The sun glaring through an opening in the curtain was what forced Horatio awake. He grumbled and cursed as he buried his head beneath his pillows. Despite working for the department for as long as he had,he was still not a morning person. He finally just sat up after a few minutes,back and shoulders all sore from scrubbing at the bathroom floor.

Eric was sound asleep next to him,comfortably wrapped in the blankets. The redhead sighed as he got out of bed and went downstairs. If he weren't so sore,he might have gone back to sleep. But,he also had a small child in the living room that needed his attention. The kitchen practically blinded him as he walked into it,there being more windows that didn't have curtains.

The thought of coffee seemed pleasing to him,and he went about setting the coffee maker running. As it brewed,he allowed the rich scent to fill his nostrils.

Jay stirred from his sleep and opened his eyes slowly,careful not to blind himself from the hospital's florescent lights. He sighed and smiled softly at the feeling of a small hand smoothly running through his hair.

''Morning,Gen.''

''Oh,you're awake! Good!''the redhead replied,a little too cheerful for Jay's liking. In fact,the cheerfulness shot Jay's eyes open. Something was up.

He forced himself to get vertical and move into a chair next to the bed.

''What's going on?''he asked,not exactly fond of the sudden burst of energy. It was good to see the youth happy,but the angel detected something else behind the joyful facade.

That was when Genesis' smile dropped,and a look of slight annoyance took hold of his face.

''Well,my dear husband,''the way the redhead spoke made Jay shudder uncomfortably,and he could almost hear Genesis laughing evilly on the inside,''I'm afraid that I had to set up a special appointment for you.''

Uh oh. ''A...'special' appointment? For what?''the angel fearfully asked.

A nurse came in before the redhead could answer and handed him his clothes. When she left,Jay watched the redhead stand and start pulling on his much more comfortable jeans. The angel's wonderful sex drive kicked in and Genesis jumped slightly when cold hands ran up his sides.

''They're releasing you?''he asked quietly.

''Yup. I'm healing just fine,but they wanted to keep me until I could get up and walk without tearing the wound open. That's all.''

Jay noticed the bandage wrapped around the redhead's torso so tightly that it almost looked like the corset he had to wear to fit into his wedding dress properly.

''They actually get the bullet out?''

The redhead laughed,which threw hie mate off. ''Yup! I actually had it sent down to Miami to a jewelry maker that specializes in bullet necklaces. After it got processed,Mac and Danny pulled a few strings so I could have it.''

''When did this happen?''Jay asked,as he knew he'd been sleeping all night.

''This morning. I woke up around 4 am.''

Jay nodded and just as Genesis was about to put on his t-shirt,the angel pulled him close,wrapping his arms firmly but gently around his midsection.

''Something wrong,sweetie?''Gen asked softly,concerned. The word 'sweetie' made the angel twitch. It was clear by Genesis' behavior and vocabulary that he was the more feminine half of the marriage.

''No,''Jay replied softly,running the palms of his hands over the redhead's stomach,''Just surprised that we'll be having another one.''

Genesis turned around and gently pulled the angel down for a kiss. ''Actually,the doctors took a closer look at the ultrasound because something didn't seem right.''

Jay's calm expression turned to fear. ''What's wrong?!''

''Nothing. It just turns out that I'm carrying twins!''the shorter stated happily,but then paused for a moment to allow his mate to take in the new information.

Jay's eyes were wide. ''Twins?!''he gulped.

Genesis pulled on his shirt. ''Yes dear. Oh,can you carry my shoulder bag for me?''

The angel seemed to be frozen where he stood,so Genesis placed the bag in his hands,hooked their arms together,and proceeded to guide his husband out of the building.

''So,what appointment did you set me up for?''Jay asked after a few minutes.

''Can't you guess? I'll have four kids soon. You're getting a vasectomy.''

The coffee finished brewing and Horatio poured some into a mug. Footsteps sounded as Eric came into the kitchen and snatched a coffee cup from the cabinet above the coffee maker.

''Morning,''he grumbled,''Aidan took your jacket.''

Horatio looked at him confused before he set his cup down and went into the living room. Aidan had kicked the blanket of in the middle of the night and curled into a ball like a cat. It was cute.

The redhead sat down on the futon and pulled the youth into his lap. Still wrapped in Horatio's blazer,the boy snuggled close to the warmth of his arms. The elder sighed sadly as the boy buried his face in his chest. This was a feeling he missed. He missed being able to simply embrace.

Sure,he and Eric would embrace each-other in bed,but it wasn't the same. The boy he held was young,injured and ill. Horatio could feel the increased body heat. A fever on top of the concussion. Lovely. He'd have to take the boy to a doctor later.

There weren't many nights he could sit and embrace Genesis when he was a child. Unfortunately,when Genesis was Aidan's age and younger,work had been crazy. Murders occurred every year. But,there were a few years that were severely packed with one death after another,and the team discretely called those few years The Killing Age.

Those few years were what had finally started taking their toll on Horatio's body. He was becoming exhausted constantly,and he couldn't understand why. Something as simple as walking from one end of the house to the other would tire him. ...So maybe he needed to be looked at,himself.

Aidan jerked suddenly,dragging Horatio out of his brief state of depression. The small boy opened his eyes slowly and winced at the sunlight before he pulled Horatio's blazer up over his head to create a decent level of darkness. The sound of a ceramic plate hitting the tile floor in the kitchen made Horatio cringe,but Aidan yelped and gripped the sides of his head in pain.

Sound and light were not helping his case at the moment. Horatio looked up and out the window of the living room. While the morning sun was beautiful,he understood that it was causing the child pain,and so he held the youth close as he went upstairs.

Though Aidan's room was closer,the walls were painted white,which,combined with sunlight,really wasn't going to help. Instead he lay the child down in the room he and Eric shared. The walls were a deep maroon,and the thick black curtains that were still closed would do well to block light from stabbing at Aidan's condition.

Upon making contact with the mattress,all Horatio wanted was to go back to sleep. Aidan was asleep again as soon as his head was pressed against a pillow. Horatio pulled a thick blanket up over the small form,and gently lay it on top of him,the blazer still wrapped around him.

Horatio lay down next to him and wrapped him in his arms,as if he found the need to protect him when they were in their own house. It was when he began to run his hands through the youth's hair that he noticed a stiff bandage wrapped around Aidan's head.

He had to pull away to examine the bandage;it definitely needed to be changed. Bloodstains that were several days old covered most of the firm material. It concerned the elder redhead more that the bandage looked as if it had been applied by a doctor.

However,if it had been,then that would mean the boy was taken to a hospital,and he would have received a phone call.

Horatio would never be able to understand Athos' thought process. He turned his focus to his injured grandchild,and held him close. The sun was out,but they were both exhausted. Sleep was calling,and he welcomed it as he wrapped his body around the younger redhead.

Please review!