Bloody Texas

Haha *finger guns* I am Not Sorry.

When Mark arrived, he stared at Keith for a few moments before sitting down next to him. They didn't say a word to each other. They couldn't. The only thing they could do was wait for the doctor.

Finally, he came. Keith turned his head to see him walk down the hall. Everything went in slow motion, and the only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat. The doctor wiped his forehead and visibly sighed. Keith could feel his heart break. He knew what the doctor was going to say before he even reached them.

"Mr. McClain." The doctor greeted him with a straight face.

Keith stood and nodded. He motioned to Mark, "This is Lance's brother."

The doctor shook his hand. He took a breath, "Will you walk with me? I'll take you to your husband."

Keith gulped and nodded, following the doctor through the halls. He kept his body on autopilot as he listened to the empty words he spoke.

"Lance's condition is severe. He has a very bad case of pneumonia." The doctor talked with his hands, "How long have you noticed he was sick?"

Keith gave him a confused look, "Just before I brought him in. He collapsed and that's when I noticed. Why?"

The doctor opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. After a moment, he finally spoke. "Mr. McClain." He stopped walking and locked eyes with him, "For Lance's condition to be this severe, he had to have been sick for days, maybe a week or so."

Keith furrowed his brows and shook his head. "You don't mean–" he trailed off.

Mark stepped in, "So he hid it from you?"

Keith waved him off, "Shut up, Mark."

"I'm very sorry," the doctor lowered his gaze. "I'm afraid I should warn you before we enter."

Keith shook his head, "What do you mean?"

"Well," The doctor stood tall as he explained. He looked as if he had just been asked to speak in from of the class. Like a teacher's pet. "The pneumonia Lance has is almost harmless to you, but when there are underlying conditions, it becomes very serious. And," he shrugged," well, lethal."

Keith stared at him with a dumbfounded expression, "I'm not following."

"The odds of Lance recovering are almost zero. He's going to continue getting thinner and sicker." The doctor crossed his arms to relax, "I'm giving him a week."

Keith's eyes widened as he stepped forward, "What?! What do you mean?!"

Mark shook his head and lowered his eyes, "Are you saying that my little brother is dying?"

The doctor nodded, "Unfortunately, yes. There's nothing more we can do but keep him comfortable." He gave Keith a look of pity, "I'm very sorry, Mr. McClain."

Keith's emotions left his body. Everything went numb. This was the moment he had hoped would never come. He took a shaky breath, "Can I see him now?"

"Of course," the doctor opened the door they had stopped at and let them in.

Lance looked anorexic. His skin was stretched around jagged layers of bone with no pillow of muscle. His skin had gone four shades paler and his eyes had glazed over. Keith knew he had gotten smaller. When they slept together, he noticed it more and more. But as Lance lied on the hospital bed in the morning light, Keith could see that he had been blind. He had been smacked in the face by a reality he never wanted to see. Lance was sick. He was always sick. No amount of love could cure him. It was a fact Keith had been refusing to accept.

Wires and tubes were attached to Lance's dull skin. They latched onto him like leeches, sucking all of the life out of him. An oxygen mask was lied over his mouth like a gag. Without the cover of Lance's cute winter outfits, he looked a lot more depressed than ever before.

Lance lifted his weak eyes to smile at Keith when he walked in. Keith slowly drifted over to his side and took his bony hand. He kissed his slim fingers and gave him a worried expression.

Lance spoke through his mask, "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

Lance smirked, "Like I'm dying."

Keith sighed, "But you are."

Lance chuckled, which turned into a hacking cough. "Yeah, but we don't need to act like it."

Mark let out a shaky breath, "Hey Lance."

Lance turned his head to face him. His eyes teared up as he gave him a wide smile. "You came."

Mark took a deep breath and walked over to the other side of his bed. He scratched his head, "God, Lance—you—you're so thin."

"Yeah." Lance lifted his unsteady hand to take Mark's. "But you're here."

Mark used all his strength to keep himself together. "Why did you want me here, Lance?"

Lance gently squeezed his hand. He looked up at him with dazed, bright eyes. "Can you—" his voice shook, "Can you stay?" He forced a smile, "I've got my big brother now." He slowly shook his head, "I'm not scared anymore."

Mark broke down and let out a sob. "Oh, Lance."

"Shh," Lance chuckled, "This is a no crying zone."

"I'm sorry!" Mark cried out as he held Lance's hand. "I'm so sorry!"

Lance smiled over at him, "I know. I always knew."

Mark shook his head as tears streaked his cheeks. He spoke in a broken, pitiful whisper. "Can you forgive me?"

Lance lifted his hand to flick his nose. "I forgave you a long time ago, dumbass."

Keith brought his forehead down to the back of Lance's hand. His brain was still muddled. He couldn't feel anything. Lance used his other hand to run his fingers through Keith's hair. "Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Look at me."

Keith lifted his head to face him. Lance slipped off his oxygen mask and kissed Keith's cheek. As he pulled away, Keith quickly grabbed him and kissed his lips.

Lance pulled back a little, "Keith, I'm sick!"

"I don't care." He cupped Lance's cheeks and kissed him deeply.

After pulling away, Lance smiled up at him. "You were always reckless."

Keith rolled his eyes, "Says you." He let go of his cheeks to take his hand.

Lance turned to the other side of his bed, "Hey Mark?"

"Yeah?"

He flashed a gentle smile, "Do you want to play cards?"