Thank you so much for such a positive response to this story. All of the comments have been so sweet and encouraging. I loved the idea of getting away from the current storyline and having the boys have their own. To me, it has been apparent that Sonny's feelings are stronger than Will's. So I thought it would be interesting to delve into Will figuring out just what Sonny means to him. Thank you again for all the kind words! :)

Will looks up at the man approaching him. "Finally," he says.

"William, what is this all about?"

Will points in the direction of Sonny's room. "That is what it is all about."

"Explain."

Will tells the entire story.

"They went after him because he is gay. That we are gay. And if I wait for grandpa Roman to get this done, we may be waiting for a long time. I want justice. Now."

"William, what makes you think I can help you?"

"Come on, EJ. I worked for you. I know how you operate. I know about your connections. Don't play dumb with me. They went after the man I love and I won't settle until I bring that son of a bitch down."

"Now, now, William. Calm down. I will see what I can do."

"Calm down? How the hell can I calm down," Will yells.

EJ places his hands on Will's shoulders and whispers, "I will fix this. Don't you worry."

EJ saunters off, as Will watches him leave. For the first time in the last 12 hours, Will feels like he has gained a little bit of control over his life. I'm going to protect you, Sonny. Even if it's the last thing I do.

"Will?"

Will looks up to see his grandpa headed his way. "Oh, hey, grandpa."

"Did I just see EJ leaving?" Roman asks.

"Uh, yeah. He came to, uh, check on Sonny."

"Really? Ok. Are you up to telling me what happened last night?"

"Sure, grandpa. But can you tell me how the investigation is going first?"

"Will. You know I can't discuss police business with you."

"I know. But this is about Sonny. I need to know what is going on."

"Fine. We have gathered evidence. We are still searching for the assault weapon. We also have to go through all the security videos. We were able to gather some fingerprints, but the coffeehouse is a busy place. We aren't sure how relevant the fingerprints are."

"Oh, ok, " Will replies. Will fills Roman in on the events leading up to his search for Sonny. He tells Roman everyone he called while searching for him. What he saw when he arrived at the coffeehouse. When he found Sonny.

"Will any of this help?" Will asks.

"Any information can help. Was there anyone around when you arrived at the coffeehouse?"

"No. Not that I noticed. I just saw the lights on and the door ajar. That's it. Lauren was the last person to see Sonny. She probably has the most information."

"Who's Lauren?" Roman asks.

"One of their employees at the coffeehouse. Chad called her that night for me. She said Sonny let her leave early. They were supposed to close up together."

"Thanks, Will. How is Sonny doing?"

"I don't know, grandpa," Will says with his voice cracking. "They won't let me see him because I'm not family. It's killing me, grandpa. I just want to be there for him. To let him know that I'm here."

Roman looks at Will, sadly. "I understand. I will see what I can do."

"Thanks," Will whispers, hugging his grandpa.

Justin and Adrienne come out of Sonny's room. Will races over to them.

"How is Sonny?" Will asks.

Justin looks at Will, confused. "What are you doing here, Will?"

"I told you," Will replied. "I'm not going anywhere without Sonny. I am not leaving this hospital until Sonny can."

Justin looks at Will with exhaustion in his eyes. "Well, he is stable. But other than that, we really don't know anything more."

"Can I see him yet? Please!" Will begs.

Justin looks around for Maxine, to get permission. He doesn't see her, but does see Dr. Jonas.

"Daniel?" Justin asks. "Is Sonny stable enough for Will to go see him?"

"Let me check."

Daniel pulls out Sonny's chart and reviews it. He begins to frown.

"Justin, he's only been on the floor for a few hours."

"I know," Will interjects. "But he needs me and I need him. Please."

"It does look like he has remained stable," Daniel says, looking at Will. "I guess it couldn't hurt. But if anything changes for the worse, then you will have to leave."

"THANK YOU!" Will shrieks. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Remember," Justin says, putting his hands on Will's shoulders. "be careful. He doesn't look like himself. He's hooked up to a lot of things. But I know he needs you."

"Ok," Will says. He smiles, "Thank you!"

Will walks shakily towards Sonny's room. He didn't realize how scared he was to see him. He was trying to prepare himself. Will, you have to be strong for him. Will keeps repeating to himself. He slowly opens the door and tears well up in his eyes. He is frozen in place. He looks at Sonny, feeling so completely helpless. It was different being in the room with him and the wires and the machines. The continuous beeping. The sound of the machine helping him breathe. The ticking of the IVs. And Sonny. Just laying there. Motionless. His chest rising and falling. Tubes and wires covering his body. His golden skin turned to a pasty white. His eyes swollen shut. His arms pinned down. He can barely recognize him. It was too much for Will. He couldn't stand seeing Sonny like this. Remember, you have to be strong, Will tells himself. He takes a deep breath and walks forward. He grabs a chair and places it next to Sonny's bed, right by his head.

"Hey, Baby," Will starts. He runs one hand over the side of Sonny's face and grabs his hand with the other. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere. I don't ever plan to leave your side. Baby, I love you so much. How could this have happened to you?"

Will starts crying. All he wants is to see his boyfriend's beautiful smile. To see his beautiful brown eyes staring back at him. He wants to hold him. But he can only look at him helplessly. Look at this body that is supposed to be his beautiful boyfriend, but he is unrecognizable.

"I'm trying to be strong for you," Will whispers. "But you were always the strong one. You are the one who always has the right words to say. I was never good with words. I was never good at much. I don't know what to say to make things better. You always did. You always know what to say to make me feel better, to comfort me."

Will places a kiss on Sonny's eyes. Then his nose, cheeks, shoulders. He needs to feel Sonny's skin on his. He is fighting every urge to crawl in bed and hold his boyfriend. To hear his heart beat. To feel his chest rise and fall.

"Sonny," Will chokes out, his voice full of pain and anguish. "I love you so much. I didn't know happiness until you. You complete me in every sense of the word. You make me a better person. You make me proud to be me. My life means nothing without you. I need you to wake up. I need you to be ok. I don't know what I will do if anything happens to you. I hate seeing you like this. I would give anything to trade place with you."

Will feels Sonny's hand tighten around his. Fresh tears fall from Will's eyes.

"Sonny?" Will asks. "Baby? Can you hear me?"

Will looks down at their hands intertwined. Hoping to see something that shows that Sonny is here with him. That Sonny can hear him. But there is nothing.

"Please," Will sobs. "Sonny, I need you to wake up. You are my strength. You make me feel strong when I begin to feel weak. You are the strong one, not me. I don't know how to be strong without you by my side. You make me feel like a whole person. You have made me realize that I am good enough for you. And I want to continue to prove that to you, my love."

Will hears the door open and Dr. Jonas walks in.

Daniel smiles at Will. "I hear love makes the weakest strong."

Will looks up at the doctor and smiles weakly. "I'm not the strong one. That's Sonny."

"But he makes you strong or else you wouldn't be sitting here."

Will looks down and whispers, "I guess."

Daniel places a hand on Will's shoulder and gives him a warm smile. "Just continue loving him. He can hear you. Be strong for him."

"I could never stop loving him. I didn't know happiness until Sonny. And I'm sure as hell not ready to lose the most important thing in my life. He is my life."

Daniel gets choked up by what Will's just said. There is such love and devotion behind the young Horton's words. Love that is far more mature than his young age. There is so much love there that it leaves the doctor speechless.

"I'm never going to leave his side. He needs me as much as I need him."

Daniel nods his head and begins to leave the room. He gets to the door and turns around. Daniel looks Will in the eyes and says, "No one can ask for more than that. If you have any questions or need anything, let us know."

Will nods his head and thanks the doctor. He turns his attention back to Sonny. He pulls the railing down that is closest to Sonny's head and rest his head on his boyfriend's shoulder while sitting on his knees in the chair. Will's fingers remain intertwined with Sonny's. As uncomfortable as he is, being next to Sonny always makes him feel better. As long as Sonny is next to him, Will feels like everything will be ok. He needs to feel Sonny's body heat radiating against his skin. He needs to hear the sound of Sonny's breathing. He needs to hear Sonny's heart beating in his chest. Only then does he feel ok. Only then will he feel safe.