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Kevin came to visit him. The older man looked a bit more stressed than usual, but AJ chalked that up to the fact that he was looking back at Kevin from a hospital bed. At least he wasn't in restraints anymore.

At the moment, Kevin was filling AJ in on everything that was going on with the group. They'd all talked to management, who had advised the group to lie about AJ's situation and make up an excuse of why he would be in a hospital, like a broken leg.

"That's stupid."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Do you have a better idea?"

AJ just shrugged his shoulders. He didn't have any idea of what to do, but he hated the current situation and he hated that it was causing everyone so many damn problems. A couple of times already he'd wished everything had turned out the way he'd intended, but then he saw one of the guys or his family and he was grateful that he had woken up, even if it was in this hospital.

"Alex, what do you want us to do?" Kevin was talking to him again.

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"You don't know?"

AJ shook his head, pouting a little. He was tired of this. He was tired and in no mood to argue with anyone, especially not Kevin.

"Age, we need to talk about this."

"No we don't," AJ snapped, getting defensive. "Why don't you talk to the doctors, first? They'll tell you whatever you want to know, but I don't want to talk to you about it."

Kevin frowned, and AJ could read a lot from the man's face.

"You already tried."

Kevin's face turned guilty.

"Jesus Christ, you already tried to talk to them about me, didn't you?" AJ asked. "What, they wouldn't tell you anything?"

Reluctantly, Kevin shook his head. "I just didn't think you'd want to talk about it."

"I don't!" AJ cried.

Kevin winced. "Look, Age, I know you don't want to, but I need to know what's going on," he said, his voice soft and non-threatening. "I'm worried about you. We all are."

AJ didn't say anything. He preferred pouting and staying angry.

"Have you talked to Brian?"

AJ quickly lifted his head and looked at Kevin, wondering what the reasoning behind his sudden change of subject was. "What?"

Kevin frowned. "I haven't seen him all day," he told AJ. "Yesterday he was acting...not like himself."

"How?" AJ asked. Brian hadn't seemed to act out of the ordinary to him.

Kevin sighed, running his hand through his hair. "He's in denial."

"Of what?"

It was probably a stupid question, but AJ didn't care. His heart wrenched at the thought of Brian being hurt by him.

"Of what's happening with you."

He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, then finally walked over to the chair next to AJ's bed and sat down, looking up at AJ with a much softer look than he'd had all morning. It seemed to AJ that he was giving up, and the glimpse of Kevin showing anything but his strong, stubborn tendencies make him even more uncomfortable than when he was grilling him with questions.

"He won't admit that it really happened," Kevin told him. "He keeps insisting that it was an accident, that you'd never do something like this, and AJ, you know we really didn't think you would, but he's just refusing to believe it."

AJ was surprised and not quite sure what to think, let alone say. "Why?" he finally sputtered, not caring that he probably sounded like a two-year old.

"I don't know," Kevin shook his head. "I don't know why he's acting like he is. I've never seen him totally flat-out refuse to acknowledge something like this. I mean, you know - he's always the one there at your side, never leaving for a second, always ready to help you with anything or comfort you. He's always the one with the confidence that everything will be all right."

AJ's face had completely dropped, but Kevin didn't notice it until he was done talking.

"Age?"

AJ didn't answer.

"Age, you okay?" Kevin asked, walking over with a worried look.

Finally, AJ nodded. "I'm fine, Kev," he said, offering a weak smile. "I just got really tired, that's all. I think I'm going to take a nap, is that cool?"

Kevin sighed, obviously not wanting to let AJ get out of the conversation they'd started, but realizing that both of them were no longer in the mood to continue it. "Yeah, okay," Kevin nodded. "I'll take off, give you a break."

AJ smiled gratefully and Kevin gathered his coat.

"I'll call you later. If you're feeling better we'll drop by tonight, okay?"

AJ nodded, so Kevin left, closing the door behind him. His large frame cast a shadow on the blinds as he walked past the window, and when he finally disappeared AJ lowered his head into his hands and cried.