Keeping a Strong Performance

Roses and Hospital Visits

So, imma just expand what this chapter was supposed to be into next chapter because I felt like this one would've been too busy if I kept it the original way. Next chapter will be more important I guess? Idek.

When I woke up the next morning, I had a crick in my neck. The sun was high in the sky and there was a thick layer of snow on the ground. When I stretched, almost every one of my joints popped and gave me relief. I checked my phone and seen that I had a few messages from various people I didn't care to answer. I got up and went into the bathroom I used to share with Bertolt.

I turned the shower on and removed my clothing. I'd forgotten a few articles of clothing and I knew that I could put them on when I got out of the shower. I let the warm water run over my body and it took some of the stress away. I tried to take my mind of all of the possibilities awaiting me when I got to the hospital, but nothing seemed to work. I wound up just standing in the shower and letting the water hit my body instead of actually washing myself.

Eventually, I turned the water off and stepped out. I grabbed one of the fluffy white towels that Bertolt always insisted that we used because of how soft they were. I put it over my face and breathed in the smell. They smelt like him, a smell like none other. It was something that reminded you of something familiar. It was like your house, you knew what it smelled like. It was where you belonged. And Bertolt smelled like home to me. It took me way too long to realize that.

I wrapped the towel around my waist after drying my upper body off. I walked into the bedroom and looked for my clothes that I'd left behind. Once I found them, I hesitated to put them on. The pants weren't an issue. It was the shirt that got me. Bertolt had gotten that for me on my birthday the first year we were together, and it had "This Guy's Got Bert for Life".

I looked at it and laughed at the memory before finally putting it on. It fit a little tight, something he'd done on purpose though he would never admit that. It was supposed to hug my muscles perfectly and it did, just going by the blush he had when I tried it on. I slipped a sweatshirt on and then my shoes. I walked out the door and locked it behind me, immediately walking to the elevator so I could head to the hospital. When I got in the elevator, I seen the doctor that had been there with Bertolt yesterday. She smiled at me.

"Are you the young gentleman that lived above my parents?" She asked and I nodded just once. "Ah, my parents talk greatly of you and your partner. I wanted to tell you that I'm very grateful for your husband. He saved my sisters life and he could've lost his by doing so. I know it's hard now, but it'll get better. I can feel it." She smiled in a way that could only be described as maniacal. She got off and waved at me, leaving me by myself when the doors closed.

When I got outside, my breath was taken away by how beats he city could be with the snow covering it. I treaded through the thick white snow and eventually made it to the hospital. I stopped by the gift shop and bought some roses, his favorite flowers because they represented his home town. I went to the floor he was being kept on and asked if it was okay to go in. They told me that he was still unconscious but improving a bit. They allowed me in after making sure he didn't have an allergy to roses, like I wouldn't know if he had an allergy to those damn things.

I opened the door to his room quietly, even though he was in some kind of coma I didn't want to disturb him. After I shut the door quietly, I turned around to see something that surprised and relieved me at the same time. I seen Bertolt's bed raised up a bit so that he was sort of upright and he was lazily flipping through channels on the cheap tv they had in the room. I stood there for a moment, not really knowing what to say in that moment.

"Y-you're awake." I said and he lazily rolled his head towards me to acknowledge that he'd heard me. He hummed and turned back to the tv to continue flipping through the channels. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?" I asked as I set the flowers on the mobile table next to him. He put his index finger to his lips as if telling me to be quiet.

"They don't know I'm awake." He whispered and it sounded like he had to force the words out. It appeared to hurt him to talk, and it probably did. The bullet wound was around his heart so of course it would hurt. He looked at the flowers for a moment with lifeless eyes. I sat down in the same chair I'd been in yesterday and looked at him. He'd regained a little color in his skin and he didn't look so dead anymore even though he wasn't showing a lot of emotion. He could've been considered a zombie if you wanted to put it that way.

"When did you wake up?" I asked quietly so no one would hear. He shrugged a little bit not much so he wouldn't hurt himself. "They said that you were in some kind of coma, and that you'd be lucky to wake up and if you did there might be some paralysis." I stated softly and he glanced at me without turning his head. He lifted his arms and moved them a bit and then lifted his legs up and moved them about. He shrugged and went back to channel surfing. There was clearly nothing on.

I was glad that nothing bad had happened to him, though I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to have been shot. He was beating a little tune on his leg with the hand that he didn't have the remote in and he seemed content. He sighed quietly and turned the television off.

"I guess I just wasn't ready to die yet." He stated quietly while gazing at his lap. "I'm tired of this scene. It gets old quickly, me being in the hospital because of something stupid and you being here all the fucking time." He stated with slight bitterness, but he couldn't muster up enough energy to be incredibly angry. "Don't you get tired of this? Wasting time on me in a hospital?" He asked and I just sat back in my plastic seat.

"Not tired of it, just worries the fuck out of me. And it's not exactly like you have a lot of people that can be here with you anyways." I said and he nodded. "But that isn't the reason why I'm here. I'm not here because I'm the only one that can be, I want to be here." I added. He simply shrugged and turned the television back on.

"Reiner." He said my name as he flipped through the channels again. I looked at him and waited for him to continue. "Go get me some god damn ice cream or something." He stated, his voice a little hoarse. I chuckled at his tone being so serious about ice cream.

"Are sherbert?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood but he just looked at me with annoyance. I put my hands up and shrugged. "Just trying to help. I'll get your fucking ice cream you spoil shit." I said and he smiled a small smile.

"You didn't even ask what kind I wanted." He said as I was walking to the door. I waved him off from behind.

"I think I'd at least remember what kind of ice cream you like if I remember hat you're favorite flowers are." I said and he flipped me off. He was quite the character when he was really tired or on pain medication. I was fine with it really, as long as he was comfortable around me it was okay.

So yeah, next chapter will have guests and other things that some of you may like or may not I'm not sure but it's happening either way. BAI
-HeichouBri