Authors Note: Please note; that if you are offended by same sex material, please refrain from reading this chapter. But if you are not, then continue. Also if you have any comments, please e-mail them to admiralmmp@hotmail.com. Also please note that I have a complete collection of this story if you wish to have a full file of this story.

Chapter 16: Aftermath

Brian ran down the hall towards the room that held is friend, and his companion. Someone he loved more then anything the world, and someone that was almost taken away from him.

He arrived at the room that was Dan. He stopped before entering, and sighed. He hoped he was okay, and that nothing would happen to him anymore. He slowly opened the door, and looked in.

Dan lay on his back with oxygen running to his nose. He head was bandaged, and his right eye was covered. His right arm was in a cast from being broke, and his left leg had a large patch on it. These were small compared to what he had gone threw himself. He looked at the heart monitor and the beeping was soothing, but annoying. It told him that his lover was alive but that he wasn't out of the woods yet.

Brian walked over to the side of the bed and grabbed Dan's hand. He took it gently and kissed it. He stood there looking at him and holding his hand. He looked into Brian's eyes and smiled. He looked so perfect to him. He didn't care if there was permanent scaring or not, he was beautiful to him.

"Well. Don't just stand there, aren't you going to kiss me?" Dan said without opening his eye.

"What?" Brian was shocked. He thought that he hadn't waked him. "I am sorry I woke up. I didn't mean..."

"Its okay. I have been awake for a while. But I knew you were coming when you opened it so I thought I would play sleep." He laughed at this and then winced in pain. "Okay, that wasn't a good idea."

Brian bent over and gave him a kiss on the lips, but Dan wanted more. He drove his tongue into Brian's mouth and moved it around tasting his mouth and bringing it into his own.

"AHHEM!" A cough came from the door. Brian jumped up into upright position and whipped the saliva from his mouth. "Hi Dan. You must be Brian. I am Dr. Kane." He was an older looking man, with small glasses. He had a big smile on his face. "On of the nurses saw you bolting down here in a big rush." He laughed, and laughed in such a way that it reminded Brian of Santa Claus.

"Hi Dr. Kane." Brian shook hands with him. He had a little brightness in his cheeks. Seeing this Dr. Kano started to laugh again.

"Oh don't worry about that. I wont' tell anyone." He winked at Dan. "Now then. How are we this morning?"

"I guess I am okay. It hurts to laugh though." Dan said with a little wince.

"Well that should be normal." He looked at the vitals. "I do mean you broke two rib bones. But that is the most to your injury."

"What about the bandages on his head and eye?" Brains said pointing to Dan's head.

"Oh, there wasn't too much damage. His eye had some chucks of glass and dirt in it, but that should be fine. An optician will be down later to look at it. He has some glass and wood and what not in his scalp, so we had to shave it and take it all out. But you will be fine. Just no major horse playing, if you know what I mean." He laughed again, "But it should all be fine, and you can go home in about a week or so."

"A week?" Dan asked in a sad voice.

"Yes. We must make sure that you are okay and don't get any infection. After that you will come in for a monthly visit until we get those casts off you. Well I will leave you two alone and talk about what ever you want to. Just a caution, these rooms are semi-private. Nurses will be coming in and out now and then. So don't be surprised." He laughed and walked out the room.

Brian shook his head as he walked out, "Did you notice that he looks and acts like all the `stereotypes' of Santa Claus?"

"Oh don't tell me you believe in him still. I mean for crying out loud, you know it is impossible or that to happen." Dan responded in a British accent.

"Yes, but that is just amazing how he laughs like him. Oh well."

"So what happened? Last think I remember is that we were walking down the field, and there were explosions. After that, I woke up in the ICU, and they put me in here."

"Yea. They aren't sure what happened or anything, but they will. They think it was a hate group, and they wanted us to shut down, and since we didn't, well they wanted to teach us a lesson. As far as they can tell."

"But why would they do that? I mean they just don't understand do they?"

"Not unless they are in our shoes, or have compassion. But it doesn't matter. You area safe, and everything will be okay."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"And I do as well." Said a voice of a man coming into the room. It was Brian's father and mother. They walked in and went to the other side of the bed. "Everything is okay now."

"Thanks." Dan sat thinking for a moment. "What about finals they started today."

"Well schools canceled for the next 2 days or so. Seniors will have their exam in a week. School has been extended. You don't have to return until then. So you all should be good."

Brian walked over to the window. He saw Bertha in the park sitting in a bench. "I will be back later. I see Bertha down there and I want to talk to her."

"Okay hon." His mother said squeezing his hand. "Oh and Amanda said she would call you later. She and Tom said they had to attend to some things today."

"Okay." Brain said and he leaned over and kissed his mom, dad, and then Dan and walked out the door.

Brian stepped into the bright daylight and put his sunglasses on. He walked across the street and looked for the park bench for Bertha. He spotted her sitting at the bench next to the pound. She was looking into the water as the fish swam by.

"Well hello Mr. Brian. I am glad too see you are doing well. How is Dan?"

He walked and sat down next to her. He spotted a rock and picked it up to look at it. "He is doing better. He has to stay in the hospital for one week, but he should be okay. Broke a few ribs and a leg."

"That's good. At least he has lived." She looked up and looked at him. "But how are you?"

"Fine I would presume. I know I am not angry. I mean I am upset that this did happen, but I am not angry anymore. But I am confused."

"Confused about what?" Bertha picked up another stone.

"Well, I just don't know why he was hurt and I wasn't. I was just as close to the blast as he was, but yet I wasn't hurt as bad. I had a scratch here and there, but I wasn't hurt as bad."

"Hum, just some have worse luck then others I would assume. I wasn't' there so I couldn't' tell you."

"Why weren't you there?" Brian was surprised at this.

"Oh just did go to school that day. I wasn't feeling to well." She looked at the rock and handed it to Brian. "I wouldn't be surprised, if you were someone more special then you think you are. I must get to work. Since school is canceled, I got more work." She stood up and kissed him on the check. "You know something, I think you are." With that she walked to her car, got in and drove off down the road.

Brian watched her drive off, and then looked up at the hospital to the room, which he thought, was his lover. He sighed, and a tear fell from his eye. He looked at the two rocks in his hand. They weren't two rocks, but the were two half's to a heart that someone had dropped on the ground. They weren't plastic or cheap metal. They were shiny and golden looking. He put them into his pocket and walked back to the hospital to see on his lover.

When Brian got back to the room that Dan was in, he was asleep for real this time, and his parents had left to go to work. He was alone, and that was a good and a bad thing. He was alone and didn't have anything to do, so he could stay there until Dan woke again. However, he would have to find another way to amuse himself so as he wouldn't wake Dan.

He looked around the room and saw two magazines on the table. He grabbed the two magazines and walked to the chair in the corner by the window. One was a People and the other was Time. He didn't like either magazine so he just put the on the windowsill.

He saw people in the park. Kids were running around the park. Families were having a great time. Some new lovers were sitting under trees just holding hand. Others who were older were walking along the wood lines holding hands.

Children were playing near the pond or with dogs.

He looked into the pond, which was more of a lake, which had boats in it, doing different things, which the driver felt, must be done.

Tears feel from his cheeks at all the joy that was out there, and he was in here with someone he cared for, and that the world may never accept them.

He looked at were the open space met the forest to see two people walking on the path there. It was Amanda and Tom. They were waking at a fast pace. They looked up at the hospital and waved at Brian. He waved back at them and the hurried a little faster.

He felt that they had something too tell them that he wasn't good news. He stood up and looked at Dan to make sure he was okay and walked out the door.

Amanda and Tom were entering the lobby when Brian exited the elevators.

"I am so glad we found you." Tom was almost out of breath. "We called your house and no one was there. We thought you might be here."

"What's going on?" Brian directed them to some chairs there in the lobby.

"Do we have some were we can go that no one is listing?" Amanda looked around at people that were going in and out of the hospital. "I don't care really, but it would be better."

"I guess we can go back to Dan's room and maybe he will be awake." Brian shrugged.

"No. I don't think he should hear this either." Tom said with a shake of the head. "Lets go outside to the park. There are some places that aren't taken that we can have some privacy."

Brian agreed and the walked out of the hospital and to the park. The walked to the forest edge, and disappeared into the trees.

"Is this good enough?" Brian asked looking around to make sure no one was around.

"Yes." Tom said finally. "We have been getting calls all day from the members. They all want their names off the list, and they want nothing more to do with this. Apparently they have all heard that this is a hate crime."

Brian shook his head. "Why do they think that this is a hate crime? I mean I can believe it to a point, but nothing more."

"Apparently we were the only ones in the direct hit of the blast from the side." Amanda spoke up. "We believe it was an attempt at you, Dan and Tom here. I don't know how much against me..."

"Why Tom?"

"I am the Vice President remember." He shook his head.

"So they think it was set off just as you were passing by." Amanda stopped to catch her breath. "We went to see the Principal, but he had nothing to say about it. He just suggested that the club be shut down. I mean we aren't going to be here next year, mind we past English, but for all the other students here, they need something."

"Well if we don't have the support of the students, then we have nothing to support it. I am all for the support of this club, but I must say that safety is the first. Also we did rush this a little to fast, and make it grand. There for I will call for a vote of abolishment, and abolish the club. Maybe sometime in the future there can be something this grand. But now it isn't the right time." He shrugged.

"I would assume that is what you would have said, so we abolished it. The principal wanted to make sure it was okay with you, but we said we talked about it. So we lied." Amanda laughed.

"Okay then. I want to get back to Dan to be there when he wakes up." Brian started to leave.

"Are you okay Brian?" Tom put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yea. I will be fine." And he walked out of the forest area and headed back to the hospital.

"He will need some time, but he will be fine." Amanda just looked at Brian walk away and they both walked out themselves.