You And I: Family Time

Troye VII

I woke to the sound of beeping in my ear. There were people nearby , talking quietly but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I shifted a little, trying to get my bearings and felt a pressure on my hand; someone was holding it.

"Connor, he's awake. Connor!" I suddenly recognized Zoe's voice and my eyes flew open, searching for her face. Why was she here? Where was I.

"Troye? Babe? Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can." I focused every ounce of energy in my body on making that gentle movement of my hand. "Oh, thank god."

"You really scared us for a while, T." Zoe spoke again but I still couldn't see either her or Connor. I tried to sit up but strong hands pushed me back down.

"Don't sit up just yet. You'll hurt yourself." An unfamiliar voice spoke and a face finally appeared in my line of sight. A face I didn't recognise. "It's good to see you awake Mr Mellet-Franta. I'm Dr Nolan."

"..." I tried to talk but found that I couldn't. Something was stopping me and making me gag. I must have looked terrified because Dr Nolan just smiled kindly.

"It's okay. You've got a breathing tube down your throat but now that you're awake, we can take it out. Just give me a few moments." He disappeared from my line of sight and soon after, I heard the click of a door. "Make sure he stays still. I'll be back in just a moment."

"Okay." Connor sounded tired. I wondered how long I'd been out of it.

"You okay, Con?" Zoe asked.

"Just relieved. I've been so worried."

"We all have. Especially Aiden." At the mention of my son, I jerked my hand. "What's wrong, Troye?"

"He can't talk, Zo." Connor reminded her, the faintest trace of a laugh in his voice. 

"Oh, right." She did laugh but before either of them could say anything, the door opened again and there was a rustle of movement before Dr Nolan appeared in my line of sight again.

"Okay, we're going to take the breathing tube out now. It might hurt a little, but just hold on to your husband's hand, okay?" I blinked in response and my heart started beating faster, making the machine beside me beep faster. Connor's grip on my hand tightened as the doctor began by peeling tape off my face that I guessed had been holding the tube in place.

When they began pulling at the tube, I gagged again but it didn't hurt. It just felt weird and when it finally came all the way out, I coughed violently.

"All done. Do you need some water?" Dr Nolan asked. I was still coughing as I nodded. He moved away and suddenly I felt the bed moving underneath me and I found myself sitting up a little so I could finally see Connor and Zoe. They both had bags under their eyes and looked exhausted but relief was evident in their eyes as they looked at me.

"That looks so much better." Connor whispered and Zoe nodded.

"Definitely. You looked kind of scary for a while." Dr Nolan stepped forward, a cup of water in his hands.

"Drink slowly, okay? Your throat will be a little raw from the breathing tube." I nodded and allowed him to tip a little of the water into my mouth. Immediately, I had to cough it up, my body didn't know how to swallow. Connor jumped a little but a look from Zoe had him sitting back down. "That's okay, take your time.

"I can't watch." Connor mumbled but his eyes didn't stray from me. I tried again, this time succeeding in swallowing a little. It felt good, the water soothing my raw throat. I kept going, taking bigger and bigger sips until the cup was empty.

"Better?" Dr Nolan asked. I nodded. "Try to say something."

"C-connor..." I flinched at how rough and raw my voice sounded but Connor smiled.