"I'm not here for long. Ben is grading papers and Hunter is reading a novel he knows he'll have to read to get caught up. I didn't want to disturb them so that means no TV. Ted is doing my paperwork for the store. My part of this issue of Rage is done, so I was getting restless. I haven't been out with you guys in awhile so I thought I'd drop by."

"Mikey are you sure it's a good idea to give Ted access to your accounts. Don't forget what he did with Gus' money," warned Brian.

"He's doing great. He's slowly trying to get back on track. He's showing me and explaining to me everything he's doing. When I hired that kid, Kent, it created a lot of extra paperwork, income tax forms and all of that crap. It looked Greek to me. You know I'm not good with numbers. Ted sorted it all out in less than an hour. He's been going out on job interviews and doing some volunteer work. He goes to his meetings every day. I really respect that. He faced his problem head-on."

"I do too, but addiction is a lifelong issue, I would hate to see you suffer if he slips," Brian explained.

"Another part of it is I get to see him more often and make sure he's okay. I wasn't a very good friend to him. I was busy with the store, Rage, the baby, and Hunter and didn't do all that I could to help him. I'm not going to stand back and watch him crash and burn again," Michael continued and turned to Emmett. "I should have been there for you both and I wasn't."

"Christ. I should have gone to Justin's and Daphne's and watched the sappy teen dramas on TV. It would have been less maudlin."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Entering the apartment, Daphne frowned. "Justin, you just turned in that huge paper. You need to take a night off. Where's Brian?"

"I don't know. I told him we were going to have a lazy teenager night."

"Then let's have one," she said excitedly.

"I can't. I have five chapters to read and all the drawings for the next issue of Rage to do tonight."

"There's no way you can do all of that tonight."

"I have no choice. I have a test tomorrow."

"Then do the reading and leave Rage until tomorrow."

"I have to work on two campaigns at the brownstone tomorrow," sighed Justin.

"Lucky for you Dylan is out tonight and I have nothing to do. Give me the book."

"What are you going to do study for me?"

"It's not like I can draw Rage. I'll read the chapters and make detailed study notes."

"You don't have to do that."

"I do if you are going to get any sleep tonight. Now, go draw and I'll read."

"Thanks Daph."

"Don't thank me, I am glad to help. You can't keep this up you'll get sick."

"I'm okay, in two weeks, I'll be all caught up. It won't always be this bad."

It better not, thought Daphne.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ted was walking down Liberty Avenue, early one morning when he saw Brian walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey," greeted Brian.

"Hello. What are you doing out so early on a Saturday? Slow night last night?"

"Actually yes, and I'm stuck on a pitch so I'm hoping a work out will help me move past the block," said Brian, pointing to the gym. "Care to join me?"

"I don't have a membership anymore."

"Come on, except for that one disastrous attempt at getting Justin to work out, I haven't used my guest passes. They must be adding up. You're welcome to them."

"Thanks. I was getting bored sitting in my apartment working on resumes. I'll run back to my place and get my gym stuff."

"Okay, I'll go get a coffee and meet you back here in a few minutes."

"You can go get started, I don't want to hold you up."

"It's okay. I should probably wake up a bit more before I start lifting weights. I hardly slept thinking about the pitch."

"Okay, give me fifteen minutes."

"I'll be here."


Brian watched Ted on the stair climber next to him. For someone who was pretty much a junkie a few weeks ago, Ted's in pretty good shape.

"I'm surprised that you are in such good shape. It's like you never left the gym," said Brian, as he increased the incline on his own machine.

"There's only so much introspection and self-evaluation you can do. I spent a lot of time in the gym facilities at rehab."

"I can tell."

"Be careful. That's almost a compliment," chuckled Ted. "I've been waiting for you to let me have it since I let myself go so far down."

"I know I used to tease you a lot, but only because I was hoping it would help you realize that your low self-esteem was unfounded."

The older man stopped so suddenly that he almost fell off the exercise machine. "What?!"

"You know I am not one to give pep talks, but I've tried in my own ways to help you see that you are a smart educated man with a good sense of humor. You are good to the people you are close to and try to help others by volunteering. Oh, and you're not a complete troll, either."

"Thank you. Brian, since you are handing out compliments, I hope you will accept one. What you did for the community and the sacrifices you made were huge. Thank you."

"Yeah, well what can I say? I finally found my conscience."

"In the form of a blond tw… College student. He's not a twink anymore."

"No, he certainly isn't," agreed Brian.

"I still thought you would be harder on me."

"How could I judge you? It's not like I've never used drugs, booze, and sex to hide from life. If Justin hadn't found me when he got out of the hospital, who knows what would have happened. I was certainly headed down the wrong road. The only difference was my body had built up an immunity to the drugs because of my recreational use."

"Are you sure you're Brian Kinney?"

"I'll deny this conversation ever happened if you tell anyone, but I want you to know that you have nothing to be ashamed of. You realized you had a problem fairly early on and did something about it. I respect that. It's more courage than I've ever shown. Now, let's change the subject. How's the job search going?"

"Not very well. The label of gay pornographer isn't easy to live down."

"Yeah, I can imagine."

"Let's change the subject again. I am trying to avoid thinking about MY problems. Let's talk about YOURS. What campaign are you stuck on?"

"It's not really the campaign. I think that's pretty solid. Justin did an amazing job with the graphics. It's for the biggest real estate company in the state."

"Proud?"

"Yes, they are notorious for sticking with their moderately successful traditional ad campaigns. I have pitched them before without success."

"So, you figured that with all the changes, now would be the best time to try again. Smart."

"What changes? Theodore what do you know about Proud Realty?"

"It's one of the places I was going to apply to, so I did some research."

"Let's get showered and I'll buy you breakfast while you tell me what you know."


"Okay, so what do you know about Proud?" Brian asked as Debbie set a plate with an egg white omelet and whole wheat toast down in front of him.

"Here's your breakfast deluxe special. You look so good. I'm so proud of you, sweetheart," Deb gushed and kissed Ted's cheek before she went back to work.

"Apple Realty from New York wanted to buy out Proud. But Proud wasn't interested. Since then, Apple has been buying out some of the smaller real estate businesses in this state. They have also stepped up their ad campaigns."

"I have noticed that."

"Proud's sales and client base is down almost twenty percent. Looking at the statistics closely, you see that younger people are choosing Apple."

"For years, I have tried to convince them they should revitalize their campaign and therefore their image. Old Man Proud won't even consider it."

"You might have more luck now. He has stepped aside to let his son run things in an attempt to hold off Apple," said Ted.

"I've never met the son. Do you know anything about him?"

"Not much. Late forties. Divorced. He went to Wharton. I think he's waited twenty years to get his chance to make the company grow and expand."

"Ted, I don't know how to thank you. I am going to go work on the pitch. I might actually have a chance now. Thanks."

"No problem, thank you for breakfast."

As he drove to the brownstone, Brian thought about how helpful Ted had been. He seems to be doing very well. If I land this account, I'll compensate him for the help. That's what I miss about Vanguard, the research department with business savvy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mel opened the door to find Michael standing there.

"I'm almost ready. I just need to get my coat and say bye to Gus."

"No hurry. Your appointment isn't for another hour."

Michael watched Mel give some last minute instructions to the babysitter and then give Gus a kiss. Once in the car, Michael was unusually quiet. He wanted to mention the fight Emmett had told him about, but didn't know how to bring it up.

"I'm guessing this uncharacteristic silence is because you heard about the disagreement Linds and I had."

"I am a little concerned. Do you regret getting pregnant?"

"God, no! I love this baby more than anything. He or she is part of our family just like Gus. I would die for Gus without a second thought."

"That's a relief," sighed Michael.

"I might as well tell you the whole story. When I was told years ago that I couldn't have children I was heartbroken. So I focused on my career. I became quite driven and started to make some headway in what is very much a man's field. I met Lindsay and we fell in love. She's the opposite of me, more artistic, spontaneous, and loving. When we first talked about having a child, I knew that our baby would have THE best mother possible. She's naturally maternal. She is like that with all the people she loves, so a baby would get everything. I hoped to learn from her and become a good mother, too."

"You are. You're great with Gus," encouraged Michael.

"Now, but I'm not proud of the way I acted when Gus first came home from the hospital. I was jealous of Lindsay's bond with him and of Gus taking all of her attention. I felt detached and threatened. When Brian refused to sign the forms and got his way about the bris, I was convinced that my only role was to work my ass off to pay for everything. Then I couldn't even fulfill that and we had to ask Brian for money. I felt worthless and irrelevant. It was during this time that I made the biggest mistake of my life and almost lost Lindsay forever."

"That won't happen this time," assured Michael.

"No, Lindsay would never react that way, I know that. However, she has also made it very clear that she doesn't plan on being the primary caregiver to this baby."

"Did the two of you come to any kind of agreement on that?"

"I will stay home for eight weeks instead of six. Then I'll go back part time. Maybe she can take a day off each week and then there will only be one day a week to cover. When the baby is six months he or she will go to the center day care."

"Maybe Mom and I can help with that day. I want to be involved."

"That would be great. We'll see what happens. Lindsay assures me that I won't want to go back to work after the baby is here. There won't be much choice in the matter, but I hope I become half the mother she is," sighed Mel.

Michael turned and placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "I'm not worried. I have faith in you."

"Thanks."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hate when he leaves right after we fuck. He could have stayed here. I have to remember to double check his schedule tomorrow. He looks so tired. I have to make sure he's not overdoing it. If the business continues to grow maybe we could justify a good used car for him. All this commuting on the public system is wearing on him. I am never going to get to sleep. I think I'll go to the office, maybe I can get some work done.  

Pulling into the parking lot behind ADvantage Designs, Brian noticed there were some lights on in the building. He unlocked the door and took a look around. There wasn't any sign of anyone. He went upstairs and saw the light coming from Justin's studio. He stood in the hall and watched the young artist work. God, he's beautiful even when he's yawning every few minutes. Why would he leave to go home and come here to work?

Not wanting to startle his lover, Brian made his way downstairs as quietly as he could. He went to the reception desk and pulled out a copy of Justin's schedule that they kept on hand. He is busy this week. Next week too, but the week after that looks better. I will have to make a point of being more considerate for the next few weeks. Try and drive him as much as possible. He went over to the door and opened it and slammed it. Then he pounded up the stairs to be sure that Justin heard him coming.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Brian asked as he made his way to the younger man's office.

"While I was on the bus, I realized that I was too keyed up to sleep so I decided it would be more productive to come here and work instead of channel surfing."

"Oh, that's sort of why I'm here. What are you working on?"

"I was just doing the finishing touches on the Proud Realty campaign. What do you think?"

"It's perfect. I really think you should get some sleep. Those bags under your eyes could carry Gus' toys. Come on, let's go back to the loft."

"No, I have a school thing I want to work on tonight. Besides, if I go back to the loft, I will just have to get up early so I can go back to my place and change and get my stuff."

"Okay, another hour and then I'll drive you to your place. I'll be in my office working on some research." They kissed before Brian went off to leave the other man alone.

Brian showed Nathan Proud out to the porch. "I will talk to you at the end of the week. I will have the numbers on the radio and television spots then. Thank you, Mr. Proud, you won't regret this choice."

"I sincerely hope you are right. I will be awaiting your call."

The distinguished businessman left the building. Brian watched the silver Mercedes pull away and then went to the conference room where Cynthia, and Justin were waiting. Opening the door, he couldn't help the smile that was plastered on his face.

"We got it!" Cynthia said relieved. Brian went to Justin and gave him a kiss. "Your art work knocked his socks off."

Cynthia was sitting at the laptop inputting some information. "Brian, this campaign put us over the top. We can afford to offer medical coverage now. There will even be some left over."

Brian scanned the numbers over her shoulder and was very pleased with the bottom line. The medical coverage was important. He was concerned that Cynthia was without insurance at this time. His six month grace period from Vanguard was not yet expired so he was okay. I wonder if Justin can be covered despite his medical history, he thought. The remainder would be enough to get Justin a used car and allow for his idea.

"There's something I wanted to talk to the two of you about," Brian said, as he took a seat at the table.

"What?"

"This account has given us some breathing room financially. In truth, I never would have been able to successfully convince Nathan Proud that we are the ones that can help re-energize his company, if it wasn't for Ted. His information was essential to my pitch. He is a very astute observer of the business world. I want to ask your opinions on hiring him as a business researcher and to help with the books."

"Is this the guy who had the porn website?" Cynthia asked.

"Yes. He's also been my accountant for years and worked for a very successful accounting firm for many years."

"Okay with me," she said. "It's really your decision. It's your company."

"Sunshine?"

"I like Ted but considering what he did with the money Mel wanted him to invest, I don't know if this is a good idea. He just got out of rehab."

"What did he do?" Cynthia wondered.

"He spent it on drugs and to go to a circuit party."

"OH."

"I wasn't going to just turn the books over to him. He seems to be turning his life around but he can't seem to find a job considering his recent notoriety. If we had him do most of the research and the tax paperwork and that kind of thing to start, then Cynthia would have more time to work a few accounts of her own."

A broad smile split her face. "You would let me run my own accounts?" She asked excitedly.

"Of course, Cyn. I know how talented you are. You could start with a few small ones and see what happens. I'll be honest, I need your help too much to make you an exec yet. The thought of getting another personal assistant scares the shit out of me."

"If you hire Ted, we should all work together and not grow too fast. If we get to the point where we need more employees we want to be able to pick them cautiously and make sure they will be a good fit and not settle for the wrong person out of desperation."

"Okay, I think this could be great for Ted and as long as you keep an eye on the accounting part of it for awhile I think it would be great," said Justin. "There is another problem though."

"What?" Brian asked.

"Emmett."

"Fuck. I didn't even think about that. I'll talk to Em first."


"Emmett, can I talk to you for a minute?"  

"Sure, Brian, here try this new coffee flavor I'm trying to master."

Taking a sip, he smiled. "That's delicious."

"What did you want to talk about?"

"I was considering hiring a researcher and I wanted to know how you would feel about it."

"What does it have to do with me?"

"I was thinking about Ted."

"Oh… uh…That would be very good for Ted. His problems started when he became unemployed. He would be very good at it too."

"Would it be too uncomfortable for you to have him in the building? I would give him the extra office upstairs."

"It's time that we made some peace with what happened between us. It might be difficult, but it has to be done so this might force us to deal with us sooner. I don't have a problem. This is probably the boost he needs right now."

"Okay, I'll talk with him tonight. Can I have a whole cup of that coffee?

"Sure, and thanks Brian."

"For what?"

"For being a considerate friend."

"Don't thank me, thank Justin."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is impressive. What a beautiful building, thought Ted as he opened the door of the brownstone. He stood in the foyer and looked around at the beautiful woodwork.

"Hey," said Brian from the top of the stairs. "Come on up to my office."

"Okay. I don't know why you wanted to see me, but I am glad I got the chance to see the office. It's inviting, yet professional. Very classy."

"Thanks, I'll give you a tour in a little while."

Taking a seat opposite Brian, Ted shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what to think. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"First of all, I wanted to give you this," answered Brian, offering an envelope to the other man.

"What's this?"

"It's compensation for the information you gave me. It really made a difference in winning Nathan Proud over."

"Thanks Brian, but I can't accept this. I was just sharing some information. No big deal," explained Ted, placing the envelope on the desk.

"It was a big deal that led to an even bigger deal. Take it. It's only fair."

"Thank you."

"Theodore, I've been thinking and I wanted to know if you would consider extending this arrangement."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm too busy to keep on top of all the business maneuvers. I need someone who knows that world and understands it to help me decide who to pitch to and what demographics to aim for. At Vanguard, there was a whole department to do the business history research. I did some of it, but they were there to verify if my instincts were right. You could do that for me here."

"Are you offering me a job?" Ted asked, stunned.

"That's up to you. I would like you to be here and have a salaried position. However, if you would rather do it freelance that would be fine too."

"You're serious?"

"I've always known you were smart, that's why you were my accountant for all those years."

"Then, I accept the position. I prefer the salary position so I won't spend all my time in my apartment."

"Okay. You didn't even ask what the salary is."

"It has to be better than the nothing I am earning right now," he smiled.

"To be honest, the salary is fair, but Justin, Cynthia, and I have agreed to take a little bit less in salary. That way we reinvest in the agency. Things are already going better than I hoped. If it continues to go this well, a year or two down the road I hope to be in a position to offer pretty good raises and bonuses."

"I understand."

"We are going to have medical coverage starting soon. So that's something. Another issue is Emmett. I don't know if you are aware of this or not, but he's leasing the kitchen for his party planning business."

"I heard that. Did you talk to him about offering me a position here?"

"Yes. He said it's okay with him. He thought it would be great for you."

"I don't know how I'll ever be able to make things right with him, I hurt him so badly."

"That's up to the two of you. He's open hearted like Justin, he'll forgive you eventually. He's also smart like Justin so he won't forget."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

"I was hoping you would help Cynthia and me with some of the tax forms and that kind of paperwork as well."

"Sure."

"Eventually, I would like you to move into the financial side of the agency as well. I'll be honest, you're going to have to prove yourself a little more before I give you access over that part."

"I know. I have to re-establish trust with everyone. I don't blame you for feeling that way."

"I think this will work out, otherwise, I wouldn't be asking you to join us. It's just that this agency is the financial stability to several people, including you."

"I totally agree. I'm not foolish enough to pretend there won't be times when my sobriety is going to be tested."

"Right, and at least in the beginning, it's better for everyone involved if you don't have access to large sums of money. It might prove too tempting. I don't mean to be discouraging."

"No, actually I'm relieved. I don't think I'm ready for that kind of responsibility at this point."

"That's a relief. Now, I'll give you a tour. Through this door is the bathroom Justin and I share."

"That's convenient," chuckled Ted.

Brian glared at him. "Then in here is the art department."

"Wow! The colors are amazing, very striking."

"If you say so. Down the hall towards the stairs is your office."

"Brian, this is too big. Just give me a little room or corner somewhere."

"All the rooms in this place are huge. This room isn't being used, so it's yours. If you don't like the color, feel free to repaint but don't ask me to help. I am never painting anything again."

"Michael told me about the painting party."

"Please don't remind me. Across the hall is another bathroom. It will pretty much be yours."

 
"You sure weren't kidding when you said the rooms are huge."

"Let's go downstairs."

"This is the reception area and back here under the stairs is a bathroom. Here through the double doors is the conference room."

"It's perfect, large in scope and beautifully decorated."

"Yes, it's proven quite effective. Right here is another empty room, so we use it as a staff room. The copier is in here plus a table and chairs for our discussions. It's mostly a place to relax. Then down here at the end of the hall is Cynthia's office and she has her own bathroom, too."

"Nice."

"Okay and here is the kitchen," said Brian sticking his head through the door. "Hey Vic, is Emmett here?"

"No, he stepped out for a minute."

"Oh good, I was just giving Ted a tour of the building," he said, pushing Ted into the kitchen.

"Welcome to four oh, I guess that should be five fags and a hag."

"Thanks. It must be much easier for you to perform your magic here than in my cramped kitchen. This looks like the perfect set up for you guys."

"This baby makes all the difference," said the chef pointing to his shiny new oven.

"You got the professional oven. That's great. I can just imagine the wonderful things you can make with it."

"Now that you are employed, I suggest you get that gym membership back because there is way too much great food around here." Brian suggested.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ted watched as Justin rushed to leave in time for his class. The teen seemed very scattered lately. For such a responsible person, he had been very absent-minded. Just this morning, he had forgotten to finalize a detail with the printing shop. The slip could have been costly, but Cynthia saved the day. I understand now why Brian values her so much, Ted thought to himself.

 
Justin shoved his things in his backpack and stood up quickly. Feeling faint and dizzy, he took a step back and then sat down.

 
"Are you okay?" Ted asked, concerned.

 
"Yeah, I just got up too fast. I have been working late, and haven't slept much. That's all."

 
"Maybe, you should slow down a bit. Take an evening off," the accountant suggested.

 
"No time, the next issue of Rage is due Friday and I have exams next week."

 
"Okay, but you should really take it easy."

 
"Thanks Ted. It's good to have you back to normal," said Justin before he left for his class.

 
Something's not right with the kid. I hope Brian notices and helps him before he gets in too deep, thought the older man.


Ted was patiently trying to explain how to fill out the payroll tax forms and their calculations when Brian's cell phone rang. Saved by the bell, thought Ted.

"What?" Brian barked into the phone. "What? Where? When? Is he alright? I'm on my way." He continued in a panicked voice.

"What's wrong?" Cynthia asked.

"Justin collapsed at school. I have to get to the hospital," he answered before running out to his car.

I knew he was overdoing it. Why didn't I say something? Maybe this whole thing is too much for him. Why the fuck does everyone drive so fucking slowly when I'm in a hurry, fumed Brian in his head.

Making his way down the hall, he saw Daphne pacing. "How is he?"

"I don't know. They haven't told me anything."

After a few minutes, a middle aged doctor came into the hall. "Are either of you Justin Taylor's family?"

"Yes," they answered in unison.

"How are you related?"

"He's my partner," said Brian.

The doctor looked at him for a minute and then began to explain his condition. "He's suffering from exhaustion."

"Is he going to be alright?"

"Yes, he'll be fine but he needs a lot of rest. Because of his medical history we are going to keep him over night. Some IVs will help him regain his strength."

"Can I sit with him?" Brian asked.

"Of course, but don't wake him. Rest is the best thing for him right now."

Brian looked at Daphne. "Would you mind waiting here for Jennifer? I have to see him."

"Sure. Brian, I know this is freaking you out, but he's going to be fine. He was just overdoing it. He's going to smile when I tell him you called him your partner."

"I meant business partner."

"No, you didn't." She smiled. Brian smiled back and kissed the top of  her head. "You're a good friend." Daphne watched as he went into the room and gently pushed Justin's hair from his forehead. He gently took a motionless hand in his and sat next to him grateful that exhaustion was all it was.


Daphne, Jennifer, Debbie, Vic, Emmett, Ted, Cynthia, and Michael sat in the loft waiting for Brian to bring Justin there to rest. They had all compared notes and realized to what degree Justin had been juggling things to get them done on time. They talked quietly amongst themselves, until they heard the metal door slide open and then they all fell silent.

"Oh, shit," mumbled Justin when he saw the group gathered in the living room.

"The doctor has prescribed bed rest for two more days, but we are going to take the next fifteen minutes to come to some common understandings to ensure this doesn't happen again."

Justin slumped into a chair, embarrassed at being the focus of everyone's concern.

"It appears that Sunshine hasn't been including everything on the schedule we keep at the office. There was something about it that didn't seem right, but I could never put my finger on it until last night when I realized his work for Rage wasn't on it among other things. We might as well start there. Mikey, how often do you send the issues into the editor?"

"Every six weeks."

"Call them and make it eight."

"Sure, that shouldn't be a problem."

"That's not necessary," Justin started to say.

"Yes, it most definitely is," corrected Brian.

"I have talked to PIFA and he will be excused from classes for the next three days and then return on Monday."

"Absolutely not! I am going to class this afternoon. The last thing I need is to fall further behind."

"The fuck you are," Brian snapped. "Your professors are going to email you what you miss. After another day of complete rest, you are going to concentrate on getting caught up on the school work."

"I have to work on that bottled water campaign." Justin argued.

"They have been informed of an illness in the family and sweet Mr. Marshall said we should take all the time we need. That meeting isn't for ten days now. The next week is going to be dedicated to your school work. Daphne and I have already discussed how we can help you get everything caught up. Cynthia is going to hold down the fort at ADvantage, so I can make sure you aren't overdoing it."

"Would arguing do any good?" Justin sighed.

"No."

"Okay. I give up. Why did you call everyone here? You seem to be the one taking control."

"They are here so that they understand exactly how stubborn you are. I am also going to ask all of you to make sure to mention it to Cynthia, Daphne, or I if you see Justin looking tired or overworked."

"Fuck this! I am not going to sit here and listen while you try and regulate my life like I was Gus' age," snarled Justin as he made his way to the door.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" glared Brian.

"Home."

"You are staying here for the week so I can be sure you are resting."

"That isn't necessary."

"Yes, it is because the nights I thought you were taking it easy, you were working on something that I didn't know existed. Get your ass in the bed because the fifteen minutes is up. I'm not kidding. I am going to make sure I don't get another phone call like I got yesterday. I've had more than enough of sitting in hospitals watching you sleep. What if you had been on a staircase when you passed out? Or crossing the street? Or any number of places where you could have been injured? Now, go! Thank you all for coming, but it's time to put him to bed."

"Take care, sweetheart. I'll check in tomorrow," Jennifer said, kissing her son's cheek.

"Bye, everybody," offered Justin, through a stifled yawn.

"Bed." Brian yelled. Justin made his way to the bedroom and slid into bed. He was asleep almost immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As quietly as possible, Brian slid the door open to find Lindsay standing there.

"How's Justin? I just heard what happened. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"He's asleep. I think we have a more manageable plane for getting his schedule under control. I might need your help with working through some of his art classes, but I'll have to let you know."

"Sure. Are you okay? This must have scared the shit out of you?"

"I'm fine now that he's safely asleep in my bed."

Lindsay gave him a long comforting hug and he accepted it gratefully.

"How are things between you and Mel?"

"That's better, too. We are making some compromises."

"Good. If money becomes a problem again, let me know. I won't be able to contribute as much as before, but I don't mind helping out."

"I really appreciate that but it won't be necessary. It's time that we took care of our family ourselves."

"Okay, but the offer stands. Where is Sonnyboy and your worse half?"

"Mel is taking a prenatal yoga class to help relieve stress and find serenity."

Brian struggled to keep a straight face, but burst out laughing.

"Brian, it's not funny. She's very stressed," Lindsay said, but was soon laughing as well. "I bet the instructor will be the stressed one by the time it's over. Emmett is putting Gus to bed for me."

"They are getting quite close."

"Are you jealous of Gus' relationship with Emmett?"

"Gus seems to be more comfortable with him than he is with me," admitted Brian.

"Emmett spends a lot of time with Gus. Of course, they're close."

"I wish I had that with him."

"You can. All you have to do is spend more time with him."

"I'm not as carefree and happy-go-lucky as Emmett."

"Who is? Gus adores you and often asks about you. Spend more time with him. You'll see how quickly he bonds to people and what an interesting little person he is becoming."'

"I'll try to. If Justin is up to it maybe we could take Gus for the afternoon Friday."

"He would love that. Let me know. I have to get going. Give Justin my love. Bye." She said with a kiss.

Brian locked up behind her and shut all the lights off. He took off his clothes and climbed into bed next to Justin. Justin instinctively wrapped himself into the older man's arms and onto his chest.

Slowly stroking his lover's soft golden hair, Brian thought about how grateful he was that Justin was alright. He soon joined his lover in sweet slumber.

 
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