After your father found out about you and Johnny, he almost best you to death. The last thing you remember was your older brother, Joey, and his girlfriend, Aoife, driving you to the hospital before everything went black.

Now you were in the hospital, surrounded with police, doctors, CPS, and your brothers. Your brother, Darren Lynch, forbid you from seeing Johnny. However, he snuck in anyway as his father, John, was a lawyer.

Johnny was sitting on the chair next to you, as you sat on the bed.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” You muttered, falling into your life-long pattern of avoidance.

“No, no, we’re not doing that.” Johnny shook his head. “You don’t get to shut me out. You don’t get to that to me again, because I won’t go this time. You hear me? I’m here, I’m in, I care, and I’m not going the fuck away.”

“You care?”

A pained groan tore from his throat. “Yes, I care. I care so fucking much it hurts.”

Your breath hitched. “What do you want to know?”

“Start with how bad this is,” Johnny signaled to you.

“A few cuts and bruises. And a collapsed lung.” You admitted.

“Jesus Christ,” Johnny’s face crumbled. “Fuck.”

Releasing your hand, Johnny leaned back in his chair, pressing the heels of his hands against his forehead as he wrestled with his emotions. Johnny didn’t say a word, he just sat there, breathing hard and deep.