Kids Are Forever

Kate's POV
For three days Evgeni stayed by his side. I tried to get him to come home and see the kids and maybe get some real sleep. He refused to move, he wouldn't eat, he wouldn't drink, he just sat like a zombie in the chair next to Clark's bed waiting for something.

"Hey hun," I walked into Clark's room to see Evgeni sitting next to him in the bed reading him a book. The first thing I noticed was the less tubes and machines around my son. The tube going into his mouth was replaced with the much less intimidating, smaller prongs in his nose and the tubes into his chest were gone.

"Did he wake up?" I looked desperately over my son.
"No, he not sedated anymore. They said he wake up when ready now."
"So is he any better?" I sat down on the edge of the bed and ran my hand through Clark's thick brown hair.
"He breathe on his own now," he smiled and we both knew that in itself was a good sign.

"Here I brought you coffee," I handed it over before he continued with the Russian story book.
"Thanks."

I sat watching our son as I listened to Evgeni's Russian, it was so mesmerizing I had missed having him at home. Only one parent was supposed to stay with Clark and Evgeni wouldn't leave him. He felt guilty about pushing him to the side all these years and he was just trying to make up for it.

My heart began racing when I felt Clark's little hand tighten on mine.
"Evgeni look," I looked down at the my sons hand holding so tightly onto mine.
"Clark," Evgeni closed the book and quickly turned his attention to him.
"Sweetie," I ran my hand over his forehead.
"Mum," he groaned it sounding painful for him to talk.
"Shhh sweetie, don't talk... Evgeni go get the doctor."

"Mum," he tried so hard to open his eyes that I wished I could do it for him.
"Sweetie, it's ok. I am here, shhhh," I kissed his forehead.

I wanted so badly to hold him, hug him tight but I couldn't, he was in such bad shape, he seemed so fragile I was certain he would break.

Evgeni stood next to me, his hand grabbing onto my shoulder squeezing it every so often as the doctor checked Clark over.
"Well," the doctor sat on the edge of the bed next to Clark and faced us, "he's improving, he's improved a lot actually. His heart rate is getting stronger, everything seems good just as we were expecting."
"How much longer will he be in for?" I sat forward liking the sound of the good news.
"A few more days up to a week maybe, it still isn't ideal and I am not going to send him home until I can safely say everything is fine."
"Yeah no I understand I wouldn't want him home if there is chance of anything happening," I shook my head.
"But the good news is I think one more night in ICU and then he can go to his own room, so the kids can come and visit and keep his spirits up."
"He will love that," I smiled looking over at our sleeping little boy.

Evgeni's POV
To say I was happy would be understatement, there were no words to explain how good it was that Clark was awake and to hear his voice, while it was weak it was better than hearing the machines beeping all around us.

He laid in bed all day sleeping or staring up at the ceiling. I wasn’t convinced that the child we had now was the same child before, he just didn’t seem like Clark.

"How are you feeling?" Kate laid on the bed next to him and he tried to move into her arms.
"No sweetie, just lay still ok," he continued to fight her trying to move closer before he burst into tears.
"Clark," she looked panicked because this wasn't Clark, he wouldn't normally act this way.

A nurse came in when she heard all the commotion and it was only made more difficult by the fact that he wouldn't talk to us and tell us what was going on.
"What's wrong?" I tried to coax it out of him for about the fifth time.

He resisted my touch, pulling his head away as I tried to run my hand through his hair to calm him down.
"Clark please, shhh. You hurt yourself," I tried again and got the same result.

“Are you in pain? Does it hurt sweetie?” Kate put her hand lightly on the dressing on his chest.
He didn’t say anything but he nodded in desperation grabbing onto her hand.

“Maybe you should sit with him, just be careful,” the nurse suggested as she pressed a button hanging by his bedside, “he should feel better soon.”
“Ok are you sure? I don’t want to hurt him,” Kate looked worried.
“Yeah just be careful of his arms and chest, keep him on his back too. Try not to worry too much, he will get better,” she offered a smile before leaving.

I was glad she could be so positive because it hurt so much to see him like this. I was desperate to make it up to him, for all times upset and let him down. I wanted him to know and understand just how important he was too me.

It got to that time of night where one of us had to go and with Clark sound asleep in Kate’s lap I knew I had to give her a chance. He was resisting me and if she wasn’t there to calm him down then he could himself and that would make me feel worse.

“I will look after him don’t worry and if anything happens I will ring you straight away,” she lent up and kissed my lips.
“Ok,” I really didn’t want to leave him. I couldn’t bare to be away from him and for something to happen to him.

For the first time walking in the front door it felt so foreign. Our house missed two people to make it our home and it wouldn’t be until Clark was able to come home.

“Daddy?” Nicky stood at the door to our bedroom rubbing his eyes as if he didn’t believe it was me.
“Yeah?” I sat up flicking the bed side light on.
“Dad!” he ran and climbed up onto the bed and wrapped his arms around me, “I miss you,” he buried his face into my chest.
“I missed you too bud,” I dropped a kiss to his forehead.

I had missed all the kids and to be honest I was so frustrated with what was going on.
“Daddy?” Nicky looked up at me, “what wrong?”
“Nothing bud, go back to sleep,” I wiped away the tears so my son wouldn’t see me cry. I didn’t want them to know how scared I was of all of this, I wanted to be strong for them, I needed to be strong for them, all of them.

“I love you daddy,” he curled up on my chest.
“I love you too,” I wrapped my arms around him so tight. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to them, any of them.