Disclaimer: I do not own ABC Family's The Fosters or any flashbacks mentioned in this chapter.

Connor

Connor didn't get much sleep the previous night. His foot itched and he couldn't scratch it with the heavy plaster cast, and his shoulder bothered him profusely, the sling never in a comfortable position. He sighed as his father walked into the room with a tray of pancakes.

"Morning," Mr. Stevens grinned. He set the tray on the bedside table and handed a metal fork to his son. "You okay?" he asked once he noticed Connor's confused expression.

"Fine," he muttered and stabbed a piece of pancake. He had expected his father shout, rave, scream, throw the lamp across the room, but he had been silent…for two days. Two days and not a word about what Connor had told him as he lay in the hospital bed after he had woken up. Not one word, just all smiles and plates of fattening food.

"Has Jude been around?" Connor asked once he finished his breakfast.

His father froze and turned to face him.

"I don't believe it is a good idea if you two continue hanging out," he said firmly.

"What?"

"Jude just seems like a bad influence on you right now, and I know you can't have too much stress right now, and I feel like you should take a step back for a second," Mr. Stevens explained.

"But…but-Jude's my friend!" Connor argued.

"And your 'friend' got you shot at and put into a coma. I just believe you should take a step back and rest. There's no need for that stress right now," Adam said with finality. "And that the last thing I have to say on the subject."

Adam handed Connor his phone back. It bounced off Connor's shin onto the mattress to the right of his leg. Connor's fingers fumbled when he grasped it in his palm. Nothing had been changed. Connor opened his recent messages and couldn't find the conversation between him and Jude. A random number wasn't even present where Jude's name should've been. Connor checked his contacts-no Jude. The string of texts was gone as well.

Connor took a deep breath.

"Thanks," he muttered to his father.

"You're welcome."

Mr. Stevens left the room, promising cups of coffee. Connor, not a moment later, whipped out his phone and texted Taylor.

Connor: Do U have Jude's #?

Taylor: yea, what do U need it 4?

Connor: my dad deleted his #

Taylor sent Connor the number. Connor quickly added it to his contacts under the name Beatles. He laughed at his own nostalgic joke and powered off his phone. Rather quickly, he rolled over in the bed and closed his eyes in attempt to procrastinate from another argument with his father over Jude.

Connor sat on the couch, an Xbox controller in hand while Jude stood in front of the Kinect, arms raised, immersed in the game.

"Open the chest!" Connor exclaimed. Jude raised his arms to fling open the virtual trunk and collected the valuables. Mariana came into the room then.

"Jude, you have a phone call," she informed. Connor twisted in his seat to face Jude's older sister.

"I do?" Jude asked uncertainly. "Who is it?"

"Ooh, um, I don't know." Mariana handed Jude the landline.

"Hello?" Jude greeted. He turned to see his sister with a Cheshire grin on her face. He swayed and then left the room, phone in hand.

"It's a girl," Mariana supplied.

Connor adjusted himself in his seat on the couch. A girl? What girl would call Jude? Not that Jude wasn't good enough for a girl or attractive-he totally was-but he didn't have that many friends at school yet and well…

Connor shook his head to rid himself of the thought. Jude was his friend. Nothing more and he never should be anything more. He wasn't thinking straight-obviously.

"Who do you think it is?" Mariana continued.

Connor bit his lip and angled his gaze so he could watch Jude in the dining room whisper to the girl on the opposite end of the line.

Jude came into the room moments later and sat on the couch beside his friend.

"Who was that?" Connor asked, allowing curiosity to get the better of him.

"Maddie," Jude replied nonchalantly. Jude had picked up the controller and began to resume the game.

"Maddie? What did she want?" Connor continued.

"She, uh, wanted to know if I wanted to see I wanted to go see a movie with her next week," Jude replied calmly.

"She did?" Connor said more to himself than Jude, dejectedly.

Well she shouldn't, Connor's mind shouted. She didn't deserve someone as amazing as Jude; as calm as Jude; as quick witted as Jude; as adorable as Jude, especially the way his hair would be ruffled and stuck up at odd angles when Connor spent the night and how he wouldn't notice until someone-one of his siblings or Connor himself-would ruffle the hair more and point it out with a cheeky grin.

"What did you say?" Connor asked quickly to fill the pause.

"I said I would ask my moms and let her know…" Jude trailed off. His eyes asked an untold question: are you okay with this? "at school tomorrow."

"Do you wanna go, like you know, do you like her?" Connor asked tentatively. He didn't want the answer, not really, but he had to know.

Jude thankfully shook his head. "No. No. Not like that. No."

Relief flooded through Connor's body and he couldn't place why he'd been tensed up awaiting Jude's answer. But he could be lying…

"Are you sure?"

This time, Jude nodded. "Yeah. Huh-yeah, no."

Okay, good. Connor's shoulders relaxed. Jude seemed to be eying Connor suspiciously. He had to cover his tracks. Jude couldn't date Maddie, not really. Did that mean he wanted to date Maddie? Or did he want to…no. He couldn't want to, not really.

"Then is it okay if I ask her out?" Connor mulled. He raised his eyebrows, but Jude didn't respond. He had a confused look about him, but soon he shook his head and in a quiet voice, said:

"Yeah. Sure."

The pair sat in an uncomfortable silence.

Connor's head lolled against the pillows in boredom. He wanted to see Jude, not his grandparents or his mother or his father who is always talking about baseball and the possibility of him being a short stop instead of pitcher. His shoulder ached all the time and all he could think about was what if Jude was resting his head on his other shoulder.

Mr. Stevens left the room after he ruffled his son's hair with the promise of a slushie. Connor rolled his eyes and lay back against the pillows thoughtfully. Jude could always make him smile and laugh and feel…alive. Just the slightest glance and Connor would be enveloped into the world of Jude where expressions are cryptic messages and words are the most powerful substance in the universe.

In a hushed voice, Connor could hear his father outside his room.

"I told your mom I didn't want you and Connor being friends," he growled.

"I know," a foreign voice said. "But I want to see him. I want to see my friend and I'm not leaving here until I do."

The voice was calm and deadly and the words stabbed their victim with every syllable. Jude Adams Foster stood outside his room and Connor could practically hear the dead, so-done-with-your-shit expression he wore when he was about to blow up at somebody.

Connor's father was silent. He grumbled occasionally but didn't say a word and Connor strained to hear every sound on the other side of that door.

There was a shuffling outside. Connor pulled the sheets up to his chest and adjusted the sling around his arm. Connor ran his one good hand over his hair to flatten the mess after several days without styling it.

The hospital door opened and hesitantly, he walked inside.

AN: That's a wrap on chapter 6! I am so sorry this took so long to update, but I was in the mountains all weekend without wifi (and like o.2 bars of cell service) while splunking. Please leave a fabulous reviews and if you have any suggestions mention them in a review as well! I love to hear what you think (including anons) about the story and where it could possibly go from here! Please review!