Colby was doing fine. Or mostly. Exhausted by the ordeal and the attention, which was understandable. Jason had put a stop to visitors for a while, requested the iPad, pulled up that steampunk gay romance series, and let Colby lie quietly listening to his voice and drifting into healing rest.
Jason’s heart lurched now, gazing at him. That internal organ remained unconvinced. Colby might be back to not eating. Stressed and scared, even while pretending hard to be okay for everyone else’s sakes.
Because Colby Kent did that. Colby smiled and accepted gingersnaps and well-wishes and that stuffed bear, which beamed benevolently above his bed. He’d offered most of the flowers to other patients, not that there were many in this sleepy hospital. New sunflowers nodded from the nurses’ station; tu
