Chapter 40 - Company

Doctor Montgomery stared at Brian and Justin, his disbelief obvious. "I have never seen anyone recover so quickly from the trauma of a gunshot wound."

"Good, so I can get out of here?" Brian asked.

"Let me see your chest." The doctor removed the bandage from area of the entry wound, staring in shock at the neatly puckered wound. "It looks ready for the stitches to come out and it shouldn't. You only checked in three days ago." The doctor looked suspiciously at Brian, "Do you always recover this quickly? Is it a genetic trait?"

Brian glanced up at Justin who shrugged his shoulders, bewildered by the doctor's questions. "No. I've had broken bones and just a couple of years ago, cancer. The recovery time seemed pretty normal."

"Which side?" the doctor queried, putting an X-ray up on the wall.

"My right side."

"That can't be," the doctor muttered as he stared at the X-ray. "There's no sign of a fracture."

"Doc, what are you saying? I'm too healthy to leave the hospital?" Brian's voice was quiet, saccharine sweet as he strived for patience. He'd slept well the night before and was more than ready to head home.

"I'd like to run a few more tests before you leave." The doctor turned towards Brian, clearly baffled.

"And look for what?" Brian responded irritably. "Signs of a rapid regenerative process? Or the X gene?"

"But…" the doctor broke off at Brian's raised brow. He thought for a moment and shook his head. "If we could figure it out, it'd save countless people pain."

"I'm not the martyr type."

"You're here because you took a bullet aimed at someone else," the doctor snapped. "Define martyr."

"Taking that bullet was pure reflex. If I had time to think about it, I probably wouldn't have done it and I sure as hell wouldn't do it for anyone except him." Brian smirked as he looked at Justin's expression, "I am not staying to have endless, unnecessary tests run on my insurance to accomplish an ill-defined goal. Sign me out or I'll leave on my own."

"Fine," the doctor signed the release form, clearly annoyed as he passed it to the nurse. "I can't think of a reason to keep you."

"Thanks for everything, doctor," Justin said sincerely.

"You're welcome. If you ever figure out how you healed so fast," the doctor queried Brian.

"I'll be sure to let you know."

After twenty minutes and lots of swearing about the bullet hole in his leather jacket, Brian was leaving the hospital arm in arm with Justin, accompanied by both Tank and Axe. As they got near to the car and cleared the hospital's no phone zone, Justin's phone started buzzing with incoming messages. Pulling it out, he looked at the display and frowned, puzzled by the source of the messages. "That's weird."

"What?"

"Kiki's been calling every few minutes for the last hour." He hit the call back function on the phone and heard a voice announcing "Liberty Diner."

"Kiki, it's Justin. You called?"

"Justin, I love you like a brother, but you have to know that there are only so many shocks a girl can take!"

Brian rolled his eyes impatiently at Justin, who simply shrugged his shoulders as he answered.

"Kiki, what's wrong? What is going on?"

"It's just plain wrong. It's just not right that Brian Kinney would start flirting with me and eating a hamburger and fries. It's just not right. When I couldn't get hold of you, I called Deb." The transvestite's voice spiked even further, "Oh, my God." Then her voice dropped to a whisper, "Do you think the gunshot somehow altered him, maybe deprived his brain of blood or something, Justin?"

Justin stared at Brian, stopping cold in the middle of the parking lot. "Brian's at the diner? Flirting with you? And eating junk food?" At each affirmative sound, Justin's smile started to widen. At Brian's look of incredulous shock, Justin started to laugh, "And Deb's on her way?"

"Why are you laughing?" Kiki's pitch rose to a squeal while still whispering so that 'Brian' couldn't overhear her. "I'm telling you sugar, there's something wrong with him! You have to come and take him back to the hospital. Get him back to normal!"

Justin glanced around the hospital parking lot and responded with a choked voice as he struggled to control himself. "It's all right, Kiki. Just humor him. No shocks and I'll be there to see if he needs to go back to the hospital as soon as I can - about fifteen minutes."

Axe and Tank watched with eyebrows raised as Justin laughed so hard he had tears coming out of his eyes. When he finally could speak again, he gasped. "I think Aiden's in town."

Brian rolled his eyes in disgust. "Aiden is at the diner, acting like Aiden?" Justin nodded, eyes sparkling with laughter. "Damn. He'll be flirting with everything on two legs."

"Don't you flirt?" Tank asked curiously.

"I don't flirt. I fuck." Brian glared at Justin as he laughed even harder at that response. "Let's go before everyone I know thinks I've lost my mind."

"Hold it," Axe interjected. "You've got a lookalike wandering around Liberty Avenue without a bodyguard?" At the blank looks he received, Axe rolled his eyes in irritation, "You want him dead?"

"Shit!" Justin muttered as the realization hit him first. He grabbed his phone and called Kiki back. "Kiki – keep him at the diner. Don't let him leave, no matter what he says." He rolled his eyes at the response, "I know he's hard to stop, but somebody's trying to kill us. I'm on my way – with bodyguards!"

"How much longer are we going to have to put up with this shit?" Brian demanded as he climbed into the back of the car.

"It's almost done. Two of the three flunkies are in jail. The third one quit and Stockwell will be in jail soon. We have a man on him now, so the risk is minimal." Axe's obvious sympathy helped quell Brian's irritation. "The set up work was all finished yesterday. Sometime today, the IRS will start digging into Stockwell's inheritance. They'll start tracing the money, find what looks like bribes and before long the procurement of the child pornography will come to light. There isn't a cop, no matter how loyal they are to start with, that will help Stockwell then. He'll be going to prison for a long time and all of his contacts will turn their backs, even the ones who stuck with him through the indictment. No one likes a pedophile."

Tank entered the conversation from the driver's seat. "Any friends he has in the anti-gay organizations will also vanish. Ideally, both Lofts and Hobbs will be so disgusted by the news, they'll turn on him and he'll be charged with the bombing and shooting as well."

"How long will all that take?" Justin asked. "You guys are great, but I'm sure you've got better things to do than watch over us."

"Not at the moment. It's my job to keep an eye on you. Don't worry, though, we'll give the wheels of justice a push," Axe smiled with a wicked glint in his eyes. "The press will magically get the entire story later this week. That'll push the DA to move faster than he normally would. Stockwell will be in jail within forty-eight hours of the story breaking. The attacks will be over because no one will come near him. I expect an indictment within two weeks. Bail's unlikely on child pornography – high risk of flight. Plus the IRS will freeze his bank accounts until they can figure out what they're owed, so he won't be able to get a good lawyer."

"How do I pay that computer expert of yours?" Brian asked.

"Fund transfer to an off-shore account. I'll send Ted the information. You're incredibly lucky you got him, he's pretty much retired."

"Why did he help?" Justin queried curiously.

"He's gay. The story about Stockwell pissed him off. He's a dangerous man to piss off."

Thinking about everything that was about to happen to Stockwell, Justin could only agree. He was about to ask another question when they pulled up in front of the diner. The scene that greeted him as he entered formed a memory he would treasure for years.

Kiki stood blocking the aisle that led to the main entrance, dodging left and right as Aiden tried to move around her. Debbie stood near the back entrance, watching the action from her position guarding the back door.

Kiki protested in a high fear-filled, yet determined voice. "You can't leave, Brian. Justin said to keep you here for your own safety."

"For the last time, lass, I am not Brian Kinney. My name is Aiden – Aiden Kinney. I'm his cousin and will you let me by now." Aiden caught sight of Justin with Brian close behind him and broke into a huge smile. "About time you got here," he called out. "I need rescuing." Picking Kiki up by the waist, he spun her around so that she was facing the door and he stood with his back to the entryway.

In front of his eyes, Kiki paled as she took in the sight of Brian standing by the door. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two men in shock. She turned a bit green and moaned dramatically, "It can't be. There can't be two of him. A trannie can only take so much." Her face twisted violently as she unceremoniously passed out in Aiden's arms, causing him to puff out a breath as the weight hit.

Justin and Brian both started laughing at the scene in front of them, much to Aiden's disgust as he struggled not to drop Kiki on the floor.

"Would somebody please help me out here? She's not exactly light as a feather, now is she?"

Both Debbie and Justin hurried forward to help Aiden put the dark-haired transvestite into one of the diner booths. Debbie then straightened up and stared at both Brian and Aiden. "Well, why didn't anybody fucking tell me about him?"

Justin sat down across from where Kiki was being held in place by Aiden, ignoring the ogling men in the diner, whose eyes looked at Aiden as though he was the second coming. "He was in New York and it's been a little bit busy around here." He recalled his manners and did the introductions. "Debbie, meet Aiden Kinney. Aiden, Debbie Novotny, a second mother to both Brian and myself."

"It's pleased I am to meet you, ma'am," Aiden responded immediately as he continued to hold Kiki up. He sent her his trademark Kinney smile. "I'd stand to greet a lady as lovely as yourself, but I'm a bit tied up at the moment."

Brian rolled his eyes, "Stop trying to suck up to Debbie."

Debbie harrumphed, the sound carrying through the suspiciously silent diner. "I like it. You've got some manners, I'll give you that. Who would have thought there could be two of you?"

Brian slid in beside Justin. "One day, God decided to be kind to all of humanity and clone me."

Aiden pulled off the sunglasses he'd been wearing and smiled. "Not quite cloned, I'm afraid. The eyes are a bit different."

Staring into the brilliant emerald eyes, a striking contrast from Brian's stormy hazel ones, Deb nodded in agreement.

"What are you doing in town?" Justin asked.

"Aileen made me come. Said that if we have a new cousin who's for getting shot, the least we could do is keep an eye on him." Aiden's smile broadened. "I'll admit to some curiosity myself – wondering what you two are like on your home turf." His smile faded, "And then there's your roommates, Justin."

"My roommates?" Justin asked. "What about Eric and Ari?"

"I had to get away for a bit. The two of them are fair to driving me mad. They can't tell if they want to be together or with me. Nor can I, they're such attractive specimens, the two of them."

"Why don't you just fuck them both together? That'd be hot," Brian offered.

Debbie appeared mildly irritated at the thought. "That's your solution to everything, isn't it, Brian. Just fuck 'em and move on."

"I didn't say he had to move on. Threesomes can work." Brian glanced over at Justin who shook his head, eyes laughing.

Aiden looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head abruptly. "Well, I've made no promises to anyone in New York, so I think I'll just look for a good time here in Pittsburgh." He looked Brian over carefully, "That is, if you're up for it, Bri. I know you just got out of the hospital, although I must admit, you're looking pretty good for someone who was just shot."

"I feel great. Why don't we hit Babylon tonight?"

"Brian," Justin protested, "don't you think you should get some rest."

"I wouldn't miss Aiden's introduction to Babylon for anything. Not even deviant sexual favors."

Justin eyes twinkled as he leaned back in the booth and regarded Brian, noting the normal complexion and the easy way he moved. "I've got a new outfit." At Brian's raised brow, Justin smirked. "There could be chocolate sauce…" Justin paused for a moment, "and whip cream."

Brian glanced back and forth between Justin and Aiden before deciding. "You'll do edible Justin anytime – you're easy that way. I'm going to Babylon to introduce Aiden to the happy denizens of my realm."

Kiki groaned slightly as she shook herself awake. She looked between the two Kinney men again, gave a small yelp and jumped out of the booth. "There are two of them!" Glaring at Justin, she demanded, "Why didn't you warn me?"

"Would you have believed me?"

"I would have," said Debbie from where she stood. She glanced around the diner, taking in the stunned, speculative looks. "This should be good. Gay PA is never going to be the same."

*A/N - I hope you all like Aiden. If you have any good ideas for an Aiden/Brian scene, drop me a line or a review or something.