Nikola woke up to Sadik shaking him awake. The Turk looked desperate, and there were tears in his eyes.

“I was just sleeping,” Nikola said gently. He had spent some time with Harriell. Keeping track of time with a timer that he had appearing in the sky. Said sky was always cloudy and, try as he might, he couldn’t get a sun to shine in his domain. But Harriell told him that he didn’t mind. So, it was all ok.

“Nikola,” sobbed Sadik as he embraced him. “I was so afraid you were back in the coma.”

“Brain dead,” corrected Nikola. And, even that hadn’t been enough to kill him. Sadik sobbed harder, and Nikola’s arms wrapped themselves around him. “But I am fine now. How is Jake?”

Sadik looked up at him, then, looking guilty.

“The boy is fine. Better behaved. I shouldn’t have made you…” Nikola placed a finger on Sadik’s lips.

“Saving a child was the noble thing to do,” Nikola smiled softly down on Sadik, and the man placed two hands on each of Nikola’s cheeks. Looking for any signs of the death that had gripped him just hours prior.

“Never do it again,” Nikola nodded. He didn’t know if he could and didn’t want to test the theory. Sadik kissed him softly, as if afraid he was going to break him, and Nikola placed a hand in Sadik’s hair. Pulling him closer, deepening the kiss.

When they broke apart for air, Nikola’s fingers began to play with Sadik’s hair. It looked shaggier. Not the close-cropped one he remembered.

“You haven’t been taking care of yourself,” accused Nikola, and Sadik smiled sheepishly. Now that Nikola was looking, he saw that Sadik had somewhat of a stubble. His hand left the man’s hair, and he placed it over Sadik’s cheeks. “That needs to go.”

“You don’t like men with beards?” Chuckled Sadik. Then he placed a hand over Nikola’s. “Then I will remove it.”

“Do so. You came in here straight from the zoo?” Sadik was wearing a uniform. So, unlike the normal clothes, he usually did. And a badge. Nikola looked at it pointedly.

“I thought you thought these were goofy,” Nikola nodded to the badge and Sadik grinned.

“Yes, but you wore yours with pride. So, I figured I could wear mine too. I am a bit smelly, but I had to clean up after Ivar. He hasn’t danced for the visitors ever since you…” Sadik chocked on a sob again, and Nikola cradled the man’s head near his chest. So that he could hear his heartbeat.

“You hear this? I am fine, Sadik. I will always be fine. There are so many things I would like to tell you. But we need to go back to the cottage,” Nikola looked at the door to the room, which was closed. However, hospitals had listening devices for security purposes. In his room alone, there were two cameras.

“The house is done. I got everything furnished the way we agreed on. Don’t you want to go there instead?” Nikola’s face split in a grin.

“Our house. And there are roses and narcissus and lilies in the front?” He listed, excited. Sadik grinned and nodded.

“I got sprinklers, so we wouldn’t need to water manually. Eric loves it there,” Nikola’s eyes began to twinkle at that. He was glad that Eric did.

“And Emilia?” Sadik looked down at his hands then.

“She passed away. Fell down the stairs,” Nikola looked like slapped. Had the angels done it? Not taken Jake because Nikola was not as attached and taken Emilia instead?

“When?” Nikola’s voice barely got out of his throat, but he forced out the word.

“A month ago. I was out, so I couldn’t call the ambulance. And Eric was at the kindergarten,” Nikola nodded, face full of sorrow. He could have helped her, if he had been there. And he would have been, since he worked from home. Then, he stopped to think.

“I take it I no longer have a job?” Asked Nikola. The company must have let him go, if the house was complete now. It has been months, after all.

“Does it matter? You can find another. Or, you can make apps and sell those. And, if that doesn’t work out, you have me,” Sadik puffed up his chest, but Nikola was lost in thought.

He couldn’t spend all day watching TV. He needed to find something.

“My laptop?” Asked Nikola. He was unable to see it in the hospital room, but then again, he hadn’t needed it.

“It is at home. I just turned it off and haven’t touched it,” Nikola nodded. He could find a new job. One that was from home and filled his days just as much as the old one. Or, maybe, he could get his old job?

Then he remembered how many extra hours he had worked during his time with that company. He had been alone, back then, but he had a family now. A son who was coping with loss. He couldn’t spend the same among of hours as before.

“Don’t think about work now,” said Sadik as he sat next to the bed. “Do you want me to bring Eric?”

“Can’t I go to him? Shouldn’t the nurses check me out?” No one had told Nikola about that.

“Niki, you woke up after months of being brain-dead. No one is checking you out within the week,” Nikola groaned. Then, he noticed something.

“You haven’t called me lamb the entire time,” Nikola missed the nickname. It had been normal for them. Nikola wanted things to be as they had been.

“You actually liked that nickname? I thought that you were just too polite to say anything,” Sadik got a hopeful expression on his face. “May I…”

“Go ahead,” Nikola cracked a grin at him, and any tension that Sadik had in his shoulders disappeared.

“Lamb, I have missed you. Never do this to me ever again,” Nikola grinned. “Have you thought about becoming like me? The house is ready.”

“I wouldn’t need to,” Sadik’s face fell, and he wanted to argue, but Nikola silenced him with a look. “I can give you eternity regardless. But I can’t explain now. When we get home.”

Sadik grinned, daring to hope that Nikola wasn’t lying to him, and took a hold of the brown-haired man’s hand. Happy to see him awake again.