“Lionel!”

                Andy entered the hospital room, relief potent on his face. I was sitting next to Lionel, holding his good hand gently. His parents were getting lunch.

                Lionel got a weak smile on his still-pale face. “Andy Cali,” he croaked. He had only been awake for about 3 days, and he could still barely speak. It made him exhausted to try to talk or to so much as try to move.

                Andy sat on his other side and grinned at him. “I knew you’d pull through. You ain’t a pussy Lionel,” he said with an affirmative nod.

                We sat in a fairly comfortable silence for a little until Lionel’s parents came back into the room with Mr. California. Lionel’s parents smiled at him.

                “We talked to the doctor, Lio, and he said you can go home within a week or so,” his dad said happily. I smiled and so did Lionel.

                And his dad was right. A little over a week later, I was ringing Lionel’s doorbell. His mom let me in and I went up to Lionel’s bedroom. He was lying on his bed with his eyes closed, and I was pretty sure he was asleep.

                He cracked his eyes opened and looked over at me. “Hey,” he greeted. “Hi,” I said and sat on his bed. I bent down and pressed my lips to his deeply. He kissed me back and grinned lightly when I pulled away from him.

                “You got home from the hospital this morning?” I asked and he nodded. His movements were still weak and he was still in pain, but he was having an easier time talking. He couldn’t talk for a long time, but enough to hold a small conversation.

                He shifted a little and winced. “Hey, don’t move,” I said as I laid down next to him. I kissed his cheek and took his good hand in mine.

                “My arms a bust. Pretty much useless, just like my hand,” he said with a sigh, looking at the arm he had shattered. “Damn cat.”

                “Did it even live, or did you just get blasted by a car for nothing?” I asked, raising my eyebrow. He shook his head. “No, the cat lived,” he said. “It’s front legs were broken, but its owners came to the hospital yesterday to thank me.”

                “Well aren’t you just such a hero,” I said sarcastically. Lionel rolled his eyes. “If I could punch you and break your jaw, you bet your ass I would,” he growled, glaring at me.

                “But, you can’t,” I said with a smirk and kissed him.

                Lionel sighed and I ran my hand through his hair gently. “I can’t wait until I can actually move around again. I hate being bedridden. I hate being stuck in the hospital, and now I hate being stuck in my freaking house. I’m too active for this,” he whined.

                “Don’t rush your recovery. You’ll be bedridden longer you dumb shit,” I said, rolling my eyes and kissing his forehead.

                “EJ, where does your dad live?” he asked, shocking me. “Uh…why?” I asked nervously. He looked up and into my eye.

                “Just wondering. Well?” he pressed, a curious yet determined look in his crystal green eyes. I nervously bit my lip and dropped my gaze away from his.

                “He lives about a half hour or so away from here,” I mumbled, playing with my hands. I hated talking about my dad. He had hurt me, even if it had been unintentional. He had hurt my mom by hurting me. She had cried so hard. If Tommy hadn’t been there for her…hell, she would’ve cracked for sure.

                “I want to meet him,” Lionel said simply. I stared at him as if he were crazy. He surely had to be out of his freaking mind if he actually thought I would go back to see my dad. I hadn’t seen him since my parents’ divorce.

                I barked out a bitter laugh. “You’re fucking crazy,” I growled and clenched my fists tightly. “I don’t care if you’re hurt Lionel. I’ll beat the shit out of you if you suggest that again. Got it?”

                He shrugged and winced in pain. His back was still bothering him. “Whatever you say, EJ. Whatever you say,” he mumbled, a thoughtful look in his eyes that I didn’t like. He was plotting something, and it involved me and my dad.

                “Lionel, I mean it. I’ll fucking kill you if you do anything involving my dad!” I snapped, glaring at him in disgust.

                He glanced at me and rolled his eyes. “Shut up and kiss me,” he snapped. I sighed but gently pressed my lips to his.

                “I wasn’t going to do anything. I was just asking. Calm down you idiot,” he said once I had pulled away from him. I didn’t believe him, but I didn’t see what harm he could do on his own. He couldn’t find my dad, and he couldn’t force me to go visit my dad or anything. I needed to just calm down. Lionel was harmless when it came to my dad.

                I took his good hand in mine and kissed his cheek. “You look tired. Go to sleep,” I said. He glanced at me and shrugged. “So do you. Sleep with me,” he said with a tired grin.

                “I can live with that,” I said, actually feeling tired myself. I shifted closer to Lionel and slid under the covers with him. Still holding his hand, we both closed our eyes and slept comfortably together.