by Andria Large
Shock…Shea was in shock. He opened his mouth a few times to say something but nothing came out. Shea scrubbed his hands over his hair. “This is a nightmare,” he whispered, which was a lot easier on his throat.
“Yes it is,” Sebastian agreed.
“How long have I been out?”
“I would say a good twelve hours,” Sebastian replied. “The doctor gave you something to keep you under for a little while.”
Shea closed his eyes and dropped his head back to his pillow. He covered his face with his hands. “Is the house completely gone?”
“Yes.” Sebastian sighed heavily.
Shea wanted to scream. He had so many emotions building up inside of him right now that he felt like he was going to explode! He had to do something before he burst. He yanked his pillow out from under his head and covered his face with it. He screamed bloody murder until he had no voice left. When he put the pillow back behind his head, he glanced at Sebastian who was smirking at him.
“Feel better?” he asked.
Shea nodded jerkily.
“Okay, how about I go get a nurse and see if you can go visit Christian,” Sebastian suggested and stood.
Shea nodded since his voice was completely gone. Sebastian went to get a nurse, who came in, took out the catheter that he didn’t even realize was in, got him into a wheelchair, and hung his IV on the rack attached to the wheelchair. He wasn’t allowed to walk around on his own, yet. Sebastian pushed him down the hall to Christian’s room.
Sebastian knocked on the closed door of a room a few doors down before opening it and peeking his head in. He then opened the door wider and rolled Shea in. Quinn was sitting next to the bed, his arms crossed over his chest, a blank expression on his face as he stared at Christian. Shea hasn’t seen Quinn look like that in months. Shea turned his attention toward Christian, and thank God he was sitting, because he felt like his knees would have given out on him. Christian was laying there, tubes and wires coming out from everywhere, with machines beeping and clicking. This was his worst nightmare. Quinn glanced up, his expression never changing.
“Shea, how are you?” Quinn asked quietly.
Sebastian rolled Shea over to the side of Christian’s bed. Shea looked at Quinn and shrugged.
“Shea screamed his voice away,” Sebastian said, his lips twitching.
Quinn raised an eyebrow, but that was it. He didn’t say anything, and nothing else on his face changed, it was really freaky. Shea turned his attention back to Christian. He hated seeing him like this. Shea reached forward and slid his hand over Christian’s forearm. His stomach turned when Christian didn’t even so much as twitch. He hung his head, grateful that Christian was alive, but him being unconscious was torture for Shea.
Sebastian stepped up to the bed next to Shea and put his hand on Christian’s blanket covered thigh. “Has he gotten any better?” Sebastian asked Quinn.
Quinn nodded. “The swelling in his throat is starting to go down. The doctor said they should be able to get him off the ventilator in a day or two,” he said quietly.
Shea sagged in relief. That was good news. Now he just needed to find out how Skylar was doing. Shea tapped Sebastian’s leg to get his attention. Sebastian looked down at him and waited.
Shea mouthed, “Skylar,” to Sebastian, who frowned hard in confusion.
“Tiger? What the hell are you trying to say?”
Shea rolled his eyes and mouthed Skylar’s name a couple more times. Sebastian shook his head.
“Tyler? Sky mall? Skeet ball? Dude, I am so not getting what you’re saying.” Sebastian grunted.
Quinn sat on the other side of the bed, covering his mouth to try to hide his smile, but Shea knew he was laughing because his shoulders were shaking. Shea glared at Quinn and motioned for him to help. Quinn cleared his throat.
“Skylar, asshole, he wants you to find out how Skylar is,” Quinn said, and then muttered, “Dumbass.”
“Oooh, I get it now…Skylar…man, you’ve got to work on your pronunciation.” Sebastian snorted and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
Quinn snickered.
Sebastian called Henry and found out that Skylar was doing just fine and might even be discharged tomorrow morning. Shea was so fucking happy about that. Henry said that Claire and he would take care of her for as long as Shea needed, which was so nice of them. Henry and Claire were Skylar’s godparents and named in Shea’s Will as her guardians if something were to happen to Christian and him.
After about an hour of sitting by Christian’s bed, Sebastian took Shea back to his room so that the doctor could check him, and he can get some more rest. The doctor said that he would most likely be discharge tomorrow morning, which he was happy about.
“Alright man, I’m gonna head out, is that okay?” Sebastian asked, patting Shea’s leg.
“It’s fine,” Shea whispered since he got some of his voice back.
“Okay, give me a call in the morning and let me know what time they are going to discharge you,” he said.
“I will,” Shea agreed.
Shea then got a surprise when Sebastian leaned over and kissed the top of his head. “I’m glad you’re okay, brother,” he murmured before giving Shea’s face a pat and walking out.
Shea was still staring in shock at the door when it opened and Quinn walked in. Quinn gave him a small smile as he walked over to the bed, his hands shoved into his jean pockets.
“Listen, Shea…ah…you, Christian, and Skylar are welcome to stay with Margot and me until you find a new house. We have plenty of room now that we have a house, and I know Margot is dying to get some practice in with handling a baby, so…” Quinn said, trailing off with a shrug.
“Thank you, Quinn. That would be great. I’m sure Christian would agree,” Shea whispered sincerely, giving Quinn a grateful smile.
Quinn nodded. “Great, I’ll make sure the spare rooms are ready for you and Skylar since it looks like you are both going to be freed tomorrow,” he said with a smirk.
Shea smiled. “Okay, thanks again.”
“No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Quinn said then moved in to give Shea a hug.
Shea hugged him back. All of this brotherly affection was making his eyes watery. Quinn left and Shea’s room was suddenly too quiet. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV before closing his eyes and trying to get some more sleep.
~Chapter 12~
Henry rocked slowly in the glider that was in Adalyn’s room, only he wasn’t holding his daughter, he was holding Christian and Shea’s daughter. She was lying across his chest with her face snuggled up under his neck, passed out cold. Henry knew he should put her in the crib, but he just couldn’t do it yet. The poor thing had been through so much the past few days, and he just wanted to hold her and comfort her.
Shea was with Christian at the hospital. They were going to take him off the ventilator today and bring him out of his medically induced coma. The swelling in his throat had gone down and he should be able to breathe on his own. When Sebastian had called him and told him what was going on, he thought that he was going to be burying his youngest brother and niece. He would never be able to thank Shea enough for what he did, even if it was the stupidest thing he could have ever done.
A light knock on the doorframe brought Henry’s head up. Claire, his beautiful wife, was standing there with a soft smile on her face. She glanced at Skylar and cocked her head to the side, her face softening with love.
“She’s sleeping?” Claire asked quietly, her bright blue eyes lifting to meet his.
“Yeah,” Henry replied and rubbed the baby’s back.
“Is she still wheezing?” Claire asked with a small frown.
“Only slightly, it’s definitely getting better.”
Claire nodded and moved into the room, her strawberry blonde hair braided and hanging over one shoulder. She walked over to Henry and dropped a kiss on his lips before standing next to him with her hand on his shoulder.
; “I know Christian and Shea are going to get insurance money for the house, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take for them to get it. I want to give them some money to at least get clothes and other essentials that they’ve lost. Is that okay with you?” Henry asked, looking up at Claire.
“Of course it is, Henry. You didn’t have to ask me,” Claire said.
“We make all money decisions together, this is no different,” he said.
“I know, but Christian is your brother, and I will never go against you helping out your family when they need it,” Claire replied.
Henry smiled. “Thank you, Darlin’.”
“You are very welcome,” she murmured and kissed him again.
“I love you,” Henry whispered against her lips.
“I love you, too.”
Shea showed up at around 9:00 that night to pick up Skylar, then head to Quinn’s, since that’s where they were staying. Shea looked exhausted, both physically and mentally. Claire was feeding Skylar her last bottle of the night in the living room when Shea walked in. Shea smiled at his daughter and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“How was she?” Shea asked softly.
“Fine, no problems. She’s a good baby,” Henry answered.
Shea nodded. “Yeah, she is,” he agreed, smiling lovingly down at her.
“Shea, can you come into the office for a minute?” Henry asked and motioned with his head in that direction.
“Yeah, sure,” Shea said and followed Henry into the office.
Henry went over to the desk and opened the drawer where he put the envelope of money that he took out of his safe. He then handed Shea the envelope. Shea frowned and eyed it warily.
“What is this?” he asked.
“A gift to hold you over until your insurance check comes in,” Henry answered.
Shea’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Henry, no…”
Henry held up his hand and cut Shea off. “Please. You’ve been in the same outfit for three days because you won’t borrow Quinn’s clothes. You need things, and I want you to get them,” Henry said firmly.
“How much is in here?” Shea asked tightly.
“Ten thousand.”
Shea’s mouth dropped open and he started shaking his head furiously. He tossed the envelope back on the desk. “No, no I can’t accept that, Henry, it’s too much.”
Henry grabbed the envelope and shoved it back into Shea’s hands. “Shea, this is not up for discussion. Take the money, buy clothes for the three of you, get Skylar everything she needs, and be grateful I’m not buying you a house, because believe me, I’ve thought about it,” Henry said with a pointed look.
Shea paled slightly. “Oh god, please don’t do that.”
“Then take the money,” Henry insisted.
“I’ll pay you back,” Shea said.
“The fuck you will.” Henry snorted. “Don’t even think about it, I won’t take it. I have money to spare and this is how I choose to use it. I can never thank you enough for saving my brother and niece, but this makes me feel like I’ve at least done something for you in return.”
Shea nodded. “Thank you, Henry, I really appreciate it,” he said humbly.
Henry pulled Shea into a hug. “I love you, man, you know that right?”
Shea nodded again. “I love you, too,” he whispered.
They separated and headed back out into the living room. Claire was burping Skylar. She smiled at them when they walked in.
“Let me know if you need help shopping for Skylar, I love buying girls clothes,” Claire smiled.
Shea smirked. “Okay, I will.”
Henry and Claire helped Shea gather up the small amount of things that he still had for Skylar and followed him out to his truck. It was the stuff they kept in a diaper bag in Christian’s car – the only stuff not burned in the house. Shea thanked them and gave them both a hug before getting into the truck and leaving. Henry put his arm around Claire’s shoulders and pulled her close. Claire patted his chest.
“I’m so glad that Shea and Christian are together,” Claire said.
“Yeah, I really don’t think they could have done any better than each other,” Henry mused.
Christian sighed in relief when the doctor said that he was good to go and could be released from the hospital. A week was enough; he was ready to go home…well, not to his home…Quinn’s home. The swelling in his throat had gone down by the third day of him being in the hospital. They brought him out of his medically induced coma, but kept him in the hospital for another four days, just to make sure that his throat and lungs were healing and not getting worse.
He was still in shock that this happened, that he and Skylar almost died, but Shea saved them. He ran into a burning house before the firefighters and saved them. Christian was in awe of his lover and best friend. Every time Christian looked at him now, the love he felt for the man grew tenfold.
It took another three hours before the nurse came in with the discharge papers. By that time, Christian had taken a shower and got dressed in the new clothes that Shea had brought him. Shea told him about Henry’s generous gift, and honestly, he wasn’t all that surprised. He knew his brother, and his brother liked to help his family when he could. And when it came to money, he most certainly could. So Shea had gone out and bought Christian a few starter outfits. They weren’t anything Christian would normally buy, but Shea admitted to not having a clue, so T-shirts and jeans it was.
“Ready to go?” Shea asked.
“God, yes,” Christian replied, his voice still hoarse.
Shea smiled and held out his hand. Christian smiled in return and threaded his fingers in Shea’s. They walked out of the hospital together and headed for Quinn’s house where everyone was going to be to celebrate him coming home from the hospital. His family was nuts, but he loved them just the same.
Christian was showered with hugs and kisses and he finally got to see Skylar. She wasn’t allowed to visit him in the hospital because she was too young. Christian hugged and kissed her and fought back the tears that threatened to fall. Thank god she was okay. After hearing how the fire started, he felt like it was his fault, and that she had been put in danger because of him. Shea tried to convince him that it was just a freak accident, but he still felt that way about it.
Later on that night, after everyone left and Skylar was asleep, Christian and Shea got into bed together. Shea lay down on his back and Christian crawled over and wrapped his body around him. Shea sighed contently and kissed Christian’s forehead as he hugged him tight.
“I missed you,” Shea murmured quietly.
“I missed you, too,” Christian sighed, snuggling his face into Shea’s neck.
“I’m so fucking glad you’re home.” Shea grunted as his hand snaked down Christian’s back to squeeze his ass.
Christian kissed Shea’s neck and rolled his hips forward. Just being this close to Shea again had him hard and ready to go. His cock rubbed along Shea’s, which was also hard. Shea shoved a hand into Christian’s hair and pulled his head up so that he could kiss him. Shea rolled them over so that he was on top. He kissed Christian with a desperation that Christian had never felt from him before.
“God, I love you,” Shea rasped as he dragged his mouth down to Christian’s neck.
“I love you, too,” Christian whispered.
Shea kissed his way down Christian’s body, stopping only to bite his nipples. Christian had to stifle his shout because they were in Quinn’s house and they couldn’t be loud. Shea rose to his knees and tugged Christian’s underwear off. Shea then shoved Christian’s knees apart and immediately took his cock into his mouth. Christian shoved his fist between his teeth to keep from crying out. His other hand went to rest on top of Shea’s head. Christian’s hips flexed in time with Shea’s movements, digging his head back into the pillow, struggling to keep his moans inside. A knock on the door right before it opened brought Christian’s head up. To his horror, Quinn walked in.
&nbs
p; “Hey guys, I just wanted…Fuck!” Quinn cried out as his eyes widened on the scene in front of him. He quickly slapped a hand over his eyes and turned around. “Shit, fuck, shit, sorry!”
Shea’s mouth came off him with a pop and Christian saw Quinn’s whole body cringe and couldn’t stop the smile that curled his lips. “Dude, what the fuck? Don’t you know how to wait for an answer before opening the door?” Shea snapped, looking over his shoulder at Quinn.
“Fuck, I’m sorry! I wasn’t thinking you’d be sucking my brother’s dick for Christ’s sake!” Quinn groaned painfully.
“Just be glad that Shea still has his underwear on. Otherwise, you’d have gotten a whole lot of ass and balls in your face.” Christian laughed.
Quinn groaned again and shook his head. “Shut up, Christian. I so did not need that visual in my head.”
“What did you want?” Shea asked.
“I just wanted to see if you guys needed anything before I went to bed,” Quinn said.
“Yeah, privacy.” Christian chuckled.
“Goddammit,” Quinn muttered. “I could have gone my whole life without seeing that,” he said as he walked out and shut the door behind him.
Christian covered his face and laughed. Shea got up and quickly locked the door before he hopped back on the bed.
“Shall I continue?” he asked with a smirk, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, please,” Christian growled, all humor gone in an instant.
Shea smiled seductively as he leaned back over to take Christian back into his mouth. Christian’s breath caught. Shea was getting really good at blowjobs; he remembered everything that Christian said that he likes and applied it, usually sending him over the edge in a couple of minutes.
Shea only continued for a minute before he pulled back and got rid of his underwear. Christian lay there panting while Shea grabbed the lube from the nightstand. Shea then kissed him as he slathered lube on both of them.
“I want to be inside of you when you come,” Shea whispered huskily against his lips.
Christian moaned low in response. Those were the best orgasms in his book. Shea grabbed him and flipped him over, yanking him up to his hands and knees. Christian felt a rush of excitement. They haven’t done it this way in a while, usually liking to be face to face. He also liked when Shea manhandled him a bit, turned him on big time. Instead of a cock, a finger entered him, making him gasp.