'Witness' - The White Bridge Crime Series 3 - LGBT, manXman

15

(Six Months Later)

Since being transferred, Tom's broken bones had all healed. His casts had been removed, and he was having physical therapy to keep his muscles from atrophying. The doctors had placed him in a medically induced coma while the swelling in his brain caused by the beating subsided, but weeks after he should have woken up, Tom was still asleep.

Freddie glanced up as Adrian and Eli came into the room one Friday morning.

"Hey," Adrian said softly. "How is he?"

"Still asleep," Fred murmured. "I don't know why he isn't waking up. The doctors said he should have woken up by now."

Eli settled himself in the seat beside Fred and squeezed his hand gently.

"He will wake up," he reassured Fred firmly. "He's just taking a bit longer than expected, that's all."

Freddie shrugged helplessly.

"It's just... I don't know if he can even hear me. And there's so much I want to tell him. There are things I need to say."

"You'll get your chance," Adrian said. "Just be patient."

Eli and Adrian stayed with Freddie for a while longer, before they left him alone with Tom.

Freddie reached out and gently brushed the back of Tom's hand with his fingertips.

"I love you, Tommy," he murmured. "Please, come back to me. I need to tell you things."

He leant across and lightly kissed Tom's forehead.

"I love you." He whispered again.

*

When Freddie awoke the next morning, stiff and cramped from sleeping in the armchair all night, and looked across at Tom's bed, he saw Tom's eyes were open.

"Tom!"

Fred shot out of the chair, and winced in pain as his muscles protested against the sudden movement.

"How long have you been awake?"

"An hour or so," Tom croaked groggily.

"I'll fetch a doctor. Wait here."

"Like I have a choice," Tom grunted. "I can't fucking move."

"You've been unconscious for six months. You suffered a lot of trauma. I'll get a doctor," Freddie repeated, and left the room.

Freddie waiting impatiently while the doctors thoroughly examined Tom, testing the reflexes in his arms and legs, asking him what year it was, where he was, what his name was.

Tom responded well, until he was asked what the last thing he could remember was.

He remembered the holiday he and Freddie had taken almost a year before, and that was it.

"Did we get in an accident on the way back from the airport?" He asked Freddie.

"Something like that," Fred said after a moment, deciding to let Tom recover more before he explained everything.

"When can I go home?" Tom asked.

Freddie helped him take a few sips of water.

"In a few days. We just want to make sure you're fully healed before we release you. You'll need physical therapy for a while yet."

Tom nodded.

Freddie waited until the doctor had left, before hurrying over to embrace Tom.

He wrapped his arms around Tom's neck and buried his face in Tom's shoulder.

"I missed you," he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I don't mean what I said," Freddie said. "I do want to live with you."

"What?" Tom asked. "We are living together."

"Oh, right." Fred realised Tom didn't remember their fight. "Never mind."

"You're weird. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just tired. I've been so worried about you."

Freddie kissed Tom gently.

Tom smiled.

"I'm tried too," he said.

"You've been asleep for six months. How can you be tired?"

Tom chuckled.

"I'm going to sleep, alright." He yawned.

Freddie nodded.

"I'm going to go home, okay. Shower, change. I'll come back though, yeah?"

"Okay."

Tom was asleep before Fred had left the room.

Freddie looked back for a moment at his sleeping boyfriend, feeling happier than he had in months.

Now, all they had to do was find Elliot, and everything would go back to the way it was.