Malchik Gay

My heart monitor beeped all night and I couldn't sleep. I lay in bed, cringing at the drips in my arms that were keeping me hydrated and pain free. I looked around and wasn't very happy in a room of my own. Carey's colorful canvas bag was beside the chair but she wasn't there, she probably would be soon. I wondered where Lena was. I hoped she wasn't going through some form of surgery. I closed my eyes tightly and pulled the drips from my arm, and tied the tubes in a knot to stop them leaking and swung my legs out of the bed. A terrible pain between my legs brought back the horrifying memories of what happened at Neposedy. I stood up, my head pounding painfully now that I had removed the painkiller. I grabbed Carey's jacket that was over the back of my room chair and tied it around my waist, covering my ass that was revealed by the embarrassing hospital gowns. I opened my door as quite as possible and tip toed down the hall. I looked into every room along the corridor, and couldn't find her, but on the way back to my room, I noticed there was one more door beside mine on the other side a little out of sight. I looked in and smiled when I found her.

I opened her door quietly and slipped inside. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but I wasn't sure if she was actually sleeping, or unconscious still. I looked at the notes at the end of her bed, and under condition it said critical. I was slightly worried and sat beside her on her bed. I rested my hand on hers and frowned at a padded bandage on her head. I stroked her cheek and lay beside her, resting on my elbow. I stayed with her for hours. Occasionally drifting in and out of sleep. Her heart monitor didn't annoy me half as much as mine did. I quite liked listening to the pace of her heart. I liked how it sped up slightly when I stroked the back of her hand. After an hour or so, Lena's door burst open and I shushed Carey immediately, but Lena didn't stir. Carey looked pissed off.

"What the hell are you doing here?! Your supposed to be on drips to keep you well and you've taken them out without medical attention, and sneaked out of your room. Get back in there Yulia Volkova." I gave her a look, of almost amusement.

"After what we've just been through together? I have no intention of leaving her side." Carey rolled her eyes and sat beside me.

"Yulia. Lena's in a coma. The doctors don't think it'll last long. She might not be awake in the next week or so though. You can't stay with her the whole week. I know how you feel about her Yulia, but you can't. You have to focus on getting well too." I was shocked to hear she was in a coma.

"I'm not leaving her Carey. Not when she's in this condition." She rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Well I can't make you yet." She stood up and left the room, possibly to tell the doctor where I was. I lay beside Yulia with my arm over her waist. I thought about what Carey said. I knew a lot of people never wake up from comas. I played with her hair, parts of it matted with blood.

"Lena? Lena can you hear me? I've heard people can still hear you when they're in a coma. Please wake up Lena. I miss you. After everything we've just been through, well yesterday. I think it was yesterday, I don't quite know how long we've been out for. Anyway, please don't die on me. I love you Lena. Yeah I really am in love with you. I know you don't love me but that doesn't matter because your my friend, and I'm happy to be your friend. I didn't have any friends, but then I met you, and your the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I miss you Elena Katina. Please wake up." I stroked the back of her hand and thought about why I had just told her I was in love with her.

"Yulia?" I looked down and her eyes flickered open. I grinned and hugged her as gently as possible, but she didn't seem to care about her current state as much as I did and hugged me as tightly and as close to her as possible.

"I did hear you." I blushed burning red but she didn't let me go. I wasn't complaining.

"I'm not bothered you know. I kind of like you too." She loosened her grip on me and let me pull away so I was leaning over her. Her eyes were a little unfocused from the drugs been constantly pumped into her. She smiled up at me, and played with the hair above my ear.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" I asked her, still dangerously close to her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She shot right back at me, slurring a little.

"I thought you were straight." She smiled that dazzling smile and shook her head. I grinned right before the door burst open.

"Yulia, get off. Lena! Your awake! Don't get used to it sugar your going into surgery. You'll be asleep again in five minutes. She sighed and looked up at me. I stroked her hair and gave her a hug.

"Why are they operating?" I asked Carey, not wanting them to take her away from me, not now, not after what we'd just admitted to each other.

"Her head. It needs stitching and when she fell she broke her arm but it needs pinning so they're doing that." Lena sighed and put her head on my shoulder, mumbling lots of rubbish about pins.

The doctor came in soon after and sat on the end of Lena's bed. He shone a small torch in her eyes and looked a bit amused.

"I'm glad she's awake, but she's not very responsive due to the amount of drugs we've had to put her on. She's a little out of it. Best way really, so she wont remember anything before the operation." Anything? She wouldn't remember our confessions?

"How much will she forget?" I asked the doctor, wondering if she'd forget our whole conversation.

"She will probably forget everything that happened after your attack." I thought things through, and while the doctor agreed to let me ride on her bed with her until we reached theater, I was allowed to stay with her until the anesthetic took effect. On the way to the theater, I had my arm around her and we sang our way down to the theater, the closer we got to those dooming double doors, the tighter her grip on my hand got. I kept hugging her and when we got on the operation corridor the singing stopped and she started to panic. She was whimpering and cowering into me. I hugged her tighter and pulled her onto my lap.

"Lena, look at me. When you wake up I'll be by your side. I'll be there holding your hand and making sure your okay. I'll be there okay? Don't worry. We went through the attack together and we'll get through the hospital treatment together."

"Yulia, you were raped, why aren't you all hurt and scared and depressed?" I smiled at her and lifted her chin.

"Because I'm with you. I have you to look after." She looked guilty but smiled up at me. They wheeled us into the anesthetic room and lay her bed down. She began to cry. I lay with her and put my arm under her head. She looked up at me pleadingly, as if asking me to help her. I smiled at her reassuringly and told her it would be okay. The doctor tried putting the mask over her face and it panicked her.

He looked impatient and I took it off him by force.

"Remember Lena. I'll be right there when you wake up. Do you trust me?" She nodded and let me put the mask over her face. I stayed with her and stroked her hair, talking to her and asking questions all the time.

"Are you okay?" She nodded so I asked another one.

"Do you feel sleepy yet?" She nodded again but her eyes were slowly closing.

"It's okay Lena. I'll be right here waiting. You'll be fine. I promise." She nodded only a tiny bit and closed her eyes fully. Her body went limp in my arms and I nodded at the doctor. Carey helped me off the bed and led me back to my room. When I got there my mom and dad were there. My mom was crying.

"Yulia! Oh Yulia I can't believe you let yourself get attacked like that! What were you thinking? Oh honey we love you so much! Are you okay?! What did he do to you?" My mother threw her arms around me and my dad embraced us both. I fliched a little from sore points but didn't say anything. When they let me go I sat back on my bed and began answering their questions.

"I'm fine. I'm a little sore all over, particularly in certain areas but I'm okay. He didn't get a chance to actually rape me but he got in a little. I'm sore on my hips and head but I have bigger worried at the moment. I let myself get hurt so that I could protect Lena. She's in surgery right now, and if it wasn't for me, she may be dead." My mom teared up and hugged me.

"My heroic daughter."

"Not really mom. I just wasn't going to let my best friend get hurt and raped by some malicious boy."

"She hugged me again and stayed with me for a while. My dad made several trips down to the cafe to get us all coffee and the occasional snack while we awaited for the nurse to come and tell me to get my butt down to the recovery room so I could be with Lena when she woke up, even though she wouldn't rememeber my promises, or anything I'd told her prior to her surgery.