He barely makes it to the men's room before the vomit rises out of his throat, burning. He stays there, head bent over the toilet until there are only dry heaves left, and then stands up to rinse his face, his mouth. He allows himself only a brief moment to calm himself before he heads back to the ER. If Arthur is dying on that table, there is no way Merlin can leave him there alone.
Taking a deep breath to stabilise himself, he pushes into the trauma room, and heads straight to Arthur's side, before taking his limp hand in his own.
"Arthur."
The word is barely a whisper but Lance catches it; "you know this man?"
"Yes."
Merlin just doesn't know what else to say.
"He needs to be taken to surgery immediately. Do you want to scrub in?"
Merlin merely shakes his head, and lets go of Arthur's hand as an intern starts to wheel him away.
"You know his name? Can inform his next of kin, get them down here?" Lance isn't looking at Merlin, he is engrossed in the chart in his hands.
Merlin looks at Lance, taking a moment to assess his friend. When Merlin and Arthur had finally moved in together last year they had both had to register with a new doctor, no longer being in the right catchment area for their old ones. Arthur had refused to put down either his father or Morgana as his next of kin. He'd put down Merlin instead. And Merlin had put down Arthur.
"I am his next of kin."
At this Lance's eyes look up. Merlin can practically see the wheels in his head turning. He knows Merlin has no siblings, realises who this man must be instead. Merlin holds his breath, awaiting Lance's reaction, his judgement.
"Married?"
Merlin breathes heavily. "Not yet."
Lance nods. As if that's all there is to it.
"He's in good hands. Go get yourself a cup of tea, call whoever you need to. I'll keep you updated."
He clasps his hand on Merlin's shoulder, eyes showing nothing more than simple concern. Merlin nods and Lance leaves him alone in the blood stained trauma room. Arthur's heart flat lines twice more during surgery. Merlin does not watch.
Very short I know. Next chapter up soon hopefully! And thanks for reading, I was very happy to get so many story subscription alerts!