Silent Bond || EstWilliam au

Fourteen

William slowly opened his eyes, the sterile scent of the hospital filling his senses before he even registered where he was. The first thing he noticed was the soft beeping of the heart monitor next to him, then the dim light filtering in from the slightly open bathroom door. His head felt heavy, sore, but there was no sharp pain, just a dull ache lingering everywhere. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness, and as his vision cleared, he saw a familiar figure slumped on the sofa beside his bed.

Hong was fast asleep, his head leaning awkwardly to the side, clearly exhausted. The sight made William smile, even though his body protested at the small movement. He tried to sit up a little, the effort sending a wave of discomfort through him, but he ignored it.

"Hong..." His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. It didn't carry far, so he cleared his throat, swallowing the dryness that had settled there. "Hong," he called again, this time a little bit louder.

Hong stirred in his sleep, his eyes fluttering open slowly, a confused expression crossing his face as he blinked himself awake. When he fully realized that William was sitting up, he jolted from the sofa, rushing over to his side with wide eyes.

"William! You're awake!" Hong exclaimed, his voice a mix of relief and lingering worry. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

William gave him a weak smile, still groggy. "I'm okay... you look like you thought I was about to die or something." He tried to joke, though his voice was still raspy.

Hong didn't laugh. Instead, he looked at William with a serious expression. "You've been out for two days straight, man," he said quietly.

William's smile faded, his eyes widening in shock. "Two days?" he echoed, stunned. He had no idea that he'd been unconscious for that long. The last thing he remembered was walking, then the blinding lights, and then... nothing.

"Yeah," Hong confirmed, his face softening with relief. "The doctors said you were lucky it wasn't worse, but your body needed time to recover." He glanced down at his hands before adding, "Your mom's been worried sick. She got the call from the hospital saying you'd been hit by a car, and she's barely left your side."

Guilt crept into William's chest at the thought of his mom pacing the hospital halls, worrying about him. "Where is she?" he asked, suddenly feeling the weight of his mother's concern.

"I convinced her to go home and rest for the night," Hong replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's been here almost the entire time, but I didn't want to wake her with the news until the morning. She needs to rest too."

William nodded slowly, sinking back into his pillow. "I didn't mean to scare everyone..."

Hong smiled, finally allowing himself to relax a little. "It's okay, man. Just focus on getting better. We'll let your mom know you're awake tomorrow. For now, you should rest."

William let out a tired sigh, feeling the exhaustion creeping back in despite the long sleep he'd already had. "Thanks, Hong. For staying here... and for dealing with my mom."

Hong chuckled softly. "What are friends for? But seriously, take it easy. We've all been worried about you, and I was this close to smack you if you didn't wake up soon." His tone was lighthearted, but the concern in his eyes was still clear.

William smiled at that, his eyelids already growing heavy again. "Alright, alright... I'll rest. Just don't let my mom fuss over me too much when she gets here, okay?"

Hong grinned. "No promises. But I'll try." He pulled up the chair next to William's bed, ready to settle in for the rest of the night. "You just get some sleep."

William nodded, the weight of everything slowly pulling him back into a haze of drowsiness. As he drifted off, he felt a small sense of comfort, knowing Hong was there and that his mom would see him in the morning. For the first time in a while, the worry and frustration in his chest felt a little lighter.

***

Two days earlier, in the quiet hospital hallway, the air was thick with worry. William lay unconscious in the hospital bed, still unresponsive after the accident. Hong sat in a chair near the foot of the bed, watching over his friend with concern etched across his face. William's mother stood anxiously by the door, clutching her bag tightly. Her eyes were red from crying, and every second that passed without William waking up felt like an eternity.

The door opened, and the doctor walked in, holding a clipboard. His face was calm but serious as he approached them. William's mother immediately straightened up, her voice trembling as she asked, "Doctor, how's my son? Why hasn't he woken up yet?"

The doctor took a deep breath, looking between her and Hong, before explaining, "We've checked his x-ray result and William's injuries were not life-threatening, but the impact of his head hitting the concrete during the accident caused a concussion. Thankfully, there's no sign of major brain trauma, but he's experiencing something called post-concussion syndrome."

Her brows furrowed deeply, unfamiliar with the jargon words. "What does that mean? Will he be okay?"

The doctor nodded reassuringly but maintained a serious tone. "He will recover, but it's going to take time. Post-concussion syndrome can cause lingering symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating. He might experience headaches from time to time, and they can be quite painful, like sharp stings in his head. It's something we'll need to monitor closely, but I want to emphasize that with proper rest and care, he should recover fully."

His mother's face paled at the thought of her son suffering through those symptoms. "How long will he have to deal with this?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"It varies from person to person," the doctor explained. "For some, the symptoms may last a few weeks; for others, it could take a couple of months. It's important that William takes it easy and avoids anything that could make the symptoms worse—like intense physical activity or stress."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she turned away, trying to hold herself together. "He's been through so much already... I don't want him to suffer anymore."

Hong stood up from his chair and walked over to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Aunty, He's going to be okay. He'll wake up soon, and when he does, we'll all be here for him."

She looked at Hong, trying to find comfort in his words. "I just... I can't bear to see him like this. I'm so worried, Hong."

"I know," Hong replied softly, his voice steady. "Remember how determined he was when he broke his leg and still wanted to play soccer? He's going to pull through this, too."

William's mother nodded, wiping her tears away as best as she could. "Thank you, Hong. You've been such a good friend to him."

The doctor gave them a moment before adding, "For now, let him rest. It's good that he's sleeping—it means his body is healing. Once he wakes up, we'll reassess his condition, but I'm confident that he'll recover. It just takes time."

With that, the doctor left the room, leaving Hong and William's mother standing by the bed. Hong pulled up a chair beside William again, determined to stay by his side until he woke up. He glanced at William's pale face, the steady rise and fall of his chest, and clenched his fists.