Chapter 12: Falling Together

Yuuri was surprised, upon waking the next morning, that he found Victor still wrapped tightly around him and deeply sleeping well past the time when he would normally have been up, and down at the ice rink, practicing. And even though they had taken the day off, he would have expected his early rising partner to be out of bed and helping Eva and the children with breakfast. He nudged Victor gently, but received only a sleepy grunt in response. Maccachin lifted his head and nuzzled Yuuri's cheek, then cuddled closer to Victor and closed his eyes again. Chuckling to himself, Yuuri climbed out of bed and dressed, then he walked out to the kitchen, where he found Eva and Akilina making breakfast, while Filip read the paper at the table.

"Good morning, Yuuri-san!" Akilina greeted him, giving him a hug, "Is Uncle Vitya up yet?"

"Not yet," Yuuri answered, "I thought maybe we could give him a little more time."

"Go now and wash up and find your brother," Eva said, patting the girl on the top of the head, "Everything is ready."

"I'll go and wake Victor," Yuuri offered.

He headed back to the bedroom and found Victor already awake and dressing.

"Morning," he said, greeting his husband with a kiss.

"Thanks for letting me sleep in," Victor sighed.

"I barely left the room a few minutes ago," Yuuri laughed softly, "but you are getting up kind of late for you, though I understand why."

"I guess everything just caught up with me at once," Victor yawned, "But breakfast smells wonderful. I'll probably feel better after eating."

"Probably."

The two headed back to the kitchen, where they found a distressed looking Akilina talking animatedly to her grandparents.

"He was there when I got up, but he's not in the bedroom now," she explained anxiously, "I checked the bathroom and the family room, and I checked the backyard. He's not anywhere!"

"I am sure that we can find him," Eva said, wrapping her arm around the girl as she met Victor's eyes worriedly, "Why don't you and Grandpa look around here again?"

"Yuuri and I will see if maybe he went for a walk or something."

"He knows he's not allowed to go walking alone!" Akilina exclaimed.

"Go on with your grandpa," Victor replied, nudging the girl in Filip's direction.

Yuuri and Victor put on their coats and left the house, walking down the street in the direction of the nearby park.

"It's not like Liev to just wander off," Victor said in a low, worried voice, "But, he's been under a lot of stress."

"Yeah," Yuuri agreed, "This has been hardest on the kids, I think."

"It has. Maybe Liev just needed to get his bearings, or maybe he was thinking he would walk home. It's not far to their house from here. He could possibly go there. But, let's check the park first, since it's closer."

"Right."

The two hurried on down the street, arriving at the park a few minutes later. The chill of the morning meant that the park was relatively empty, though a few people lounged on the benches near the street. Victor and Yuuri looked into the park, examining the deserted play structures, then the sparsely populated trail.

"Should we go in more and look?" Yuuri asked.

"Hmm, how about I'll go into the park and you continue a little farther along the perimeter to cover more ground?" Victor suggested.

"All right."

Yuuri followed the edge of the park, while Victor followed the curving path that meandered through the park's interior. He studied the area closely, frowning worriedly as he spotted no sign of the missing boy.

"Liev, where are you?" he whispered anxiously.

He had nearly finished crossing the park, when he caught sight of something in one of the trees. As he moved closer, he spotted a leg hanging over one of the thick branches, and a boy, sitting astride the branch and looking down at the ground below him. As he watched, the boy leaned forward, putting his hands out to catch himself on another thick branch. Then, he lifted himself and fell forward, catching himself again. Unsure at first of the boy's identity and not wanting to frighten him, Victor said nothing and simply continued along the trail. But as he approached the tree, the brooding person on the branch leaned forward again, looking as though he might be preparing to jump.

It's too high to jump from there…

Victor's heart skipped as he drew closer and he recognized the shirt that the boy was wearing. He opened his mouth to speak, but as he did, the boy tilted forward, even more, wobbled and started to fall.

"LIEV!" Victor shouted, racing forward and closing the last few inches as the boy fell.

He felt a shattering impact as he collided with the boy, breaking his fall, but sending them both crashing to the ground together.

"Victor!" Yuuri's panicked voice called out from near the street.

Pain exploded through the Russian skater's head, shoulder and arm, and for a moment, everything disappeared into blackness. Garbled voices broke through a few moments later, and Victor heard Liev's sobbed pleas and felt the boy's cold, shaking hands touch his face.

"Uncle V-vitya! Uncle Vitya, w-wake up!"

Victor's eyes opened slightly, squinting as he tried to focus on the boy's face.

"It's okay," he managed softly, "Are…are you all right, Liev?"

"Me?" Liev whimpered, "I'm fine. You s-stopped me from falling all of the way, but…"

"Good," Victor whispered, closing his eyes again.

"Uncle Vitya!"

"Victor!" Yuuri called out, skidding to a stop as he reached the two and dropping to his knees, "Victor, are you all right?"

"Ugh…m-my head hurts and I m-might have sprained something…my arm."

"Lie still, okay? I'm gonna call for help."

"Oh, you don't have to," Victor moaned weakly.

"Stop it. You don't know what's best for you right now," Yuuri chided him.

"What do I do?" Liev pleaded, "Th-there's blood on this side of his head!"

Yuuri joined the crying boy on Victor's other side as he quickly called for medical help.

"Y-yuuri, I'll be…" Victor began, opening his eyes and trying to sit up, only to be gently laid down again.

"Stay there," Yuuri scolded him, "You might make it worse if you move around. Do you still have pain in your head and arm?"

"Yes," Victor answered calmly, blinking to try to clear his fuzzy vision, "and I am seeing two of you."

"Seriously?"

"Mmhmm."

"Hold his hand, okay?" Yuuri said to the boy, "Keep talking to him so he'll stay calm and awake."

"All right," Liev answered, calming slightly, "Sorry, Uncle Vitya."

"Oh," Victor said weakly, "it wasn't your fault."

His eyes blinked, then focused on the boy's more steadily.

"You…just fell."

Liev closed his eyes tightly for a moment, nodding. Then, he opened them again and locked them on Victor's.

"Right."

Yuuri paused in his efforts to stop the bleeding he had found, his dark eyes studying his husband, then the little boy.

That look that passed between them…and what I saw as I came running…

He saw again how the boy had leaned forward in the branches, his eyes oddly dazed looking, and his hands had only reached out once he had started to fall already.

Was this just an accident or…

"Yuuri?"

The Japanese man's eyes returned immediately to meet Victor's.

"I know I'll have to probably go to the hospital, at least to be checked out."

"Right."

"Please, I want you to look after Liev."

"Uncle Vitya?" Liev said softly, squeezing his hand.

"It will be all right. I promise," Victor said soothingly, "but I want you to stay close to Yuuri, and I don't want you to leave the house again unless someone is with you."

The little boy's eyes filled with fresh tears.

"I won't leave again without telling anyone," he sobbed, burying his face in Victor's chest, "I'm sorry, Uncle Vitya. I didn't mean to."

"I know. Just please stay with Yuuri."

"I will. I promise I will. Just, please be all right?"

"I'll be fine," Victor assured the distraught boy, "I'll be fine as long as I know you're safe."

Yuuri spotted the arriving medics and left Victor and the boy to lead them over.

"Can you tell me what happened?" the medic asked in Russian.

Catching a number of the words, Yuuri struggled for the right words to answer.

"Boy…fell on…um…"

"Okay," the medic said, switching to English.

"Ah," Yuuri sighed in relief, "The boy fell from the tree over there, and my…my coach tried to catch him. He said that he hit his head on the ground and may have sprained something in his shoulder or arm. Liev, the boy, seems to be all right, but you should probably check him out, just to be sure."

The medic nodded and started to follow his partner to where the injured man and the boy waited. Yuuri touched his arm lightly and the medic paused, looking at him questioningly.

"Just to make you aware, the boy has just lost his father, and he's been under a lot of stress. The family is going to be seeing a counselor, but the sessions haven't begun yet."

The medic's hazel eyes narrowed slightly.

"Do you have reason to believe that this is anything but an accident?" he asked carefully.

"I…I don't know for sure, but…it looked as though he might have been distressed over things. I just…I don't know for sure, but I thought you should be aware."

"Thank you, erm…"

"Oh, it's Yuuri," the Japanese skater provided, "Yuuri Katsuki."

The two men continued on to join the medic's partner and Liev at Victor's side.

"You said there is pain in your shoulder and arm?" the other medic asked Victor.

"Yes."

"Would you say it's like splinters or more of an aching?"

"Um…more like an aching."

The medic Yuuri had spoken to removed a small lighted device from his pocket and checked the injured skater's pupils.

"How many fingers do you see?" he asked, holding up two fingers.

"Heh, which one of you?" Victor joked weakly, "Eh, four?"

The medic that had spoken to Yuuri smiled and shook his head.

"I think you'll need to be checked out at the hospital," he concluded, "Just let me get the transport information from our dispatch."

"Oh, I don't really want to…"

"Oh, no you don't," Yuuri said firmly, "If they say you need to go, you're going."

"M-mr. Katsuki is right," Liev agreed, "Please, Uncle Vitya. You should do what they say."

"Okay, okay," Victor capitulated, "but can you check my…can you check Liev, please?"

"I didn't get hurt!" the boy insisted, "I mostly landed on you, Uncle Vitya!"

"I'm aware of that," Victor chuckled, "but you are going to get checked out too."

"We'll take care of that on the way to the hospital."

Yuuri watched anxiously as Victor was loaded into the ambulance, then he climbed in alongside Liev.

"Liev, when we arrive at the hospital, I want you to stay with Yuuri, okay?" Victor instructed the boy.

He met the eyes of the medic who was leaning over him.

"I want Yuuri to look out for Liev at the hospital, if that's okay. And Yuuri, will you call Filip and Eva and let them know where we are?"

"Sure. I've got it," Yuuri assured him.

The two skaters and the boy fell quiet as the ambulance carried them to the hospital. Liev answered the medic's questions, but maintained a firm grip on Victor's hand all of the way. When they arrived, Victor was taken to one treatment room, while Yuuri and Liev were led to another. Yuuri watched as a nurse quickly examined the boy, then left the room, then he took Liev's hand supportively.

"I think they're probably going to let you go home after this."

"But, I want to stay with Uncle Vitya!" Liev objected.

"I know you do," Yuuri said in a quiet, sympathetic tone, "but we have to let Victor rest and get treated. He's going to be fine, but he needs to be watched for awhile, that's all."

"What are they watching for? Are you sure he's going to be okay?"

"I'm sure he'll be okay," Yuuri insisted, "Really. He might have a mild concussion. That's why they want to watch over him. I'm sure it's fine, but hospitals are always cautious. That's all."

"Okay," the boy said in a shaky voice, looking down at their joined hands, "I just…feel really bad that I broke the rules and went out there. If I had just stayed home, then Uncle Vitya wouldn't be hurt."

"Hey," Yuuri said, gently squeezing the small hand he was holding, "Victor isn't blaming you for what happened. You made a wrong decision. Yes. And Victor got hurt, protecting you. But, it's not going to do Victor or you any good to have you beating yourself up over this. You made a mistake and I know you learned an important lesson. It's important for all of us to move on from here. Victor and I know that, in the future you are going to be more aware of how your decisions matter, not just to you, but to the people who love you. I hope you also know that I am one of the people who love you. I am so sorry that all of this is happening to you, to Akilina and to Victor. I promise that I am here for you. If you need anything…whether it's to protect you, to reassure you or just to listen when you're feeling lonely or sad or afraid, I am here, just like Victor is here."

Liev's lips trembled warningly, then he leaned forward, burying his face in Yuuri's shoulder, his small body shaking with sobs. Yuuri held him close, rubbing his back comfortingly and speaking quietly into his ear as the heavy emotions poured out and the boy very slowly calmed. Liev remained resting silently against the Japanese skater after, until the nurse returned to the room, alongside Filip.

"Come now," the elder man urged the weary looking boy, "I'll take you home to eat and get some rest. Vitya is doing well, I've heard, and he is expected to be released tomorrow morning."

"Really?" Liev asked uncertainly, "He's really okay?"

"He is," Filip affirmed, "Come now, let's go home."

The older man nodded in Yuuri's direction.

"Would you like to come back to the house with us, of will you be sitting with Vitya?"

"Go on ahead," Yuuri answered, giving Filip a tired smile, "I'm going to go see him, and I'll be home later."

A shuddering sigh escaped him as he watched the old man and the troubled boy leave.

It was hard, knowing what to say to him. I hope he's going to be all right. I should get to Victor and see how he's doing.

He left the treatment room and followed the nurse's directions to a room where he found Victor lying comfortably in bed, contemplating the sky outside his window.

"Oh, I know that look," Yuuri acknowledged, "You're worried about him."

"I am," Victor admitted, "No, I'm not just worried about Liev, I think I'm actually scared."

He reached over and took a sip of water from the cup on the table at his bedside.

"Liev and Akilina are just children, Yuuri. They shouldn't have to deal with something like this. I know that Patya was in terrible pain, and I feel guilty because part of me is so angry that he put all of us through this. He was trapped and he felt alone. I know that, but I also know that he had people all around him who loved him and who didn't want him to die. But for some reason I can't make sense of…he didn't turn to any of us. And now, I see Liev, a little boy who has suffered so much because of that…and maybe…maybe he is beginning to do that too."

"Yeah," Yuuri replied softly, "I understand."

"What can I do, Yuuri?" Victor pleaded softly, taking his husband's hand, "How can I help him?"

Yuuri gave him a tender smile and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

"I think you're already doing what you need to do," he answered calmly, "Take care of yourself and get better. Trust Filip, Eva and me to take care of things until you are well. Then, just give him lots of love and support him through the therapy we're all going to go through together. What is it you're always telling me when we train together? One thing at a time. Keep it simple. Take little steps forward and you will make big progress."

"That's easy to say when it's not me I'm talking about," Victor sighed ruefully.

"Hey, those things are true for all of us," Yuuri said firmly, laying his head on his injured husband's unhurt shoulder, "Rest now, Victor. I think for this, we're going to need every bit of our strength."

Victor hesitated, then let out a long sigh, resting his head on top of his husband's.

"Thank you, Yuuri. You really are a blessing. I hope that you know that."