Fake Fan Fiction ❯ Redefining Heaven ❯ Prince of Cups ( Chapter 6 )

By: Irish

Rated R
Warnings: Explicit Language, graphic violence, adult situations
~*~*~*~*~*~

“Mr. McLean, Mr. Laytner?”

Ryo’s head snapped up, as did Dee’s. They had been sitting on the floor, playing the dot game, they had been playing for half an hour, having filled the entire notebook page with dots before they started with the lines.

“Um, yes?” Ryo said, setting aside the legal pad they had borrowed. The person addressing them wore a white lab coat and an exhausted expression that needed no name badge saying ‘doctor’, but he wasn’t the same man who had been with them earlier.


“I’m Dr. O’Seanaughsey. Kerry O’Seanaughsey. Please, just call me Kerry, that's a mouthful, I know.” he made his way across the room, his stride slightly stiff, offering his hand to Ryo, who had stood, then Dee.

“You’re the doctor who...” Dee cleared his throat, unable to say ‘that cut off my sons leg’. “Um... well... Dr. Weiss said that you were an expert in... um...”

“Amputation.” Dr. Kerry nodded. His hair seemed too red to be allowed, especially in the pastel waiting room. Dee was pretty sure he couldn’t have been more of a Mick if was dressed in shamrocks. “That's me. Your son is out of surgery. You can’t see him just yet, but by the time we’re done talking, they should have him settled.”

“Talk? What about?” Ryo tried not to sound annoyed, he wanted to see Bikky, right this second.

“Just, some details. Don’t worry, nothing worse then what you’ve already heard.” The doctor glanced around, spying Cal asleep in the corner. “Will she be okay alone?” he asked with a concerned frown.

“I think so... She’s a smart girl.” Dee nodded.

“Alright...” Dr. Kerry looked skeptical, but said nothing. “If you’ll follow me...” he turned and guided them down the hall back to the small conferencing room that they had been in with Dr. Weiss. Dr. Kerry held the door for them, then sat down, unable to repress a small sigh. Ryo realized the man had to have been on his feet for at least the last eight hours.

“So, not to rush you...” Ryo said, sitting down, barely. Dee was pretty sure if you took the chair out from under him, he would just stay in his current position.

“Of course, I understand. The amputation went very well, I feel like it was very successful. Of course, we still run a chance of infection, but compared to what that would have been if we had kept his leg, its a very small chance. The neurosurgeon who operated on his head, Dr. Friday, feels that he is stabilized for now, and they’ve managed to at least control the swelling somewhat. What I want to talk to you about before you see him is what to expect.”

Ryo nodded, trying hard not to make an impatient gesture for him to continue. It seemed pretty obvious what they should expect...

“He looks very rough, the truth is, he is very rough. We are keeping him in ICU. His face is going to be very hard to recognize. His nose and part of his cheek bone are broken, both have been set easily, but he has a splint on his nose, and his face is very puffy and discolored.” He glanced at both men, gauging their reactions.

“Alright...” Dee said.

“His head will look rather bigger then usual, that's just the bandages and cold packing. He may open his eyes, that is a very common thing when people are in comas, they may open their eyes, or twitch, that doesn’t mean he is conscious. If he does open his eyes, you’ll see that he has burst blood vessels in both. Again, perfectly normal for the trauma he has suffered. Currently we have him intabated, that is, we have him on a respirator, so there are tubes in his mouth to help him breath. We removed his two upper teeth in front, because they were broken off very jaggedly, as well as a lower incisor. His right arm is casted to above his elbow, his left arm is splinted not casted, to allow for IVs.” The doctor went on, feeling deep sympathy for the two men before them, this list was endless. This boy would be lucky to survive, Dr. Kerry didn’t even want to think about the lasting effects of the head trauma.

“Okay, anything else Doc?” The dark haired one, the one who wasn’t a legal guardian, asked. He was obviously impatient, his left leg jittering.

“Almost done,” Dr. Kerry reassured him. “His left leg is in traction at the moment, but we’re going to see what we can do about that in the next couple days, its been casted as well. There is a shunt in his right lung. Its bandaged over so all you will see is some tubing, but were just draining any remaining fluid. We will take that out and see about re-inflating his lung when he has his skull put back together. The stump-” The doctor paused as Ryo actually gagged. Dee slid an arm around him, rubbing his shoulder. “-is bandaged. Its going to be shocking at first. But you made the best possible choice for your son. Honestly, that should be the least of your worries. His head trauma and the damage to his lung are more apt to be life altering.”

“We know.” Dee nodded. Ryo had a hand to his mouth again, head down. “Can we see him now?”

Doctor Kerry cleared his throat. “Technically, Mr. Laytner, you aren’t a relative. But what the nurses don’t know, can’t hurt them. Just... get the paper work in order so I don’t lose my job, please.”

Dee looked at him a long moment, judging the doctor’s face, before he nodded and offered his hand. “Thank you.” he said quietly.

Ryo stood, making it very clear that if someone didn’t show him to his boy, he was going to just start opening doors until he found him.

“Thanks you for what?” Dr. Kerry said, implying that he had know knowledge that anything and transgressed. “This way please.” He stood after shaking Dee’s hand, stepping around Ryo and leading them down the hall.

Ryo grasped Dee’s hand tightly, lacing their fingers together, his palm cold and sweaty against Dee’s which felt unnaturally dry and hot. The hospital around them was quiet, at least compared to the chaos that was Ryo’s mind at the moment. Dr. Kerry’s uneven stride was silent on the hard floor, sneakers muffling the sound. They took a left, passing a sign hanging from the ceiling that read ‘Intensive Care Unit.’ Finally, the doctor stopped in front of a door, a large window looking into the room. Even half way down the hall Ryo could discern which beepings were coming from Bikky’s room. He stopped, just sort of the window, taking a deep breath. Dee looked over at him, his expression filled with too many emotions to even try and discern any one of them. Ryo tightened his fingers on Dee’s, stepping past the doctor. He didn’t look in the window, not wanting to see Bikky until he was beside him, afraid he would freeze up in the doorway if he knew how bad it was. He pulled Dee after him across the threshold.

The room was very dim, not quite dark, but close, most of the light filtering in through the observation window. Ryo was glad for the dimness as he slowly approached Bikky, releasing Dee’s hand as he drew near the bed. He could see the white bandages around his head from the door, neatly wrapped. When he got a little closer he could see that his shoulders were bare, no hospital gown covering him, more neatly wrapped bandages wound around his torso, starting just under his armpit and disappearing under the sheet. From this side, Ryo couldn’t yet see the flat sheet where a leg had once been, instead only able to see the one small leg, casted all the way up to his thigh, slightly suspended. His right arm rested uncomfortably over his waist, the bend of he elbow making it hard to rest easily while on his back. The hand closest to Ryo was in a splint, two IV needles inserted into his veins, taped in place.

The doctor had been right, Bikky’s face was hard to recognize, it was swollen and discolored, one eye socket seeming to have almost disappeared under the swelling. There were seams of stitches all over, his forehead, his chin, along his cheek. A white splint covered his nose. God, was this his son?

“Bikky...” Ryo whispered softly, touching a bare shoulder, it seemed to be safe, no bruises or lacerations. “Oh god, sweetheart.” His skin felt cool under Ryo’s fingers, and he pulled the sheet over him a little more. He wanted to gather Bikky up in his arms and hold him close, but moving was the last thing that would help right now.

Bikky’s chest rose and fell in time with the whooshing of the machine beside him, a small steady blip monitoring his heart. Every natural function of the body, things Bikky had done with out even considering before were now being done with assistance. Could his little boy really be alive in there?

Dee stood close behind Ryo for long moments, looking at his would-be son. He was reminded of what people described aliens as looking like, big heads, gray, oddly shaped faces... Bikky was almost a gray color, ashen and faded. The bright blonde of his hair was gone, having been quickly shaved off before surgery. His blue eyes were hidden from sight, his cafe au latte skin had had more latte and way less cafe then before. It looked like he was only partly in this world.

His arm came around Ryo’s waist from behind, holding him close to his chest, his other hand reaching out to caress Bikky’s shoulder. “I got ya baby.” Dee whispered, and Ryo wasn’t sure who he was talking to, him or Bikky. Both, he supposed, or hoped, because his knees were starting to give. Ryo leaned back into Dee, closing his eyes, letting more and more of his weight rest on Dee. He felt Dee turn his face against his hair, taking slow deep breaths. Dee was feeling this too, Ryo realized, straightening a little, hugging Dee’s arm, caressing the back of his hand.

“He looks so small.” Dee whispered. Bikky had always been a bit petite, but like a puppy, he had paws too big for his body, and both men were pretty sure any day now he would shoot up like a weed.

“I know.” Ryo whispered back, touching his fingers. “Too small for all of this.”

They stood for a long time, not moving, accept for to caress the small part of Bikky’s body that weren’t bandaged or bruised of swollen. He lay still, accept for the rise and fall of his chest. More still then either had ever seen him. Finally, Dee stood a little more upright, letting go of Ryo, taking a deep breath.

“So now we wait.”

“Now we wait.” Ryo nodded, glancing back at Dee. He looked exhausted and worn thin. He looked, Ryo realized, for the first time since Ryo had known him, his age.
“I’m going to go talk to Cal, she needs to go home. She can’t sit in the waiting room forever.

“She’s going to fight like a feral cat.” Ryo shook his head. “She really cares about him.” He sighed softly. “You want me to do it?”

Dee shook his head “No. You stay with Bikky. He loves you more anyway.” He was trying to tease, but it fell short. It wasn’t the truth, but Dee thought it was.

“I hate when you say that. Its not true. Go talk to Cal.”

Dee nodded, slipping from the room, and Ryo watched him go, loving him so much that for a moment it hurt. His mother had told him once, that everyone is born with a cup, some people are born with a small cup, and it didn’t take much for it to be too full. Some people were born with big cups, and the world could pour down on them, and their cup would still be slow to fill. Ryo knew himself well enough to know that his cup was average. He could handle the stress of his job, the stress of having a very rebellious thirteen going on fourteen son. He could handle the every day stresses, car problems, leaky pipes, meetings with Bikky’s teachers and principal. He had managed to handle his parents’ death... but not so well, in reflection. But he had handled it. And he was handling this. Barely. But he was handling it. Dee though...

He and Bikky were so much alike it was painful sometimes. Both of them seemed to have endless tolerance, the constant drip of their lives, each little episode adding up, and the huge deluges. You could almost watch the process in both them. At first, it would knock them down, throw them off their stride. It only took them moments to shore up their walls though, to get up again, more determined then ever. It hurt, really, Ryo thought, to watch the process. What it came down to is that they had learned to have big cups, because there was no one else in their lives to catch the extra if they overflowed. All their posturing and tough talk, it was really just like a warning signal ‘don’t get too close, I’m leaking’. God but he loved them both so much.

Ryo sighed deeply, his eyes feeling dry and scratchy. He cleared his throat, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes.

“What am I ever going to do with you Bikky.” He asked softly, very carefully taking his left hand as he hitched a hip on the bed. “My little tough guy. I bet you told the paramedics it was just a flesh wound, didn’t you?” He smiled a little. The three of them had watched Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail a few weeks ago, Dee and Bikky were both still quoting it. “We’re going to get you better. I swear. Whatever it takes. I just hope you can forgive me.” Ryo took a deep breath finally glancing down at where Bikky’s right leg was supposed to be. The world tilted radically as he saw the sheet lying mostly flat, starting a little above where his knee was supposed to be.

“Oh god.” Ryo groaned softly, closing his eyes a moment, before forcing them open, and forcing them back to... to... what was left of his leg. The word ‘stump’ made him feel like he was going to vomit. “Alright, so trial one didn’t go so good. You are going to hate me.” Ryo rubbed his eyes. “I love you Bik, you have to know I would never do anything to hurt you. Never. You have had enough pain in your life. But the doctor says this is the best thing we can do for you. I’m so sorry.” he whispered, leaning down, half laying next to Bikky, wiping angrily at tears that had managed to return. “We’ll get through this kiddo. We will. I swear.”





Author’s Note: Alright I feel like an idiot. I’ve had this chapter for ages. I have no idea why it never got posted... no that's not true, I think there was a bit of a crisis around the time I was getting ready to post it and it got forgotten. Anyway, here it is, better late then never. Sorry its short, but it just seemed like a good place to stop.