A/N: Hello again everyone! Oh boy you're comments are awesome guys! I'm not going to say anything about this chapter as I don't want to give anything away, but I hope you guys enjoy it :)
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As much as it breaks my heart I do not own the writings or the characters of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, they are the wonderful and exclusive workings of J.R.R Tolkien
It was well after midnight and all four men were in various stages of sleep as they waited for news. It had been several hours since they had been brought to the room and still they had had no word. Dwalin had left not long after settling in to pick up some clothing and take-away for them all, however they had all found that despite the time and the wait their appetites were almost non-existent.
Finally the door to the room opened at one in the morning to Tauriel, Oin and several other nurses wheeling a bed into the room quietly, Gandalf trailing along behind. Kíli jolted awake the moment the door opened and watched intently as the bed was rolled into place, his breath catching in his throat at the sight of the many bandages and tubes attached to his brother. By this stage Thorin, Balin and Dwalin had awoken and were waiting restlessly for someone to tell them what had been happening.
"Please Dr," Kíli said in a whisper, unable to handle the silence any longer, "what's happening to my brother?"
Gandalf sat in an unoccupied chair whilst Tauriel and Oin continued to hook Fíli into all the appropriate monitors. "His surgery was a relative success," Gandalf said, focussing on Kíli intently "however his injuries were extensive. He suffered four broken and three fractured ribs, a broken collar bone, his pelvis was broken in three places, a dislocated knee, a broken wrist and his spine was fractured. He also suffered severe internal bleeding, his ribs pierced his lungs and his spleen ruptured." Gandalf took a breath and held Kíli's hand gently, his heart breaking at the renewed grief on the youngsters face.
"What concerns me the most is the blow to the back of the skull. After the surgery we had to wait a couple of hours to ensure he was stable before we could send him off for an MRI. We're waiting on the results of the tests and should have answers in the next few hours, but I think it would be best to prepare for the fact that he might not wake up, or if he does, he won't be who he once was."
Kíli pulled his hand away to clasp one of his brothers limp hands in both of his own. "Fíli will be fine," he said quietly as his eyes filled with tears. "He has to be."
Gandalf let out a sigh but didn't contradict the youngster. Instead he checked to ensure the nurses had finished hooking Fíli up to the respirator that would keep him breathing for the time being before he excused himself and left the room.
"You'll be alright Fee," Kíli said quietly "you'll come back to me I just know it." He stood and, being careful of the numerous wires connected to his brother's body as well as the breathing tube in his mouth, pressed a kiss to his brothers' forehead.
"I love you Fee."
Sunrise had rolled around when Gandalf finally returned to the quiet room. The steady whoosh of the respirator had helped lull them all into an uneasy sleep, the thoughts of the possible outcomes racketing around their heads before one by one they dropped off in their chairs, Kíli positioned at an odd angle so his head could be as close to his brother's as possible and their hands entwined.
Gandalf knocked on the door gently before stepping in, a folder containing the scans clutched tightly in his hand and a second doctor behind him. As they entered the inhabitants, save the one in the bed, began to stir and they all sat up quickly when they realised who had arrived.
"Are those the results?" Thorin asked immediately, uninterested in who the female was at Gandalf's side.
"They are." Gandalf said slowly, taking a deep breath before carrying on.
"I'm afraid the results aren't good, according to the MRI and backed up by some preliminary tests we performed when he arrived, your nephew is brain dead Mr Oakenshield."
Silence filled the room, only the rhythmic whoosh of the ventilator was heard.
"No" Kíli said quietly. "No he can't be – he's not- h-he…" Kíli's breathing became rapid as tears began trickling down his cheeks; his hold on his brother's hand was so strong his knuckles had begun to turn white.
Thorin turned pale, a single tear escaping his eye as he rushed over to his nephew and wrapped his arms around him, cradling the sobbing teenager in a loss of what else to do.
"Yer wrong," Dwalin said quietly, his voice breaking "yer've got to have this all wrong."
"I wish it were so, but the preliminary tests when he came in indicated that there was no longer any brain activity, and the EEG reading was flat. We will conduct another one around midday along with individual assessments that will be performed by myself and my colleague Dr Galadriel Evenstar to confirm or deny whether he is in fact brain dead." Gandalf said gently.
"Couldn't he be in a coma?" Balin asked tearily "perhaps you've got the two mixed up?"
Galadriel stepped forward, regret evident on her face. "If he were in a coma there would have been some sign of brain function such as pupil dilation or reflexive twitching in his fingers when we tested for it but I'm afraid there is none."
Kíli let out a wail and tore himself out of Thorin's hold to throw himself at his brother, wrapping his arms around him as best he could and burying his face in his brother's neck. "No! No Fíli please, you have to wake up p-please! Don't leave m-me, I need you... Fíli!"
"I'm so sorry," Gandalf said, barely audible over the wailing from the young brunet, "we'll give you some time alone."
