"Seriously, cadaver tendon?"

"Shut up, Emmett. It's that or harvesting my own hamstring." Julian pushed his glasses up and frowned down at the sheaf of papers in his lap.

"Zombie leg. You're going to have a zombie leg." Emmett stretched his hands out in front of him and rocked from side to side. "Braaaaains."

Julian elbowed him, then grunted as he moved too far, jostling his knee. Which still hurt, even through the mild haze of painkillers and the stack of ice packs.

"Hey," Emmett said, sitting back. "Easy, tiger. Don't hurt yourself on account of me."

Julian wrote his Social Security number on the pre-op forms for the third time. "This form is stupid and badly organized."

Emmett laid his hand in the middle of the paper and waited until Julian looked up. "Why are you so nervous?"

Julian sighed and pulled off his glasses, rubbing at his stinging eyes. "Because I'm having surgery tomorrow?"

"It's outpatient; you'll be home for dinner, and I'll be with you the whole time. What are you so worried about?" Emmett took the glasses and placed them on the bedside table, then moved the lap desk and papers to the end of the bed. He scooted himself higher on the pillows and eased Julian's head onto his shoulder.

"It's not that," Julian said, letting himself slump comfortably. "It's just...what if something happens and they keep you out?"

Emmett sighed. "Nothing is going to happen. We'll tell the doctor and the nurses that I'm with you. I'll even be charming. I'll be there if you need me, Stick."

"Yeah, and if something bad happens, they'll kick you out and call my sister. Who hates me." Julian knew he was whining, and he was actually getting on his own nerves - had been since about the third day after the injury a week ago. He was sick of lying around and hurting and relying on Emmett for nearly everything. Being oppressed by paperwork was really just the icing on the cake.

"You have a sister?" Emmett asked, smoothing a hand through the back of Julian's hair.

"Who hates me." Julian didn't elaborate - getting into the whole family dynamic would require way more drugs than he was willing to take.

"Look, Julian," Emmett said, his voice soothing. "I can't change the world before tomorrow, but we can look into doing the paperwork to become each others' medical proxies later, okay?"

"You'd do that?" Julian wasn't sure why he was so surprised.

"Yeah," Emmett said softly. "Hell, I'd be more likely to need it - I'm the one who's addicted to danger, right?"

Julian grimaced against Emmett's shoulder. "Well, you do insist on keeping poisonous snakes in the lab and then lying to me about it - both sides of that equation could be deadly," he said tartly.

Emmett kissed the top of his head. "It's going to be fine tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you when you wake up."

"Okay." Julian closed his eyes and let out a breath. He could do it - he could trust that things would be fine. That the surgery would go quickly and smoothly. That Emmett would be the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes.

Emmett held him close for another few minutes, then pushed him back to an upright position. He moved the lap desk back and handed Julian his pen. "Finish filling out your paperwork..." he said, sliding off the bed and out of reach, "...Zombie Leg."

Julian threw his pen at him, but he missed.