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.Once the hospital declares you dead, we'll take you away in a funeral van."Gideon's arms tightened as Trip said "declares you dead.""Okay." He looked up at Gideon."I love you.If.If.I'll always be yours, 'kay?""No ifs, darlin'.I know you're mine.Through and through."He nodded, took a deep breath."Can Gideon stay with me? Do I have to be alone?"Trip's answer of "He can stay," came at the same time as Gideon's "I'm not leaving you."Then Gideon held his cheeks and met his eyes."We don't have to do this.If you want, we canrun.""No.No more.You deserve better.You deserve a life.I should have told everyone, right fromthe start.""And what would we have done? You did tell me.I didn't realize what lengths they would go to.I didn't understand that you having left and living a private life wasn't enough for them.""I love you." He held onto Gideon, not watching Trip, just holding on tight."I love you, darlin'." Gideon held him in return, staring into his eyes.Trip's voice floated in from behind Gideon."We need to do this soon, before anyone comes tocheck on him.""Do it.Hurry up before I get scared again."Gideon nodded."Do it, Trip."Velvet Blade - 163 His lover's arms stayed around him, Gideon's gaze holding his."You're coming back to me.""Promise?" He felt a strange warmth on his arm where the IV was."Gideon.""I promise, darlin'.I'm not going to lose you.I love you.""Love." He blinked hard, the sound of his heart so loud."Please.""I have you, Tybalt.I'm right here, darlin'.I'm not letting go."Tybalt sobbed once, staring into Gideon's eyes as the world went black.***Gideon watched, horrified, as the life went out of Tybalt's eyes.A strange noise came out of his mouth.Before he could panic, Trip had a hold of his shoulder and tugged him."Off the bed, man.Thedoctors are going to be in here any second and you need to be every inch the grieving lover."Somehow, he thought he could manage that.He stepped away from the bed and Trip moved in, the machines beeping stridently as moredoctors came in."What happened?" Doctors were swarming, Trip in there with them."He's been failing.His heart was too weak." Trip was every inch the good doctor, working tosave Tybalt alongside the others.Ghost was standing next to Gideon, hand sliding into his.Gideon held on tight."Please.I don't want him to die.""He'll be okay, Gideon." Ghost's voice was soft, so only he could hear it.Trip was moving around, touching Tybalt, doing things to him.Gideon had to believe Ghost wasright or he would have never let Trip do this.He wasn't sure what he would do if Tybalt didn'tsurvive.Ghost squeezed his fingers, whispering."Trip's not scared, Gideon."He looked at Ghost, saw the truth of the words in the young man's eyes."I'll try not to be."Velvet Blade - 164 Ghost nodded, held on.Tybalt was simply.lying there.Eyes open, lips unmoving -- Tybalt was gone.He couldn't stop his cry.It didn't matter that Trip wasn't scared, that the man understood how thisworked and believed Tybalt would be saved.Right now, his dear, sweet, precious darlin' wasgone.Trip sighed, hand falling to his side."It's over."The other doctors nodded and one of them looked at the watch on his wrist."The patient died ateleven-twenty a.m.""No." Gideon closed his eyes and swallowed back his tears."No."Velvet Blade - 165 Chapter EighteenHe felt eyes on him, willing him to wake up, talk.Focus.Mal sighed, trying to figure out if hereally wanted to or not.Something warm slid around his hand, squeezed."Are you going to make me order you to wakeup every time I come in?""Possibly." He squeezed back, smiled."Hercules.""I'd rather you just got better." Hercules sighed and kissed the back of his hand."I'm working on it." He opened his eyes, tried to sit up."How's the club? How're you feeling?""I'm tired.I'm pissed off.The club is.Well, I had planned to remodel, but I think maybe weneed to rebuild from the ground up.For now everyone has been found secure lodgings.""Okay." He nodded, thinking of the hours -- years -- of work that entailed."How's Kes?" Theywere going to need his help."Kes is fine physically.His lover.Jim is going to need a lot of help to recover.Help and time.Icannot ask Kestrel to continue on as our host.Jim needs him.""What?"Hercules sighed."Jim is blind.""Kes needs me." He struggled to sit up, hands scrabbling at the tubes in him.Hercules grabbed his wrists and pressed them against the bed."You need to stay in bed, Malachi.You also need time to recover.""I need to help.I have to help you.I have to work." He growled under his breath, his rage suddenand shocking, his loss of control frightening him."You have to get better." Hercules glared at him."And you can help me from right here.""How? How?" His emotions were spiraling, and he forced himself to stillness when he wanted toscream."You can help me figure out what we're going to do." Hercules grabbed his chin, held him withstrong fingers."Find your center, my flame."He met Hercules' eyes, sharing his panic, his fear.He could have lost Hercules.Velvet Blade - 166 "Breathe.We are here.We are safe." Hercules' hands shifted, moved to take his, their fingerstwined together."Your club." Their home."Can be rebuilt.We can make it better, hmm?""Can we?" He wanted to take Herc, run."We can.New club, new lead staff." Hercules tilted his head, a considering look crossing hisface."You.you would want a new lead?" He didn't know how to feel about that."Well, you see, I have this island that I bought when the club first turned a profit.I have alwaysthought I would retire there.""An island?" An island?"Yes, an island." Hercules smiled."Private and warm.All we would need are a few bungalows tostart with.""What are you suggesting, Boss?""That we move to an exclusive setting.You and me, Kes and his man.Gideon.Just a select few.We'll rebuild the club from the ground up and find some good people to run it.I think Hawk andJester would do a good job of it.""Hawk and." He blinked, shook his head."You mean.There'd be a place for us? Somewhereexclusive? Private?""Yes.On the island.A place of our own.Ours and Kestrel's and a few others for whom theGlove is a refuge they will not or cannot leave."He tried to imagine that, but he couldn't.He simply could not."Would you be happy, lettingsomeone else run your club?""If I have you, yes.Besides, it has grown into something unwieldy for one man to oversee.""I'm yours.I go with you, as you need me.""Then let's enjoy the spoils, hmm? We've put in a lot of years of hard work and this." Herculeswaved his hand."This whole thing has made me realize that if we don't enjoy what we havetogether now, we're wasting time we won't get back."Velvet Blade - 167 "Do you.I." Fuck.He needed to know if Herc wanted him, still, wanted to be his Dom."Spit it out, Malachi."He snorted."It's nothing.When do I get out of here?""I'm hoping today.There's a house on the island.Big enough for three couples.It's a start ifeveryone I have in mind is ready to be moved." Hercules eyes suddenly went hot."There's aroom outfitted for us, with your size used as specifications.""Is there somewhere safe for the others?"His size.His size.That tension in his chest eased."For now, there are secure rooms in what's left of the Glove.But there are a number of couplesI'd like to invite to the island.I've already spoken to the builders.They'll be working on luxurybungalows
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