Justin Comes Home

Chapter 8

POV BRIAN

I wake slowly; I look down and see Justin sleeping next to me, carefully situated so he's not disturbing the tubes and shit going into my body. I feel a sudden overwhelming sense of… caring… for Sunshine. At the same time, the pain I feel in my side is crippling despite the meds and I shudder involuntarily. Justin opens his eyes abruptly.

"Brian!" Justin blurts out, seeing that I'm awake.

I look at him and smile. "Hi, sweeeeeeetie," I say, with exaggerated warmth.

Justin doesn't take my sarcasm rudely, for once. "Good morning! You sound much better today!" He showers my face with feathery kisses.

I laugh. "Justin, I was fucking awake yesterday. Why are you freaking out now?" I feel pretty groggy on whatever meds I'm on, but my words are coming out clearer- so at least I don't sound like a drunk like I did yesterday.

"I don't know. I just love you." Justin says, laughing himself. "You're so special. I still haven't gotten over having almost lost you. I love you so much…" We both stop laughing and he kisses me.

Then I smile despite myself. "Go home and rest, Justin. I need some more sleep. I'm tired, groggy, sluggish, lethargic…" I suddenly feel like a thesaurus. "And I hurt." I admit. And immediately I regret having done so.

He narrows his eyes. I almost shrink back, waiting his response. "Fuck you!" He hisses. "I'm not fucking leaving. I know you- you're going to insist. But I refuse. No. I'm not going anywhere!" He rests his head on my chest and closes his eyes. "Brian, no. I'm not leaving. Go ahead and rest, but I'm fucking staying! I'm here *especially* if you hurt. You'd never say you 'hurt' if it wasn't excruciating. I know you. So, fuck you! I'm staying!"

It's true. I wouldn't say it if my wound didn't fucking throb like a motherfucker and I'm kicking myself for being so stupid for having voiced my pain. But this is not his fucking problem, and he needs to take care of himself and not me. I stay quiet a moment. Then I try again- "Justin: Go. Fucking. Home."

"No! Stop saying that, you shit! I'm more stubborn than you are, so you may as well accept that I'm here to stay, ass! If you need me to get out of the bed so you can rest better, that's fine. But I'm staying."

"Justin!"

"NO." He states even more emphatically. He lifts his head to look me in the eyes. I close mine. After a few moments I hear him ask in a more gentle tone, "Do you want me out of the bed?"

I sigh and open my eyes to look at Justin to tell him to stay and then I see behind him. Ethan. FUCK! "Jus- look out! NO!" I yell as loudly as I can- which is not very loud- I try to reach over and push Justin out of the way but the asshole was already swinging when I opened my eyes plus the damned drugs have me so slow.

And before Sunshine can react, fuck-face slams him on the head with a fucking bedpan; Justin falls. I'm madly trying to locate the fucking nurse button but then I feel a stab of pain in my side and I realize Ethan has just jabbed me with a needle- "Justin! Are you okay?" I call out weakly trying to struggle against this fucker through a haze to get to Justin on the floor- Sunshine says nothing; all I hear is Ethan's heavy breathing as he rushes to do whatever he's doing. "You leave Justin alone you shit!" I feel myself slipping into unconsciousness and I fight it as best I can. "What did you just shoot into me you fucker….?" I mumble.

It happens so fast and yet it seems to be in slow motion and images of the parking garage and the bat and the blood fill my head before everything disappears.

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