“I know he didn’t.”
“Because Adam checked?”
“Yes, Adam checked.”
“He wasgoingto,” Joshua said, staring beyond Colin. “He had it all planned out. Rape me, then shoot me.” He looked up at Colin. “But for some reason which I don’t yet fathom he wanted to kill his sister first.”
“Well thank god it never got that far.”
“You mean thankColinit never got that far,” Joshua said. He reached for Colin’s hand then lifted it to his lips. “You saved me. My knight in shining armor saved me.”
“I didn’t come alone, darlin’. There were about thirty cops with me. WE saved you.”
“Who was the first one through the door?” Joshua asked.
Colin grinned and dropped his eyes. “Well…” He glanced up at Joshua and smirked, “I justhappenedto be the first one there.”
“Right…” Joshua sat the toast down and pushed the tray table away. “I can’t eat anymore, baby. Finish it if you like.”
Colin shook his head. “No, thanks.”
“Youwerethe first one through the door. David told me.”
“Yeah. Lenny said ‘on three’ and I went on two.” He winked at Joshua and snickered. “I’ll never hear the end of that one.” He moved to sit on the bed beside Joshua then touched his bruised cheek. “How’s the headache?”
“A little better, I think. I’m sor—” he began, then stopped as Colin lifted a finger in warning.
“Smart move,” Colin said, then kissed him tenderly.
“Morning!” Dr. Casey blurted out. “I hear someone’s having a freak-out!”
“Jesus, am I ever glad to seeyou,” Colin muttered, then stepped aside while the doctor entered and moved to Joshua’s bedside.
“Having some overemotional reactions?” Casey asked.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Joshua replied, his voice edgy with sarcasm. He laid a hand on Casey’s arm. “Adam, could my brain injury be worse than you thought at first?”
“No,” Adam stated flatly, “it couldnot!You have a grade 3 concussion. The symptoms you’re having are consistent with that injury. I did a CT scan when you arrived, and I’ll do another later today to be sure. But, NO! And stop trying to out-diagnose me, Doctor Abrams. What you need to do is focus! You know that personality changes can accompany this type of injury. You know it can take a while for those symptoms to completely subside. And you also know what you have to do to assist in your own recovery. Focus, Josh! When you feel yourself starting to slide, bring your brain back to center! Retrain those neurons.”
“Are you going to let me go home?”
Casey stepped back from the bed. “I want you to wait one more day so I can get a final CT scan. You’ll need to get with your therapist. Deena Mallory isn’t it? Let her help you through this. You know I don’t dare give you any type of tranquilizer or sleep medication.”
“How long before I can go back to work?”
“I have no idea. Depends on how well you do. Best guess? At least a month, possibly longer.”
Joshua gave no response. He sat slumped, staring at the far wall, tears tracking down his cheeks.
“Josh,” Adam said, nudging his arm. “Pull yourself together, man. You’re scaring the shit out of your husband.”
Joshua glanced to where Colin sat slumped in the chair and gave a small smile. “I’d say I’m sorry, but he’d yell at me.”
“Yell back,” Casey advised, then patted Joshua’s arm. “Minimum physical and mental activity.Minimum!Stay off the Internet. Don’t watch TV. The best medicine for you right now is rest. Mental and physical rest.”
Joshua nodded, still staring at the wall, not even turning to look when Dr. Casey left.
“God, Colin,” he said in a choked whisper. “I feel like this nightmare is never going to end.” He heard his husband sigh, then felt him sit down on the bed beside him.
