Nightmare

One month later...

It was against the city bylaws to be out on the beach past ten pm, but aside from military protocols, Matt had never been one for rules. He wasn’t even sure what time it actually was, just that it had been after midnight when they left the hotel across the street and ventured out onto the sand.

It was a cloudless night, and the moon reflecting off the ocean was something Matt may not have really noticed once upon a time. These days, he was much more appreciative of the little things in life. Such as how beautiful the sight in front of him was. Or how nice it was to be a free man again. Or, best of all, how he wasn’t there enjoying these things by himself.

“Well, here’s another promise you managed to pull off.” Brian interrupted Matt’s thoughts, not that he minded in the least.

He turned to the other man and grinned. “I don’t make light of my promises. I like to see them through to the end.” For you, anyway. Despite all that had happened, there were some things Matt wasn’t quite ready to address yet. That would include his feelings for Brian, so for the time being he was happy enough knowing they were both alive and well.

At least...on the way to being well. Matt’s smile faded a little as he glanced at Brian again. He was still terribly pale, and scrawny, and although the bruises had faded and the stitches in his face were gone, he’d always have the scars. His left hand and wrist were still bandaged up, and Matt knew his abdomen was as well, underneath the t-shirt Matt had lent him. Brian had only been released from the hospital that morning, though, and it was with a rush of sudden guilt that Matt began rambling.

“Jesus man, it’s fucking late, and you’re probably tired! I’m fucking stupid, thinking we should’ve come out here today. Let’s just head back and -” he stopped when Brian raised his good hand, an indication for Matt to shut the hell up.

“I don’t mind. I never thought I’d be here again, so really, this is fucking amazing.” The grin on Brian’s face was the most genuine Matt had ever seen from him, and he couldn’t help but smile himself. “And besides, haven’t I proven I’m tougher than I look?”

Matt couldn’t argue with that one. What was it that the doctor had said again?

”Your friend Brian is certainly one of a kind.” The doctor smiled at him, as they walked down the hall towards the recovery ward, where Brian staying. “We almost lost him several times, but he kept coming back. He certainly seems to have something, or someone, worth fighting for.” She gave him another, almost knowing little smile, and Matt felt his cheeks heat up.

With Brian stuck in the hospital, it had been up to Matt and Val to attend most of the press meetings and interviews to explain what had happened. It had taken a couple of weeks for the buzz to die down, and besides doing some catching up with friends and family, Matt had spent most of his time at the hospital. He tried not to dwell much on the fact that he and Val were the only ones who ever seemed to visit Brian.

And when Brian had finally been discharged a month later, Matt had wasted no time in making good his first promise. Which brought them to their present location, Huntington Beach.

“- for all the clothes and stuff.”

Back in the present, Matt realized he had missed whatever Brian was saying. “Sorry, what?”

“I said, thanks for lending me all of these clothes and stuff.” He gestured at the shirt he was wearing, which was a little too big for him.

“Don’t mention it.” Being in Zack’s “hospital” for years had left Brian without a thing to his name. Well, except for this... Matt stuck his hand in his hoodie pocket, suddenly remembering the small wooden frame that had been given to him by the police a few days prior. “The cops said this was yours?” He held out the picture of the mystery blue-eyed man, the one that had been in Zack’s basement room. “They closed the case, so all the evidence was released, and they told me this picture’s got your name on the back.”

Brian was staring at the picture, a rather surprised expression on his face. Carefully, he took it from Matt, and after some minimal fumbling due to his bandaged hand, he managed to open the back of the frame. After pulling the picture out, he tossed the frame onto the sand beside them, and turned the photo over. It was only then that Matt realized the picture had been folded in half, and another person had been in the photo all along. A person who was none other than a much younger looking Brian.

“This is Jimmy.” Brian suddenly sounded a little choked up, although he was still smiling. He smoothed the picture out carefully. “That fucker must’ve taken this from the house or something. I thought I’d never see any pictures or anything from our place ever again. But I guess if I’ve got it now...” He drifted off, and Matt stayed quiet, so as not to interrupt whatever it was he was thinking about.

“Thanks.” Brian said after a few minutes, sounding more composed. “For giving me this.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Matt put an arm around Brian’s shoulders in such a way he hoped may pass off as simply being friendly. “No problem. It’s yours, after all.”

Brian smiled again. “Sure is.”

“So...” Matt decided it was finally time to bring up something that had been on his mind for the last month. “What was it you wanted to tell me in the ambulance that day?”

“Really? Man, I was half dead. I don’t remember much of anything that happened after the cops showed up.” Brian said easily enough, though Matt didn’t miss the fact his cheeks had turned the slightest shade of red.

“You’re a terrible liar.”

Brian shrugged, keeping his gaze on the ocean. Matt decided not to press the matter for the time being, and he was about to change the subject before things got awkward, when Brian began talking quietly. “I was going to say that before you showed up, I had given up on people. I’d decided the world was a horrible place, and I’d just do my time before welcoming whatever comes after this life.” After a slight hesitation, he reached over with his good hand and gently placed it over Matt’s. “But you changed that. So thank you.”

Once again, Matt felt his face flush, and now it was his turn to stare at the water. Before he could come up with something to say, Brian continued.

“Of course, at the time my speech wouldn’t have been nearly as well-rehearsed.”

“No, I suppose not.” Matt grinned. After a few minutes, he asked the other question that had been bothering him for weeks. “So, you got somewhere to go when we get back to LA tomorrow?”

“No, but don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.”

Which means, he has no house, no money, nothing. “No one to stay with?”

“No...my family never really...well, they don’t live around here.”

“You’ll stay with me then.” Matt decided. “For as long as you need to.”

“You don’t need to do that, I’ll work something out, and then -”



“No, no, you can come home with me, get a job or whatever you want when you’re ready, and when you can afford it, you can move out and go get your own place. I just...I just need to be sure you’ll be alright first.” He admitted, sounding a little embarrassed.

But Brian just smiled at him. “Well isn’t that sweet? Hard to not accept an offer such as that.”

Matt nodded and looked back out to the water again, grinning to himself and secretly hoping that Brian wasn’t intending on getting a job any time soon.