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***Mark's POV***

There are moments that are so dark that we cannot expect illumination. All hope retreats. It is in those moments that miracles find a place to bloom.

Setting my book to the side, I ponder the words with great depth. Even in the roughest waters, a fish finds a way to swim. In stormy skies, birds still fly. In the thickest of fog, a breath will still be taken.

One look at my love tells me that it is not time to wake him from his forced slumber. The medicine he takes is a sedative. Giving his body time to heal, it takes him under without mercy. As in any induced state of rest, waking up is a tribulation all on its own. The hangover is almost as bad as the sleep deprivation.

I slip from the bed, tucking the sheets around his form. Sebastian is acutely unaware that I have moved. I have been in this loop for a while now. It's best to move along, accepting the monotony of each day with grace. It is what is best for him. Although, it is boring for me.

I close the bedroom door behind me as I retreat from our personal cave. So many days and nights are spent fighting mental battles in that room. I am almost ready to evict us. I don't know how much longer I can stand the four walls that cage us with reminders of his health.

"He's still sleeping?" Mak raises his brow in curiosity. I merely nod while shuffling to the counter to grab my cup of coffee. As always, Mak has it sitting ready for me to greedily accept.

"Is he feeling any better yet?" Grey looks at me with concern. He pulls his own coffee from beside mine. Grey's hand cups my shoulder. He gives me a reassuring squeeze.

"I don't even know. Communication is a bit lost most of the time. I never thought it would be this hard to watch someone you love go through this. I wasn't prepared." I honestly admit some of my somber thoughts.

Making my way to the table, I sit in the chair that has been pulled out for me. I grab my fork to partake in the breakfast that has been prepared. It's amazing that these two never complain at how little I actually contribute. Mak and Grey just do it over and over again.

"It gets better. Don't worry. We are in the eye of the storm. Everything will pass. We will see sunshine once again." I know that optimism anywhere. I smile at Mario while he winks at me. A small chuckle vibrates behind my lips. That man could see roses where only weeds grow. I envy that.

Gavin walks through the door with a soft pitter patter of his feet. These days, he comes in silently. His joy only bursts when my love decides to join us. I know how hard that must be for our boisterous friend. He dims his light until he reads the room. Gavin is extremely perceptive. He always brightens up at exactly the right moment.

"How's my favorite patient?" Gavin sits across from me, in his daddy's lap. Alex whispers words of praise to the boy for handling himself with such poise. Honestly, it just makes me feel worse. Everyone has to bend to contour to Sebastian and my current crisis. It sucks.

"He's sleeping." I stare off into space wondering how much longer this will be my answer. I miss my boyfriend. I miss his smile. I miss his laughter. I miss everything.

"I assumed so much." Gavin nods quietly. He slips from Alex's lap. We all know he is going to assess "his" patient. This is the norm. Gavin has made it his personal responsibility to be Seb's private nurse. It is appreciated.

"Will you be in the office today?" Grey questions me without authority. In all of this, he has not pushed me to leave Seb's side. I work from home. I know that my presence is missed. My work has not faltered. That is the very least I could give.

"No, sorry." I whisper my regret. I want to go back to the times when work antics overflowed into home antics. Unfortunately, that has been so far away that I barely remember our early days when Mak and Grey flirted like teenage lovers. I often forget how much they sacrifice to house Seb and I. They would never admit that.

"So, guess it's my turn to be the bad guy." Kip stands up, drawing attention to himself as his large frame comes towards me with purpose. Kip's hand makes contact with the back of my skull causing me to choke on the half chewed bacon that is now lodged in my obstructed throat. I cough relentlessly. My hand runs over the spot that was just assaulted.

"Fuck." I growl out once I manage to effectively swallow my food. Shaking the stars from my watering eyes, I send Kip my best glare. He simply shrugs my evil look off as if it has no weight in this argument. It probably does not.

"Stop worrying. All you do anymore is stress. All those thoughts about being a burden are trash. We are your friends, your family. We do what we can because we love you. Please stop stressing over things that don't bother anyone else." Kip throws a napkin at me as a robust chuckle falls from his lips.

"I know. I'm just tired. I want things to get better. I need Sebastian to feel better. I'm just worn down." I drop my head into my hands as the reality of my statement weighs me down. I know I'm not handling this as well as I should. I don't know how I am expected to do this. I just do my best and pray that it's enough.

My Seb is so physically diminished from every medical procedure. Each medicine comes with a list of side effects that seem to come to light as soon as the poison hits his system. Sebastian doesn't complain. I never know how he is really feeling. I'm left to guess. On the outside it's easy to see the dark circles, pale skin and the tired eyes. On the inside, I can only imagine what it feels like for your body to wage war against you. All I know is that he never deserved this.

"You're handling it. Every single day, you do all that you are able to so that Sebastian has as little to worry about as possible. That's why we help. You cannot do everything. You were not meant to. You're doing great Mark." Alex comes around to me, pulling my head up as he smiles down on me. "My best friend deserves you. Everything else is just what it is. You are why he is fighting. Don't forget that."

Alex's words are uplifting. In the depth of the seas that threaten to drown us, these people are my life line. We will get through it. No matter how long it takes, we will rise above the thrashing waters.

"What's all this about?" His scratchy voice sends shivers through me. Immediately, I rise to meet my love as he slowly enters the room. The room is silent as we witness the smallest of miracles. Sebastian hasn't been out of bed in weeks. He hasn't walked, unattended for so long I had wondered if he would ever be able to.

Sebastian sinks into my embrace as we meet. My first instinct is to bury his head in my chest, caging him in with my arms. The feeling of him in my hold is so completely gratifying that I sigh. I know I just slept beside him. It's not the same. When your man is sleeping you are only getting physical reassurance. Sebastian being awake is something I have missed profusely as he has been sleeping almost twenty-four hours a day.

His weight is much lower than he has carried in quite some time. I notice the deflated muscles. His hip bones are easily sharp against my fuller figure. He is still beautiful. That will never change.

"I'm so glad your up." I whisper into his neck as my chin nudges his head up. His skin still smells of the oatmeal wash that I sponge bathed him in late last night. I place a soft kiss against his exposed collarbone.

"I feel a lot better. It's weird. I can't remember when I felt this good." Seb pulls away from me to hook his arms around my neck. I smile as he descends on my lips. If a moan slips out of my mouth, it is gobbled up completely by his satin lips. I kept chapstick on them while he was out. He would be upset if his delicious lips were anything but perfection.

"I love you. Fuck. I'm so happy." My voice almost cracks. I love him so damn much that it hurts. My heart swells when he says the words back with his thumb rubbing across my kiss touched lips.

"I'm starving." Seb moves his hands down my sides, pulling my waist towards him. He leads me back to the table. I reclaim my seat. Seb sits in my lap. If I wasn't so damn shocked that he is alert, he may have to deal with a hard cock against his ass.

"Is this even possible? You have been down for a while. How can you be so normal?" Mak picks at his waffles. He looks at Sebastian like some sort of anomaly. I'm on the kid's side. This is surreal.

"It's extremely possible. The body has a way of healing when undisturbed. Sebastian has in a sense been hibernating. While other functions were deprived of use, his organs took the chance to become stronger. We see this a lot in medically induced coma patients. It's a vital tool in healing victims of traumatic experiences." Gavin smiles knowingly. Alex rewards his boy's intelligence with a kiss to his neck. Alex runs his fingers soothingly through Gavin's hair before cupping Gavin's face gently.

Sebastian gratefully accepts the nurse's explanation along with the fork I pass to him. We sit in a companionable silence among our friends. I smile while Seb fills his belly with solid nutrition.

When I see that we are close to finished with our breakfast, I scoot from beneath Seb. With a kiss upon his temple, I part from my love to clean up the mess that we have scattered across the dining table. Mak steps up to help. I appreciate the help. We work through the mess quickly. When all of the dishes are stacked in the dishwasher, I start it. Mak puts away the last of the food. Mario walks around cleaning the counters behind us.

Soon the entire house is bustling to get to ready to leave. Seb sits on the couch with his feet propped up on the ottoman. I help where I can, locating keys and wallets.

"If you're up to it, this weekend, we are having a baby reveal." Grey softly offers my baby a place for us to spend Saturday, outside of the house. Seb looks over at me questioningly. I nod my head, thankful to step outside of these walls for any amount of time.

The adoption is going smoothly. Grey and Mak met with Tatyana. They fell in love with both her and the baby. Tatyana agreed to an open adoption without pause.

Grey and Mak go to every appointment, spending additional time with their child's mother whenever possible. They provide her with far and above her needs. The girl has continued going to college with their financial aid.

In the end this is what life really boils down to. You climb, you stand, you tumble and fall. All that really matters is that you get back up and face the darkness. Dawn will always find a way to make itself present.