Jamie’s head spun, and it wasn’t just from the awesome painkillers Phil had hooked him up with. Morgan’s name was on the room. The bed had been used recently. The equipment was still there, and his chart was still hanging from the end of his bed.

Morgan himself, however, was nowhere to be found.

Ryan, by Jamie’s side, caught him as he staggered. “Dude. I’m sure he’s just taking a little walk, or maybe in the can. We’ll leave a note and tell him to call, okay?”

“No no no.” Jamie tried to shake his head and decided it was a bad idea. Or maybe shaking his head wasn’t the bad idea. Maybe the drugs on top of a concussion were a bad idea.

He’d have to ask Phil about that, because now that he thought about it, they seemed like a terrible combination. “Because I won’t be able to get to the phone, or someone else will helpfully answer it, decide they don’t want me talking to a Patrick, and helpfully hang up.”

Ryan lowered Jamie onto the bed. “Jamie, dude, everyone knows what he did for you now. No one’s going to hang up on him, okay? If you want to be with him, we’re all going to stand by you. Especially me and Anthony.”

Jamie worked up a little smile for his brother, but only barely. He couldn’t get over the fact that Morgan wasn’t in his room where he was supposed to be. Something was wrong, damn it, and Jamie had to find out what it was.

A nurse walked into the room and almost jumped when she saw them there. “Can I help you gentlemen?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Where’s the guy who’s supposed to be in this bed?” Jamie stood up. Ryan stood up with him, and caught Jamie again when he almost fell.

“I don’t know. He’s supposed to be here.” She stepped out into the hall, looked around for a moment, and stuck her head back into the room. “I’ll be right back.” The corners of her mouth were tight.

Jamie wasn’t about to wait. He turned to Ryan. “Get Phil up here.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Dude, you’re high as a kite. Phil’s a busy doctor. He’s not going to have time to drop everything and come back up here.”

The nurse returned. “I’ve paged Dr. Roscoe. He’s supposed to be going off shift, but he’s got a special interest in this patient. There was an incident, earlier today, and one of the neighbors called security.”

“What kind of incident?” Jamie bore down on her. “What happened?”

She paled, but stood her ground. “I’m not at liberty to say, sir. Patient confidentiality.”

Ryan slipped between them. “Why don’t you sit down and wait for Phil,” he told Jamie, “and we’ll talk about this when he gets here.”

He turned to the nurse, all of his bad-boy charm turned up to eleven. “Sorry about that ma’am, he’s just agitated. This is his boyfriend’s room, you see.”

The nurse’s face softened. Jamie would never understand how Ryan managed to pull that off. He looked like the captain of a gang of murderers, but he could charm anything out of anyone, given half a chance.

“Oh, I see. Well, we’ll see what we can’t do about getting the two of you reunited soon. I’m sure he’s just as worried about you.” She smiled at Jamie and patted his arm before heading back out into the hallway.

Phil showed up ten minutes later, in street clothes instead of scrubs. His eyes were a little wild, and he scowled when he saw Jamie out of bed. “What are you doing up and around? Between the concussion and the drugs, you should be flat on your back!”

He had a hard look for Ryan, too. “And what are you doing encouraging him? You’re the oldest! You’re supposed to be setting a good example, not helping him run marathons!”

Ryan curled his lip at Phil, and Jamie winced. “Boy have you ever picked the wrong Roscoe for setting a good example, Doc.” Ryan rolled his shoulders.

“Jamie’s a big boy now. He makes big-boy choices. And if he wants to go see his boyfriend, when no one else will let them talk, then he’s going to check on his boyfriend.”

Phil glowered. “Did they put you through medical school while you were in prison, Ryan?”

“I put some smartass through the infirmary wall.” Ryan gave him a tight little smile. “Does that count?”

“It was certainly convenient,” Jamie interrupted. “Can you put your dicks away and focus, please? Morgan? On the tall side, skinny, spiky blond hair?”

Phil ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I stopped by security, because I know for a fact that Morgan wasn’t discharged. They didn’t see Morgan walking out through any of the main entrances.

“Security was called earlier, by the woman in the next room. To be fair, she’s also called the police on neighbors who were ‘crying too loud’ at a dying uncle’s bedside, and on a facilities employee who was ‘mopping in a disrespectful fashion.’ So, we do kind of have to take her word with a grain of salt.”

Jamie clenched his fists. “I’ll go take care of this,” he said.

“Sit down, Killer,” Ryan said, pulling Jamie back via his johnny and sitting him down. “What set her off this time? Morgan … doesn’t look like the sort of guy who usually has the cops called for everyday activities,” he said delicately, as all three men grimaced.

“Yeah. Well, in this case, I’m pretty sure someone else would have called if she hadn’t. The nurses confirmed her story instead of asking to have her transferred.

“She said a man with a loud, commanding voice told some men they were acting like they were in a movie, and threatened to call security. She heard them leave, at which point said gentleman started screaming on his own. And he was not complimentary.”

Jamie clutched at his stomach. “Dad said Roman was on his way here.”

“Shit.” Ryan wiped at his mouth. “That’s not good. “

Phil shook his head. “I’m a little outside this whole weird business rivalry thing, but a guy who’s got a big name for himself isn’t going to make a scene in a hospital — a public setting — and then disappear the object of his ire.”

Ryan gave Phil a look of utter disgust. “‘Object of his ire?’ Who talks like that? Anyway, I’m talking about the guys who ‘thought they were in a movie.’ Jamie, what kind of shit was Morgan into?”

“It’s ‘is,’ Ryan. Morgan’s still present tense, okay?” Jamie took a deep breath and tried to focus through the haze of pain and drugs. “He didn’t say he was into anything illegal, but he’s been homeless for two years. If he didn’t try to do something to get a little cash in, I’d be surprised.”

Ryan acknowledged this with a dip of his head. “We’ve got to go find him.”

“Where the hell would he go?” Phil threw his hands in the air. “If he’s homeless — and between us, he pretty much has to be — then he could be anywhere. Especially if he’s got underworld types looking for him.”

Jamie shook his head. Once again, he regretted it. “I’ve got to get you to take these pills away, Phil. Every time I take these pills I feel like I’m going to hurl. Look, there’s only one place he could go.”

Realization dawned on Phil and Ryan at the same time. “That old house on the mountain?” Ryan asked, recoiling.

“It doesn’t have flush toilets!” Phil agreed. “Or electricity, or running water.”

Jamie stomped his foot on the floor to get their attention. “Focus! Squatting, remember? We have to go and get him before the bad guys do. I’ve got a real bad feeling about this.”

“You’re not Han Solo,” Ryan pointed out, reaching for his keys. “I’m just saying.”

“Wait, you’re not letting him come, are you?” Phil asked, aghast.

“You don’t think he could keep me away, do you? At least this way I’m not driving.” Jamie stuck his tongue out at his cousin.

Phil tried to insist that Jamie put some shoes on, but Jamie didn’t want to make the time for it. Everything in him was telling him this was an emergency. If he didn’t get up the mountain now, it would be too late.

They raced down to the parking garage and hopped into Ryan’s SUV. The world tilted a few times, but Ryan made sure Jamie stayed on his feet. Ryan didn’t drive a crossover vehicle, like Jamie did. No, he drove a massive SUV that got maybe ten miles to the gallon and had five different offload modes.

“It’s not my car,” he told Phil as they got into the car. “It’s Anthony’s. I told him to get something safe and gave him a blank check.”

Phil gaped at him for a moment, but Ryan was already out on the road. “I guess he took you at your word,” Phil said, laughing. “This is bizarre. Does he think you’re getting ready for the Apocalypse?”

“Maybe. It’s coming in handy now, though, right?” Ryan chuckled. “We’ve towed a few customers out of the mud in this thing, so it’s actually proved pretty useful.” Ryan was already speeding down the road, heading up to Culver Mountain.

The ride took less than half the time it should have, even with the extra time it should have taken to address the mess that had been made of Culver Mountain Road. Morgan would have had to hike up this road, alone and scared, in the dark.

Jamie cringed to think about it. How often had Morgan had to do that before Jamie knew? And why hadn’t Morgan just come to him with whatever his troubles were?

They sped past two figures walking casually down the hill. These guys were big, massive men, like living and muscular versions of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Jamie gave them a double take, but he couldn’t be bothered to worry too much about strangers.

He had to get up to the house. Morgan was up there. Jamie had to find him; he knew in his heart Morgan was in trouble, and he was up there.

“Those guys looked like a couple of winners,” Ryan muttered.

“Morgan first, creepers later,” Jamie retorted. He could hardly catch his breath, he was so worried about his lover.

As they drew close enough to see the house, Jamie’s bad feeling from before became a horrific reality. The scent of smoke reached Jamie even through the climate control of the SUV’s expensive cabin, going straight to the part of his brain marked “pain”, “bad”, and “do not touch.”

He could see a rosy glow emanating from the house. It would have been very cheerful, except for the fact that the house had no lighting.

The house where he had last seen Morgan, where they’d last made love, was on fire. Two suspicious men had just been seen making their escape, and Morgan had no place to go except for the house that was now on fire.

Ryan didn’t even get the SUV into park before Jamie was jumping out into the soft, muddy dirt in front of their love shack. “Morgan!” he screamed. “Morgan!”

No one answered. He ran forward, but the flames pushed him back. It didn’t take much. He could smell his own flesh burning, and he ran back to the SUV. He jumped into the back and curled up into a ball, hyperventilating, the world threatening to spin into oblivion.

Jamie knew, somewhere in the small part of his brain that wasn’t in a complete state of panic, that he wasn’t on fire right now. He was in the cool air conditioning of his favorite brother’s car. He didn’t actually smell his own burning flesh, he smelled fresh mud, smoke, and talcum powder from the car seat.

“What the actual fuck?” Ryan asked, turning the car off.

Jamie was rocking. He’d be embarrassed about this later, but right now all he could do was rock in the back of the SUV. “We’ve got to get help,” he said. He grabbed at his hair and held on. “We have to call someone, get help. It’s the fire.”

“Shit.” Phil rubbed at his face and looked over at Ryan. “It’s the fire. He had a bad accident a few years ago, didn’t want the family to know.”

Jamie couldn’t worry about that disclosure right now. “Morgan.” He barely got the name out. “It’s Morgan. Need to get him out. He’s in there. We have to get him out.”

Phil’s face lost all color. “Oh, fuck.” He grabbed Jamie’s arm. “You don’t understand. Morgan’s pregnant.”

Pregnant. The word arced through Jamie’s brain, like lightning through a stormy sky. He couldn’t look away from the house, the house that was burning to the ground.

With his boyfriend, his pregnant boyfriend, inside.

Jamie jumped out of the SUV once more. If he hesitated, he was going to lose his nerve. He pulled his hospital johnny up over his mouth and nose to give him some protection from the smoke. He could feel the pounding of adrenaline surging up to his temples, helping him power through his injuries. Morgan was the important thing.

Bile and panic rose in his throat. Heat rose, and he could feel his skin blistering and crumbling into ash as he stood in the doorway.

Ryan slapped his shoulder. “On the ground, now.”

Of course. Ryan wasn’t afraid of anything. Jamie dropped to his knees. Down here the air was a little clearer, although Jamie’s eyes still stung. Were they stinging from tears, or from fear, or from smoke or from heat? He didn’t care, as long as he could find Morgan.

He inched his way inside. Not fast enough. He couldn’t do this. It was too hot. The flame from a goddamn birthday cake was too strong. He couldn’t handle this.

It’s Morgan. He’s carrying your baby.

Another two feet. Ryan was right behind him, coughing. “Over there!”

Tears, scalding and shameful, streaked down Jamie’s face, but he saw what he thought Ryan was talking about. A lump of something lay crumbled on the floor, in a big pool of something darker. Jamie crawled as fast as he could. He wasn’t the one in trouble. He could move, and he wasn’t burning. He got to Morgan.

Morgan was warm to the touch, but so was everything else. The flames hadn’t quite reached him yet, but his beautiful face was streaked with soot. He was curled in on himself, and one of his legs was bent out at an impossible angle. A pool of blood started at his head and spread outward.

He’d taken a beating.

Jamie reached underneath Morgan and scooped him up in his arms. It wasn’t the best way to carry someone who’d been injured. Part of him knew he should wait, try to arrange something more stable with Ryan. There wasn’t time. He picked his boyfriend up and ran out of the house as fast as he could.

Ryan ran out behind him. Jamie ignored him. All he could think about was the fire. He carried Morgan to the SUV and kicked it until Ryan figured out what he was trying to do. Ryan opened up the tailgate, and Jamie deposited Morgan in the back of the vehicle.

“Is he burned?” he asked, cringing away from Morgan. All he could smell was smoke. The world was spinning, and everything was smoked pig and wood.

Phil slipped into the small space. He examined Morgan faster than Jamie would have thought humanly possible. “I see a few first-degree burns, but nothing serious,” he said. “He’s got a bad head injury, and he’s not breathing.”

Ryan grabbed a box from a net strapped to the side of the cargo bay, while Jamie stared in horror. “For the head injury,” he said.

Phil gave Ryan an old-fashioned look. “First aid kit. Cute.” He reached into his silver-colored bag and pulled out an airway bag. Both Jamie and Ryan gaped as he passed it over to Ryan. “When you were putting people through infirmary walls, did you learn how to use one of these?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Awesome.”

Jamie grasped, fully grasped, how serious the situation was when he saw the genuine relief in Phil’s eyes. He took hold of Morgan’s hand and kept an eye on the fire. It could jump at any moment — that happened in wildfires, he’d seen it in documentaries. “Save him,” he begged. “Please, save him.”

“We’ll try,” Phil said, and put a hand on Jamie’s head. It was just like he had when they were kids. “Call for an ambulance, would you?”

Then they got to work. Phil straddled Morgan and folded his hands and started chest compressions. Those were an awful thing to see, both because they involved bending and hurting poor Morgan’s ribs, and because they were manually forcing Morgan’s heart to beat.

Jamie had to step away and throw up. Phil and Ryan were literally making Morgan’s heart beat. His adrenaline was starting to die. The ground threatened to jump up and catch his face at any moment.

He tried to tell himself that meant Morgan could be saved. They wouldn’t waste their time if they didn’t think Morgan could come back from this. It was better than thinking about how they were massaging the actual heart of the man he loved, the man who was carrying their child inside his body.

The man who had tried to run away from him, presumably knowing he was pregnant.

Jamie shook his head. He’d heard enough to know Morgan had most likely been trying to protect him. Someone had tried to kill him, the broken leg and the pool of blood had proved that. Morgan had obviously been trying to shield Jamie from whoever had done that to him.

“Hey!” Ryan looked up from where he was using the bag, breathing for poor Morgan. “See if you’ve got a signal, and call for help.”

Jamie huffed out a laugh. His phone had been shattered by his own hip bone when he’d fallen last night. He wasn’t limited to his own equipment, though, was he?

He stormed up to Phil and picked his pocket. Last night, they hadn’t been able to make a call to save their lives, but now Jamie was able to get just enough of a signal to reach the hospital. And since it was Phil’s phone — Dr. Phillip Roscoe’s phone — they picked up right away.

“This is Jamie Roscoe, calling on behalf of Dr. Phillip Roscoe. He’s administering CPR to a non-responsive, pregnant patient. We’re at the terminus of Culver Mountain Road and we need immediate evacuation and medical attention. There is also a house on fire, fully involved, no remaining people inside.”

“Stand by,” the dispatcher told him in a calm, professional tone. “We’ll have a medevac chopper to your location as soon as possible. Please stay on the line.”

Jamie looked at the house, fully engulfed by now. They’d gotten Morgan out just in time. He could still smell his own flesh, scorching on the barbecue. He ignored it. “Will do, ma’am.”