shoulder were once again resting in comfortable positions, most of the pain abated by whatever medications the hospital had put him on. Malcolm wasn't feeling any effects of withdrawal, so Gil must have told them what meds he was normally on and gotten the hospital to keep him on them. Gil always took such good care of him.

"Thank you," Malcolm finally said, letting all of his emotion bleed into his voice. He'd been told by friend and foe alike that his eyes were very expressive, so Malcolm hoped that JT could see just how grateful he was. There was nothing else he could say. He owed JT a debt that he was never going to be able to repay. There was no way that he could adequately explain to the man how much it meant to him that he'd saved his life and stuck by him, even when he could've gotten away saved his own skin instead.

But instead of making JT feel better, Malcolm's words seemed to make JT feel worse. The man looked at him with something akin to heartbreak, and Malcolm didn't know why. What had he done? How had Malcolm messed up this time?

"Why don't you see that we love you?" JT asked him, startling Malcolm with his bluntness. "You're saying thank you as if this wasn't something that I had to do, as if I had another choice other than to stay with you and try to protect you. You would die for me, for Gil, for Dani. Can't you see that we would die for you too?"

"You mean the world to us, kid," Gil interjected, his voice filled with nothing but love and sincerity. "To all of us." He rubbed his thumb up and down on Malcolm's hand in calming motions. Those motions always reminded Malcolm that he was okay, that he was safe, and that he was loved.

"I'm sorry," he replied, his voice breaking. Malcolm knew he should be better, that he should've been able to grow past all of the issues that his father had left him with, but he couldn't, he just couldn't, and that made him broken and Malcolm didn't know how to be fixed.

"No, kid, you don't have anything to apologize for," JT said before Malcolm could keep going down his self destructive spiral. He scooted closer to Malcolm, as close as he could be without getting on the hospital bed himself. "None of this is your fault. We just want you to see that you are worth something, that you're worth everything, to us."

Malcolm didn't know how to respond. What was he supposed to say? They didn't want him to apologize again, and they didn't need him to explain - everyone knew he was the way he was because of his father - so what was he supposed to say?

"I'm not the only one who always has your back," Gil added with a gentle smile, stealing Malcolm's attention. "Your whole team has your back, to the very end."

"This team is a family," JT continued. "And family looks out for each other, okay?"

Finally, Malcolm nodded, despite the tears gathering in his eyes. He didn't know how to respond to being loved so much. Malcolm didn't know if he'd ever been so loved before. Scientifically, Malcolm knew his tears were just because he was so overwhelmed with emotion. The body's natural response to that much emotion, positive or negative or both, was to cry in order to bring about emotional equilibrium. But that didn't mean that Malcolm liked crying so much in front of Gil and JT, even though he was in the hospital and on so many pain meds that he couldn't stop the tears from falling. In his weakened state and drug addled mind, all Malcolm wanted was for Gil and JT to just hold him, but he didn't have to strength to even sit up. Malcolm reached his good hand - the one that Gil was still holding - up towards Gil, hoping that his mentor would understand his unspoken request. He tried to sit up with a whimper of pain, but he didn't have the strength.

"It's okay, let me help you," JT said. He let go of Malcolm's casted hand and tapped the button to raise the bed as Gil moved from the chair to sitting on the edge of the bed, and gently pulled Malcolm into his arms, knowing exactly what Malcolm had wanted.

"We've got you," Gil said, gently holding Malcolm to him. Malcolm's head was resting on Gil's shoulder, but he was looking at JT through his tear filled gaze. His casted hand was sitting between himself and Gil, but he motioned with it towards JT as much as the pain in his wrist and shoulder would allow. Any bit of dignity he had was gone long ago, so he didn't worry about the embarrassment of being held by the men. "We've always got you," Gil continued as JT leaned in and joined him, just like Malcolm needed.

"You're okay," JT added, his voice breaking as he held Malcolm to them. "We're both okay."

Malcolm was content to stay there, in their arms, for as long as they would let him. He'd been in a plane crash, tortured, and he'd stepped on a bear trap and almost died. If he wanted to be held for an hour, then damnit, he should be allowed to be held for an hour. Malcolm stayed there, soaking up their presence, breathing in their familiar, calming scents, until all of his tears dried up. He stayed there, basking in the fact that he and JT were both alive, and that he wasn't alone anymore. It was a dangerous thought, but maybe he wouldn't ever have to be alone again.

Gil and JT continued to hold him, gently rubbing his back and carding fingers through his hair, keeping him safe and secure. All of Malcolm's anxiety faded away, and all he felt was peace. He was exhausted. His eyes were closed, and in that very real place of peace and safety, Malcolm felt himself relaxing more and more, until the world slipped away once again.

FIVE DAYS LATER

"I'm done, I want to go home," Malcolm whined like a petulant teenager. JT rolled his eyes. The kid had been getting antsier every day since waking up. He'd insisted on lower doses of pain meds after falling asleep in Gil and JT's arms, an event that none of them spoke of, but JT knew Malcolm had sorely needed, and that JT would be more than willing to provide again should the kid need it. JT had barely left the hospital room, even after Malcolm woke up. Either he or Gil was with Malcolm literally every single moment, and they were often joined by Tally, Mrs. Whitly, Ainsley, and Dani. The kid was never alone. None of them were going back to New York until Malcolm could leave, which was probably going to be that day. He was getting stir crazy, and was no longer in danger of infection or anything else possibly life threatening.

"What are you gonna do at home that's so different to resting here?" JT asked. It was just him and Dani with Malcolm. Gil was out with the rest of the girls getting them all some real food. Malcolm had been the one to finally convince Gil to go get some fresh air, since the man hadn't left the hospital grounds once since Malcolm had been admitted.

"I'll have Sunshine," Malcolm replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. As it was, Edrisa had been taking care of the bird, being the only one who hadn't been able to come up with an acceptable excuse to leave work for so long. Of course, that hadn't stopped her from FaceTiming Malcolm every day and making sure he knew just how much she missed him.

JT had been skeptical of Sunshine as some form of an emotional support animal, but at the look of innocence of the kid's face, JT couldn't argue that the bird wasn't good for him. Once, while Malcolm had been asleep, JT and Gil had quietly discussed Sunshine, and how really, it would be better for Malcolm to have a dog, but it just wasn't realistic at the time being.

"I bet she misses you," Dani said from her spot reclined on the couch like she was at a spa. She had been feeding into Malcolm's desires to go home, being of absolutely no help to everyone who thought it best for Malcolm to stay until he was discharged by the doctors, and not when the kid wanted to sign himself out AMA.

"Exactly," Malcolm said, turning back to JT. Finally, JT sighed and fondly rolled his eyes. It was hard to deny the kid's puppy eyes. And to think that at one time, he'd been immune. Those times were long gone, and never to return. He was just as helpless to them as Gil and Dani and Edrisa were. "I just want to go home, and get things back to normal," he said.

JT turned away. Things weren't going to be normal. The kid had a bunch of new scars, and at least a month of PT before things could even start getting back to normal, and that was only physically. This new trauma would haunt Malcolm and JT both for a long time. JT hadn't mentioned it to the kid, but his own nightmares were nearly as bad as Malcolm's. He hadn't yet woken up screaming like the kid did, but he'd dreamt almost every night that Malcolm had bled out in his arms, or that the Albanians had killed him, or that the plane crash did, or some variant of that. Each time he woke up, the first thing he did was look to Malcolm, to make sure that he really was alive and mostly well. Not to mention the fact that Malcolm had woken up screaming or in a panic attack several times whilst in the hospital. That wasn't necessarily so different from normal, but still. JT hated that Malcolm had all of this new trauma to deal with on top of everything else. It wasn't fair.

"I can deal with a wheelchair," Malcolm continued, ducking his head to catch JT's gaze. "What I can't deal with is staying in the bed for another few days." Of course, the kid wasn't going to be able to use crutches. Crutches required full use of both hands, and Malcolm didn't have that. A wheelchair was the logical option over a scooter too, for the same reason.

"Well you're in luck," Dani interjected with a smile. She looked away from her phone towards Malcolm and JT. "Gil said to stop trying to stop you from leaving. He's on his way back with some clothes for you, and he and your mom came to an agreement about him staying with you at your loft while you recover."

"I'll take it," Malcolm replied. He smiled so widely that JT couldn't hep but smile too. Besides, if Gil was going to be staying with the kid, then JT had no reason to worry. Gil loved Malcolm more than anything. He would make sure the kid was eating enough and staying hydrated, and would help him with everything he needed. Gil would take care of him.

It wasn't as if JT wasn't going to be stopping by as much as he could anyway. Even with Gil taking care of him, JT needed to make sure, to see with his own eyes, that Malcolm was doing okay. After going through something like they had, that was to be expected, JT knew that on a intellectual level. But on a personal level, it still surprised him how much he suddenly cared about and truly loved Malcolm. He hadn't been exaggerating when he told Malcolm that he thought of him as he brother. Every single word he'd spoken to Malcolm out in those woods had been true. He loved the kid dearly and wanted to protect him.

"I'm sure Tally will be making us come by with dinner at least once a week," JT said, deflecting how much he cared and pretending that it was going to be Tally initiating bringing those dinners.

"You don't have to, she's about to pop," Malcolm replied with a wave of his good hand.

"You don't wanna miss out on her cooking," Dani interjected once again, back to looking at her phone. She was much better at acting casual when she cared than JT was. Maybe he would have to pick up a few tricks from her.

JT gave a few overexaggerated nods. "She wants to help you too," he said, referring to Tally. She wanted to take care of them both.

The doctor came in a few minutes later, and rolled his eyes when Malcolm excitedly proclaimed that he was leaving, whether the doctor liked it or not. The AMA papers were easy enough to sign after that, and soon enough, Malcolm was clad in fresh clothes from Gil, and was being ushered out by his team and family.

Despite his injuries, Malcolm was still talking a mile a minute as Gil rolled his wheelchair out of the hospital. That was the Malcolm that JT had originally hated. That was the Malcolm that JT now knew and loved. The thought brought a smile to JT's face. He squeezed his wife's hand as the two walked, his other still in a sling because of his shoulder.

"What's got you so happy?" Tally quietly asked him, a smile on her own face.

"Just thankful," JT replied. He had his wife and their unborn child, and he had his little brother. It was going to be a long road until things were back to normal, but they were already on their way there, and JT knew that everything was going to be just fine.

THE END