''What the....'' He stares at the man in disbelief, face stricken. Why the hell had he just gotten slapped?! He didn't really have time to say anything against it as he was being yanked out of bed and before he knew what was happening he was being dragged out. Later on he wouldn't remember what happened next, everything happened in a blur while he was in a daze. He just knew that the guy kept yelling to go faster, but his steps were getting weaker and weaker and he was ready to drop down on the ground and just give up. He was slowing them down and he knew it. They both knew it. But for some reason, the man stubbornly insisted on saving Tyler's sorry ass. He was fighting his way through and Tyler could only admire his action. The thing that unsettled him a bit, was the fact that this man seemed to enjoy it. Luckily for him, he didn't notice all the blood or the pieces of flesh plastered on them, otherwise, he would surely have fainted or gotten sick. Right now he just couldn't handle a view like that. ''I-I can't....'' He breathes after a while, almost sagging against the man. ''I...'' God, he could barely catch his breath. ''So sorry... I.. Go on. Just go.. Please.'' He started begging again, on the verge of giving up. They were so close, yet so far.

Tyler makes a surprised noise at the firm, hard kiss. He doesn't have time to react since it's all over too soon. He's not even sure if he would have reacted. The kiss was a spur of the moment kind of thing, Tyler was sure. The guy didn't think they would make it, and people did weird things when they thought they were dying, and kissing a stranger was probably one of them. And before he know it, they are on the run again. Everything is blurred and he's just tagging along, slowing them down considerably, but the guy refuses to leave him behind.

They must have made it somehow, because suddenly he's sitting in a car, on the road, hopefully driving to somewhere safe. He hears the other man sob, and the only comfort he can give, is to slump against him, letting his head drop down on the man's shoulder. Shortly after, he gives in to the blissful oblivion, submitting to whatever would happen next.

The guy nudges him softly, making Tyler come back to awareness. He opens his eyes groggily and tries to figure out where they are, but the surroundings are anything but familiar. He opens the car door and stumbles out, almost tumbling to the ground from a sudden rush of dizziness. He knows he's safe, he really does, but it doesn't make up for the fact that he's feeling like utter shit. Before he know it, the dizziness is too much and he falls to the ground, heaving and gasping for air as he starts puking. ''I-I'm sorry... God, I'm so sorry...'' He wheezed, clutching his side where the wound is. The side is wet and immediately he knows that he has bleed through the bandage. He winces in pain, realizing that it's throbbing. Is it infected? God, he doesn't hope so. That would be bad. He already feels worse for wear to be honest. The driver of the car steps out and looks down at him warily, like he's trying to decide what to do. ''Get up kiddo. Let's get ya to a bed, yeah?'' He lights a cigarette, looking at him expectantly, like Tyler can get up on his own. ''We don't have all day lil' fellow.'' The annoyance is evident in his voice, it's like he's trying to get him away from the prying eyes before anyone can question why he's there. Tyler nods slowly but doesn't make a move to get up. After a few seconds he's being yanked up, the smoke reaching him, making his stomach do a flip flow, like he's ready to puke again. ''Help me, will ya'?'' He directs it at Jaime.

''This is going to hurt a bit, okay?'' An elderly woman says quietly, her look soft as she looks at Tyler. He nods slowly, trying to keep his eyes open, unsure of what exactly is going on. ''Wh-where am I?'' He asked confused as he tried to sit up, only to have a young looking guy push him gently back down. ''This is the closest you'll come to a hospital in this area.'' The guy offers him a crooked smile. ''I'm Paul and the nurse around here, and this amazing woman is Susie, our doctor. She's saved a lot of lives. Don't worry, we'll take care of this.'' Susie scoffs at that, but smiles at Paul nonetheless. ''We don't have more morphine, do we?'' She asks, looking worried. ''We'll have to stock up this week.'' Paul nods, trying to find a substitute for morphine, but there's nothing. Only some weaker painkillers, but that would have to do for now. Together they work on Tyler, redoing the stings Jaime had made, making sure to sterilize absolutely everything again. Tyler passed out in the middle of it all, too exhausted to handle the pain right now. His whimpers had turned into screams, because there was nothing to dim the pain as they worked on his deep wound. It was infected, and having the stings practically pulled out felt like being stabbed all over again.

''I'll check on him in an hour.'' Paul says quietly, dabbing a cloth across Tyler's face, removing some of the dirt. ''Do you think he'll make it?'' Susie looks grim before she sighs. ''The infection is spreading. We need prophylactic medication, I just don't know how to get it. It needs to be done fast. If the infection spreads to his blood... There's not much we can do. We could... If it spreads to far, we we'll need to do an amputation. I... God.'' She suddenly looks all worn out and just plain tired. ''We really need that medication. ''And we need medication that can clean the area completely.'' Paul nods, trying to figure out how they are supposed to get the medication.

''The poor fellow passed out from the pain when we redid the stitches.'' She tells quietly, placing a hand on Jaime's shoulder. ''Paul will give you a list, but... Be careful. We don't want to lose one of our owns, and.. You sure you want to risk this for a stranger? I'll do what I can with what I currently have, but that's the only thing I can do. We need to wash him up a bit.'' God, he looked like he had been out in the wild for months. He was really worse for wear. You could barely make his features out and he probably looked older than he was with all this blood and grime marring his handsome face. ''I can't believe one of us would do this to him.'' Paul chimed in as he came to stand next to Jaime. ''He's not from here, is he? His accent...'' He started to dab a wet cloth across Tyler's face again, grimacing slightly. ''He's really young. He can't be any older than you Jaime. What the hell is he doing all the way here all alone? Does he have any relatives?''

Tyler had slept four days straight, all the medication putting him into a deep, much needed sleep. He didn't exactly feel well-rested as he finally woke up, but he felt immensely better. ''H-hello?'' He croaked, trying to figure out if anyone was in the room. For the first time in what had to be over a week he was able to finally see things around him again. He wasn't delirious from his high fever or in an excruciating pain. ''Oh, you're awake.'' He recognized that voice somehow, but he didn't remember a thing or how he ended up here. The only thing he could remember properly, was that stranger, and his too familiar voice. An elderly women came into view, smiling kindly at him. ''How are you feeling?'' Tyler shrugged, wincing a bit in pain, since the wound was still there. ''Uhm... Better? I guess...'' He trailed off, looking confused. The next hour was spent on the woman telling him everything she knew, and how he had ended up here.

''If it wasn't for Jaime, you wouldn't be here.''
Wait. Jaime?! Surely not his Jaime?!
''Jaime?'' Tyler repeated dumbly.
''Yeah, he's the guy who found you. He fought his way through, and brought you back here. He even went to Chicago to get the medication that meant life or death for you. He risked his life for a stranger. It's a rarity among us now.''
Tyler just stared at her, before shaking his head. This was silly. It wasn't his Jaime. It couldn't be.
''I-I need to go thank him.''
''Oh no, not yet. You need to rest. I'll let Paul, the nurse, show you to Jaime's room in the evening, what do you say? And when you come back, we'll try to give you a bath, okay?''
Ah yes, he must have looked like utter shit right now. All bloodied and dirty.
''A bath sounds really good.'' He smiled crookedly.

Susie left him shortly after, which gave Tyler the opportunity to sleep some more. Paul came in with some vile looking yoghurt and a piece of bread, forcing him to eat it. ''Now... Let's get you into this wheelchair, so you can go thank your hero.'' He smiled kindly at Tyler, before strolling out from the Hospital area, making his way towards the Quarter where their leader was. Jaime had a private room there. ''I'll give you some privacy, okay?'' Paul said as they reached the room. ''I'll come back in an hour.'' Tyler nodded, offering a small ''thank you,'' before looking at the door nervously as he heard a sound. He didn't give it much thought before he knocked on the door, slowly opening it as he peered inside. It was a bad habit of his, and he knew it wasn't well-mannered to just walk in without being given permission, but it was a hard habit to break. All breath left him at the sight he was met with. He had obviously intruded on a very private moment, and god this felt awkward. He was just about to hurriedly close the door, when something caught his eyes, a all too familiar face. Jaime. Oh god. It was Jaime. It couldn't be, could it? He stared wide-eyed, breathing hard from the wave of emotion that over-came him. He felt sick. He felt so sick that he was going to throw up right on the spot. Jaime seemed to be in such a bliss as he... God, he couldn't even finish that sentence. How could this be his Jaime? What were the chances? He was ready to break down and just scream and cry, because faith had screwed him over so hard, like always. Jaime was in the arms of another man, and here Tyler was, alone, still pinning after a guy he thought was dead, but that was so far from the truth. Jaime had moved on. It was obvious. And could Tyler really blame him? He had left Tyler behind in France, of course he wouldn't wait for him forever. He made a small sound, a broken sob as he hurriedly backed himself away, forgetting to close the door.

Tyler pushes his wheelchair away from the wall, finally meeting Jaime's gaze, practically drinking him in, his eyes trailing up and down Jaime's body like he was trying to memorize absolutely everything. God. He felt like a starved man. Jaime was right in front of him, but he couldn't reach out. Jaime had moved on. A sob forced its way through again and he hurriedly averted his gaze to his lap, angrily brushing his tears away. ''You don't have to defend yourself.'' He says hollowly. ''It's.. It's.. It..'' God, he can barely talk. He's so overcome by different emotions, loneliness the most prominent one. He felt like he was suffocating, the image etched into his mind forever. ''I should have known you would move on.'' He finally whispers. ''I-it's fine, r-really. I know it's been long a-and.. Just.. I.. I just wanted to say thank you. I didn't know it was you, but th-thanks.'' He bites his lip so hard he's piercing the skin, but right now he just doesn't care. ''I'll be out of your way as soon as I can. I promise.'' He offers Jaime a watery smile, since he can't really be angry. They weren't even together. Suddenly he feels foolish for giving everything up to rush to America and declare his eternal love to a guy who had moved on. ''It's.. So good to see you again. I.. I'm glad you're okay.'' He says quietly, before fumbling with his wheelchair, finally able to turn away from Jaime, rolling his way slowly down the wall, the tears rushing down his cheeks again, body shaking with suppressed sobs.

''You're... You're doing this as a part of an agreement?!'' Tyler asked incredulously, trying to understand what the implication meant, but he just couldn't. He couldn't come to terms with it, and would he ever? Tyler stares at Jaime for such a long time, unable to say anything. It felt like everything was crashing down around him, and he was unable to stop it from happening. Jaime was with another guy, whether he wanted it or not, and Tyler couldn't promise the same things as Brandon could. He couldn't promise the same security or a place to stay where they would be safe. Tears sprung to his eyes at the realization that he might never be with Jaime again. Ever. Considering everything that had happened up until now, this was a lot to take in. As the doctor had said the name ''Jaime'', such a hope had filled Tyler, and he was praying to every deity that it was his Jaime. The ironic thing was, it was him, but the reunion didn't exactly turn out the way Tyler had imagined it would, in his head. He cringed at the word 'fucking', trying to contain so many emotions, but it was getting harder and hard. ''I-I...'' God, all those images running through his head was just so wrong. ''I.. I have to get back to the Hospital.'' Was all he said, because he couldn't take this anymore, and he kept seeing Jaime all over that guy, it brought bile up, but he quickly swallowed harshly, pushing himself away from Jaime. To be honest, he didn't even know where the Hospital was, but he just had to get away. He had come all the way for nothing.

''D-don't do this to me.'' Tyler half sobs, staring pleadingly at Jaime. ''How am I supposed to share you with another guy? I-I can't Jaime...'' He rolls himself forward again, until he's right in front of Jaime. ''C-come here...'' He tugs on his sleeve, before gently yanking him down on his lap, closing his arms around him so tightly that he was sure it hurt. God. He would never ever let go. He couldn't believe that Jaime was back in his arms. The sobs tore their way through again, and he just couldn't keep it inside. He didn't know what to do. He felt so utterly helpless and lost. ''You don't disgust me.'' He whispered hoarsely. ''I-I understand....'' At least he was trying. Everything was about survival instincts now, and not about what you truly want.

''N-no...'' Tyler whispers. ''P-please don't make promises neither of us can keep.'' He wanted to marry Jaime too, and he knew that he didn't need to say that out loud, since Jaime already knew. ''I think I'll leave.. As soon as I can, I-I'l leave. Please don't try to stop me. I can't stay here and watch you with another guy. I have nothing or no one here. I'll try to get back to France. Maybe I'll find my family.'' He tried to talk past the lump in his throat but it was getting harder and harder. He tightened his hold around Tyler. ''I love you. I'll always love you a-and I just want you to be happy and safe. M-maybe we'll meet again some day.'' They had to. Tyler knew they were meant to be, so he had to firmly keep up all his faith and hope. He startled as Jaime suddenly slid out of his lap, standing up, acting all odd again. It wasn't until Brandon came in view that he realized why. He had such a hard time with keeping up appearances, since he kept glaring at the guy.

''Y-you're... Oh.'' Tyler trailed off, looking immensely upset and hurt. He knew very well what Brandon had been implying and it did not sit well with him. No, not at all. He already hated the guy. How could he not? ''I-I should go.'' He couldn't take this. Surely Jaime didn't expect him to accept this? He could understand why it was necessary but it still hurt as hell knowing that the guy he wanted to marry would be spending the night with someone else. ''I-I need to get back to the Hospital.'' He babbled, hoping that the nurse wouldn't come looking after him. He didn't even know how to get back, but that didn't really matter right now. He just needed to get away.

One day later.

Tyler had no idea where to go once he was free to leave this little hospital. He had spent all night and day in bed, trying to take everything in. He knew that he would die if he left this territory. He knew no one out there, and he didn't even know how to fight. If he ventured out on his own, he was sure to be killed. He knew that no one would come and save him this time. Honestly, he was at a loss. Maybe it was better to stay for as long as he could? Unless that Brandon guy didn't allow him permission to stay. He had heard from Paul that he functioned as their leader in this territory, and Tyler would have to ask for permission to stay permenantly. Now the question was, did he want to stay? Nothing really matters right now. He has a feeling that Jaime is going to stay with Brandon for a long time, because it offers him a security that Tyler can't give him. There's nothing for him out there, and there's nothing here. He's literally all alone. He has no idea how he's supposed to get back to France, and he's sure that he'll be met with the same kind of chaos. Maybe he should try though, go back and search for his family. He sighs deeply, closing his eyes warily, tugging on his hair in frustration. He doesn't hear someone open the door and walk inside.

Tyler stills as he hears someone's voice, removing his hands from his face, since he had been rubbing them up and down warily, trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do. His whole face transformed into a bright smile at the sight of Jaime, until he remembered their situation. ''Hey there...'' He smiled tiredly. ''I won't bite. You can come closer.'' Tyler joked, pushing himself up in a sitting position, wincing at the stab of pain that coursed through his body. Ah yes, that damned wound was still healing. ''The doctor told me that if you hadn't taken so great care of... of uhm my wound.. I would probably have gotten an infection and died.'' He trailed off, realizing he sounded silly, and was desperately trying to erase the awkwardness between them. ''So.... Thank you.'' Tyler wasn't looking at Jaime, instead he was busying himself with examining his sleeve, yanking on it, just to give his hands something to do.