Thanks to Yaoi-Is-Life-and-Love, and Praise's waterfall for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 69

Fryderyk checked on everything one last time. Lovino was asleep, a new round of painkillers being injected into his bloodstream. He also made sure that the IV drip was attached and providing him with hydration.

He smiled in satisfaction. It was not only his duty as a doctor, but he also wanted to make sure that he had good news for his son. Feliks would of course demand to know what Lovino's condition was, and Fryderyk would be sure to have a lot of information for him.

After making sure that everything was in order, he turned to leave. The nurses knew to call him if there was an issue, but he didn't think that there would be. And then he would also have to convince Feliks to come visit at an appropriate time.

…

Romulus woke in the middle of the night. He heard a dog howling, and it took him a moment to realise that it was Chiara. He went towards Lovino's room, and he could see that the husky was next to the bed, her ears pressed tightly against her head. She stopped howling when she noticed him, instead she simply whimpered.

"You miss him, don't you, girl?" Romulus sighed. "Lovino's in the hospital. He's not going to be back for a while."

She whimpered again, almost as though she understood what he was saying. She slunk off towards her basket, and Romulus felt like some sort of monster for disappointing the dog. This wasn't the first time that Lovino wasn't at home for the night, but usually it was always a single night, two at most. But he supposed that she could pick up on the general atmosphere in the house, and even though the atmosphere had lifted since Lovino woke up, things were still far from being normal.

He felt sorry for her, but he seriously hoped that she didn't continue like this the entire night. He didn't think that he would be able to sleep if she continued like this.

…

"I'm going to assume that you're happy to see Lovino today," Felicja remarked.

The fact that Feliks came into the kitchen while humming a jaunty tune convinced her that it was the case. Fryderyk smiled in amusement.

"You can't really blame him," he said. "I'm going to check on him again, and then I can arrange for you and your friends to come see him during lunch."

Feliks beamed in delight.

"Like, I'll tell the others," he said.

"How are they getting here?" Felicja asked.

"I think Gupta's mom is going to drive them. Or they might take the bus."

"Just make sure, alright?"

Feliks nodded, already moving to go back to his room to get his phone. When he was out, Felicja turned towards her husband.

"Do you think Lovino's going to be able to handle it?" she asked.

"I think it would be good for him," Fryderyk said. "It's not just the physical factors we should consider. He suffered through a trauma, and in these cases, it's important for him to know that he isn't alone. A lot of people regress in their conditions solely because they feel abandoned. These kids have saved him and Feliks before, so I'm hoping that they would be able to save him again. But don't worry, I'm going to ask one of the nurses to stay nearby in case something goes wrong."

She sighed and nodded.

"Have you told Matthew that Lovino woke up?" Felicja asked.

"No, it was pretty late when it happened," Fryderyk replied. "I didn't want to bother him on his Friday evening."

"I think you should call him now. He has the right and responsibility to know, and perhaps he can manage to visit Lovino today to check on his mental state."

Fryderyk sighed and nodded. He knew that Felicja had a point. As soon as he finished the coffee, he was going to call.

…

"That's great news," Matthew said. "So, I'm guessing you want me to check on him too, right?"

"That's right," Fryderyk said. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all. I'll stop by sometime this afternoon. How's his physical state?"

"He's stable. No abnormalities with his brain. His blood sugar and blood pressure are also normal. He's receiving fluids through the IV, and he'll have to go on a liquid diet for a while, but if he can't manage that, we'll give him nutrients through the IV as well. He's only complained about his stomach hurting so far, nothing about his head. I don't know if it has something to do with past injuries."

"Maybe. Or maybe the stab wounds were just a higher priority. You bump your head all the time, but it's not often you have something sharp in your midsection."

"Fair point. I appreciate you coming by on a Saturday, Matthew."

"No, I'm happy to help. When Feliks told me what happened… I've also been meaning to get to Lovino's brothers, but my schedule was a bit full the last few days. Everyone wanted to fit in one last appointment before going on holiday."

"I see. Well, see you later, I suppose."

Matthew hung up the phone and sighed in relief. When Feliks told him about Lovino being attacked by his bullies, and that he was stabbed, he couldn't believe it. A part of him wanted to do a psychological evaluation on those three boys to see if they had any undiagnosed issues, but another part of him – the professional part – knew that if a psychological evaluation were to be done, then he would be the worst person for the job. He was too involved. They attacked his patient, and he'd heard a lot of stories from Lovino. Emotions aside, he couldn't enter an evaluation without being biased.

Well, he did manage to speak to Lovino's father. Romulus told him that he was pressing charges this time, and the police had already asked for a testimony from him, since he managed to speak to his son before he lost consciousness. He might not have seen them, but he was able to learn from Lovino who his attackers were. Furthermore, they found a knife on one of the boys that had Lovino's blood on it. Enough evidence to process them, and if the hospital could provide evidence for the injuries Lovino sustained…

And not just the injuries from this time. The hospital kept a record of everything, and they certainly had Lovino's previous injuries on record. All it would take was a testimony that the three of them were the cause of the injuries. And then other witnesses…

This was where it started to get tricky. Not a lot of people had recognised the bullying for what it was, and so there wouldn't be many people that could properly confirm what had happened. They would have to be careful about this part, if they got there.

And as for Matthew, he would most likely be asked to testify Lovino's mental state. If they could take it back far enough, then he would also be able to confirm the state Lovino was in after his suicide attempt. The confidentiality agreement prevented him from sharing Lovino's experiences, but he would be able to say how terrified Lovino was of them.

This was all so messy.

He shook his head, before he picked up the phone again. Alfred had asked him to tell him about any news of Lovino. Apparently, he was under the impression that Matthew, as Lovino's therapist, would be one of the first people to know.

…

"How are you feeling now?" Romulus asked.

"Like they pumped me full of painkillers," Lovino replied, before taking a sip of water. "My mouth feels like something died in there."

"Just remember to take it easy with the water, okay?" Marcello asked. "Does it hurt anywhere?"

"I've got a bit of a headache, but it's not the worst I've had. My stomach hurts."

"Ve, I can imagine," Feliciano said.

"So, how did they hurt your head?" Romulus asked.

"I think they threw a rock at my head while I was running," Lovino replied, wincing a bit at the way his voice slurred.

"They threw a rock at you?"

Lovino nodded, hand trailing up to reach the bandaged part before wincing.

"It really itches," he muttered.

The nurse came in with soup, and Lovino wrinkled his nose in disgust. Romulus smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I couldn't find a substitute this time," he said.

"Just make sure he eats," the nurse said, placing the bowl of soup on the table before bringing the table closer to Lovino. "Eat as much as you can, and only stop when you feel it hurts too much or if you start to feel sick."

Lovino sighed and nodded, before picking up the spoon.

Marcello and Feliciano exchanged a look. They knew that Lovino's friends wanted to come visit during lunchtime, but they had decided not to tell Lovino. They wanted to keep it as a surprise. It was also for that reason that the family had decided to skip the visit around lunch and instead come again that evening. Lovino's friends were just as worried about him, and just like them, they wanted to spend time with him.

And they supposed the surprise was helped by the fact that Lovino didn't remember much of the previous night's conversation.

Lovino took one bite of the soup, before grabbing the packet of salt.

"We'll be going now to give you some peace," Romulus said. "Let the nurses call us if something happens."

"Don't worry, we will," the nurse said. "Would you like some more water?"

Lovino glanced towards the pitcher on the bedside table and nodded. He turned to his father.

"By the way, what happened to my phone?" he asked.

"I found it near the bridge," Romulus replied. "It still needs to be charged. I'll bring it when we come back later, alright?"

Lovino nodded his head.

"Grazie," Lovino said. "The others must be disappointed that we couldn't have the party."

"They're definitely angry at those three for putting you here," Feliciano said. "Ve, apparently Miguel got really scary when he heard what happened."

They were going to omit the part where Miguel punched the wall and broke his hand. There was no need for Lovino to feel even guiltier right now.

…

Gilbert was starting to wonder where his father decided to get the ideas for his punishments. Because now, he had to wash the walls outside the house. With a toothbrush. And then he had to cut the grass with a pair of scissors. And then he had to scrub the ceilings, also with a toothbrush.

This was madness!

He scrubbed vigorously when the backdoor opened, and his father stepped out. The last thing he wanted right now was for the elder male to accuse him of slacking off, lest it would cause him to believe Gilbert needed more work.

"I just received a call that might interest you," Wulfric said. "Lovino Vargas woke up."

"So, that means we can stop with this whole house arrest thing?" Gilbert asked hopefully.

Wulfric only narrowed his eyes.

"You are accused of attempted murder," Wulfric said. "Because apparently, sending someone to the hospital from an attempted suicide wasn't enough for you. You just had to destroy his life. Nein, Gilbert. None of this is going away. Ever. As soon as he's well enough, he'll testify in court. And your behaviour until then will help them decide on a place to send you."

"You really think I deserve all of this?!" Gilbert demanded. "I'm your son! You're supposed to be on my side!"

"And believe me, I'm questioning where I went wrong with you! How did I manage to raise such a selfish, arrogant, entitled, irresponsible brat?! I tried treating you as a disobedient child last time. But you learned nothing from being grounded. So now, I'm treating you as a criminal, which is what you are, Gilbert. You didn't just bully that boy, you tried to murder him. And according to your friends, it was premeditated. You planned on killing him, which means you lost all sympathy from me, your brother, the police…"

Gilbert paled when he heard what his father said.

"W-what does Toni and Franny have to do with it?" he asked.

"Both of them confessed to what you did," Wulfric explained. "They can expect more lenient sentences. And unless you decide to cooperate with the police, you shouldn't expect any mercy. I hope the day comes when you realise that you have no one to blame but yourself."

Gilbert watched as his father went back inside the house, his mind reeling. Francis and Antonio confessed? But then…

Gilbert suddenly felt alone. He had hoped that they would stand together. That, perhaps, they could convince everyone that they weren't the monsters that everyone was insisting they were. That they could convince everyone that Lovino deserved to suffer. But now…

Now, Gilbert was on his own. And he realised that he was in a situation where kids his age weren't supposed to be. His freedom depended on Lovino, and he seriously hoped that he took a long time to recover.

…

Lovino groaned when someone shook him awake. He cracked an eye open, seeing Nurse Tino smiling at him.

"It's almost visiting time," Tino said. "You don't want to disappoint your guests, do you?"

"My family won't mind if I'm lying down," Lovino said, wincing as Tino helped him to sit upright.

"It's also lunchtime. I thought I'd bring you something before visiting hours."

Lovino pondered the nurse's words and nodded his head. Truth be told, he didn't feel hungry, but it might have just been the fact that his abdomen still hurt from being stabbed. And apparently his intestines suffered when he was stabbed, so he supposed he couldn't safely rely on his body to tell him whether or not it needed nourishment.

Tino brought in his lunch, and once again, it was soup, but there was also some sort of yogurt as well. He obediently ate the soup, once again adding salt to the dish, and afterwards he found that he had no desire to eat the yogurt. Tino smiled before taking the bowl away, but he kept the yogurt.

"You might be having some antibiotics soon," Tino said. "In case of infection. The yogurt is to help prevent any adverse effects from the antibiotics."

Lovino sighed and nodded. He already knew this.

"I just don't think I can handle it right now," he said.

"I understand," Tino said. "In that case, I'll leave it here, and you can eat it later, alright?"

Lovino nodded, and he watched as the nurse left the room. He sighed, wondering what time it was, and how long it would take before his family members arrived. He could also vaguely remember something else that they said the previous evening, but he had been so out of it that the only information he could really latch onto was that the trio had tried to kill him.

It was still surreal, to be honest. He knew they hated him, but he didn't expect them to hunt him down in order to kill him. This… this was too unreal.

And now he couldn't help but wonder what would happen the next time that he saw them.

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar head poking in the doorway. He gave a small smile when he realised that it was Feliks. The Pole walked into the hospital room with his hands behind his back.

"Hey," Feliks greeted. "Like, how are you feeling?"

"Like crap," Lovino sighed. "Could you at least make other plans for the party?"

"Totally. But, like, you're crazy if you think we did it without you."

Lovino only had time to be confused for half a second, but then five other teenagers filed into the hospital room. Vlad grinned at him.

"You had us worried," he said. "So, are you feeling better now that we're here?"

Lovino snorted, but he still smiled. The smile turned into a look of confusion when a wrapped gift was placed in his lap.

"It's a combination 'happy holidays' and 'get well soon'," Vlad explained.

"I… I couldn't get you guys anything," Lovino said.

That was when he was attacked. He was on his way to buy them something, and then they…

He jumped when someone gently took his hand. He realised that he had been trembling. Miguel smiled at him.

"It's okay," he said gently. "They won't be able to hurt you now. You're safe. You have nothing to be afraid of."

He'd been most worried about seeing Miguel again. During the attack, his mind kept flashing between Miguel and Antonio, and he hated himself for it. He was also worried that in a single moment of distraction he would see Miguel as Antonio, and he was afraid that he would freak out and hurt his friend in the process. Miguel must have anticipated this, since he wore his hair down again, and even went so far as to put on a hat. Less resemblance now.

Lovino looked back down at their clasped hands and noticed something.

"Um, what happened to your hand?" he asked.

Miguel quickly tried to hide the aforementioned appendage, but it was too late. Lovino already saw the cast.

"Miguel pretended that the wall was his cousin's face," Gupta explained.

Miguel winced at the explanation.

"Not my proudest moment," he admitted. "And my parents already chewed me out about it."

Lovino could only wince in sympathy at the amount of pain Miguel must have been in. Heracles also brought his gift closer.

"You shouldn't worry about not getting us anything," Heracles assured him. "To be honest, just having you awake is enough of a gift."

"And being able to spend the time with you," Gupta added.

Lovino looked between his friends. Honestly, he still couldn't believe that he was so lucky. He just wished he could go back to his past self to tell him that he wouldn't always be alone. Because this… This was better than he could have ever hoped for.