Running on Faith - Chapter 7

[miwido.livejournal.com]

 

Title: Running on Faith

Author: Mika

Pairing: VM/OB, OB/HS (implied)

Rating: NC-17 (eventually, anyway)

Disclaimer: It’s all made up. I’m not making any claims about anyone or anything. I make no money from this.

 

A/N:  I am totally overwhelmed by all the feedback on this story.  Thanks for all your comments!  I will probably be out of town all weekend, so I won't have the time to post another chapter for several days, probably not until the beginning of next week.  I did a little "adjusting" so I could post a longer chapter tonight for your enjoyment.


 

Early the next morning, the shrill alarm woke Orlando from his slumber. He turned it off and slowly climbed out of the bed, trying to keep from hesitating and making himself late. He showered and went through his morning routine quickly, then called a cab to take him to the hospital.

 

He checked in with the nurse at registration and took a seat while he waited for someone to come and get him. Orlando hated the harsh chemical smell of the place, and he started trying to breathe through his mouth. The smell was making him nauseous. 

 

Orlando didn’t wait too long and an orderly appeared around the corner and called his name. He was lead up to his room, where he was to undress and put on the hospital gown that he provided. Then the orderly excused himself, saying that the duty nurse would be in shortly. Orlando stood at the side of the hospital bed, clutching the gown in his trembling hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath finding the courage to start undressing. He climbed into the bed, and as he pulled the covers over him, he suddenly felt as if he had lost total control of himself. In a way, he had. Orlando had to trust that the doctors were going to do what needed to be done. 

 

The duty nurse came in rolling an I.V. stand, her arms loaded with various items. Her name was Georgia and she made lots of small talk, seeing the fear and apprehension in Orlando’s eyes. She began by inserting the IV into his arm, preparing him for the flow of drugs that would be pumped into his body throughout the procedure. After that, she held up a large towel and asked Orlando to lower the covers and put it under him. He had forgotten about this part and he covered his reddened face with his arm as she shaved his genitals. 

 

After cleaning Orlando up, she then retrieved a syringe that was full of medication. As she pumped it into the IV, she explained that it was something to help him relax and that they would be coming to get him soon to take him to surgery. Orlando could feel the injection work almost immediately and was thankful to have something to ease the fear and anxiety he was feeling. As soon as she was satisfied that the shot had taken effect, the nurse prepared to insert a catheter. Even with the injection, fear bubbled up to the surface as Orlando watched her ready the equipment. After it was finally over, Orlando thought about how much worse it could have been if he hadn’t been given the sedative.

 

A short time later, an orderly appeared at the door to transport Orlando to surgery. As he was rolled down the hall, he could feel the bile rising in his throat again as he saw the doors to the surgery rooms. God, how he wished Viggo was with him right now. Finally, he just closed his eyes and prayed for it all to be over soon.

 

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Viggo had not slept at all the entire night. He paced the floors, periodically calling Orlando’s cell to see if he could reach him. He couldn’t believe everything that had happened. Orlando had been telling him the truth from the beginning and he had not trusted him. Instead, Viggo had turned his back on him. He spent the whole night remembering all the things that had been done to Orlando. He felt a deep physical pain in his chest that intensified each time he wondered if Orlando could ever forgive him. 

 

Sean didn’t sleep much better than Viggo did. He arose early, showering and dressing quickly. He stopped at the local bakery and got some coffee and donuts and he found himself at Viggo’s door a few minutes later.

 

With the ringing of the doorbell, Viggo felt his stomach flip as he ran for the door. He tried not to look crestfallen when he saw that it was Sean. They went in to the kitchen and sat at the small table in the corner to drink their coffee, and for Sean to threaten Viggo repeatedly until he ate at least one donut. Sean had come to drive Viggo wherever he needed to go today. Viggo protested at first and then gave up when he saw how determined Sean was, and the truth be told, he could use the support.

 

They headed out towards the set, intent on finding Peter. They caught up with him and Fran in one of the trailers and breathed a sigh of relief to see that they were alone. 

 

Viggo didn’t waste words. “Pete, I need to know where Orlando is.”

 

Peter frowned slightly, glancing briefly over to Fran before looking back to him. “Um, I’m not really sure where he is. Why would you think I would know?”

 

Viggo took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say. “I know that there is something serious going on and I have seen him talk to you several times. Look, I know that you are aware of our nasty little breakup, but something has happened and I need to talk to him desperately.”

 

Peter stared Viggo straight in the eyes before he made his next statement. “I’m sorry Viggo, I can’t tell you were he is.” 

 

Viggo jumped up at his words, anger rising in him quick. Sean immediately stood up next to him, putting his hands on his shoulders and squeezed gently. The last thing they needed was for Viggo to lose it and go for the director’s throat. 

 

Sean pled their case a bit. “Pete, you don’t understand. This is serious. He needs to get in touch with Orlando as soon as possible.”

 

Peter glanced back and forth between the two and then looked over at Fran for a moment, who nodded to him. “Orlando was adamant that no one know where he is. He wanted to keep it under wraps and I just can’t betray that trust.” Viggo dropped his head forward, closing his eyes against the tears that were sure to come. Raising his head, he opened his eyes and nodded to Pete, his voice a whisper as he told him that he understood. Peter and Fran saw first hand the worry and suffering in Viggo’s eyes and they looked to each other again. 

 

Peter reached over and grabbed a small notebook. “All I can say is that I will write a few notes on a piece of paper and leave it on my desk. Once we are gone if you happen to find it, well then it would be an accident, wouldn’t it?”

 

Viggo breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks Pete. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

 

Peter looked up from the note. “Viggo? Don’t make me sorry that I told you.”

 

He and Fran left out of the trailer after he dropped the note on the desk. As soon as the door clicked shut, Viggo sprang to the desk, scrambling to get to the needed information. His hands were trembling as he read the note. “Oh god. Orlando. I’m so sorry.”

 

He passed the note to Sean and he read it quickly. The note was dated in the corner and beneath it was Orlando’s name, Wellington Hospital, and the words ‘surgery at 9 am’. Sean glanced at the clock on the wall. It was just after 8 am. He grabbed Viggo’s arm yet again and drug him towards the car. “Maybe we can make it there before he goes in.” They clambered into the car and Sean broke every law trying to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.

 

Viggo began to roll everything in his mind as they drove to the hospital. Would it be a good idea to see Orlando right before his surgery? He figured that Orlando would be very upset when he saw him. Should he send him to surgery like that? Finally he decided that he would tell him how much he loved him and needed him and, more importantly, that Viggo would be there for him. They could talk later, after the surgery was over and he was recovering. Viggo’s mind then wandered to the other half of the equation. What kind of surgery was Orlando having? He really was sick all this time. It made his heart hurt to know how much pain Orlando had been in and he wasn’t there to comfort him. Viggo didn’t know how Orlando managed to cope with it all. How could he ever make this up to him?

 

They arrived at the hospital and found a parking spot fairly easy. They fell into a light jog, running in to the reception desk to find out where Orlando’s room was. Viggo tried not to yell at the woman looking up the information in the computer. She was taking her sweet time and his patience was wearing thin. He felt Sean’s hand on his shoulder, and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn’t afford to lose it now.

 

Viggo and Sean took the elevator to the fifth floor and quickly scanned the numbers on the wall plaque. Before he knew it, Viggo was standing in front of the door to Orlando’s room. He froze, suddenly terrified to open the door. Sean reached around him and opened the door slowly. He squeezed Viggo’s shoulder and nodded to him. Viggo slowly walked into the room, his vision becoming blurry with tears immediately. 

 

The room was empty. Viggo sat down in the nearest chair and cried.

 

Sean turned on his heels to find a nurse to see how long they expected surgery to last and to give Viggo a few moments alone. He made his way to the nurse’s station, turning on his winning smile. Since he wasn’t family, he would have to charm the nurse into giving him the information that he wanted. 

 

When Sean returned to the room, Viggo was still sitting in the chair, but he was clutching Orlando’s jumper to his chest. His face was pressed into it, inhaling deeply. Sean gently touched Viggo’s shoulder to let him know he was standing there.

 

Sean sat down on another chair in the room. “I just talked to a nurse and she said that they should only be about another hour or so before they bring him back. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t tell me anything else.” Viggo thanked him quietly and Sean continued. “Listen, I’m going to stay until they bring him back, then I’m going to leave and give you some space. I’ll come back later this evening, okay?”

 

Viggo nodded his head and thanked Sean again. He looked at his watch, this was going to be the longest hour of his life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Orlando slowly began to pull himself into awareness. He could feel a warm hand rubbing his arm and a distant voice asking him to open his eyes. Orlando looked up into the eyes of a smiling nurse, who informed him that everything went just fine and that the doctor would come see him after they got him back to his room. He nodded sleepily, closing his eyes to rest. 

 

The next time Orlando woke up, he was slowly moving down the halls on the way back to his room. The orderly alerted the nurse that he had returned, and then he made his way down to the room, navigating the hospital bed expertly around the corner and then through the door frame.

 

Viggo shot up like a bolt when the door opened, and he looked up to see the orderly bringing the bed back into the room. He swallowed hard as he got his first glimpse of Orlando. He was just as pale as ever, looking so small and lost wrapped up in blankets on the hospital bed. His eyes were fluttering open and then closing, not really focusing on anything. The nurse came into the room, making sure that he was as comfortable as he could be. She turned to Viggo and Sean, telling them that he was still quite groggy and would probably sleep on and off the rest of the day. 

 

When she got him settled, she slipped from the room and Viggo felt rooted to the floor. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Orlando’s face and he desperately wanted to climb onto the bed next to him and take him in his arms. Finally Viggo found the courage to move, and he quietly sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning over Orlando slightly as he stroked his fingers through his hair. Orlando stirred almost immediately, turning his face towards Viggo’s palm, as his drugged mind recognized his touch and smell. When Orlando took a deep breath, Viggo could almost swear that he could see a hint of a smile on his lips, and that tipped him over the edge. Viggo’s tears flowed freely now, some of them splashing onto Orlando’s hand that was lying across his chest. Viggo could feel Sean move close behind him, and then a box of tissues came into view. He took them gratefully, wiping his face while trying to regain some composure. 

 

After getting over the initial shock of seeing Orlando, Viggo moved one of the chairs as closely to the bed as he could get it. Viggo sat down and took Orlando’s hand in his gently, slowly stroking across the digits with his thumb. Sean had since left, leaving him alone to wait it out until Orlando woke up.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Orlando slowly approached consciousness, feeling so groggy and disoriented. His muddled mind tried to determine where he was, but he couldn’t seem to grasp those thoughts. He reached to rub at his gritty eyes before trying to open them, when he realized that something or someone was holding one of them. His eyes blinked rapidly as he tried to focus, and he felt like he had been punched in the chest when he saw who sat next to him. 

 

Viggo had slumped down in the chair a bit and was dozing. Orlando felt as if he couldn’t breathe as he continued to stare at the man sitting in the chair. He couldn’t understand why he would be here, Viggo hated him so much. Orlando couldn’t hold back the tears anymore and they slid silently down his temples and into his hairline. It wasn’t until he felt a warm palm resting on his cheek that he realized that Viggo was awake.

 

Viggo’s eyes were similarly wet with tears. “Shhhh, It’s okay. Please, don’t cry. Everything is fine now. You’re going to be okay.” 

 

Viggo grabbed a tissue and dried the tears from Orlando’s face. Orlando looked up at him with confusion in his eyes. “Vig? Why? Don’t understand why you are here.” Orlando started to shift around in the bed, sending a flash of pain through his groin. He gasped deeply, suddenly holding very still, as he waited for the throbbing ache to subside. 

 

Slowly opening his eyes, he managed to bring his gaze back to Viggo’s face. “How did you know where to find me? Viggo, please, I can’t do this…” He let out a choked sob, unable to continue. 

 

Viggo gently moved his thumb over until it rested on Orlando’s lips. “Shhhhh baby. Don’t worry about all that right now. There will be plenty of time to talk later, after you have had some rest. Close your eyes Orlando. I’ll be right here when you wake up, I promise.”

 

Orlando swallowed hard, his mind full of questions. “I don’t understand what’s happened, but I am too tired to deal with it right now. If you are planning on leaving me again, please do it now. If I wake up later to find you gone…it’ll kill me. My heart can’t take it again.” Orlando cried freely now as hard, choking sobs and gasps poured from his exhausted body. Not knowing what else he could do, Orlando started to push weakly at Viggo, trying to move away from him.

 

He was only vaguely aware of Viggo sitting him up slightly in the bed so that he could get his arms around him. He curled against Viggo’s chest, feeling one hand cradling his head while the other rubbed up and down his back in long, soothing strokes. Viggo moved down until his mouth was near to Orlando’s ear, whispering softly. “I swear to you Orlando, I will be here when you wake up. I know you don’t understand right now, but I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. Orlando, I love you so much. Just focus on that right now and try to rest, okay?”

 

Orlando pulled back slightly and nodded his head. He felt hazy and weak right now and he could barely keep his eyes open. Viggo gently laid him back on the bed, and before he could get Orlando settled, he was asleep.

 

TBC

 

Comments

[adtya.livejournal.com]

I cant wait to read more

[helineloro.livejournal.com]

Finally!
This is so fantastic, Viggo did the right thing, even though now it's Orlando, you must forgive Viggo.. ..... Fingers crossed until the next chapter and I hope that together are able to punish Harry!

Thanks!

[byalara.livejournal.com]

Crying my eyes out here. Thanks you made my day.

[veveri.livejournal.com]

You have me nearly crying as well! Luckily Peter has been smart enought to find a way to let Viggo know and not exactly betraying Orlando´s trust.
Waiting for more!

[ireth06.livejournal.com]

Totally frgot about this story but i'm catching up right now!

I'm glad someone is there for orlando and the fact that it is Viggo is even better!
*skips off to the next chapter*