Justin

"Sunshine!" someone shouted from the other end of the room.

In an instant, he was within her reach and her arms enveloped him like a protective mama bear.  Justin secretly loved the nickname his second mother had bestowed upon him.

"Nice to see you, Deb."

"It's about fuckin' time I got to see you in person. What did that smart alec doctor think I was going to do to you? Cause an embarrassing scene?"

"I'm sure he didn't think that," Justin offered as soon as Debbie finished pinching his cheeks.

"Let me look at you. Turn around."

The older woman scrutinized every part of his body as he twirled in front of her.

"You look healthy, Sunshine.  You had me so worried."

Her eyes became moist with tears.

"Thanks, I feel pretty good."

Fighting back the waterworks that were threatening to release, Debbie bent down to retrieve a bag she had placed on the floor as they had embraced.

 "Here, I brought this for you."

Justin peeked inside and inhaled the sweet aroma.

"Mmmm...red velvet cupcakes."

"Made them myself. I know how much you love 'em."

"I do. But Deb, there must be about twenty in here."

"Twenty-two to be exact. I figured you could share them with your friends."

 She motioned at the other young people in green jump suits, who were engrossed with their visitors, and didn't notice her pointing at them.

"Great," Justin said as he gave her a peck on the cheek. He led her to a table and chairs and they sat down.

"Your mother told me the good news."

"Yeah, can you believe it? I'm out of here in a little more than a month."

 "We'll have to have a family dinner to celebrate."

"I don't know, Deb. I uh...I kind of had plans for that first night."

"What? Fucking with Brian? I would think that the two of you will have plenty of time to do that. Come on, Sunshine. There's nothing more important than family, and I want to do this for you."

He could tell that the woman wanted to feel like she was helping him in some way.

"Sure, Deb. That would be nice."

Debbie was more than pleased with his answer. Her smile reached her eyes, making them gleam.

"Bet Mr. Kinney can't wait to have you home, at the loft."

"I wouldn't know. We haven't really discussed that yet."

Debbie took notice of the uncomfortable way Justin fidgeted.  Not one to hold her tongue, she questioned, "Why the fuck not? I thought the two of you were back together?"

"We are, sort of. But we haven't made any decisions about living arrangements yet."

The older woman cupped the side of his face with her hand.

"If that man doesn't do right by you, honey, you know you always have a home with me."

"I know and I appreciate that."

 
Justin tactfully changed the subject and they chatted at length about Michael and Ben, Carl, and anyone else Justin could think of to avoid talking about him and Brian.

At last, visiting hours were drawing to a close, so Justin walked with Debbie to the door.  

"See you soon," he said.

"You bet your skinny ass, you will. I'm going make it my business to fatten you up."

Justin rolled his eyes and sarcastically quipped, "I can't wait."

"Now, give me a hug," Debbie affectionately commanded.

He readily obliged, allowing her to smother him, once more, against her chest. Then, he watched with fondness as the sentimental redhead headed down the corridor, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Brian

After all this time, everything that Justin had been through, they were going to be together again. No restrictions, nobody keeping an eye on them.

Halle-fucking-lujah!

Almost losing Justin had changed him. He was now admitting feelings he would have never owned up to in the past. He wasn't quite sure if he liked everything about the new Brian Kinney, but he'd give it a shot for the sake of their "relationship".  Besides Gus, Justin was the most important thing in the world to him. They were being given a second chance and he did not want to fuck it up.

Jennifer

"Brian, really, it's okay. I understand. In fact, I was the one to suggest that you go to the hospital to pick him up."

"You could still come along, Mother Taylor. The limo's big enough for three."

"Limo? Oh my, Brian, you're really going all out. I'm sure Justin will be thrilled."

"He better be. Cost me a fucking fortune."

"Don't worry about me. I'll catch up with the two of you later on at Debbie's."

"Okay. Um, Jennifer?"

"Yes?"

"We might be a tad late to the festivities."

Jennifer blushed. She was all too aware of what he meant by that.

When she regained her composure she said, "Brian, I'm sure as long as he shows up some time during the night, it'll be okay."

"Oh, we'll definitely be there. After all, we wouldn't want to miss out on the Novotnys' famous lasagna," Brian stated with a mischievious grin.

"Now, hurry up and get going," Jennifer ordered as she gave him a push towards the door. "There's a very anxious young man waiting for you."

Justin

He signed the stack of forms for his release, now all he had to do was wait for Brian to show up. But there was still something nagging at him. He hated to leave without saying goodbye to Tracey.

After a lengthy debate with the doc, Justin had the green light to see his former confidante for a few minutes in a controlled environment.  It was agreed that he would talk to her in front of Doctor Joe.

As he approached the office, Justin wasn't sure what was in store for him. Tracey was so unpredictable. However, once they made eye contact, she smiled, which put him at ease.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"So, I hear you're leaving?"

"Yep, just wanted to say goodbye."

"Justin, I'm sorry about how I went off on you," Tracey said as she put her head down in shame.

"You see, that day I had told my mother about my stepfather and she didn't believe me. It made me twisted and I couldn't think straight."

She lifted her head up to gauge his reaction.

"Oh wow, I'm really sorry, Tracey. I had no idea."

"Doctor Joe's been helping me deal with it. He says I'm doing better."

"That's because you are," the doctor spoke up for the first time since Justin entered the room.

"My mom is even coming around. She's thrown my stepfather out of the house."

"I hope it all works out for you."  

Justin meant that from the bottom of his heart.

"Thanks, Justin. And I hope you'll be happy. Brian's very lucky."

Justin shrugged, "I think I got the better of the deal. He's put up with a lot of bullshit from me."

"But you love each other, so everything will be okay."

"I hope so. Take care of yourself, Tracey."

"You too, Justin."

Instinctively, Justin made a move to hug her. She was a little stiff at first, but then relaxed into his embrace.

"I'm gonna miss you," she whispered.

"Me too, Trace. Be good to yourself."

"I'll try. Bye, Justin."

He left the office happy and relieved that they had parted on good terms. Tracey had been his friend and she deserved to be acknowledged. He only prayed that the future would be kind to her.

Brian

It was just like the little twat to keep him waiting. He sat on Justin's bed with the duffel bag that contained Justin's belongings at his feet.

"Brian."

"Justin. Forget about me coming?"

"No, I was finally able to speak with Tracey."

"And how is your number one fan?"

"Eventually, I think she'll be okay. But she'll be in therapy for a long time."

"I'm glad you had a chance to say goodbye."

"Me too."

"Now, come here and give me a proper hello."

Justin cracked a wily smile as he sat down on the bed next to Brian, wrapping his arms around his neck. Soon they were engaged in a wet, ardent kiss and they both became heated.

"Let's fuck," Brian suggested, his hazel eyes burning with desire.

"Brian, no more quickies. I want you to fuck me nice and slow. I've been dreaming about this day for a long time."

"Your wish is my command.  Now, let's get the heck out of Dodge."

"Sounds wonderful!"

Justin took hold of Brian's hand, anxious to leave this part of his life behind, and they departed the hospital together.