Eternity - 9. Chapter Nine

He quickly shut off his bike and locked it up before heading into the hospital. On his way to Jared's room he passed the doctor who stopped and looked at with a look of shock written across his face. Kyle just said "Cleared," before heading towards the room where he knew that Jared was laying waiting for him. He managed to stop himself from running in the door and stopped just inside the room when he seen Jared sleeping.

"He fell asleep right after he talked to you," said a voice from behind him. Kyle turned and found Chelsea standing just behind him. He was thankful that she was whispering while at the same time he wished that their voices would wake him up.

"How's he doing?"

"Seems to be doing pretty good. He gets tired easily though. Now that you're here though I'm going to get my stuff and head home. I'll see you guys later," she said before grabbing her coat and leaving.

At first Kyle didn't know what to do so he just stood there. After a minute though he walked over to the chair and pulled it closer to the bed. Sitting down he took Jared's hand in his and pressed a light kiss to the palm. It had taken that night in jail to realize just how much Jared meant to him and he just hoped that he could convince him of it. It had taken almost losing Jared and losing his freedom to realize how bad he had screwed up. He had basically went berserk on Jared when he had shown up at the bar and there was nothing that he regretted more. Kyle was completely unaware of the tears coursing down his face until he felt Jared's hand pull out of his and reach up to gently wipe the tears from his face. Glancing quickly up, Kyle's eyes were met by Jared's aquamarine ones.

"I'm sorry Kyle, when I get out of here I'll go. I won't stay and hurt you again," Jared said, tears filling his own eyes.

"No, you won't," Kyle said, a softness to his voice.

"I just thought," Jared began, but did not finish his sentence.

"You just thought what babe?" Kyle asked, still in that soft voice.

"I just hoped that maybe we could have a second chance, but all I cause you is pain, so I'll go," Jared said, the tears he couldn't hold back slowly falling down his face.

Kyle stood up from the chair and moved over to sit on the edge of the bed, leaning down to kiss one of the tears that fell from Jared's eyes. He didn't know how he could have been so stupid; this man was the only man he'd ever wanted. He was the only man that Kyle wanted in his life even know, despite everything that had happened two years ago.

"What makes you think we can't babe? I'm willing to give it a shot if you are," Kyle said before leaning back down and pressing a light, gentle kiss to Jared's lips.

"I don't deserve a second chance though Kyle. I put you through hell once and I won't do it again."

"Yeah, I did go through hell for a while there, but did you mean what you said on the phone Jared? That you loved me?"

"Yeah," Jared whispered, hardly believing his ears, "I meant it."

"That's all I need to know babe, but you can't walk out on me again, I won't let you. Promise me that you're going to fight for us," Kyle whispered, running a hand lightly over Jared's hair and looking into his bright eyes.

"I promise Kyle, but what changed your mind?"

"I realized a few things since you were attacked Jared. I really thought about what a life without you would look like and I didn‘t like the view. Sitting in a jail cell wondering if I‘d ever get to see you again, that scared me. I love you Jared, I always have."

"I don't deserve you," Jared said, the tears still freely running down his face as he tried to pull Kyle into a hug.

In Jared's weakened condition Kyle know that he would crush him and maneuvered himself so that he was about half laying on the bed next to Jared. Being careful not to disturb all the wires connected to Jared, he gently pulled Jared into his arms and held him. It was a tight fit and having Jared's arms squeezing him, no matter how lightly, almost made him cry out.

"What's wrong Kyle?"

"Just a little sore baby, nothing for you to worry about. Get some rest so that you can go home," Kyle said, placing a light kiss on top of Jared's head.

"I don't want to go home," Jared said, a slight fear edging into his voice.

"Why don't you want to go home?" Kyle asked, trying to figure why Jared would be so afraid.

"It's not safe there," Jared whispered, his face buried into Kyle's shirt.

"Oh babe, I'm sorry, what I should have said was so that WE could go home," Kyle said stressing the we. "If you had wanted to go back to your apartment then we would have, but wherever you go is where I'm going to be to. You really think I want you out of my sight right now?"

"No, not really, but Kyle how are you here? The doctor told me that you had been arrested."

"You don't need to know that right now," Kyle said, not wanting thoughts of Matt to intrude on this time he had with Jared. "You go to sleep," he said, slowly beginning to ease himself off the bed.

"Don't go Kyle, please?"

"I'm not going anywhere, but they're liable to kick me out of the room if they come into both of us in this bed," Kyle said, chuckling. When Jared refused to let go he gave in and just prayed that he was going to be allowed to stay in the bed with Jared. Kyle laid there holding Jared for a while before his own lids became heavy and he fell asleep cradling Jared in the safety of his arms.

~~~~~~
Matt stretched out on the cot in his cell, slightly thankful that he didn't have a cell mate. He wasn't sure that this had been the best course of action, but he hadn't really had any choice. It had ripped him apart as he had been led down the row of cells and past the one that Kyle was in. He had a hard time meeting his eyes, knowing that Kyle was sure that he was guilty. He hoped that in time the truth would come out and he would be free again, but for now this seemed like the best way. Maybe with him being locked up the attacks on Jared would stop. He doubted that it would work, but he could hope. At least he knew that he had done everything in his power to assure Jared's and Kyle's safety, that was all that mattered to him. Though he would never forget the look that was in Kyle's eyes when he saw Matt. There was stunned disbelief followed quickly by anger. Hopefully Kyle would believe the note he had left, but at this point he seriously doubted it.

Matt had been trying to figure out who it could really be behind the attempts on Jared's life but he couldn't think of anyone that hated Jared enough to want him dead. Yeah, he himself had been extremely angry at Jared, but the more he had thought on it, it was Kyle's life, not his. He just hoped that Kyle and Jared would be safe, because he was fairly sure that if Kyle got in the way of whoever was trying to hurt Jared that they'd hurt Kyle too. Matt stared up at the ceiling for a while, hoping that sleep would come soon. He didn't want the thoughts of anyone hurting his friends anymore. He just wished that he knew who was doing it so that he could put a stop to it.

~~~~~~
Kyle woke up when he felt someone lightly shaking his shoulder. He slowly opened his eyes to see the doctor looking down at him, a bemused smile on his face. Kyle grinned back until he remembered that this was the doctor that had had him arrested. He couldn't hold back the glare that he aimed directly at the doctor. A part of him knew that the doctor had just been doing his job and wanted to thank the doctor for trying to protect Jared, but that part of him stayed under wraps.

"Here to have me arrested again doc?" Kyle asked, a distinct edge to his voice.

"Kyle, it was nothing personal. I would have done the same to anyone I thought was harming a patient. Now, please, I need to check on Mr. Maloney."

Kyle tried to move and disentangle himself from Jared but each time he moved Jared's hold on him tightened. The more Kyle tried to get off of the bed the tighter Jared's arms got. As much as he hated to do it he finally gently shook Jared awake. He couldn't help smiling as Jared's groggy eyes met his as he tried to burrow closer to Kyle.

"Babe, the doc's here," Kyle said, lightly running his hand over Jared's hair.

"So.. Wanna go back to sleep," Jared whined.

"And you can go back to sleep as soon as I check you over and make sure that everything is okay. Plus, think about it this way, one more check up is one more check up closer to going home," the doctor said.

"Fine then, but I'm not moving," Jared growled.

"You don't have to move, however, I am going to have to ask Kyle to move."

"No, he stays where he is too," Jared said in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Actually hon," Kyle said before leaning down to whisper in Jared's ear. "I really have to make a trip to the porcelain god," he whispered.

"Fine, if you have to go," Jared pouted, not wanting Kyle to leave.

"Promise, I'll be right back, no one is going to keep me from you," Kyle said before placing a light kiss on the top of his head and slowly disentangling himself from Jared and easing off the bed. He leaned over and pressed a light kiss to Jared's lips before throwing a look at the doctor and leaving the room. Truth be told, that wasn't the most comfortable position and he really needed to stretch his muscles. His back started screaming at him the second he was woken up.

~~~~~~
"How much longer do you think I'm going to need to stay here?" Jared asked the doctor as soon as Kyle was out of the room.

"Well, I'd like you keep you over at least another week, and if nothing arises then you'll be free to go home then. There will be some restrictions on what you can and can't do but for the most part you'll be able to go back to your normal routine."

"What about, well, um, you know?" Jared asked, blushing uncontrollably.

"Provided it wasn't too strenuous and you were extremely careful of the stitches I don't see why you wouldn't be able to. I would like you to refrain for at least another week though, just to be on the safe side."

Jared couldn't help sighing as he thought of how long he had already waited to be with Kyle again. It had been over two years since they had been together and Jared didn't want to wait any longer. Jared looked up as Kyle walked back into the room and the first thing he thought is that he would wait for an eternity if it meant that he could be forever held in Kyle's arms.

"So what's the verdict doc?" Kyle asked coming to stand next to Jared and taking his hand lightly in his own. "How soon can I bust him out of here?"

"As I was telling Mr. Maloney, if everything continues to go well we'll be able to release him in about a week. Though it will also be another week before he'll be released for certain extracurricular activities," the doctor added, a slight smirk on his face before he turned and walked out of the room.

"Hear that babe?" Kyle asked. "Only a week to go and you'll be at home with me, and just so you know, I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

"Kyle? What about work? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love to have you around all the time, but don't you need to get back to work?"

"Well, ya see, I've kinda got to talk to you about that," Kyle said with a chuckle. "When you're the boss it doesn't really matter how much time you take off."

"Boss?" Jared asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, see, when you left a couple years ago. Well, I didn't seem to function all that well. I wasn't really able to take time off work and so I quit. It actually worked out pretty well in the long run. I had some money saved up and got a business loan. About six months later I started up my own construction company. Didn't really know what to call it so I simply named it ‘Blackner's Construction' and business had been pretty good."

"So, why are you still in the apartment Kyle? I mean, if you have your own company now I'm sure that you're able to afford a house."

"I couldn't leave there Jared. That was where I lived with you and nothing could make me give that place up."

Jared couldn't speak for the tears choking him. He had known that Kyle had a sensitive side but he didn't know that it went that deep. He had actually been surprised to find Kyle still living in the place that they shared. Jared also knew though that if he had been in the same situation he wouldn't have been able to give the apartment up either.

"Wait, there's more," Kyle said, interrupting Jared's thoughts.

"Oh god Kyle, what more could there possibly be?"

"Well, with the construction business being as good as it is and me keeping as few employees as possible, I've already managed to pay off quite a bit of the loan. About seven months ago I bought the building that the apartment is in."

"You did not," Jared said disbelievingly.

"Yeah, I did," Kyle said sheepishly, "in a way I always hoped that you would come back and wanted to make sure that I was there where you could find me."

"You are such a softy," Jared said, tears shining in his eyes as he pulled Kyle down and placed a feather like kiss on his lips.

~~~~~~
Chelsea walked into the apartment she shared with Matt and was surprised to see that he wasn't home. Since everything had started with Kyle he hadn't really left the apartment at all. Walking slowly around the apartment she wasn't surprised to find everything the way she had left it before going back to the hospital that morning. Walking into the bedroom she was surprised to see the bed slightly mussed up as she had made it that morning. Walking closer she saw a small envelope with her name written across it. Reaching out she picked it up and slowly tore it open, causing a small piece of paper to fall onto the bed. She picked the paper up and instantly recognized Matt's almost illegible scrawl.

Dear Chelsea~

I'm sorry, but there is no other choice, I have to do what I have to do. I've left Kyle a note already, please forgive me.

Love
Matt

"What the hell does he mean ‘there was no other choice'? What the hell did he do?" Chelsea asked the empty room. She walked around the room and checked the closets only to find that all of Matt's clothes were still there. Suddenly she thought of something. How was Kyle out of jail, they wouldn't have let him go unless they had proof of him not being the killer. "He wouldn't have," Chelsea said out loud, walking into the living room and picking up the phone. She quickly dialed the hospital and asked for Jared's room. When Kyle answered the phone she quickly asked him what was on her mind.

"Hey Kyle, it's Chels. Do you know where Matt is?"

"Yeah, I know where he is, exactly where he should be, behind bars," Kyle's voice said.

"What do you mean behind bars?"

"Simple, he confessed. That's why they released me, because they had a confession from him. I knew it was him."

"I was afraid of that," Chelsea said.

"Yeah, he left me a note, basically telling me that he knows that I didn't do it and that neither did he. He also said that he couldn't see me sit in jail for something that I couldn't have done and that I was supposed to keep Jared safe. Listen Chels, not to sound rude, but he's exactly where he should be."

"Kyle, you know Matt, you couldn't possibly believe that he really did any of this, could you?"

"Chels, I just know what I was told and I seen him at the jail. They said that they had a confession, who else could it have been? But listen, I don't really want to talk about Matt right now so I will talk to you laters. Bye sis," Kyle said before hanging up the phone.

Chelsea stared at the phone in her hand in disbelief. She would never have believe that Matt could be this stupid, but once again he had proven her wrong. Cussing once she set the phone down and walked over to the couch. She stared disbelievingly at the black screen of the TV before suddenly hitting the armrest of the couch with her fists. "God damn it Matt, what the hell have you done," she said angrily.

~~~~~~
"What was that about?" Jared asked as Kyle hung up the phone.

"Chelsea, wanted to know where exactly Matt was."

"Ok, and you would know why?"

"Because I seen him. Matt's the one who has been behind everything Jared. He confessed at the police station shortly before they released me."

"But Kyle, it couldn't have been Matt."

"How the hell can you say that after everything that he has put us through? Of course it was Matt, there's nobody else."

"Kyle, listen to me, it couldn't have been Matt."

"What makes you so sure?"

"The hands. The night that you found me at the bottom of the stairs. A pair of hands had grabbed a hold of my ankle and pulled my feet out from under me. The hands were too small to be Matt's. Matt's got hands as big as yours, if not bigger. The hands that grabbed me were small, and soft," Jared said, distinctly remembering the feeling of the hands as they wrapped around his ankles.

"So then he hired somebody," Kyle said, as if that explained everything.

"No, I'm fairly sure that it wasn't someone who was hired either. I could feel the hatred Kyle. Whoever it was wanted me dead and it wasn't because they were being paid to kill me."

"But this makes no sense, if it wasn't Matt then who the hell could it have been? If it wasn't Matt then that means that whoever it was is still out there, probably waiting for a chance to finish what they started. Plus, why would Matt confess if he didn't do it?"

"Babe, think of everything you know of Matt, why would he say that he did it when he didn't?"

"To save me," Kyle whispered, feeling lousy that he had ever thought Matt capable of hurting Jared.

"Exactly," Jared said, grasping Kyle's hand in his own.

"Then we have to do something, we can't let him sit in jail when he didn't do anything wrong!"

"Our hands are tied right now babe, at least until we figure out exactly who it is that is behind everything."

"Why?"

"Because if Matt isn't the killer then they're going to go back to their original suspect, which is you. We'll figure it out babe, we just have to give it time."

"But Jared, you don't know what it's like in there. If they put Matt with the wrong person then there is no telling what is happening to him right now," Kyle cried, tears forming in his eyes and slowly making there way down his cheek.

"I'm sure he's fine, we'll figure it out, trust me on this. Now come back over here and let me hold you, you look like you're ready to collapse," Jared said, pulling Kyle down next to him on the bed and holding him while he cried himself out. By the time Kyle's tears were dried up he was fast asleep, his head resting against Jared's shoulder as he slept. Lightly stroking Kyle's hair, Jared whispered, "Don't worry babe, it'll be okay," before falling into a restless sleep himself.