𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕄𝕖 - Ⓓ Ⓝ Ⓕ

~24~

Dream woke up with the worst headache he's ever had in his whole life.

He was groggy and dehydrated, his mouth dry and his throat scratchy, and he wished that he had a glass of water that he could quickly chug. His mind felt as if he was muddled underwater, and his chest was heavy despite there being nothing adding any pressure to it. He flexed his fingers, but could tell it was only a small flinch. His fingers felt like they were numb, as if he'd been lying on his arm the wrong way for too long, but he could still feel a warm sensation in his right hand, while his left felt awfully cold.

He slowly opened his eyes, his eyelids still heavy, and was met with the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling. He frowned at the sight, confused as to where he was, because he could tell that he wasn't at home like he hoped, and felt that weight on his chest press into his lungs harder. He could hear a steady beeping to his left, the loud but familiar noise piercing into his skull, and Dream forced himself to inhale and exhale, trying to come to terms with his reality.

He was in the hospital.

At first, he was mad, because he had told Sapnap to not take him to the hospital because he would be fine, but Dream must have blacked out after one point, and the brunette had decided to get help. Dream knew that Nick would only take Dream to the hospital if he really needed medical attention, but Dream honestly didn't think that his injury was that bad. He'd been hurt before and had healed up fine without medical help, so surly Sapnap was just overreacting to the situation and had panicked.

Dream didn't blame him. How could he? Sapnap obviously thought that he was doing the right thing at the time, and while Dream wasn't sure whether or not his best friend made the right call, at least he did something to make sure that Dream wasn't going to bleed out everywhere alone. Since Dream was unconscious, Sapnap had a responsibility for him and his safety, and acted accordingly to his instincts. He wouldn't have taken Dream to the hospital if it was treatable at home, and from the beeping in Dream's ears to the hammering migraine he had, he forced himself to admit that Sapnap may have made the correct choice.

That doesn't mean Dream has to be happy about it, though.

Blearily, Dream moved his head and glanced across the unfamiliar room, his eyes widening when he saw three familiar figures. Sapnap was holding Dream's right hand, his head in his arms as he leaned on the bed by Dream's hip, fast asleep. His hand was warm in Dream's, which was a mass contrast to the biting cold in his left, and Dream would have gotten Sapnap to hold his left hand if it weren't for the fact that he was asleep, or that Dream could barely move his left arm due to the heavy bandages pulling it down and the numbness from his wrist to his fingertips.

On the bed close to Dream, George and Karl were resting together. George was lying on his back and had his left arm wrapped around Karl's shoulders, the younger brunette lying on his side with his head pressed close to George's neck. George's mouth was slightly parted as he breathed peacefully, and Dream couldn't help but smile. George, despite everything, was so cute.

He fawned over George and his perfect sleeping face and bedhead for another moment before he turned his attention to the other brunette on the bed. From his angle, Dream couldn't see Karl's face, but he assumed the other was sleeping due to his deep breathing and lack of movement. Dream was worried about Karl, especially because the last time he had seen the brunette, he was passed out and unresponsive on his bed. He seemed to be doing okay, now, but Dream still felt anxious about how he was doing. He knew he had scared him, and wanted to apologise as soon as he could.

Dream shivered, feeling a cool draft come from somewhere in the room. He looked down at himself, wanting to see if there was a blanket near his legs that he could pull up, but his eyes caught onto something else, and Dream's cheeks blossomed with pink from embarrassment. He was cold, not because of the draft or the gloomy weather outside, but because he was wearing nothing other than his boxers, and a pale turquoise hospital gown. The gown was a little short on him due to his height, and he could feel it ending just above his knees, whereas George's ended at his mid shins. His chest was uncovered from a white blanket that covered the lower half of his body, and Dream slowly detached his hand from Sapnap's, reaching down to pull the blanket up so he wasn't as cold.