Bloody Texas

I'm Gonna Crush this Coffee Cup.

"I'm Pidge," She motioned to a larger man behind her, "and this is Hunk."

Hunk gave him a smile and sweet wave. Keith gave a slight bow, "Yeah I'm Keith, Lance's—" he trailed off.

Pidge leaned toward him and finished his sentence, "Boyfriend. We know."

"I see," he lowered his gaze in thought.

Lance's father looked up to them, "Thank you for coming."

"It's our pleasure, honest." Hunk placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "Lance is our best friend."

Pidge adjusted her glasses, "I hope he will be alright."

A silent agreement filled the air. Keith took a deep breath and leaned into his hands. His stomach ached and his head pounded. Every voice was drowned out by his heart in his throat. Lance had to be okay. He couldn't die here, not today. There was so much he wanted to do together. They waited for hours in the hospital. Pidge and Hunk went to get everyone coffee and donuts, then chatted with Keith and Lance's father. Keith liked them; they were supportive of Lance and obviously cared for him very much.

After what felt like forever, Keith sat fiddling with his coffee cup. A doctor walked up to them, his steps made Keith's heart pound even more. The group stood when they noticed the doctor approach. Lance's father was the first to step forward with a worried expression, "Is he alright?"

Keith stood next to him, waiting for the news. The man made eye contact with everyone before he spoke. "Mr. McClain, your son is a very lucky boy. The surgery went very well, and he is recovering in the Intensive Care Unit."

Sighs of relief filled the tense air, and Lance's mother started to cry. She clung to Lance's father as he asked the doctor, "When can we see him?"

"Due to his condition, we are limiting visitors to only two people." He held up two fingers as he spoke. "Whoever that is can come with me."

Keith wanted to jump forward and beg to go, but he took a step back and let his parents follow the doctor. He watched them as they were led down the hall and took a left turn. When they were out of view, the realization of it all hit Keith like a giant wave. A flood of emotions ran through his veins, along with his exhaustion. His head felt light and his muscles relaxed. The happy cheers from Pidge and Hunk faded as his vision whited-out and he collapsed.

Keith woke up in a hospital bed. His head was muddled and confused. With a strained breath, he sat up and held his achy head.

"Welcome back."

Keith turned to see Shiro sitting next to him, magazine in hand. He was dressed in his scrubs and lab coat. Various pens stuck out from his pocket. Keith rolled his eyes, "What happened?"

Before Shiro could answer, the memory of the night came back. He threw the blanket off and launched himself off the bed. Shiro caught him as he stumbled, "Woah there, you passed out. Chill for a bit."

Keith regained his balance and pushed him away. "I can't, I have to—!" he cut himself off as he remembered that Shiro was Lance's doctor. He whipped his head around and grabbed his shoulders, "How is Lance?!"

Shiro held his hands up in defense, "Alright, calm down. You were only out for like three minutes for one. And two, he's fine. His parents are with him in the ICU."

Keith shook him, "But how was the surgery? Is he gonna be okay?!"

He lightly grabbed Keith's wrists and removed his arms, "We are monitoring him, but it looks like he is going to recover quickly and fully."

Keith let out a relieved sigh, clutching his sore chest. He caught his breath, "I have to go back to his friends, we were waiting for his parents to come back—!" Keith had started to walk out, but Shiro grabbed his arm. Keith gave him a questioning look.

"Keith," he hesitated, pulling his arm back, "Why are you so hung up on this guy? He is not good for you."

He crossed his arms. Keith was tired of everyone opposing their relationship—opposing Lance. "That really isn't your decision, Shiro."

He slowly stood from his chair, "Keith, I know what's wrong with him. I'm his doctor. It just isn't a good idea to be involved with someone like him."

"Why?!" Keith was fed up. He wanted to run to Lance, ignore the doctors and just go to him. "What is so bad about him?!"

Shiro opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. He thought about his words, "I can't say much. What I can say is that he is very sick. Sick enough to put you at risk of getting si-"

Keith rolled his eyes and turned to walk out. He was perfectly aware of what Shiro was going to say and didn't want to put up with it. Shiro called after him, but he exited the room with a dramatic door slam.

Pidge and Hunk fussed over him when he returned, but he reassured them he was fine. They were nice. Keith didn't get a lot of affection—definitely not from Shiro. The three of them retrieved more donuts for James and Andy while they waited for any news. Lance's brothers were quiet but respectful. Keith didn't have the courage to talk to them. Plus, Andy gave him an angry glare a couple times. After waiting for about an hour, Lance's parents returned.

Lance's mother wore an angry frown, arms crossed. His father placed a hand on her back in comfort, but she shoved it off. The group was silent as she stomped over to James and Andy, taking them by the wrists and leading them out. Keith gave Lance's father a curious look, waiting for an answer.

He watched his wife leave with a straight face. After she disappeared from view, he took a deep breath and walked up to Keith. "Lance is awake, and uh—" a smile formed on his cheeks, "he wants to see you."