FALSETTOS - Andrew × Christian

Back with the living.

Andrews pov-
I'm awake... I'm back but I don't know where I am the panels on the ceiling are disturbingly white and my throat burns.
I try to speak but I can't, I soon realise there's a tube down my throat, I feel like I'm trapped in my body.
Just as I am about to fall back into a blissful sleep, a sharp stabbing pain slice through my ribs. My body squirms as I struggle to breathe through this stupid tube.
Just as I manage to fall half way back to sleep a nurse came in and began adjusting my wires checking the monitor. "That's were I am." I thought to myself

The nurse turns to face me slowly and realises my eyes are slightly open and flitting around the room. She presses the call button for a doctor who comes in with some haste. The doctor assures me that there's nothing to worry about and that I'm in the hospital, no shit. She explains to me that now that I'm awake they're going to remove my breathing tube and that I should just try and relax. Like there's anything relaxing about having a tube shoved down your throat!

After the tube is removed and the doctor checks me over for any sign that I might not breathe on my own, she gives me some pain killers and leaves me to rest.

But I can't.

My eyes flutter at the ceiling whilst I try to remember why I'm here and what happened to me. The last thing I remember was stepping out the car at the theatre and nothing else. Surely I didn't just hit my head after everything that's happened, and why did I have a breathing tube? How long had I been asleep for? Where's Christian? What happened to me?

Christians pov-
It had been a month to the day since Andrew collapsed, I get a call from the hospital saying that the sedation had worn off and that he was breathing on his own. Tears slid down my face with ease and a lump formed in my throat as I tried to thank the doctor on the phone, although I'm sure all she could hear was whispering.

I rang Stephanie as I sprinted to the car, still streaming with tears.
Steph agreed to meet me there after the show. Since Andrew collapsed I took some time off whilst everyone else held down the fort. Even with having nothing else to do, I couldn't bring myself to go and see him, the guilt ate away at me but I called the hospital asking for updates at least three times a week. Each time was the same answer. "He's ok, in a stable condition and we can't tell you much more at the minute unfortunately." And that's how it went for almost 4 weeks.

I raced to the hospital and ran to the front desk, tapping my foot impatiently as the receptionist finished her phone call.

"I'm here to see Andrew Rannells"
The nurse glared at me. "And you are?" She said with a slight attitude.
"I'm his... brother. Christian... Rannells"
"Sign here" she said glaring at me with suspicion.
I obliged and signed and was told Andrews room number and of course I ran right up 3 flights of stairs just to get to his door and freeze.

What if he didn't remember me or he for some reason hated me or thought this was my fault. Surely not, I'm just being stupid. It had just been so long since we had spoken and I missed him.

When I knocked on the door gently I heard no response so I hesitantly poked my head round to see Andrew fast asleep. Although he didn't look like the man I loved, he look almost lifeless. If his chest wasn't rising and his hand wasn't twitching every few seconds he really could pass for dead.

I'd seen him like this before but it had just been so long since I'd seen him at all. I snook into the room and gently sat beside him careful not to make a sound.

*2 Hours later*
"Hello gorgeous, I've missed you."
An extremely raspy voice came from a couple metres away, I could hear heavy breathing between each word as my eyes shot open to see Andrew staring at me, eyes slightly drooping and a weak smile across his face. I must have been asleep for a while because my head is super groggy and none of this feels real.

"You're finally back with us, I've missed you too my love."