Gibson 4
"Lee…" He thought. "Don't leave me… Please…"
Gaara felt himself wake up but refused to open his eyes. He was tired, his stomach was growling like a wild animal, and his forehead hurt.
"Hey, Gaara?" He heard his brother ask. Finally he decided to look around. Blinking rapidly, he noticed he was inside the hospital lying on a cheap reclining chair. The group of Lee's friends sat around it, smiling when Gaara sat up.
"What happened…?" Gaara asked quietly.
"Well," Sasuke started, "you fell asleep or something and slammed your face on the ground. More so your forehead, but whatever. You must've been really tired and a really heavy sleeper." Gaara rubbed his forehead and winced. That made sense at least. "So we brought you in here and the nurses said you could sleep in the chair. You've been out for quite a while."
"What time is it…?"
"It's about seven." Tenten said. Gaara paused. That meant eleven hours had passed since Lee went in for his surgery. He slid from the chair and practically ran over to Guy.
"Has there been any word on Lee?" He asked quietly. Guy stared at him for a moment before he smiled gently.
"It was a success, but he's recovering right now. We should be able to see him soon." Guy said. Gaara smiled, his legs trembling.
"That's good…" He said, slumping into the chair next to Guy.
"He's going to have to go through rehabilitation, though." Guy said thoughtfully. "Will you help him?"
"Yes." Gaara said without hesitation. Guy smiled again.
"That's good to hear, too." Guy nodded. Gaara's stomach growled loudly and Guy stifled a laugh. "When's the last time you ate?" Gaara thought for a second.
"The day before yesterday." Guy shook his head and searched his pockets.
"Here," he handed Gaara ten dollars, "there's a little cafeteria down that hall. Go get some food." Gaara nodded thankfully and left for the hall. "What a kid…" Guy glanced down the hall. Soon a nurse approached him.
"Might Guy?" He asked.
"Yes?" Guy stood up.
"Your son is stable, but he's still unconscious from the sedatives. I need to discuss the rehabilitation with you."
"Wait just a minute." Guy said. "There's someone else who needs to hear this too." The nurse nodded and walked to the front desk to talk to the woman there. The room was quiet for a few minutes. "Ah," Guy smiled, "there you are." Gaara looked up at him with half a sandwich hanging from his mouth. "We were going to discuss Lee's rehabilitation." Gaara nodded and followed Guy, eating his sandwich as he went. The nurse led them down a hall and into an elevator.
"Lee will need to stay in bed for about two weeks to start with. That will probably be here in the hospital. After that he'll need to start walking for very short periods of time before lying down again. Someone will have to help him with his balance at first. He should continue that for a month or so. As time progresses he can begin walking more and more. Once he has regained a good portion of his balance and mobility, you can let him walk on his own. Just keep an eye on him." The nurse led them down another hall. "It should take about six months at least. At most, maybe a year." Gaara swallowed hard and nodded along with Guy. Lee wasn't the kind to wait. He would be pushing it too far and trying to walk more than he should. Knowing Lee, he would try to start walking while he was still here in the hospital. "You're welcome to go in to see him, but he's still unconscious."
"Thank you." Guy said. The nurse bowed politely and left them at the door to Lee's room. "Gaara-san, why don't you go tell the others. I'll go in for a few and then they can all take turns. You can stay here with him as long as you want after that." Gaara nodded his thanks and walked quickly downstairs.
"Hey, Gaara-san, where'd you go?" Tenten asked. Everyone in the group turned to look at him. Temari and Kankuro grinned at each other when they saw a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Lee's alright…" He said quietly. The air seemed to lighten around them. Tenten began crying and laughing at the same time and hugged Neji. Kiba and Choji smiled at each other. Temari grabbed Shikamaru and hugged him tightly. Naruto actually knocked Sasuke over, practically jumping on him to hug him. Shino nodded slightly and Kankuro just kept grinning. "He's still unconscious but I'm supposed to come get you guys to go see him for a minute…"
"Bushy Brow's alright!" Naruto had finally let go of Sasuke and was jumping up and down. "Let's go!" Gaara turned around, leading the group up the stairs. Gaara sat down on the floor outside Lee's door and the others lined up along the hall.
"Oh," Guy stepped out of the room, "hello." He nodded and the group slowly filed into the room. Gaara waited a moment and walked in also. The room was silent except the beeping from the machines Lee was hooked to. About twenty minutes passed as Gaara sat in the corner of the room in a small chair he found.
"Gaara-san…?" Temari asked. He didn't respond. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and smirked.
"Come on." They said in unison, walking up to him. They grabbed the chair by the bottom on each side and picked it up.
"W-what are you doing?" Gaara hissed, gripping the arms of the chair as the boys set it down right next to Lee's bed.
"We're leaving, that's what." Naruto grinned. Sasuke motioned for the group to start leaving. They all nodded and smiled at Gaara. Gaara paused before he tugged on Naruto's sleeve.
"Thank you, Naruto-san…" He whispered. Naruto waved the thanks away with his hand.
"Don't mention it. And drop the honorific, ok?" He laughed slightly. "You should get some sleep before he wakes up." Gaara nodded slightly as Naruto left.
"Gaara-san," Guy glanced through the doorway, "I've got Lee's cell phone. Stay as long as you want. If you need anything, just call me." Gaara nodded thankfully and watched Guy leave. Silence settled over the room again and Gaara yawned, letting sleep overtake him.
"Ah…" Lee blinked a few times and glanced around. That's right; he must've just woken up from the sedatives they gave him. Then the surgery was a success. He grinned broadly noticing Gaara sitting in a chair next to the bed. "He is asleep…" He paused as Gaara stirred and then shut his eyes again, pretending to be asleep. Gaara rubbed his neck and glanced at Lee for a minute.
"Lee…" He murmured. "I love you… I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you… I don't know if I could go on… I need you… More than you'll ever know…" He stopped for a moment. "What am I doing…? You can't even hear me…"
"I have heard more than you think. Gaara-kun." Lee said quietly. Gaara jumped slightly and stared at Lee.
"You heard that…?" He asked. Lee smiled and nodded. "Oh…" Lee laughed quietly as Gaara's cheeks tinged pink. "Will you drop the '-kun'? You don't have to use it." Lee nodded, smiling.
"I am glad you stayed here with me. So," he paused, "when can I start training again?"
"Training? You're going to rest, that's it for now." Gaara continued to rub his neck. Lee watched Gaara defiantly. "You're not supposed to try walking for two more weeks."
"One week." Lee stated. "I'll be walking in one week." Gaara watched him for a moment and then sighed.
"I suppose there's no point in trying to reason with you." Lee smiled happily. Gaara felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "You're so stubborn." Lee laughed.
"And you are not?" Gaara glared at him for a second.
"I'm glad you're okay…" He reached out and gripped Lee's hand. Lee blushed slightly and pulled Gaara closer.
"I love you, Gaara…" Lee kissed his cheek gently. Gaara smiled slightly and kissed Lee's forehead.
"I love you too, Lee…"