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"You're sure you're okay?"
He was pale and looked like he could do with a solid day of sleep but he smiled. "I just want to see Bailey."
A nurse took us down the hall. I paused Puppy outside the door. He shifted, seeming antsy. "Scott I want to see him!"
"I want you to understand that Bailey might be different when you go in there."
He bit his lip. "Different how?"
"Just different. He needs you to be supportive. Okay?"
He nodded his head. "Of course! He's my best friend. And I just got him back."
I could only hope that was still true.
I pushed the door open.
It was like seeing a ghost. He lifted his head to look at us.
"Bailey!"
Puppy flung himself at Bailey, hugging him. Bailey grunted. "Easy."
Brune side stepped around me resting his hand on my shoulder. "Waking up from a coma isn't like getting up from a nap alright?" He looked through a chart. "The nurse
sat him up. He's responding to some stimulation. He hasn't gotten to visual or auditory tracking yet so he'll be here a while."
"Bailey?" Puppy whispered.
Bailey continued to stare off into space. Puppy backed away into me. "He's scaring me."
"Think about it this way," Brune said as he signed something. "The lights are on but no one's home."
"Nice," I scoffed put off by the comment.
Brune spared me a smile. "Someone will be home eventually." He reminded me. "He's just taking his time."
"What's he looking at?" Puppy whispered.
"Nothing." Brune explained. "He's stopped grabbed at the IVs which is good. But I'll expect him to fall unconscious again at some point."
"What?"
"He'll be fine and come out of it again. It's just the stages." He replied. "I'm hoping that by next week he'll be able to communicate a bit more."
"A bit?"
"He's said a few words. Pepsi. King." Brune shrugged. "Ransoms things."
"King could mean Kingsley--that's his baby."
"Maybe." Brune shrugged. "Brain activity is returning though, amazingly enough."
Puppy pulled at my hand nervously. "He's looking at me."
I glanced up and sure enough Bailey's head had turned to side. He was staring in the direction of Puppy with a blank, chilling, unwavering look. It was like he was seeing through him.
I understood why it would be unnerving. I pulled him closer to me. "He's not looking at you, kid." Brune said. "The nurse just propped him up like that. He had just about no control of his body right now."
I didn't like how he was telling Puppy all this. And I wished I hadn't brought Puppy here at all. Brune had made it seem like Bailey would be lucid. My bad for not doing a bit of research before hand. "Look--maybe we should go."
"Wait," Brune sighed. "I'm sorry--I've got almost three times the patient load I should. I'm just stressed. I'm glad that you're here."
"I want to go Scott," Puppy whispered. "I don't like being near Bailey."
"Alright. Puppy isn't taking it well. It's fine--thank you for giving us this opportunity."
Brune nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow night?"
"Yes," I agreed. "Have a good day."
"See you tomorrow Scott."
***
Back at home Puppy went upstairs immediately.
I felt guilty exposing him to something so painfully...real. He wasn't ready for anything like that. "How's your friend?" Gretchen asked.
"He's doing...better. Isn't Leah supposed to be back?"
"Yeah she called me and said that traffic on the bridge is just awful--holiday rush, y'know?"
I nodded my head. Kingsley rolled off his mat and began to drag himself toward a toy. "Look it you!" Gretchen cried. "I look away for a second and you're gone!"
She scooped him and he giggled. I smiled and sat back. My phone went off as I received a text.
It was from Brune. I hope you're not too upset with me.
Upset with him? Why would I be? I replied, Of course not. You were great. Puppy just can't handle that kind of stuff well.
Good, Brune retorted.
I put down the phone with a sigh. "You okay Mr. King?"
"Fine. And call me Scott. I'm going to put in a load of laundry. You're okay down here right?"
"Of course we are, aren't we Kingsley?"
I smiled as I went upstairs. After putting in the wash I checked on Puppy. He was sitting on his bed, staring down at his feet. "Hey bud."
"He's not the same."
"He just seems like that right now okay? He'll get better."
"Will he? What if he doesn't know who I am anymore? Or who you are? Or Kingsley? And what's he supposed to do without his Dom? I'm scared Scott. I'm scared of him and I'm scared for him."
"You don't need to be scared." I stood him up. "He's just not feeling very good. Next time we visit him he will be better."
"He will?"
"Yes. Want to help me make dinner?"
"Sure." He decided. "Can we bake after?"
"We've done quite a bit of baking already." I reminded him. "Maybe we should take a break?"
"I like baking." He reminded me. "And we can make stuff for Bailey when he comes home!"
I sighed. "Well alright. We'll see what's left in the cupboards."
***
"Scott," he whispered, voice trembling.
"Just hold on," I muttered, increasing my pace.
I paused the stimulation I was delivering to him to halt his orgasm some. Puppy mewled and buried his face in the blankets. "Fuck," I hissed as my own orgasm hit me hard. "Come!"
Puppy obeyed instantly, body trembling delicately beneath me. I kissed his shoulder blade as I caught my breath. Puppy fell forward and I pulled out falling against the pillows and removing the condom.
Puppy rolled himself up in the sheets and looked up at me with hooded eyes. A sleepy smile drifted across his face. "I think I came on your comforter."
"I think you did too," I agreed with a small laugh. "But I forgive you."
He was quiet a moment. "What's Bailey going to do when he leaves?"
"Come here."
He slid up to me, still cocooned in his sheet. I pulled him against my side, under my arm. I tucked his head under my chin and wrapped his hand in my own. "I just want him to be okay." He whispered. "I want things to be like they were."
"It's not something that I can make happen," I reminded him. "Things change. We just need to stay positive about it. Alright?"
"Kyle left Bailey. I know how that feels. I don't want my friend to feel like that."
"That's because you are a very kind, sweet boy with the best intentions at heart." I kissed his cheek. "But you can't save him from this. All you can do is be there for him. Show him that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. You're the best person to do it because you lived through it. And you can out stronger on the other end."
"I did?"
"The Puppy I got is not the Puppy I have." I reminded him. "You're... essentially a different person."
"I'm not Puppy?"
I was quiet a moment. "I don't think so. You're someone... different. Puppy 2.0."
He laughed and then sighed. "I suppose that's a good thing."
"You'd be right." I reminded him.
"I've been thinking..." he began quietly. "What if I think it's time to stop being Puppy? What if I think it's time to be Charlie? For real this time."
I looked at him, stunned. "Are you sure? I want you to do this because you want to. Not because you think it's what I want."
"You were...you are my everything. And I want to be your everything. You've been taking care of everyone for past few months. And I think I'm ready to start taking care of myself." I looked at him nervously. "I'll never get over feeling like I'm not good enough. Or that you'll get bored and get rid of me. But I've been working hard on trying to get over it."
I was so stunned to hear him say this I honestly had no words. "Puppy--Charlie, I..." I was quiet for a moment. "Where is all this coming from?"
"Well." He sat up a bit. "I've been talking about this a lot with Robtoy and working on fixing me on my own, you know? I guess I have some serious mommy/daddy issues that I need to come to terms with." He laughed feebly. "But you've been doing so much for me. Too much. I feel like I need to pull my weight more in this relationship. Especially with all the extra stress on you."
Stress. Robtoy thought I was laying myself too thin. Was he behind this? "P--Charlie," I began. "You don't need to worry about this kind of stuff. I'm here to take care of you."
"I know that. And I like that you do. There's still a lot of stuff I don't really understand and I'll need your help. But I'm not Connor's stupid little Puppy anymore. I've grown up. We've grown up. I want to start taking the next steps. If-if you'll have me of course?" He asked hesitantly.
He was speaking so clearly. His words were thought out. He was... amazing me. "You're serious?" I asked. "You're ready for this?"
"I love you." He stated. He pulled himself up kiss me. "I want to be with you forever."
"And I love you." I smiled. "I want you to move in here with me. Permanently."
"Your room?" He asked seeming surprised.
"Yes. We can convert your room in a little den for us. When we want to be together without having anyone strolling through."
"Just for the two of us?" He asked. "No nannies or babies?"
"That's right."
"I'm so lucky that you wanted me," he whispered, resting his head on my chest. He yawned and wrapped his arms around me. "Good night Scott."
"Goodnight Charlie."
QOTC: THE END!
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