Chapter 31 – Aftermath

At the hospital forgotten amongst the bustle of the doctor's and nurses Justin sat immobile, waiting for what felt like an eternity, focusing on nothing, staring at the door to the operating area like his life depended on it. When the door opened yet again without news for him, Justin glanced down at his blood-covered hands - Brian's blood. He couldn't stop hearing the sound, the wet gurgling noise that had come from Brian's chest. Carl had told him to push down, apply pressure. God, what if I didn't do it fast enough. Could I have done it faster? Justin closed his burning eyes with a pained expression, the shooting replayed itself for the millionth time. A face that Justin had never seen before, so filled with glee and hate and everything wrong with the world, looking so happy as he raised the gun. He heard Brian's yell, felt the shove pushing him out of the way and then the sight of Brian falling to the ground, lying at his feet looking dazed and scared. He shook his head to clear the memory and then his eyes returned to their place towards the operating area - waiting.

In the Novotny-Bruckner home, Hunter sat idly channel surfing looking for something to watch until it was time to head for the diner. He paused as Carl appeared running down the street toward Justin kneeling on the ground beside an injured person. The announcer's excited voiceover, "This is the scene just under an hour ago when shots were fired at Pittsburgh's police central station. We have confirmed that at least two people are injured, including a police officer. Both victims have been transported to hospital and the police are in pursuit of a lone gunman. News Now will keep you updated on this breaking story as more information becomes available." Hunter sat in stunned silence as he saw an ambulance pull up and load a man who could only be Brian Kinney onto a stretcher. "Oh, my God," he murmured as he reached for the phone.

Debbie arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later, asking the only question that mattered, "Any news?" At Justin's slow shake of his head, she looked at the young man, obviously in shock. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get you cleaned up."

Justin glanced at his hands, "It doesn't matter."

"It matters. Brian's going to fucking freak out if he wakes up to see blood all over you."

"When he wakes up."

"What?"

"You said if he wakes up. It's when he wakes up."

Deb frowned slightly at her slip, "Of course it is. Let's just get those hands washed." Justin meekly let himself be led to the public washroom. He took a few minutes watching the blood swirl down the white porcelain sink - a few minutes to be alone and think before he had to face Deb again.

As he left the bathroom, Debbie turned to him. "Why can't they tell us what the fuck is going on?"

"They're busy taking care of him." Justin shook his head grimly. "He was pretty bad, Deb." He closed his eyes at the memories, barely able to speak. "The shot was to his chest, near his heart. It made noises ... God, like a gurgling sound. Like something inside was broken."

"He's tough, Sunshine. God knows he's had to be." Debbie ineffectively patted Justin's arm, offering what little comfort she could. "He'll pull through this."

"I'm not so sure." Justin smiled wistfully at the woman Brian considered his mother in every way that counted. "I asked him once what the best gift he'd ever gotten was." Justin looked at Debbie, "He said the key to your house. I don't know if you ever realized how much it meant to him."

"Of course I did. The minute Michael brought him home, I knew he was trouble. Then one night he came by after his dad had beaten the crap out of him, I gave him that fucking key so he'd know he had a place to go." Debbie's eyes misted over. "That asshole. If he dies, I'm going to fucking kill him when I get to heaven."

Justin gave a small, soft laugh at the statement, then closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, holding Debbie's hand tightly in his own.

A few minutes later, Michael, Jennifer and Ted arrived. Jennifer simply squatted in front of Justin, touching his knee slightly. As Justin focused in on his mother something seemed to break inside him, his eyes filled and he gave a choked gasp, "Mom, Brian…" He began to shudder, his whole body shaking more with every forced word. "He saved me again. Why did he do that?"

"He loves you." Jennifer took Justin's hand and pulled him up into a standing hug. He held on as if she was his lifeline, taking comfort as he sobbed quietly into her shoulder. After a little while, he took a great shuddering breath and stepped back to sit back down.

The uncharacteristically quiet group watched the clock tick the minutes by while Brian's surgery progressed. Justin stared at the operating area doors again, not speaking. A voice suddenly sounded from the nurse's desk. "He's my son and I want to talk to his doctor now." Joan Kinney stood with her daughter Claire behind her, demanding information. Justin gave a deep sigh, got up and walked over to the two women. Debbie started to join him, but he simply shook his head to tell her to remain behind.

"Hello, Mrs. Kinney. Brian is in surgery, but there's no news yet of how it is going." Justin gave a small nod of his head in the direction of his friends and family. "We'll just have to wait. Would you like to join us?"

"What are you doing here?" Joan demanded shrilly, her voice even more unpleasant than normal in the quiet confines of the waiting room.

Justin frowned slightly. "You remember me, don't you? Justin Taylor – Brian's partner."

"You have no right to be here." Her eyes closed in, almost black with malice. "You should leave. I can take care of my son."

Debbie, viewing the confrontation from across the room, joined the pair. "Now, Joan. You know that isn't true. Justin and Brian have been together for years."

"It doesn't matter. He has no rights here."

Justin simply shook his head, face hardening with determination. "I'm Brian's partner. I have every right to be here."

"Not legally," the bitter woman insisted.

"Ted!" Justin's voice now icy cut across the waiting room with unexpected authority. Ted Schmidt looked up in surprise and he immediately moved over to where Justin stood.

"What's up, Justin?"

"Can you please call Kinnetic and get a copy of the relevant paperwork over here. Everything I need to prove my rights."

Ted stared at Joan Kinney with intense dislike, "Sure thing. It shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes." Ted moved away, getting on the phone.

Justin shook his head at the two women who were the mockery that was Brian's family, his voice hardening. "I think you'll find that I have all the legal rights here. Now why don't the two of you shut the fuck up, sit down and wait with the rest of us like normal human beings."

Joan would have ignored Justin's angry glare but her daughter, Claire, could not. Grabbing her mother's arm, she whispered loudly. "Mom, come on. Let's sit down and wait."

Debbie shook her head in disgust and said loudly, "Fucking vultures."

Justin simply put an arm around Debbie and led her back to the chairs.

Carl walked into Allegheny General's operating waiting area ten minutes later, looking around for Justin. He saw him sitting, staring unblinkingly at the door. "Justin," he said clearly as he approached the younger man. At the lack of response he touched Justin's shoulder giving a gentle shake, "Justin!"

Justin looked up. It took a long moment for his mind to register Carl, "Have you found the shooter?"

"No. Any news on Brian?"

"Not yet."

Carl took a deep breath. "Did you get a good look at the shooter?"

"Yes. He was about my height and…" Justin broke off suddenly. "I'll sketch him for you."

"Good," Carl responded as he handed Justin a card, "Fax it to that number when it's done. I have to get back to work." Carl gave Debbie an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I have to go, sweetheart." Carl leaned in to give Debbie a hug before he left.

"Carl," Justin called out as the detective turned to leave. "How did he know we were there?" At Carl's puzzled look, he clarified, "The shooter. How did he know we'd be there? Only the cops and the district attorney knew. He was waiting for us." Seeing the dawning comprehension on Carl's face, he repeated. "How the fuck did he know?"

As Carl left the hospital, Justin walked over to the nurse's desk, interrupting her conversation with another patient. "I need a piece of paper, a pencil and something to draw on."

The nurse started to respond, "Sir, if you'd wait a moment, I'm sure – "

Justin's eyes glazed with tears momentarily, his demeanor barely controlled. "I can't wait. I need to give the police a sketch of the man who shot my partner." He took a deep breath at the hostile look on the nurse's face. "Can I just have a fucking piece of paper and a pencil?"

The nurse's face iced over at the language of the gay man in front of her. "If you'll wait until I'm done with this patient."

"Here, you can borrow mine." An unfamiliar voice caught Justin's attention as a little blonde girl, about ten years old, called over to him from where she sat with her mother. She had a sketchpad open on her lap, with a full pencil case beside her.

Glancing at her mother for permission, Justin got a nod with a sympathetic smile from the older woman. "Thank you very much," he murmured, his voice thick with barely repressed emotions as he sat down. Glancing in the pencil case, he pulled out a pre-sharpened pencil. He started to turn the page when he was caught by the picture in front of him. She had drawn an incredibly detailed forest scene, under a rainbow sky. "This is really good."

"Thanks," she offered a small smile in return.

Justin turned to a fresh page in the pad and started to sketch. Within minutes, a face appeared, in his early twenties, with a soft rounded chin, and a Roman nose. It was a distinctive face, not handsome, but easily recognizable. Justin had never seen it before.

Justin glanced up to see Ted speaking to a man in his early twenties holding a package of papers. He smiled his thanks at the little girl and his mother and tore the page out of the sketch book before joining Ted.

"Justin, this is Gareth." Ted performed the introductions. "He's going to New York to be Brian's assistant in the big city."

"I'm sorry to meet you under these circumstances, sir." Gareth closely observed the man in front of him, taking in the red-rimmed eyes, the exhaustion and the fear. "I've brought the papers you asked for. The partnership and the power of attorney are both in this folder. I expect you will only need the latter. Is there any word on Mr. Kinney's condition yet?" The last question was tentative, concerned.

"No, nothing yet." Justin passed Gareth the sketch and the card Carl had provided. "Can you get this faxed to the police? It's urgent. It's a sketch of the shooter."

"Certainly, sir," Gareth continued, his eyes narrowing on the image. "Your Aunt Tilda called, wanting to know how Mr. Kinney is doing. She indicated that she was pressuring the appropriate people to ensure the shooter is found. I have also taken the liberty of arranging for security. There will be two guards -"

Gareth broke off as the surgery doors opened.

Justin turned and moved rapidly to the doctor. "Brian Kinney - how is he?"

"He's going to be …"

"Why are you giving out my son's information to this man?" Joan demanded.

Justin whirled on her, furious as he all but snarled. "Would you shut up?" Turning back to the doctor, he waved the envelope in his hand, pulling out the legal documents. "I have Brian's power of attorney. How is he?"

Ignoring Joan's outraged gasp, the doctor answered Justin. "He's going to be all right. The bullet nicked a rib and hit his lung before lodging in the back rib. We've repaired the damage and removed the bullet. It didn't hit his heart."

Justin felt his legs momentarily weaken and he grasped Michael's arm just to stay upright as the doctor continued. Justin handed the documents to Michael to free up his hands to wipe his eyes.

"He'll be in post-operative care for about two hours and then we'll move him to intensive care. We'll have a better idea then of how long before he can go home. He seems to be physically very fit, so I hope it won't be a long recovery. And he should recover fully." The doctor smiled ruefully. "As bullet wounds go, this one wasn't too bad."

"That's easy for you to say." Justin started to laugh, started shaking and then the sound cut off abruptly as he got his emotions under control. "When can I see him?"

"I can have a nurse escort one person into post-op. You've got his power of attorney so that would be you. When he gets to intensive care, he'll be able to have two visitors at a time."

"I demand to see my son."

Justin turned back to look at Joan Kinney, no longer caring if she was offended. "When he's conscious - if he wants to see you. Until then, stay the fuck out."

"You can't keep me away from Brian."

"Yes, I can. I don't really want to, but I do want him to recover his strength before he has to deal with the two of you." Scorn dripped from Justin's voice, making his opinion of the Kinney's clear. "Gareth, did you say you've arranged security?"

"Given that there have been two attempts on your lives in the last two months, it seemed prudent, sir."

"Jesus Christ," Debbie muttered. "You can't be serious."

"Very serious, ma'am. The statistical odds of Mr. Taylor being randomly involved in two near-fatal attacks in a two-month period are so low that it seems quite probable he is the target."

Justin rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "I can't believe somebody wants me dead this badly."

"Lack of belief in this instance could be fatal, sir. I strongly suggest you let the bodyguards do their jobs. One of them will be on Mr. Kinney's door as soon as he comes out of post-operative care. They are on their way."

"He's right, Justin." Jennifer interjected seriously, clearly horrified at the thought. "Somebody is trying to kill you. Take the bodyguards. Brian can't defend himself."

The thought of Brian in danger was enough. Justin nodded his head. "All right." He shook his head violently, clearing his thoughts. "I need to see Brian. The rest of this doesn't matter right now." He abruptly turned and followed he nurse out of the waiting area.

Justin felt goose bumps erupt all over his body as he made his way to his injured lover; he shuddered with relief at the sight of Brian, lying asleep on the bed. The ad exec looked far more vulnerable than Justin had ever seen him, even if the bandages from the injury were hidden under the hospital gown. Brian's lips stood out against the pallor of his face. As Justin moved to the bed, the nurse murmured, "He should wake up in about a half hour. He'll be disoriented from the anesthetic."

Justin gave a hiccupping laugh, looking at her with a tear-streaked face. "You're lucky. He's not going to be an easy patient when he starts to recover."

She smiled back. "One of those, huh." At Justin's nod she continued, "That'll be the ICU team's problem. I get them while they're groggy. It's okay to sit with him – just be careful of his left side."

Justin moved to the bed and gingerly took Brian's right hand. The tears started to flow quietly down his face again as he buried his head into Brian's side, settling in to wait for Brian to wake up.