Austria's situation didn't look so bad. He regained consciousness in the ambulance as it drove halfway to the hospital. He was a bit dizzy, but who wouldn't be after flumping down on the steps and the floor? Hungary held Austria in her arms and rested her chin on top of his head. As she rubbed his back to comfort him, she could feel how moist his shirt was from the sweat he perspired during the performance. The paramedics in the ambulance told Hungary to keep Austria awake. Austria didn't seem to be so sleepy; he was more dazed and distant.

"Austria? My sweet Roderich?" Hungary tried to get some contact with him.

He didn't react at the sound of Hungary's voice; she had to shake him in order to get his attention. Even when she did get his attention Austria wouldn't say much. Did he injure his head when he collapsed? Hungary asked the paramedics if this was something serious. They reassured Hungary he would snap out of this state soon and he would be taken care of when they arrived the hospital.

"

Hungary saw her husband from a glass wall, he wore things resembling big earphones. A doctor pushed buttons on a machine. Hungary saw as the doctor pushed a button, Austria looked confused and shook his head. After that session, Austria was taken to another room with another doctor escorting him. Hungary could have gone in there with him, but she chose not to. Austria looked so dazed when they were in the ambulance, so she decided to give him some space till he was completely "back to earth". Hungary walked nervously back and forth the hallway. Another reason for not coming with Austria was that she was too scared to be there and to hear if the checkup didn't go well. Normally she did her best to look on the bright side but after the ride in the ambulance, she wasn't sure she could. She knew how her husband was like, the years of wars was an example. Austria got beaten up badly and it took a long time for him to fully recover. Of course, fighting wars and falling down on steps were two completely different things, but he was very nervous before the performance so that might have weakened his energy somehow.

"I shouldn't have pressured him to perform…" Hungary whispered to herself, feeling tears pressuring her eyes.

She didn't have the chance to cry as the doctor came out and walked towards her. Hungary stood by the door at first but being so into her worry, she didn't realize she stopped up her nervous "march" and now stood far away from the door. She did her best to not look upset as the doctor approached her.

"How is he?" Hungary asked.

The doctor looked through the papers in the file he held.

"He fell hard, so it left him some light bruises. Luckily he did not receive any head injuries"

Hungary felt the lump in her throat loosen.

"Thank god…" She said.

"But something physical did happen to him" The doctor said.

Hungary felt her heart skip a beat.

"What…what happened to him?" Hungary asked nervously.

"Did your husband fall on his sides?" The doctor asked.

Hungary thought back at the performance as Austria collapsed. When he collapsed on the step he hit his left side on the second step, face down on the first step and then he fell on the floor and hit his right side.

"Y-yes…Why?" Hungary said.

"Oddly enough those falls didn't injure his nose or skull, but his eardrums are hurt. I really don't understand how that could be possible. ..Wait, didn't he perform for an orchestra?"

Hungary nodded.

"That might explain it. The paramedics who were in the ambulance couldn't spot him wearing any earplugs, so that means maybe someone took them off before the ambulance arrived or he never wore them in the first place"

"It must be the latter, doctor. I was very quick to come up on the stage so the ones on the stage barely got to touch him. Neither did I take anything out of his ears" Hungary said.

The doctor took out the paper at the bottom of the little paper stack.

"During the hearing test he only scored 5 out of 30. As I was checking him, he said he could only hear ringing and could not hear the surroundings. Despite the injured eardrums, the hair cells in his inner ears are hurt as well."

"Will he be well again?" Hungary asked.

"It's hard to say. The case with his ears doesn't look so good now, all that can be done for now is to see how it will go as the time pass. Tinnitus can go away in a few hours or several days but it can also be a permanent damage."

"I see…Thank you doctor"

Hungary was glad Austria didn't get seriously injured, but she got more worried. She remember one time she dragged Prussia to a lecture about what would happen if you stayed to long at a concert. One of the risks was to get tinnitus and they got to hear a recording of what tinnitus sounded like. Hungary found that sound very annoying and sort of torturing after listening to it for 2 minutes. The lecture did affect Prussia and made him leave earlier at concerts. But the thing that occupied Hungary's mind now was the sound of tinnitus and the fact Austria had it now. Poor Austria! If it was torturing for Hungary after only 2 minutes, just imagine how torturing it must be for Austria having to hear it all the time. Hungary hoped his current condition would disappear.

"

The couple came home at 3 am. The evening orchestra didn't last long after the incident but the trip and the checkup at the hospital did. They just made themselves ready for bed and did nothing else. Austria didn't say a word to Hungary on the way home or while he was getting ready for bed. When they were done and got to bed, Austria leaned his head into Hungary's neck.

"The sound won't go away…" Austria mumbled to Hungary.

Austria sounded sad and tortured and looked very much like it as well. Hungary put her arms around her husband and rubbed his back. Austria clutched himself to Hungary's body and got all silent again.

"It's painful to see you like this, my love. I hope it will get better" Hungary thought.

It was no point for her to say it to him since he couldn't hear anything now.