When AJ woke from his anesthesia there was really nothing he wanted to do more than go back to sleep. Fire burned in his shoulder, a low heat that was muted under the drugs in his system. But it was enough to let him know that, when the medication wore off, he was going to hurt like hell. But he kept quiet as he lay there, slowly coming back to himself. The more he came out from the anesthesia the more he started to hurt but he gritted his teeth and kept it inside.
When he closed his eyes for a bit he drifted again. The next time he opened them he was in a different room, this one obviously a private room. The fog on his brain wasn’t as heavy as it had been before. He was more coherent. He remembered, clearly, what had happened. Fucking hell, Brian’s dad had shot him in the shoulder. The shoulder! That son of a bitch.
Poor Brian! He could only imagine how Brian was feeling. If he knew him at all he would bet that Brian was battling with the worst kind of guilt ever. It wasn’t his fault, but Brian wouldn’t see it like that. He’d take on the guilt since it was his dad who had done it.
Licking lips that had gone dry, AJ looked around his room, hoping to see someone. There was no one there. Dammit, where was Brian? He pushed the pain to the back of his mind as best as he could. With the arm that didn’t hurt he reached out and pressed the call button on the side of his bed. Not even a full minute later a nurse came in.
“Mr. Mclean! You’re awake!” the woman exclaimed happily. She walked right over to start checking his vitals. “How’re you feeling? How’s your pain level?”
“Fine.” AJ croaked out. His throat felt just as dry as his lips. Hearing this, the nurse held out a cup for him to drink from. AJ gratefully sucked on the straw, taking little drinks as she directed. When he finally had moisture back in his mouth and throat he laid his head back. “My pains fine. Where’s Brian?”
“Pardon?”
Turning his head toward her, AJ gave her a serious look. “I know he’s got to be out there somewhere. Brian Littrell. I want to see him.”
The nurse checked his bandage efficiently as she answered him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mclean, but only family is allowed back. You had a serious surgery today. I’ll send the doctor in to speak with you shortly if you feel up to it. You’ve been in and out, slowly waking up, for a couple hours now.”
A couple hours? Surgery? Fuck! That would give Brian plenty of time to build up a guilt trip. If he wasn’t careful there was a small chance Brian might talk himself out of being with him. He couldn’t let that happen! A gunshot pain was nothing compared to the pain of losing Brian. He had felt that once before; he knew which he would rather live through. “That’s all good and well but I want him back here. He is my family. He’s my fiancée.”
“Let me fetch the doctor. Once you talk to him you’ll feel better, I’m sure.”
Before he could protest again the woman had disappeared out the door. AJ scowled after her. She had completely ignored him. Annoyed, AJ looked at the buttons on his bed. He found the one he wanted, raising the back of his bed a little more so he wasn’t so slanted and was more upright. Just as he did, the door opened and the doctor strolled in.
“Well, I’m glad to see you awake! You gave us quite a scare for a while on the table, Mr. Mclean. How’s your pain doing? We can adjust the medication if you’re hurting too much.” The doctor informed him. He was a young fellow to be a doctor, maybe in his thirties. Bald as can be, but with a smiling face and happy eyes. AJ didn’t really care.
“What you can do for me is to get me my fiancée. I want to see him.”
The doctor, his tag read Dr. James, shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mclean, but only family is allowed back here. I can’t permit your…boyfriend…to be back here.” He explained, some of his smile slipping. AJ didn’t miss the way his voice caught on the word ‘boyfriend’. So that was the way of things. Well, God damn it, he had just been fucking shot and sewed back together and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with someone’s homophobia!
AJ grabbed a hold of the bed railing and pulled himself more erect. As soon as his back left the bed, forcing him to sit up and bear his own weight, pain exploded in his left shoulder. He gritted his teeth against it and turned, letting his legs swing off the bed. God bless the sling they had him in. Without that he would have been in tears.
Dr. James rushed forward, putting a hand on AJ’s good shoulder. “Mr. Mclean, please! Lay back down or you’re going to tear your stitches and damage the work we’ve done. There was quite a bit of damage in your shoulder that we had to repair. The last thing you need is to be upright and moving!”
With strength of will born by anger he swatted the doctors hand away and grabbed hold of the bed railing as he put his weight on his feet. His legs wobbled but held underneath him. The pain in his shoulder intensified enough that he gasped in air, which only made it hurt worse. Dr. James pushed on his good shoulder, sitting him back on the bed. “I must insist that you stay in bed. You are not ready to be up and walking about yet!”
“Then I suggest you go and get Brian for me before I walk down the God damn hallway and get him myself!” AJ bellowed out at him. “It is my right to have him come see me and your homophobia is not going to get in the way of that!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sound of shouting caught Brian’s attention. The nurse had just left after letting them know that AJ was awake again and doing well. Howie and Nick had arrived by then and the four of them sat inside the private waiting room, waiting until they had permission to visit. Which, from the way the nurse was acting, wasn’t going to be any time soon.
Ignoring his friend’s conversation, Brian stood up and moved to the door. That voice sounded like AJ. But what on earth would he be shouting for? Not realizing that the others had gone quiet and were listening as well. Brian opened the door and stepped into the hallway, looking curiously down the hall. There it was again!
That did sound like AJ. But what would he be yelling for? Brian ignored everyone else and started to step down the hallway. His friends followed behind him. As they got further down the hall the yelling started to become clearer. They rounded a corner and the words were suddenly understandable.
“I don’t give a flying fuck what you think or what your Goddamn hospital policy is!” A slight pause, and then AJ was louder still. “You prejudice bastard! I want to see him and I want to see him right the fuck now!”
A blush filled Brian’s cheeks. Behind him the guys started to chuckle. “I’d say someone wants to see you.” Kevin teased him lightly.
There was a loud roar that took away all their laughter and had them hurrying forward. Someone tried to step in front of them, saying “You can’t be back here!” But Brian just brushed around her and kept going, following the voices. He found AJ’s room easily enough and opened the door despite the nurse who was now tugging on his arm and insisting that he had to leave.
Brian’s mouth dropped open for a split second as he saw the scene in the hospital room. AJ was at the edge of his bed, swaying on his feet, one hand holding on to the bed railing. His eyes were tight with pain and anger both and his skin was so pale he was almost a ghost. He wore only his hospital gown but underneath it on the left shoulder there was a large bulge from the bandage. The lower part of his arm was held in a sling against his chest.
The doctor was standing in front of him, trying to physically help him back into bed. It was obviously where AJ needed to be. But Brian could see that he was resisting with everything he had, which wasn’t very much right then. The doctor was trying to talk over AJ, telling him that he needed to get back in bed before he tore his stitches and AJ was shouting right back at him. It was both heart breaking and wonderful to see AJ.
Shaking the nurse off his arm, Brian stepped the rest of the way into the room and folded his arms across his chest. Right then he needed to focus on getting AJ back into bed. “Alexander James Mclean, do you have to shout down the whole hospital?” Brian scolded. He didn’t shout or holler, but spoke in an even, firm voice. It had the instantaneous effect of shutting AJ up.
Love filled AJ’s gaze as it snapped over to Brian and focused on him. “Brian.” He said softly.
The doctor turned to face him, his face still set in angry lines. He took a step away from AJ. “I’m sorry but you can’t be in here. This part of the hospital we only allow family to visit the guests.” He said firmly. Brian just ignored him and strode forward. Uncrossing his arms he placed his hands on his hips. “What on earth are you doing out of bed? In case you didn’t now you were shot and went through surgery.”
“Someone mentioned it.” AJ chuckled weakly. Now that the anger was gone he looked even more pale, if that was possible.
Brian rolled his eyes and took hold of AJ’s good arm, helping to boost him back into the bed. “Then get back in there right now. You’re supposed to be resting, not shouting so loud that I could hear you hallways away.”
In short order Brian had him sitting back in bed and had helped lift his legs back up. With calm movements he pulled the blanket up and tucked it in around AJ’s waist. Then he brought a hand up, brushing it across his face.
AJ gave him a small smile that held a hint of pain around its edges. “I couldn’t help it.” He murmured in a deep, raspy voice. “I can’t stand homophobia. I wanted to see you. Had to know you were ok.”
“So you potentially injure yourself in the process?” Brian scolded him. Inside he was almost glowing at the thought that when AJ woke up his first thought was for him. It was a wonderful compliment, and so like AJ that he had to smile. “Well, I’m here now. Let me take care of things, ok? I won’t have you hurting yourself more. Let me get someone in here to do something about your pain, baby. I can see how much you’re hurting.”
“No narcotics.” There was a fierce look in AJ’s eyes, yet it held a note of pleading. It took just a second for Brian to realize what his lover meant. When he did his whole being softened. He leaned in and kissed AJ’s forehead. “No, no narcotics, baby.”
When AJ closed his eyes, content to rest for a moment, Brian turned to face the room. Kevin and the doctor were currently arguing in hushed tones near the door. “Excuse me!” Brian called out, gaining their attention. The doctor, he saw his name was Dr. James, turned to face him with an angry expression on his face. “You cannot be back here. I will call security to remove you if I need to.” He instantly told them.
Brian gave him a steady glare. “Oh, we’re going to be calling someone. I want the hospital administrator down here within the next fifteen minutes or I will walk right out those front doors to where all the reporters are waiting for news on the famous AJ Mclean and I will tell them that the doctor that treated him is a homophobic who won’t allow the patients significant other into the room because of his bias. Take your pick on which one it’ll be.”
“Are you blackmailing me?”
“You’re down to fourteen minutes, doctor.” Brian told him, looking down at his watch. “I suggest you hurry.”
Confident that what he wanted would be doe, Brian turned back to his fiancée and ignored everything else. He picked up the cup of water, holding it out to AJ. “Take a few sips for me, baby. You probably burned your throat out shouting so loudly.”
Content now that he had what he wanted, AJ drank from the cup before resting his head back again. He really was hurting, quite a bit, and without the anger there to help keep it at bay it was starting to get to him. “Hurts.” He mumbled into the quiet room.
Brian ran his hand over AJ’s forehead again. “I know, baby. Someone will be here soon to help, I promise.”
“M’kay. Don’t leave.”
A smile curved Brian’s lips. He couldn’t resist leaning down and kissing him. “I’m not going anywhere unless they force me. Don’t you worry about it. Just rest for now, ok?” Very quietly he started to sing, any songs that came to mind. Anything to keep AJ distracted. It seemed to work cause AJ’s eyes drifted shut again and his lips were curved in a small smile.
With one minute remaining Dr. James and another man walked into the hospital room. The other man was much older, maybe in his early fifties with completely silver hair. His face had the lines of a person who had smiled and laughed plenty in his life. By the suit he wore, Brian knew this was the guy he wanted.
“What’s going on here?” the man said firmly as he stepped into the room. He walked with an air of confidence about him, testament to the fact that he ran this place. “I’m being told that you’re refusing to leave this hospital room. This patient may be your friend but we have rules and regulations here that must be followed.”
Brian looked over to his three friends. They moved to stand by the bed with AJ while Brian took a step forward. “I understand that you have rules, sir. But I also know that we have rights. One of which is to be treated with courtesy and respect. To not be subjected to someone’s prejudices.”
“Prejudices?” The man boomed out at him.
“Yes. Under normal circumstances, if a person had been shot and was in their own private room, would it be permitted for a fiancée to visit them? Especially if the patient is severely agitated and trying to leave their room and seeing their fiancée is all they want?”
The administrator gave him a firm look but he nodded. “It isn’t policy, but a fiancée is about the same as a spouse. With a situation like you’ve described, it would indeed be in the patients best interest to bring in the person they so desire to see. Any doctor would do it.”
It was all Brian could do not to shoot a smug look to Dr. James. “Your patient here is my fiancée. Just because we’re a gay couple does not mean that we’re not entitled to the same rights as everyone else. But your Doctor has issues with homosexuality and so he would not allow me back here, despite the fact that my partner was trying to walk out of the room in his effort to see me.”
From over in the bed AJ rolled his head toward them. His voice was weak when he spoke. “He told me that hospitals don’t recognized perverse unions as being legal or legitimate and he was not required to honor it.”
The administrator looked around he room at them all before focusing his gaze on a suddenly nervous Dr. James. “You, report to my office. We’ll discuss this there.” Once Dr. James was gone, the older man turned back to Brian. “You, keep your man in bed, would you? I don’t need a constant ruckus back here. The rest of you can’t stay, though. I can only bend policy so much. I’ll have a new doctor assigned to this case.”
Brian finally gave the man a smile. “Also , if you don’t mind.” He added on. “I know I put it in his paperwork, but there seems to have been a mix up. AJ’s a recovering addict, so he doesn’t take narcotics for pain, but they have him hooked up to a morphine pump. Can we get something else in here for him? He won’t press that button for the pain relief.”
“I’ll set someone on it.” He assured them all. The man moved toward the door. He paused there, giving them one final wry look. “I suggest you others say your goodbyes quickly. You’ll have about ten minutes until the new doctor arrives, and I’m only putting down permission for Mr. Littrell here to visit.” That said, he turned and left the room.