After his close call, Lance was rather shaken up. Despite his assurances that he was fine his body was trembling and his throat was still burning from inhaling the healing pod's strange fluid. Allura insisted that he rest and was promptly led away to recover in his room. Shiro wanted to go with him to make sure he was alright but he also felt an obligation to remain at Keith's side… who had yet to regain consciousness. While the others cleaned up, Shiro returned to his side, checking on his condition.
While Keith's coloring was starting to look better, his breathing was still shallow and his brow was knit slightly as though he was in pain. Coran soon came over to check on him as well and saw the worry etched into Shiro's face.
"I hate seeing him in pain like this… especially when I know there's nothing I can do to help."
"I understand…" Coran wished he could be more helpful but he now had another patient to tend to: the Castle of Lions. Still, he couldn't completely ignore his other charge so he made sure to properly instruct Shiro on how to care for the young paladin while he was away- showing him how to change his bandages and how much medicine to administer to his wounds as well as changing the IV bag hooked to his arm. Shiro offered to give Keith more blood as well but Coran wouldn't let him. Soon, the room cleared and left only Shiro and Keith but the room soon became too quiet- almost to the point of it being unnerving for Shiro so he spoke.
"Hey Keith… can you hear me?" There was obviously no response so he sighed deeply and hung his head, clutching Keith's hand tightly.
"Look, I… I know I'm hard on you sometimes. I'm judgmental and don't always give you the benefit of the doubt and I'm sorry… I'm sorry, Keith. I'll try harder, I promise. I'll stop trying to push you."
Keith made a soft noise of pain, his brow knitting together and Shiro gently stroked his fingers through his hair to calm him until the moment passed and he settled back down.
"Keith… I really need you to be okay. You mean so much to me… and I… there are things we need to talk about." Shiro remembered what Keith had said over the radio just before they got to him and it still caused his heart to ache. He'd never heard Keith say such hopeless things before but even worse… it was almost as though he was asking for Shiro's permission… to give up.
"We need to talk things over, just you and me so… don't you dare give up. Fight, Keith. Stay with me… Voltron needs you. ….I need you."
Silence followed for a long time after that. Shiro wanted Keith to be ok, to open his eyes and tell him he was worrying too much like usual but at the same time he knew Keith had a long recovery ahead of him and hoped he would sleep through the worst of it. Every few hours he would check Keith's wounds, noting his observations for Coran before redressing the wounds. It was hard work but he simply refused to relinquish his watch to rest, despite the other's assurances. Ultimately this was something Shiro needed to do for his own sake. And so he sat, watched and waited, hardly taking his eyes off of Keith. However, after a full day and a half he just couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and unintentionally drifted off to sleep.
In his dream he was wandering in a dark place. It was cold, empty… No matter how far Shiro walked nothing changed. Until suddenly he started to hear a voice calling out to him from the darkness.
"Shiro?" Shiro turned, recognizing the voice calling out.
"Keith?" He turned around but still couldn't see anything. "Where are you? I can't see you."
"Shiro? Are you there? It's so cold…" Keith's voice was sounding weaker, much like it had over the communicator. Fear was rising inside of Shiro as he began to run, desperately searching for the source of the voice.
"I'm here, Keith! Keep talking so I can find you!"
"Shiro… Shiro…" Keith kept calling his name, his voice growing weaker and weaker until finally, after running so far and so long Shiro saw something. A faint light was growing in the middle of the darkness and in the center of that bright light he saw a figure, slowly moving towards it.
"Keith…. Keith!"
The figure stopped and turned slightly, smiling at Shiro.
"Shiro...Sorry. I have to go now." He then turned back, moving closer and closer to the light. Shiro knew what this meant and reached out for him, still running.
"No, Keith… Stop! Don't go that way! Stop!"
Shiro feared he wouldn't be able to make it in time but by some miracle he reached Keith before the light could overtake him completely and pulled him back towards him. In an instant the light disappeared and Shiro let out a shaky sigh of relief, gripping Keith's arm firmly.
"Thank goodness…. Keith, I thought you had…. Keith?" Shiro's relief was short lived as Keith's body wobbled before collapsing limply into Shiro's arms. Confused, Shiro carefully lowered him gently to the floor, cradling him in his arms.
"Keith? Hey, what's wrong? Keith, answer me!" He shook the slight frame gently, willing his eyes to open but he suddenly felt something wet. Pulling his hand up he saw that it was completely covered in blood.
"K-Keith…" It was then that he strained his eyes to see through the dark, gliding his hand back down Keith's body to his abdomen. What he felt there was a gaping hole, the scent of blood immediately assaulting his senses. Keith coughed weakly, blood pouring from his mouth as it was from his abdomen. Alarmed, Shiro pressed his hand firmly against the wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding.
"No…. no no no! Keith, hang in there! Stay with me, Keith!" Already the blood was pooling around his fingers and Shiro pressed harder, desperate. Despite the pain he must have been in Keith opened his eyes and smiled up at him, lifting a hand to rest it on Shiro's cheek.
"It's okay, Shiro… you don't have to do that. I'm ready…"
"No…" Shiro's eyes burned as hot tears streamed down over his cheeks, droplets falling onto Keith's bloodstained face. "Keith, you can't give up like this… I need you to be okay!"
"Shiro… You have to let me go. It's okay-"
"It wont be okay, goddamnit!" Shiro interrupted him, holding him closely. Emotions were filling Shiro up, ready to spill out of him. Words he never had the courage to admit before burned his tongue, begging to be said aloud. "I need you here with me, Keith! I need you, you hear? Because I-"
This time, Keith interrupted him. He moved his hand from his cheek, leaving a blood smear before placing a finger over Shiro's lips. He was still smiling, his eyes half lidded but calm.
"Don't say something… that you'll only regret, Shiro. Don't say something you can't take back."
All of a sudden, the white light appeared again, this time forming underneath them, coming up from the ground where Shiro couldn't escape it.
"Keith… no, Keith…" Shiro clutched Keith's hand tightly, the tears still falling. "Please!"
"It's ok, Shiro… So don't…. cry…"
And then suddenly Keith's body disintegrated into tiny spheres of light, his last words echoing around Shiro who was struck still in shock. His still bloody hands shook as he watched the spheres linger around him, slowly disappearing before his eyes.
"Keith… N-no…. KEITH!"
Suddenly, Shiro's eyes snapped open, his arm stretching above him as he awoke from his nightmare. His heart was pounding painfully in his chest and he was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He hadn't intended to yell out and the suddenness of it startled Allura who nearly dropped her tray of equipment, standing at his side.
"Shiro…..?" She cautiously approached him and touched his arm, drawing his attention back to her as he struggled to remember how to breathe. After a few moments he was able to regain his composure and sat up, holding his head. The room was spinning at first so Allura supported him until he was fully awake once more.
"Are you alright?"
"I… Yeah. Sorry, I'm okay now…" Shiro wasn't okay, though. The dream had rocked him to his core and even now the images lingered with him. Looking down at his hand he could almost still feel the thick blood coating it but there was nothing. "Just a bad dream…."
"Aren't you a bit old… to still have nightmares…?" A soft voice called from the other end of the room. Shiro's eyes widened and Allura smiled, stepping aside to Shiro could see the other bed where Keith was laying, his head now turned to face him. He still looked weak and exhausted and his oxygen mask was muffling his words but he was alive… and awake!
"Keith…" Shiro quickly swung his legs over the edge of the bed and ran to Keith's side, immediately taking his hand. "You're awake!"
"Yeah…"
"He awoke just a few minutes before yourself." Allura explained, walking over to them. "Coran will be back soon so try not to move about until then. You're still in bad shape."
"Hope it wont be long… Maybe I'll run… some laps to pass the time…" Shiro couldn't help but snicker at Keith's weak attempt at humor.
"Yeah right. I'm sure he'd love that." He teased, tousling his hair softly. "You nut…"
Keith made a face at Shiro's affectionate teasing but it wasn't as though he had the strength to tease back. In fact he barely had the energy to move his head to look around the room. Still pumped full of pain killers the whole room looked like it was wobbly.
"I feel weird… and it's a bit hard to breathe….." his eyes fell back to Shiro who was back to wearing his concerned expression. "How long have I been out?"
"….A couple days now. Your condition was pretty touch and go for a while there… we were worried. ….I was worried."
A couple days? How was that possible? Keith knew that the castle had advanced technology and had seen first hand the amazing technological wonder that was the healing pod.
"What happened…? Why am I still-?" Keith attempted to move, even slightly but the shift sent an immediate jolt of pain straight through him from both the hole in his abdomen and his broken ribs, forcing him back down. His eyes clenched tightly as he waited for the wave to dissipate, only noticing once it was faded that Shiro had set a hand on his chest.
"Keith…"
"Shiro, what…. Why does it still hurt?" Shiro's gaze fell for a moment before meeting Keith's pained expression.
"I'm afraid there's something wrong with the castle. A lot of the systems are down, including the healing pod. We couldn't risk putting you inside it…"
"Poor Lance nearly died trying to test it out." Allura added, the memory still haunting her. Keith's eyes widened and he attempted to move again, only to be held still by Shiro.
"Lance- is he okay?"
"He's fine, Keith. He wasn't seriously hurt. But you are so stop trying to move."
Somehow, being told not to do something made Keith's body ache to move but even so he obeyed and attempted to take a deep breath. That was just as painful as trying to move. It sent him into a ragged coughing fit that sent more painful jolts through him- that is, until Shiro pressed a hand lightly to his side and applied gentle, targeted pressure. It helped and soon the coughing stopped, allowing Keith to relax.
"O-ow…. That… really sucked."
"Yeah, I bet." Shiro responded, releasing him. "But I'm afraid that's my fault. In trying to revive you I accidently broke some of your ribs."
"Gee… thanks… I always wondered what a… broken bone felt like." Keith replied sarcastically, but in a somewhat affectionate way so Shiro wouldn't feel guilty about it. It didn't work but Shiro still tried to smile. Keith closed his eyes, feeling suddenly tired again despite sleeping a couple days. …a couple…. His eyes suddenly snapped open.
"Wait, days? Exactly how long have I-"
"It's the 28th, Keith. According to your Earh calendar." Allura said with some idea what he was panicking about. But, hearing that he did calm down and smiled.
"Good…. I'm glad. I haven't missed it…"
Shiro's brow knit in disappointment. Here he was barely escaping death and the first thing he worries about is missing a birthday party? That party, his birthday, was the reason all this happened! That was reason enough for Shiro to be displeased.
"Keith, that's not important."
"What's not?" Keith was clearly still committed to keeping this secret and while he hated to do it, he knew it didn't matter.
"Just forget about the party, Keith." Keith's eyes opened and immediately he looked angry.
"Aw geez… who told you? Was it Lance? Bet it was Lance…."
"No one told me. You all just suck at keeping secrets." Shiro sighed and sat back in his chair. "Anyway, there are more important things than a stupid birthday party so just forget it, alright?"
"It's not stupid." Keith fought back, feeling a bit of energy fill him up. He managed to push himself up slightly. "But if you can't appreciate it then fine, we'll just forget it!"
"Fine by me." The two were having an intense stare-off and the tension in the air concerned Allura. She was attempting to break it up when the door opened.
"Both of you, please…!"
"Oi, you wake up from a long nap and you're already fighting? Geez, that didn't take long!" Lance's comment snapped the boys out of their glaring match. Behind him, the rest of the Paladins entered followed by Coran. He and Pidge looked like they hadn't slept much.
"Lance… hey, are you okay?" Keith looked Lance over but the boy waved off the incident like it was nothing… even though it was most definitely SOMETHING.
"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. Better off than you, anyway. How're you feeling?"
"Aside from pissed off….?" Keith glanced at Shiro before sighing and laying back down. "I feel like I got run over by a jeep."
"I'd say that's about right." Coran stepped up to the bed and examined Keith. He noted the improved coloring and saw that the puncture and incision had stopped bleeding at last. But his side was bruising already as a result of the breaks.
"Hmm…."
"You gonna tell me how bad it is?" Keith asked, slightly impatient at this point. "How long am I going to feel like this?"
"I'm afraid the damage was extensive. The dart you were stuck with," Coran began, retrieving the dart which he had placed in a jar to show Keith. "It borrowed in pretty deeply, hitting your liver as well as tearing through muscle tissue. That will take quite some time to heal and runs the risk of infection. At the same time, you have two broken ribs which runs the an unfortunate possibility of contracting pneumonia."
"You can get that from broken ribs?" Hunk asked, confused.
"If his lungs can't expand properly to take in enough oxygen then yes." Pidge explained, adjusting her glasses. The others were staring at her, some impressed and some just confused as to why she would suddenly know that off the top of her head. "I read quite a few of my dad's medical textbooks when I was younger."
"Of course you did." Lance said, shaking his head.
"That is very helpful information, Pidge. We'll do what we can to manage the pain as you're recovering but we still need to be very careful."
"Why's that?" Keith asked, feeling overwhelmed.
"Because you're half Galra." He said, matter of factly. "And because of that I don't know how your body will react to our medicines. They're not necessarily universal and we've never tested them on someone like you before so if you feel anything strange you should tell us immediately."
"Oh great." Keith sighed deeply again, wincing.
"Sorry I don't have better news."
"It's alright, Coran…. Thanks for getting that thing out of me."
"You're welcome."
Now that Keith understood the severity of his wounds, Coran gave him another round of pain killers before helping him sit up in the bed. Keith was grateful that he didn't have to stay in the medical bay during his whole recovery as he was anxious to get back to his room and his somewhat-comfortable bed.
"So can I go now? I want to lay back down."
"Sure. But don't try to move around on your own just yet. If you need help don't hesitate to call one of us."
"Right…"
Shiro, who had been silent for some time, reached out to grab Keith's arm but the boy pulled it just out of his reach, avoiding eye contact. Being rejected hurt Shiro a bit but after a fight they usually did need some time apart to cool down. Still, getting into an argument wasn't what he'd planned to do right after Keith woke up.
Seeing as that matchup wasn't going to work out, Lance volunteered and helped pull Keith into a barely-stable upright condition. They said farewell to the others before starting the long, painful trek to Keith's room. Along the way, Lance noticed just how irritated Keith seemed to be. And he doubted it had to do with his prognosis.
"You wanna tell me what's eating you?"
"….He doesn't understand. Stupid Shiro…"
Ah. That. Sighing, Lance shook his head.
"Seriously? You two are like oil and water sometimes… Why were you guys fighting anyway?"
"He brushed off the party. His birthday. Told me it was stupid…"
"And that's worth fighting over?"
"…..He doesn't get what it means."
The two finally made it back to Lance's room where Keith eyed his bed longingly. But Lance wasn't ready to drop the issue.
"…..Look Keith. I don't think you should be angry with Shiro right now. I mean, look at what happened. You almost died… and Shiro was more devastated than the rest of us. He totally lost his cool."
"You mean disappointed? That I went and got myself hurt like an idiot?"
"No…. I mean that he was afraid to lose you. He thought he was going to have to watch you die and it scared him. It scared all of us."
His words got through to Keith, breaking past his wall of stubbornness and his features softened.
"….I know that…" He said softly, sadly. "But I really… was stupid. If I hadn't insisted on going back for it, then…" Keith sighed and shook his head, settling back on a mound of pillows that Lance had set up for him without his knowing. He felt so tired and weak still and he'd used up all his energy already on just arguing with Shiro.
"Even if it was stupid… I understand why you did it." It was then that Lance pulled something out of one of the cabinets in the room, wrapped in a nice cloth. He brought it to Keith, setting it down on his lap before heading for the door. "I know what you were trying to do, so… don't be so hard on yourself. Or Shiro."
Keith looked down at the object, shifting the cloth aside slightly, his eyes widening as he realized what it was. Seeing it did make Keith feel better, more invigorated, and he looked up just as Lance was about to leave.
"Hey Lance."
"Yeah?" The brunette looked back, happy to see a determined expression returning to Keith's face.
"I need you… to do something for me."
