As the night goes on Jake just holds Ethan as he wakes up on and off holding him in his arms as he cries and sobs into his chest, trying his best to calm him down a little. He knew Ethan needed to let it out, let it all out. Let out Ryan's death, that he couldn't say goodbye the way he wanted to, that he couldn't tell Ryan he forgave him and that he loved him, and now his mom and dad.

He lost everyone he loved in such a short time and his brother being in a coma that he is amazed Ethan is still standing and not trying to hurt himself or anyone else just to escape the pain he feels.

As Jake is thinking all of this, he didn't realize Ethan had fallen asleep. He looked down and kissed Ethan's forehead and he used his free hand to wipe the tears from his own eyes that he didn't know that formed until one fell on Ethan's cheek when he kissed him. He closes his eyes and says a silent prayer for Ethan and goes to sleep.

Ethan wakes up around ten and feels a strong arm around him and smiles. He looks up and sees Jake's sleeping face, mouth open a little and breathing softly. He studies his face, such a strong jawline and stubble that grew overnight and his light pink lips full and sweet looking.

He slowly moves Jake's arm and gets out of bed without making noise and goes to the bathroom. He washes his face and brushes his teeth. He walks back into the room and puts on his boxers, sweats and tank top. He puts his flip flops on and hat and sunglasses. He grabs his phone and he walks to the door and looks back to make sure Jake is still sleeping before opening it walking out.

The heat of the morning hits him like a ton of bricks and he catches his breath before calling Emma.

"Hey Em, I'm alright. I should be heading out in the morning, yea the plane needs time to get here so can't just leave whenever, yea I called them and talked to them about my family, yea mhm yea I'll be by the hospital when I get back and I'll let you know when I'm home. Ok, I love you too Em." He hangs up the call and walks to go get some food. He hasn't eaten much lately and he's needing food, he can feel his body getting weaker every day.

He walks into the chow hall and everyone looks at him when he opens the door. Everyone is quiet and he just stops, waiting for someone to say something and when no one does, he walks up to the line and puts food on a tray and grabs a bottle of sprite and pays for it and sits at a table in the middle of the room. Everyone is still quiet. He sighs and looks around at the guys.

"Guys, thank you for all of your support and everything you have done, losing Ryan and now my parents, it's hard I'm not going to lie but I'm not always going to cry. I do that in my own time, it hits me out of the blue mostly when I'm alone so please don't look at me like that, I can't take the looks. Just talk to me, joke around with each other like you were before I walked in, laugh, have fun because if we all can learn something from this, it's that life is short, and we should live it like there is no tomorrow. Yea God I miss Ryan so much and I regret somethings that I couldn't and didn't do but I'm not going to stop living my life, he nor my family would want that so please, live your lives guys. I'm leaving tomorrow to go home for three God damned funerals and I'll be coming back as soon as they are over, I made a commitment and I will be here to see it through, it's my baby and it's the one thing I haven't lost, yet anyways. While I'm gone, and you have a minute, do me a favor? Look out for the crew, bring them water and lunch if you can, I usually do that, but I won't be here, so it would be a load off my mind not worrying about them while I'm gone. They are my responsibility and I don't want to leave them, but I have no choice." Everyone is still looking at him and no one speaks until finally Ethan hears the sexy mainly tone from the man he spent the night with.

"Don't you worry, the crew will be taken care of." Jake said over by the door, standing there looking at Ethan.

Ethan smiles up at him and he walks over to him, places his hands on Ethan's cheeks and kisses him, in front of everyone. Everyone is shocked including Ethan. Ethan falls into the sweet kiss and moans softly and when Jake pulls away, he smiles at Ethan.

"Good morning, I woke up and you were gone. You look sexy today."

"Good morning Jake, I was starving so figured I would come get some food plus I called Em, told her I would be home tomorrow sometime." Everyone is still quiet and is listening to them.

"Do you feel like you're in high school when the jock kisses the nerd and everyone is in shock and staring and listening to them not knowing what to say?" Ethan asked.

"Yea, I do." Jake laughed as he looked at the guys. "You heard the man, he said live our lives and that's what I'm doing so live your life. Stop gawking at us and either sit and join us or not, choice is yours but I'm going to join and eat lunch with him. I'm going to get some food, be right back." Jake gets up and goes to get food, a few guys sit at the table with Ethan and one puts his hand on Ethan's shoulder and nods.

Ethan nods and they start talking, they tell him stories about Ryan and the crazy things he would do to pass the time. They spent hours in the chow hall just telling stories and laughing like no tomorrow.

It was good for Ethan to hang out with the others for once and get to know them better. Jake was by his side all day, laughing and having a good time. Ethan invites some of them to his room to toast a drink to Ryan, his closest friends in the sandbox as they called it.

They leave and go back to his room and Jake goes to get more glasses from his room.

"Can I ask something that's personal Ethan?" Jones asked sitting down.

"Sure."

"How long were you and Ryan together?"

"Well not long before y'all left honestly but, in the time we were, I fell in love with him so easily. It was easy with him, it felt right and when I got here, I didn't tell him I was coming and well you know what happened after that. He made me feel like I mattered for the first time in a long ass time man, I felt his love for me and that is what I remember when I think about him, I don't think of how he hurt me, that isn't even important to me anymore, if I could I would tell him I forgive him and would be with him again."

Jones nods and sighs. "He was a great friend, we were like brothers. We did almost everything together and when he came out to me, he was scared because he didn't know if it would affect our friendship, mainly he didn't want me thinking he was into me which he wasn't, but I didn't care. It didn't change the man I knew. He was one hell of a marine and an even better officer. He is missed dearly around here."

"That he is, his smile. That smile was a killer smile." Stevens said. They all nodded in agreement.

"That was the one thing that drew me in instantly after I actually looked at him after we hooked up one night." They all look at him.

He laughs knowing they are wondering what he means. Ethan tells them about the first night he met Ryan and how they ended up together.

"So, you ran into him like actually ran into him, grabbed him and just kissed him, not knowing he was gay?" Jones asked, chuckling.

"Yup, I knew at that moment I wanted to feel his lips on mine and nothing was going to stop me, thank God he responded because I didn't want to get my ass kicked by him or his buddies if he was with anyone, but he wasn't, and I didn't. Since that day, we have been together a lot."

"Wow that's ballsy man." Jones said, and everyone laughed.

"I got some balls, I'm not scared of much at all. He knew who I was before we met also, he didn't tell me he knew but he did tell me eventually."

"How did he know you?" Stevens asked.

"He saw me in magazines and the paper."

"Are you famous or something?" Jones asked.

"I am in the business world, hence why I'm here for the over see of the hospital. It's my design and the company thought it would be best if I were here to see how it progresses and well, I wanted to see Ryan..." He says the last part in a whisper.

"Wow, what does your company do?" He asked not wanting Ethan to get sad. Ethan explained what his company is about and what they do.

"So, you own a lot of properties all across the state?"

"Yes, my belief is for the company that has been passed down from my father is that we help, not rob. Meaning we do whatever we can to help save people money or save their business, yes, we own a lot of properties and businesses but, we don't control what they do. A lot are local businesses in small towns and big cities, they come to us when they are in trouble and we help them, we do whatever they need and when they succeed, that's all that matters, not the money. We are one of the very few businesses in the country who do that, that is why we get so many investors and people coming to us for help because they know we won't rob them blind and we do help. The family business has been up and running for nearly thirty years so we gotta be doing something right."

"That's amazing. You don't hear that often these days, these days it's all about the money and not caring what kind of mess you leave behind."

"Exactly. You know the major disasters, hurricanes earthquakes and floods, my company would hit the ground and help whenever and however we could, we didn't ask for a thing in return and didn't care. We are a people's company, we help the people. That may make me seem like I'm full of myself but y'all know me, you have seen me work my ass off over there at that hospital and have spent time with me, you know I'm anything but full of myself, I'm just proud of my company and what we do."

"As you should be, when we get home, I would like to see this company of yours, if that's alright with you?"

"Of course, all of you could come by. It's across the street from my bar, oh speaking of, I gotta check on Julie when I get home to see how it's going."

"So, both of your businesses are right there, you don't have to drive far haha." Jones said laughing.

"Nope, not at all." Ethan gets his phone out and pulls up a picture of them in front of the company and shows the guys. He shows them a picture of him in front of the bar on opening day and of the inside.

"I've been there, it was the night Jacob was yelling at you and I stepped in." Jake said from the door. Ethan and the guys looked at him. It took Ethan a minute to remember.

"Yea you came up and asked if there was a problem and you called me boss."

"Yup, Jacob knew who I was and still had the balls to get in my face, he wasn't happy the next day." Jake said, smirking. He put the glasses on the desk and poured JD in each and handed a glass to all the guys.

"To Ryan, he was one of the few and very proud this world has ever seen. You are missed my friend and loved. Fly high Ryan, we miss you." Jake said.

"To Ryan." Everyone clinked their glasses and drank the JD in one down.

"Ethan?" Jake said looking at him.

"Hm?"

"I'm going with you tomorrow, I don't want you alone going through all what you are about to face. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not, thank you. I don't want to be alone either. Yea I'll have Emma, but she has her family so she can't be with me the whole time."

"Good, anything you need, let me know."

"Whose Emma?" Carter asked, he has been quiet just listening to them talk, of course he would laugh along with the guys but he has always been quiet.

He is tall at six three, light brown hair and hazel eyes.

"My best friend since kindergarten. She's a sweetheart but also a firecracker, don't piss her off is all I'm gonna say." He pulled up a picture of her and showed them.

"Wow, she's beautiful." Jones said looking at the picture.

"I'll be sure to tell her husband you said that. He's a seal so I'm sure he would love to hear that." Ethan said laughing.

The guy's face went pale. "I'm kidding, he's a good guy. He would just say I know, I'm lucky and that'll be the end of it."

The guys face relaxed and Ethan chuckled.
"Y'all are a good group, I can see why Ryan and you all were good friends."

"We have served together for a long time, been through a lot of shit and came out stronger in the end. I miss him." Stevens said, and they all nodded.

Ethan pours another drink for them and down it again. They hang out and talk for a bit before they say goodbye and tell Ethan to travel safe.

They leave, and Jake sits on the bed and Ethan is at his laptop, working on something.

Jake watches him as he goes from tab to tab to word to media player. After a bit he plugs his phone in and adds whatever it was he was working on onto his phone.

"What did you do?" Jake finally asked. Ethan forgot he was in the room and blushed a little.

"Sorry, when I get to working on something, I forget about everything all around me. I was working on a playlist for the funeral. My mom and dad's favorite songs with pictures as a slideshow to play before it starts and after. It took a lot more time than I thought it would, I had a hard time making it. I choked up a few times looking at pictures and listening to the songs, I don't know how I'm going to get through this. I am going to be burying my parents, how am I going to get through that Jake?"

Jake sighs and just looks at Ethan. "One minute at a time, I will be there by your side the whole time so if you need anything and I mean anything, you let me know and I'll do it."

"The only thing I need is my family back." He said as tears fell onto his cheeks. Jake felt his heart breaking.

"I know, that is the one thing I wish I could do for you more than anything else. If I could you bet I would do that for you Ethan." Jake gets off the bed and kneels in front of him and wraps his arms around Ethan and pulls him onto his lap and holds him.

"I want to go to sleep, I'm exhausted." He said into Jake's chest.

"Ok, come on, let's get you to bed." Ethan stands up and takes his shoes off and lays down. Jake lays down and pulls the covers over them. Ethan's back to Jake's stomach and he puts his arm around Ethan's waist and pulls him close to him and kisses his neck.

"Good night Ethan." He whispers.

"Good night Jake."