Yuri was sitting up in his bed. His hair was loose and tousled. The nurses wheeled him down the hallway and into his room. His bright blue eyes were wide and sleepy. He looked much closer to his age. He looked around the small room, not lingering on any of the faces he saw. "Hey Yurio, how are you feeling?" Yuuri asked. Yuri made eye contact. His chin quivered and tears gathered in his eyes. Yuuri made a sound of surprise and looked around for help. "A-are you okay? Do you want something to drink?" Yuuri asked helplessly. The young blond skater hung his head, his shoulders shook with tears.
"He's alright," one of the nurses said, "the anesthesia tends to make some people overly emotional." She took Yuri's blood pressure turned to exited the room. "Let me know if you need anything."
"It's not fair," Yuri whispered. His voice was raspy and it was hard to hear him. He whipped at his eyes with a balled fist.
"What's not fair Yura?" Yakov asked, giving his student a sidewards glance.
"I've worked so hard, and now my career-" Yuri took a deep shuddering breath, "It's over." Fresh tears ran down his face. Yakov scowled at him,
"what are you talking about?"
"My foot!" Yuri wailed. "They amputated my foot!"
Victor held back a snicker. Yakov sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yuri your foot is fine. You had surgery to remove your tonsils."
My foot was fine!" Yuri repeated. "Why would they cut if off! They didn't even ask me first!" Snot ran down Yuri's face. Yakov grimaced and shoved kleenex at him. His phone rang in his coat pocket, looking down at it, he said,
"I have to take this." He stepped outside of the room closing the door behind him. Victor walked over and sat on the bed next to Yuri. He had out his phone and was recording the whole scene in front of him. Yuri whipped his face still sniffling. Victor looked at him with mock sympathy.
"Don't worry Yurio, I hear they're making huge gains in prosthetics these days." Yuri howled.
"Victor?!" Yuuri scolded. He patted Yuri's shoulder awkwardly. "Don't cry Yurio, he was only joking."
"They could have at least mentioned it before I went in. I would have liked to be more prepared." Yuri rubbed the tears off his cheek with the soggy kleenex. Victor nodded, placing a hand on Yuri's knee.
"What was wrong with my foot?" He asked innocently.
"Tonsillitis."
"In my foot?" Yuri asked confused.
"Mmhmm. Very rare. You're lucky they caught it when they did," Victor said, moving the camera closer capturing all the snotty details.
Yuri reached out and roughly pulled Yuuri down to eye level. Yuuri stared wide eyed and the distressed boy in front of him.
"Listen to me very carefully Katsudon," Yuri said. "Now that I'm- I'm out for the season," his voice broke, "you have to give it everything you've got understand me!"
Yuuri tried to pry the clawed hands off his shoulders. "Maybe you should take it easy and not talk so much," He suggested.
"You have to win! You can't let JJ bet you! That moron doesn't deserve a spot on the podium. I was going to beat him this year but now it's up to you!" Yuri shook the Japanese man harshly. "Understand me?"
"I got it! I got it!" Yuuri said, stepping away from the bed.
"Stupid JJ," Yuri mumbled. He held up his hands trying to mimic the signature double J. He flipped his hands back and forth, each time one of the 'J's' was backward. "Dammit! Why is this so hard?" Victor openly laughed. Yuri scowled, "Don't laugh at me old man! I just suffered a great tragedy!" He looked down at the bed sheets, "I can't believe it's gone. We've been together my whole life…" He leaned down speaking directly at his feet, "I never appreciated you." He cried harshly grabbing at the covers.
"That's it," Yuuri said, taking Yuri's arm, "Yurio, if you just look you'll see-"
"Let go of me piggy!" Yuri shook off his hand.
"I'm trying to help you!" Yuuri fought to pull off the covers. Yuri screamed,
"Help! Help! I'm being attacked! Call the Police!"
"Shhhhh! Yurio shut up! There are other patients here," Yuuri pleaded. Yuri's voice was hoarse but that didn't stop him from thrashing around and creating a scene. The door burst open.
"What's going on in here?" Yakov and a nurse appeared.
"I'm just trying to show him-" Yuuri was cut off when Yuri backhanded him across the face.
"No peeking you pervert!"
"Oh for the love of…" Yakov walked over and flung off the blanket. Yuri stopped screaming long enough to look at his feet, both feet.
"See sweety? Nothing to be worried about," the nurse said.
Yuri looked down at the pale foot in front of him. He poked at it. "Is this supposed to look like my foot?" He asked. Yakov put his face in his hands. "It's not realistic at all." Victor had to wipe the tears from his eyes.
"Maybe you should take a quick nap," the nurse suggested. Yuri glared at her.
"I think I've slept long enough thank you very much."
"Just take it easy, you'll feel better once the meds wear off."
"You hacked off my foot you bitch! I'm a champion figure skater! You expect me to land a quad toe loop on this cheap thing?" Yuri spat, gesturing to his foot.
"Yuri!" Yakov scolded, "apologize!"
"I'm just the nurse. But I can assure you the doctor didn't touch your foot. He only removed your tonsils."
"Does he even operate on feet?" Yuri asked.
"Nope. Only on throats," the nurse said with a grin.
"So he's unqualified!" Yuri said mortified. "What is this Yakov? A butchery?"
"Yura please, if you don't calm down you're going to hurt your throat more."
"I'm cal-" his voice cut out before he could even finish the words. Yuri attempted several more times to speak but no sound could be heard. He mouthed frantically, I can't speak. Why can't I say anything?
"Shhhhh," Yakov said. "Your voice will come back but you have to rest now." Victor turned off his phone and flopped on the bed next to Yuri. Victor gently eased him back so he was laying down beside him. He ran his fingers through the long blond hair. Yuri looked at him sideways, blinking at Victor like he'd never seen him before.
"Yuuri join us!" Victor reached out his hand to his fiancé.
"I don't think that's a good idea-" victor pulled him onto the small bed as well. Yuri lay sandwiched between the two men. He pushed against them weekly,
"Get off me," he rasped. Victor put a finger to his lip signaling for silence. "Idiot," Yuri mouthed, relaxing back into the pillow, gazing at the ceiling with glassy eyes. Victor and Yuuri could tell he was falling asleep by the shift in breathing. Yuri turned his head and as he was falling asleep whispered, "Don't let them take the other one," into Victor's ear.
