The loud, steady beeping was what called Tavros back to reality. As it pounded in his head he groaned, shifting to get away from it, only for it to suddenly make a loud screech, sending his brown eyes flying open. He was nearly blinded by a white light before it was blocked by at least four bodies. He could make out the different voices, one woman's being the loudest. "Tavros? Can you here me honey?" she asked in a voice that was forcibly sweet. Tavros laid there, staring up at the people around him. He opened his mouth to speak but the woman from before shook her head. "You have a breathing tube, don't try and talk." she said slowly, as if talking to a child. Tavros closed his lips, frowning. "Well, he recognized his name and followed simple commands..." One male voice muttered as Tavros saw him write something onto a clipboard he held.
"LET ME IN! GOD DAMN IT!" A voice called and Tavros turned his head slightly to glance at the doorway where he could barley make out a small gathering outside it. The voice yelled again and Tavros realized it was Gamzee's. Tavros watched as his friend, at nearly 6 and a half feet, towered over the collection of doctors trying to hold him back. "G..ga.." Tavros tried to speak, despite the breathing tube and the female doctor looked down at him with a start.
"Oh! Saywer, help me remove the breathing tube, he no longer needs it." she commanded a nearby nurse and within seconds Tavros could feel the strange obstruction in his airway gone. "Gamzee..? he finally managed to mutter in a voice that seemed strange to him. It was scratchy and quiet. "I want Gamzee.." he managed and the nursed and doctor glanced at the door. "Him?" the nurse, Saywer said with a strange look. "Gamzee..." Tavros repeated and the female doctor sighed. "Let him in!" she called and the small collection parted, allowing the tall, lanky man through.
The doctors left one by one until Tavros and Gamzee were alone. Tavros watched as Gamzee approached his bed before wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a sitting position against his chest. Tavros slowly raised his arms and wrapped them around the other tightly. He opened his mouth to ask who found him before he tensed, feeling something wet drop onto the top of his head. "G..Gamzee?" he asked in a hushed tone,
"F..Fuck Tav! I...I thought you were dead!" Gamzee cried, squeezing the smaller boy tighter to him. "You stopped breathing on me..I couldn't get you to start again!" Tavros felt the other nearly quake with silent sobs but he stayed quiet, unable to come up with anything to say to his best friend. "Tavros...Tavros why the hell would you..I mean...mother fucking hell...What made you want to.." the older could barley speak, let alone form coherent sentences. Tavros bit his lip, blinking back tears of his own. He hadn't meant to hurt Gamzee like this. He hadn't meant to hurt him at all. Before he could speak two more people burst into the room.
"Tavros!" the slightly shorter of the two said as he nearly launched himself across the room and took Gamzee's place of holding Tavros close.
"R..Rufio.." Tavros whimpered
"Tav! Thank god you're okay!" his older brother said. Tavros glanced up as his father approached the pair and gently ran a hand over Tavros' mohawk. The taller man said nothing and his eyes were kept from Tavros.
"D..Dad?" Tavros asked. He noticed the normally stoic man was shaking and after a second tears were streaming down his cheeks.
"Tavros...We love you so much.." he said quietly, his hand stilling on his sons head before he let it fall away. "Please don't leave us." he whispered and Tavros was taken aback. His father was never that quiet. He felt his chest grow tight as he realized his brother was starting to cry as well, rocking the pair ever so gently. Tavros was reminded for a moment of his mother who had passed long before any of this. She'd sat with him, rocking him as Rufio now was.
"Tavvy.." his brother said, voice laced with a heavy emotion that was somewhere between guilt and a deep sadness that cut Tavros deeper than any razor had. Tavros felt his heat fall and with a small sob he buried his head against his brother chest as the sobs grew. He could only think to keep muttering "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."