When George regains his consciousness, he is met immediately with an excruciating headache; which forces him to shut his eyes. He lets out a soft groan, the bright lighting of the room he's in blinding him even with his vision blocked. It takes a moment or two, but he very quickly remembers what happened before he was knocked out; he widens his eyes as he frantically looks around him. He realises that he is in a bed, with curtains closed around him; he sees a bedside table with a cup of orange juice on it; and he finds Stephanie staring at him with an expression of disbelief.

"George?" she whispers, with widened eyes. "Are you okay? Oh my god, you're awake." She moves forward, bringing him into a gentle hug, as not to cause him any more harm. "Thank god you're awake."

"Where am I?" George asks weakly, tears starting to form in his amber eyes. "Where's—?" He halts his question, not wanting to draw too much attention to his concern for Levi.

"You're in hospital," Stephanie explains, brushing his hair from out of his face. "You were gone for hours yesterday. I got a call about ten o'clock last night saying you and your friend had been attacked in Reading. I have so many questions, but they're not important right now." She grabs his hand, kissing the back of it to comfort him. "I'm just glad you're alright."

George takes a moment to process what she has said, evaluating it's safe to mention Levi. "Where's my friend? Is he okay?"

"He ... " She pauses a moment, unsure of how to word her next sentence. "He's unconscious. He's in worse shape than you are. He's breathing, but he's ... he's been hurt pretty bad. But you're both lucky somebody saw everything happen and called emergency services."

"He'll be okay, won't he?" George begins to panic, squirming around on the bed in discomfort. "He won't—nothing will happen to him, right?"

"They just need to keep an eye on him. They're hoping he will come around eventually." She gives him a sympathetic smile, rubbing his arm lightly. "But right now, you need to focus on getting better yourself."

"I'm fine," George asserts; he attempts to get up from his bed, but the pain in his ribs sends his body into shock, and he falls back onto the mattress again. Clutching his front in agony, tears of frustration fall down his face. "What the fuck did they do to us?"

"You just got attacked. That's all they know," Stephanie frowns. "Nothing provoked the attack. It could have been anyone, but it was unfortunately you."

George sniffles nearly-silently, knowing that his homosexuality is what triggered the attack; however, now is the most inappropriate time to mention it, so he doesn't. "Did they find the people who did it?"

"They have suspects based on eye witnesses. But it all depends on whether you and your friend want to press charges."

"If anything happens to Levi ... " George swallows to rid the lump in his throat, at the idea, "Then I won't stop until the bastards rot in jail."

"Your friend's name is Levi?" Stephanie asks. "You've never mentioned that friend of yours."

"He's a new friend of mine," George explains. "We only met a few months ago. Didn't know how close we'd become, so I didn't mention him."

"I see." Steph decides against prying any further, so she changes the subject. "I need to get a doctor or a nurse and let them know you woke up. They need to check you over." She rises from her seat, disappearing behind the curtains to find somebody to help her. A few minutes pass by, before she returns with a nurse. "He's been awake a few minutes, and he seems to be in a bit of pain with his ribs. But he wants to know how his friend is doing."

"Hello, Mr Panayiotou," the nurse greets softly, as not to startle him too much. "I'm Nurse Gayle; I'm the nurse who has been keeping an eye on you and your friend since you came in last night. Based on your medical notes ... " She glances over her clipboard briefly, "You've got some bruising on your ribs, which will explain the pain. You need to take it easy, which goes without saying. You had some minor trauma to the head, but somehow that seems to be alright up to now — but we will be keeping a close watch on how you recover, because there's no such thing as 'too careful' with head injuries." She gives George a mellow smile. "And of course, you've got a lot of cuts and other bruises. A couple needed some stitches, but that should be the worst of it."

"I don't care about myself," George presses. "I want to know how Levi is doing. Please tell me."

The nurse inhales, to mentally prepare herself. "Well." She expels the breath again, before continuing. "He's still unconscious. He is in a stable condition, but we are having to take care of him a little more intensely than you due to the injuries he sustained during the attack. We strongly believe he will come around eventually, but it's difficult to tell when. The trauma to his head was a little more severe than yours; and he bled out a bit, too. However, Mr Panayiotou ... " She furrows her brows, "I don't want you to be concerned. He will be alright. He's in the best place right now, getting the care he needs."

"Can you take me to him?" George pleads, tears stinging his amber irises. "I don't care how much pain I'm in — just let me see him. Please."

"George, they're looking after him. He's going to be alright," Stephanie comforts him, rubbing his arm with her hand lovingly. "You really need to rest and let your bruises heal."

"I don't care," George snaps, forcing himself up from the bed despite the near-unbearable suffering his entire ribcage is enduring. He clutches his body as some form of psychological aid to relieve the pain, dragging himself away from the mattress. "I need to see him." He lands on his feet, but the weakness in his limbs almost sends him falling to the floor; he saves face by grabbing hold of the hospital bed again.

"At least let us get you a wheelchair," the nurse offers kindly. "If you're so insistent on going to visit Mr Jones." She rushes out of the ward, returning a minute or two later with a manually-pushable wheelchair for him to use. "Take your time getting in. We don't want you in too much pain."

"I don't care about the pain," George protests, sitting himself in the chair with no regards to how much it hurts. "Please just take me to him."

"Do you want me to hang back here?" Steph asks.

"Please. I just want to be alone if that's okay," George responds in defeat. "Thank you, sweet."

The nurse slowly pushes George through the hospital; he observes all the wards and the patients and the visitors heading down the endless corridors; being taken to surgeries; holding flowers and magazines for entertainment. Despite knowing Levi is unconscious, George still can't help but feel some peace of mind at the knowledge he's going to see his face again; just being with him will give him a strange feeling of comfort. Finally, the nurse brings him to a door; she looks down at him with an expression of empathy.

"Please prepare yourself, Mr Panayiotou," she instructs softly. "He won't be looking great, but rest assured all the machinery is working so that he will be on the mend as soon as possible. His condition is ... well, he looks worse than he is, if that's any form of comfort to you."

George nods in understanding, still cradling his chest to alleviate some of his aching; the nurse pushes open the door to Levi's private room, bringing George inside. He sees the bed in the centre of the room, equipped with monitors and wires and other devices which are checking Levi's progress. Levi's head is laid against a single pillow; it's easy to see the brown staining from the dry blood which adorns the side of his head, clinging to his ebony hair. His mouth is hidden partially by an oxygen mask, there to help with his breathing until he comes around. The sight is enough to bring George to tears; as he's pushed closer to the bed, he can't help but hold his mouth with his hand to prevent sound from escaping.

"Please don't let this sight dishearten you," the nurse comments. "It's all precautionary. We can't put an estimate on how long it'll take for Mr Jones to come around, but we're hopeful that it'll be in the next couple of days."

"Days?" George gasps. "I thought you were going to say hours. Two days is a long time, isn't it?"

"Some patients take weeks, or sometimes months, Mr Panayiotou. A couple of days — although unpleasant — isn't as bad as it sounds." She very-quickly checks Levi's vitals, before heading to the door of the room. "I need to go and see to some other patients now. I'll give you some time alone with your friend. I'll be back shortly to check in." With these words spoken, she disappears from the room, isolating George with his lover.

The moment the nurse is out of sight, George stands himself up, ignoring the uncomfortable sensations in his body. He arrives at the top of the bed, carefully pressing his forehead to Levi's; he plants a tiny kiss upon the dark designer stubble, tarnished with old crimson markings from the sickening acts of violence against them.

"I'm so sorry," George whimpers quietly, cupping Levi's cheek as best as he can with his hand; it proves more difficult with the machinery hooked up to him. "I'm so sorry this has happened. This shouldn't have happened. Not to us. Not to anybody." The droplets begin falling from his eyes, sliding sorrowfully down his face as he grabs Levi's hand; he presses the limp fingers to his own cheek, to try and provide himself with some form of solace from his partner. "I know you promised with your life that nothing would ever happen to me, but you know I'd give anything to be able to swap places with you right now. Just so that you'd be alright. You don't deserve this, my darling. Never have you deserved this." His brows knit together at the injustice, as he closes his eyes. "I hope that you'll wake up soon, so that I can tell you how much you mean to me again. So you can hear it. And so that you know that — even with this happening — I'm still not ashamed of how much I love you. I will never be ashamed of how much I love you. And if anything does happen to you, the people who did this will be extremely sorry for what they've done. More than they already will be. I'll fight for you, my sweet, sweet Levi. I'll fight for you because I love you more than anything."

"He feels exactly the same way about you, sweetheart."

The sudden words frighten George; he whips his head around to find the culprit, spotting Penny in the doorway. "Oh my god," he mutters. "I didn't realise you were here."

"I only just got here," she explains. "But I heard you talking to him. You don't need to worry, George. He knows how much you love him. And he loves you too — so, so much." She walks a little closer, so that she's stood beside George; she rests a soothing hand against his back, rubbing carefully. "And he'll be alright."

George's emotions suddenly get the better of him; with the physical contact of Levi's beloved mother, along with the uncertainty of how his partner will recover, he grants himself permission to break down at last. He falls into Penny's arms, not caring about the pain it causes him; and he sobs his heart out against her chest, at the unfairness and the brutality he has experienced in the last twenty-four hours. He just about manages to grasp Penny's clothing to hold himself in place; she allows his anguish with no complaints, only wanting to be a support system to the man who has captured her son's heart. Seeing George in such a state eventually brings tears to her eyes; she lets them fall silently as she glances across to Levi.

"He will be okay, sweetheart. He'll be okay." She brings her hand to the back of George's head, calming him with little need for words. "We will be here for him; and I'll be here for you too. You're both so loved."

"It's all my fault," George explains. "It's my fault he's like this."

"Of course it isn't," she reassures him. "Not a single part of this is your fault, I promise."

"They attacked us because we're gay," George elaborates, trying to hold back his crying. "If Levi hadn't have met me, he'd be alright. It's my fault. All of this is my fault."

"Don't you dare." Penny withdraws from George as gently as she can, as not to cause him any discomfort. "Don't you dare blame yourself. The people who did this are at fault for being so closed-minded. And we'll make sure they get justice."

"Nobody can know it was a homophobic attack," George asserts, in a panic. "Nobody can know that was the reason. I'm not out to anybody yet, and Levi has only told you. Nobody can know the truth. Please promise me you won't say it to anybody." He furrows his brows, heartbreak evident on his face. "I'm begging you. I can't do this yet."

"You have my word," Penny vows. "I won't say a word until you're ready."

George nods, finally satisfied that his secret is safe for now. "Thank you."

He turns to look at Levi once again; he bows his head down, as he quietly starts to shed more tears.

•••

Chapter thirty! This was a tough one. xx