Normally, Merlin revelled at hearing the mumbled voices from the people who were walking up and down the hallway. To hear their shoes squeaking on the linoleum floor and to smell the antiseptics through his nose. But now he wasn't all too happy to experience that.
Although, he wasn't exactly allowed to leave his bed, he just couldn't lie in the hospital bed for a second longer when he knew that Arthur was not more than three feet away, he still hadn't regained consciousness.
He had waited for the doctor to leave after finishing yet another test and then crept out of the bed. He walked on feeble legs towards Arthur's bed and dragged the stick with an IV bag and monitor behind him. The doctors felt the need to monitor him as his blood pressure was still somewhat unpredictable. He just found it annoying and irritating, but dealt with it after he saw the look on the faces of his parents.
Now he was sitting on a chair next to Arthur's bed and kept staring at him with a sad expression, with his hand was pressed onto Arthur's and his thumb rubbing soothing circles on his skin.
There was only the beeping of Arthur's heart monitor as well as his own that filled up the silence, and somehow it was soothing for Merlin. He kept sitting in silence for a while and studied Arthur's face closely. Uther had told him about his son's frown and he could see it clearly. He could only guess what it was that made the frown appear.
Merlin looked to the big clock on the wall, watching how the second hand was slowly ticking it's way round. It was well in the afternoon and visiting hours would almost start now. He had been sitting there three hours already and although the nurses disagreed with him being out of bed, none had the heart to separate the two. And even if they would, then Merlin would find his back to Arthur quite quickly.
He hadn't seen him at all since the accident and he needed to see Arthur so much now that it had started to hurt. When he had yanked the curtain that had been dividing the two beds open after almost two days of being closed, he saw his boyfriend lying in the bed and it just wasn't right. Arthur didn't belong there.
When he had taken a seat, Merlin had started to talk to Arthur, but wasn't sure if Arthur heard him. He talked about different kinds of subject, and how he wanted to get a ride on his motorcycle again. And then there was also talks about that concert of his favourite band Arthur got him tickets for, it was only a few weeks away.
His attention was drawn away when he heard voices coming into their shared hospital room. His eyes widened when he recognized the voices as his parents' and he knew he would get it now for being out of bed. He didn't had to wait long before his mother's concerned voice reached his ears, not yet yelling to his father where her son was. Then the curtain was drawn away and Merlin's head snapped to Uther who stared at him. He let go of Arthur's hand and quickly stood up, only the motion made him feel a little bit dizzy and he grabbed the pole for some support.
He was swaying and he was certain that he would faint any moment now, but then two strong hands grabbed his shoulders and gently sat him down on the chair he had occupied. He blinked a few times to get rid of the dizziness and the black spots and when they were finally gone, he could see Uther sitting in front of him on his haunches and looking up at him with concern.
"You okay?" Uther whispered, "Should I get a doctor?"
Merlin softly shook his head and Uther stayed on his haunches for a minute more until Merlin gave him a curt nod and said, "I'm fine."
Uther stood up and Merlin did the same almost at the same time, but Uther placed a hand on his shoulder once more.
"No, stay. I'm sure Arthur would like that." Uther said louder now and soon enough two pairs of feet hurried their way and the curtain was opened. Hunith blew out a sigh of relieve when she saw her son sitting at his boyfriend's side. She was about to walk up to him, when Balinor pulled her away.
"Just, let them." Balinor murmured. "We'll grab a coffee and come back in a few minutes. He's fine, Hunith."
Merlin offered his father a small smile of thanks after his mother reluctantly agreed to come with him.
There were a few moments of peaceful silence and only the two heart monitors of Merlin and Arthur beeping was heard. Uther had pulled up a chair on the other side of the bed and held Arthur's hand into his own. Merlin could see the love and devotion the man had for his son.
Those eyes flickered up to Merlin and Merlin could see a sense of desperation in them. "Has he… opened his eyes already?" Uther softly asked, but Merlin shook his head. His eyes gliding down to the floor.
Uther softly nodded and looked back at his son again. Maybe he was being too optimistic, but he had hoped that his son would've woken up by now, or at least shown a sign that he was still there with them. The doctor had updated him with Arthur's situation and told him that Arthur had been extremely lucky. A few millimetres to the left and the knife would've sliced through his intestine and then it would've looked a whole lot grimmer. Although he knife had cut deep, there wasn't any major damaging and the doctor was optimistic. He expected that, with some rest, Arthur would soon be recovered.
He told Uther that Arthur could be still sleeping due to the sedatives and he could wake up any moment now, but Uther didn't want to wait any longer. He wanted his son's eyes to open, so that he could gather him up in his arms and never let him go.
Uther's attention faltered by hearing Merlin murmur soft reassurances to Arthur and Uther could see how much compassion Merlin had for his son. He admits that he was uneasy about Arthur's sexuality at first, but when he saw how Arthur lived up, for most part, after telling him about his sexuality, he just couldn't be ignorant and cross.
The relationship with his son had been improved tenfold and Arthur's hadn't stopped talking about Merlin, and he could only smile with how much excitement his son talked about Merlin. Secretly, he wouldn't be surprised, if Arthur would suddenly tell him that he would going to ask Merlin to marry him.
A smile transformed on his lips, but was quickly gone when he heard soft groan. It came from his son and he saw that same frown as when he came in the first time, appearing on his son's forehead again. In a split second he was closely hovering over his son.
"Arthur? Calm down, everything is alright. It's me."
Arthur started to move his head from left to right, muttering to himself. "No, no… go away. Don't touch me."
Uther leaned in closer, his hand gently placed on Arthur's head and his thumb started to caress the skin of his forehead. "Arthur it's me, dad." Uther whispered reassuringly at his son. "You're fine. Merlin is here too, you're okay now. Open your eyes and see for yourself."
"N-no… you're lying." Arthur grunted, breathing heavily and still squirming in the bed.
Merlin had pressed the alarm button already and was now thinking of ways to calm his boyfriend down. He had Arthur's hand still firmly into his own and gently placed a kiss on top of Arthur's knuckles and spoke soft words after Uther's reassurances didn't work completely. Arthur had calmed down only a little bit, but it was still not enough.
"Arthur," Merlin began softly. "You're really safe now. I'm here, your father is here…" Merlin wanted to say more, but he saw Arthur slowly opening his lids, at the same time Doctor Robinson drew the curtain away.
The doctor first glared at Merlin for being out of bed but then walked up to the side of the bed.
"Merlin, go to your own bed. Now." Doctor Robinson told Merlin. And although reluctantly, Merlin listened in the end. He knew he was being considered a patient instead of a doctor now and had to do what he was told.
The curtain between them was firmly shut again, but Merlin could still hear Arthur's franticness and all he wanted to do was getting out of his bed and comfort Arthur. Just when he was about to, he heard Uther taking that job on him and Merlin decided he should stay and let Uther and Arthur have some time alone. He kept listening to what was happening and heard the doctor performing some tests. Some moments later, Merlin heard him telling Uther that Arthur was sleeping again and the Doctor then continued to talk about the progress Arthur made.
Merlin laid himself down into the bed, maybe some more sleep for him was a good idea. He had just closed them before his parents entered the room in a panic. They had seen Doctor Robinson rushing past them and towards the room where their son was, their initial thought was that something had happened to Merlin. Arriving in the room, they saw their son in bed and Uther standing in the middle of the room, telling them that Arthur had woken up.
~oOoOo~
Three days later, the curtain was now completely drawn open and the room was filled with Merlin and Arthur's friends and family. The doctors only allowed so many people to visit at the same time because of Merlin and Arthur's progress, but the visiting time was still limited to only an hour for now.
Arthur had been in a daze the first one and a half days and kept slipping in and out of consciousness. He was completely awake and responding well since yesterday afternoon.
Merlin was being cleared from every machine and fluids since two days, and the only thing he needed to do was to stay in bed, but that was becoming more and more difficult at every day that passed.
Arthur was still a bit weak and shaken by everything that had happened the last couple of days, but was visibly relieved when he learnt about what happened to Gwaine. Even though he never wished the man to die, he was happy that he could never suffer at Gwaine's hands again.
Arthur's friends kept his mind from thinking too much about Gwaine by telling told Merlin embarrassing stories about Arthur. Which he of course tried to deny with every fibre in his body, or tried to answer them with excuses.
"Really?" Merlin's voice pitched. "You swam naked in your neighbour's pool, and she caught you doing it!" Merlin doubled over laughing and Uther smirked, remembering clearly how his sixty year old neighbour's turned up in shock at his doorstep with Arthur in tow. Arthur had been standing there, head down, and dressed in a bathrobe with flower design.
"Leon told me too!" Arthur said, accusingly pointing towards Leon who held his hands up. "And I was drunk, which was also his fault."
An hour more passed and a nurse entered the room. "I'm sorry people, but the patients need their rest."
Nobody went against it. Hunith kissed Merlin as well as Arthur on the top of their head and told them to rest. Balinor followed by placing an hand on his son's shoulder and telling him that he should listen for once in his life to other doctors and don't do stuff he would think is best. Merlin reluctantly agreed to do so.
Uther stood by his son and Arthur looked up at him. He remembered vaguely that his father had been talking to him when he was unconscious and now wasn't sure if he had actually heard his father talking to him, or whether it was his mind playing tricks on him. It was such a peculiar feeling.
"Father…" Arthur said and Uther perched down on the edge of the bed, both of them now on eyelevel.
"Yes Arthur?" Uther responded, placing his hand on his son's shoulder.
"I-I just want to tell you that I don't blame you, for anything. You couldn't know any of this because I never said something."
"But as your father I should've-"
"No, really." Arthur cut his father off. "You've been nothing but good to me and I screwed it up by distancing myself more and more from you. I shouldn't been keeping secrets, look where it brought me… us."
Uther moved his hand from Arthur's shoulder to cup his cheek. "Arthur, don't do this to yourself. We both made mistakes, but we now have time enough to make it up to each other. Get some rest son." Uther finished and leaned forward to kiss his son on his temple. Something he hadn't done in… years.
"I'll see you tomorrow Arthur." Uther stood up and wanted to walk away, but Arthur grabbed his arm, making him turn around.
"Thank you." Arthur said and Uther nodded once, smiling at his son and knowing that their future was looking far more brighter now.
As Uther walked away he acknowledged Merlin and Merlin waved his goodbye.
"That was amazing Arthur." Merlin said when everyone left the room. He turned to look at his boyfriend. "I know you wanted to tell him that for a long time now."
Arthur nodded, but didn't say anything for a moment.
"I was scared that I'd lose you Merlin. Don't ever scare me this much again" Arthur admitted. "What exactly had happen between you and Gwaine, did he…?" Arthur let the rest of the sentence linger in the air, but Merlin knew what his boyfriend meant. He frowned and tilted his head once more to the side.
"No, nothing like that happened Arthur. When I came back from the toilets, someone grabbed me from behind when I walked past the cloakroom. I seriously thought it was you, so I didn't scream. But when I turned around and saw who it really was, I wanted to scream, I wanted to warn you, but Gwaine had already put something over my mouth and I couldn't think straight anymore. I think that's when I passed out because the next moment I woke up I saw you standing in front of me."
"I'm sorry." Arthur said soft.
"It's not your fault and it will never be your fault." Merlin said sternly. He didn't like it that Arthur kept beating himself up for something he didn't had control over. It wasn't his fault!
"Now let's try to not talk about it anymore tonight, let's talk about something pleasant."
"Like what?" Arthur asked, his face still holding a sad expression.
Merlin couldn't stand the look on his boyfriend's face. "Like… uhm, like. Oh! Our two month anniversary is in two weeks! I expect flowers, chocolates, a romantic date… and that's just the start." Merlin snorted and Arthur laughed.
"Are you sure you're not a girl Merlin?" Arthur retorted.
"Yes, quite sure. Why? Did you have something better planned?"
"I know I have."
"Oh really… well enlighten me. What did our Casanova planned for this oh so special night?"
"I'm surprised you forgot so soon already. The dates match, don't they? I believe so." Arthur saw Merlin's frown deepen and his eyes narrowing more and more with each cryptic description he gave.
Merlin shook his head. "Seriously Arthur, what are you on about?"
"I'll give you a hint." Arthur stated. "It starts with 'Safety' and ends with 'Suit', does that ring a bell?" Arthur saw Merlin's eyes widen with recognition and Merlin put his palm against his forehead.
"Of course, the concert! Oh my god, how could I ever forget! Okay you win, that would be indeed a far better anniversary, if not the best anniversary ever. But you're sure you up for that, I mean I don't want you to stress-"
"Seriously Merlin. Shut up." Arthur laughed. "I'm not made from glass you know. We'll just see how everything goes the next couple of weeks, but I'm planning to keep my promise that I will take you to that concert."
Arthur gave a curt nod. "Okay?"
"Fine." Merlin sighed. "Let's just get some sleep now, okay?"
The both settled down and Arthur was lying on his side, but was still awake. His mind kept bringing Gwaine up and it was bothering him. He would call Doctor Bailey tomorrow morning, to see if she could come by.
~oOoOo~
It was still early in the morning, but Merlin and Arthur were already up and had been teasing each other from their own beds. The order off staying in bed was still firmly in place and both of them had grumbled about it.
Visiting hour wouldn't start until that afternoon and booth of them were bored out of their mind already and were now watching meaningless day time TV. They were watching some infomercial when a woman entered the room and Arthur perked up in his bed. Merlin looked to him and saw him smile and it made him raise an eyebrow.
The woman took a seat at Arthur's bedside and placed her briefcase next to her on the ground.
"Arthur, who's this?" Merlin asked.
"Merlin, I'd like you to meet Doctor Bailey." Arthur shifted his gaze from Merlin to his psychiatrist. He had called her this morning when he woke up, Merlin was still asleep then. To his surprise she picked up the phone and Arthur gave a brief explanation on what had happened. Doctor Bailey immediately told Arthur she would visit him in the hospital later that morning, telling him that this was something that had to be discussed face-to-face.
"Doctor Bailey, this is the infamous Merlin."
She smiled wholeheartedly to Merlin before standing up and extending her hand. "I heard a lot about you Merlin."
"Likewise." Merlin replied. A smile spread over his face. If this woman was here, than Arthur was ready to talk about what happened instead of keeping it all in. It was progress!
Arthur sat up straighter when Doctor Bailey wanted to close the curtain between his and Merlin's bed. He held out his hand. "No, leave it open. I have no secrets for Merlin and want him to hear what I have to say."
"Of course, whatever you want Arthur." Doctor Bailey told him gently and sat down again. She turned the chair so she could see both Merlin as well as Arthur and then bent down to scramble a bit in her bag, only to let a notebook and pen appear just seconds later.
As soon as Arthur saw that she had placed the notebook on her lap, he began to speak. "Doctor Bailey, the reason I called you is because…"
There's only one chapter left and that's the epilogue. It takes place a year later.