Limits [BoyXBoy] [UNFINISHED/CANCELLED]

.:17:.

Damn I thought this story was going to be short, but here we are, already at chapter 17

I hope you had a nice Halloween :))))
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To my utter dismay, I was out cold pretty much as soon as we reached the medical centre. This was not due to me falling asleep, but rather having something sharp jabbed into my arm as I was being heaved onto a bed.

I woke up later feeling extremely drowsy and pained, like I had been thrown off a building. In reality, there was apparently no time to waste so I was taken into surgery as soon as possible. It bothered me that I could not give my consent first or even be aware of what would happen, but at least there was no bullet in my leg anymore and the hole was patched up. Now that I thought about it, there could have probably been better options for me to take in that situation rather than shooting myself, but I was under the pressure of time and I was not thinking clearly.

As soon as I was able to look around and sit up, I did so in rapid search of Kellin. The room I was in was extremely disorientating and, with the chemicals they had given me still slightly present in my body, I was quick to develop a headache. The area around me was so loud. There were beds lined up along the walls, some with men simply lying in them, others with individuals who were writhing around in agony from whatever untreated wounds they had. Nurses were constantly zigzaggig across the room, desperately trying to give care to those who needed it. It all made me feel nauseous.

Upon seeing that I had woken up, once of the nurses approached me. She smiled and gave a greeting, glancing at a sheet which was pinned to the back of my bed.

"How is that leg of yours doing?" She asked. "We need to get the bandages changed."

I shrugged, not knowing how to answer, and lay back down as the nurse pulled down the covers. My cheeks went red, as one of my trouser legs had been cut off right above where the bullet wound was. It looked very silly and, honestly, I would have rather just been in my underwear instead. Luckily, the nurse had the same idea and she proceeded to remove my trousers, as it would have made changing the bloodied bandages easier for her.

She did her job quickly and I could not help but glance at the wound when it was exposed. It was surprising how something so small had caused me such agony. Even with it being sewn up now, I could see the torn edges of the flesh. I averted my eyes from the sight, as it was making me feel light headed and having the nurse poke at it was not very pleasant either.

"D'you know where Kellin Quinn is?" I asked in order to change the focus.

"Who?"

"Kellin Quinn, 'e was brought in at the same time as me," I explained, clenching the sheets below me as the woman poured something onto the bullet wound that made it sting unbelievably.

"Kellin Quinn," she pondered. "No idea. If I did know of a Kellin Quinn I sure would remember him. That's a quite unforgettable name."

I nodded in agreement. He was so unique and everything about him reflected that. I felt guilty though, we were supposed to be going through this together yet we were already separated and it was my fault.

"Why was he brought in?" The nurse asked, now wrapping a new, clean bandage around my thigh.

I searched my mind for that strange word Colonel Kowalewicz had used to describe Kellin's situation, which had been so unfamiliar to me. "Shellshock."

"Well, that explains it," the lady realised. "I only look after the people with physical injuries. They have a completely different area for people with shellshock or other mental problems."

"Where is it?" I asked, more frantically now, unintentionally grabbing her arm and squeezing it. What if they had taken him away from me? What if he was far away?

"Calm down," the young nurse giggled, then pointed her finger at a door which stood against a wall on the other side of the room, "It's just through there, nothing to worry about."

I let go and smiled at her quite sheepishly and she did so back. With a few more words, the nurse left me alone and, as soon as she was out of sight, I sat up. With my entire lower half completely exposed, I pushed myself up into a standing position. I flinched at the pain from my impaired leg, but did not let it stop me from moving forwards. I wobbled along, down the long room, using anything on the way for support. Resting on it for a few seconds first, I pushed open the door to reveal a room much like the one I was in, but with less people and less blood.

It was oddly quiet here, with the only sounds being the nurses conversing with each other quietly, as well as the beeping of a couple of machines. Most of the patients were silent, although a few did make some fairly weird sounds every now and then. I stepped further in, the floor cold against my bare feet.

My eyes searched the beds until they came across a familiar face, just as seemingly lifeless as all others. At least he was safe. At least he was here.

"Kellin," I whispered for only myself to hear, as I shuffled along to his bed, dragging my bandaged leg behind. My sudden appearance did draw some attention and one nurse was very surprised to see me. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but I threw her the most daring, unwelcoming look I could fathom and it shut her right up. No nurse could stop me from seeing my Kellin and I did not even care about how rude I may have seemed.

Kellin was asleep. Seeing this made me very pleased, as it was better than his emotionless stiffness, which was one of the only things he had expressed before. I sat on the edge of his bed, because standing up was still painful. He looked so peaceful and calm, despite what had happened to him before. Kellin was so strong. If I had been in his position, I would have been in a much worse state.

I clenched my teeth, when I realised that the bandage around my thigh was getting bloody again - walking around must have opened up the wound. I did not care though, it was worth it. He was worth all of the pain in the world.

"What's goin' on? Why are people tellin' me that some man, without any trousers on, escaped from the ward?" I heard a distant voice and a pair of footsteps which were coming closer, clearly addressing the nurses and referring to me. I frowned and froze my assession of Kellin. The voice sounded awfully familiar and I did not know whether I should be relieved or worried by that.

"He didn't escape, he just walked through the door and came here," explained one of the nurses calmly.

The footsteps came to a halt and my curiosity got the best of me. I turned around to gaze at the huddle of nurses and new man who joined them, and my mouth turned into the perfect 'O' shape at the sight of one of the people before me.

The man was tall, towering over everyone else present just like he had done to me for years now. His hair was short and brown, his eyes were dark, mirroring mine. The man, who still looked so young, wore a white gown over his clothes which had always been casual before. I did not think I could trust my own vision anymore, because what I was seeing was so unlikely it had seemed virtually impossible.

He stared back at me with the same amount of amazement and awe, as if I were a miracle he was witnessing. The man stepped forward and if I could do so without being in pain, I would have done so too. He assessed me, looking me up and down, his gaze lingering on my leg, before returning to my face where it had been focused before.

Finally; my trembling lips were able to open.

"Michael?" I asked, looking up at my brother as if he were an illusion, about to disappear.

A bright smile stretched on his face, as he exclaimed, "Vic!"