Dis: I own nothing and make no profit from this. Copyright and all other legal stuff properties of respective owners.
AN: (I hate placing these at the top of a chapter)... If you enjoyed it as a one shot don't read the below. This is a much softer chapter.
He was still alive, the ache that seemed to radiate from every bone in his body told him that.
"It's about time you woke up. You gave us all a scare Mr. Belov." the doctors voice was deep and rich, his speech an easy cadence.
"Where?" his voice barely made it past his lips, it hurt to speak, not just because his mouth was dry and his throat aching, but the air it took to speak left him seeing spots.
"Take it easy. You are in Denver Central Research Medical, you were rushed here with life threatening injuries. It appears that you are the victim of a rather vicious beating." the doctor filled in.
Sasha tried to wrap his mind around it. It had been some time since he'd been reckless and hotheaded enough to get himself into a fight. He had his gym to think about and his team to get to the Olympics. Then it came crashing back to him, a spasm rocked through him as the memory of walking out of The Rock flashed followed by the words spoken by a nameless face in Sal's boxing rink.
The doctor steadied him and hit a button shooting more medication into his I.V.
"Try to relax, I will let your family know that you have woke up." he gave the doctor a quizzical look.
How long had he been out; the only family that he had was his father who was only gods know where.
"Your in-laws are in the waiting room. You're Mother-in law, Kim, has tried to reach your Father." this doctor was confusing him more by the minute. He knew the medication couldn't be messing with his brain that much. The only Kim that was in Colorado that he knew was Kim Keeler, why would she be claiming him as her son by marriage.
His questions were soon answered when a nurse brought in not just Kim, but her husband Mark as well.
He knew he had to be a real mess from the pained expression that crossed Kim's face before she schooled it back into a neutral look of concern. She'd taken the only chair in the room a few feet from his bed. Mark came and stood with in arms reach, his expression unreadable.
"Do you remember what happened." he asked.
Sasha just nodded knowing he wasn't strong enough to speak.
"Mr. Keeler, his lungs aren't strong enough for him to do much talking now. I'll have the nurse bring him a pad of paper and a pen. Hopefully you are right-handed Mr. Belov?"
This caused Sasha to actually look down at his arms and hands, his left one was in a cast, the wrist broken from what he could tell. So much of him ached that it was hard to pinpoint just one issue.
The doctor checked a few things on the chart, told Kim and Mark that they shouldn't stay too long and moved on. A few moments later a nurse brought in a yellow ruled pad of paper with a blue inked ball point advertizing some sort of medication.
"Is there anything else I can get for you?" she asked after helping him situate the table so that he would have a solid surface to write on.
'Water?' he scribbled quickly
"Sure, but in small amounts." she filled a cup from the small sink in the room and placed it within reach for him.
"I'll bring a pitcher with ice later." she assured him to which he attempted a smile but it ended in a grimace as the bruising on his face pulled.
As soon as the nurse had left, he wrote
'Why are you here?'
Mark's jaw clenched and unclenched several times before Kim spoke up and launched into a whirlwind tale.
"Payson found out you were in Denver, I came to see you, walked into that horrifying scene, called Mark because he was just down the street interviewing for a job, he pulled two of the guys from you while I called the cops. The owner and three guys went to jail. You were barely conscious before medics arrived, you just kept repeating "I'm sorry Amelia and Payson."
All he could do was cringe, he'd been saved by the very people who should have signed his execution. He felt the heat and sting of his tears as they slid down his face and across the cuts.
"I'm not going to pretend to be fool enough not to have some clue about what happened. The owner admitted to police that they had seen the ESPN footage that somebody leaked of the NGO's investigation into that photograph that Beal's had. Maybe you knew what was coming, maybe you didn't, I saw one guy's face, I'm guessing he was the first to make accusations? The other two didn't have a mark on them so I'm guessing when they joined their buddy you decided to lay down and die."
Sasha swallowed hard, Mark had him fixed with a steely gaze that told him how disappointed the older man was in him. He knew the line that would follow and shifted his gaze.
"Do you have any clue what that would have done to Payson if you had died on that floor? Beaten to death over something that she blames herself for?" the last part made him snap his gaze back to the Keeler's.
He saw confirmation of Mark's words on Kim's face. Of course she blamed herself, and he had been ready to take the cowards way out. He had craved the physical pain to drown out the emotional pain that he was feeling. Now he was being overwhelmed by both.
The room started to swim as the medication took hold of him.
"You're not alone Sasha. Rest, we'll be here when you wake up." Kim was holding his hand now, her husbands arms around her. It had been nearly fifteen years since somebody had looked at him with such tenderness and concern.
It felt good, and in a way that made him hurt even worse.
AN: Will this be a Payson/Sasha? Please don't ask because I don't know yet.
