The minute the surgeon stepped into the hallway and nodded, Matthew didn't even wait for the words. He pushed past Kieran's arm and stumbled into the room.
Vinny was pale, hooked to monitors, chest rising weakly… but alive.
Matthew froze for a second. Then something inside him cracked.
He rushed to Vinny's bedside, cupped his face with trembling hands, and pulled him into a careful, desperate embrace.
"I thought— I thought I lost you," Matthew whispered, voice breaking, tears dripping onto Vinny's hospital gown.
Vinny, still groggy, raised a shaky hand to Matt's back. "Hey… I'm here. I'm here, Matty."
Matthew clung to him like he'd drown if he let go.
Even Kieran had to look away for a moment.
A few doors down, Aiden's eyes fluttered open. He didn't remember falling unconscious—only Vinny's blood, Vinny collapsing, Vinny being wheeled away.
The moment he realized where he was, panic exploded in him.
"Vinny— Vinny, where is he?!"
He tried to sit up, ripping off the monitoring cables, ignoring the burning in his ribs.
"Aiden, stop— you can't get up yet!" a nurse said as she rushed in.
But Aiden shoved her aside. "I'm going to him— let me go!"
Two more nurses stepped in, trying to stop him, but he was running purely on adrenaline and fear. He limped through the hallway, pushing past hands grabbing his arms.
"Aiden! You need treatment—!"
"I don't care!" he yelled. "Let me see him!"
He reached Vinny's door, almost collapsing against the frame, breath ragged.
Inside, Matthew was still holding Vinny.
Vinny turned his head weakly at the sound.
"Aiden…?"
Aiden's knees finally gave out, and the nurses held him upright as tears streamed down his face. "Don't— don't scare me like that again…"
Aiden finally broke free from the nurses just long enough to throw his arms around Vinny.
It wasn't gentle— it was desperate, trembling, a hug from someone who had almost lost his entire world.
Vinny winced at the pressure on his wounds but still lifted an arm to hold him back.
"Aiden… hey… I'm okay," he whispered, even though he hardly had the strength to speak.
"You're not okay," Aiden sobbed into his shoulder. "You almost— you almost died…"
Matthew watched in silence, jaw clenched, wiping the last of his tears with the back of his sleeve.
Aiden pulled back only when the nurses insisted, guiding him away.
"Please," Aiden begged them, voice breaking, "just let me stay in his room—"
"You need treatment, Aiden," one nurse said firmly. "You're still unstable."
Aiden reached for Vinny's fingers one last time before they wheeled him away.
"I'll come back. Don't close your eyes until I do," he whispered hoarsely.
Vinny gave him a tired, reassuring smile. "I'll wait."
The door slid shut behind the moving stretcher, leaving the room quiet again.
Matthew let out a shaky breath and moved closer to Vinny's bedside.
"You scared the hell out of me," Matthew said softly, pulling a chair right up against the bed.
Vinny turned his head toward him. "You were crying…"
Matthew didn't deny it. Instead, he took Vinny's hand carefully, holding it between both of his like something fragile.
"I thought I wouldn't get another chance to hold your hand," he whispered.
Vinny felt the warmth of Matthew's palms, the lingering tremor in them.
Despite the pain, he squeezed back with what little strength he had.
"I'm not going anywhere," Vinny murmured.
Matthew leaned in, forehead brushing Vinny's.
"I'm staying right here," he promised. "All night. As long as you need."
And for the first time since the fire, Vinny let himself relax.
The fluorescent lights of the hospital cast a soft, almost unreal glow across Vinny's room. It was quiet—too quiet for Matthew, whose blood was still thrumming with adrenaline that hadn't yet faded. He sat rigidly in the chair beside Vinny's bed, Vinny's hand trapped in his own like an anchor that kept him from slipping into the darkness twisting inside his chest.
Vinny stirred slightly, adjusting on the bed. The motion tugged the IV line, and Matthew instantly leaned forward.
"Careful," he murmured, voice rough.
Vinny opened his eyes a little more, lashes fluttering. He still looked pale, exhaustion clinging to him, but the moment he saw Matthew, a faint smile pulled at his lips.
"You're still here…"
Matthew huffed out a breath that wasn't quite a laugh. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere."
Vinny blinked slowly, looking at their intertwined hands. Matthew followed his gaze, realizing he was gripping Vinny a bit too tightly. His fingers loosened automatically, but Vinny didn't pull away.
"If you let go," Vinny whispered, "I might think this is all a dream."
Matthew swallowed hard. If only Vinny knew… if only he knew what Matthew's hands had done only hours ago—what flames Matthew had walked away from, what screams he had silenced.
But he couldn't tell him. Not tonight. Not when Vinny was still fragile, still hurting, still trying to process everything.
So Matthew forced a small smile. "Then I guess I'll hold on."
And he did—almost too tightly again.
Vinny exhaled softly. "You're shaking."
Matthew froze. Damn. He had been careful, but not careful enough.
"I'm just… tired," he said. "It's been a long night."
Vinny's gaze softened, as if he could see past the words and into the cracks beneath them.
"You were worried," Vinny murmured.
Matthew didn't answer. He couldn't. If he opened his mouth, he might say too much—might spill everything he was holding back. So he just nodded once.
Vinny shifted again, slowly, painfully. "Come here."
Matthew blinked. "I'm right here."
"No," Vinny said, lifting his free arm just slightly, fingers trembling. "Closer."
Matthew hesitated for half a second before he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the mattress.
Vinny gently touched Matthew's cheek with his fingertips, brushing along his jaw. A shiver shot down Matthew's spine that had nothing to do with cold.
"You look like you were the one who got shot," Vinny whispered, thumb stroking his skin.
Matthew didn't laugh. He couldn't. His chest tightened painfully. The image of Vinny falling, blood blooming across his shirt—it replayed over and over behind Matthew's eyelids like a broken film reel.
"I thought I lost you," Matthew said, voice cracking despite his efforts.
Vinny's expression changed, melting with tenderness. "Hey… you didn't."
"It was close," Matthew rasped. "Too close."
Vinny moved his hand to Matthew's hair, raking lightly through the strands. "You saved me."
Matthew closed his eyes, inhaling the faint scent of antiseptic and Vinny's familiar warmth.
But the moment he closed them, a flash of fire—Tom's face twisted in terror, the heat of the flames—cut through his mind like a blade.
His eyes snapped open instantly.
Vinny frowned. "Nightmares?"
Matthew shook his head, forcing the memory back down into the pit of his stomach. "I'm fine."
Vinny didn't believe him. Matthew could tell. But Vinny was too tired, too hurt to push.
"Come sit on the bed," Vinny whispered.
Matthew jolted. "Vinny—"
"I'm not asking you to climb under the blankets with me," Vinny murmured, though a tiny smirk curved his lips. "Just… sit. Please. I don't want to crane my neck every time I look at you."
The smirk did something dangerous to Matthew's heartbeat.
Matthew stood, hesitated, then carefully sat on the edge of the bed, one leg still touching the floor. It was too intimate. Too warm. Too close.
Vinny looked at him with a softness that made Matthew's throat tighten.
"You really didn't leave…" Vinny murmured.
Matthew looked down at their hands again, his thumb brushing Vinny's knuckles without thinking. "I couldn't."
"You could've," Vinny replied quietly. "You're a busy man. A dangerous man. You have responsibilities. You didn't have to stay."
Matthew's jaw tightened. He lifted his gaze to meet Vinny's.
"There's nothing in this world more important than you," he said, voice steady.
Vinny's lips parted, breath catching.
Matthew realized what he had said—too direct, too raw—but he didn't take it back. Couldn't. Not after almost losing him.
Vinny blinked slowly, his voice barely a whisper. "You didn't… used to talk like that."
"You didn't used to get shot," Matthew shot back, warmth creeping into his tone.
Vinny snorted a weak laugh. "Touché."
Silence settled between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It pulsed with tension—soft, electric, intimate.
Vinny looked at Matthew's hands again, noticing the tremor that hadn't stopped.
"Matthew," he whispered, "what happened? After… after we got separated?"
Matthew's heart slammed against his ribs.
Vinny didn't know.
He didn't know Matthew had walked through smoke and fire.
He didn't know Matthew had put his gun to Tom's forehead while the house burned around them.
He didn't know Matthew had snapped—utterly, viciously—for Vinny.
And Matthew couldn't tell him.
Not tonight.
Not when Vinny's eyes were fragile and hopeful and soft.
Matthew forced a casual shrug. "Just took care of things."
Vinny frowned slightly. "Your hands aren't shaking because of 'things.' What aren't you telling me?"
Matthew swallowed. "I'll tell you later."
"That bad?" Vinny whispered.
Matthew didn't answer. The silence was enough.
Vinny didn't press further.
Instead, he squeezed Matthew's hand gently. "Thank you. For coming for me. For not giving up."
Matthew leaned in again, forehead touching Vinny's gently.
"I'll always come for you," he murmured.
Vinny's breath hitched. "You're flirting with a patient, Mr. Mafia Boss."
Matthew's lips curled. "I flirt with you even when you're not injured."
Vinny stared at him for a long moment, and Matthew watched the color rise faintly in his cheeks.
"You're terrible," Vinny whispered.
Matthew brushed a thumb over his cheek. "You like me terrible."
Vinny's smile was small and tired but real. "Maybe."
The room fell quiet again, except for the heart monitor's steady beeping.
Matthew didn't realize he was still touching Vinny's face until Vinny leaned into the touch.
"Matthew…" Vinny whispered, eyelids drooping. "You can sleep, you know. I won't disappear."
"I'm not tired," Matthew lied.
"Then rest next to me," Vinny murmured. "Just for a bit."
Matthew hesitated, body freezing. "You sure?"
Vinny nodded. "I sleep better when you're close."
That sentence unraveled something deep inside Matthew.
He gently shifted, careful not to jostle the bed, and lay on top of the blanket beside Vinny, leaning against the raised headboard.
Vinny immediately moved his head, resting it lightly against Matthew's shoulder.
Matthew's whole body went stiff at the contact, but then slowly—slowly—he relaxed.
His arm slipped around Vinny's shoulders almost instinctively.
"This okay?" Matthew asked quietly.
Vinny hummed. "More than okay."
Vinny's eyes fluttered shut, but he kept their fingers intertwined, tracing small circles on the back of Matthew's hand with his thumb.
Matthew stared at the wall, mind racing—images of fire, gunshots, Vinny falling, Vinny bleeding—but Vinny's presence grounded him, pulling him away from the edges of his own unraveling.
After a long silence, Vinny's voice floated up, soft and fragile.
"Matthew… were you scared?"
Matthew let out a breath that shook.
"Terrified," he admitted.
Vinny opened his eyes, turning just enough to look at him. "Why?"
Matthew didn't look away this time. "Because I can't live in a world without you."
Vinny froze.
His breath caught sharply, lips parting in disbelief. "Matthew…"
Matthew didn't let him speak. He brought Vinny's hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles.
"I don't care if it sounds dramatic," he whispered. "It's the truth."
Vinny swallowed, eyes glassy. "You really thought I'd die?"
Matthew's voice cracked. "You did die. In my head. A thousand times before the ambulance even got there."
Vinny's fingers tightened around his. "I'm here now."
Matthew nodded, eyes burning. "Yeah. And I'm not letting go."
Vinny scooted the slightest bit closer—barely a movement, just enough for their shoulders to press fully together.
"You know," Vinny murmured, "you're different tonight."
Matthew raised a brow. "Different how?"
Vinny glanced at his trembling fingers. "You're… softer. Scared. More vulnerable."
Matthew exhaled slowly. "Almost losing you does that."
Vinny's cheeks warmed. "I don't mind this version of you."
Matthew smirked faintly. "Good. Because you're the only one who gets to see it."
Vinny's eyes softened again. "Matthew…"
Matthew looked down. "Yeah?"
"You didn't let go of my hand once."
Matthew tightened his hold just a bit. "I couldn't."
"Why?" Vinny teased lightly. "Scared I'd run away?"
Matthew leaned in, whispering against his ear.
"No. Scared something would take you from me."
Vinny shivered, heart racing.
And for the next long minutes, they didn't speak.
Vinny leaned against Matthew's shoulder.
Matthew held him like something sacred.
His hands finally stopped trembling.
Outside the door, nurses walked by. Machines beeped. The world continued turning.
But inside the room, it was just them—Matthew holding on too tightly, Vinny letting him.
Safe.
Together.
Alive.
For now.