Victor and Hiroko watched anxiously while the doctor monitored the ventilator,the stethoscope placed on Yuri 's chest. The older man gave a short mid to Yoriko who adjusted the machine. Yuri gazed around the room sleepily.
"That's it, " the doctor said. "Yuri's got it." Victor sighed with relief.
"He's breathing on his own?" Hiroko asked.
"Yes, he's doing it on his own. We could give him an oxygen mask and remove him from the machine, a few weeks and a lot of encouragement can go a long way. I should tell you that when it does come out, Yuri's throat will be very sore and he'll have a difficult time speaking. We'll probably be able to give him a note pad and pen so he can communicate until he's well enough."
"How soon can it be taken out?"
"Now. It's actually a quick procedure,but you might notice that he seems a little uncomfortable,it only takes a few minutes." The doctor turned his attention to Yuri.
"Yuri, would you like this tube out?" Yuri squeezed the man's hand in response. "Good. You're doing very well." Hiroko moved to her son's bedside taking his free hand.
"Yuri,baby, you can squeeze my hand if you need to." She offered. Victor watched from the corner of the room. Though he tried,He continued to feel like a stranger to his beloved Yuri. Broken hearted, he made the decision he believed would be best for Yuri,to not overwhelm the younger man and allow him to become reacquainted with his mother.
Victor's heart ached,he wanted nothing more than to reach out to Yuri,to pull him close and hear him whisper his name with the love and tenderness as he had when they were alone. He longed for Yuri's soft hand against his cheek.
Victor wrapped his arms around the younger skater, one hand finding its way to Yuri's waist, pulling him close. Yuri caressed his cheek with one hand while the other rested lightly on his chest.
"Victor," Yuri whispered,looking into his coach's eyes. "I never would've gotten this far without you. I'm so afraid of letting you down, you took time off to be here with me and -"
"And it was the best decision I've ever made. I love you,Yuri,I have for a long time. I wouldn't trade my time with you for anything in the world. My life would be empty without you. I'd give all the gold medals I have to be able to hold you forever."
" i love you too,Victor,you're amazing,I -" Victor cut him off with a kiss.
"Promise me,Yuri." The silver haired man said resting his forehead against Yuri's. "Promise me you'll always be with me. I want to have you beside me the rest of our lives."
" i promise,I could never leave you. "
" Victor? " a gentle hand touched his shoulder,pulling him back to reality.
"Hm,I'm sorry,I-"
"It's all right,dear." Hiroko soothed. " it's over now. Yuri's going to need the oxygen for just a little while but then he'll move to the next stage of recovery. "
"Good. That's great news." Victor smiled in spite of his pain.
"Do you mind if I run down the hall and get something to drink?" She asked. " Do you want anything,maybe a snack? "
"Just a bottle of water if you don't mind." She nodded, promising Yuri she would return,she stepped out of the room and out of sight.
"Well Yuri," he lowered himself onto the chair beside the bed. "I'm proud of you, I know you don't really know who I am and all of this is uncomfortable. Do you remember what I told you my name is?" Yuri gave a faint nod,wincing at the pain the moment caused.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't -" Yuri turned his head toward his coach. "I won't push you too much. This must be hard for you,waking up,not knowing what's happening and in a matter of weeks to be expected to-no,Yuri,you need to leave it on for now." Victor said, taking the younger man's hand as it weakly grasped at the mask. For a brief moment, they made eye contact and Victor saw much more than physical pain.
"It's going to be okay,Yuri." Victor soothed, his voice soft but sincere. He fought the urge to stroke the skater's dark hair and kiss his forehead. "Your mother won't be long, While wait, do you want me to show you more pictures?" Yuri squeezed his hand.
"How about Makkachin, you seem to like him." Feeling another squeeze, Victor pulled out his phone and scrolled through the pictures. "Here he is." Victor held the device in front of Yuri.
The image of Victor cuddling the large dog, who sniffed at the medals around his owner's neck seemed to be enough to distract Yuri for the moment.
"That was just a few years ago, I'd just beaten my record for the year before. That's coach Yakov in the background with Yurio. He did pretty good too. Do you recognize them?" Yuri looked away momentarily.
"No, that's okay, you'll get there. There's a lot to remember and sometimes even I have trouble remembering things. I think everyone does once in awhile. Just remember that you have so many people who love you and want to help you feel better,we'll be there no matter what." Yuri raised a shaky hand,pointing at Victor.
"You want me to be here, is that what you're -" more slight pressure confirmed his answer.
"Of course Yuri. I'll be here too." Victor promised, surprised by Yuri's response. Though Yuri still didn't seem sure about the people and events around him, Victor was glad the younger man had at last found some comfort from his presence.
one step closer to the day I can tell you I love you. Victor thought as he moved to the next picture. He had been shown another ray of hope that his Yuri would one day come back to him.