18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Dex ran into the hospital that night, the place so quiet that the sound of his shoes on the tile was booming. Silvio, Prince's friend, saw him and stopped him as he was at the nurse's station, getting ready to scream for someone.

"Dex, hey!"

"Where is he? Is he okay? Who the fuck did this, Silvio?"

Silvio pulled him into the waiting room where the woman from the camp was sleeping on some chairs. "Sabrina's wiped. She's been giving the entire hospital twenty questions whenever a nurse or doctor walk through."

"What happened to him?"

Dex was going to lose his mind. His chest felt like a limo was parked on it. "He was beaten by two guys at the camp."

Dex knew the names. "Toby and Fabian?"

Silvio was hesitant, but he confirmed it. "You know Toby is rich, has those rich connections. You can't just…hurt him and think no one will know or pay lots of money to find out who did it."

Dex growled, "No one will know a thing, Silvio. No one."

"Okay. Well, you do you, vato , but I need to ask you not to talk that shit to him right off. He just wants to see you, I'm sure."

"What do you mean, you're sure? You haven't seen him?"

Silvio ducked his head. "No. We're not family."

"I will not be stopped."

"Then say he's your cousin or brother or something."

Dex stormed to the nurse's desk again and when one nurse came from the back, he asked, "Can I see Prince Rose? I've just came from halfway across the country."

"Are you family?"

Dex thought of doing as Silvio suggested, but he couldn't. He couldn't lie in that way, so instead, he fudged it a little. "I'm his husband."

"Oh! I wouldn't have…okay, well, it's past visiting hours, but since you were out of the area. Let me get you an escort."

"I don't need one. Just tell me what room he's in."

Once he had the room number, he ran down the hall on the second floor to find it, and once he did, he stopped. Opening the door slowly, he looked in and was overjoyed when he saw Prince's eyes were open. Barely. He was barely recognizable, with his entire face black and blue and swollen.

"Baby?"

"Dex," he croaked, then broke out in a sob and Dex went to him, sitting gently on the bed and holding him. "I missed you," he said in a sob.

"Baby, are you okay?"

"No!" Prince's voice was tiny and high-pitched. He was afraid and in pain, and Dex only wanted to gather him up and whisk him away to wherever he'd be happy again.

"Okay, baby, okay. Daddy's here. I'm never in my life going to let anyone hurt you again. I swear it."

He held Prince until his poor, battered baby was asleep. He kissed the side of his head and ran his fingers over the bruises. "No one. Ever," he vowed to the sleeping man. "Ever."

In the waiting room, Silvio filled him in on things, and then Dex went outside to make a few calls. Silvio found him out there, sitting on a picnic table in the smoking section.

Silvio pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered him one. Dex said, "I quit two years ago, but it's this or I go get drunk."

"Don't do that. You're pissed, so you'd hit someone even if they didn't deserve it."

"This is true," he said, taking a cigarette and the light offered. As he took that smoke into his lungs, feeling that little lightheadedness calmed him. "Silvio, did anyone talk to the cops about this?"

"Yeah. They asked Prince, and I don't know what he said, but they asked us, as well. We pretended like we didn't know. I…I didn't know if you'd want that."

"Doesn't matter," he said, and Silvio watched him closely.

"Dex, take him away now. After he gets out, just take him. We'll miss him, but…"

"He'll never let me," Dex told him. The cigarette was exactly what he'd need to clear his fury and fear and let him think straight. Prince would likely kill him before he'd let him keep smoking though. "He'll want to go back, but not if those two are there."

"Sabrina already told Harry, and Harry said he'll quietly fire them, but…he gets talked into and out of things pretty easily."

"Prince isn't stepping foot back there until those two are gone, but regardless, he'll be coming to say goodbye. Montana isn't an option yet. There's not enough room for everyone to stay in yet. I'll take him to Ohio with me."

"Good. Take him, let him heal. He's…such a good guy."

"You are too, ya know? Since I've been with him, he's bragged about you and your other friend, the kids. You made him happy, all of you."

"So did you. You mean the world to him, Dex. I think he fell for you before he even met you. Never tell him I told you that."

"No, your secret's safe. I fell for him sooner than that. I saw in his eyes a longing for something else. I saw it in my eyes a lot too, before I left my old job and started…well, you know."

After laughing out a long plume of smoke, Silvio agreed, "Yeah, I know. I think it's crazy. He's all set to go be one of you. I think it'll be great for him. As long as he is safe."

"I get why you're worried. All those movies and books about it, they paint a helluva picture. He's not on the shooting side of things. In fact, he'll be safer than just about anyone, working closely with people that do not get shot at or anything like that."

"Good to know."

Sabrina came out looking for Silvio and when she found them, she asked for a cigarette. "Don't tell anyone."

Dex liked her, liked all the folks he'd met from the camp. "So, what's going to happen with that Toby fuck?"

Sabrina said, "I know you probably wanted your piece of him, but I fired him and sent him home after the cops let him go."

"They let him go?" Silvio asked.

"Of course. His fancy lawyer was there before he was. His statement said something about being provoked and being bullied."

"That's a crock of shit!" Silvio yelled.

"We know that, but the cops didn't. They let him and Fabian out with warnings to come back Friday to be interviewed."

Dex hadn't doubted that. "There's a different system for rich folks. That's one reason organizations like…like there are in the world crop up. To even the score for poor people."

"Mobs?" Sabrina asked with a wink. "I figured it out, Dex, sorry."

"It's fine. Just know I'm going to take care of him. No one will hurt him."

"Better not, or you're gonna have a camp full of kids after you. You may not think that's bad, but we teach the older ones how to use bows and arrows and the younger ones can survive in the wilderness, so we can hide for years."

Dex smiled over at her, and it felt good not to just have fury and hatred flowing through him. "No, that won't be necessary. He'll be treated better than his name. I promise you."

Silvo hooked a thumb at him. "He's crazy about our buddy."

"I can tell. Listen, I need to get back. Are you two going to stay with him?"

"Yeah, yeah. There's a motel over there a few blocks from here. I'll get Silvio a room next to mine and we'll come together over here until he is released."

"Good. I'll let everyone know, but both of you keep calling me, no matter what, good news or…" She stared from one to the other. "Or not so good."

"No worries, Sabrina," Silvio said to her. "We'll call and we'll make him call."

"Okay, thanks. I'm going to head out. I don't trust Harry to do what needs done."

After she left, Silvio confided, "She's right. Harry is the figurehead, sure, but she does everything. The lease is in his name, though."

"I hope it'll be in her name soon."

For the next three days, Dex and Silvio got to know each other well, eating together, being in Prince's room, and together they told Leonard Rose that he wasn't allowed to visit his son when he arrived two days into Prince's hospital stay. He was indignant but listened and once he was gone, Prince finally smiled.

That had worried Dex more than anything. Prince had lost his smile. He could tear Toby and Fabian to pieces with his bare hands for that. The fourth day, the doctor okayed his release. Silvio walked beside the wheelchair as Dex pushed him to the front doors of the hospital.

"You look badass with the stitches and bruises."

Prince perked. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. But that doesn't mean your man can ravage you. You heard the doctor."

Dex chuckled, but Prince bitched. "That's not fair. I'd heal better if I was getting some."

Silvio laughed with Dex. "Listen to him, baby. Don't stress. You'll get more than you can handle once you get well."

"Ew, okay, you two."

Prince laughed a little, but then grabbed his stomach and winced from pain. "Yeah, maybe a good idea to wait."

The fury was back. "These guys, Prince…"

"Don't, please. I was fine until Fabian jumped in. I'm kinda proud of myself. It took two of them to beat me up."

Dex's heart hurt and he almost cried, but he kept himself from it for Prince's sake. They got him in the back of the car with Silvio and after Dex took back the wheelchair, he got into the car and buckled his seatbelt. "Baby, you are tough as hell, and after I teach you a few tricks, no one will fuck with you."

"I know. You'll protect me, but just so you know, I got some good licks in. I can take care of myself."

His eyes met Silvio's, and he saw the hurt there. "Silvio was ready to kick their asses too, Prince. You have good friends."

"I know," he said, then looked lovingly over at Silvio, Dex saw in the rearview mirror. Dex was glad he'd helped to get Prince's wishes to happen when he took the job. Silvio deserved the money for school with how he'd helped Prince.

"Stop it. I'm more pissed that I let it happen. I should have walked over with you."

"You had the kids. You've covered for me all summer. Please, don't feel like this is your fault. It's theirs."

"Nothing will happen to them," Silvio said, then caught Dex's eye in the rearview. "Not with the cops, anyway."

Prince took Silvio's hand and begged Dex, "Don't," he started, then lowered his voice so completely, Dex could barely hear him. "Don't kill them."

"Prince, I'm not some goon. I don't go around breaking kneecaps like in the movies."

Prince smiled sweetly at Dex. "No, but I know you're protective of me."

"I say beat them both senseless, but that's just me," Silvio scoffed. "Fuck them both."

"I don't want them to ever come back to the camp. Ever."

"They won't, baby. They won't."

When they got to the motel, Dex carried Prince to their room and Silvio laughed at his fussing. "Stop bitching!"

"I'm not an invalid."

"You didn't mind me carrying you to bed the last time I did this."

"Because I was getting dick that time."

Silvio started making gagging noises, making the two of them laugh. "I think I'll head into my room."

"No," Prince pled. "Stay and tell me about the camp."

"I've told you everything."

"No. Not really…"

Dex shook his head at Prince, trying to get him to shut up, but Prince just smiled brightly.

When Silvio glared at Dex, Dex knew he was in trouble. "Well! It took his mind off things!"

"Yeah, okay? I asked Sabrina if we could…go out to dinner once camp was over. That's all! It's not like we're engaged or anything!"

Prince quietly clapped and said, "I read somewhere that the darkest part of any night was also the coldest. The temperature drops, the world shivers and tries to see through that darkness, thinking it might never brighten again. Then, like magic, it does. The light comes in and warms the world, and things could be better."

"Is that the long way of saying it's always darkest before the dawn?"

Annoyed, Prince groaned, "In a much less eloquent way!"

Dex fell more in love with him in that moment. "Sorry, baby. That was eloquent. Do you mean that?"

"My life was nothing but darkness until I found the camp and you."

Amazement overtook him as he heard Prince. He could be in the deepest well of despair, having just been beaten so badly, he could have died. And instead of focusing on that, he was seeing the good. "Prince, you're incredible."

Silvio helped him get off his shoes and Prince laughed, "I'm not an invalid."

"Let us take care of you! Damn, stubborn!"

Prince around his friend had a glow to him that Dex didn't see otherwise. Oh, he glowed with Dex too, but it was a different glow.

He giggled easily, and when they gossiped about people at the camp, Dex took his leave outside the room. The cigarette had brought back his cravings, and he knew he'd quit again.

He lit one and took in the smoke with a sigh. Yes, he'd quit again, but for that moment, it was needed, if nothing more than to keep him calm enough not to drive off to find those two pricks and kill them with his bare hands.

Speaking of which, his burner phone went off and he dug it out of his pocket, answered it and heard Dante's voice. "Dex, please tell me that our man is out of the hospital."

"He is sir."

"Good, good, and the bill's been handled?"

That was another topic of contention for him. "Sir, the thing is, his father had paid it before I could. He's trying to…fix things."

"That's a good thing, I suppose. As long as he doesn't talk Prince out of coming on with us."

"He won't. I won't let him. Father or not, he's not good to Prince."

Dante chuckled and asked, "Protective, aren't we?"

"Yes, sir. I won't let anyone hurt him again. On that note, do I have the okay?"

"Sorry, no, Dex. The police are involved. That being said, I have spoken to the prosecutor, and once they're convicted, our people inside will pay them repeated visits."

"What if they're not convicted?"

Dante laughed in such a way that made Dex no longer need the cigarette. He dropped it and snuffed it out with his shoe. "Dex, Dex, you should know by now that isn't an issue."

"I'm sorry, sir. I should have known better."