Jamie scratched at the stubble on his face. He could still smell the smoke. It didn’t make sense.

They’d washed Morgan – they’d had to, if they wanted to get at the bloody gashes and operate on his broken bones. Phil had let Jamie shower here in Morgan’s room, too, because he knew how much the smell of smoke would trigger him. The only things Jamie should be smelling right now were antiseptic and drying plaster.

He could still smell smoke. The stink of it would probably linger somewhere in the back of his throat until the day he died.

He held onto Morgan’s good hand. “If I were as badly beat up as you are, I’d probably stay under too." God, poor Morgan was a mess. He’d be in pain for a good long while.

There probably wasn’t anywhere on his body that didn’t hurt. It was the head injuries that had Jamie the most worried.

“We saw the ones that did it, you know. When we were going up the mountain, we saw two guys coming down. We were suspicious, but we didn’t have time to stop them. We only cared about getting to you.

“In hindsight, it’s the right decision, but maybe we should have called someone while we still had reception. I don’t know. The cops will get them.”

“I was so glad, Morgan, that we found you in time.” He stopped to check the machines connected to his lover. There were machines monitoring his breathing, his heart rate, his brain activity, everything.

Every machine had a different sound, a ping or a soft beep that would normally drive Jamie up a wall. Today he had to be grateful for them, because they were proof of life.

“I guess we didn’t really get to you in time,” he sighed. “If we’d gotten there just a little sooner, maybe we could have stopped it. I don’t know.

“I mean, Ryan, at least, could have taken those guys. He says he could have, and I believe him. He’s pretty strong, you know? I’m looking forward to you getting to know him.”

He licked his lips. Would Morgan want to get to know Ryan, or the rest of the family? Jamie shouldn’t make assumptions. So many parts of his life had been damaged by assumptions; he should know better by now.

The whole family had made assumptions about Ryan, and look where that had gotten everyone. Jamie thought he was on pretty solid ground when it came to Morgan, though.

“I can’t say for sure what kind of trouble you’re in. I hope you’ll tell me when you wake up. The CT scans are a little scary, but Phil says you’re a fighter. “

“He says the sooner you wake up, the better your chances are. You’re going to get through this. I know you will." Jamie rubbed his thumb along the back of Morgan’s hand.

“Anyway. I might not know what kind of trouble you’re in, exactly, but I also don’t care. I love you. I want to be with you. “

“I want us to raise our baby, together, here in Culvertown. I want us to be a family. I want for you to be comfortable, Morgan. I want for you to be safe, and I want for you to always know there’s someone around who loves you unconditionally."

Jamie kissed the knuckles on Morgan’s hand, one by one. Morgan couldn’t feel it, had no idea, but it made Jamie feel better. “It’s up to you, of course. It’s all moving pretty fast, but it’s not like we don’t know each other.”

“And whatever you decide, you’re going to have a roof over your head. A place with running water, and electricity, and a sewer connection that doesn’t involve scorpions. Even if I weren’t feeling insistent about it, my mom is. It’s that whole saving-my-life-twice-in-one-night thing.”

He sat up straighter in an attempt to stretch his back a little bit. He’d been sitting for so long, in these uncomfortable hospital chairs, he thought he was going to get a pinched nerve. Of course, Morgan was a lot worse off, so Jamie probably shouldn’t complain.

“He’ll get more than a place with the basics, Jamie." Lincoln’s soft voice drowned out the incessant beeping. “It’s definitely the least we could do." He stepped into the room and pulled the other visitor chair up to Jamie’s side. “How’s he doing?”

Jamie couldn’t look at his father. “No change. But hey, he’s breathing on his own and everything, so that’s a good thing.”

“Better than the alternative, that’s for sure." Lincoln stretched his long legs out. “So, I’ve just heard from your cousin, the chief of police. Between the composite sketches the three of you gave, they were able to find the men who did this to poor Morgan, here. They were pretty open to chatting.”

Jamie did a double take. “Just like that?”

Lincoln shrugged. “Your cousin always says he rarely gets to meet the smart crooks. Anyway, they said they were sent to take care of Morgan because he’d reneged on a debt to a drug dealer. They don’t know the dealer’s name, but they report to a man by the name of Titus, who reports up to some Captain.”

Jamie bristled. “Oh, I know who Captain Ice is. Not his name or anything like that, but the guy’s a maggot. Morgan’s not on drugs.”

“I’m not saying he is, son." Lincoln put a hand on his shoulder.

“It feels like it." Jamie glared.

“That’s probably because you’re in love. According to the fine, upstanding young men who battered Morgan and left him to cook, Morgan was ‘new.’ When he got mugged, he probably lost whatever product he was trying to sell. And if he didn’t have it…”

“That explains the debt. Christ, I’d have helped him if I’d known." Jamie rubbed at his face again. “But it’s not like he would have told me, at first.”

“No." Lincoln gave a wry smile. “I suppose not. I’ve spoken to some of my lawyers. It’s true that Roman Patrick cut off his access to any joint accounts, but they think he should be able to sue for back pay. I’ve got them working on it now, just in case he makes that choice.”

“Why would you do that?" Jamie tilted his head.

“One, because that young man saved your life. Two, because he’s apparently carrying my grandchild. Three, because I’d rather Morgan didn’t have to make choices out of financial need. That is, after all, most likely why he chose to try to sell for this dealer in the first place.”

“Four, because it will piss Roman Patrick off, and while he’s always been the aggressor in our little war, I do like the idea of making his day a little worse.” Lincoln smirked, and then he sobered.

“Jamie, we need to talk.”

Jamie stiffened. “Dad, I’m in love. I don’t care that he was trying to sell drugs. He didn’t have a choice. I don’t know the details, but he didn’t feel he had a choice.”

“That’s not what we need to talk about. I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about your decision to hide a major medical issue from your family." Lincoln gave Jamie a serious look. “Why would you do that?”

Jamie froze. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t bullshit me, Jamie." He held up a hand. “Phil didn’t break your confidence, which may be the one time he’s ever honored HIPAA for a Roscoe. Your older brother, on the other hand, absolutely read your mother, me, and Liam the riot act for not paying enough attention.”

Jamie buried his face in his hands. “It’s not like he was here either,” he muttered.

“No. But that’s not his fault. And he trusted the rest of us to look after you. He’s right.

“It was wrong of you to hide an injury that required skin grafts, for crying out loud. That’s major surgery, and it’s not like we wouldn’t have been supportive. But we also should have realized you weren’t the kind of guy who knocks off for multiple two-week vacations at a stretch." He shook his head.

“You guys were busy." Jamie looked back at Morgan. “You had a lot going on, between Tommy and the family business and everything.”

“Plus, after the way things shook out with Ryan, I can see where you might not trust us to be particularly understanding." Lincoln grimaced.

“No." Jamie licked his lips. “That wasn’t it. Remember, by that point, I was just as guilty as anyone else when it came to Ryan. It’s different.

“It was … well, I got hurt because I did something incredibly stupid. I didn’t want to admit it, and I didn’t want to come to family for help. I wanted to sit there and deal with it. I was a drunken idiot who turned himself into a human barbecue because of his own ego. I needed to deal with it on my own.”

Lincoln put an arm around Jamie’s shoulders and pulled him in gently. “Jamie, we’re supposed to be a family. If you’re hurt, you can count on us to help you. Tommy’s in rehab, right? And you can say he hurt himself, can’t you?”

Jamie cringed. “Don’t say that where Ryan can hear you.”

“Ryan’s a smart guy. He understands what’s going on." Lincoln smiled gently. “But he also doesn’t want Tommy to suffer for what happened; he wants him to get better.

“No one in your family would want you to suffer in silence for what happened, even if it was your own fault. We only want you to get better, as much as it’s possible. Okay, son?”

Jamie blinked away tears. “Yeah, Dad." He leaned into his father. “I love you. Thanks for not being Roman Patrick.”

Lincoln laughed. “You’re welcome. You take good care of this young man, okay? I kind of like him."

Jamie smiled. The monitors beeped, continued, proof of life.