Rhythm of Life
Chapter Fifty-Two
Cross awoke. He wasn't sure what had roused him, or how long he had slept, but it was the first time since the boy's accident he felt rested. It was dark outside with the only lighting in the room coming from the dimmed florescent lights over the teenager's beds. It was then Cross noticed the feeding tubes had been removed from both the boys. He glanced over to see if Tiedoll was awake, but found him sound asleep; looking more relaxed then he had that morning.
"Water…please," Allen's weak, almost inaudible voice croaked out. It must have been Allen's faint voice that awoke him earlier.
"Allen!" Cross whispered. He stood up from his chair and was instantly at his charge's bedside. He lifted the Styrofoam cup with the straw off the table and brought it to Allen's parched lips having him take small sips. "Welcome back, I thought I was going to lose you there for awhile," Cross said with a smile and his eye glistened from wetting. He felt relief the moment he had heard Allen's voice. It lifted the heaviness in his chest and he felt the flow of life pulse strongly through his veins once again—Allen was going to be okay.
"I guess I'm hard to get rid of," he countered, his voice but a soft whisper. Allen closed his swollen, blackened eyes with a slight smile on his face. "Is Kanda awake, or is he still sleeping?" the white-hair British boy asked.
"He's sleeping," Cross replied. He felt it best not to let Allen know, just yet, about Kanda's condition.
"Cross, he's going to be okay. Somehow I know he will be," Allen assured his guardian before he drifted off to sleep. Cross picked up Allen's bandaged hand thankful his charge was going to be alright. How could Allen know if Kanda was going to be okay when the doctor wasn't even sure, or maybe Kanda's condition had changed? His feeding tube had been removed.
Cross laid Allen's hand back down and covered him with the warm blanket not wanting him to get chilled. He walked over to Kanda's bed and stood over him and stared down at the young man he was becoming. It's hard to believe he turned nineteen. The Kanda he had known years ago when he first met the boy as a frightened little toddler has come a long ways. He really was a beautiful boy and he was proud of Tiedoll for doing a great job in raising him.
He placed his hand on the Asian teen's forehead and checked for a fever, but he felt cool with no fever evident. Cross removed his hand and brought the blanket up around his shoulders. He wished the boy was going to be okay like Allen said. His partner would never be the same if he lost his son. Cross knew he would be there by his side helping him through any ordeal his man faced, the same as he would for him.
"Is…Moyashi…sleeping…" Kanda's weak voice uttered. His eyes were barely opened as he looked at the red-head who gave him a half smile. Cross felt his heart-lighten even more. Allen had been right; Kanda was going to be okay.
"Welcome back, Kanda. Yes, Allen just drifted back off to sleep. He was asking me the same question about you. Let me wake your father," Cross said quietly.
"No…later…too tired…" Kanda replied faintly his voice trailing off. His eyes slipped closed into a restful sleep with a slight smile on his face probably with thoughts of Allen. 'Damn these two are somehow deeply connected. Can it be from their love for each other, or something else?' Cross pondered in his mind.
He returned to his chair after Kanda went back to sleep. Their boy's were out of danger he was sure of it. It was going to be a long recovery for them, but they had each other to get through this. At least there was one thing he didn't have to worry about and that was Alma…he knew where he was. But Allen's uncle Neah was a different story, and he had no idea where, or what the man would be up to next. No matter what, Cross was determined to protect his family.
He got up and went out into the lobby to talk with the boy's nurse. She was a cute little thing, though she held no interest to Cross like she would have in the past. Oh yes, he was head over heels in love with Tiedoll and no woman held his interest any longer. He just had to think about Tiedoll when he touched his bare skin to remind him of that.
"Can I help you, Mr. Cross?" the nurse asked bringing the man out of his thoughts.
"Yes, I wanted to let you know that the boy's woke up a short time ago, but have fallen back to sleep. Also, their feeding tubes have been removed; does that mean they're out of danger?" Cross asked. He glanced at the clock realizing it was ten o'clock; Tiedoll and him had slept through the day and evening.
"You were sleeping when they woke up. Strange, they both woke at the same time which is unusual. At least something I've never seen happen before. It was precious that they were more concerned about the other then themselves, quite endearing. Let me get their charts.
"Their vital signs are normal. Kanda's fever is gone, so the medication seemed to have worked. The doctor changed their critical condition status this evening to serious. It was while he was examining them that they both regained consciousness at the same time. The doctor didn't want to wake either of you after the turmoil you both had suffered this morning," the nurse explained. She closed the charts and placed them back in the turnstile.
"When will the doctor be back?" Cross asked.
"Not until tomorrow morning. You're welcomed to spend the night in their room if you'd like. I can't guarantee how comfortable it will be sleeping in the recliners, but I'll bring in a couple more blankets for both of you," the nurse offered. Another nurse came over to her with some information that she needed to go tend to right away.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" she asked.
"No thank you for the update. Oh, there is one other thing, do you know if the condition of the boy who was driving the car our son's were in has changed?" Cross asked.
"I'm sorry sir, I don't know that information, but I'll call up to ICU and ask," she countered with a pleasant smile.
"Thank you." Cross replied. She walked over to the desk and made a phone call. After she had spoken to the other person she hung up and came back to Cross.
"He's in critical condition and still in a coma," the nurse supplied Cross with his answer.
"Has anyone been there to visit him?" Cross asked. He wondered if Neah would chance a visit, but then again why would he even bother. The boy was just a pawn in one of Neah's plans.
"Yes, the boy's parents had been notified about the accident and his condition. They have been spending time with their son."
"Thank you again," Cross said. 'Christ, I didn't think Alma had any parent's. Where the hell have they been all this time? Their son needed them before the accident, not so much now,' Cross thought as he walked down to the vending machines for two coffees before he headed back to the room.
The first thing Cross saw when he came through the door holding a coffee in each hand were Tiedoll's soft brown eyes meeting his. His partner gave him a sleepy smile as he approached him and gave him a kiss on the lips then sat the coffees down on the table before he took his seat in the recliner next to him.
"I have some good news, Froi," Cross said quietly taking a sip of his coffee. "The boy's are no longer on a feeding tube if you hadn't noticed, and both of them have regained consciousness while we were asleep. They're no longer on the critical list but now considered in serious condition." Tiedoll's eyes brightened at the news, some of the worry brushed away from his face.
"Thank goodness, did you speak with either of them?" Tiedoll asked anxiously.
"Yes, Allen woke me asking for water, wanting to know if Kanda was sleeping before he drifted back to sleep. Then I was checking Kanda to see if he still had a fever when he woke to ask me the same question about Allen. I was so relieved to hear their voices again," Cross told his partner excitedly, the worry lines on his forehead smoothed out as he spoke.
"I wish I had been awake to talk to them," Tiedoll said dolefully, the sparkle in his eyes dulled as he looked at his son.
"Tiedoll, he'll be awake again, you can talk to him then for now why don't we lay back and drink our coffees. If you're still feeling like you need something to calm you I could ask the nurse if she could give you another sedative," Cross offered his partner. His lover's face was drawn, a bit sallow than normal, but nothing like he had been when Kanda…almost died. He couldn't even think about it without feeling his own energy drain away.
"Marion, I don't need anything to calm me down, or make me sleep. I want to be able to hear Kanda when he wakes again," Tiedoll replied, his voice strained and his body language told Cross something entirely different. A muffled announcement came over the sound system outside the door which made Tiedoll jump.
"I know you want to be awake, but look at you, Froi. You're jumping at any noise and if you keep wring your hands like you've been doing you'll rub the skin off," Cross said softly. He didn't want to add to his partner's stress, he just wanted to help him to rest.
"Marion, all I need right now is for you to hold me, so I can feel your warmth and strength," Tiedoll countered as he looked at Cross with those soft brown eyes. Cross stood and extended his hand down to Tiedoll. He helped him up and pulled him into his arms hugging him tightly. Cross hadn't realized how much he also needed this from his partner. They held each other for quite awhile as they absorbed each other's love and support.
Allen's eyes opened slightly for a moment while the adults hugged each other. Even as groggy as he was, he could see the look of contentment on his guardian's face—maybe even a look of love. Now he knew for sure they were in a relationship. Allen fell back into a peaceful sleep. It won't be so bad having Tiedoll as part of his family…in fact he looked forward to it.
Cross pulled back and placed his hand under his partner's chin and lifted it. Their gaze locked together, their love showing openly. Tiedoll placed his hand on the back of Cross's head and drew him down to his soft, moist lips and relished the gentle, sensitive kiss from his lover.
The door swished opened, but neither of them heard the visitor step inside closing the door. "Well, I see you made your mind up about your boyfriend," Rita said with amusement. She held a vase of flowers and smiled at the two men then looked over at the bandaged teenagers.
"Rita! What are you doing here?" Cross asked, surprised to see her this late at night. He suddenly realized he hadn't even taken the time to call her to let her know what his decision had been. His life had been a whirlwind since the night they had cocktails.
"I heard about the boys accident and this was the first time I've been able to get away from work long enough to stop by. I didn't realize it was this serious, Cross," she responded in shock. She set the vase on a table and walked over to the two men, first she hugged Tiedoll and then Cross.
"I'm sorry Rita for not getting back to you before this, but everything has been crazy since I last saw you." Cross apologized with a sincere look in his eye. Rita raised an eyebrow at this sudden change in her ex-lover behavior.
"Tiedoll, what have you done to this man? The old Cross would never have apologized for anything. Whatever you're doing keep up the good work and by the way congratulations," Rita teased smiling then winked at the man.
"Tell me how bad things are for the two of them. They look…" Rita choked from a lump that had quickly formed in her throat unable to speak any further. The last time she had seen the two boys they were teasing each other while they watched a movie. They hadn't even known she was in the entryway of Allen's house. But now, those lovely boys were lying in a hospital room bruised and bandaged all because of that delinquent kid who could have killed them.
Cross walked over and wrapped his arm around Rita's shoulders and hugged her. "They're in serious condition now. The doctor took them off the critical list, but we almost lost Kanda earlier this morning. It was a terrifying moment for Froi as well as me, but the boys regained consciousness late this evening," Cross explained quietly. A pain stabbed his heart when he talked about what had happened that morning.
"I'm so sorry for the both of you, please let me know if you need anything. I mean that, even if you needed someone just to be with them or you. The nurse said I couldn't stay long, but I had to see how the both of you were holding up. When this is all over let's get together for dinner, or cocktails," Rita said, and gave them both a kiss on the cheek. She had her hand on the door handle ready to open it when she turned around.
"Cross, you made the best decision in your life. I'm happy you didn't let him get away." Rita smiled and gave Tiedoll another wink before she whisked out of the room.
"So, you didn't tell Rita we were a couple? Shame on you Marion, it sounded like you were supposed to call her back. Were you afraid of telling her?" Tiedoll scoffed, teasing his partner with a crooked smile.
"Yes, I was supposed to call her back with my decision and no, I wasn't afraid to tell her. She's the one who finally pointed it out to me I was in love with you, so you have her to thank for our monogamous relationship," Cross countered, smirking at his partner as he backed him up against the wall and crushed their lips together in a passionate kiss.
"Oh God…it's true," Kanda groaned hoarsely, after he saw his foster father being kissed by Cross.
"Kanda, you're awake!" Tiedoll yelped, and pulled out of Cross's arms to step closer to his son's bed. "It's so good to hear your voice, son," Tiedoll exclaimed excitedly at actually seeing his son's eyes half-open.
"Hello, to you too," Kanda croaked. His sleepy eyes shifted from Tiedoll to Cross. "You better be…taking good care of…of my foster father…while I'm…" Kanda strained to talk, but didn't have enough energy to finish his sentence.
"I'm taking good care of your father, Kanda. Don't worry about him. You need to rest as much as possible to heal," Cross replied, happy to hear the older teenager's light threats again.
"Alma?" Kanda asked.
"All we know is he's still in intensive care badly injured," Cross said keeping his anger in check about the boy. This wasn't the time to talk about that boy.
"Oh…" Kanda replied in a whisper. He was too tired to keep awake with the medication in his body and fell back to sleep.
Tears of happiness slid down Tiedoll's cheeks. He had spoken with his son directly and was relieved to know he really was going to be alright. Cross turned Tiedoll around, gathered him into his arms and hugged him tightly. Well, it seemed Kanda had caught them in the act, so there'll be a rash of questions from the boy once he's better. They'll just have to answer them all the best they could.
The door opened again, this time it was the nurse who had to change the IV drips. The two men pulled away slowly from each other and moved out of her way. If she was embarrassed by the two men hugging each other she didn't show it. She finished checking the drips.
"Have they been awake?" the nurse asked nicely.
"Yes, Kanda was just awake, but went back to sleep," Tiedoll offered the nurse.
"Did he seem to be in pain?" she asked. She looked at Tiedoll sweetly.
"No, he didn't complain about any, why?" he countered. He wondered if his son was getting enough pain medication.
"If he didn't complain about his pain then he's getting the correct dosage every four hours. We have him as well as the other boy on these meters. The meters give a certain dose every four hours, so hopefully they are getting enough to elevate their pain. If he had complained then I would have upped the dose," the nurse explained to Cross and Tiedoll.
"The injection I'm giving them now into their IV's is a sedative which helps them to remain resting while their bodies heal. With their internal injuries we don't want them moving around at this time. There's a chance they could rip open the internal stitches, plus they need to rest," she explained as she finished up her work then left the room.
"Let's lie down, it's close to midnight," Cross suggested. They both returned to their recliners and covered themselves with blankets as they got comfortable for the rest of the night.
"Froi, when the boys are released, I figured your place would be the best for them to stay," Cross said as he glanced over at his partner who looked sleepy.
"I agree, Marion. I guess at the time we'll have to see if we need to set beds up downstairs in the living room, or upstairs," Tiedoll replied, thinking about what else they would need to do before the boys came home.
"I know we haven't discussed our living arrangements for the future, or which house we would want to eventually settle down in, but I thought, maybe we should bring some of Allen's things over, so it felt more like his room, too. Do you think Kanda would object to that?" Cross asked, not sure if this was the proper time to bring up the subject. He knew they wanted to move in together, but when would be a better time to talk about it?
Tiedoll reached his hand over and took Cross's and squeezed it. He loved him even more when he brought up the subject of living together without any prompting. "I don't think Kanda would mind at all, Marion. He's pretty flexible when it comes to Allen," Tiedoll smiled at him. "What do you think if we have a fresh coat of paint put on Kanda's walls before bringing over Allen's things that will make him feel like he was home," Tiedoll asked softly.
"I'd say that was a wonderful idea and if the boys are doing better tomorrow, we could get started," he responded. Cross looked over at his beautiful lover their eyes locked together. "I think the other living arrangements might be nice to discuss when we're in bed," Cross replied with a soft growl and a sexy smile.
To be continued…
A/N: It looks like Allen and Kanda are doing much better which is a relief to their parent's. But Alma's injuries were more serious then the two younger teenagers, so it could be awhile before he recovers, if ever. The boy's have seen for themselves that Cross and Tiedoll are indeed in a relationship making Allen happy and Kanda…well…Kanda will be Kanda.
As you noticed I brought in Alma having parents, but as Cross had said, where were his parents when the boy needed discipline and guidance. Had they given up on him long ago because of his delinquent behavior? Whatever the case may have been it seems Alma's parent's had no interest in their son after he turned eighteen until he was injured severely enough to catch their attention. I'm not sure if I'm going to say much more than that about Alma's personal life.
By the reviews and comments I've read, I'm so excited to say readers are enjoying the story, so I thank all of my reviewers and readers once again for the uplifting comments and thoughts they share as the story progresses. Have a wonderful Memorial weekend!
