"We can't keep him on the anesthetics any longer. We have to start weaning him off of them." A quiet voice was saying nearby to Yuuri as he felt himself drifting back into consciousness yet again.
"Please," a familiar heavily accented voice responded, "I need more time to figure this all out. Just, two more days. I'm begging you."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Nikiforov, it's illegal to do that. We have already started the process of waking him up. He should be awake here soon, and we will limit his anesthesia from here on out," the first voice said, almost sounding the slightest bit exasperated.
Yuuri fought the weight of his eye lids to slowly crack them open to find himself still in the hospital. The door to his room was cracked open and two men could be seen standing outside. One quite obviously had the silver hair of his husband, and the other appeared to be a member of the medical staff of the hospital, perhaps a doctor.
Viktor's head was lowered as if in defeat as he said, "Thank you for all you have done for us."
The doctor bowed to Viktor before walking away. Viktor let himself back into Yuuri's room, pausing in shock upon looking at the bed to see the young man finally awake.
A split second, that's all the time Viktor allowed Yuuri to see his true emotions before putting up his mask. But that split second was all Yuuri needed to see all the pain and worry and confusion encompassing Viktor's normally cheerful personality.
'This is all my fault. I'm ruining Viktor's life,' Yuuri thought to himself, trying hard to repress the feeling of worthlessness that bubbled up with the thoughts.
In the moment it took for all that to take place, Viktor had put on a cheery smile and began to walk towards Yuuri's bed.
"Well good morning sleepy head. How do you feel?" the silver-haired man asked, lightly rubbing a hand against Yuuri's cheek.
"Like I've been hit by a train," Yuuri responded, cringing at the sound of his dry throat's attempt to make sound. After a Viktor helped him take a sip of the water that had been sitting on his bedside table, he asked, "How long have I been out?"
Viktor looked down at Yuuri's feet that were hiding under the blanket, and mumbled something that sounded like 'a few days.'
"Viktor," Yuuri said slowly, waiting for the man standing beside his bed to look at him before continuing, "What is today's date?"
Closing his eyes, the older man finally let out in a harsh whisper, "June 15."
Drawing in a breath, it took no time for Yuuri to realize that it had been two weeks since his accident.
"Two weeks, that's such a long time," Yuuri said, not really sure what to think or say at this point.
Finally opening his eyes again, Viktor looked pleadingly at Yuuri, "You were already out for a few days after your initial surgery. But when you woke up and had that freak out, well we thought it best just to let you sleep."
Yuuri thought back to the last time he remembered being awake, when the panic had finally set in about everything that had happened. He could still feel that panic, deep down inside. But for now he kept it buried deep, if not for Viktor's sake, then at least for the sanity of the poor nurses.
"I'm sorry Viktor," Yuuri whispered, not really sure at first what he was apologizing for. Then the silent tears began to drip down his face.
Viktor watched as the tears started rolling down Yuuri's face after he whispered what almost sounded like a confession to him.
'What am I going to do with him?' Viktor thought to himself as he helplessly looked down at his husband. 'He's so broken, and fragile.'
Carefully leaning over the bed, Viktor took Yuuri's face gently between his hands and forced the younger man to look at him through the tears.
"Hey. It's okay, you have nothing to be sorry about. Everything will be okay, I promise," Viktor assured, every bit as much for Yuuri as for himself.
Slowly, he leaned his head forward to rest his forehead against Yuuri's with his eyes close, silently making promises.
We will get through this. Everything will turn out right in the end. I will not abandon you, ever.
A soft knock shook Viktor from his silent musings. Looking up from Yuuri's sleeping form, Viktor found a wide eyed Minami poking his head in through the cracked door. The younger man squeaked upon Viktor looking at him and pulled his head back slightly, but not leaving the room. His face betrayed his feelings of fear and awe.
"I-I'm so sorry to be bothering you," Minami stammers out, still only allowing his eyes to be seen around the door, "They said that I could come in here to see him."
Giving the young man a tired smile, Viktor waved him over. The older man watched as the usually energetic Minami quietly entered the room, carefully closing the door behind him with his elbow since his arms were full. Viktor couldn't help the smile that took over his face as his eyes landed on the plush poodle Minami carried under one arm.
Following where Viktor's eyes were looking, Minami blushed slightly with realization.
"I saw this and thought of Katsuki-san," he explained, looking bashful, "I know he used to have a pet poodle that looked like this one, and the first time I skated against him you had a tissue box shaped like one."
Viktor nodded in understanding, the smile on his face still remaining there. In a soft voice, he says, "He'll appreciate it."
Minami quietly placed the poodle and the VASE OF SPECIAL FLOWERS on a nearby table and joined Viktor in quietly watching Yuuri sleep.
After what felt like eternity to the younger man, Minami finally asked, "How is he doing?"
Let out a sharp exhalation of sarcastic sounding laughter, Viktor looked down at his hands clasped between his knees before speaking.
"He's broken," Viktor admitted quietly, "He's broken and in so much pain, but is trying so hard to be brave for everyone else. I can see him struggling, deep down inside; and I want so badly to help him, but I just don't know what to do."
Viktor put his face in his hands, looking every bit the defeated man that he felt like.
Looking between his sleeping idol, and the broken man beside him, Minami felt helpless standing there.
"You need to have hope," Minami finally said in a rough whisper.
Viktor looked up in surprise, eyes slightly red.
"You need to believe in Katsuki-san, like he believed in you Nikifro… Nikefro… Niki-sama," Minami informed him, struggling to pronounce Viktor's last name before settling on a shortened version of it.
Viktor smiled at the nickname he had been given, appreciating Minami's efforts.
"Thank you, Minami," Viktor whispered as he closed his eyes for a brief second. Upon opening his eyes again, Viktor was shocked to see Minami's teary eyed gaze watching Yuuri intently.
"Minami?"
The young man squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away, as if willing this to not be their reality.
Viktor stood up, worry beginning to creep in for the young Japanese man.
"Why did this happen?" Minami finally asked the silent room in a soft voice, "We're skaters, we fall all the time. Why this fall? This was going to be his best year yet, I could just feel it!"
The Russian man placed his hand on the younger skater's shoulder, hoping to convey the comfort he was trying to give.
"Minami…" when the younger man turns to look at him, Viktor continues, "There's a quote I grew up reading every day and I try to live my life by. And I want to share it with you now, may I?"
After a slight nod of the head from the teary-eyed man, Viktor smiled, closed his eyes, and quoted, "Don't cry over the past, it's gone. Don't stress about the future, it hasn't happened. Live in the present, and make it beautiful…"
Silence fills the space after Viktor ends, his eyes remain closed, fearful of what awaits him when they open. Just in this moment, everything can be normal again, and we can be like we used to be. But the spell must end eventually, and Viktor opens his eyes to see Yuuri still lying in the bed, and Minami crying even harder. Viktor gawked at the sight before him.
"That was so beautiful Niki-sama!" Minami exclaimed through the tears, practically shouting. "I'm going to follow that every day as well, in fact! I'm going to do that right now! I'm going to go practice skating right now and get into the World's for Katsuki-san!"
Without waiting for a response from Viktor, Minami runs out of the room, leaving behind a slightly aghast Russian who could only chuckle at the passion of that young one. Looking down at his husband again, Viktor couldn't help but smile.
"You sure do have a passionate fan," Viktor informed him quietly, before pausing and thinking, "I guess I do to. I was just lucky enough that he became the love of my life."
The love of my life, who is lying in a hospital bed, potentially paralyzed for life. As Viktor remembered the situation they were in, his resolve finally crumbled as he collapsed into his chair again, hiding his face as the tears began to pour out.
Yuuri awoke to the sound of a continuous, steady, beeping noise from nearby. Did Viktor forget to turn off his alarm clock again?
Feeling annoyed by the sound, Yuuri groaned internally, trying to decide how to snap at Viktor to shut it off without coming off as rude, when a quiet voice caught his attention.
"I just hate seeing him like this," Viktor's voice said in a hushed tone.
A voice that Yuuri quickly identifies as Minako's responds, "I know how you feel. I've known Yuuri since he was just a little kid. It hurts all of us to see him like this."
Minako? What is she doing here? Yuuri remained still, in the hopes to hear more of the conversation to figure out what was going on.
"So, does the doctor have any idea why he got hurt so badly?" Minako asks, suspicion in her voice, "Sure he fell pretty hard, but he shouldn't have been injured as much as he was."
A brief pause that seemed to stretch on forever filled the air while Viktor took his time to think what to say next.
"About a month back… Yuuri was in a car accident," Viktor said slowly, as if unsure if he should be saying the words.
Yuuri internally flinches, already knowing what's coming next.
"Wait what? Why did we not hear about this?" Minako all but shrieked in anger.
Viktor quietly shushed Minako, before pausing again, as if unsure what to say next.
I guess this is my cue to wake up. Yuuri slowly opened his eyes, taking in the room around him. Viktor was sitting in the same chair that he had been since the last time Yuuri woke up. Minako stood at the foot of Yuuri's bed, practically fuming out of her ears. A look to the side showed Yuuri that what he had mistaken for an alarm clock earlier was really a monitor keeping time with his heart. I will forever hate the sound of that thing. Yuuri turned his gaze back to Minako and Viktor, and decided it was time to alert them that he had woken up.
"Don't be mad at Viktor," Yuuri rasps out, throat a lot drier than he had realized.
Both Minako and Viktor jump, and the Russian man is quick to get closer to Yuuri, to ask if he needed anything. Before Viktor could open his mouth, Yuuri held up his uninjured hand, wanting to say what he had to say first.
Clearing his throat, Yuuri continued, "I was out jogging around Hatsestsu." He shuddered at the memory.
The day started like any other day. Yuuri rose at the ungodly hour of the day to go jogging, knowing Viktor would be disappointed in him if not. The only difference between that day and any other had been the weather. A full on monsoon had seemed to appear out of nowhere. Knowing that was no excuse to skip the jog, Yuuri continued with his plans. Towards the end of the run, thoroughly soaked through, Yuuri decided to head back to Yu-topia to warm up in the hot spring. He was crossing the street when it happened.
A car came skidding out of nowhere, attempting to use the brakes that were made useless against the flooded roadways. The car spun and before Yuuri could process what was happening, the side hit him and he was sent flying. At the time he had felt like he was going to die there. It wasn't until later, after he had been rushed to a hospital, that he was informed that he suffered from only minor bruising to his body and a slight concussion to the head.
"You're lucky to have such minor injuries," the doctor had said, "Give yourself two weeks to rest before doing anything strenuous, and that includes any form of physical exercise."
When Viktor had arrived in a full blown panic over such a little event, Yuuri knew that telling everyone else would be a bad idea, especially if he were to keep training for the next championship.
"So, I lied about my injuries, even to you Viktor, I'm sorry," Yuuri choked out the end, looking down at his lap in disappointment for himself.
A light hand touching his made Yuuri look up into the blue eyes of Viktor.
"I'm not mad at you Yuuri," he said, "The doctor explained to me the full extent of your previous injures. Because you only rested for a week, your body was not given enough time to heal. So you were more prone to accidents."
"So this really is all my fault," Yuuri's eyes began to fill with tears as he looked hopelessly between Minako and Viktor.
With a resolved look in his eyes, Viktor grabbed Yuuri's chin and made the crying man look him in the eyes. "This is as much my fault as yours, but we are not going to dwell on that. The doctor said that the surgery went great, and there is still a possibility that you can walk again."
"A slim one," Yuuri murmurs, staring wide eyed at Viktor.
"There's still a chance, even if it's slim. So we will not give up hope."
Thank you so much for reading!
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Have a wonderful day!