Connected Lives (a Les Twins FanFiction)

Chapter 14

For the first time in five days Laurent was able to let Larry know he was aware. Five days of drifting in a cool, off-black otherworld, hearing so many untruths about him yet unable to dispute them. This must be purgatory, he had thought, I am stuck between heaven and hell for eternity. Well, he had always had a flair for the dramatic. Two days Larry had held vigil by his side, Thea pressing him to let her call Maman. Of course Larry resisted, while Laurent tried desperately to claw his way back and tell Thea to quit asking and just do it. His brother finally relented from the pressure wearing him down, but it would have been better if he hadn't known any difference and Mami had just shown up.

Laurent was draining so much from Larry, his body and spirit involuntarily monopolizing their shared power. Larry would end up just like him if she didn't recharge. And yet, he could impart none of this. Day three Mami arrived, bringing with her the unique spiritual bond only shared between a mother and her child. The brothers' connection may be more powerful, but Mami's was inexhaustible. There was no limit to the healing she could give her son. For two days she never left his side and her stable, loving presence had guided him painfully close to wakefulness. Laurent knew, though, that only Larry could lead him through the last leg of this lonely journey.

He did not expect how Larry would do it. In truth, he had always felt that Larry couldn't tap into their connection the way he could. That was not to say that Larry was less connected, it was just that Laurent expressed it in a more visceral way. His brother locked himself away. Laurent had the key to get in, but Larry rarely ventured out. Today was one of those rare times. Without seeing or touching each other he had called Laurent to him. His call was so loud and so strong it almost felt to Lau that he was restored completely in the studio, not an incorporeal form. He didn't know that his mother was witnessing the experience through him. His eyes had moved back and forth beneath his lids, muscles in his arms and abdomen had twistched with life. His loose face had tightened with the barest hint of a smile.

The Larry walked in the room. Laurent's exhilaration increased when he realized he could control his heart rate enough to tell Larry he knew he was there. It got a bit...chaotic...after that. Mami had moved away and Larry's energy became urgent and intense. It was too much and Laurent felt his heart begin to race out of control. He wanted to call to his brother but his voice was still missing and he remained motionless on the bed.

The incessant beeping of the heart monitor put Larry's nerves on edge, making his breathing ragged and requiring a tremendous effort to slow it. He closed his eyes and let everything around him fade except Lau. Taking a deep breath, he laid his hand over his twin's heart and leaned over, putting his other hand on the crown of his head. He brought his cheek as close to Lau's as all the tubes and tape would allow, resting near his ear so he need only whisper.

"Lau, I know you hear me. I know you are awake behind your eyes," he whispered intimately, "It's time for you to come back Lau. I need you, I can't be without you anymore." Larry voice faltered.

A tear ran from the corner of Lau's eye, dampening Larry's cheek. He raised up ever so slightly and gave a small gasp. He spoke quietly into Lau's ear again, choking back his cries. "Lau, god Lau, it's time for you to come back to me. I love you my brother." He felt and small contraction of Lau's chest and neck. He heard his mother quietly praying behind him. Thea and Elodie were holding nurses at bay under threat of arrest. Just a little longer...longer.

Then his mother said his name in a hushed tone. He leaned back and watched Laurent's eyes flutter open, then squeeze shut against the light, before opening again in a squint. His gaze found Larry's eyes in an instant.

"Hey Lau," Larry said, tears dripping from his chin. He watched as Lau tried to speak but the tube in his throat prevented him. The realization that he had something stuck in his throat sent him into a panic. His eyes snapped open in fright and seemed to unlock his body. His arms jerked up, straining the IVs and he began to claw at his throat. Larry grabbed his brother's hands and forced them to his sides.

"Lau! It's okay, it's okay. Listen to me, you must stop, I will get help..." Larry looked toward Thea and shouted, "Let them in!" He looked back at Laurent who's eyes showed complete trust in Larry, even as he gagged in panic. "They're coming now Lau..."