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What could bring someone to harm others? For financial gain? Greed? Desperation? To help their family? Was such a thing enjoyable for them? Or did they just not think about what their actions might bring?

No matter how much Steve thought about it, an answer never presented itself. What was done, was done. His father, Adam, lay in the hospital, while one of the older german shepherd's friends drove Steve to see him. The gunmen themselves were caught an hour after Adam was hurt; three hospitalized while the other managed to escape.

A short sigh escaped Steve, ears drooping as he pressed his head against the window, watching the goings-on of the world beyond the glass pane. Did any of them care about what happened just a few hours ago? Did they care about the people that got hurt? Or the families that are worried about their loved ones? Yet an answer still didn't come forth, no matter how long he watched the cheerful families passing by in the warm evening light.

"Why?" he finally asked, ending the silence in the car. "Why do they do it, Roy?"

"I don't know," the driver replied as they slowed to a stop at an intersection. "Your dad and I asked that to the other guys on the force after our first homicide case. Some guy broke into a house while a family was eating dinner, and tortured them. Made the kid choose which of his parents died first, then fled. Left the kid there in front of his parent's bodies."

Roy paused to scratch his neck. "Never got an answer from the guy either. Killed himself before we had a chance to apprehend him. I know it's not the same as what happened to Adam, but what I'm trying to say is. . .we can't understand why other people do what they do. We're just not them. Hell, I doubt we even understand why we do what we do half the time. But Adam. . ." he stopped to glance over at the shepherd.

"Adam's going to be fine. He's a tough'ol bastard." Roy smirked, adjusting a leathery wing flap, before turning his attention back to the road.

"He's always been tough," Steve thought. As much as that was true, there were times he needed help, like he did years ago when he lost his wife. It had been hard on them both; Adam losing his love and Steve losing his mother, but they had each other, and friends, to help them through it, Roy especially.

That had been the first time Steve met his father's friend. Aside from hearing about him from his father's stories, he didn't know much about Roy; especially about him being a vampire bat, of all things. Sure, his kind weren't unheard of in parts of Europe, but here? They were rarer to find than a clean subway station.

"We're here." No sooner had Steve been pulled from his thoughts to face reality, his ears lowered themselves tight against his skull as his eyes fell upon the hospital.

Even after the chaos from earlier, the bat quickly found a parking space, and all too soon, Steve found himself walking under the shadow of the large infrastructure.

No matter how brightly colored the sky was as the sun reached the horizon, each step Steve took felt heavier than the last. The fur of his neck stood on end as a chill ran up his spine. He clutched his stomach with one hand and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. The last time he had seen his father had been on the news, face down on the ground as a hail of bullets whizzed above the older shepherd, and a pool of blood grew under him.

How could such a good day sour so quickly?

Just like the rest, that question went unanswered as he came up to the door and it slid open. A moment later he was inside, carried forwards from a foot that moved without his accord. Standing there inside the spacious corridor, the butterflies in his stomach decided to ram against his insides, making him queasier than he was before.

The smell of the hospital didn't help either. No matter how nervous he was to be here, how stressed and worried he was for his father, it was the smell that pushed him close to loosing what he ate earlier that day. The smell of something so overly cleaned to get rid of all unpleasantness that had lingered in the air. Yet that wasn't enough to keep his canine nose from barely picking up on the odors from days before: the smell of the sick; of those in pain from whatever ailment afflicted them; and of the dying- something Steve caught on his father after the occational times the shepherd was sent to a crime gone wrong.

If only he didn't feel a hand on his shoulder. If only Roy didn't smile warmly at him before urging the two to the desk just off to one side, ahead of them. He could have left. Go outside to breath in fresh, clean, air. Instead they moved forwards, towards an older looking ram who had noticed them.

"Hello! How may I help you?" The ram asked, voice in the beginnings of going hoarse, but undeniably feminine nontheless.

"I'm here to see an Officer Adam. He's supposed to have gotten out of surgery some time ago, so I brought his son to see him." Roy replied, motioning to the younger shepherd.

"Okay," she replied cherrily, which sounded odd, due to her voice. "May I see your ID, and what would your relationship be with the patient?"

Roy had already begun fishing out his wallet from his uniform pocket while she was only halfway through her sentence, Steve following suit when the bat pulled out his ID. "I'm a family friend." He said as she took the thick plastic cards and looked them over.

"Alrighty then. Here you are." The ram began handing back the cards. Soon after she started typing something into her computer when she spoke again, at which point Steve only paid half attention to what she said while he put his card away.

All that caught his attention was the mention of 'room 202' and that visiting hours would be over in another hour or so. Before he realized it, the ram was wishing them a good day as he followed Roy towards an elevator. Though it was surprisingly quick to get to, what he assumed was the right floor, each step felt afterwards like forever as they made their way down hallway after hallway. All the while they passed various people, from doctors and nurses to other patients. Most of whom were leaving with family, while others had a while longer to go before they could leave. However, that soon ended when they turned another corner, and his eyes fell upon two officers standing outside of a room a handful of feet away.

It wasn't until that moment that the surrealism of what happened to his father hit him. Each remaining step towards the room felt like his feet was covered in wet cement. He didn't even know what to feel like, besides nauseous from the mixture of emotion battling it out in his stomach.

What was he going to say to his father? Hell, what was he going to do? Would Roy suspect anything if he ran up to Adam, and held him tight? Kissed him on the cheek out of worry? Would Roy be suspicious of how much closer he and Adam were than what society deemed normal? It had only been a year since he and his father crossed that tabooed line and held each other so intimately close, but even in that short time, Steve never considered this situation ever happening, or how he should act in front of others. All he truly wanted to do was hold his father close and not let go.

But he couldn't, not if he wanted to keep their relationship under wraps from a world that could never understand how the two felt two for each other. From societie's that would shun them at the mere thought of a father and son being anything more than that. All he could do was follow Roy the last few steps towards the door, past the guards-who seemed to recognize his father's friend- and into the room.

"Dad. . ." was all that managed to escape from him once he finally saw the older shepherd again since the news broadcast. Seeing his father now. . . he couldn't believe this was the same man he saw earlier that day.

There his father lay, just a few feet away, and Steve couldn't bring himself an inch further. Not out of disgust, but out of heartache to see the man he once believed to be invincible, lying so vulnerable in the small room. His eyes roamed over his father's prone form, and the white sheet that partially covered him. The elder shepherd's right arm rested in an arm sleeve, though his left seemed to be unscathed save for an IV attached to it. Yet all that paled in comparison when he saw his father open an eye to look at them, the other far too swollen to open. The fact Adam had to wear an oxygen mask only served to make the younger canine's heart break that much more.

There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to ask, most he couldn't around others. His mind simply blanked. All he could do was stand there and stare. It didn't even register to him when Roy moved forwards and began talking to his father.

"Man, you look like shit." Adam cracked a smile at that.

"Yeah, well, I read getting shot was fun. Don't recommend it. The brochures lied." he replied groggily, to which the bat let out a snort.

"Looks more like a bad case of Tacobell if you ask me." Adam chuckled, only to let out a pained grunt. Grasping at a small device hanging from a cord, he pushed the singular button on it causing something to drop into his IV.

"Really bad Tacobell if you're getting pain meds that way," Roy noted, eyeing the device Adam held. "Think I can borrow that before the chief's wife pops into the precinct next week?"

"I think I'll need it when she brings me some of her casserole," the older canine replied.

The bat just shuddered at the thought. "Bleh, I can still taste the crap she brought for everyone a month back."

Adam smirked, having taken the day off to spend with his son when that happened and avoiding the culinary horror Roy dealt with. There was a short pause afterwards, before Roy turned to Steve.

"Just don't let the chief or his wife find out I said that, alright?"

"Speaking of which," Adam started, glancing over to his son "Roy can you grab me something to eat in the cafeteria? Haven't really gotten much to eat here."

The bat gave a quick nod, before starting to turn to the door. "Sure thing. I'll pick something up for your boy too."

"And can you shut the door? Wanna talk to my son in private for a bit." Roy just nodded, again, as he left the room and shut the door tight behind him.

Finally alone with his father, Steve stared at the older Shepherd, drinking in every detail he could, trying to think of what to say first. Yet it was his father that beat him to it.

"You alright over there?"

"I should be asking you that. I mean, I saw what happened on the news." Steve replied, rubbing his arm.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Silence filled the room after that, neither sure how to continue. After a while, Adam let out a grunt as he shifted in his bed, pushing himself over to one side.

"Here, lay with me." Steve wasn't quite sure if he should. What is a nurse came in to check up on his dad? What if Roy walked in? What would he think? Would it seem odd at all? Still. . . all he wanted right now was to be with his lover.

It didn't take much more than throwing away society's rules once more for him to stand up, and carefully get into the bed. Wraping an arm around his father as gently as he could, Steve pressed his head against his lover's chest.

"I'm sorry to have worried you like that. . ." Adam said, resting his chin on the younger canine's head and squeezing softly with his free arm.

"I just didn't want to lose you too," Steve sniffled, holding Adam tight enough to make him let out a pained whine.

"Sorry I-" Steve immediately began, but was cut off.

"It's alright, and please try not to cry. Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't cry."

"Sorry. . ." Steve whimpered, looking up at the older dog who looked down at him with a warm smile. Closing his eyes, Steve simply took in the feeling of his father's warmth next to him again, enjoying the way his head rose and fell on his father's chest. Revling in the sound of that strong, steady beat of Adam's heart, and the strong hand rubbing his back.

So the two stayed quiet once again as they basked in each other's presence. The two would have stayed if Adam had not decided to end the silence.

"Hey, Steve, I've been thinking," he paused, looking down at his son, "especially after what happened today."

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking maybe it's time I look for something else to do."

Steve looked up, puzzled at first, before the meaning of what his father said started to sink in. At which point it fully hit him, he leaned up on his elbow to better talk to his father face-to-face.

"W-wait, but you love your job! How could you ju-" Steve stammered out, but fell silent when his father placed a hand on his head.

"I've been thinking about it for a while now, hun. That's why I haven't asked The Chief about moving me out of the field." Adam said softly, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

"But when I was out there today, I was terrified. Not about dying, but about you losing me. About you having to watch me be put into the ground like your mother. I mean, look at me, I almost bit it today. I don't want to put you through that. I don't want you to worry if I'll make it home or not." Letting out a short sigh, Adam tightened his one-armed hug around his lover.

"I need to do this. Find a different job, a safer job, for the both of us." Steve didn't really know what to say, but he did understand. As selfish as it was, he had hoped his father might leave the force, though not like this. So, he just nodded quietly, and returned the hug in earnest while Adam slowly rubbed his back.

"Besides," Adam spoke softly, so the guards outside wouldn't hear. "I was thinking maybe I should be a lifeguard. I'm sure you'd love to see me wearing a speedo all day."

A quiet chuckle came from the younger shepherd at the thought. "That be a nice view." Leaning down to lightly bump the oxygen mask covering his face against his son's ear to simulate a kiss, of sorts, the older canine smirked as a thought popped into his head.

"You know, we could even try that public sex thing you dreampt of once. Hell, could do that now. I mean, Roy shouldn't be back, since the nurse wont let me have anything soild for a while, and the guards shouldn't walk in here unless I want'em too. With a cute muzzle like yours, I'm sure I wouldn't last long if you wanted to put it to use," he said teasingly. The only reasonable thing Steve could do to such a proposition was to quickly look up at his father, cheeks blushing under his fur, with an almost horrified experession on his face.

Sure, he had mentioned having a dream about fooling around with the older shepherd in public before, but to do so now, of all times, was out of the queston-nevermind the current state his father was in, though the risk of Roy, or the guards, or even a nurse showing up did add to it. If it wasn't for the goofy grin Adam had, or the way he waggled his eyebrows, Steve would have thought his father had been serious. Instead he just shook his head, as he snickered.

"God, you're such a perv."

"And you know it." Adam grinned, resting his chin on his son's head while Steve laid his head back down.

There the two stayed for some time in silence, before the older shepherd did something Steve didn't expect. His father began to hum. Not a lulliby, or an old tune passed down through the family, but a simple melody, like his mother used to for him when he was scared.

Listening to the way his father tried his best to emulate each note in just the right way, Steve closed his eyes tight as he pressed his muzzle firmly into the warm bed of muscle under him. After everything that happened today, crying until he couldn't anymore after seeing his hero so broken, almost losing him and being without another parent, he tried hard to keep the sea of emotions bubbling inside him at bay. But that little tune broke the damn in the end.

No longer able to hold back the flood of emotions, he sobbed into the firm chest he rested on. Sobbed until he couldn't breathe, until he began to hiccup. He sobbed for a future he almost lost. He sobbed for his protector, his lover, and father.