Chapter 16

Trevor searched through the sterile hospital corridors until he found the emergency room waiting area. When he spotted Beth, Colby, and Lloyd huddled together, he started walking toward them but stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw the dark stains covering Beth's dress.

Blood. Nathan's blood.

The three of them noticed his frozen expression and came to him instead, understanding that the sight had hit him like a physical blow.

"What happened?" Trevor asked quietly, though his mind was already racing through horrific possibilities.

"Nathan's husband was at the ranch," Beth answered simply. "He assaulted him."

The words made Trevor see red. His hands clenched into fists, his voice rising despite the hospital setting. "Where's that motherfucker?!"

The outburst caught the attention of everyone in the waiting room. Beth immediately gripped Trevor's upper arm, her fingers digging in with enough force to ground him.

"Lower your voice," she ordered, glancing around to make sure no one else could hear what came next. When she was satisfied they had relative privacy, she leaned closer and whispered, "He's gone. Nathan killed him."

Trevor's eyes widened, the revelation hitting him harder than he'd expected. The thought of Nathan. Gentle, kind Nathan, being pushed to the point where he had to take a life to save his own made Trevor's stomach turn. He needed to sit down before his legs gave out completely.

"The doctors are taking care of him," Beth added, guiding Trevor to one of the plastic chairs. "It's been hours. We still have to wait."

Trevor looked at Lloyd and Colby, and for a moment, part of him wanted to blame them for not being there to protect Nathan. The accusations formed in his throat. Where were you? How did this happen? Why didn't you stop it?

But Trevor forced the words down, knowing better than to point fingers. He hadn't been there either when Nathan needed him most. Despite all his promises to protect him, despite swearing that no one would ever hurt Nathan again, Trevor had been thousands of miles away when the worst possible thing happened.

The guilt was going to eat him alive, but right now, all that mattered was whether Nathan would survive long enough for Trevor to tell him how sorry he was.

Two hours later, more than eight hours since Nathan had been brought in. Dr. Stafford emerged from the treatment area. He looked exhausted, his scrubs stained and his hair disheveled from the long surgery. Beth, Colby, Lloyd, and Trevor immediately stood as he approached.

"Nathan lost a significant amount of blood," Dr. Stafford began without preamble. "He has several broken ribs, some internal bleeding that we've managed to control, his left shoulder was dislocated, his nose is broken, and there's a fracture to his right orbital bone."

Each injury was like a physical blow to Trevor. His mind conjured images of the violence Nathan must have endured. The brutal beating that had left him broken and bleeding on that stable floor. Trevor's knees started to tremble, his chest tightening as panic began to claw its way up his throat.

Beth caught the signs immediately. Without warning, she turned and smacked Trevor hard across the face, the sharp crack echoing in the waiting room.

"You don't get to fall apart," she said firmly, her voice cutting through his rising panic. "Not right now. Not when he needs you to be strong for him."

The slap brought Trevor back to his senses, jarring him out of the spiral before it could take hold. Beth was right. Nathan needed him functional, not dissolving into panic.

Dr. Stafford didn't even react to Beth's intervention, simply continuing his report. "Even though the injuries are extensive, none of them affected his vital organs. My team managed to treat everything successfully. He'll remain unconscious for at least five days, and no visitors will be allowed for the next twelve hours. But if everything continues as expected, I'm confident he'll make a full recovery."

"So he's alive?" Beth asked, needing absolute confirmation.

"Yes. We're doing the best we can for him."

Beth sighed in relief, some of the tension finally leaving her shoulders. "Okay. Thank you, doctor."

Dr. Stafford nodded and walked away, leaving the four of them to process the news.

"You guys heard the doctor," Beth said, looking down at her blood-stained dress. "Now I should go back and change. Lloyd, stay with him." She pointed at Trevor. "Make sure he keeps his shit locked up."

Lloyd nodded his understanding.

"Come on, Colby," Beth said, and Colby followed her out of the hospital.

Lloyd settled into the chair next to Trevor, the two men sitting in the relative quiet of the waiting room.

"He'll pull through," Lloyd said quietly, his voice carrying the weight of someone who'd seen men survive worse. "He has to. He didn't end his suffering just for him to go with it."

Trevor didn't respond, couldn't find words that would adequately express the terror and relief warring in his chest. He just sat there, praying for the same damn thing Lloyd had said, willing Nathan to fight his way back to consciousness and back to the life they'd started building together.

—

Twelve hours passed like an eternity. Neither Trevor nor Lloyd had slept, surviving on nothing but hospital coffee and the kind of adrenaline that comes from watching someone you care about fight for their life. When the nurse finally appeared to tell them they could see Nathan, both men stood immediately, their bodies stiff from sitting in uncomfortable plastic chairs for so long.

Trevor stopped in the doorway of Nathan's room, his breath catching as he took in the sight before him. He needed a moment to process what he was seeing, to steel himself before getting any closer.

He turned to Lloyd, his voice barely above a whisper. "Will you give us a minute?"

The gruff, intimidating tone that usually characterized Trevor's voice was completely gone, replaced by something raw and broken.

Lloyd nodded, understanding. "I better head back to the ranch anyway." He paused, placing a gentle hand on Trevor's shoulder. "Remember, be strong for him. He'll need you when he wakes up."

Trevor nodded as Lloyd left, then slowly turned back to face Nathan.

The sight nearly brought him to his knees. Nathan lay motionless in the hospital bed, his right eye completely swollen shut and purple with bruising. His nose was bandaged, and there were bruises covering his visible hands and arms in various stages of healing. The ventilator and feeding tube seemed to overwhelm his normally gentle features, making him look smaller and more fragile than Trevor had ever seen him.

Trevor walked slowly to the bedside chair and sat down carefully, as if any sudden movement might disturb Nathan's rest. He reached out and gently placed his hand over Nathan's, feeling the warmth of living skin beneath his palm.

The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room, a mechanical rhythm that proved Nathan was still fighting, still here.

Trevor couldn't hold back his tears anymore. They came silently at first, then with increasing force as the weight of everything crashed over him. The fear, the guilt, the relief, the love, all of it pouring out at once.

"I'm sorry," Trevor whispered, his voice breaking. "I'm so sorry..."

He sat there crying as the monitor continued its steady rhythm, the sound both reassuring and heartbreaking, proof that Nathan was alive but a constant reminder of how close they'd come to losing everything.

—

Three days later, Nathan's left eye fluttered open, two days earlier than the doctors had predicted. His right eye remained swollen shut, the bruising still deep purple and painful to the touch. A throbbing pain radiated through his skull as he tried to focus on his surroundings, his mind struggling through the fog of medication and trauma.

The sterile white ceiling, the beeping monitors, the smell of antiseptic. Slowly, the pieces came together. Hospital. He was in a hospital. But why? His memories felt fragmented, like trying to assemble a puzzle with half the pieces missing.

As his vision cleared, Nathan noticed Trevor sleeping at the foot of his bed, his head slumped forward in what looked like an extremely uncomfortable position. Even in sleep, Trevor's face showed the strain of the past few days. Dark circles under his eyes, unruly hairs covering his jaw, worry lines etched deep around his mouth.

Nathan tried to speak, to call Trevor's name, but his throat felt like sandpaper. All that came out was a barely audible rasp. He winced and tried to shift position, wiggling his toes under the blanket.

The small movement was enough. Trevor jolted awake instantly, his eyes immediately focusing on Nathan's face.

"Oh my God, you're awake," Trevor breathed, scrambling to his feet. Relief flooded his features as he took in Nathan's open eye, the awareness there. "I'll get a doctor, okay?"

Before Nathan could attempt another sound, Trevor was rushing out of the room, practically running down the hallway.

He returned minutes later with Dr. Stafford, who immediately began his examination. The doctor checked Nathan's reflexes, his pupil response, asked him to squeeze his hand and move his fingers. Everything was responding as it should.

"This is excellent progress," Dr. Stafford said, making notes on his chart. "Much faster than we expected. We can remove the feeding tube and transition you to liquids. Water, broth, things like that."

Nathan tried to speak again, his lips moving, but only air came out. The effort left him feeling drained.

"I don't recommend trying to talk just yet," Dr. Stafford advised gently. "Save your energy for healing. Give it a few more days before you push your voice."

After the doctor left, Trevor felt a weight lift from his chest that he'd been carrying for days. He pulled out his phone and texted Beth: He's awake. Doctor says he's healing faster than expected.

Her reply came back almost immediately: Let me know when he starts talking.

Trevor pocketed his phone and settled back into the chair beside Nathan's bed, closer this time. For the first time in days, he allowed himself to believe that everything might actually be okay.