Page 233 of The Locker Room

Xander blinked at him, and then a real, full-fledged grin

blossomed, even though it felt like seven shades of crazy. “What in the

fuck have you been smoking? Jesus, Leo, the shit you say!”

He went back inside, and Leo followed him, finally deigning to put

his loafers on without socks, and they went for the latest update.

When Chris woke up on the fourth day, Xander was asleep in his

room. The nurses had brought him a little cot, with an extension, and

Penny was asleep next to him, with her hand on his shoulder so he

wouldn"t start twitching in his sleep.

Xander woke up to Penny"s rather hysterical giggle, and he bolted

upright, terrified that he"d missed something.

“Chris, you fucking dork,” Penny was saying, somewhat brokenly.

“Fucking Jesus—”

“Wha?”

Chris blinked, his face swollen and the bandages on his head

moving when he did. “Penny, ge" your han" off my man….”

Xander fell to his knees in front of the hospital bed and wept clean

tears, while Chris fumbled numb fingers through his hair.

An hour later, Chris had fallen back to sleep, and then and only

then did Xander go to Cliff and Alicia"s house. The first thing he did was

take a real shower in one of Cliff"s big, full-sized shower-baths instead

of a half-one in a cubicle. Then he fell asleep on their guest bed—Chris"s

old room, he learned the next morning—and slept for nine hours straight,

and for once, no scary monsters intervened.

202 Amy Lane

When he woke up, he dressed in sweats and begged Penny to take

him back to the hospital, because Chris was awake now, pretty please,

little sister, cantcha please go faster?

She made him eat breakfast first, and had Alicia"s housekeeper

pack him extra food for the way there.