A/N: As I write another chapter to Nightmare, inspiration came to me and I had to write this.
Wake Up
Twelve: Then This I Pray to You, Wherever
"Please…stay alive. Don't let go… Hold on…for me."
Never before had Cody or Ted ever seen Randy in tears. The older man before them was crying, full-blown, heart wrenching, snot-type crying that women did whenever they watched Titanic. This scared them. Granted, they were already quite frightened.
A few hours ago, when they were hanging out at John and Randy's place, they received a horrible phone call. John had been in a horrible car accident. A hit and run by a drunk driver. The car was in ruins, but John was in a far worse state. They arrived at the hospital just in time to see John's bloodied, battered, and torn body being wheeled through the emergency double doors. And then, the nurse directed them to the waiting room and asked Randy to fill out some forms.
Oh, the older man was livid. How could they ask him to fill out some fucking forms when his husband, his John, was in surgery on the brink of death. While Ted did his best to calm the startled and frightened young nurse, Cody tried to calm Randy down, or get him to the point where he could function without snapping off suddenly. After he was calm enough, Randy snatched the clip board and papers out of the nurse's hands and walked over to the cold, uncomfortable chairs and sat down. Grumbling under his breath, he began working on the papers and slowly, ever so agonizingly slowly, the tears came rolling in.
By the time he was done, he was out right crying and it broke both of the younger men's hearts to see their friend in such a state. They both knew how much Randy loved John and how lost he'd be if the older man… No, they couldn't think about that. They wouldn't think about that.
But then, Randy started to really break down, like he was now, and they both began to break down. Cody started crying first, and that left Ted at a loss. However, Ted didn't break until Randy started speaking, his voice rough and hoarse, the tears and sniffles making him sound so broken, so lost.
"Johnny…I need you… I…I can't do this… Not with you baby… I love you so…so much. Please, John…please."
There was so much desperation in his voice that it was absolutely heart breaking. Ted and Cody sat on either side of him and held onto him, trying to give him some kind of comfort. Randy didn't respond to them in anyway; his entire being was focused on John. His prayers and begging were all about John, and that's how it should be.
The double doors that led to the surgical areas and the ICU opened and an elder doctor stepped out. When she saw Randy, Cody, and Ted huddled together, she walked over to them, approaching them cautiously, but with such gentility that they all jumped when she spoke.
"Are you…Mr. Orton?" Randy looked up at her, his eyes red and puffy, his face looking so blotchy and broken that her heart squeezed in pain.
"Y-yes. Who are you?"
"I'm Dr. McCormick. I'm John's attending physician." At that, Randy stood up and faced her fully.
"How is he? Is he okay? How bad is it? Will he…? Is he…? Please…" She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and then tried her best to smile gently and reassuringly at him.
"Mr. Orton, John's accident was incredibly serious and severe, but he will survive. Both of his legs are broke as is his left arm. Although he's got bruises on his chest from the seatbelt and burns on his face from the airbag deploying, both saved his life. However…I must tell you, Mr. Orton, and this is very difficult for me, but… Did you know that John was pregnant?"
"Pregnant? Y-yeah, I knew that. Three months, right?" Dr. McCormick's heart squeezed even tighter.
"Yes, he was three months pregnant. Mr. Orton…I'm so terribly sorry but…John lost the baby." At the news, Randy choked out a sob and looked down. Cody and Ted both stood and hugged him, trying to steady him, to bringing him back. They lost the baby, but John was alive and he was going to survive. That alone was a miracle. After a few moments and a few deep breaths, Randy looked back up at her.
"Can I…Can I see him?"
"Of course, but just one at a time for now. You should also know that I've induced a coma so that his brain and body may heal."
"A coma!" Cody's voice was shocked and strained, but Dr. McCormick smiled reassuringly at him.
"Trust me, it's not as bad as it sounds. It'll help him heal and recuperate. He'll be bedridden for quite some time yet." All three of them nodded and Randy followed the doctor back through the double doors and into the Intensive Care Unit. Quietly, he followed her, his heart feeling more hopeful and relieve than he had felt in the past few hours.
Finally, they stopped at a room and she opened it, allowing him to enter the room. Randy couldn't stifle the shocked gasp that escaped him when his eyes fell on John. He was laying on the bed with both legs heavily bandaged and in casts. His arm, like his legs, was in a cast as well and his face was bruises, burned, and swollen. But he was alive and that's what truly mattered.
Releasing a joyful laugh, Randy sank in the chair beside John and started crying once more. John may have been incredibly battered and hurt but he was alive. And that's all that mattered to him.
