He was drunk when he met him, but he instantly remembered who he was. This was the guy from the bar, the one who harrassed him and got decked by Jake. Unfortunately for Drew, the guy brought his friends along for the fun.

"Where's your little boyfriend? Is he at home cooking dinner for you? Too busy doing housework to protect you?"

"Get the fuck away from me." Drew growled as he attempted to stand up.

The man snickered, "Not a chance, bitch."

One of the other guys launched his foot into Drew's side, knocking him back down. It felt like he just took a blow from a cannon ball. He wondered if the guy purposely made his friend with the biggest feet and steel-toe boots the designated kicker of the team.

"Not so tough now are you, big guy?" He asked tauntingly.

Drew was speechless. He was too rattled with pain and fear to do much talking or think about anything other than how he's going to survive this and how badly he needed Jake's help right now.

"I fucking hate little high school faggots like you. Ya think you're top shit, when ya ain't shit at all." The guy took a swing at Drew while he was down.

Drew hissed in pain, but he still felt the urge to snark at him. "Bet my boyfriend's punch hurt worse than that."

"You smug little cock sucker." He unleashed a series of unrelenting kicks on Drew that landed on his arms, legs and torso.

Another guy grabbed Drew and brought him to his feet just so he could punch him square in the face and send him back down again. Once he landed, he was surrounded by all the guys who hit him with everything they got.

Drew attempted to shield himself from their blows as much as he could. They tenaciously forced him into more vulnerable positions to inflict as much pain as they could.

He was grabbed, shoved, had his face slammed into his car. All he could think about the entire time was how he desperately wished he could just be with Jake right now. How he could travel back to that moment where he was watching Jake sleep. That peaceful, blissful moment. He had flashbacks of when Vince's gang nearly killed him. From both of those thoughts, he wondered how in the hell he ended up here again.

He prayed that he'd be able to get out of this one again. He prayed so hard that he'd be able to see Jake again. He promised he'd never leave him, not for any reason. He never wanted to be away from him ever again.

A bright light flashed on them, bathing them in the obnoxious illumination.

"Shit! Let's get the fuck out of here!" One of them shouted and immediately took off into darkness.

"Come on, Tim, let's go!" Another one shouted.

Drew looked up to see the last one still there was that guy he recognized from the bar. So, his name was Tim. He was finally able to see his face in full light. It revealed a nasty bruise covering most of his face. The sight made Drew smile.

"My boyfriend destroyed your face, you piece of shit." He hoarsely stated, his voice too quiet for Tim to hear him as he was already fleeing the scene. "Once he finds out about this, he's going to fucking kill you."

He spat out some blood on the concrete next to him and noticed the lights were moving in a different direction. Apparently the person in the car the lights belonged to didn't notice what was going on.

Drew scoffed, "Good thing those assholes scare easily."

He took this as his cue to get out of there before they decided to be bold and come back. He picked himself off the ground, struggling and groaning along the way. He was surprised that he wasn't in as much pain he thought he'd be. He made his way to the driver's seat, making sure his wallet and everything was still on him. He figured they intended on taking that from him had their beatdown session not been rudely interrupted.

He drove himself, paying careful attention to the road. He was still feeling very much dazed from what just happened.

Jake felt a frigid chill wash over his entire body the instant he heard those words over the phone. He felt like he was going to be sick or even drop dead on the spot since he swore his heart stopped beating.

He almost hung up on Fiona without saying anything, but decided there was no need to cause anymore worry to circulate. "I'm on my way."

His jacket was barely on his back when he reached for the door handle to let himself out.

"Where are you going?" A voice came from behind Jake and stopped him in his tracks.

Jake rolled his eyes impatiently, still annoyed with the way his dad has been acting, "Out."

"I don't think so, Jake. It's a school night and you need to study instead of hanging out with that delinquent, Drew."

Jake spun on his heel and shot Glen a seething glare, "Yeah, we're gonna get into a lot of trouble hanging out in the emergency room, dad!"

Glen looked puzzled and slightly horrified.

"My delinquent friend Drew is in the hospital for god knows what reason and I'm going to go see him. Is that okay with you?" Jake asked sarcastically, his eyes burning with tears and every venomous emotion in existence. He didn't wait for his father's approval before storming out of the house.

The drive to the hospital was a blur with Jake operating on autopilot, which was probably for the best. He wasn't in a suitable frame of mind to be able to drive safely on his own, especially with the roads slickened by the effects of winter.

Jake barely had the truck parked before he jumped out and dashed inside. The sounds of the world were drowned out by his own rapid pulse thudding in his ears and his raspy breathing whistling through the dryness of his mouth.

As soon as he walked in, he felt lost and disoriented. Was he even the right hospital? The thought briefly made a bad situation even worse. Fiona wasn't anywhere to be found. He stepped to the front desk and attempted to a form a coherent sentence.

"Um, I'm here to see Drew Torres." He asked the receptionist. His voice was awkward and uncertain. The receptionist began looking up where Drew was.

"Jake!" Fiona called from behind him. He was instantly relieved just to see a familiar face.

"Fiona!" They shared a quick, comforting embrace. "What's going on? Where's Drew? Is he okay?"

Fiona could feel Jake shaking like a leaf. "A bunch of guys jumped him after work in the mall parking lot."

"He was jumped!?" Jake ran a shaky hand up against his forehead and through his hair. "Oh my god. Where is he? I have to see him!"

Fiona grabbed his wrist, "They say they think he's going to be fine. No major injuries or anything were found. The lunatic even drove himself home afterwards."

"They think!?" Jake's eyes widened with paranoia.

"Hey, just relax. He's going to be fine!" Fiona squeezed his wrist assuringly.

"Who was it? Who did this to him?"

Fiona could tell Jake was scared out of his mind right now and she did everything she could to put his mind at ease. "I have no idea. I didn't get a chance to ask before I called an ambulance."

Jake's lips quivered, "What if he's not gonna be okay, though? He-he could've gotten an injury that isn't apparent, like a blow to the head. I've heard of people who get head injuries that they're not aware of and they die from them later on."

"Whoa! Jake, take it easy." Fiona forced him to sit down in a chair next to her and rubbed his shoulder. "You're getting way ahead of yourself. Drew's gonna be fine. He's tough and if there's anything wrong with him at all, those doctors will find out and are gonna give him the held he needs. Their offices are wallpapered with diplomas and awards and all of that other good stuff!"

Jake obscured his face with his hand, massaging his forehead as a stress headache built up and also to block Fiona's view of his eyes, which threatened to well up with tears out of pure concern for his boyfriend.

He gulped down hard and finally faced her. "Thanks, Fiona."

It honestly made Fiona ill to watch Jake fall to pieces like this, especially when he's used to being the designated pillar of strength and source of calming for everyone else in times of turmoil. She wouldn't dare fault him, though. Jake's human just like everyone else and his boyfriend was the one currently in the line of fire.

"Is anyone else coming?" He asked, taking in deep breaths to steady his nerves.

Fiona shook her head, "No, he refused to let me call his mom or anyone else. Not even Adam. I had a hard enough time getting him to agree to go to the hospital to begin with."

Jake nodded. "Well, I'm glad you got him to go. If I found out he didn't get checked out after being jumped, I might have to kick his ass myself."

His humor provoked a small smile from the both of them, but the mood quickly reverted to seriousness.

"Everything's going to be fine, Jake. Drew's not a quitter when it comes to things that really matter to him. You mean SO much to him; I've never seen him so happy. No matter what, he's going to be fine for you, if no one else."

A nurse entered the lobby and approached Fiona and Jake, "You may visit your friend now, miss."

"Thank you." Fiona nodded. She practically had to jog to catch up to Jake who was walking to the room as fast as his long legs could carry him.

"Umm, one at a time, please." The nurse called after them. Jake and Fiona stopped and looked at each other.

"You go first." Fiona gestured to the door. "I already saw him when I brought him here and you need to see him."

Jake hugged Fiona and thanked her before hesitantly walked to the open door of the hospital room. As soon as he laid eyes on his battered boyfriend, he froze and stared at him in a mesmerized state.

"Jake!" Drew smiled bright when he walked in, but when Jake didn't respond, he looked hurt. "Jake?"

"Thank god you're alright." He swiftly walked over to Drew's bed and hugged him, trying not to hurt him in the process.

"Yeah, man, I'm fine!" Drew laughed lightly, returning the hug and kissing Jake on the cheek. "Doctors say I'm lucky I got away with as few bruises and breaks that I did."

Jake couldn't stand the mystery any longer. "What happened? Who did this?"

Drew stared at Jake, his lips thinning into a line. "It was those guys from the bar."

"The guys from the bar.." Jake's heart sank and he bowed his head.

"Hey," Drew reached out and gently laid his hand against Jake's face, "I'm alright. They took off like a bunch of cowards. A car came by and I guess they must've thought they were gonna get caught."

Jake looked up, "But what if that car didn't happen to swing by at that moment? Or any moment? Drew, they could've.." His eyebrows scrunched as he tried to hold himself together. "They could've killed you. And it would've been all my fault."

"What? How would it have been your fault?"

Jake stood up and rubbed his hands against his face rough enough to turn his skin a reddish-pink color, "Because if I hadn't hit the guy, they wouldn't have bothered you."

"Jake, come on. How were you to know this psycho was going to track me down and attack me? And besides that, you're not responsible for what this asshole does. He deserved to be decked in the face." Drew pleaded. "You were protecting me."

Jake had a hard time meeting Drew's gaze. He felt oddly undeserving of being able to touch him or even being in the same room as him right now. He swallowed hard and looked at him. "I'm so sorry."

He enveloped him in another hug, tighter this time. "I'm so glad you're alright. So, so glad."

"Me too." Drew rested his head against Jake's shoulder, breathing the smell of Jake's shirt deeply into his lungs. It brought him immense comfort, as he wasn't entirely sure that this was reality. A part of him feared that this was some sort of delusion from the beating he endured. That he didn't make it out of that fight with only a few minor injuries, that he wasn't really in the safety of his boyfriend's arms. It was only a few hours ago that he wasn't sure he'd ever get the chance to do it again.

"Are you really here?" Drew asked out loud, his eyes widened at the realization that the question didn't stay in his head.

Jake raised his head, "Huh?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it. These painkillers are fucking with my head." Drew sat up and seized Jake in another hug. He hoped Jake wouldn't question it. The ordeal shook him up a lot more than he was willing to admit. He didn't want to let Jake go. He felt as if the attackers wouldn't return as long as Jake held him.

Jake's mind was racing too much to think of anything to say. Guilt over setting the events in motion which led up to Drew being attacked, not being there for Drew in his time in need, how thankful he was that Drew was safe and alive and in his arms.

He held Drew tighter and rubbed his back. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said groggily against Jake's shoulder.

Jake let out a small laugh, "Sounds like those painkillers are really starting to kick in." He pulled himself away from Drew and noticed his drooping eyelids. "Looks like it too." Jake kissed Drew on the forehead.

"It's getting pretty late and Fiona wants to see you before visiting hours are over, so I better head home."

"Well, I'm not in terrible shape, so they're letting me out tomorrow. We should do something." Drew gave him a hopeful smile, which Jake struggled to return.

"Definitely! Have a good night. I love you." He leaned over and kissed Drew on the lips.

Drew returned the kiss. "I love you too. See you tomorrow." He waved as Jake left, but couldn't shake the feeling that something felt off about Jake.

"Hey! Everything alright?" Fiona asked, concerned with how Jake seemed to be bolting out of the hospital.

He turned around abruptly, "Yeah! Just a little shaken up seeing him like that, you know?"

"Yeah.." Fiona wasn't very convinced, "I don't blame you. You should probably get some rest. And if there's anything you need to talk about, you know I'm just a call away." Fiona stood on her tip-toes and gave Jake a comforting hug.

Jake nodded and returned Fiona's hug.

Fiona gave him a worried look as he exited the building a little too eagerly.

Jake immediately headed for the stairs as soon as he returned home, hoping no one would intercept him or bother him.

"Jake!" His dad called. Jake ignored him and continued climbing the stairs "Jake! Is Drew okay?" He asked with an unquestionable level of concern. Jake snorted.

"Suddenly you give a shit about him? What happened to you thinking he's a bad influence on me and you wanting me to cut him out of my life entirely?" He refused to face Glen, preferring to speak to the stairs ahead of him instead.

"Jake, I, uh.." Glen stammered. He was at a loss for words. What Jake was saying wasn't untrue, but it didn't mean he's not interested in the wellbeing of someone his son obviously cares about.

Jake turned his head, but still maintained focus on the staircase. "He's fine." He spoke in a way to avoid revealing the hitch in his voice. "Look, I don't wanna talk about it. I'm tired and I just wanna go to sleep."

Glen stared at Jake for a second and noticed his hand clenched tightly on the banister. "Yeah, you should get some rest, son."

Jake hesitated for a moment, "Thanks for asking about him." He headed up the stairs and closed the door to his room behind him.

As soon as the door closed, the total silence of his room felt like it was suffocating him. At the same time, he was in no mood to put on music or watch TV. He pulled himself out of his jacket and tossed it on the floor.

He collapsed headfirst onto his bed. The silence was beginning to drive him crazy and he could feel the onset of panic rising inside of him. He prayed that sleep would take him before that happened.

The sound of his heavy boots thudded against the floor as he kicked them off. He was desperate enough to consider smacking himself in the head with one of them to knock himself out.

An hour passed. Not a second of it was spent in peaceful sleep. Jake's heart continued to pound rapidly, the sound and feeling of the throbbing, like everything else, was refusing to leave him alone long enough for him to drift off.

Another hour gone by. By now he was desperately trying to will his mind to go somewhere else, but it would ultimately snap back to Drew in a few minutes.

He wondered if he should do something to tire himself out or bore himself into sleeping, but he wasn't in the mood to do anything.

"Just let me fucking get some sleep!" He pleaded to no one in particular.

His pillow was locked in his arms in an iron grip. If it were a person, all their bones would be as good as broken. All he could think about was Drew and what happened to him tonight. How the moment he turned his attention away from him, he wound up in trouble. How he wished he was holding onto Drew instead of just a pillow, breathing in the scent of his hair.

He wondered what would've happened if those guys had any less mercy on him and he immediately cursed at himself for allowing his mind to wander in that direction. His eyes widened in horror and his lips twisted. His heart was pounding so hard that he worried it would explode.

"I should've been there. I should've been there for him. This is all my fault." He whispered against his pillow. He scrunched his eyes shut tight the moment he felt a lump forming in his throat.

He internally begged himself not to start crying, even though it was futile. He was always scared that if he started crying he'd never stop.

A moment later tears were gushing from his eyes and his pillow was drowning out the sound of his sobs. His emotions were pouring out in unstoppable waves and all Jake could do was try to keep himself as quiet as possible. He hadn't cried so hard in years, not since he was a little kid.

The sobs shook his body and made him ache all over, especially his head. A painful, sick feeling grew in his stomach and seemed to quickly ascend. Jake tried to push the thought aside until it became too much to ignore.

The next thing he knew, he was in the bathroom vomiting up the contents of his stomach. He struggled to be as silent as possible. After he finished, he sat against the wall beside the toilet. He prayed that he didn't wake anybody up. He knew he looked like an utter mess and that he'd have some explaining to do.

He was soaked in sweat and his cheeks gleamed with tears that were slowly beginning to dry. His head was now throbbing in pain and his whole body was trembling. His stomach felt a lot better, save for a few spasms after the exertion it just went through. It took him a few minutes for his body to calm down and for his legs to feel strong enough to carry him back to his room.

He crept through the dark and, thankfully, vacant hall and returned to his room. He rested his head on his pillow, finally exhausted enough to slip into sleep.

That's when he realized he couldn't. Now wasn't the time to sleep, not when the guys who hurt Drew were allowed to roam freely and have fun while his boyfriend lay alone in a hospital room.

Jake sat up, a new resolve burning like a wildfire inside of him. "Those assholes. There's no way they're getting away with this."