Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

first then breakfast?" Daren went a little pale at the word shower, but then he always did.
    ****
    Sebastian rubbed what he hopped were soothing circles on Daren's chest with a gloved hand. He knew this wasn't exactly getting easier for Daren, but his reaction seemed to depend on the day. Today, he was twitching and trembling, and for once, his eyes weren't squeezed shut. Instead they were focused on a little chip in the bathroom tile in front of him.
    "Things are looking better." The clear liquid diet seemed to be helping. "We should only have to do this for another day or two."
    Daren just nodded, not taking his eyes from the chip.
    Sebastian pulled off his gloves, gave his hands a quick scrub, and put on fresh ones. For six months when he was nine, he'd lived with a family that had samplers with bible sayings or similar things in every room. It was the family that basically turned him into an atheist, but having the words "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" hanging at the foot of his bed had caused something to sink in.
    He grabbed the soap to give Daren a wipe down and paused. There was a little black smudge behind Daren's ear. He gave it a little rub with one finger and found it came off. In his haste to get the more traumatic bits of shower time over with quickly, he hadn't exactly lingered over little smudges.
    "You've got dirt behind your ears." Daren didn't react, but now that the swelling had mostly receded he noticed some smudges on Daren's face that weren't actually bruises. "Would you like a toothbrush?"
    Daren's head snapped around. "Oh, God yes." Sebastian found a little travel toothbrush still wrapped in plastic. Daren held it a little awkwardly in his left hand, but as he started scrubbing his teeth, his body began to relax and a look of peace spread across his face.
    "How about if I get a bit more of the dirt off, then wash your hair?"
    Daren nodded, even as blood was starting to come to his lips.
    Sebastian dug out a clean wash cloth and some fancy vanilla shower gel a roommate's girlfriend had left behind and got to work. As he carefully scrubbed, he was ashamed to note how much dried blood there was in the little cracks and crevices of Daren's body, starting with just the backs of his ears. The patches of Daren's skin that weren't bruised were so pale as to be nearly translucent once the dirt came off. He also managed to avoid the wounds carefully covered in cling wrap. He'd have to get more soon.
    As he worked on down, he found a definite no-go zone that started a bit below Daren's mid-back and ended a bit above his knees. Daren's muscles would start to twitch and tense if he even got close. Sebastian did his best though, even working the cloth between Daren's toes— the non-broken ones at least.
    "Do you know how long you're supposed to have your toes taped up for?" The nails were the same unhealthy color as much of Daren's face.
    "They said a month."
    "When did you break them?"
    "About two days before…" Daren petered out.
    "Were they supposed to be re-bandaged at any point?"
    Daren shrugged. "Probably."
    Sebastian put “Re-bandage Toes” on the day's care list.
    By the time Sebastian was tucking Daren back into bed, Daren was practically asleep in his arms. He also had what might possibly have been the smallest hint of a smile around his lips.

CHAPTER 3
    Sebastian was feeling good as he sorted out Daren's pills for the next few days. He'd managed a bit of a nap on the sofa, fed himself a Hot Pocket, and was now feeling the sun through the kitchen window as he dropped pills into one of those sorters with the days of the week.
    When he was eleven he'd lived with a family who was also taking care of the husband's elderly mother. He still remembered the pill sorter. Not a little strip, it was set to handle pills five times a day. He'd liked the old lady and one day he hung around while she was given her afternoon pills. When her daughter-in-law turned her back, she stuck out her tongue, showing Sebastian the pills she'd supposedly just taken. Sebastian had tried not to giggle, and she'd thrown him a wink.
    He gathered up Daren's afternoon pills and a large glass of cranberry juice and headed to the bedroom with a bit of a spring in his step.
    He found Daren shifting around and trying to sit up. "What's wrong?"
    "My arm itches." He gestured with his chin to the left one. "Burns a bit."
    Damn .
    Sebastian set down the juice, grabbed his kit, and slipped on fresh gloves. He'd been worried about