"Hello? Is this Viktor Nikiforov?" Asked the formal voice of an unfamiliar woman on the other end of his receiver.
"Yes, it is…" Victor asked with an unusual shakiness in his voice. He almost never got calls that weren't from Yuuri or Yakov. He contemplated how anyone else could have his number.
"Yuuri Katsuki was in an accident, and you were the first contact on his phone-"
"What?"
"Please, hold on a moment. We need some information." Viktor's phone was gripped so loosely in his hand that it was threatening to clatter to the floor. This could not be happening, it was too surreal. He had seen Yuuri less than an hour ago. The woman began talking again without waiting for a response.
"What is your relationship to Yuuri?" It struck him, that this was happening and now he had to convince this receptionist that he was of enough importance to Yuuri. "I'm his fiancé."
"We couldn't recover his driver's license, so if you could tell me his age and blood type, it would be helpful to know that information before the ambulance arrives with him."
Yuuri was in an ambulance, all alone? Viktor felt his heart being squeezed. He just wanted to be there with him. Not to mention the fact that they needed his blood type worried him. "He's twenty three and," He searched his mind for the blood type he remembered seeing on one of Yuuri's physical forms, "A."
"Thank you. We're calling all direct relatives to alert them also."
"Can I...come see him?" Viktor asked, hopefully not seeming too desperate. But he was. There was a short pause.
"Yes, but for the time being you'll likely have to wait in the hospital. It's the medics' job to decide when he's stable enough. We're not sure of his condition yet." She answered almost robotically, as if it was something she'd said millions of times. However, this was the first time Viktor heard it, but he wished he didn't. He ended the call with a quick 'Thank you' and grabbed his car keys on his desk, rushing out of the room.
Viktor made his way to the emergency room waiting area as calmly as he could, but he felt like a mess on the inside. He had to wait in line at the reception desk, causing him to fidget a little with each passing moment. When it was finally his turn, he released the breath he was unaware of holding.
"I'm here to see Yuuri Katsuki." He said to the woman in front of him, who promptly began typing into her computer.
"Are you a relative?"
"Er, yes, I'm his fiancé." He didn't know why, but he felt a tinge of embarrassment when saying that. Like she was going to question him about it. Luckily for him, she didn't.
"Let's see...it says he's in serious condition. They'll have to finish a procedure on him before they'll allow visitors."
Procedure? Viktor's stomach turned. All he wanted was to be with Yuri. He was standing at the desk in disbelief when the receptionist made a point of loudly yelling for the next person in line. Viktor moved out of the way and sat himself in one of the room's empty chairs.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been staring at the blank wall opposite him for, but the sun was starting to come up, and there was an entirely different set of people in the waiting room. He was lost in thought about his career, Yuuri's career, and what could happen from here. Even Yuuri's parents and sister had joined him, but none of them talked all that much to each other. After what was probably a complete 24 hours, a nurse came over to them.
"Are you Yuuri Katsuki's family?" After seeing a nod from Yuuri's mother, she continued. "He's been allowed visitors now. He's requested that Viktor come first." The nurse looked around for Viktor. The silver haired man stood up with a long absent smile on his face. He would finally get to see Yuuri.
The nurse led him to a standard hospital room with 'Katsuki' written on the small whiteboard on the door. She quietly knocked on the door and opened it, letting Viktor enter first, an offer which he eagerly accepted.
Once inside, Viktor looked for Yuuri, who was lying on the room's sole bed. He looked pretty beat up, with some scratches and bruises on his face that ran along his neck and arms. For the most part, his wounds looked treatable. That was, until, Viktor looked down to Yuuri's legs. They were gone. His legs ended close to his hip, where there were now two heavily bandaged stumps.
He kept a smile for Yuuri, but unwanted tears began to run down Viktor's face. Yuuri's eyes looked tired and bloodshot, but he couldn't restrain a soft smile now that Viktor was here. Viktor moved closer and very gently wrapped his arms around Yuuri, who couldn't sit up himself. He didn't let go for a long time.
Having cried himself out, Viktor released Yuuri and pulled up a chair to his bed. Yuuri, being unsure of what to say, laughed a little to lighten the mood.
"Guess you'll have to teach me how to skate again." He grinned, wiping away the last of the water from his eyes. Viktor sighed contentedly, "I would be honored to, Yuuri." As if to reassure him, Viktor softly kissed Yuuri on the cheek.
Viktor wheeled Yuuri into the ice rink, carefully helping him transfer from his wheelchair to the bench. While Yuuri got situated, Victor retrieved his new prosthetic legs and kneeled down to Yuuri's eye level. He slid the legs into place, similar to how he used to tie Yuuri's skates before a competition.
"Ready?" Viktor asked his fiancé with a quick wink. Yuuri smiled and held out his arm for Viktor to help him stand up. Yuuri wobbled a little, still getting adjusted to his new legs. One of them wasn't on securely enough, and he fell backwards onto the bench.
"Ow, Viktor, I'm not sure I can do this…" He said hesitantly. The only thing he wanted was to be able to skate, but the reality of his situation quickly became more prevalent and he started to doubt himself. Viktor didn't hesitate for a second. "Sure you can!"
Viktor bent down to fix Yuuri's leg and proceeded to help Yuuri up. This time, he made it to the edge of the ice. Viktor skated in first and grabbed Yuuri by both hands, slowly leading him in. Yuuri stumbled but Viktor caught him, capturing both of Yuuri's hands again and slowly dragging him along the perimeter of the rink. If Yuuri were to fall, he would have the rink's wall or Viktor to fall onto, and Viktor didn't mind. Right before they finished a full lap, Yuuri began to lean too far forward and, having no direct control of his knees, fell onto the ice.
Viktor tried to save him, but he slipped too. Viktor looked to Yuuri to make sure he wasn't upset (he wasn't great at dealing with upset people), he was surprised to find that Yuuri was smiling.
"It reminds me of when I was little, when I first learned to skate with Yuuko and Takeshi…" Yuuri sighed at the happy memory. Viktor smiled too, knowing that Yuuri was still going to be okay, no matter what.