I feel like this chapter has a lot to live up to, so I hope I don't let anyone down! Enjoy.

Aaron rushed through the hospital, back to Robert's room, feeling panic and desperation to see him. Chas stood outside, smiling at him. "He's awake?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, God, his timing…"

"I'm going home," Chas said, feeling that giving them some privacy could only be a good thing. "Get some sleep," she advised. Aaron pushed past her, into Robert's hospital room. He was sat up, but his eyes were closed.

"Robert?"

"Showed up, then?" Robert teased lightly.

"Oh, thank God," Aaron said on a sigh, closing his eyes briefly as he sat down next to Robert, taking his hand again. "You're awake." He looked really ill, his face pale and dark circles under his eyes but he was awake and looking at him, and breathing. That was so important.

"Don't do that to me," Aaron said, kissing him. "Please God, don't ever do that to me again." He kissed him desperately, until Robert twisted away.

"Hey," he said quietly, a hand on Aaron's face lightly. "I've never seen you like this."

"I've never felt so close to losing you," Aaron said. "I can't… You can't do that to me."

"I didn't get thrown through a car to piss you off, Aaron."

Aaron smiled slightly. "I should call Vic. She's almost been as worried about you as I have."

"Almost?" Robert questioned, a slight tilt of his mouth.

"I thought… you can't do that to me," he repeated.

"Aaron…"

"No, I mean… saying goodbye to me like that. Once I'd pulled you from the car. Do you remember?"

"Of course I do," Robert said. "I… thought I was dying. I might have said some things…"

"You did say some things," Aaron said, his lips twitching as he tried not to smile.

"I thought I was dying," he repeated.

"That mean you didn't mean it?" Aaron asked.

"No, course I meant it. Just wouldn't have come out quite like that."

"I love you," Aaron said. He rarely said that without prompting, or Robert saying it first, so it surprised him. Robert knew it was a sign of how scared he had been over the past few days.

"I know."

"I'll call Vic," Aaron said.

"Okay," Robert said. "Come here first." Aaron smiled as he pulled him into a long kiss. When they parted, Aaron looked less than happy, which annoyed Robert no end.

"What is it?"

"I can't lose you, Robert," Aaron said simply. "The last few days… I can't cope without you."

Robert looked into his eyes, seeing the fear and the relief both there. "I scared you, didn't I?" Robert said slowly, realising it for the first time.

"Yes." And Aaron wasn't even hiding it either.

"Call Vic," Robert said, at a loss of what to say.

"Okay," he said.

"Then go home," he suggested. "You look like hell."

"I've not slept in days."

"Sleep," Robert said. "I'll still be here tomorrow."

"Okay," Aaron said. He leaned over Robert and kissed him very softly. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Good. I love you." Aaron smiled slightly at that as he left, calling Vic as he went.

In the morning, Aaron felt a hundred times better. He'd had a shower, slept and eaten some proper food. And Robert was awake, which was a major plus. He made himself coffee and sat at the kitchen table, waking himself up before going to the hospital. He needed to be awake enough to drive.

"Alright love?" Chas said, sitting opposite him.

"Yeah, I am," he said, smiling slightly. "Slept, and going to see Robert soon."

"Good," Chas said. "Listen, I um…"

Chas tailed off and he looked at his mother, waiting. "Spit it out, then," Aaron said.

"When Robert woke up… and saw me there, he panicked," Chas said. "He thought something had happened to you in the crash. He was so scared that something had happened to you. He thought I was there to give him bad news."

"He didn't mention that," Aaron said, frowning.

"Well, he wouldn't, would he?" Chas shook her head slightly. For her, it was good to know that Robert loved her son. That if the positions had been reversed, he'd have been just as worried about Aaron waking up.

Aaron walked into Robert's hospital room, and seeing him sleeping, he sat on the chair next to him.

"Oh, it's you," Robert said, opening his eyes.

"Nice to know I'm wanted," Aaron quipped.

"I thought you were the nurse. I've had so many tests done, I thought it was easier to pretend to be asleep."

"Budge up, then." Robert smirked slightly, moving across the bed so Aaron could lie next to him. Robert smiled as Aaron kissed him gently.

"Have they told you when they're letting me out of here?" Robert asked. "I'm not getting any answers."

"You've just had surgery," Aaron reminded him.

"Aaron, you'd hate being stuck in hospital too, you know you would."

"Well, yeah," he agreed, making Robert smile. Aaron kissed him again.

"I'm not going anywhere," Robert reminded him gently.

"Make sure you don't." Aaron kissed him again, only interrupted when the door opened.

"Oh, clearly someone's feeling better," a nurse said, smiling as Aaron got off the bed, feeling highly embarrassed that they'd been caught like that.

"Are you going to let me go home yet?" Robert asked.

"No," the nurse said simply, making marks on her clipboard as she looked at the readings on the machines. "You've only been conscious for twelve hours, give or take. Need to make sure you're not going to relapse."

"I'm fine," Robert said impatiently.

"Any pain with your breathing?"

"No."

"Right, and when you're not trying to show off for your boyfriend?" the nurse asked shrewdly, smiling at him.

"Alright, yes," he said, reluctantly. Aaron looked at him, worried. He'd not mentioned any trouble breathing at all. What else was he hiding?

"Out of ten, how much does it hurt?"

"Five." The nurse simply looked at him, waiting for the truth and Robert gave in. "Seven."

"Robert…"

"I'm fine," he said dismissively.

"You've lost a significant portion of your right lung, it'll hurt for a while," the nurse said.

"What?" Aaron asked, his voice going quiet. The nurse could clearly see she wasn't needed and made a swift exit. "You've lost some of your lung?"

"Apparently," Robert said. "It's fine."

"I had no idea," Aaron said in disbelief. "But… They didn't tell me."

"You're not family," Robert said uncomfortably after a moment. "I'm sorry. Once they told me, I didn't want you to worry. You were already frantic."

"Wasn't frantic," Aaron grumbled, feeling like he'd been left out of the loop through no fault of his own. "Did Vic know?"

"Probably," Robert admitted.

"Are you going to be all right?"

"I'll be fine," Robert said dismissively. "Calm down, Aaron," he added, feeling his anger fill up the room, though he'd not said anything. He knew Aaron better than that, sometimes words weren't needed between the pair of them.

"I have to go," he said.

"Aaron, don't," Robert called after him. "Aaron!" Aaron ignored him, and didn't see Robert wince at the pulling in his chest that shouting after Aaron had caused.

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