Due to Dave's injuries he had to stay admitted into the hospital for a seven day span to be monitored to make sure that he would not be subjected to forming any type of infection, and to ensure that he had an ample amount of recovery time to heal enough to make coping with his injuries less stressful on him and his family upon his return back home. Klaus made sure that he was by his side as often as he possibly could be. Every single day, often even multiple times a day, Klaus went back and forth from home to the hospital to ensure that Dave would never have to be alone. Not that he ever would be, of course. Dave's family were constantly visiting Dave, too. Klaus knew that, but he still couldn't help but to feel the need to be by his fiancé's side as frequently as the hospital would permit him to be.
Sometimes one of Dave's sisters would offer to swing by the house to pick Klaus up on their way to go visit Dave, and sometimes he would accept their offer, but more often than not he would humbly decline. Klaus didn't like to bring Riley to the hospital anymore in fear of her picking up an illness. He knew how medical facilities were just one giant cesspool and didn't want to risk exposing his little princess to any unwanted ailments. Especially not now; Dave was going to need all of the help that he could get. Tending to his sick daughter on top of his already wounded boyfriend was not exactly how Klaus ideally intended to spend his next few weeks time. He would much rather focus on just one obstacle at a time, god willing. Diego, thankfully, was more than willing to babysit Riley for Klaus so that he could fully focus his attention on Dave while ensuring his daughter stayed safe at home and as far away from all of the germs as humanly possible. Of course, Diego always offered to drop Klaus off to visit Dave, but Klaus honestly just wanted this time to be alone so that he could 'clear his mind and think'. At least, that was what he told Diego and Dave's siblings.
The truth of the matter was that the forty minute walk to and from the hospital was the perfect amount of time for Klaus to allow himself the time and space he needed to freely vent and really cleanse his pallet from all of his anxieties and constant stress that he had been harboring since the moment he learned that Dave had been shot. He could cry, and have a mini panic attack and get it all out of his system, and even still allow himself a little added time to try to calm down and compose himself enough so that Dave nor Diego were any wiser to his little mental breakdowns. Even though Klaus knew that while yes, Dave was indeed injured, and he had been incredibly lucky and continued to remind Klaus daily that he was okay, he couldn't help but still feel absolutely heartbroken and driven nearly ill with grief. Klaus still struggled to wrap his head around the fact that Dave—his boyfriend, no, his fiancé had been struck down in the line of duty and could have died. He could have lost him; his savior, his strength, his love. Riley could have lost her second daddy, and Dave could have lost his life. Klaus's heart ached anytime he thought about that terrifying reality.
Klaus had been so hyper focused on Dave and making sure that he was alright and tended to whenever he was at the hospital, and so intent on making sure that Riley was happy, and knew that her daddy hadn't forgotten about his precious little princess since he was spending so much time away from her - not to mention he was spending so much time going to and from the hospital, that unfortunately little things were beginning to slip his mind. They were simple things, and he honestly hadn't even realized he was doing it, it was just so unbelievably easy to fall back into old habits when your focus was constantly being pulled in a million different directions and none of them led to your own needs. Klaus was so busy tending to everyone else other than himself that he didn't even notice when he started forgetting to eat a meal or two throughout the day, or forgot to make sure that he was drinking enough water to ensure that he was staying hydrated. Sometimes, he would figure it out, and realize his error by the end of the night right before he would attempt to go to bed. If he did he would at least quickly down a glass of water, maybe a bite or two to eat if he could stomach it. Truthfully, though, Klaus was always so unbearably exhausted by the end of each day that he didn't always catch his mistake. Not to mention, despite allowing himself to have his mini 'episodes' during his many excursions throughout the day to vent, Klaus still felt absolutely sick with heartache.
Klaus hated to admit it, but he had honest to god never felt more run down or exhausted in his entire life; which was really saying something considering he'd literally spent the entire past year of his life buried under a heavy weighted blanket of chronic fatigue. If he thought that sleeping without Dave being around when he knew that he was safe and uninjured was hard, well, trying to sleep while knowing his fiancé was laid up in a hospital bed after he was nearly killed was literal hell. Klaus couldn't remember what it felt like to not feel dizzy or lightheaded anymore. Worse than that, though, Klaus's chest pain had been acting up a lot more recently. He attributed it, of course, to his constant onslaught of crippling anxiety and overwhelming fatigue, but dammit, Klaus's heart hurt.
Sometimes he wouldn't really notice his discomfort; well, not that he didn't notice it, he absolutely did, it's just that when there was such a multitude of distractions going on all around him, it was so simple to easily shrug something like a little chest pain off as nothing at all. Other times he could be doing a simple mundane task, such as folding laundry, or reaching for something in the pantry and his heart would suddenly spasm painfully. Usually when that happened the pain would steal Klaus's breath away. He hated it, but he just kept reminding himself how his doctors assured him that it was likely nothing that he should concern himself over, and he certainly wasn't surprised that of all times, now his sudden chest issues would start really becoming something that was a rather bothersome problem. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense: Dave was hurt, he almost died. Klaus was still constantly consumed by his stress and fear over the situation that occurred with his love. Not to mention on top of all of that, Klaus was still struggling with his recurring nightmares. So, it was no wonder he was suffering from seemingly sudden chest pains. Who in their right mind wouldn't be?
At least that's what Klaus kept telling himself…
Klaus's eyelashes fluttered and opened revealing tired emerald green irises. His gaze stared vacantly up towards his ceiling for quite some time as he allowed himself to slowly begin to take in his surroundings and gather his senses. The soft sound of rain water pattering against the shingles as it collected into tiny pools on the roof before flowing into the gutters and flooding the yard outside filled his ears and only helped remind him that he simply wasn't ready to wake up just yet. Klaus closed his eyes and took in a long deep breath before he exhaled the contents of his lungs. The action morphed into his chest clenching, and a deep uncomfortable dry cough forced itself past his lips. Klaus cleared his throat while he massaged his fingertips against his chest to soothe the odd fluttering sensation that he'd been feeling all night long. He groaned while he continued to convince himself that he needed to get up, he had so many tasks that he needed to complete today before Dave would return back home to him tomorrow.
Klaus hated to admit it, as he never liked to give into his own weaknesses, but he just wasn't feeling very well at all. He didn't get much sleep at all last night, which wasn't unusual for him, but he just felt so much more tired than usual today. His body felt heavy, and his motions felt listless and weak, and within the last few days he'd managed to develop a cough that always seemed to plague him while he would be laying down trying to sleep. Not that he ever actually was lucky enough to succumb to the bliss of sleep, anyways. He coughed again before he allowed his tense muscles to relax and melt against his mattress once more. Klaus was out of breath, and his heart was pounding so hard in his chest, beating against his rib cage as though it was trying to break itself free. Klaus felt like he'd just ran a marathon; he was drenched in sweat and was struggling so hard to catch his breath as his lungs heaved for more oxygen, and his limbs were trembling from fatigue. Klaus was so thankful he hadn't been bringing Riley to the hospital with him; clearly he was beginning to come down with something, he didn't want his little princess to get sick, too.
Klaus was so exhausted, in retrospect he was aware that forcing himself to make multiple trips back and forth to and from the hospital several times a day could potentially leave him feeling a bit run down, but even he had to admit that he felt downright terrible. Of course, Klaus thought, leave it to him to get sick when his fiancé and daughter truly needed him the most. He felt like complete, total and utter shit. Klaus wanted nothing more than to try to close his eyes and just go back to bed. Or, really finally go to bed and try to get some sleep. He'd barely allowed himself a moment of peace in the past six days since Dave was wounded; if he wasn't busy tending to Dave, or Riley he was taking care of attempting to keep the house in proper working order in preparation for Dave's return back home. The last two days his chores had been put on the wayside while he went out of his way to spend extra time with Dave, knowing that today he wouldn't get the opportunity to visit his love at all. The weather was predicted to be bad today; heavy thunderstorms and rain and lightning were on the forecast for the area, not exactly something Klaus wanted to walk around the town in. Diego had to work today and wouldn't be able to watch Riley for him, and Dave's family all had previous engagements and weren't going to be able to visit Dave today either. Klaus felt terrible knowing that Dave would need to spend his last day in the hospital alone, but he was at least grateful for one thing: Dave was finally coming home tomorrow, and Klaus could not be any more happy or excited for his love's return.
Using what felt like an unattainable amount of energy, a strength that he just didn't quite possess, Klaus positioned himself so that he was laying on his side on his bed before he slowly swung his legs over the edge of the mattress to sit upright. His limbs were shaking from fatigue and the room instantly tilted before it began to spin around him - he was just so dizzy. Klaus closed his eyes and tried to slow down his breathing, he didn't know why, but he was so out of breath today. Riley was standing up in her crib watching her daddy with a smile as bright as the sun, and beautiful blue eager eyes as she patiently waited for him to greet her. When Klaus was finally confident enough that he was okay and felt grounded enough to actually stand, he opened his own eyes and with a slow precision he leveraged himself onto his unsteady feet. Klaus's tired green eyes finally met his daughter's brilliant blues and, tired or not, he couldn't help but to smile. Riley always had that way about her; no matter how sad, or tired, or downright sick Klaus could be feeling, he always knew he could count on Riley to brighten even his darkest of days.
"Good morning, princess, did you sleep well?" he greeted softly as he scooped his little angel into his loving arms. Riley smiled and wrapped her limbs around her daddy, pressing her lips to his and gave him a big good morning smooch. Klaus's smile only broadened as he marveled at his beautiful baby girl. Giving hugs and kisses was Riley's new favorite thing to do, and honestly, they were Klaus's favorite gift he could ever receive. He hugged her close against his chest and nuzzled his own lips against her rampant curls and just held her, simply relishing in the feeling of her in his arms again after what felt like far too long. He felt terrible, really, guilty for not spending every waking moment he could offer to his daughter with her, but he knew that if Riley was a little older and could fully grasp what happened to her daddy Davey, she would understand why her daddy hadn't been around doting on her hand and foot like he normally always would be. He kissed her again, and again, and again on her forehead, each cheek, each eyelid. He kissed her chin, her lips, her nose, and Riley's perfectly dimpled features lit up with joy as she squealed with laughter and love for her daddy's affection. Klaus smiled fondly at his little girl before tucking her curls behind her ear. She missed him, and god, did he miss her. "How does some juice and your favorite breakfast sound, huh sweetie? I bet that you must be so hungry! Let's go and eat and then you can play while daddy cleans, okay? What's that, sweetie? Oh, you think that sounds fun? Perfect, daddy's so happy to hear that!"
Riley's loud giggling filled the air as she ran around the living room, bouncing from one toy to another while she easily kept herself entertained, allowing Klaus the time he needed to clean up after her breakfast and finally get to work on the pile of dishes he'd been putting off for the past two days. The water had long since filled the basin in the sink, and the sound of bubbles of dish detergent were fizzing and popping as he scrubbed each individual dish in the 'dirty water' before rinsing them clean and laying them out on the dish rack to dry. Typically this was one of Klaus's easiest tasks to complete; dunking a dish in water and spreading around some soap with a sponge before rinsing wasn't exactly hard manual labor, but for some reason Klaus was really having a hard time focusing on it today. He kept needing to stop what he was doing. Klaus was so dizzy, the spinning sensation he noticed after sitting up in bed that morning had never gone away, and truthfully, if anything, it only seemed to be getting worse. He had his eyes closed and his palms resting on the countertop while he allowed himself to just take a break for a moment to focus on his breathing. His chest felt more…odd today, compared to usual, as well.
Klaus had been getting a strange fluttering sensation in his chest on and off for quite sometime now, but he had already grown quite accustomed to that feeling and accepted it as his new 'norm', but all day long today Klaus had been experiencing an all new discomfort, one that he had never felt before. It almost felt as though his heart would suddenly stop beating - only for a quick moment - before it would pick right back up once again. Every time it did this, however, it was as though it was trying to catch back up to the beats where it had last left off. It would hesitate, then race, then hesitate again. Each time this sensation occurred Klaus's energy would deplete and leave him feeling rather faint. He did not like this new feeling, it was uncomfortable, a little painful, and if he was entirely honest with himself, it was really scary to him. Klaus inhaled a sharp gust of breath when that terrifying sensation happened again. He clutched his hand to his chest and groaned when his heart continued to spasm painfully for an extended period of time. His hand that was still resting against the counter trembled beneath his weight as it struggled to hold him upright. Klaus groaned again when he felt the blood rush out of his face and his stomach drop; he was beginning to feel light headed.
"Just breathe Klaus - It'll pass, you're - you're okay," Klaus reminded himself shakily through his painful unsteady breathing. He knew that he would be alright, he had to be. Thank god Dave would be home tomorrow, he didn't know how much longer he could continue on feeling this way. Surely, having Dave home would help rid him of his anxiety and cure him of all of this pain. Klaus was so ready to just curl up in bed with his love and have him chase all of his fears away.
Klaus's chest pain finally began to diminish and he was just about to take this opportunity to catch his breath when the phone began to ring. He opened his eyes and found himself to still be incredibly dizzy, but he knew that he needed to answer the phone. What if that was Dave calling? Using the counter to keep himself steady, Klaus slowly made his way to the phone. Even he couldn't believe how slow he was moving today, his entire body just felt so heavy, and he was so tired. With shaky hands he took the phone off of its hook and held it up to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Klaus! Hey, man, how are you doing?" Ben excitedly trilled on the other end of the line, "Are you excited? Tomorrow's the big day, Dave's finally coming home!"
"I know," Klaus paused to take another breath. He closed his eyes when he felt a sudden wave of lethargy wash over him again and pressed his palm against the wall. "Thank god. I just - I just miss him so much, Benny," he whispered tiredly.
"Aw, I bet. But hey, he's okay and he will be home before you know it. I'm sure you two will spend the entire night tomorrow wrapped up like two little love birds within each other's arms." Ben giggled softly into the phone line, Klaus could almost hear the smile in his brother's tone. "Just, don't squeeze him too hard, alright! After all, he is still recovering."
"I'll treat him like a delicate flower. It's going to be weird, though. Like a role reversal. I'm just so used to him taking care of me," Klaus stated quietly, he was just so tired. He shifted his weight so that he was leaning against the wall, "It's going to be nice to do something for him for a change. I just wish that he wasn't hurt."
"I know, buddy, but hey, I heard he's already making amazing progress, and they're expecting he shouldn't have any limited motion once he's healed. That's great news, he got so lucky."
"Thank God. Poor Dave, it kills me to see him like that, it makes me physically sick," Klaus paused to close his eyes again when his heart fluttered, he needed to focus on catching his breath. "He - he shouldn't be in the hospital at all. He should be home - here with me, and Riley, where he…woah—" Suddenly Klaus just felt so much more tired than before. He leaned all of his weight heavily against the wall when he felt his energy begin to drain and fade away. Klaus groaned again when his heart fluttered painfully in his chest. Ben couldn't see his brother, but he could tell ever since the moment he'd picked up the phone that something seemed a little off with Klaus. Now though, he worried that there could be something wrong.
"Klaus, are you okay?"
"Yeah - M'fine, just...tired and worried." Klaus stated softly as his eyes fluttered. He groaned, sucking in a quick gasp when his heart cramped up once again.
"Klaus man, you don't sound fine. Are you feeling okay? Be honest with me. Did you sleep at all last night?"
Klaus was really starting to not feel fine. His chest felt tight and he kept getting strange cramping sensations and pain. As more time passed he found himself to feel more and more dizzy. Klaus's body began to tremble and his energy continued to diminish. He was so winded that he was struggling to catch his breath; Klaus didn't know how else to explain the way that he was feeling, but he just felt so wrong.
"No - no, not really. Just - I've just been feeling really stressed out lately, Ben," Klaus tried to put a bandaid on the situation, but he needed to get off of the phone. He was really starting to feel light headed. He needed to take it easy, get off of his feet, allow himself a proper break. "I'm fine, really—"
"Klaus, you need to sleep—"
"I know, you're right - you're right," Klaus's heart clenched again, harder than before and it stole his breath away. He needed to get off of this phone, right now. "I think - I think I need to go and lay down - take a nap for a little while. I'll call you later, Benny."
"Okay, I think that sounds like a good idea, you sound exhausted. But, Klaus, are you sure that you're okay—"
Klaus fumbled with the phone as he quickly replaced it back onto its hook. He felt bad for cutting his conversation with his brother so short, but he couldn't keep up this charade any longer. The room was really spinning now, Klaus hadn't thought he'd ever felt more dizzy in his entire life. He pressed his palms flush against the wall and rested his forehead against his arms while he tried desperately to catch his breath. He stood there for quite some time just allowing himself to try to relax and breathe and thankfully, after a good few minutes, he was finally beginning to feel a little bit better. Slowly, Klaus straightened his posture and peeled his face away from his arms. He opened and closed his eyes to try to clear the blurry haze that was obscuring his vision. Sucking in another deep breath, he finally felt that he was well enough to move out of his cemented spot against the wall in the kitchen. Klaus's eyes wandered into the living room and fell upon his daughter. Riley was sitting on the floor holding her favorite elephant stuffed animal that Dave bought many months ago while she watched her daddy with curious blue eyes. Klaus smiled weakly at his little princess before he pushed himself off of the wall and started walking towards her. He smiled at her when he scooped her up into his adoring arms and hugged her close against his chest. Klaus closed his eyes when he felt a little dizzy again, but he was thankful when the feeling faded away rather quickly. Even still, Klaus couldn't deny how exhausted he felt. He thought that perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea after all if he were to try to lay down and sleep for a couple more hours and see if it would help him feel at least a little bit better. He only hoped that it would, anyways.
"What do you say we go lay down for a little while, huh sweetie?" he cooed to Riley while he gently stroked his fingers over her back, "I don't know about you, but daddy could really use a nap."
Slowly, Klaus carried Riley into their bedroom and set her down in her crib. She wasn't tired, though. She stood up, her tiny hands holding onto her daddy's hand while he attempted to soothe her enough so that she would lay down. Suddenly Klaus's heart did that uncomfortable stutter again and he felt his world fade briefly while his vision began to blur. His strength quickly diminished, leaving him feeling incredibly weak and Klaus had to grip onto Riley's crib to prevent himself from falling over. Klaus leaned against the railing of Riley's crib, pressing his full weight against it while he tried to catch his breath when his features screwed up in discomfort.
God, he did not feel well at all…
"Dada?" Riley's tiny hands found Klaus's cheeks and she held onto him. She stared at her daddy with wide eyes and a worried expression when a pained groan pushed itself past Klaus's lips. He opened his eyes and looked at his beautiful baby girl before taking her delicate hands into his own.
"I'm sorry, princess, don't worry, I'm okay, I just—" Klaus doubled over himself when his chest pain intensified. He pressed one of his hands against his heart when that painful stutter made itself undeniably known. Klaus gasped out when he was consumed by his pain and his ever expanding fear.
This wasn't right…
Something was wrong, he could feel it…
He remembered that his doctor had told him that if his chest pain seemed to get any worse that he should come in immediately and get this issue checked out. Well, he felt that it was safe to say that there was absolutely no denying that it had definitely gotten much, much worse. Klaus knew that he needed to call his doctor, or Diego, someone. He groaned again when his dizziness returned following another painful palpitation in his chest. He needed to call for help, he was terrified that something had to be seriously wrong. He shouldn't be feeling this way. "Daddy just really isn't feeling very well today, princess - I'm - I'm sorry, I'll be right back, I need to make a quick call—" with shaky hands, Klaus cupped Riley's precious face into his palms and kissed her forehead. He smiled reassuringly to his baby girl in hopes of putting her clearly distraught mind at ease before his chest clenched causing him to groan again. He pulled away from his daughter, squeezing her hand once more before he hurriedly staggered out of the bedroom and out into the hallway.
Klaus was so dizzy, and in so much pain. He just felt so weak, he had never felt like this before, there was no denying this any longer, Klaus knew that he desperately needed help. He stumbled on unsteady legs through the hall; he was struggling to hold himself upright, his hands were firmly pressed against the walls while he took each painstaking step forward closer to the kitchen where he knew that the phone would be. Klaus's heart spasmed painfully again causing him to pause in his tracks. He gasped as his hand found his heart and pressed against it, hoping and praying for some kind of relief.
God, this was so painful…
Why was this happening…
What was wrong with him…
Klaus's breathing became erratic, he found that he was really struggling to gasp for each breath now. Everything around him was suddenly so hazy, and black spots were beginning to dot his field of vision. His pain only seemed to intensify when the world around him began to distort and morph before his blurred unsteady eyes. Klaus's ears perked when he heard the sound of a key being slid into the front door. 'Thank god', he thought, 'Diego must be home, I'm going to be okay'.
"Help me...Di, p-please—" he weakly attempted to speak but the words tumbled from his tongue, his speech was broken and silent, surely none of those words would ever reach his siblings ears. Klaus's heart cramped again, the pain was so unbearably intense and it stole his breath away. Klaus groaned and his eyes fluttered, he tried desperately to focus his vision, he needed to pull himself together, he needed to ask his brother for help. He reached for the wall when he felt his knees beginning to tremble before they buckled out from beneath him. His hand slipped from where it gripped the corner of the entryway into the living room, his legs crumpled and failed him and Klaus's awareness collapsed around him right along with them when his world faded and he was greeted into the vast abyss of darkness.
—-
Diego pulled into the driveway at Ben's house and shifted the car into park. He turned off his windshield wipers before he adjusted his rear view mirror and smiled when his eyes landed on the empty baby seat that now took up a permanent residence within his back seat. Diego still couldn't believe how much his life had changed in such a short span of time. He went from truly being a lonely person, only having his girlfriend Eudora and his best friend Dave for any real company. Diego may put up the front that he has a tough brooding exterior, but he'd always been a big softie at heart, especially when it came to his brother Klaus. He would be lying to himself if he claimed that every day that passed him by and his brother wasn't in his life hadn't sent him into a mini bout of depression. The moment Dave revealed the truth about their hidden relationship and Diego was able to finally let go of the anger and hostility he'd been holding onto in his heart for so long and accept his brother back into his life had been one of his happiest moments. The first time he laid his eyes on Klaus after their last Rendezvous ending with him yelling at his sibling after he'd nearly died and telling him he never wanted to see him again, Diego was so proud and happy to see just how far his brother had actually come. It pained him to realize that while on the outside his brother appeared to be healthy and amazing, his abilities continued to still plague him and left him with an immense, downright crippling amount of fatigue. He was so happy that at least now, he knew that Klaus wouldn't have to suffer from the burden of his abilities alone ever again. He had his beautiful daughter, whom Diego could not love any more if he tried. He had him, and Ben, and more than anything, Klaus had Dave.
"He is going to be so surprised," Diego began when he peered to the passenger in his car. "We told him you wouldn't be home until tomorrow."
"Thank god I'm finally home, I missed Klaus and Riley so much," Dave beamed as he smiled proudly. He adjusted his sling on his arm and removed his seatbelt, resting his fingers against the car doors latch. "I'm ready to go home to the loves of my life."
Diego smiled fondly at Dave before he exited the vehicle, popping open his umbrella and made his way around to the other side to offer Dave his help. Dave's lips tugged into a smile when he accepted Diego's offer. Dave felt great; his surgery to repair the damage to his shoulder was already showing signs of healing properly, and the bruise on his chest from where the bullet slammed into his Kevlar vest was barely a distant memory now. His stitches on his abdomen where the third bullet grazed him had been removed that morning, and honestly, Dave was just overall feeling pretty damn good for a man who just a mere six days ago thought for sure that he was going to die and have to say goodbye to the two most important people he had in his life: Klaus and Riley.
Dave's smile only widened when he remembered that this was it, he was home, he could finally pull both of his loves into his arms and hold them, and kiss them, and shower them with his affection. Due to his injuries, Dave was now going to be on leave from work for the next couple of months, or until he was cleared to return to full duty. Which just meant he had an unlimited amount of time that he could finally spend with his family. Dave could not be any more happy.
The two men huddled under Diego's umbrella while heavy droplets of rain pelted the canvas canopy as they approached the front door. Diego's phone started to vibrate and he pulled it out of his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID and realized it was Ben who was calling, probably just wondering if he was on his way back to the house with Dave yet, since Ben was in on his surprise early release. Diego pocketed his phone and decided that he would just have to call his brother back in a few minutes to let him know that the mission was a success. Diego sifted through the keys on his keychain to find the proper one before he slid it into the deadbolt. The two exchanged a grin when a sudden peculiar sound from inside the house caught their attention.
"Did you hear that?" Dave asked, his eyebrows furrowed when his eyes met Diego's. He swore he heard a muffled cry. Was Riley crying?
"Hear what—" Diego's words cut off when the distinct sound of a loud thud, like something falling against the floors followed by the shrill sound of Riley's distressed wailing filled their ears. "Shit, Riley!"
Panicked, Diego quickly unlocked the latch and threw open the door. Diego and Dave both hurriedly darted through the front entryway fully expecting to find that Riley had fallen against the floor, but both of their hearts sank and their eyes widened in fear when it was not Riley that they found. Klaus was sprawled out in an unnatural position on his side; he had clearly collapsed while attempting to get to the living room since he was partially laid between that space and the bedroom hallway. He was absurdly pale and his breathing was frighteningly shallow. Dave was at his side in an instant. Ignoring his own discomfort, he knelt beside his love and he attempted to scoop him onto his lap, but dammit he couldn't because of his wounded arm.
"Klaus? Klaus—" he tapped his cheek and was alarmed at the heat radiating off of his fiancés skin. "Shit, baby, wake up! Wake up, please!"
Diego ran to his side and gently nudged Dave out of his way, "Move, let me see him." He pulled Klaus's limp figure into his arms. Instantly Diego's heart was pounding. Not again, he thought. He'd just gotten his brother back, he couldn't lose him again, not now, not when they had come so far as a family. His features contorted into agonizing fear as the memories of the last time he'd found his brother in such a way flashed back into the forefront of his memories. He almost lost him once, he refused to lose him now, he promised himself this would never happen again. He needed to fix this, he needed to save his brother, for their family, and for Riley. "Quick, go get Riley, we need to take him to the hospital—come on Dave, focus, we need to take him right now!" Dave didn't hesitate, he ran to the bedroom and quickly gathered an inconsolable crying Riley into his arms before the little family ran outside, foregoing any umbrellas, there simply wasn't any time, and poured into Diego's vehicle to rush Klaus to the hospital.
"I don't even—I can't believe...do you think this could be another overdose?" Diego questioned quickly through clenched teeth, he didn't believe it could be, but he just had to make sure.
"What," Dave questioned, tears already spilling over his terrified cheeks. "No, not even the slightest chance in hell! Klaus wouldn't even let us keep Tylenol in the house, there's no way. He wouldn't, he promised Riley. He promised her that he would never leave her, that he'd stay clean, he promised her that the moment he first held her and he'd kept his word. This is something else, I know him, he wouldn't—"
"I believe you, Dave," Diego started. He quickly glanced into the back seat, taking in the horrifying picture: Riley was in her car seat with hot tears staining her perfectly angelic cheeks, she was reaching for her daddy and calling for him. Clearly, she was worried for him, too. Dave was clutching an unnaturally sickly looking and still Klaus against him. Diego did believe Dave's words; he just worried that surely this only meant that this must be something so much worse than an overdose, then. Diego couldn't believe how quickly their lives could change. Moments ago they were excited to surprise Klaus with Dave's early arrival back home, now his brother appeared to be knocking on death's door, this wasn't right. They were all supposed to be happy, and celebrating them all coming back together again, not bringing him to the hospital and once again being torn apart. Diego hastily wiped at his tears before his brown eyes met Dave's petrified blues, "I believe you, Dave and I believe Klaus, too. I know that he would never do anything to hurt his daughter, I just hope he's okay. God, please let him be okay!"
—-
Klaus's eyes pinched tightly closed before they eventually fluttered open. He winced at the bright fluorescent lighting that instantly attacked his retinas, but with time he was slowly able to focus his vision. He quickly came to realize that he was lying in a hospital bed; he had an IV attached to his arm, all kinds of different wires were hooked to his chest that were leading to multiple different machines displaying all kinds of information - not that Klaus had any idea on how to decipher what any of it meant. He had a nasal cannula in his nostrils forcing oxygen into his lungs. Klaus felt so tired, he just wanted to close his eyes and go back to sleep—but wait, what happened, how did he even get here?
"Riley—" he called weakly as he attempted to sit up, but a gentle hand eased him back down against the uncomfortable hospital bed. "Where—where is Riley, how did I—" he whispered through his labored breaths.
"Shh, darlin calm down, you're in the hospital," Dave began while he carded his fingers through Klaus's curls in an attempt to try and soothe him. "Riley is okay, she's with Diego, they're out in the lobby."
Klaus swallowed the saliva in his mouth and closed his eyes while he tried to focus on his breathing. Dave's features contorted into a worried expression before he pulled Klaus's hand into his own.
"I didn't think I'd be coming back to the hospital so soon, baby." Dave admitted sadly. Klaus's eyes barely opened into weary slits. He felt so drained, and so unbelievably exhausted.
"What happened?" Klaus questioned weakly. Dave's lips twitched into a brief smile before morphing back into his worried frown.
"You collapsed, darlin. Diego and I went to the house to surprise you—but as it turns out, it was you who ended up surprising us."
"M'sorry—"
"Shh, it's okay, you're going to be okay. They, uh, they ran a bunch of tests on you. You were really dehydrated, darlin, when was the last time that you had anything to drink, or eat for that matter, you look like you've lost some weight." Dave brushed his fingertips across Klaus's hollowed cheekbone, he looked so unwell. He hated seeing him this way. He knew that something like this would happen when he learned that Klaus had refused to accept anyone's help and was walking back and forth to the hospital, sometimes multiple times a day to come and visit him. Dave was so worried, especially after seeing how exhausted and worn thin Klaus appeared yesterday when he last saw his love. Dave told Klaus to go home yesterday and asked him to please, just stay home today to catch up on his rest. Dave even warned him that the weather was supposed to be poor, and no one else would be able to come and visit him today. He wanted Klaus to realize that he shouldn't be out in that, and that he should take it easy. Dave wanted Klaus to get plenty of rest, but not like this.
"What's wrong with me?" Klaus asked tiredly, were all of his symptoms caused from that? Just him forgetting to eat and drink? Dave's grip on Klaus's hand tightened when his watery ocean blues met Klaus's weary emerald greens.
"Your heartbeat was irregular when we got here, the doctors said that it was abnormal. They asked me if it's usually like that...I told them no, not that I'm aware of. They thought it would be best to run a few tests, make sure that you're okay. We're just waiting to hear back on the results. Baby, how long have you been feeling like this? I was so worried, so scared when I saw you, I just...I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you."
"I'm sorry, Dave," Klaus gripped his fiancé's hand tighter before he peered into his eyes. "It's something new. Don't be mad at me, please.. I've been...I noticed a little flutter in my chest right before Ben went back to school."
"Klaus, why didn't you say anything—"
"It's not a big deal—"
"Darlin—"
"Baby, it's not. I called my primary care physician as soon as I noticed the symptoms, they said it was likely caused from my chronic fatigue. They said that it was normal, and that I should just keep an eye on it. They said if it got worse to get it checked out then, but," he paused to catch his breath. "But of course it got worse, baby. I just figured it was my anxiety. I was so scared, so worried for you, I figured it was no wonder my chest hurt—I was heartbroken."
"Klaus, if it got worse you should have called the doctor. You passed out, you were running a fever, who knows what this is. What if it's something serious, you could have—"
"I'm fine. I just...I just overdid it a little. I'm okay, now. I was on my way to the phone to call Diego or my doctor when this happened. I promise I wasn't neglecting it, I just didn't have the time—"
"Klaus, you need to always make time for your health, too," Dave began. He ran his palm down his own exasperated face before intertwining his fingers within his fiancés once more. "You can't keep falling back into these habits, baby. And you need to always be honest with me. You should have told me the second you started experiencing these symptoms, I could have helped you through this. And you shouldn't keep pushing yourself like this, especially when you knew you were feeling that way. You—you were walking back and forth to see me when you knew that you weren't feeling well? Klaus, you can't—you can't do that, darlin. What if this happened and you were outside all alone, what if we wouldn't have found you? You might be really sick, this isn't normal, I can't—"
"I know.. I know, baby, I'm sorry. It was careless of me. I just...I just figured if my doctor wasn't concerned, then why should I be? Why should I worry you over nothing when you were already dealing with your own problems? But, I'm okay now, it's getting checked out. When—when will we know what it was?"
"They ran some blood tests, and they took you to run some other tests, too. They didn't give me any details, but when they brought you back they said that they just needed to wait for the results, and that they would be back shortly to let us know as soon as they could."
Klaus nodded his head before he allowed himself to relax against the bed. He still felt so drained, but he was relieved to know that soon he would learn what was causing him all of his chest pains. He exhaled a sigh and closed his eyes. "I was so scared, Dave. So scared." he admitted solemnly, his voice was shaking with his own fear.
"I'm just sorry I wasn't there for you. I couldn't even begin to imagine how scary that must have been for you, darlin. When we found you like that—" Dave cupped Klaus's cheek in his palm earning him to open his eyes into sorrow filled slits. "I was so scared, baby."
"I'm so sorry."
"Please, don't apologize. I'm just so happy that you're okay." Dave leaned forward and pressed his lips against Klaus's temple. Klaus closed his eyes and just absorbed the sensation of Dave's lips against his skin.
"I'm so tired, baby," Klaus said weakly, he was just still feeling so unbelievably drained.
"Why don't you try to rest, yeah? I'll wake you up when they come back with your test results." Klaus nodded at Dave's words. Sleep sounded perfect right now to him. Klaus clutched Dave's hand firmly within his own while he quickly allowed himself to succumb to sleep.
—-
Dave let Klaus continue to rest and stayed by his side while they waited for the doctor to reveal the results of Klaus's testing. He was so agonizingly worried; why was this the first he'd heard that Klaus was suffering from chest pains, why hadn't he just told him the truth? Dave was mad that everything bad always seemed to have to happen all at once. First he got shot, and now this? What if whatever it was that is plaguing Klaus was dangerous? And why the hell had Klaus's doctors deemed these issues to be unimportant? Chest pain is not normal, that sounded pretty important to address to Dave, so why had a trusted medical professional found this issue to be no cause for concern? Why was it that his love's health always seemed to be so unimportant to everyone else except for him? A soft knock at the door and the sound of it softly swinging open alerted Dave that the results must be in.
"Klaus, baby, wake up," Dave gently ran his palm up and down Klaus's arm before squeezing his hand. Klaus groaned before his eyes slowly parted open. A female doctor smiled warmly at the two men before pulling a stool over and taking a seat at the foot of Klaus's bed.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Kessler, are you feeling any better ?" her voice was kind, and patient.
"Mm, a little. Still tired, though," he began, his voice was soft and groggy. Klaus squeezed Dave's hand and their concerned eyes met before Klaus turned his full attention back to the doctor. "What's wrong with me? Why has my chest been feeling this way?" The doctor smiled softly before she flipped through the pages in his chart that held his results.
"I'm happy to hear that you're feeling a little bit better, however, that being said, I'm not surprised that you're still feeling tired yet. You've certainly had a rough day, haven't you? Mr. Hargreeves, can you tell me a detailed description of all of your symptoms you've been displaying to the best of your recollection, and how long would you say that you've been experiencing them for?" Klaus hummed as he wracked his thoughts to find an answer.
"I noticed my heart started having a weird fluttering sensation about, I don't know exactly, maybe two weeks ago? I called my doctor and they said it was probably fine. I've been suffering from chronic fatigue for about a year now, they sounded confident that it was related to that. Just said that if it got worse to get it checked out; then," he began before looking to Dave with sad eyes. "It did get worse—a lot worse, but I just figured it was from all of my stress. When Dave got shot, I just…of course it got worse, you know? Why wouldn't it? But then today...today it just hurt so badly—"
"What did it feel like today? Can you describe the feeling?" she asked as she jotted more notes down into his chart.
"It felt like my heart would just stop. Like it would stutter, then start back up. Then it would be racing. It didn't happen often, but it happened a few times, and every time it made me feel a little faint."
"Have you been experiencing any dizziness, lightheadedness, coughing, or wheezing, or feelings of breathlessness? And was this the first time that you've lost consciousness unexpectedly, or passed out?"
"This was my first time passing out, yeah, but I've come close before, a few weeks ago on my daughter's birthday. I developed a cough whenever I'm laying down two or three days ago. I'm constantly dizzy, my doctor said it was because of my chronic fatigue and my inability to sleep on most nights. Sometimes I feel a little breathless—why? What do I have? I thought you had the results?"
"I do. I just wanted to make sure I had as many details sorted out as much as possible first," she adjusted the clipboard on her lap and flipped through the pages before addressing the two men once more. "Klaus, when you first arrived here at the hospital you were dehydrated, but upon running your vitals and listening to your chest, we quickly realized that you also had a pretty severe case of a condition called tachycardia—which, allow me to explain to make this easier for you to understand; tachycardia is just a fancy medical term for a fast and irregular heart rate. You also had a very distinct heart murmur. We ran some blood panels, did an EKG on your heart, and took a chest X-ray," Dr. Kessler paused for a moment before finally informing Klaus of his results. "Klaus, it appears that you're suffering from a condition called Cardiomyopathy. Have you ever heard of it before?"
"No, w-what is it? Is it bad?" his eyebrows furrowed with instant concern.
"Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body. Your heart is actually enlarged due to excessive scar tissue that surrounds the organ. I'm afraid that this is a very serious condition that in time could pose a risk of leading to heart failure, which is life threatening. Now, you're young, and overall you appear to be healthy; if we start you on medication to help control your symptoms, and also help bring you some relief, I believe that we can prevent that from happening, but we must start you on them immediately."
"What?" Dave and Klaus asked in unison as this news came as a major shock for both of them.
"Can—Can I pass this on to my daughter?" Klaus asked fearfully with tear filled eyes. This news was terrifying, but the scariest part was the fear that he may be cursing his precious angel to suffer from such a fate. He needed to know that he wasn't dooming his poor baby girl to suffer from such an illness.
"According to your chart, we see that you have a past medical history of alcoholism and drug abuse. Your blood was clean, and so we can see that you're now sober; congratulations, we are happy to hear that. That being said, we checked for a hereditary connection when we ran your bloodwork, it appears your symptoms were caused by the scar tissue left on your heart from your years of past drug and alcohol abuse. So, the answer to your question is—No, you can not pass this onto your daughter."
Klaus's emotions overflowed from his heart with instant relief at the knowledge of that wonderful news. Honestly, if it weren't for Riley he could care less what this diagnosis meant for him, but for his baby girl? He would never be able to forgive himself if he would have passed this onto her. "Oh, thank god!" he cried as his walls crumbled and his tears freely cascaded his cheeks, "Are you sure that she's safe? She's going to be okay? Thank god, oh, thank god!"
"Yes, Mr. Hargreeves, your little girl is safe," Dr. Kessler assured him with a warm grin. "We will start you on the medication immediately to try to control your symptoms. We will have to monitor your conditions progress very closely since, please keep in mind that this is still a very serious heart condition to have. This issue has probably been gradually forming for a number of years, but due to the recent added stress to the organ, I believe that is why your symptoms have just recently begun to occur. Now, most people can have this disease and be rather asymptotic until it is more advanced, I believe we have caught yours rather early, however. So while this must have been terribly scary for you, it was certainly a god send in disguise. We will continue to monitor you closely, but you are very lucky, Mr. Hargreeves. This news could have turned out much worse."
"Thank you so much," Dave smiled at the doctor to show his gratitude, she smiled and nodded back.
"I would still like to keep you here overnight for observation to ensure that nothing else occurs. Besides, you're still dehydrated, and I would like you to eat a full meal and get some much needed rest before we release you, okay? I'll go and get those prescriptions ready for your medication and leave you two alone. I'll be back in a little while," she smiled at the two lovers and gently squeezed Klaus's ankle to bid them adieu before taking her leave out of the room.
Dave intertwined his fingers within Klaus's and gave him a grounding squeeze. This was heartbreaking, Dave's worst nightmare was quickly becoming his terrifying reality. Klaus, the love of his life, the father of their daughter had a potentially life threatening disease?
"Thank god we caught this when we did. For Christ's sake baby, a heart condition?" Dave closed his eyes and bowed his head as this devastating news slowly started to sink in. "I can't even believe—"
Klaus's expression screwed up into one of agony when a pained groan escaped his lips. His free hand bolted for his chest when his heart spasmed painfully, he didn't like that this feeling was now starting to become familiar to him, too. The heart monitor he was hooked up to made an alarming beeping sound; the lines on the screen going haywire momentarily before easing back into a normal rhythm. Klaus's features softened along with them, but the sudden discomfort left him rather winded once again.
"Easy, Klaus, breathe...god, are you okay?" Dave's own heart fluttered at the sight of his love in so much pain, how could a doctor not find this to be alarming? "I can't believe your doctor didn't think that this should be taken seriously—"
"I'm okay baby, really. I don't blame them for thinking that way—"
"Well, I do! And dammit, you should too! Your life matters, darlin - to me, and to Riley, you matter! They're not your doctor anymore, I want you to start coming here from now on, where I know that they will know how to take care of you and treat you properly." Dave's eyes filled with tears, he still couldn't believe this was happening to his love. Klaus's own tears welled in his weary eyes. His body relaxed against his mattress and he squeezed Dave's hand while he wrenched his eyes shut.
"I'm sorry, baby," Klaus apologized, his lips quivered when he was struck with guilt.
"No baby, you have no reason to be sorry. I'm sorry, this is all my fault." Dave ran his thumb over Klaus's delicate skin on his hand when a tear tumbled over his cheek.
"What?" Klaus asked, true confusion was thick in his tone.
"I'm so sorry, baby. I'm sorry that I accepted my stupid job, I'm so sorry that I left you alone all the time knowing full well how badly it effected you. I got fucking shot and it almost killed you—"
"No—no, absolutely none of this is your fault. I'm happy that you accepted the job, baby. It's your dream job, you earned it, and it makes you so happy. I wish you hadn't been hurt, but that wasn't your fault, either. I told you to take the job. This?" Klaus rested his free hand over his heart, "This is my own fault. I chose to take drugs, and drink alcohol. I chose the path that led me here, none of this is your fault. It's all mine, not yours. Please, don't blame yourself for my mistakes." Dave stood up and wrapped his good arm around Klaus, pulling his love into a tight embrace. He needed to hold him, he needed to comfort him through this. He needed him to be okay. Both men allowed themselves to cry, they needed this release, they were both in desperate need for each other's comfort.
"I just...I love you so much, Klaus. I can't...I can't lose you." Dave voiced weakly through his own tears. He meant it, he couldn't imagine a world without his love in it.
"You won't, baby," Klaus assured. He cupped Dave's cheeks within his unsteady palms and shook his head, his watery emerald eyes looking between each of Dave's tear filled blues. "You won't."
"We will figure this out together, okay? You're going to be fine—"
"I know," Klaus began as a subtle smile flickered across his own terrified features. "I know I will, I have to be. I can't leave you or Riley...I won't let this beat me. You heard the doctor, this was a god send, we caught it." Dave pulled Klaus back into his arms again. He needed to hold him, to feel him pressed against his own steadily beating heart. Klaus nuzzled against Dave's neck, burying his nose against the warmth of his skin. "I know in my heart that I will be okay."
_
Authors Note:
Yes, everything that's been effecting our dear boy was not solely related to his powers, poor Klaus has a heart condition :(
For anyone who may be concerned (which is valid if you've read any of my other stories lol) allow me to just say that no, rest assured, Klaus will NOT be dying! This is what made me decide to have a sequel for this story, however, so be sure to follow me so you get updates whenever I post that!
I just want to say thank you sooo much to everyone who has commented, favorited or followed along to this story thus far, I appreciate you! And as always, if you're reading along to this little story I would adore to hear your feedback! So please all of you lovely people, if you could find it in your heart to please leave me a splendid little gift of a comment, it would absolutely make my day!
Next chapter is a deal doozy guys (it's crazy long, I apologize ahead of time lol) but it will be up next Friday! And then only 1 chapter left for this main story after that! Ahhh! I'll be sad to see this one go, but I'm excited for its sequel, and I hope you all will continue to enjoy it, too!
Stay safe out there my friends! Take care! :)