Side By Side

30

Warnings:
-None

Clay's POV

I had intense pain in my body when I opened my eyes after it felt like I slept for hours. I laid down on a bed with an IV in my hand and bags next to me. One bag was filled with blood and the other was filled with a liquid.

I had no idea why I was here, my memory was completely blank and I didn't hear anything either while I knew people were walking around me. I didn't hear a single thing which worried me a lot.

I stared at the ceiling for minutes until I was startled by a hand on my arm. I shot up and looked to my side to see someone I recognised. Sapnap?

I opened my mouth to talk and started saying words while I didn't hear anything. I stopped talking and frowned, bringing my hands up to my ears. Sapnap lifted himself up and I saw his mouth moving.

A nurse started running to him and Sapnap talked to her as she turned to me, smiling shortly. She reached out to grab a notebook and a pen.

During battle you lost your hearing. We don't know if it's temporary, but we don't think it is. You're going home soon and then you'll start rehabilitating, getting a hearing aid if possible.

I looked at her in shock and then shook my head, grabbing the notebook and the pen. My shoulder was hurting a lot, but I ignored that as I started writing.

I can't go home, I need to fight. I'm sure I can fight without hearing anything

She read it and shook her head slowly, glancing down with a sad face.

You lost your legs, dear

I shot up and pushed the sheets away to see bandages everywhere. One leg was gone till my hip and the other was gone till my knee. I shook my head heavily and widened my eyes, grabbing the notebook.

Can I never fight again? :(

She shook her head softly and I saw Sapnap stand up from his bed. He walked closer to me and smiled, reaching out for my hand as I noticed he missed an arm and had bandages all around it. I remembered him losing his arm again and sighed softly.

He didn't say anything since I wouldn't be able to hear him anyway, but he climbed into my bed to cuddle with me.

~~~

We laid like this for hours. Sapnap fell asleep and I was just laying down in silence, holding him tightly while I started remembering what happened...

I remembered the grenade next to me and then everything was black. I woke up here, but I didn't know how I got here. I figured a medic found us and brought us back.

Sapnap was awake right now and we got something to eat to get enough energy while our bodies were trying to heal. I hoped the pain would be less soon since I got morphine but I still had a terrible amount of pain.

I looked at Sapnap and grabbed the notebook.

Can you tell me if I sound normal while talking?

Sapnap nodded and I sighed softly. 'Hello, can you hear me? I don't hear myself, I think I might sound strange.'

He smiled and reached out to grab the notebook again.

You sound pretty decent, I can understand you :)

I nodded slowly and sighed as he rested my head on his chest. 'Home?'

You're going home soon. I know you don't want to, but you're going to see your family again!

'And you?' I whispered, remembering his abusive parents.

He didn't answer and shrugged softly, looking away from me.

I guess I'll go to my parents again... they will make fun of me now I have an amputated arm.

'You-,' I started, getting exhausted from putting so much effort into my talking. 'Can come with me.'

~ A Few Weeks Later ~

(I have no idea how soldiers get home when they are wounded so I just made up shit here, don't blame me)

Sapnap was pushing my wheelchair with one arm after someone helped us get out of the truck we were driven home in. My parents got a warning that I was coming home, but they had no idea what my state was yet. I knew they would get scared to death when they realised I didn't have legs anymore.

I had multiple blankets over my lower body to keep the healing wounds warm now it was really cold outside. I was wearing my uniform out of pride for what I fought through and no one would be able to see my legs luckily.

I had a notebook and a pencil on my lap because I still didn't hear anything. We would have to see if a hearing aid was going to work while I was rehabilitating my legs and my shoulder.

Sapnap rode me to my house and slowly rang the doorbell, looking at me with a soft smile. The door opened right away and I looked at my parents yelling things out, but I couldn't hear them.

'I'm deaf,' I mumbled. I could talk pretty well, at least that was what Sapnap told me. He understood me when I talked to him. I was learning to read what someone said by looking at their lips and I had been learning some sign language.

I looked behind me to see if Sapnap was talking because my parents didn't. I saw his mouth move and focused on his lips as he talked.

'He's deaf because of a grenade that exploded next to him. He was very injured, but I'll let him tell you that.'

I could understand his words by looking at his lips and then sighed. 'I lost my legs.'

It was quiet, at least, I thought it was since no one's mouth was moving. They let me go inside and helped me get onto the couch to lay down. Sapnap was telling them what happened as I closed my eyes because I was really exhausted from the pain all day.

Honestly, I was happy to be home again. I expected to be really mad and upset because my dream was over, but I never suspected I would go to such a heavy war. This wasn't funny to me at all and I started realising how much this impacted me.

For now, I was just happy to be home. Safe...

1074 words