A/N: Justin finds out what Dr. McKenzie has in store for him...

The corners of Brian's mouth curled up as he glanced over at his passenger, who was fiddling nervously with a charcoal pencil as he twirled it back and forth in his hands. "Keep doing that and you'll have to be treated for lead poisoning when we get there," Brian teased him.

"Huh?" Justin responded as he came out of his semi-trance state and looked over at Brian.

"That pencil in your hand," Brian explained as he nodded his head toward it. "Maybe you should be a baton twirler instead of an artist."

Justin blushed in embarrassment as he gripped the pencil tightly and stilled his hands. "I'm just wondering what Dr. McKenzie wants, that's all," he told his companion, sighing. "You don't think he's going to fire me, do you?"

"What the fuck would he do that for?" Brian growled. "The man's already suspended you without pay for a week." Partly due to me, he couldn't help thinking, but he knew Justin wouldn't want him to say it. "Besides, I still think it might be the best thing that ever happened to you – and to me," he added with a smile as he curled his lips under and stared over at the intriguing blue eyes.

Justin let out an exasperated breath, even though his pulse quickened at the double meaning inherent in Brian's statement. "We've been through this already, Brian; I told you…"

"… You don't want to give up working with the children," Brian finished for him as Justin nodded. He turned his eyes back to the road, afraid to reveal too much on his face as he added, "Well, you can't blame me for trying; we advertising geniuses are nothing but persistent when we really want something."

Justin felt his face warm; after their lovemaking sessions last night and earlier today, he was finally convinced now that Brian did want him, and not just as a one-time deal; fuck knows he felt the same way. But as attractive as the idea sounded of working with this sexy, creative, and passionate man in an artistic capacity and at a wildly-successful advertising agency, he couldn't give up helping all those children, no matter how tempted he was by Brian's offer. "It may all be a moot point, anyway," Justin replied sadly, more to himself than to his companion. "I really hope he doesn't fire me, though; if he does, I don't know what I'll do."

Brian glanced over at him; sorry that Justin had to even go through this fiasco. "Well, if he does, it'll be his fucking loss," he replied gruffly, "and I know you'll find some other way to help them. You could volunteer somewhere, you know."

Justin shook his head. "Not with my school schedule and having to work for a living to support myself. Otherwise, I'd jump at the chance." He sighed. "Maybe in the future I could do that, but now..."

"It'll work out somehow, you'll see," Brian assured him confidently, thinking Justin was too talented and dedicated to stay unemployed for long if that's what ultimately happened. And if it DID, he intended on giving a certain chief of staff a piece of his mind again.

Justin nodded glumly as he turned his head to stare out the window, lost in thought. When he had started his unglamorous job as a hospital orderly, he never in his wildest dreams thought he would grow so attached to his job there. He figured it would be a way to pay his tuition and his monthly bills, and he'd spend his days doling out the meal trays and cleaning up before and after patients, nothing more than that. But it hadn't taken long before his 'mundane job' had developed into something much more meaningful when he had found himself becoming emotionally involved with each new patient. The children were so innocent, so untarnished by 'adult' concerns, so trusting. It seemed so unfair that at their tender age they were having to deal with matters that would bring most adults to their knees – and did where the parents were concerned. Often times, he had found the young patients handled their serious illnesses much better than their parents did; how they maintained such a positive attitude in the face of so much pain and uncertainty never ceased to both amaze and astound him; it touched him deeply in a place of his heart that he wasn't even aware that he had. It hadn't taken him long to realize that he was receiving so much more back than he was giving. Now, though, it appeared that Dr. McKenzie was about to take all that away from him, and he exhaled a sorrowful breath at the thought.

His heartbeat quickened as he felt Brian' hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. As they turned into the hospital parking lot, he turned to give the brunet a grateful smile as Brian nodded.

"You sure you don't want me to go up with you?" Brian pressed for the second time; he hated the idea of Justin being fed to the lions like some sacrificial lamb; after all, it had taken two of them to get him into trouble, and he felt at least partly, if not mainly to blame for what had happened. If he hadn't been so relentless in his pursuit of his beautiful companion, Justin wouldn't have had to face this dilemma in the first place.

"I'm sure," Justin told him as they stood in the hospital's lobby area near the elevators. "McKenzie's not so bad, Brian. He could have done worse before – he could have just fired me outright. I understand he has a job to do. I just hope he hasn't decided to get rid of me once and for all." He sighed as he ran one hand through his hair. "But whatever he has in mind, I think it's better if I see him alone. There's no point in inflaming things any further by my 'accomplice in crime' showing up with me," he added ruefully, grinning slightly to show that he didn't blame Brian for what had happened.

Brian knew as he looked into the determined blue eyes that he wouldn't change Justin's mind. He nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "But I'm going to wait for you over there," he said, indicating the open waiting area near the reception desk.

"That's not necess… "

"Yes, it is," Brian told him curtly. "I helped get you into this mess, so it's the least I can do." He curled his lips under. "Besides, I happen to know my boss personally, and I know he'd give me the time off for something as important as this." Justin smiled at him in appreciation as the bell sounded, indicating his car was approaching to go up to McKenzie's floor. The brunet looked around, noticing to his luck that there was no one else around in the short hallway. Throwing caution to the wind, he quickly grasped Justin's shoulders and leaned in to give him a brief kiss. Pulling back, he whispered, "Go get 'em, Florence." He nudged his nose with Justin's playfully before giving him a gentle backward push into the empty elevator car.

Brian's reassuring smile was the last thing Justin saw before the door closed and the car gave a slight lurch to begin its ascent; it was enough to help quell the feeling of dread just a bit as he waited for the car to arrive at the chief of staff's floor. He was still quite nervous about what was awaiting him, but he knew at least he would have Brian waiting for him when he returned.

As Brian began to walk back toward the front lobby, he turned to give the now closed elevator doors one final look. You'd better treat him right, McKenzie, he silently warned, or you're a fucking fool… Walking over to the main reception area of the hospital, he tracked down a gift shop nearby, purchasing a copy of the morning paper for himself and a Snickers bar as either a consolation pick-me-up or a celebratory token of congratulations, whichever one applied to Justin, before he walked back over to one of the dark-red and silver metal chairs to sit down for what might be a long wait.

Justin emerged from the elevator car and turned toward the left to traverse the short distance down the hall to the end, where Dr. McKenzie's impressive office suite was located. By now he knew the location well, but it still didn't keep his hands from becoming sweaty with anxiety as he opened the wooden door and walked in to stand in front of his assistant's desk.

Kelly, the doctor's assistant, eyed the rather nervous-looking young man politely from her place behind her L-shaped cubicle, noticing he looked familiar to her but not quite able to place him. "Yes? May I help you?"

"My name is Justin Taylor. I received a call from Dr. McKenzie that he wanted to see me."

The assistant smiled as she nodded. "Yes, he said he'd see you immediately upon your arrival. If you would have a seat for a moment, I'll let him know you're here."

Justin nodded with a slight smile as he turned and walked over to a nearby couch located in the suite's waiting area to sit down; he could hear the young woman picking up her phone to announce his appearance as he retrieved a worn copy of a news magazine from the coffee table in front of him and nervously began to flip through it.

He had barely had time to take a seat and begin looking at the dog-eared magazine when he heard the doctor's inner office door opening. As he lifted his gaze to take a look, he noticed Dr. McKenzie standing in the open doorway. He couldn't tell from the man's neutral expression, however, what was about to happen.

"Justin. Come on in," he told him with a sweep of his hand as he held the door open. Justin nodded as he rose from his place on the couch and walked over toward the doctor's private office and entered, McKenzie following closely behind him as he softly shut the door.

"Have a seat," the doctor told him, indicating the chair directly across from his desk. Justin felt oddly like someone going to an inquisition as he let out a hitched breath to calm himself and slowly sat down in the same chair he had occupied a few days ago, placing his hands in his lap as he looked over anxiously at probably the most important man in the hospital. Now that he was finally here, his heart was beating furiously as his imagination ran wild over thoughts of exactly what was about to happen.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked softly.

The doctor nodded politely. "Yes….it's about your suspension."

Justin took a hard swallow. "My suspension?" Please…..no…

"Yes," McKenzie replied. "I...need to revise it."

Justin let out an worried breath; so it was what he thought. "You're letting me go?"

McKenzie frowned. "Letting you go?" As Justin nodded, he shook his head. "No…not at all. In fact, I'm cutting your suspension short; I actually want you to come back to work starting tomorrow."

Justin blinked, thinking he must have heard what the doctor said wrong. "Come back to work? Tomorrow?" To his enormous relief, though, the doctor nodded his head in confirmation.

McKenzie leaned back in his leather chair as he steepled his fingers together. "Yes, but there's a catch; it won't be in the same capacity."

Justin's face fell; so that explained it. He was going to be allowed to return but with some sort of demotion. Was he being sent down to the laundry room or commissary to work? Maintenance? Landscaping? He knew those were all important jobs in their own right, but none of them involved working with the children. "Where… Where will I be working, then?" he asked, dreading the answer.

To his surprise, McKenzie actually smiled now as he said, "We're creating a new position that I'd like for you to fill for us. In a way, I think you've already been performing a lot of the same duties that would be required of you, at least from what so many other people have told me over the past few days."

Justin stared at him, thunderstruck. "People have been talking about me? I… I swear, I haven't been discussing it with…"

McKenzie dismissed his fears with a wave of his hand. "Doesn't matter. I know how hospital gossip works; it doesn't take long for something to get out and once it does, if people aren't happy about it, believe me, they let me know." Boy, DO they, he thought wryly. He had received several more e-mail messages since he had met with Barton earlier, in fact; there appeared to be no end to them. Perhaps after he got done with his meeting here, however, that would change. "It seems a lot of employees here have grown quite impressed with the empathy and compassion you display for our patients. They've told me over the past few days – in spades, I might add – that you have an unusual ability to put even the most ill of our patients at ease and help alleviate their pain, at least temporarily. And I've also heard from a lot of present and former patients' parents who are not happy with my decision."

Justin's eyes widened in shock; he had had absolutely no idea this had been happening during his absence – all for him? One insignificant orderly? "They… They have?"

McKenzie twisted his mouth wryly. "Yeah…answering their phone calls and messages has almost become a full-time job for me lately." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm also aware of your incredible artistic talent and how you've been using it to make both the patients and parents feel better." He eyed Justin thoughtfully. "I wasn't aware that you've been drawing portraits of the deceased patients for their parents, Justin."

Justin fidgeted uncomfortably at the intense look he was getting; he had never really meant for that to become open knowledge – that was never the reason why he had done it. "I... I just thought it might be a way to help them remember their child in happier times," he explained to the doctor softly, who nodded in understanding.

"I'm sure you did," McKenzie told him. "And I've had several parents tell me how much those portraits meant to them; several of them even sent me photos of them where they've proudly displayed them on top of a piano or shelf or their fireplace mantel. They're really incredible, Justin," he told the young man sincerely. He had been astounded by the likeness and meticulous detail his employee had put into each effort; it was almost as if the child were still alive, which he was certain was the intention.

Justin couldn't help smiling at the compliment. "Thank you," he said softly. "I'm just glad I could put my artistic ability to good use and that it helps them in some way."

McKenzie nodded. "Well, I think I've got another way you can put your artistic ability to good use – in your new job."

Justin held his breath; it certainly didn't sound like the chief of staff was putting him in one of those other jobs he had thought about. "My new job?" He was beginning to feel like he sounded like a parrot or a robot, repeating back the doctor's words each time, but he was finding the whole situation so unreal it was all he could think to say at the moment.

McKenzie smiled. "Yes. Do you remember Maria Barton?"

Justin smiled back at him in instant recognition, recalling the little girl's dark brown, almost black, almond-shaped eyes, olive skin and long, shiny black hair. Her time in the hospital as she awaited her heart surgery had provided him with his first experience in the intricate technique of braiding hair, because Maria always insisted on wearing it that way. It had absolutely nothing to do with his duties as an orderly, but that hadn't stopped him from learning. By the time she had left the hospital, he was a pro at it and they were fast friends. "Yes, I remember her," he told the doctor warmly. "Heart patient; had the greatest laugh when I told her some corny joke and always had to have her hair in a braid. How is she?"

McKenzie smiled – both at the thought of how their patient was doing and at how Justin had described her; only someone who went above and beyond the call of duty as a mere orderly would be privy to those types of details. That simply served to convince him even more that he was doing the right thing. "She's doing great," he assured the young man as Justin nodded in relief. "Her father was in here today – said she's wearing them out."

Justin beamed. "That's great," he said. "I'm so glad. She's a beautiful girl."

McKenzie nodded. "Yes. And by the way, Daniel Barton thinks very highly of you; in fact, he threatened to pull his funding from the new cardiac wing if I didn't rectify your situation."

Justin's eyes almost bugged out of his head. Was there no end to the surprises this afternoon? "He did?"

McKenzie grinned. "He sure did," he advised his guest. "Came in person, too, to let me know in no uncertain terms what he thought of my decision. That certainly got my attention, trust me."

Justin licked his lips thoughtfully. "So that's why you've cut my suspension short and are offering me some other job? Because if you feel like you're somehow being coerced into doing this and I'm really not qualified, I'd rather not…"

"No," McKenzie reassured him quickly. "Like I said, he certainly made me reconsider my decision, along with the little visit I got earlier from Dr. Chanders and Kathy McDonald, not to mention the petition they dropped off with dozens of signatures on it." As Justin looked at him in shock, he quickly added, "But I'm chief of staff, and I don't do anything unless I feel it's best for the hospital. So this was MY decision. But to be completely upfront with you, if I wasn't getting Mr. Barton's financial backing for it, this position I'm creating would never have gotten off the ground. I've actually wanted to do something like this for a while now, but the hospital has never really had a good candidate for it or the financial wherewithal to do it. Thanks to Barton, though, and his confidence in your qualities and talents, I do now." He eyed Justin thoughtfully for a few seconds, knowing the young man was no doubt dying to know what he was talking about. "Now keep in mind it would just be an assistant position at first; you have to have the proper training for a full-time job. But I took the liberty of checking with PIFA and discovered they have a reciprocal agreement with Pittsburgh Technical College, so they have agreed to coordinate your training together, as long as you're okay with pursuing a minor in it along with your art studies. And you'll have to work closely with our psychotherapists and psychology department, along with our physical therapists, to devise the proper patient protocol based on each child's needs."

Justin couldn't stand it any longer; his head was spinning. He leaned forward in his chair, his hands on his knees as he beseeched the other man, "Dr. McKenzie, please… tell me exactly what type of "assistant" position we're talking about!"

McKenzie looked at him sheepishly, realizing he had been rattling on; but he was extremely buoyed over the wonderful benefits this might provide for their patients, and he was convinced this would put them on the map when it came to children's hospitals throughout the country. "Of course… sorry," he apologized, taking his glasses off and placing them down on his desk. "I'd like to create a new art therapy department at the hospital, and I'd like for you to be our first art therapy assistant – that is, until you can get the proper training to be a full-fledged therapist. Then you would be promoted to a full art therapist position; that is, if that's something you would want to pursue."

Justin's eyes widened; he had never really heard of such a thing. He was certainly aware of psychotherapists and physical therapists – but an art therapist? He was absolutely intrigued, though, as well as excited. "What exactly would I be doing?" he asked.

"Well, as I said, you'd be working along with the psychotherapists and physical therapists to provide hands-on art instruction to patients – not so much on the mechanics of how to draw art – we're not interested in training any Picassos here; but on how to use the type of media being employed, whether it's clay, watercolors, ceramics… whatever the hospital staff in charge of the patient's treatment thought would be appropriate, including yourself. You'd not only be working with the patient to express themselves emotionally through their art, but you'd also sometimes merely be there to provide companionship, support, and hopefully help them to forget their pain and their problems for a while. You'd be working with patients who we anticipate would be here for a short stay in the hospital for purposes of improving their motor skills, but you'd also be working with chronically-ill patients and even some terminally-ill cases." The doctor peered into Justin's face, noticing the young blond listening to him raptly. "Would you be comfortable working with the more critically-ill children? I know you've been doing that already in the recreation area, but this would be on a more on-going, permanent basis. You realize some of these children will probably never leave here ever again. Would you be able to put your feelings on that matter aside to help them forget, at least for a little while? To help their parents also cope with their child's illness?"

Justin couldn't believe this was happening; he had come here fully expecting bad news from the Chief of Staff and he had just handed him what sounded like a dream job to him. He shook his head slightly in disbelief before saying first softly, and then more firmly, "Yes… Yes. I would be honored; I don't know what to say…"

McKenzie smiled in satisfaction. "Well, we'll have to work around your PIFA schedule, at least during the school year; in the summer, though, we'd like for you to be here on a full-time basis. And, of course, your new job will also come with a new salary – a substantially higher new salary, thanks in part to Mr. Barton's generosity. When I told him what I had in mind and who I wanted to offer the position to, he was very enthusiastic about it and he offered me more than enough financial backing to get it off the ground." He picked up a piece of paper lying in front of him. "Here's a copy of the contract," he told Justin as he handed the document to him. "Why don't you take it home and review it overnight? If everything is satisfactory to you, I'll need for you to sign it at the bottom and bring it in with you tomorrow when you come back to work; I'd like to meet with you sometime in the morning if possible – when is your last class at school? Then we can meet with the others who will be involved with getting this program off the ground afterward." He eyed Justin thoughtfully as he leaned back up in his seat and stared intently at his visitor. "I think you'll find that it's a very generous offer, Justin; I think this is a perfect fit for you – and the hospital. So when can I expect you tomorrow?"

Justin stared down at the piece of paper he was holding as his mouth hung open in disbelief; it felt real. It WAS real, he realized, as he read over some of the language and verified he wasn't dreaming. And the salary – holy shit; it was almost double what he was making now! He shook his head, almost feeling like he needed to pinch himself to make sure once more that he wasn't dreaming. He finally found his voice enough to inform the doctor, "I'm afraid I don't get out of class tomorrow until 1:00, but I could be here no later than 2."

McKenzie nodded as he pushed back from the desk and rose from his seat. "That should be okay – I'll have Kelly schedule a meeting for us at 2, then," he told him. He smiled as Justin stood up and he shook his hand. "I'm looking forward to seeing this program evolve, Justin, and I have confidence that you'll do us proud. I'll be interested in your unique input as an artist."

Justin nodded with an appreciative smile; just before he turned to go, the paper clutched firmly in his hand, he had to ask about one more thing that was troubling him. "Can I ask you something, Doctor?"

McKenzie smiled. "Of course – what is it?"

"What about the doctor who reported me for… you know, the situation that caused my suspension? I'm sure he's not going to be happy when he learns about this. He might think I'm being rewarded for my behavior now, instead of being punished. I don't want to cause the hospital any negative publicity." He really hated to bring the subject up, afraid that it might cause the chief of staff to change his mind about his unbelievable job offer, but he thought it prudent to get it out in the open now if all of his dreams were going to be dashed.

To his relief, however, McKenzie told him, "I'm the chief of staff at this hospital, Justin; my decisions are mine alone. Yeah, I have a suspicion the good doctor might not agree with my decision, but that's his problem. I happen to think you've served enough of a suspension for your indiscretion, and I'm very excited about implementing this new program; I feel it will be very beneficial to our patients and set a new standard for pediatric care. I will deal with any backlash over my decision." Justin nodded, reassured, as McKenzie added, "Now, if you don't mind – I have a very busy calendar today. Will you excuse me?"

"Sure," Justin told him as he turned to go. As he placed his hand on the doorknob, he hesitated before turning around to say, "I want to thank you for this opportunity, Dr. McKenzie. I still can't quite believe it, but this means the world to me. To be able to help these children and do it with my art, it's like a dream come true for me. I promise I'll do a good job for you and you won't regret it."

Dr. McKenzie smiled. "I'm sure you will," he told him as he sat back down at his desk. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

Justin nodded as he opened the door and left the other man's office, still trying to come down from the high he found himself on; he still couldn't quite believe it, but as he glanced down once more at the piece of paper spelling it out in black and white legalese, he knew it was true. He practically skipped out of the outer office, to the doctor's assistant's amusement, throwing an excited "thank you" back to her before he rushed out of the suite and hurried over to the elevator. He couldn't wait to tell Brian what had just happened! He impatiently jabbed the elevator button and bounced lightly on one foot and then the other as he waited for the car to appear, briefly considering actually taking the steps and running down them, but just as he started to search around for the exit door, he heard the bell chime to indicate the car was approaching. He hurried inside as soon as the doors had opened enough to allow him entry, the piece of white paper curled into a roll as he held it firmly in his hand. The floor numbers seemed to take interminably long to flash above him until finally, the bell dinged once more and the car came to a slow stop on the lobby level. As the elevator car opened, he scooted to the side for incoming passengers as he rushed out of the car, anxiously scanning the immediate area for any sign of Brian.

Not finding nearby, he hurried to the end of the short hallway containing the elevators and took off almost at a run to the right toward the main lobby. As he reached the open-spaced, circular waiting area, he anxiously searched the faces of those sitting in the industrial-looking, maroon and silver chairs until his heart leapt in recognition as he spotted Brian reading part of a newspaper over in a fairly secluded corner.

Eyes twinkling mischievously as a sadistic plan entered his mind, he pasted a neutral expression on his face as he rushed over to where Brian was sitting.

As he approached, Brian sensed movement out of the corner of his eye and lifted his gaze from the paper to see Justin rushing toward him, a piece of paper clutched in one hand. His heart fell as he noticed the somber-looking expression on Justin's face; his worst fear had been realized – Justin must have been fired after all. He felt his blood boil; he was going to personally go up there himself and have a little 'discussion' with McKenzie over how pathetic and stupid his decision was.

He placed his paper down on an adjacent chair as Justin rushed up to him. "Justin?" he asked softly, brushing his hands nervously over his legs as he stood up and peered into the troubled-looking blue eyes. "What happened?"

"Not here," Justin told him tersely as he grabbed the taller man's suit sleeve and pulled him toward the entrance; it was obvious he wanted to leave immediately. Brian took a deep breath in dread; if Justin didn't want to tell him right away and preferred to speak to him privately, he must be right. Preparing to comfort Justin over what had happened, he allowed the blond to pull him toward the revolving entrance/exit door in silence, wondering just what he could say or do to make Justin feel better. He knew his lover had to be absolutely devastated over this latest course of events.

They walked in silence for several seconds toward the lot where Brian's vehicle was parked until, finally satisfied that they were alone in the sea of cars, Justin suddenly whirled around and jumped into Brian's startled arms. "You're not going to fucking believe it, Brian!" he said excitedly as he wrapped his arms around the brunet's neck and plastered his body against his.

Brian's eyes widened; this did not sound like someone who was devastated over being fired from a job that meant so much to him. He managed to pry Justin's arms from around his neck enough to peer into the beautiful face that was now beaming with joy. He frowned in complete confusion now. "Justin? What… What the hell? Didn't McKenzie fire you?"

Justin laughed and shook his head before he began to rain butterfly kisses all over Brian's neck and face. "No…. he offered me a different job!"

Brian pulled away from him to stare into his eyes, making sure he wasn't imaging things. "A new job? What kind of new job? Justin… You did ask him what he had in mind, didn't you?" He suddenly had a vision of Justin walking around the hospital grounds with one of those pointy sticks, assigned to picking up litter and cigarette butts. If that's what that asshole McKenzie had in mind…

"No… I mean, yes!" Justin exclaimed breathlessly. "What I mean is, yes, he told me what it was! Brian, they're creating a new art therapy department, and he wants ME to be their therapy assistant and work with the children through my art! How fucking perfect is that? But, wait! Here's the best part! No, working with the children is! Shit! Anyway, he's offering to work around my schedule at school and I'll be making almost double what I was making as an orderly!" Justin's words tumbled out in an exuberant torrent as his face shone up at Brian radiantly; he still could hardly believe his good fortune. It was as if McKenzie had read his mind as to what his dream job would be and had crafted a new position at the hospital just for him.

Brian wrapped his arms around Justin's waist and gazed into the wondrous pools of blue that were positively sparkling with happiness; and the smile. He had seen Justin smile before but never like this. My God, he had a smile like no other he had ever seen. Silently he vowed to see that smile again, but next time because of something he did. "That's… That's unbelievable, Justin," Brian told him with a tender smile. He sobered somewhat, though, needing to make sure. "Don't take offense," he quickly advised, "But are you positive about this? I mean, are you sure you heard him right?"

To his relief, Justin didn't seem to be offended by his skepticism as he removed his arms from his neck and held up the now somewhat-crumpled piece of white paper that Brian had previously suspected was a termination paper. The brunet took it from his outstretched hand and scanned the contents to verify that Justin was, indeed, correct about his new job offer as an assistant art therapist. More importantly, he was also accurate about his new salary. In fact, it appeared that his lover would now be making about the same amount of money Brian would have offered him to start out in the art department at Kinnetik; of course, that also included some "other" fringe benefits that Justin wouldn't be receiving at the hospital – at least he'd better not – but by the look in Justin's eyes it didn't matter; he was ecstatic about his new position.

Justin eyed him with a little concern when Brian didn't say anything as he continued to review the contract he had been given. "Brian? It is legitimate, isn't it?" he asked. "I didn't misread it, did I?" He hated reading paperwork that contained so much legal mumbo-jumbo; was it possible he had missed something? Brian, though, was well-versed in just this sort of legal language; he figured if anyone would know if he was being deceived, he would.

Brian gave the precious piece of paper back to Justin and shook his head. "No, Florence, it's legit, all right." He wrapped his hands around Justin's slender waist and smiled down at him in amazement. "What the hell happened between 'conduct unbecoming an orderly' and getting a new job at almost double your salary?"

Justin lightly stroked the back of Brian's neck, fingering the soft auburn hair with his hands as he replied, "Well, apparently word got around the hospital about what happened and a lot of people didn't exactly agree with what he did. And Daniel Barton helped – in fact, he's partially funding the new art therapy department."

"Daniel Barton?"

Justin nodded. "Yeah – his daughter was in the hospital recently with a heart condition and I helped to take care of her. Apparently, he appreciated what I did," he said humbly.

"I think there was more to it than that," Brian declared as Justin's face flushed. "I think as usual you went above and beyond the call of orderly duty, didn't you?"

Justin averted his eyes, for some reason uncomfortable giving himself accolades. "I… I just can't help it," he whispered. "I can't just see them in those hospital beds, feeling so sick and scared, and not try to help do something about it."

Brian took one of his hands and placed it softly but firmly under Justin's chin to lift his eyes to peer into the soft blue ones. "I don't think you give yourself enough credit, Justin," he whispered. "But I'm glad someone else did." He hated the idea of not being able to work with this fascinating man every day, but he was resolved that they would see each other frequently just the same; he realized how much this job meant to him, and he wouldn't want to take that away from him, no matter how much he wanted to see Justin all the time. "It's a damn good thing McKenzie came to his senses – I would have hated to go up there and make another scene."

He was rewarded with a shy smile. "You would have done that for me?"

Brian curled his lips under, unaccustomed to baring his feelings so much. "In a heartbeat, Florence," he whispered fervently as he leaned down to kiss the soft, enticing pink lips, glad that they were temporarily hidden from any prying eyes as they found themselves between a pickup truck and a tall SUV parked next to it.

Several seconds and a good tongue fucking later, both men pulled back a little breathlessly as Brian murmured huskily, "Why don't I take you back to the loft so we can properly celebrate in private? We don't want the hospital's new art therapy assistant to get into trouble again before he starts his new job."

Justin blushed at the velvety tone of Brian's voice and the intense look he was receiving; there was no doubt just what sort of 'celebration' Brian had in mind. "I'd like that," he told his companion almost shyly, trying to concentrate as Brian continued to hold him in his arms; he could feel him pulling his long-sleeved dress shirt up from behind his back and gasped as he felt a pair of long-fingered, warm hands begin to lightly stroke the flesh there. He struggled to maintain a coherent thought as he replied in a hitched voice, "But don't you need to go into work at least for a while?"

"Shit, no," Brian assured him as he waggled his eyebrows. "That's what cell phones are for. Now all I have to do is teach Theodore how to use one to call me during a crisis." To his consternation, lately Ted had been overplaying his new-found confidence at work just a bit too much, making 'executive' decisions by himself without checking with him first. "On second thought, maybe I'll give my office a call, just to make sure he hasn't fucked up one of my major accounts in my absence." He released his hold on Justin to take his hand and lead him toward his 'Vette.

"But if you're afraid something will go wrong at work…"

Brian turned to face his companion. "Justin… Quit being such a worrywart. I'm just kidding; I'm sure everything's fine – after all, he had me as his teacher." They resumed their walking and shortly reached Brian's 'Vette. As he unlocked the car door for Justin to get in, he couldn't resist giving the blond one more quick kiss on his lips for reassurance. "I've got everything under control, Florence," he said as Justin smirked in response; something told him he would have that nickname for the rest of his life, at least where this man was concerned. But he decided if that meant that Brian would be around to call him that for a long time, he could definitely learn to live with it – at least in private. "Uh… If it's okay with you, can we just keep that little nickname between ourselves – Leroy?"

Brian chuckled. "You've got a deal, smartass," he replied as Justin grinned and slid into the passenger seat. As he walked around and opened the driver's side door to get in, he turned to Justin before he started the car and told him, "By the way, remind me to properly discipline you when we get back to my loft for making me think you'd been fired."

"My pleasure," Justin whispered promptly; the words out of his mouth before he could think of the consequences. He felt his face growing warm again at the thought of just what sort of 'punishment' Brian had in mind; damn, all Brian had to do was look at him a certain way and it happened every time.

Brian laughed at Justin's remark as he started up the car and they left the parking lot; as he took Justin's hand briefly and gave it a squeeze, the two locked gazes and smiled at each other. "Way to go, Florence," Brian told him as Justin beamed. "You win and more importantly, the patients win."

TBC - at least one more chapter...