Wedding Ring - 3. Chapter 3

What they finally agreed to was to take advantage of Darren's college Easter break so they could go on a long weekend trip into the mountains. Camping had been one of Darren's and Will's favorite things and it was the place where Darren had let himself express the most physical affection for his friend. So if there was anyplace where Will felt he had the best chance at seducing Darren it was up in the thin air of the rocky mountains.

The snow was still melting on the ground so camping in a tent was out of the question. Instead they rented a cabin in Estes Park. Tara wanted to see them off but two days before they left she came down with what she felt was the flu and had to stay home. During the drive Darren bounced between nervousness, fear, and surprisingly excitement. This was his chance... maybe his only chance for both he and Will to express how they felt about each other without the normal barriers men put between themselves regardless how good of friends they were. What Darren felt for Will was not and had never been sexual but it was a love that did border on the line of being romantic. He loved holding the smaller man in his arms... it was so comforting. If it was not for the fact that Darren wanted a family and really liked Tara, he would have been happy in permanent bachelorhood rooming with Will but the fact was that Darren wanted a family. So unless Will or he for that matter could get pregnant Darren was going to marry Tara. The purpose of this trip though was not to scuttle the marriage but for there to be no questions in Darren's mind that he was doing the right thing.

Jacob did the driving while Darren and Will stayed in the back seats, Will lying against Darren. At first Darren held Will nervously in his arms, afraid to press to hard but as the Jeep made a sharp right turn Darren involuntarily gripped tighter about Will's waist. This led to a sigh from Will and the eventual relaxing of shoulders of Darren.

Darren was surprised by how muscular Will felt when he had tightened his grip and now as he relaxed he let his hands move down Will's stomach. Will responded to Darren's exploration by unbuttoning a few of the lower buttons of his shirt and leading Darren's right hand inside.

Darren felt the warm skin and it excited him. He closed and opened his fist so the tips of his fingers felt the groves of Will's muscles. Will unbuttoned his shirt completely and then took Darren's left hand up to his right nipple. Darren started just playing with it but then Will grabbed his finger and had him pinch the spot causing a loud moan to escape Will's lips.

Jacob grinned and had to struggle to keep his eyes on the road. The sight of the two men that had come to be his best friends getting it on gave him a boner which he had to adjust several times to be comfortable.

It did take some time but soon both Darren's and Will's shirts were off with Darren's legs now spread out from one end of the car to the other. Will was on top of Darren and giving his nipples a tongue job while Darren let his hands explore the muscles of Will's back.

Jacob smiled as he watch the two men enjoy each other after so many years of holding back. Jacob thought everything was going well until Darren shouted "NO!" Causing Jacob to slam on the breaks.

Jacob quickly looked back and saw Will had been in the process of unbuttoning Darren's pants while Darren had shouted his protest. "What's wrong?" Jacob asked the two stunned men.

"I..." Darren started but was interrupted by the sound of a blaring car horn.

For a second Jacob forgot what was going on behind him and made his way to the side of the road before turning his attention back to Darren. "Now tell me why you just scared the shit out of me."

"I...I..." Darren stammered.

" Yes...?" Jacob begged while Will got a dejected look on his face.

"I don't want to do it in a car." Darren lied. "I want it to be special." He continued, which wasn't a lie.

"Not nervous?" Jacob asked knowingly.

"A little."

"The glass is tinted so no one can see you... you know."

"It's not that... it just feels... it feels a little cheap doing it in a moving car."

"Cheap!" Will said a little indignantly.

"I don't mean what we are doing is cheap... I mean... gosh I don't know what I mean." Darren tried to defend himself.

"Well I think I need to know." Will demanded.

"I guess... I guess I just want it to be special... like how I feel about you is special."

"Will you better forgive him cause if you don't take him I will." Jacob said seriously. He always wanted to be in love with a romantic.

"Well Jacob I think you'll have to do without cause I guess I'm going to keep him." Will said in forgiving Darren.

"Can we just hold each other until we get to the cabin?" Darren said as a suggestion.

"More then happy to." Will agreed as he went back into Darren's arms. "Just promise us Jacob you won't slam the breaks if things get hot again. I almost ripped Darren's dick off when you did that."

"Well we wouldn't want that now." Jacob laughed as he got the car moving again.

After they arrived at the cabin and unpacked their things Darren went to one of the two bedrooms and announced he was going to take a nap giving Will a wink of the eye. Both Will and Jacob grinned but as Will made to follow Darren into the bedroom Jacob grabbed his hand and held him back.

"Go slow with him." Jacob warned.

"I was planning to." Will said a little annoyed.

"I'm not telling you to slowly make love to him... What I'm trying to say is you don't need to rush into the sex on the first night here. We are going to be here for four days so there is no rush."

"What would you have me do then?"

"Let him get comfortable with you. Let him take the first steps, that way nothing can happen that he doesn't want to happen."

"I guess your right but what if he does nothing?"

"I don't think that's going to happen but if it does you can give him a little push ... just not over an emotional cliff."

"Good grief, you sound like I'm trying to make love to a soft boiled egg."

"In a way you are." Jacob agreed. "Emotionally he is vulnerable right now so if you press too hard he might really break and unlike a hard boil egg, cracking the shell can leave a real mess."

"I hate it when someone turns my analogies against me."

"You're an only child?" Jacob asked with arched eyebrows.

"Yes... how did you guess?"

"If you had siblings you would have become used to having your own words used against you. Me and my sister do it to each other all the time." Jacob laughed. He didn't mention that he also found "only child" people to be more self centered and not used to being contradicted but he kept that to himself.

"Well I better get going. I don't want to lose my chance."

"Go get him!" Jacob grinned as he slapped Will on the ass as Will entered the bedroom.

"Ouch!" Will yelled.

Darren, who was already undressed and in the bed lifted himself up on his elbows and laughed at his two friends. "I hope ya'll are not going to do that rough stuff with me."

"You never know what you're going to get." Will chuckled as he closed the door behind him, blocking Jacob's view.

"Well just be easy on me. I'm new to this."

"I plan to make it real easy on you." Will agreed, remembering Jacob's words. "We'll only do stuff you want to do."

"Well what I want to do right now is get you in bed with me." Darren said eagerly.

"A little excited?" Will asked, happy to hear the keenness in Darren's voice.

"A little."

"So what do you want to do with me once you get me in bed?" Will asked as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

"I want to hold you." Darren said with purpose.

"Just hold me. We've done that before." Will said a little disappointedly.

"Yes but before I held you just as a friend. This time I want to hold you... cause you mean more to me."

W ill said the words Darren was still uncomfortable with;"As a lover?"

"...Yes"

"I would like that very much then." Will agreed seeing the difference Darren was having problems expressing.

Once he was down to his underwear, Will gave Darren a questioning look. Darren responded by nodding his head and off came Will's briefs. Darren also worked to take off his boxers and tossed them off the floor. He did all this while still keeping the sheets up to his chest.

"Want the lights on or off?" Will asked before joining Darren under the sheets.

"On... I want to be able to see what we are doing."

"Same here." Will approved. He wanted to see the expression on Darren's face. How else was he going to judge if he was going to far.

Before when they had shared a tent, they had slept spooned together. This time though they remained facing each other. Will, who already had a hard on found his dick pressed against Darren's stomach while Darren's, whose dick was still soft, just toughed Will's thigh. They remained like that for several minutes, their arms wrapped around each other's necks. Darren looked at Will like he was expecting something to happen but Will, following Jacob's advice, waited for Darren to make the first move.

Darren finally took it. He tighten his arms around Will neck to draw him closer until their noses touched. He then nuzzled against Will a few times before he finally had the courage to give him his first real kiss. He pressed his two lips against Will's lower one and opened his mouth to suck on it. Will gave a sigh, opening his mouth which Darren immediately attack, moving his own open mouth so it covered Will and letting his tongue explore the warm, damp cavity of Will's mouth. Will bought his own tongue into action and soon the tow muscles were dueling and tasting each other. Will then closed his mouth and suck the juices from Darren's tongue until it felt rough and dry. Darren returned his tongue to his mouth, wetting it again before entering a second and third kiss.

By this time Will wanted to do more then just kiss. He wanted his hands on the ass he had been eyeing since high school. Hoping Darren wouldn't freak out, Will broke off the kissing and worked his way down until his hands could get a good grip on the two mounds of smooth flesh. Working his way down also put him in perfect position to begin some serious necking. Tara might be giving her future husband a wedding ring but before Will was done, he was going to leave his mark on Darren.

Darren for his part was becoming lost in his feelings. He loved Will, he really did. He had always looked for a way to express it. Be it making dinner, visiting him at work, doing his laundry, or just playing around Darren had always wanted Will to know that he loved him. It might have been all the dating he and Will did in high school but the idea of sexually expressing his love had never occurred to him. Not until he met Jacob. Him finding how easy it was for him to be physically affectionate with an openly gay man made him realize what he really wanted and that was to be physically expressive with his love with Will. Now that this dream was finally being realized, his passions were growing out of control.

Jacob busied in the kitchen by himself, laughing each time he heard a loud groan coming from the bedroom. He tired to imagine what they were doing behind the closed door and it thrilled him to see the two men who so loved each other finally express it.

He was just humming away, cutting some carrots to put in a beef stew when his cell phone went off. He looked at the caller id and saw it was his sister. He sighed, it was some much like her to want to know all the details of what was happening and to not have the patience to wait until they got back.

"Hi sis!" He answered with a fake cheerfulness.

"Have ya'll done it yet?" She demanded.

"Hey we just got here." Jacob complained

"Well I changed my mind. I don't want Darren to go through with it."

"What!" Jacob said in disbelief after all the trouble they had gone to set this up. "Why?"

"You know the flu I had?"

"Yes." Jacob replied feeling a sense of dread come over him.

"Well it turn out not to be a flu."

"Oh no!" Jacob replied, suspicion and dread growing inside him.

"Yes... I'm pregnant."

"Shit!"

"No joke!" Tara agreed. "That's why I need you to make sure nothing serious happens up there. I can't have Darren finding out he loves Will or you now that I have a bun in the oven."

It had been Tara's great plan to help Darren find out about himself. She had never met a straight man who was so affectionate with her brother or Will for that matter. She wanted to experiment to find out if Darren had a gay side to him. If he did, it would not of mattered to her as instead of gaining a husband she would of gained a friend for her self and more importantly Jacob, a friend that she could trust. But now that she was pregnant, self-exploration was out of the question. She wouldn't get an abortion and she didn't want to raise a child on her own. What she felt she needed was Darren safely wed.

Will began to sense a difference in Darren by the time Will had work his tongue half way down Darren's chest. Darren's face had turned bright red and his breathing had definitely quickened. He didn't make a sound but his mouth made the same motions over and over again as if he was repeating something silently to himself. It was then that something must of snapped for Darren cause he quickly pushed himself up, causing Will to fall down on his back, he head just missing the foot of the bed. Darren then fell on top of Will, holding him in a death grip while his mouth worked rapidly along Will's neck. It was then that Will could hear the word Darren was repeating over and over again. It was his own name.

"Will, Will, Will, Will...." Darren repeated over and over in a tone that sounded of desperation.

"It's alright Darren I'm here." Will said in an attempt to comfort him. as his hand moved down Darren's back.

"I can't let you go!" Darren then started repeating.

Knowing what he was going to suggest would mean the breaking off of Darren's engagement Will worked up his courage to say the words. "You don't have to lose me. You don't have to get married.

Darren responded by looking at Will as if this thought would of never of occurred to him. "But I made a promise."

"Darren, you can't enter into a marriage if you're in love with another person. If you think you made a promise when you gave Tara the engagement ring, what about your wedding vows...to love and to hold."

"I want to love and hold you." Darren mumbled in agreement.

"Well you are definitely holding me now." Will thought to himself, the tight grip Darren had around him was very uncomfortable. "I want to love you too." Is what he finally said. "I do love you."

"Then I can't get married then." Darren finally said. Making that decision seemed to calm him as he lessened his grip on Will, no longer holding him as if he feared Will was about to slip away.

"You can get married." Will cooed, happy he was finally able to breath. "You can always marry me."

"Is that a proposal?"

"Yes."

"Then I..." Darren was about to reply when there was a sudden knocking on the door. "Yes." He called out.

Jacob walked into the room nervously with a scared deer look in his eyes. "Sorry I... I ..."

Sensing Jacob was too scared to speak Darren spoke up. "Its alright Jacob. You must have heard us. I sorry but I just can't marry your..."

"Stop!" Jacob had to courage to interrupt. Jacob had to tell Darren the news before Darren said the fatal words. "Before you say anything there is something you need to know."

"What is it Jacob?" Will said with sympathy. He could see how hard whatever Jacob wanted to tell them was.

"Its Tara... she just called... she's pregnant." Jacob was finally able to stammer out. "I'm sorry."

At first hearing that he was about to become a father, Darren was filled with excitement but then reality set in. He had help create a new life so now he was responsible for it. He had to go through with the marriage... if Tara would still have him.

"I'm sorry Will." Darren said in an attempt to ask for forgiveness.

"No Darren... please don't apologize. You have to do what you need to do. You wouldn't be the person I love if you did otherwise."

"I wish you would of hit me instead of saying that. It makes things that much harder."

"If you really want me to hit you I will but I'll only do it cause I love you." Will responded.

"Then what's the point? I need you to hate me right now." Darren began to weep.

"I can't and I won't." Will said intractably.

It was soon decided to end the trip then and there. It was too hard for Darren to sleep with Will knowing that it would be only on a temporary basis. Tara met them at the apartment and was shock by how drained and disheveled Darren looked. Tara saw that his heart had been broken and it was partly her fault. She now had the guilt of two people on her shoulders, Will's and now Darren's. After taking a quick shower and changing his cloths, Darren left with Tara to go to her home to discuss things. Jacob chose to stay with Will who looked like he was in the same bad shape as Darren.

"I'm really going to lose him." Will said sullenly as he sat himself on the couch.

Jacob, feeling real bad for Will sat himself next to him and put Will's head in his lap. "Everything will turn out fine in the end."

"I don't see how. Darren is going to marry your sister. That mean Darren will be moving out... moving out of here and out of my life."

"He might be moving out of the apartment but he still will be a part of your life."

"But not the way I want him to be."

"No... but I'm sure Darren will give you all he can... and so will I."

"What are you trying to say?" Will said as he looked up at Jacob.

"Well, Darren will be moving in with my sister and with a baby on the way they'll need my bedroom so I was think..."

"You want to move in with me?"

"I would like to if that's ok? Think you can take this stray in?"

"You're so cute... how can I say no to you."

"I'm not asking you to become my lover or anything but I think we need each other right now."

"Yep, we are two sorry fools alright. You're losing your sister and I'm losing my roommate."

"So do you want to give this new arrangement a test drive?" Jacob grinned as he gave Will's ear a lick."

"You horny bastard!" Will laughed as he stood up.

"I know nothing else I can do to put you in a good mood then to offer you a good fuck."

"I don't know about a good mood it would definitely put me in a better one."

"Then lets hurry." Jacob laughed as he skipped toward Will's bedroom.

Will smirked as he followed the bouncing pair of buns to his bed. Maybe things would not be so bad.

"Are you still ok with us getting married?" Tara asked as she drove Darren to her apartment.

"Yes." Darren replied in a manner that said anything but.

"I don't want to be pushing you into this just because I'm pregnant."

"You're not. I always wanted kids. It's just happening a little sooner then I thought."

"Did you and Will..."

"No we didn't." Darren said hoping she wouldn't press the issue. She did anyway

"But you wanted to." She said more as a statement then a question.

"Yes... I wanted to"

"You still can."

"No... it wouldn't be right. I'm marrying you and I'm going to be a father. How can I be a good role model if I'm fooling around."

Tara was tempted at that moment to call the whole wedding off. She didn't want to entrap Darren into a marriage he really didn't want to be a part of but at the moment she felt her calling it off would be more destructive then helpful. Darren must of sense this since he gave her leg a reassuring squeeze before speaking;"Everything is going to be alright."

Darren and Will avoided each other for about a week. Neither of them knew what to say to the other. Darren knew that Will was sleeping with Jacob, that's not what bothered him. What did was his belief that he would never know what could have been between them. Will, for his part, was also feeling awkward. He really liked Jacob as a friend and sex partner but his heart still belonged to Darren. After sex he would feel guilty that it was not Darren he was bedding but now that Darren seemed forever out of his reach. He needed to build a new life for himself but he just couldn't let go. It was the day they had to try on their tuxedos that they finally had to talk.

Darren walked into the store thinking he was the only customer present until he went toward the dressing rooms where he could see a shadow behind one of the curtains. Darren changed into his tux, was fitted and was on his way back to the dressing room when an arm shot out from the curtain and pulled him in.

"Will!" Darren shouted as he realized who had grabbed him.

"Shhhh!" Will hissed as he let go of Darren. Darren remained silent while Will began to straighten out Darren suit. "You look perfect." Will sighed when he finally got a good look at Darren.

Darren looked into Will's hazel eyes and felt the same for his friend. The wish that it was just the two of them walking down the aisle could not be kept out of his mind regardless of how much he fought it. Darren took the first move and wrapped his arm around Will's neck to pull him into a kiss. What he got instead was a loud yelp as the pins in his sleeves jabbed Will in the neck.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry." Darren apologized sheepishly

"It's alright." Will forgave;"Forgetting the pins I think I would of liked what you were trying to do."

"I'm sorry Will."

"Hey I already told you it's all right."

"Not about the pins... it's this whole wedding. It should be you that I'm marrying."

"Then why don't you." Will said, getting straight to the point.

"Because I'm going to be a father now. I don't want my child to grow up in a single parent home."

"We could raise him together."

"And what about Tara, do you think she's the type to hand over her parental rights."

"No... but... I don't see what could be worse then a kid growing up in a loveless marriage."

"It would not be loveless." Darren said as he waved his arms in frustration while Will ducked to avoid being stabbed again. "

"Hey... watch the pins." Will warned.

"Sorry." Darren apologized again.

"If you say you're sorry one more time I'm going to start jabbing you myself." Will warned with a comical expression to show he was only half serious.

"I'm..." Darren started to say.

"NO... if the next word you say is "sorry" I think I will do more then poke you one!" Will said a little more gravely.

"Can you forgive me?"

"What is there for me to forgive? You're just doing what you feel you need to do."

"But it's not what I want to do." Darren sulked.

"I know Darren, I know but it's what you have to do. You do love Tara... don't you?"

"Yes... but not like I do you."

"Then don't marry her." Will said feeling that the answer was just that simple.

"But what about my child."

"Darren, I know you. Regardless of the living arrangements I know you will be a great father... and so will I."

The last bit brought tears to Darren's face. He would like nothing more then to raise the child with Will but he just couldn't do it. The fear of having to explain to his child why he and Tara were not together was too much for him and Will knew it.

"Darren, it's going to be ok." Will said as he hugged him. Darren felt the pins poke into his skin but he didn't pull away. Instead he returned the embrace. Will's eye squinted as he too was jabbed but he responded by tightening his grip. Both men were in pain, the pain from the pins thought did not compare to the emotional pain they were feeling. It was at his moment, as they were dressed in their wedding cloths that the two gave their vows to each other.

"I will always love you Will, regardless of whom I end up with."

"I will always love you too. I'll always be here for you bud."

"I know." Darren replied before he drew Will into a kiss.

"Sis... you're just asking for trouble." Jacob warned as he helped Tara try on her wedding dress.

"If you tell me one more time that this wedding is a mistake I'll find someone else to be my maid of honor."

"No you won't Tara. None of your friends are willing to go through with this. I think I must be crazy to do so."

"So what would you have me do? Raise the child on my own?"

"Sis, you wouldn't have to raise the child on your own. You know that Darren will give you as much help as he can."

"I don't see why you're yelling at me. I already told Darren that he doesn't have to marry me. He told me he still wanted to. If you think Darren is sexually confused, you should be yelling at him not me." She said as she presented her back to Jacob so he could button her up.

"Sis you know why he's still going through with it."

"He's doing it because he loves me." She said as if to convince herself of the statement.

"Yes sis I do believe Darren is fond of you but he doesn't love you... at least not with his whole heart."

"Jacob I know he loves Will more then me but he still loves me enough to go through with it. I know women who entered marriage with less... just infatuations. I know he will be a great father. I can't think of any reason why I shouldn't marry him."

"Because he can't be faithful to you. Tara... both of you deserve more then each other."

"Do you really think he will cheat on me?"

"I think you are putting him in a situation where he will want to."

"But I thought you were now dating Will."

"Tara... we are just fooling around. We like each other but neither of us see each other as a couple. I'm happy being a tag along with Will and Darren the question for you is can you be?"

Tara had to think about that for some time. She was used to always playing the lead in both her own life and Jacob's. She didn't like the idea of being a fifth wheel but if what Jacob was telling her was true, that's exactly what she would be. "He chose me." Tara kept telling herself. "I gave him an out but he chose me."

The wedding was small, only family was present outside of Will's. Tara and Jacob's parents seemed to get along pretty well with Darren's but Will's parents almost carried themselves as if they had been forced to attend. Darren looked nervous when he saw Will's mother whisper something into his father's ear. Darren looked for the nearest exit when he saw his father turn shades of red and push the woman away. Will, who was ushering, stopped went over to his mother before running after Darren.

"Darren... I'm sorry. My mom just got carried away."

"Why?"

"Darren... my mom has know how I felt about you for years. She knew even before I would admit it to myself even. She always hoped that you and I would..."

"Please don't say it." Darren begged.

"I won't."

"You can still walk away Darren."

Darren turned away and made his way to the door. He stopped there. Will looked on nervously, not sure what Darren was going to do. Nearly a minute passed when Will was startled by the clicking sound of a lock being turned. One second Darren was by the door the next he was rushing over to Will, tackling him down on to the ground.

"Will I'm such a fool." Darren said between kisses.

"Well at least you're my fool." Will said, hoping Darren's kisses meant what he thought they did.

"You're damn right. Yours and no one else's."

"But what about the baby?"

"I'll have to work that out with Tara but right now I have to go apologize to your mother for scaring her like this."

"Well since you finally seem to be taking my advice. I recommend that we hightail out of here. Just let me get Jacob to cover for us." Will said as he got up and unlocked the door. "Lock up after me." He said as he opened the door.

"Sure thing hun." Darren replied with a kiss.

Jacob knew Tara was going to be mad. That's why he waited until he was sure Will and Darren were both gone before he went to give her the bad new. He also spent the time working on getting rid of his "I told you so " grin.

"Hey sis."

"Hey bro. Should you not be up front greeting people?"

"I guess I should have been but... how can I say this... there's not going to be a wedding." Jacob, to his credit, really tried not to smile but he just couldn't help it. He was just so happy for Will and Darren and he felt so smug in being right that he just couldn't hide his smirk.

"Why?" Tara asked, misled by her brother's smile.

"Darren and Will have gone off and eloped!" He burst out laughing. Jacob wished he had a camera. The look of shock on Tara's face was worth making a memento of but then he felt bad as his sister began to cry.

"Hey sis... I'm sorry." Jacob said changing his tone from jovialness to sympathy.

"No you're not." Tara pouted. "You wanted this to happen."

"No I didn't." Jacob lied and knew he was caught in it as his sister gave his a look of disbelief. "Alright I wanted it to happen but I did wish it wasn't you that it was happening to."

"Well I hope they make each other happy." She said in a tone that meant anything but.

"Now don't be mad sis. You can say it was Darren's fault for not calling it off sooner but you really didn't leave him much room to leave the relationship when you sprung the pregnancy on him."

"Are you saying this is my fault?"

"No sis it's no one's fault."

"What am I going to tell mom and dad?"

"Well, knowing them they're going to be pissed. They paid for the wedding after all." Jacob said, sharing his sister's concern. "But we'll worry about that later. I need to get you out of this dress and take you home.

Jacob felt it would be easier on his sister if she didn't have to be present when it was announced the wedding was off so after they changed cloths Jacob slipped her out the back to his car. He was planning to come back and explain to everyone what had happened but as he drove on the highway he saw smoke and the flashing of police lights. As they got closer Jacob could see that it was a real pile up, over twenty cars involved. It was near the end of the accident that Jacob saw something that caught his eye. It was a jeep. The same type of jeep that Will drove. It was smashed between a suburban that had run into the wall and an eighteen-wheeler. By the way the car was smashed it looked like the jeep had tried to avoid hitting the suburban but ended up being rammed by the truck. Blood could be seen on the smash front windshield. Jacob turned to look at his sister and saw that she had cried asleep. Quietly, he picked up his cell phone and called Will's number and got his voice mail. Jacob prayed they were alright.

After he got his sister home. He told her he was going to go back and tell the family the wedding was off. She thanked him for sparing her the task and went to bed to continue her nap. Jacob left but he didn't go back to the church. The nearest hospital to where the accident occurred was the same one he worked at. It had the best chance of receiving the victims of the accident but of one that size they might of sent the overflow anywhere. Jacob just hoped his fears were wrong. On the way there he dialed both Will's and Darren's cell phones and home numbers but still didn't get a reply. This only made him more nervous.

When he finally got to the hospital, he found he was not the only car racing. At the same time he arrived, three other cars rushed into the doctor's parking lot and as soon as he put on the brakes his pager went off. Seeing doctors run out of the cars that just parked, Jacob didn't need to look at his pager to know that the hospital must be flooded. He ran out of his car and headed for the ER. As soon as he entered a nurse recognized him and tried to tell him what was happening. Jacob ignored her and began checking all of the trauma rooms. Things were so bad that some of them were doubled up. It was in the hallway that his fear was finally realized. On a gurney, connected to an IV, and covered in blood was Darren. Jacob looked around for Will but couldn't find him. He grabbed a nurse and asked if a man named Will Fist was here. The flustered nurse said s tell him who any of the patients were, things were so chaotic. Not knowing what to do and not wanting to leave Darren he picked up Darren's chart. Darren had multiple breaks in both legs, a hairline skull fracture, a broken right arm. Jacob could also see the beginnings of some pretty bad bruising all over Darren body. Darren was unconscious, being given some pretty heavy painkillers.

Jacob remained by Darren, holding his hand until they came to take him to a room to wait for surgery on his legs. Jacob wanted to follow but knew it was time he saw to the other survivors. By the time things had calmed down enough it was past 9:00 in the evening. Jacob went looking for Darren and found him in a private room still asleep.

Jacob moved up a chair next to the bed and rested his head against Darren's left arm where he quickly fell asleep. He was waken some time after midnight by a nurse delivering medication.

"Are you alright sir?"

"What..." Jacob replied still drowsy not aware of where he was for a moment.

"Are you alright sir?" The nurse asked again.

"Oh yes sorry... I must have fallen asleep."

"It's been a rough night for everyone... Sorry to hear that your brother in law got hurt."

"Oh... He's not my bother in law. He was going to but the wedding got called off."

"Well he's lucky then to have you looking out for him doctor. He's going to need it."

"How bad is he?"

"Well he won't be able to walk for a good six weeks and after that it's going to be slow going... rehabilitation and all."

"Do you know where the person driving with him ended up?"

"Not off hand but the hospital has made a list of all who came here to the hospital across town. I can get you a copy I you like?"

"Yes... I would like one."

When the nurse came back with the list, Jacob began to scan it. He was half way down the list of patients that were sent over to the other hospital when he saw Will's name. He got out his cell phone, and called the nurses station. At first the nurses gave him a hard time, him not being family, but when he explained he was a doctor they relented and told him the awful news. Will had survived the accident but the damage to his head had caused swelling of the brain. The surgeons had gotten the swelling under control but Will remained in a coma and until he awoke they wouldn't know what damage was caused. The only good news was he was breathing on his own and was off life support. Jacob thanked the nurse before hanging up.

Turning his attention back to Darren, Jacob felt more fear then he had when Ted beat him. He had no idea how he was going to explain things to Darren and it terrified him. This of course led him to pick at his scar. It was just at this misfortunate time that Darren finally opened his eyes.

"Jacob..." Darren was able to whisper.

"Darren..." Jacob returned.

"Where am I? Why can't I move my legs?"

"You're in the hospital. You were in a car accident and you're legs were basically shattered. You won't be able to use them for some time."

"Well at least my back is not broken." Darren said relieved. "Where's Will."

"He's at another hospital." Jacob replied not wanting to give Darren the full details.

"Is he all right?"

"He's stable." Was the least harmful thing Jacob could think to say.

"You're not telling me everything." Darren replied.

"Yes I am." Jacob lied.

"No you're not. You're scratching you're scar so I know you are hiding something from me."

"Darren you don't need to hear about it just yet." Jacob said as he moved his hand away from his face.

"Tell me." Darren insisted.

"Alright but if you look like you're going to freak I'm going to have the nurse sedate you. Darren... Will is in a coma."

Darren wanted to cry... tried to cry but it might have been the pain killers or the shock of the news but he just couldn't. It was as if all the moisture in his eyes had been sucked away. This didn't mean he didn't respond in any fashion. His body trembled and he croaked a few times but the cleaning sensation that tears leave never occurred. "Why can't I cry?"

"It alright Darren." Jacob tried to sooth.

"What's wrong with me."

"Darren you are just in shock. The tears will come. You just need to relax." Jacob replied as he pushed for the nurse's station. The nurse came and Jacob ordered a sedative via IV. It was soon delivered and Darren began to relax. Jacob gripped Darren's hand so he would know that he was still with him. Just before Darren lost consciousness again, Jacob saw the tears he promised him. Two small drops of water, one from each corner of his eyes ran down his face and onto the pillow. Before finally heading home, Jacob said a prayer and kissed Darren on the forehead.