Alex was asleep again, drool dribbling down his chin. He had been waiting for Thomas to wake up for what felt like ages, and he really needed to take a nap. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, either, since he had so many essays to finish. Whether it was personal essays or school essays, he just wanted to get them done.

   The Hamilsquad was asleep also, snoring their adorable little heads off. They were so overwhelmed by the day's events that they, like Alex, needed a rest.

   Right as Alex was entering a pleasent dream that involved Thomas in a tuxedo and a fancy restaurant, he was awoken by a voice.

   "L-Lexi?"

   Alex jolted awake, sitting up in alarm. He wiped the drool from his chin and looked at Thomas' bed, hoping thar he hadn't dreamt Thomas' voice calling to him.

   Even in the dark, Alex could see that Thomas' beautiful brown eyes were open and glossy with tears of trauma.

   Alex pretty much fell out of his chair. "T-Tommy..?" he whispered, blinking rapidly to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating.

   Thomas nodded, tears beginning to flow down his face. He reached his arms out as if begging for a hug.

   Alex immediately embraced Thomas comfortingly, rubbing his back. "Oh, Thomas...I'm so glad you're okay..."

   Thomas couldn't speak. He was so relieved that he was all right and so happy that his lover was right beside him through this difficult time. Because of his not knowing how to talk, Thomas simply nodded and returned the tight hug, sniffling cutely.

   Laf woke up at the sound of Thomas sniffling. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, his eyes widening once he saw the two men embracing each other. "M-mon ami?" he whispered breathlessly, unbelievably happy to see Thomas awake.

   Thomas reluctantly released Alex, looking at Laf, tears streaming down his cheeks. He nodded once more, holding his arms out again. He just wanted hugs.

   Laf gladly obliged, hugging Thomas as tight as he could without hurting him. "I missed you, mon amou--mon ami," Laf said, pulling apart and acting as if his slip-up with his words never happened.

   Since Alex was fluent in French, he understood what Laf was about to say. His stomach did a somersault. He looked down, hoping that Laf didn't mean what he was about to say.

   But that didn't matter, anyways. The important thing was that Thomas was awake, and, for the most part, healthy.

   Thomas knew French also, since he visited France so often. He, too, had heard Laf's slip-up. He visibly raised an eyebrow. He decided to shrug it off, thinking that, much like Alex, Laf didn't mean what he said.

   Laf mentally slapped himself. What the fuck, Laf? he thought, biting his lip softly as blush scattered across his face. Nervous sweat dotted his forehead, thinking that either Alex or Thomas was gonna say something.

   But nobody uttered a word.

   That's when John woke up, making Laf sigh with relief.

   John looked up at Laf first. "Laf..? What are you--" Then his eyes moved to Thomas, and he fell out of his chair in shock. "Ow."

   The slam of John hitting the ground woke Herc up. Herc sat bolt upright. "Wha--? The bowling ball monsters?" He then looked over at the awake Thomas, his eyes widening. "Well, I'll be damned."

   Silence rang throughout the hospital room. The men were staring at one another. They seemed to be talking to each other with their eyes.

   Then, the doctor came in to check Thomas' vitals.

   The doctor noticed Thomas'...awakeness...and smiled. "Ah. I see Mr. Jefferson is awake," he said, his voice smooth and even.

   Everyone nodded. "Indeed, I am..," Thomas said weakly, finally finding his voice.

   The doctor smiled again. "All right, then. I'm gonna check your vitals, okay, Mr. Jefferson?"

   Thomas nodded, shifting positions.

   The doctor did a few different tests on Thomas: Blood pressure tests, temperature tests, pulse tests. And they were all looking normal. Like he hadn't been shot at all.

   "Your vitals are looking great, Mr. Jefferson," the doctor said, tucking away all his tools. "You should be out of here in no time."

   Thomas was begond relived to hear that. He hated hospitals. Everything about them screamed "people are dying in here." Not to mention all of the germs.

   "Okay. Thank you, doctor," Thomas said with a slightly pained smile.

   "Uh...when will he be able to leave?" Alex asked. Although he didn't want himself to, he was thinking about all the school he would be missing for Thomas' sake.

   "A few weeks," the doctor replied.

   "That doesn't really sound like 'no time' to me," Alex mumbled.

   The doctor heard Alex's remark and decided to brush it off. He had been through a lot. "Have a good night, you all."

   And with that, he left.

   Thomas shuddered. A few weeks? He had to have been able to leave sooner. That was just too long for a germaphobe to spend in a hospital. "A few weeks is too long," he said aloud.

   John rolled his eyes. "Come on, Thomas. What if your stitches split? Then you'll be able to get them back in no time. If you were at home, you'd probably bleed out."

   Yeah, John wasn't the best at comforting people.

   Thomas rolled his eyes also. "Thanks for making me feel so much better. Now I have another thing to worry about."

   John sighed. "I was being comforting."

   Thomas scoffed. "Sure."

   Alex smiled, resting a hand on Thomas' shoulder. "You should get some rest. You've had a long day."

   Thomas blinked tiredly. "I'm not tired. I just slept for...how many hours?"

   "About 11," Herc answered.

   Thomas gestured to Herc. "See? I don't need any more sleep."

   Alex sighed, pushing Thomas down on the bed so that he was laying down.

   Thomas fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

   Alex chuckled. "I knew he was tired."

   Alex glanced at Laf, and he was staring at Thomas...lovingly?

   Alex really hoped that Laf wouldn't turn into a James.

   "So...I'm going back to sleep," Herc said, curling up on his chair.

  "Me too," said John and Alex at the same time, also getting comfortable on their chairs. They knew they could drive back to their college and sleep in their beds, but they were too tired for that bullshit.

   Alex looked over at Laf. "What about you, Laf? You hittin' the hay?"

   Laf hesitated before shaking his head. "Non. I will in a little bit; I'm not that tired right now."

   Alex nodded, and the three fell asleep at the same time.

   Laf smiled at his sleeping friends and looked over at Thomas. He stared at him lovingly, smiling wider. "I know I can't have you...but...I'll always protect you from here on out..," he whispered to the sleeping floof.

   And he meant every word he said. He was hopelessly in love with Thomas. But, unlike James, he had morals. He knew that he couldn't have Thomas. He was taken, and Laf had to respect that.

   Maybe one day, Laf thought.  Maybe one day.

   And with that, the Frenchman sat down in his chair and fell asleep also.