Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

and started wrapping or unwrapping various bandages.
    The trip to the drug store was harder than it should have been as Sebastian found out that asking questions about mixing cough suppressants, antihistamines, and anti-inflammatories got you stupid looks from the minimum-wage, name-tag crew and a hard eye from the head pharmacist. Saying you were buying it for a friend did not help the situation.
    Sebastian got home from that trip to find an overdue notice in the mailbox for the phone bill that his ex-roommate said he'd take care of before leaving since most of it was his.
    Physical therapy was gut-wrenching as Daren balled his hands into fists and let Sebastian manipulate his body until he was sweating and shaking, with the occasional cough. Then the kitchen tap started to drip and simply would not stop.
    By the time Daren was finishing off his chicken broth and rice, Sebastian just wanted to fall on his face and sleep for a week. Because of this, the knock on the door was particularly unwelcome.
    "Stay here." Sebastian whispered as he closed the bedroom door and raced for the front. On the other side of the peephole was Rachael and Tyrone. With Tyrone dressed in shimmering black and body glitter while Rachel was in denim and combat boots, they both looked ready for nights out at their respective clubs.
    He opened the door and tried to smile. "Hi guys."
    Tyrone spread his arms. "Sebastian, how are you doing?" Rachael used the momentary distraction to slip past Sebastian. He ran before she could get too far into the house, spreading his arms wide in hopes of corralling the two of them.
    "No." Sebastian said. "Sorry guys, but whatever it is, I really can't right now."
    Rachael glared at him. "We know you're not exactly Mr. Social, but even you don't go to ground like this. We just want answers."
    "And since when is my life your business?" Sebastian snapped, his eyes feeling gritty with exhaustion. "I'm fine."
    "Which is why you look like hell."
    "I'm fine, thank you; please leave."
    Tyrone laid a perfectly manicured hand on his arm. "We're just worried about you. Jimmy says you've got someone new, but you don't look that kind of happy."
    "Sebastian, seriously, if you're in something bad, just give a nod, and we'll deal with things."
    Sebastian had an idea of how Rachael would deal with things. She'd done two tours in Afghanistan with the USMC before Don't Ask, Don't Tell had caught up with her.
    "I'm fine, really, thank you. Jimmy doesn't know shit. I'll call when I'm up for being social again, okay?"
    There was a cough from the bedroom. Rachael and Tyrone swung their heads around like a pair of hunting dogs and within a second were on the move.
    Sebastian threw himself spread-eagle in front of the bedroom door. "Okay, just stop."
    "You're not going to convince us that wasn't from a person, so don't even try, sailor."
    Sebastian took a deep breath. He'd learned young that the best lies were ninety percent. "Yes, there is someone. I was just starting to see someone— someone neither of you know— when his family showed up and beat the living crap out of him." Both Rachael and Tyrone's looks hardened. Tyrone's managed to be scarier, despite the body glitter. "He doesn't have access to insurance without his family, so I've been taking care of him."
    "Jesus, why didn't you just say so? You think we've never seen a beat down before?"
    "I know. It's just a little worse than usual and a slightly complicated situation, okay? And he's still pretty messed up on all levels, and really, neither of us are up for being social for a while. And I'd really appreciate this not getting around."
    "What do you want us to tell people?"
    "I don't know. Tell them I have mono or something, and I'm sleeping twenty-five hours a day."
    Tyrone laughed a little. "We used to say a girl had mono when she was knocked up and missed a semester of school."
    "Fine, tell people I'm due in six months; I don't care. Just, please, we had a long night and a longer day."
    "Anything we can do to help?" Rachael asked.
    "Got access to a portable MRI machine and a top-flight orthopedic surgeon willing to work pro bono?"
    "No. I was thinking more like is there someone's ass we can kick for you?"
    "No. Thank you. That will be dealt with at a future date."
    "Call me if you need backup."
    "Absolutely." There was another cough from the bedroom.
    "What's your boy's name?" Tyrone asked.
    "Daren."
    "Daren. I'm thinking tall, thin, glasses, a bit nerdy, but kinda