Rufioh felt a sudden pain on his cheek that broke through the numbness he was feeling. His right hand moved to the aching flesh slowly as his face turned back to meet Kurloz's angry expression. It was this moment he realized again that Kurloz was in fact in the same situation. Rufioh moved in and wrapped his arms around the elder Makara's torso which made the tall man stiffen in his arms before wrapping his around the shorter man. "... I'm so sorry Makara. I keep forgetting that we are the same..." Rufioh felt something wet fall on the back of his ear. He looked up at the man and watched the tears fall freely. "What?" Kurloz asked as he pulled away sniffling. "Ah... Uh, nothing just... I never seen you cry before." Rufioh explained as he subconsciously moved his hand to Kurloz's bicep. "Ye- yeah well don't get used to it." Kurloz stated in a strong but broken tone. "Mr. Nitram? Mr. Makara?" A man in a white lab coat asked as he placed a hand in his pocket. The two men looked at him and nodded as he waved them inside.
"Your boys were in a very serious accident. They are lucky to be alive." The doctor said optimistically as he walked them to the back with patient rooms. Rufioh felt a wave of relief wash over him and the way Kurloz had sighed it seemed to hit him too. The doctor stopped in front of a room and pulled the curtain back slightly revealing Gamzee sitting on the bed he had blood stained bandages on his face. Rufioh and Kurloz moved quickly to his side. "Gamzee, oh thank god you're alright." The elder Capricorn said as he moved his hand to Gamzee's shoulder afraid to hurt him. "Dad... Dad!" Gamzee pulled his father down and hugged him tightly as if desperate to feel another human being. "I'm here Gamzee.. I'm here." Kurloz let the tears roll down his cheeks as did Gamzee. Rufioh gave a small smile relived that Gamzee seemed well even with a so called severe car accident. He felt confident that Tavros would be alright. "Mr. Nitram." The doctor called him over, "your son is two rooms down. If you would fallow me." He moved away slowly letting the curtain fall Rufioh looked at the two Makara's and softly smiled. "I will be right back. I'm going to see Tavros." Rufioh stated and saw a look in Gamzee's in covered eye that made him feel uneasy after leaving the room. The elder Nitram followed the doctor whom seemed to move agonizingly slow.
"Mr. Nitram, " the doctor said in a serious tone, "Your son is in pretty bad shape... We have him on some very strong pain relievers so he may not be ... Responsive." This made Rufioh even more uneasy as he watched the doctor moving passed him and into his son's room. Rufioh's eyes landed on Tavros whom was attached to a breathing machine and an I.V drip with blood, and what he assumed to be the pain medication. Tavros had scratches and bruises on his face and neck, but that wasn't the worst of it. Rufioh felt tears fall from his cheeks as he looked down at the bed where his son's legs would have been. The surface was flat up to what he assumed were his son's hips. The elder Nitram moved to Tavros' side and pulled him into his arms. His son was heavy and limp in his arms as he hugged his unconscious boy's body. He rubbed the young Nitram's Mohawk trying to reassure himself and wake up his son. "We had to amputate his legs" the doctor said as he stood there looking at the Taurus's, they were broken beyond healing and his lower spine was fracture. I'm sorry to say this but... Your son will never walk again even with prosthetics."
"Please... Just leave me alone with my boy." Rufioh muttered as he held Tavros lovingly. The doctor nodded and left him alone with his son. Rufioh sat next to his son and starred at him, wishing his eyes would open soon. Minutes passed like hours as he waited there silently crying and watching his boy breath shallowly. It was painful thinking about how he allowed this to happen. If he had only refused his son instead of allowing him to leave. If only he had gone to pick Tavros up early. None of this would have happened if he had just did something. "I'm so sorry Tavros... I let you down... I let you get hurt..." The elder man whispered to his son as his eyes moved to his son's missing legs. "Its not all your fault." Said a sympathetic voice entering the room. Rufioh moved his head to meet Kurloz's form now in the room. The taller man had two cups of coffee in his hands as he moved to sit in the chair next to Rufioh and offered a cup to the Taurus. "Thank you." Rufioh mumbled again as he took the coffee from the other man.
"... How's Gamzee?" The man finally asked after taking a long drink of the bitter coffee. "He is fine, thanks to your boy." Kurloz replied with a happy tone. Rufioh looked at him with tired eyes asking without words what he means. "Gamzee said that Tavros turned his body and held him before the other car hit them.. Since Gamzee was facing away from him them when the car flipped and skidded a metal shard scrapped across his face. Tavros was holding on so tight the thing that scratched Gamzee's face didn't have a chance to pierce his eye or break open his skull... Unfortunately one of the girls weren't wearing her seat belt and lost her eye to the same thing that hurt Gamzee's face." The elder Makara patted Rufioh's shoulder whom was imagining how brave Tavros was to think of his friend in that split second and how terrified he must have been to hold on so tightly. His mind went to the poor girl that must have been really hurt after that crash. He looked to his coffee then turned his attention back to the other man. He gave a small smile as if to say thank you then turned to look at Tavros again. "I'm sorry." Kurloz muttered awkwardly as he turned his head away.
"For what?" The shorter man asked as he turned his attention back on Kurloz. "For everything." Kurloz said as he stood up, "I'm sorry for when we were kids and I'm sorry about your son." Rufioh remained silent as the man walked out of the room most likely heading back to see his own son. Rufioh put his coffee down and watched his son lie still in the hospital bed. He didn't know he fell asleep until he heard Tavros' voice call out for him to wake up. "Dad, wake up." Tavros repeated as he reached out to him. Rufioh sat up and moved to his son. His arms wrapped around Tavros as he happily embraced his little boy. "Oh god Tavros I'm so happy you're okay!" Rufioh exclaimed as Tavros hugged his dad with one arm. "W-where a-am I?" The younger Nitram asked confused and scared, "I c-can't feel m-my legs..." Rufioh hugged him even tighter as he remembered what he will have to tell his son. How can he break the news to him? How can he tell his little boy he will never walk again? Rufioh couldn't help but cry as he held Tavros whom began to cry himself. "Tavros, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Was all the elder Taurus could choke out. They cried for a good five minutes before the elder man explained to the teen that he lost his legs in the car crash. Tavros' expression was a mix of pain, confusion, and disbelief.
The teen's hands gripped the blanket covering him before roughly pulling it off revealing two wrapped stumps. Tavros gasped in surprise as he looked down at where his legs should be. Rufioh covered his mouth with one hand as the other hand grasped at his chest, clutching the fabric in his fingers out of shock. The two Taurus looked at each other and moved to give each other another hug. "Oh Tavros, I'm so sorry. I am here for you. I will be right here with you through every moment." Rufioh assured the little Taurus whom stood silent as he held his father and with a heavy heart accepted that this was going to be permanent. The two Taurus had asked the nurses for the doctor to come in to the room and talk about Tavros' condition. It didn't take long before the doctor walked in with with a clip board, "Hello, Tavros. I'm your doctor, Dr. Hussie." The two Nitram's stood silent as they waited for Doctor Hussie to continue. "Looking at your x-ray's it seems that everything under your second lumbar has been severed in the accident. Please allow me to do a few tests." Doctor Hussie then pulled out a pen from his chest pocket and looked at the two for permission. Rufioh nodded and looked at his son and nodded again.
Tavros nodded at his dad then looked to Doctor Hussie a bit frightened. Hussie poked at the lower part of Tavros' hip as the two Taurus' watched anxiously. "Can you feel that?" The doctor asked as he looked at Tavros whom shook his head 'no'. The doctor moved the pen up a little higher on Tavros' leg, "how about this?" "Um..." The little Taurus voiced, "I think... I mean uh, I feel a f-faint pressure? Um... Almost l-like a uh... A feather?" The doctor stood up and pocketed the pen with a small smile, "you will have a little control of your pelvis and hips. You are a very though boy Tavros." "But w-will I walk a-again?" Tavros asked a bit hopeful. The doctor frowned as he paused taking a moment to think, "Only time may tell. You will have to go through some physical therapy if..." The doctor trailed off not wanting to finish what he was saying. Rufioh and Hussie both knew it would be a long shot for Tavros to be able to walk but they both didn't want to crush what little hope the teenager had left.