Due to a whopping majority (18 votes out of 26) this is being updated first. I guess I didn't have much more to write on the chapter :/ huh. I had writer's block when started this chapter, so I asked my sister what I should write about, and she started saying things. The first person to guess the inspiration for this chapter can request what will go in the next, since I have no idea myself. ;)
The next morning, Francis called in sick to work. The tensions of both the pending adoption and the accident of the day before had built up and made him a nervous wreck. He was crying as he made breakfast. Arthur came down and looked at him in concern.
"Francis? Are you alright?" he asked gently. Francis sniffed and wiped his face.
"Oui, cher, I'm fine. It must be all these onions, oui?" He laughed shakily, waving the onion he held in his hand. Arthur frowned, unconvinced. "I'll be fine, Arthur. I think I'll go visit Gilbert and Ludwig today. I'm worried about them."
"Okay. Don't stress yourself out too much, okay? I don't want you to make yourself sick." Arthur pressed a shy kiss to Francis's cheek. Francis smiled and leaned into his husband's embrace. They shared a quiet breakfast, then Arthur washed the dishes and headed off to work. Francis took a long shower to relax, then he too left, headed for the hospital. When he arrived, he went to the front desk and was directed to the correct room. He stopped by the gift shop first before heading up in the elevator. He knocked politely when he reached the correct door.
"Oh, uh, come in," he heard Gilbert call out. He opened the door to see his friend sitting in a chair next to Ludwig's bed. Gilbert's left arm was in a sling and he had bandages wrapped around his forehead, as did Ludwig. The younger boy was asleep.
"Hello, Gilbert. How are you feeling?" Gilbert looked up from his brother's face.
"Oh, hi Fran. I'm doing okay, mostly. I'm just worried about Ludwig." The boy opened his eyes and looked at Francis. His gaze slid to Gilbert.
"Bruder, wer ist er?" he asked. Gilbert sighed and put his head in his hands.
"His memory is so far gone he's fallen back to German." He raised his head to respond to Ludwig. "Er ist Francis."
"Francis?" Ludwig questioned, looking to the Frenchman. Francis smiled.
"Bonjour, Ludwig," he said. Ludwig frowned.
"Ich…weiß sie." Gilbert straightened up suddenly.
"Wirklich?" Ludwig nodded.
"Ja." Gilbert jumped up with a shout of joy and hugged his brother. Francis looked on in confusion.
"…Excusé moi?" he asked.
"Ludwig said he knows you," Gilbert answered gleefully. Francis smiled.
"That is wonderful, mon ami." Gilbert grinned and hugged Ludwig tightly, barely wincing when he pressed the boy against his injured arm. "What about Feliciano?"
"Ludwig hasn't seen him yet. But he doesn't recognize the name, so…I guess we'll see. Antonio's bringing them by this afternoon, after school. Hey, shouldn't you be at work?"
"I called in, I wasn't feeling well."
"Well then stay away from Luddy, he doesn't need to get sick in addition to getting hit by a car and losing his memory." Francis rolled his eyes at Gilbert's overprotectiveness.
"Not that kind of unwell, Gilbert. I was worried about you."
"Oh. Well come over here, then." Francis complied and set his gift down before hugging the brothers.
"I'm glad you two are okay," Francis said softly. Ludwig squirmed away from them.
"Wo ist Großvater?" he asked.
"Oh, I forgot to call him!" Gilbert reached for his cell phone and called their grandfather, an intimidating blond man they affectionately called Germania. Francis wasn't entirely sure what his real name was. Gilbert spoke on the phone for a few minutes before handing it over to Ludwig. He focused on the blanket as he listened to his grandfather speak.
"Ja. Ja. Nnn…ja. Mir geht es gut. Ja. Gut." Ludwig hung up and handed the phone back to Gilbert. Francis and Gilbert spent the day talking, with Ludwig occasionally commenting in German or very broken English. He once spoke in French, which got him two surprised stares and he refused to speak again for another hour. At one point something brushed Francis's foot, and he looked down to see what it was.
"Oh, I nearly forgot!" He picked up the gift he had bought. "A Chinese man I met in the gift shop suggested I buy this for you." He set it down on the bed. Ludwig picked up the stuffed panda and stared at it for a minute, then he handed it to Gilbert, who set it on his lap. At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and it opened to reveal a smiling nurse.
"You have some new visitors," she said before stepping aside. Antonio stood behind her, holding Feli and Lovi by the hand.
"Ludwig!" Feli tore his hand out of Antonio's grasp and ran to the bed. He climbed up on it using Francis and his chair as a ladder, then he hugged the German boy tightly.
"Ach! Bruder! Was ist das?" Ludwig said, trying to get Feli off of him. Francis gently pulled Feliciano off and held him.
"Ludwig?" Feli asked. "You…you don't remember me?" Ludwig looked at him in confusion, clutching Gilbert's hand tightly.
"Was?" he asked. Feliciano buried his head against Francis's chest and started crying. Francis walked away from the bed, rocking the boy gently in his arms. Antonio walked over to the German brothers.
"I was afraid of this," he said to Gilbert. The older male nodded.
"Yeah, it's not good. I was really hoping Ludwig would remember Feli." They both looked over to Feliciano. Francis looked back at them with a sad frown.
"What'll we do?" Antonio asked.
"He might need some time away. To remember who he is, and all that stuff," Gilbert answered. Someone cleared their throat from the doorway. They all turned to see Germania standing there, his sharp blue gaze focused on the bed.
"Großvater!" Ludwig called. He tried to climb down from the bed, but Gilbert and Antonio stopped him. Germania walked over and sat down on the bed next to Ludwig. He brushed his long blond hair behind his ear. Ludwig grabbed onto his grandfather's arm and held to it tightly as he babbled to him in German. A minute later, a nurse knocked on the open door and walked in. she looked around at all the man and frowned.
"I'm sorry, there are too many visitors here. I'm going to have to ask someone to leave," she said. Antonio, Gilbert, and Francis looked at each other.
"Ah, I should take the twins home to their Papi," Antonio said.
"And I should get back home as well. I don't want Arthur to get home before me and wonder where I am," Francis said. He walked over and gave Gilbert a one-armed hug. "Have fun with your family, mon ami." Antonio too hugged Gilbert and whispered in his ear, then he picked up Romano and they left. Romano squirmed in Antonio's grip.
"Put me down, I can walk by myself!" he said. Antonio struggled to keep a hold on him.
"But Lovi!" Romano kicked him in the stomach accidentally.
"Put me down!" Antonio gasped and wheezed, nearly dropping the Italian boy as he bent over. Francis grabbed his shoulder to steady him.
"Fratello! Don't hurt Spain-nii-chan!" Feliciano said. Romano grabbed onto Antonio's shoulders to keep himself from falling.
"What's wrong with you, jerk!" Romano demanded. Francis sighed and set Feliciano down on his feet. He reached out and plucked Romano from his friend's shoulders. Romano kicked at him. "Spain! The pervert's touching me!" Francis rolled his eyes and set Romano next to his younger brother, who immediately latched onto his arm. Francis put a hand on Antonio's shoulder.
"Are you alright, mon ami?" he asked.
"Idiota Spagna," Romano muttered.
"Ah…si, si, I think I'll be okay. Um, how about we get the boys home?" he asked weakly. Francis nodded.
"Oui, let us go." The four walked out to where the two cars were parked. Antonio and the twins got into the Spaniard's car while Francis got into his own. Antonio took off in the direction of the twins' home, Francis following closely. When they reached the house, both cars idled at the curb while Antonio and Francis watched the boys walk up to the porch. The door opened as they reached it, revealing their grandfather waiting for them. Feliciano immediately flung himself into his grandfather's arms while Romano just walked past them. Rome stood and waved to the men before shutting his door. From there, Francis followed Antonio to his home, making sure he arrived safely, and then went home himself. He was looking forward to a nice relaxing evening with his husband.