Learning To Count(Otabek x Yuri) [boyxboy]

Chapter Eleven

Yuri was rudely awoken at 6am by a nurse throwing open the door and calling out that it was weigh-in time. He groaned and pulled himself out of bed, awaiting a dizzy sensation that never came. He could tell before he'd even dragged himself from his bed that it was going to be an exhausting day. He didn't know what he was supposed to do so he followed everyone else's lead, following them outside into the hallway and downstairs to sit in the corridor where the medical room was. Already a girl was coming out, bleary-eyed and yawning. The line of people slowly dwindled and soon it was Yuri's turn to go in. He squinted his eyes at the bright light and rubbed them to remove the sleep.
'Hi Yuri, how are you feeling this morning?' It was Nurse Scott, her expression cheerful enough that it was clearly fake at 6:43am.
'Fine,' He mumbled, his eyes drooping shut as she took his weight again and all the other things she needed to measure.
'No nausea?'
'Umm, a little bit but that's normal.'
'Coughing?'
'No more than usual.'
'You cough a lot?'
'Not really, I-'
'You have to tell me the truth, sweetheart.'
'Well, the hospital dealt with it. The lining of my throat-'
'Worn away? Yep. Okay, what about stomach ache?'
'No.'
'Then it looks like we're about done here. You can go.'
'Uhh, thanks,' He walked back into the corridor, where he was accosted by Cassie. He didn't recognise her at first- she blurred into the rest of the similar faces in his sleepless mind.
'Your friend messaged you back,' She patted him on the shoulder. 'I didn't read it, but he must have sent you his number. We can skive group therapy and go into the garden later so you can call him.'
'Oh, thanks,' He dropped his gaze and bit his lip, an excited fluttery feeling starting up in his stomach. 'Yeah, that sounds cool.'
'Sweet. You coming to breakfast?'
'I have this little guy,' He gestured to the tube poking out of his nose. 'No breakfast for me.'
'But you'll sit with us?'
'Oh, sure,' He'd forgotten what it was like to be in a group unit of people. He'd been at school just days ago and already he was missing that dynamic.
Surprisingly, nobody seemed hugely bothered over breakfast. He couldn't imagine a future in which he was as nonplussed eating something so basic as a bowl of cereal as some of the girls at the table were. They were more concentrated on talking about the telenovela they'd been watching together the day before than the food they were eating. Was it really possible? To be so okay with it even when they had- or did have- an eating disorder? The thoughts overwhelmed him so much at times it consumed his every waking moment and their prominence was hard to fathom at times, so the idea of them not being there was impossible. They had probably wanted recovery. They were girls, anyway. There were more procedures in place to help them right from the start. He'd seen so many posters up round his school about girls loving their bodies- and yeah, that was super important because they were taught to hate it with vehemence by almost everything that surrounded them- but never one for boys.
'Ellie, roll your sleeves down,' A nurse called across the room and the girl in question pulled a face, rolling her sleeves down. As he looked around he noticed everybody else had done the same.
'What's with the sleeves?' He frowned, leaning over to Cassie.
'We're very good at sneaking food out- a lot of girls slip food down their sleeves.'
'That's... Worrying.'
'Yeah, well. Makes you do stupid things, doesn't it?'
'Yeah,' He sighed. 'It really does.'

Otabek was going insane. He knew that he wasn't the only person who had noticed- his parents, who were distant at best most of the time, had been worrying over him nonstop. His mother, for one, had been pressuring him to go out and see his friends, even going so far as to call Rafael to suggest he come over. He was waiting for him now, his head leaning against his bedroom window and his eyes half closed. He just didn't want to talk to anybody for a few days; he was too busy thinking about Yuri. He'd been thinking about what he should have done, everything he could have done, to help him. He'd failed. How the hell had he failed so badly? To make matters worse, he'd practically thrown him into the hospital himself. He should never have taken him to that stupid party or let him drink at all. He should have made him eat and not ignored the times when he got away with it just because he was too afraid to say anything in case Yuri got upset. This was the first time he'd failed to help somebody and it was getting him down like mad. The thing that had worried him most was the silence- he'd heard nothing from either Yuri or his mother, who he'd tracked down on Facebook and messaged to ask how he was doing. No reply, but then he wasn't sure what he'd expected. He had taken her sixteen year old son to a crazy party, after all, and he had let him get out of hand enough to need his stomach pumping. In just a few days his life had plunged into a dark mess of confusion and isolation. Usually when he was upset he delved into the lives of other people and busied himself with making others happy, but now all he wanted to do was hide away in his room. At least Yuri had messaged him from some random girl's Facebook to ask for his number. He'd replied as soon as he'd seen it and hadn't put his phone away since, permanently waiting for him to call.
He was dreading Rafael's visit, but he could understand that his friends would be getting worried about him since he'd been brushing them off a lot lately. Also, they'd left things a little awkwardly the last time they'd seen each other. When Rafael did arrive, he was oddly soft-spoken and gentle compared to his typical outgoing and unreserved nature.
'Hey buddy,' He squeezed Otabek's shoulder gently to let him know he'd arrived, but Otabek still jumped.
'Oh, hi,' He stood up. Why couldn't he just dive straight into conversation like they always did?
'No offence, but you look a little shit.'
'Well, it's been a rough few.'
'I get it. How is Yuri, by the way?'
'Hospital.'
'Still? Was it that bad?'
'No, like hospitalisation. He's gone to a recovery clinic for- I don't know how long. I don't know anything. He's going to try to call me, but they're not allowed phones.'
'Crap! Are you okay?' Rafael stared into his eyes searchingly, concerned etched into his brow.
'What do you think?' Otabek rubbed the back of his neck. 'I'm out of my mind with worry.'
'But he'll be alright, yeah?'
'I don't know. It's so frustrating to not know how he is, or even where he is!'
'I'm sure he-'
Otabek suddenly felt his phone begin to vibrate. The number was withheld but he had a pretty good idea of who it might be. He held his hand up to Rafael to indicate that he needed a moment of privacy, and Rafael graciously left him in peace.
'Hello?' He answered the phone, his fingers tightening around it as he subconsciously prayed to hear one specific voice.
'Hey,' Yuri breathed, and Otabek could hear the smile in his voice. Hearing him made his heart do stupid tricks in his chest and he was genuinely worried that he might snap his phone in half with the way he was gripping it.
'Yuri?'
'Yeah. It's good to hear your voice.'
'It's good to hear yours too,' Otabek bit his lip to stop himself from grinning like an idiot. There was a moment of silence, but not an uncomfortable one- more like they were taking a moment to recompose themselves.
'How are things holding up in Fort Knox?' Otabek teased.
'It's awful. I mean, it's not awful. The people are nice, the staff are fine, the place is pretty. I just hate what I'm here for.'
'Understandable. You do realise that you need to be there though, don't you?'
'I don't know... Maybe.'
'Yuri, you need to get better and this is going to help you.'
'Sure. I have a feeding tube, actually. I look like something out of Doctor Who.'
'Wait, do they put your food in a blender and pour it down?'
'Uhh, not exactly. There's these little cans of formula they give me.'
'That sounds gross.'
'I can't taste it, but it's horrible all the same. I actually think it's worse that I can't taste it because I don't even feel like I've eaten but I'm full.'
'Is it helping?'
'It's been one day. We'll see.'
'How long are you there for?'
'Two months. I think I'm going to go insane.'
Otabek whistled; two months was a long time for a sixteen year old. Definitely enough time to grow apart and forget each other, but he was determined not to let that happen.
'Can I come visit you?'
'Really? You'd really want to?'
'Of course I would, stupid! Where is it?'
'It's the Eastwick Clinic in Scotland. I think you can visit next weekend- it's only weekends and I can't have visitors in the first week.'
'I'll be there. I promise.'
'Really?'
'Yes. Just try to get through the next two weeks, okay?'