It was dark outside and the fluorescent yellow of the hospital lights cast a sickly glow over the man in the bed. He had his eyes closed, almost forced shut by the sudden swelling that had occurred, burnt and angry red contrasting with the purple bruises that attacked his eyelids.

The two chairs had been placed together and Kevin lay across them his legs dangling over the edge. Chris sat crosslegged and slumped over by the wall. He was fiddling with his shoelaces, tying knots and then untying them. An unbearable silence hung thick in the room that none of the men felt they could break.

Connor unwillingly was the one to do it. He broke into a coughing fit his chest painfully tightening as he tried to catch his breath. A uniformed nurse stepped in from the corridor outside and began to administer some injections. He checked his watch and wrote down details on a clipboard as he worked. Connor's breathing slowed just a little and his eyelids closed. The sleeping redhead appeared at peace for the first time that day.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave," the nurse stated formally. "It's well beyond visiting hours."

"But I need to be there for him when he wakes up!" Kevin protested.

"Come back tomorrow morning and then you can take him home, we can discharge him then."

Kevin was astounded "You're sending him home in this state!"

The nurse looked sympathetic "He's stable and just needs a lot of rest, there's not much we can do here. And to be honest we need the beds."

"I'll be back first thing, before he even wakes up."

The nurse made way for Kevin to bend over Connor and give him a gentle chaste kiss on the lips. Chris looked up from his corner and debated doing the same but settled for just following Kevin out the room with a few final whispered words to Connor.

"I meant it Con, I do love you."

The next morning at the crack of dawn, Chris and Kevin waited impatiently as the incompetent man behind the desk fiddled with paper work.

"What name did you say?"

"Connor McKinley," Kevin said for the third time through gritted teeth.

There was a silence as the man typed. "I'm afraid we have no McKinley in this ward."

"Yes you do!" Kevin was exasperated and at the end of his tether. "We were here less that ten hours ago!"

"I've checked the records and Mr McKinley was discharged this morning."

"Yes we know, we're here to pick him up."

"Well according to this here it says he's already left."

"What?" Kevin grabbed at the computer screen and turned it round to face him only succeeding in ripping out a wire plunging it into darkness.

"Sir!" The indignant secretary exclaimed.

While Kevin vaulted over the desk and began fiddling with the wire himself Chris took the initiative to sprint down the corridor to the room Connor had been staying in. When he reached it he peered through the circular window but couldn't see the bed from the angle. He opened the door in trepidation and as he caught sight of the bed felt like fainting. It was empty and neatly made up.

He ran back down the corridor to where Kevin was wrestling the mouse from the secretary. "Excuse me sir but you are not authorised to look through the hospital records."

Kevin clicked the mouse a few times and gasped, face blanched, staring motionless at the screen. He motioned Chris to join him. They both looked for a long time at the black letters that spelt out the name of who had come to collect Connor.

Steve Blade

"So what did you tell them?"

"Nothing Steve."

"I don't believe you."

The two were in Steve's car driving back from the hospital. Connor winced every time they went over a speed bump. Steve noticed but made no attempt to slow down.

"Kevin rescued me when I could have died. He saw it all I didn't need to tell him anything."

"Rescued? So he's like your knight in shining armour now is he? Do you love him Connor? Do you love him more than me even though I pay for everything you bloody own? Everything you fucking touch?"

Steve was careering down the road, with no care for other drivers. It was early morning but Connor wouldn't have put it past him to already have been drinking.

"No Steve it's not like that. Anyway...he's with Chris now."

Steve laughed hollowly. "So in a strange turn of events the princess doesn't get the prince. How does that make you feel princess Connor?"

Tears we're streaming down the redheads face, he didn't even bother trying to hide them. "You're lucky I even picked you up McKinley. Otherwise you'd just rot in that hospital."

Connor thought about luck for a moment. He tried to think of a moment when he'd ever been lucky. It was lucky Kevin had been there to catch him he told himself. But then if Kevin hadn't been there Steve wouldn't have knocked him out.

When they arrived at Steve's grotty house, the blonde went straight to the door leaving Connor to lift himself out by himself. In a heap of aching muscles he limped slowly to the door where Steve was waiting. "Oh do take your time McKinley, it's not like I'm waiting or anything."

Connor didn't retaliate but staggered inside and landed in the nearest chair. "Is princess Connor comfortable?"

Connor looked up into the murky green eyes and nodded confused. "Then why is she sitting down and not doing something useful?"

This was really too much but Connor hadn't the strength to retaliate. With great difficulty he heaved himself up out of the chair, his legs and arms felt limp and weak, they shook at terrifying persistence.

Months of missionary training and years door to door had trained Connor's ear to the sound of door bells. Like a horse eased into gunshot he no longer flinched like many people when their doorbells rang, a signal of a home invasion. Steve headed over to the peephole surprised that they would have company. "Upstairs now McKinley!" He nearly shouted. Connor stumbled backwards but obeyed, climbing the stairs as fast as his tired legs would carry him.

Connor was used to being cleared out the way when Steve had visitors over. He usually hung around in the upstairs landing to overhear the conversations.

He nearly let out a cry as he heard a familiar voice downstairs "Where is he Steve?"

"Who?"

"You know fucking well who."

Connor's heart bounced into his throat as he heard the usually timid Chris raise his voice and curse, probably for the first time in his life.

"Where is he?" He heard Kevin repeat.

"There's no one else in this house."

"Liar!" Connor heard scuffling and a small struggle as Kevin pushed his way into the house, Chris followed at his heels, hiding behind the muscular frame for protection. "Connor?" Kevin yelled his footsteps heavy as he ran from room to room.

Connor didn't feel able to run down the stairs and fling himself into Kevin's arms so he opened his mouth to call out, but was stopped. An arm had wrapped around his chest from behind in vice like grip. Steve had with dexterity, silently climbed the stairs and reached Connor as he leaned unknowingly over the top of the stairs.

The constricting grip made him gasp but mostly his eyes were widening at the sight of the object in Steve's hand. A gleaming knife.

Connor felt the mouth come hot and breathy close to his ear and he flinched. "Don't make a sound McKinley or I'll shred that pretty little face of yours."