Merthur Oneshots

Chain Me To Your Heart's Desire (Part 6)

Merlin hurried down the corridor down to the operating room, Will right behind him. He was still in scrubs, but had changed for a fresh pair. Merlin had quickly donned his own, after changing into a new set of clothes (his old ones were covered in blood. His soulmate had gotten badly hurt, but Merlin hadn't noticed the sharp jab of pain due to the alcohol in his veins. There wasn't much Merlin could do, so he just sent his number and told him to call the hospital and prayed that he was conscious enough to do so, even though the chances were slim) and after a glass of water, was ready to go. He thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't drunk much, but that probably had more to do with the fact that he was an awful lightweight than anything else. A few splashes of water on his face, and he was okay. The same could not be said for Will, who had needed a slap to go sober again.

Who was Merlin to deny that?

"Okay," Merlin asked as he burst in the operating room, "Who's the patient? What injuries?"

A nurse in the corner of the room picked up a clipboard. "Arthur Pendragon, was in a car accident near Winter street. Injuries are- A fracture in the distal part of the radius on the left hand, torn infraspinatus on the right shoulder, broken ankles, lateral malleolus on the right and medial malleolus on the left...."

The nurse continued listing a few more injuries, but Merlin stopped listening, his blood thundering in his ears. He had recognised the man in front of him, on the operating table, and from the way Will had stiffened beside him, he had too.

The blond hair was impossible to not recognise, even though they were matted in blood. His eyes were closed, but Merlin knew the exact shade of blue that was underneath that. The pale skin was even more so due to the blood loss.

"Dr. Emrys? Merlin?" The nurse was calling, and Merlin tore his eyes to look at her. The half-dead body of Arthur swum behind his eyelids. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"He might as well have," Will said from his place beside Merlin. His voice was shaky and not much more from a whisper, a long way from his usual loud one. "We had drinks with hi earlier this night,"

A horrified look came over the nurse's face. But not for the reason they thought. "You're drunk?!"

"Not anymore!" Will added hastily. 'We're sober,"

The nurse hummed and turned away, walking back to the corner of the room and readying the tools for the surgery.

The procedure was going relatively well, as Merlin was concerned. The injuries were quite extensive, as in all motor accidents, but thankfully the automatic airbag had prevented irreversible damage. It was nothing Merlin hadn't dealt with before.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he started on his ankles.

For the past hour and a half, he had been working on the patient's upper body, setting his ribs and shoulders. The wrist was still left, but Merlin decided to work on the ankles first.

Arthur had been put in a hospital gown for ease of operation before Merlin had arrived, the blood stained clothes sent to the incinerator.

Merlin quickly pulled the hem of the gown over the pale feet, which were pointing in odd directions. Will moved to help him, tucking it below his shins. Merlin was just about to place his fingers on Arthur's ankle when a splatter of ink attracted his attention.

It was on Arthur's left shin, a small mark like a broken pen might splash. It was bright red, a shade very unlike blood, so it could not have been mistaken for it.

Heart thumping, Merlin quickly lifted the hem of the gown from under him, and pushed it above Arthur's knees.

There, in all its glory, were ten digits, looped and written in Merlin's own handwriting, above a frantic scrawl that was unreadable.