Pains of Living - Chapter 2 (part 2)
Title: The Pains of Living (3/?) - Chapter 2 part 2.
Sequel to Velcro (Or, A Million and One Different Ways to Start Piecing Together Broken Hearts)
Author: Pulpobsessed.
Pairing: Multiple Pairings
Characters: This chapter: Dave Karofsky, Kurt Hummel, Chris Michaels (OC), and others
Overall Rating: NC17 (for violence and language)
Summary: Takes place a year and six months after the final chapters of Velcro. Dave thought his life was perfect. He had everything he could ever want or need. But when a real tragedy strikes, everything he knows is turned on its head.
Genre: FutureFic
Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy. Not me. But this Dave...he's all mine.
Read D&R Here | Read Velcro Here
Read Pains of Living Prologue | Chapter 1.
[2]
Somehow Jess gets there before Tim. He’s not really sure how, since he doesn’t have his phone to call her...maybe it is that strange psychic connection she and Dave share. He swears sometimes they really are communicating through brain waves.
Chris is sitting, alone, in the waiting area of the emergency room, staring at the floor. He is thinking about the fact that he forgot to put away all the food - there’s a raw chicken sitting in a roasting pan on the counter. Fuck, Dave is going to be so mad at him. “It smells like rotting meat in here! Gross! Where’s my gas mask?” The ice cream was probably disgusting by now. Dave would be heartbroken at that.
Focusing on the food was ok...it wasn’t good, it wasn't helping, but it was ok. It meant he didn’t have to focus on the fact that his boyfriend was somewhere in this building getting bullets pulled out of his body. It meant he didn’t have to think about their fight...and the fact that he and Dave had not kissed each other that morning. It meant he didn’t have to think about the police officer who had just used words like, perpetrator, gun shots, deranged, drugs and dead. And it certainly meant he didn’t have to think about the fact that he had no idea what was happening to Dave right now.
Silent tears were sliding down his face.
And suddenly, she was there. Kneeling in front of him. The sight of her teary, worried face completely shook Chris. The few dams he’d erected since finding Dave crumbled...and he pitched himself forward into her arms with a strangled cry erupting from his lips.
“I’m sorry - I lost my phone. I think I dropped it when I...when I...saw him.”
“Its ok. Shhhhh...Chris its ok. I found you. I just went to every hospital. But I found you.” She wrapped her arms around him and held onto him as tightly as she could.
And then, Tim was there.
Huh? Why was Tim here?
Oh, right, because he had called him.
Chris still had his face buried in Jess’ neck, his sobs had lessened...he was able to take some deep breaths now, but he could not stop crying. Tim rubbed Chris’ back - because why not. It wasn’t going to make this any better, or any worse. But it was a thing to do while waiting for something to happen.
They sat there for a long time, Chris with his face pressed against Jess, and Tim not being sure exactly how to comfort his friend, but doing his damndest to try. Christ meanwhile, was truly on the verge of a complete emotional breakdown, but somehow by imagining what Dave would do if he were sitting here with them helped abate the full breakdown.
In all probability, Dave would make reassuring comments and trying to distract them by pointing out a bunch of really important and optimistic statistics. Or he would be making a bunch of silly jokes to try and dispel the tension in the room. But Dave isn’t here - Dave is the one lying in a emergency trauma room while people cut him open and pull shards of metal out of his body. That fact alone means that there is no way to dispel the tension.
“Chris Michaels?”
A tall blond doctor was standing in the middle of the emergency room, looking around. When her eyes settled on him, she nodded - she knew exactly who she was looking for.
He started to sit up. His stomach felt like it was filled with concrete...he didn’t want to have this conversation, he didn’t want to hear what she was going to say. She was about to tell him that Dave was gone. That he would have to go home tonight - and every night - to an empty bed. Oh...god.
“Y...yes…?”
“I’m Doctor Marcus, I’m the tending physician treating David Karofsky.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“You’re Chris Michaels? Mr. Karofsky’s...husband?” She glanced at his left hand, taking in the bare ring finger.
“Uh...we’re common law.”
She smiled. “Of course. I can give you an update on David’s condition.”
“Oh god...please…”
Her eyes fell on Jess and Tim, she looked back at Chris - questioningly.
“This is Jess - she’s Dave’s best friend and Tim is my best friend...please you can tell them. I say its ok.”
“Alright.” She paused for a moment, then decided Tima nd Jess were alright, she continued, “David suffered two gunshot wounds, one into his left arm and one which entered his chest through his right side. You should know he has suffered a great deal of blood loss. We’ve had to give him a transfusion. The bullet in his arm shattered the ulna and caused quite a bit of muscle damage. The bullet in his chest - well, that is the incredible thing. The bullet missed all the major organs, however, the bullet did crack a number of ribs and caused quite a bit of internal bleeding. I’ve managed to remove the bullets, but he’s going to go up to surgery now to help stop the bleeding. I’ve also called a orthopedic surgeon to deal with his arm. Chances are we’ll have to use a poly-carbonite bone replacement.”
Chris groaned loudly.
“No...no...its ok, Chris. Based on what the x-rays show, there is more than enough bone there to just do some patchwork, not a full replacement. You have to remember, its 2028, there have been some amazing inroads into this kind of treatment. Dave will come through and he will come through with a completely normal looking and functioning arm.”
Chris was nodding. He was having a hard time taking this in. Dave...shot. Bullets in his body. Bones needing replacement.
Doctor Marcus continued, “I’m also hoping to have a facial surgeon join me to help deal with some of the massive lacerations and extensive bone damage done to the face.”
“Oh god…” Chris could feel his legs starting to waver under him. He felt like he was about to sink to the floor. This was too much.
Tim stepped forward and grabbed him.
“Chris!” Doctor Marcus’ voice was sharp, but caring. “I know this is a lot to take in - but I assure you, this is much better than it could be. That bullet in his chest was milimeters from puncturing a lung or it could have gone into his body downwards and ruptured the stomach or spleen. But it didn’t...your boyfriend is a incredibly lucky man. Internal bleeding, I can deal with that. A shattered bone - that’s nothing. Some facial trauma - easy as pie. I can tell you right now, that David is going to be just fine. He’s going to pull through this.”
Those words were almost as welcome as having Dave walk through those doors and say them himself. Even so, he felt so unsteady on his feet. He leaned into Tim, letting his friend hold him up.
“Thank you...thank you so much.”
“Why don’t you all come up to the fourth floor, where the recovery area is, that way you can wait for him there and see him when he get to recovery.”
“I’m not leaving him tonight.”
She reached out and stroked his arm. “I assumed, I’ll talk to the nurses about letting you stay.”
“Thank you Doctor Marcus...thank you so very much.”
“For now, I would like one of you...” she looked pointedly at Jess and Tim, “...to go and get Chris something to eat. I imagine he hasn’t had anything in a while. Some juice. A coffee. Maybe a sandwich.”
Chris noticed Jess nodding.
“Despite all of this good news, you have to realize that David has a long road ahead of him, not just dealing with the physical recovery, but the emotional and mental impact this will have on him. But that is something we can deal with once he wakes up, for now, let me get back to healing him physically. I’ll see you when he is out of surgery.”
She squeezed Chris’ arm once more, and with that, she turned and disappeared back through the doors to the rest of the emergency room.
Chris turned to face Jess and Tim...Jess was smiling, a teary and sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. “He’s going to be ok, Chris...he’s going to be ok.”
Chris stood there for a moment. His mind was blank. Dave wasn’t going to die. He was alive...he...he...Chris started shaking.
Tim’s grip on him tightened. “Chris...come on, sit down ok?”
He had been so scared...so incredibly scared that his and Daves’ last conversation had been fueled by anger. So afraid that he would never get to see that man’s silly face again. So afraid that he’d never feel the best hugs in the world again.
But Dave was going to come home...he just needed to wait.
He looked at Tim and Jess, “I can’t stop crying...or shaking.”
“Its ok, honey.” Jess’ voice seemed gentle and reassuring. “No one is saying you have to.”
Chris squeezed his eyes closed again and tried to envision Dave coming home. Dave wrapped up in blankets on their couch - probably acting like a big baby so Chris would bring him ice cream. But all Chris could see was Dave on that stretcher - bloody. He shook harder.
“Chris, I think the doctor was right - you should eat something. It might make you feel better.” Tim said gently.
Food...no, no food...Dave...There was so much to do. “We have...we have to...uh...call his mom and dad and Azimo and Rachel and...Kurt too.”
Jess pulled him into a hug, “Let me deal with that, ok? You just focus on seeing Dave when he’s out of surgery.”
Chris shook his head, “No. I want to call them, please...if I just sit up there waiting, I’ll go mad.”
“Ok, how about we do it together.”
“Yeah, and you can consider me your errand boy, ok? Whatever you need, I’ll get.” Tim’s voice was soft and hesitant, uncertain.
“Thank you…” Chris could barely achieve a whisper.
--/--