Chapter 26: One Breath at a Time
Tora looked up at Yuuri as he rejoined them in the hospital lobby, and Artur led them down a long hallway and through several turns, to a small, private waiting area. Within the room, a boy about Tora's age sat silently in one of the seats, looking at the floor. His clothes were dirty and his face was smudged, and every now and again, he covered his mouth and coughed. A police woman stepped into the room behind them and carried a glass of water to the boy.
"Here, drink this," she said kindly, "It will make you feel better."
"Where are my mom and dad?" the boy asked in a scared voice, with a pronounced Russian accent.
"They're with the doctors, being checked out," the police woman answered in a soothing voice, "I am sure that you'll be back with them soon."
Tora frowned and studied the boy's face more closely. She nudged Yuuri, who looked down at her questioningly.
"Yuuri-san, isn't that one of the skaters from the ice rink in Saint Petersburg?" she asked, "I don't know his name, but…"
"Hmm, I think it's Vaska Kasaty," Yuuri answered, frowning, "His father, Kiriyak, is on the Russian National team. He's in the senior men's division competing here. It looks like he might have been at the rink. He was probably watching the warm up."
"He looks scared," Tora noticed, "Should I go talk to him? I mean, we've said hi once or twice. I don't know him well, but…"
"It's probably fine to go talk to him," Yuuri said, glancing at the boy for a moment, "but maybe don't ask him anything about what he saw. It could really upset him. Just…say hello and sit with him, if the officer says it's okay."
Tora nodded and approached the boy, who continued to look at the floor. The officer, who had sat down beside him looked at Tora questioningly.
"Can I help you, miss?" she asked.
"Oh," Tora said, smiling as the boy looked up and his eyes registered recognition, "I just realized this is Vaska, who trains at my rink in Saint Petersburg. I was coming to see if he was okay. I'm waiting to hear about my father, Victor Nikiforov. I'm Tora."
"Well, Tora," the police officer said uncertainly, "I don't know if Vaska is up to talking right now."
"It's okay," Vaska said, looking up at Tora, "I know her."
"All right," the officer said, standing and offering Tora the seat next to the boy, "I need to check in with my supervisor. I will be back in a minute."
Tora nodded, watching as the officer left, then she turned her attention back to the boy sitting next to her.
"Sorry if I'm bothering you," Tora apologized.
"No, it's okay," Vaska answered, his dark blue eyes looking down at his dirty hands, "It's nice to know someone. I mean, I don't really know you, but…at least we've said hi before. I don't know anyone here."
"Did you come to watch your dad compete?"
Vaska nodded.
"Me too," Tora informed him, "We were supposed to go to the competition tonight."
Vaska bit his lip and tensed slightly, blinking back tears.
"Hey," Tora said, slipping her pack off of her back, "I think I still have some wet wipes they gave us on the plane. You can use them to clean up a little, if you want."
The boy managed a little smile of gratitude as he accepted the two small packets and opened the first. He ran the first wipe over his face and throat, removing most of the soot from his pale face. He used the second to clean up his arms, then Tora took the used wipes and left to drop them in the trash can. She returned to Vaska and sat down again, motioning to Nico, who moved to join them.
"Vaska, this is Nico Palomo. He's…"
"I know who he is," Vaska interrupted, "You're the one who Victor was ice dancing with in that viral video."
"That's me," Nico agreed, blushing, "I'm Victor's new student. I usually skate with Tora. We're going to be partners when Tora is older."
"I heard that," Vaska replied, "You must be really excited Victor is going to coach you."
"It's pretty amazing," Nico affirmed, "I'm going to be living with Victor, Yuuri and Tora too."
"Oh," Vaska said, brightening a little, "so I'll see you around the ice rink."
"Yeah," Nico answered, nodding, "Looks like."
Across the room from the children, Yuuri and the two bodyguards tensed as J.J. Leroy's wife, Isabella, entered the room, looking rumpled and smudged, and gently assisted by a likewise rumpled Masumi.
"That's J.J.'s wife and Chris's boyfriend!" Yuuri exclaimed softly, moving towards the two.
"Isabella? Masumi?" he called out.
"Oh, Yuuri, it's terrible!" Isabella sobbed, throwing herself into the surprised Japanese skater's arms.
Yuuri's eyes looked baffled for a moment, but he patted her back gently.
"You and Masumi were with Chris and J.J. at the rink?" he asked.
"Yes," Masumi answered as Isabella continued to cry into Yuuri's shoulder, "It was really frightening. The explosion knocked all of the skaters down on the ice. They were all unconscious, and a lot of the spectators who were too close to the rink were knocked out too."
He glanced at the children across the room from them, and leaned in closer to Yuuri.
"Yuuri," he whispered, "Victor and Kiriyak were close to where the blast went off. Artur got to them quickly, but they…they didn't look good. And…on the way in here, I heard that…"
"I know," Yuuri whispered, glancing at Tora, "one of the skaters died."
"Yes," Masumi confirmed, "and it was a Russian skater. I don't know if it was Kiriyak or if it was Victor, but it was one of them."
Yuuri closed his eyes for a moment, swallowing hard. Isabella released him and touched his arm sympathetically.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Are, uh…J.J. and Chris okay?" Yuuri asked shakily.
Masumi nodded.
"They're getting oxygen and they'll probably stay overnight, but they should be fine."
"That's good, at least."
Yuuri's damp brown eyes moved from Tora to Vaska and back again.
"We're just waiting for them to be taken to their rooms," Masumi went on, "but I'd be glad to wait with you."
Yuuri gave him a tremulous smile.
"It's okay. I have Sava and Artur…"
He paused as Mari and Minako ran into the room, looking around frantically.
"Ah, and Mari and Minako," he added, "You should go to Chris."
"Go to me?" Chris's voice said from the doorway, "No one needs to go anywhere. I'm right here."
"Chris!" Masumi objected, running to him and grabbing onto him tightly, "the doctor said he wanted you to stay tonight for observation!"
"Well, he can come in and observe me right here. I'm fine. Just a little knock on the head and a cough from the smoke. Besides, I'm going to stay here with Yuuri and Tora until there's word on Victor."
"Well, at least sit down then," Masumi complained, "You look pale as a ghost."
"He's right," Isabella agreed, "Sit down before you fall down."
She followed Chris and Masumi to sit down in nearby chairs as Mari and Minako joined Yuuri and the two bodyguards.
"Mari, Minako," Yuuri greeted them, "thanks for coming."
"Well, duh," Minako said off-handedly, "Where else would we be. Have you heard anything about Victor?"
"Not yet," Yuuri said, lowering his eyes, "and don't tell the kids this, but I heard that…one of the Russian skaters in the competition has died. There were only two. Victor and that boy's father, Kiriyak Kasaty."
"Oh god…" Mari whispered, covering her mouth.
"It's going to be okay," Minako said, taking Yuuri by the shoulders.
"I don't know how you can say that," Yuuri said softly, "Either way, one of those two kids is going to lose a parent, and if it's Tora…Victor was all she had."
"Don't be stupid. She has you," Minako chided him gently.
"Minako," Yuuri said hesitantly, "you know what the laws are about this. Victor was careful to put in his will that Tora would go to Yakov. He did this because Victor and I are a high profile gay couple and we were married in a public ceremony that was in the news. Neither Russian law nor Japanese law will give me custody of Tora. You know that."
Yuuri's dark eyes filled with tears.
"If he dies, everything is going apart. I…don't know what will happen to us."
"Yakov loves Victor," Mari said sternly, "He isn't going to let you and Tora be separated."
Yuuri's eyes rounded in realization.
"Yakov! He would've been at the rink. Did he get out okay? Is he one of the victims? If not, then why isn't he here?"
"It's going to be okay," Minako said bracingly, "Yuuri, don't freak out. That little girl needs you to keep it together."
"Okay…" Yuuri breathed shakily, rubbing at his eyes, "sorry."
"No one's going to let Tora be taken away from you."
"How do you know?"
"I just know," Minako insisted, "You just keep thinking about Victor. Hang in there, all right?"
Yuuri stiffened again as a nurse entered the room alongside a disheveled looking woman that he immediately recognized as Kiriyak's wife.
"Raya," Yuuri greeted her, "It's good to see you're okay. Victor's daughter, Tora, has been sitting with Vaska."
Raya nodded wordlessly.
"Have you heard anything?" he asked.
Raya shivered and shook her head, blinking back tears.
"I am sure that word will come soon," the nurse said comfortingly, "Please wait here, Mrs. Kasaty."
Raya sniffed softly and nodded.
"Come and sit down with me," Yuuri invited her, leading her to two open seats as Mari and Minako sat down near them.
"Thank you," the Russian woman managed in a whisper, "I know I shouldn't be this way in front of Vaska, b-but…"
"I know," Yuuri said, taking her hands in his, "I'm scared too."
"Have you…heard anything about Victor or…?"
Yuuri felt a dark twinge inside.
She doesn't know one of them died.
I don't dare tell her.
"No," he said, shaking his head, "I haven't heard."
It's only a rumor right now, anyway. Nothing has been confirmed. Maybe what we heard was wrong. It happens all of the time in these kinds of situations, right?
"I'm sorry," Raya said, dabbing her eyes, "You must be worried sick."
"Well, we can worry together, right?" Yuuri said comfortingly.
"I guess so."
Masumi rose and headed towards the two.
"I'm going to get some tea and coffee for the others. Would you like some?" he offered.
"Tea for me," Yuuri answered, "Thanks, Masumi."
"I will have black coffee," Raya requested.
Time passed, and the tea and coffee arrived and were consumed as the ones in the little room waited. As the hour grew late, a nurse arrived with pillows and little blankets. Tora, Nico and Vaska huddled in a corner of the room, on the floor, leaning against the pillows and fighting to stay awake as more hours ticked by. A chaplain arrived, and he moved around the room, offering hugs and kind words to those waiting.
"What could be taking so long?" Yuuri sighed, rubbing his hands over his face, "They should have been able to tell us something by now, shouldn't they?"
"It's hard to say," Mari sighed, shaking her head, "They have a lot of people here being treated. I'm sure their focus is on that, but I'm sure that as soon as there is news, we'll hear something."
"Hang in there," Minako added, slipping an arm around Yuuri.
Yuuri's eyes strayed to where Tora and Nico sat on the floor, talking quietly with Vaska.
"I will," he said firmly, "I need to be here for Tora."
"That's right," Minako said, nodding, "We're all here for you and for her too. Just keep your mind on Victor. He's a strong person. He's not going to leave you and Tora."
"You're right," Yuuri agreed, "Victor wouldn't do that."
I have to think that way. If I start letting doubts in, I'm going to get overwhelmed. Tora needs me to be stronger, so I'll just keep focusing on everything being all right.
You wouldn't leave me, Victor.
I know you wouldn't.
Another nurse arrived with a food cart filled with coffee, tea and small snacks, and she passed them around to the group, pausing to talk for a moment with each of them. And despite his worry, Yuuri realized suddenly that he was starving.
I'm glad they thought of this. God, I should have thought. Tora must be hungry too.
He ate quietly, his dark eyes watching as the children made their selections and dug into the snacks with a vengeance. Yuuri looked up at the nurse as she passed by on the way out.
"Thank you," he said gratefully, "I feel bad that I didn't even think to get something for the kids."
"Don't worry about that," the elderly woman said kindly, "You look like you have enough worries."
"Yeah…" Yuuri sighed, "We all do."
He watched the nurse leave and finished his food, then he sat, sipping at his tea as more time ticked by. Although the hallway outside the room had been noisy and active for much of the time, it seemed nearly silent, and few people walked by.
It's so late. I should try to encourage Tora to get some sleep.
He started to get up, but he noticed that the three had drifted off together in their little nest in the corner.
Thank goodness.
Tora needs the rest.
"How are you holding up?" Minako asked, "You should really try to nap or something."
"I can't shut my eyes," Yuuri said, shaking his head, "This waiting is killing me."
"Yeah," Mari agreed, "It's hard on all of us."
She started to say more, but then stiffened and stared as two tired looking doctors entered the room.
"Kasaty family?" the first called.
"Yes," Raya said, standing as the children in the corner came awake suddenly and stared in silence, wating.
"Nikiforov family?" the other doctor called.
"Here," Yuuri answered as Tora ran to him and the two followed the doctor to the opposite corner of the room where the other doctor was speaking with Raya.
"I am sorry to have kept you waiting," the doctor said sympathetically, "I know you have had to be very patient, but…"
He broke off as Raya loosed a howl of agony and collapsed onto her knees while Vaska burst into tears, hanging on to her.
"Oh my god," Yuuri whispered, fighting back tears, "Her husband…"
"We were not able to save him," the doctor whispered sadly, "Victor is alive, but his condition is serious and we are monitoring him closely. He and Mr. Kasaty were close to the blast. They were lucky that the rink wall shielded them from fire, so that they were not burned, but their lungs were filled with smoke and they were overcome. Victor is on a ventilator to help him breathe. He is doing well and we are doing everything we can to keep it that way."
Yuuri shivered and held Tora tightly against him.
"Daddy!" Tora hissed in a teary whisper.
"Didn't you hear?" Yuuri said bracingly, "Victor is doing well. He's going to be all right."
He looked over to where Vaska's face was buried in his sobbing mother's shoulder.
"Tora," Yuuri said softly, "that boy is going through something horrible. We can't do anything for Victor right now, but maybe you can do something for him. After all, you've lost a parent too."
"Yuuri-san?" the girl said uncertainly.
"Go on, now. Try to comfort him."
He waited, watching as Tora crossed the room on still unsteady legs, then he turned back to the doctor.
"Can I see Victor?"
The doctor nodded.
"But for now, just you. I think it would be too upsetting for the children. Come, I will take you to him."