"No, you're not," he answered, even though they both knew it was a lie. Everything hurt. Every movement hurt. Breathing hurt. He couldn't imagine anything that wouldn't hurt at the moment, but having TJ close, knowing that he was all right, made things better.
"How are you doing, babe? You okay?" Getting shot hurt, but the alternative, the possibility that TJ could be killed was unbearable.
He snorted, but the pain spiked. He let go of TJ's hand and reached for his chest, even though touching it was a truly horrible idea. "Sleep doesn't heal me faster. It makes me not feel the pain while I heal, unfortunately without the nice morphine that makes the world a better place, I doubt sleeping is happening." He laced his fingers with TJ's again and smile. "Exactly that's my side so I can turn and get on top of you. If I turn now, I'll end up on the floor."