Silent Beginnings
#1 of Time Will Tell
Alright, my first story on here...and in truth I have no idea what I'm doing. >__>'
So bare with me as I stumble through this. Comments will make me happy, I need feedback to motivate me into working hard I guess...so give my ego something to work with. Comments are comments I guess, but I prefer being given something more then 'I hate it' or 'I like it'.
A few things I should mention: No yiffy goodness in this one...good things come with time. This was written by me for others to enjoy reading...if you're not enjoying it...stop reading it or give me advice/suggestions. That's it for the moment...so read, enjoy, comment.
Shock, I've heard about people going into it yet this was the first time I myself had felt it. It's sort of out of body, like you know everything going on around you but can't or don't want to focus on it. I was put into a more private hospital room, one bed and a bathroom...but it was probably because they just wanted me out of the way. I had no sense of time at the moment, for I had no idea how long I stood in there. People passed the slightly open door constantly, the hallway outside being the only source of light in the room. The light grew suddenly, someone had opened the door and I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. They were speaking to me, the voice familiar but again I couldn't...no I didn't want to focus. I wanted to wake up, to have this just be a nightmare. The person was speaking to me still, gently pushing me towards the bathroom....that was basically how I got in here, someone pushing me because I couldn't find the will to move myself after he left my sight. That small thought triggered something, everything came rushing back into focus. It was like a punch in the face, because the most dramatic sense that hit me was the smell. His blood...I was covered in it, that metallic iron smell, I could taste it.
I bolted into the bathroom, thanking God that there was no top seat to lift up, I wouldn't have made it if there was. Whatever contents that were in my stomach were lost, and even when nothing was left there was the dry heaves. Don't know about everyone else, but vomiting is one of the worst things the body can do...no idea how bulimic people go through with it...just saying. By the time I calmed down some I felt the person pulling me up and guiding me into the shower stall.
My body shaking and breathing heavy from the ordeal, but damn did the warm water feel good. The tension was leaving, quickly being replaced by exhaustion, and I was about to lower my head when a paw grabbed my muzzle. "Don't look down," the voice from before, who I now realized was my dad. He turned me around so I was facing away from the shower head, gently but firmly pushing my muzzle up so the water ran down my head. "Reminds me of when you were a pup," I heard him say, his voice comforting. "You absolutely hated getting baths, and threw a fit when I just dumped water on your head. So I did this, which you took to better, probably because you didn't feel as if you were drowning." He chuckled at this, his other hand pulling at the collar of my shirt to get it over my head. Honestly I wasn't much help, holding myself up was putting me at my limit, but my father was understanding. Wet shirts are much harder to get off, but he did manage after some effort and just let the thing drop to the floor. He had to let my muzzle go to get the shirt off, my head now falling but something in me stopped to hold eye contact with him. When had he gotten into the shower stall...? My family has always been close, and before me stood someone that supported and loved me unconditionally. I was bigger then him, yet he just seemed to have a natural strength that I hadn't gained yet. Gentle arms wrapped around me, pulling me to him in a tight embrace. "They got him stabilized, he'll be alright..." there was more said but I lost it once I heard the first part. My claws digging into his dress shirt, head on his shoulder crying for the first time since the start of this. My father's strong arms kept me up as the last of my strength left me, softly telling me everything will be all right while the crimson water pooled at our feet.
"Why can't I see him?" I asked, starting to get frustrated at the woman standing before me. "He's my best frien.."
"He's on lock down, only a select few can see him and you're not one of them," she said flatly. Her eyes said she wasn't interested at all in this whole situation...she screamed bitch. Her outer appearance was stunning, but the way she carried herself was cold and indifferent.
"I'm the one who found him, I just want to see that he's ok with my own eyes." I admit, I was sounding like a whining child, but I did want to see him. After the shower my father had gotten my remaining clothing off, dried me, and got me into the bed. I fell asleep only to wake up about two hours later in a cold sweat, again my father's voice there to calm the sudden fear that tore me from sleep. He had brought in a new set of clothing, just a simple gray t-shirt and jeans. He couldn't stay though, once my mom found out what happened she went to get a flight back home right away, and he went to wait for her at the airport. So now I was alone to deal with people like this nurse...
Her eyes looked me over, which made my skin crawl and fur stand up slightly. "While I'm sure some may appreciate your heroic action (she wouldn't...) the one lying in that room won't. He wanted to die (stop) and you saving him just extended his suffering. I'm not sure he'll be calling you his friend once he wakes."
Yeah I called it, she's a bitch. My hackles were raised, teeth clenched, and I'm pretty sure it's the first time hitting a woman went through my mind. Before I got to go through with the train of thought a paw was placed on my shoulder, while another wolf rested his head on the other. "My dear woman, while I'm sure you have nothing but good intentions in mind," he spoke, voice oozing sarcasm, "I think it's best to just let him see his friend."
She was about to argue until the wolf held up a piece of paper, which she quickly ripped out of his paw to look it over. "The doctor wants to see you," she sneered, before turning to walk away which the one who was hanging onto me quickly called a 'Thank you'.
It was kind of odd seeing the wolf who walked past me. We were about the same build; tall, muscular, solid...he filled out the trench coat he wore nicely. The way he walked was similar to how I believe I did, confident but with an easy going swagger. Our fur was the same onyx pigment, though judging from his head fur mine wasn't as course as his. I found it odd that he was wearing sun glasses inside, but shrugged it off and started to follow. The doors in the wing were spaced far apart, this section of the hospital for those they had no reason to quarantine but wanted them away from 'normal' patients. The wolf turned to face the last door on the right, opening it without hesitation, and walking in. I was slightly slower in entering, somewhat afraid of what I would see. "Just get in here, he's fine," I heard, the other wolf laughing lightly at my action. Walking in to see the other wolf reading his charts, a faint smile on his muzzle as he looked up every once in awhile. "Can't let life stay settled," he mused to himself before setting the chart back down at the foot of the bed. Turning he patted me on the shoulder and left, closing the door behind him.
It was quite in the room, breathing from myself and the one on the bed was light. The typical machine noises you come to expect from a hospital were silent, though the sterile scent definitely remained. My movements were slow and soft, I think I was afraid of waking him up. I moved to the side of his bed, wanting to examine the damage with my own eyes. Sheets covered from his waist down, mid-section wrapped tightly in bandages covering the two deep cuts that were probably stitched up. Skin was deathly pale, but that was probably due to the loss of blood from earlier...and that problem was being taken care of with a blood transfusion. His face scared me though the most, it was just...blank. It didn't hold the peaceful expression he usually took on when asleep, or any other that I've seen over the years. I sighed, hand running through my head fur as I pulled the near-by chair closer to the bed. Sitting down, I leaned onto the bed, my head resting on his chest. His heart beat was strong at least, which made me feel slightly better. "Why did you do it Van?" I spoke softly, knowing no answer was going to come at the time.
"When he was brought in we thought he was in critical conditions, but...what is he?" the small red foxed asked, shy eyes watching the bigger wolf through glasses. He was new to this hospital, but as soon as he finished with Van he was told by the administrator not to anger his guardian. That this wolf in front of him made large donations, this man being a large reason a free clinic was offered here. The warning he received was a general one, informing him not to screw up with the generous donator. Nobody else noticed, but there were a few things that didn't add up with this patient...he was just afraid of losing his job to find out.
A smirk graced the corner of the wolf's muzzle, "Whatever do you mean?" he asked, his tone bemused. Like requested, he had come to check in with the doctor after seeing Van's condition. Shaded eyes watching the fox fidget, the wolf able to smell his fear, though why he was afraid was beyond him.
"Mr..."
"Just call me Fen."
"Fen," the fox corrected, watching his hands more then the wolf. "I know your a very respected..."
"Get to the point boy," the wolf laughed out, a wide smile on his muzzle. "I do charity for the good of others, and not going to stop because you're curious about something." Fen figured out why the fox was so afraid to talk to him, his job was probably threatened if he screwed this up.
The doctor's ears dropped a little, he didn't think he was that easy to read. "It's just that..." he paused, clearing his throat...eyes avoiding Fen.
He was amused at first, but now he was getting slightly annoyed. "Out with it," he barked, a smile still on his muzzle but tone serious.
Fearful eyes looked up at the wolf suddenly, hands gripping the edge of his desk. "The amount of blood showed that his wounds were deep, and he was under high risk of death. Seeing the actual wounds...well they were far more superficial then the amount of blood implied," his eyes stayed on the wolf to gauge his reaction. If there was something he knew he wasn't showing any sign of it. "I talked to the paramedics afterwords as well, they informed me that the double cut on his abdomen was far worst then what I myself saw..." he stopped, the sudden laughter coming from the wolf sending shivers up his spin.
"Doctor.." Fen drew the word out, looking at the name tag on the mahogany desk "Miller, I'm not exactly sure what kind of answer you want from me." The wolf leaned over the desk, left paw holding his body about head level with the fox. His right paw slowly removed his sun glasses, revealing cold crimson eyes staring right into the fox's light brown ones. The fox didn't move, he couldn't...that cold stare had him rooted to the spot. Fen's muzzle inches away from the fox, who could feel his warm breath against his fur. "There are some things that are best left alone," Fen spoke softly, his voice gentle which was a contrast to the look his eyes held. "This would be one of those things. He's not completely normal, and you should feel proud that you noticed...however, if by knowing this you threaten his existence in anyway I'll make sure your life is nothing but hell."
With those words said, Fen leaned forward the remaining inches, muzzle gently touching the fox's. As quickly as it happened the wolf pulled back, hand resting on the fox's head and ruffling his fur before that touch was gone too along with the wolf. The fox just sat there, stunned at the sudden actions placed on him. It wasn't until one of the nurses came in asking for permission to give a patient morphine that he snapped out of it enough to answer her. He blushed when she asked if he was alright, quickly telling her he was fine just so she would go and leave him to his thoughts.
"Uh huh...yeah he's asleep," Fen spoke softly into the cell, leaning against the hospital wall outside. The night air was decent, not overly hot as it usually was in the area as the summer approached. This was all fine with Fen, as he was use to cooler climates. Another 'uh-huh' sound made in his throat, letting the one on the other side of the call know he was listening as he took another deep inhale of smoke. The ear without the cell next to it perked up as voices got closer, but only to fade into the distance once more.
"Why do you smoke that stuff?" the voice asked, obviously hearing Fen exhale and knowing he didn't smoke tobacco.
"First off you don't even know what I'm smoking," the wolf said, smiling because the way the voice said it made it sound like he was scolding Fen. It was also true that the other person had no idea what he was smoking, in fact most wouldn't. "Secondly, I'm fairly sure we were talking about something more important." In the background he could hear a female voice questioning who was smoking what, and that if it was her son she would beat him. "Tell Yumi I said 'hi'," Fen told the other, amused at how the mother was reacting.
"You honestly didn't know about them?" Fen was asked, after the other told Yumi of Fen's greeting.
"Well, I mean..." Fen took another inhale, exhaling it as he thought how to put his words. "I mean, I didn't know how close they were. Van's not exactly the type to develop relationships with people...or he never did before. I guess I wasn't around much before the accident to see what they were like then...partially my own fault for getting caught up in so much work."
"After the accident Van just seemed to distance himself," the other mused, "it wasn't apparent in his actions or anything though...just his presence seemed diminished. While he could have been standing in front of you it felt as if he was pulling away. Kai stayed with him though, not forcing Van but just being around for him if he needed someone."
"You have a good son Dmitry," Fen spoke after exhaling once more, "I'm sorry about all the trouble this is putting your family through. I'm sure there's a reason Van did what he did, but still he obviously wasn't thinking about all who would be affected by it. I'm hoping Kai doesn't blame himself, he didn't do anything to cause Van to take this route."
"That's probably the hardest thing on him right now, the constant 'what ifs...' plaguing his mind. No matter how this goes it's going to be a rough patch for them."
There was a sound of movement on the other side, the cell obviously being passed from one to the other. Fen chuckled lightly knowing Yumi was tired of listening and wanted to give her thoughts on the matter. "Fen?" Yumi's naturally soft voice spoke from the other side.
"Yep, still here." Another intake of smoke before flicking what remained, watching the glow fade on the pavement.
"I just wanted to know if you're against them being together?" Yumi asked, trying to sound passive but a hint of annoyance could be heard.
"As long as the kiddo is happy I'm happy," he informed her, honestly not caring.
"I'm glad to hear that. They'll make it through this. Van was hurting, and there wasn't anything anyone could do to help the situation. Hopefully after this near death experience he'll be able to move forward again."
"You're very forgiving."
"There's nothing to forgive, he was suffering and did what he thought was best. It may not have been a good decision, but I'm not going to judge him for his choice. He'll need everyone more now then ever, and we're not going to shun him. He's family," she stated simply. "We're pulling into the drive way now, you're sure you don't want us to keep you company at the hospital?"
"I'm fine, you had a rushed flight back home and are probably tired as hell. Get some sleep and I'll see you when you feel like showing up...I prefer if you get a decent amount of sleep though...no showing up in six hours saying you're rested."
Yumi started to laugh, "My dear, you don't know who you're talking to. This family is notorious for sleeping in when allowed, so we'll see you sometime in the afternoon. Call if you need us before then."
Fen let out a sigh, smiling as he began to walk towards the entrance after saying his goodbyes. He always did like the family, who took to Van's very well when they first moved into the neighborhood. It was almost four in the morning when he walked back into Van's room, only to find Kai's head still resting on the human's chest. He just watched them for a few minutes, until he noticed Van's hand was resting on the wolf's back. 'He woke up sometime within the last few hours,' Fen thought, moving to sit on the padded chair near the window. The fact that Van had woken up wasn't a big deal, but eased the older wolf's mind that he wasn't in a coma or anything. Just as he was about to sit down he stopped, catching the eyes that were watching him. "You alright?" he asked, standing back up and moving closer to Van.
"Could you get Kai into the bed," his voice sounded strained, but a smile touched the corner of his lips. His eyes looked alive, which must have brought a confused look across Fen's face as he moved over to where Kai was for he heard a soft "...we can talk about it later...". Deciding to let it go for the moment, Fen focused on picking Kai up as careful as possible so not to wake him...which wasn't exactly an easy task, he wasn't in the best position to start with. He stirred slightly as Fen placed him on the bed, but didn't actually wake up. "He's always been a deep sleeper," Van informed with a grin, slowly rolling on his side to face the sleeping wolf. His hand reached up to pet the wolf's fur under his eye, which an appreciative sigh came from Kai who instinctively pulled himself closer. Muzzle nuzzling Van's neck, paw resting on the human's side as he finally settled. Fen watched as Van's body relaxed, now that he was holding the wolf he faded back to sleep comfortable.
Fen went back to the chair, sitting down and watching the pair before him as best he could in the lightly lit room. Van wouldn't admit how much pain he was in, but Fen had seen it in his eyes when he turned to his side to cuddle with the wolf. The wounds themselves may heal but the pain seemed to remain. Shaking his head he propped his paws up on the wall heater, leaned back as best he could, and allowed himself to drift into a light sleep.