The first thing he feels is a gentle hand around his left wrist, and he's able to relax for a bit before realizing that not only he hurts all over, but he really, really hurts all over.
The second thing is the pain that spreads through his body, especially on the right side , the third thing he notices is how restricted and uncomfortable he is. His whole right arm and chest feel uncomfortably tight, and he lets out a light moan of pain when he shifts, trying to get comfortable.
"Keith?" Shiro is sitting on a hospital chair on Keith's left and he doesn't need to check to realize it has been his hand holding his wrist. He looks worried, and a little tired, and Keith can swear those cuts weren't in his forehead when they took breakfast together just this morning. His hand squeezes a little tighter around his wrist. 'I'm so glad you're alright.' Shiro sighs in relief, as he runs his hand through his hair. He seems to notice Keith's discomfort, because his expression immediately switches back to worry. 'Are you in a lot of pain? I'm calling the nurse.' Shiro presses the button next to the bed, and looks back at Keith, who squeezes his eyes shut befire wrapping his free arm across his ribs.
"What happened?" His voice comes out hoarse, and his throat feels dry.
Shiro sighs. "A motorcycle crashed into us. You don't remember anything?"
Keith shakes his head a little. "No." He takes a better look at Shiro and sees a small bandage on his other arm. He was hurt in the crash too. "Are you okay?" Shiro almost laughs, one of those ironic laughs that almost brings tears to his eyes. Only Keith to be stuck in a hospital bed and ask about him first. "Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, kid. You got out of it a lot worse though."
Keith takes a breath. "How bad?..."
"Well, your right arm got the worst of it I guess. You needed surgery to get your elbow and shoulder back in place, and you also broke your wrist and ulna. Collarbone too. Your side is really bruised too, and you broke four ribs and cracked two," Shiro explains, "which is why I'm asking: are you in a lot of pain?"
Keith seems to absorb the new information. That explains why his right arm seems to be in a cast all the way up almost reaching his shoulder and stuck in a sling, and why breathing is a lot more difficult with what he assumes to be tight bandages around his chest. "It's not too bad." Shiro looks a bit skeptical, and is about to say something, but a nurse comes in.
She quickly check up on Keith's vitals, and makes him sit up (which he does with difficulty) to open up his hospital gown to have a look at his chest.
"In a scale of one to ten, how bad is your overall pain?" She asks, as she buttons his gown back.
"Four." Keith answers, laying back down with a groan when she finishes. The pain in his ribs seems to get worse when he changes positions. The nurse takes a syringe and injects it on to his IV.
"You should be more comfortable in a few minutes." She says, and leaves.
Keith looks down at his sheets. He hates being injured. He hates being in pain, hates that he won't be able to do the things he enjoys until he's better, and hates that Shiro will have to take care of him for a while. And Shiro does take care of him amazingly. Keith can't count on his fingers the number of times Shiro got extra blankets for him when he had a cold, stayed with him while he sweat out a fever or ran to the pharmacy to get more Tylenol. It's just that Keith hates being a burden and feeling incapable, and in the state he was in right now, he knew he was in for at least a few days stuck in bed with Shiro worrying about him.
"When can I go home?" Keith looks at Shiro with tired eyes.
"Doctor said you can probably go tomorrow if everything goes well."
"What about you? Are you going home today?"
"Well I can't exactly stay the night," Shiro chuckles, "but I promise I'm here tomorrow, first thing in the morning, to take you home."
"Good." He replies with a yawn. The low dose of morphine is kicking in, and his arm hurts much less, but he is also getting sleepy. And Shiro notices.
"You should get some sleep. I know you're tired." He places his hand further up Keith's arm.
"Mhm." Keith curls up on himself, facing Shiro, and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath, and lets sleep engulf him.