HEAL

4 -- HAPPY AS LARRY

A/N  =  This chapter will describe Larry's injuries, recovery, behaviour and demeanour in detail, so it may seem lengthy and dry.  But it is necessary to describe the Larry that will inhabit the rest of the story.  Bear with me, peeps !!  

Warning  --  Description of injury and methods used for recovery.  

Laurent didn't know what to do.  Larry was looking at him, lucid, yet not quite, tears in his eyes.  Was he awake even ?  

"Larry !"  He moved to pull back from him, but Larry grasped his hand tighter, his eyes asking him not to go, PLEASE, don't go.  Laurent could see the fear, the questions in his half lidded eyes.  Laurent's heart flipped, just flipped.  Larry knew who he was, and wanted him near.  That's all he needed to know for now.  He had to let the doctors know that Larry was back in the land of the living.  He tried to pull away again, but Larry wouldn't let him.

"Larry, I have to let the doctor know you're awake"  Laurent's smile almost broke his face.  All he needed to do was to reach the call button.  All he needed to do.  He could see the skin between Larry's brows crumple into a frown, but even that looked painful for him.

"Are you in pain ?".  He scrunched his own forehead, naturally mimicking his brother's, he was concerned now.  Now he could see Larry's eyes, that he could let him know how he felt, physically or otherwise.  

"No", a whisper of an answer.

"Let me call the doctor, OK ?  He has to  ...... do stuff."  Again, a scrunched up forehead, eyes narrowed, obviously upset at Laurent's suggestion.

"No"  Larry answered more plainly, more emphatically.  What should he do ?  He wanted these moments with his brother, newly awake, newly conscious, newly Larry.  Then he thought about it.  If Laurent relished this time together, maybe Larry did too.  If he'd enjoyed their time together over the last few days and weeks, even subconsciously, he would want this time alone too.  Easier to ask questions, then.

"Do you want it to be just us, for a minute ?"

"Yes"  Again, barely a whisper, but why would it be anything different, he hadn't spoken in over 4 weeks.

"Do you need anything, water ?"

"No"

"You must be thirsty, Lar .... "

"No .... "  Larry tried to talk with more force, more volume, but he couldn't.  Laurent got the hint.

"OK, OK. "  He smiled fully into his brother's face, his eyes flitting between the two weird coloured ones in front of him.  They still frightened him, not because of how they looked, but because they were a reminder of everything that Larry had gone through, physically, just to be looking at him now.  He wished he could touch him, soothe his brow, feel the warmth of his cheek under his fingertips, show him his love up close.  But for now, he'd have to make do with this.  And for now, it was enough.

Laurent pulled up a chair, perching on it's edge, to be as close to Larry as he could get.  They still clasped hands, Laurent entwining their fingers together, and placed his head next to Larry's on his pillow.

"Let me know if you hurt, OK ?  We have to let the doctor know at some point."  Larry's eyes grew softer again, and he relaxed his forehead, just knowing that Laurent was close. They let themselves be enveloped in the quiet of the room, feeling each other's heartbeat again.  The real world going about it's business outside their door, their own world carrying on between them right here.  But for now it was just the two of them, and their inexplicable bond.  Just like it always had been.