Love Lost and Found

It was already day as he woke. The sun shone brightly through the small windows in the even smaller hospital room he lay in. Yawning he glanced at his watch. 2pm. //What?!? I’ve slept for more than 14 hours! Orlando!// At once he got up and ran out of the room. “Ugh!” He didn’t see anything as he suddenly ran into someone and the room started to spin around him. Dazed he stared at the ceiling and blinked a few times till he could see clearly again. “Sir? Are you alright?” “No…” Viggo mumbled and stared at the nurse above him. “Shall I get a doctor?” The nurse asked tentatively. “No.. thanks… um, Ludmilla,” he said with a quick glance at her name-tag “The room has stopped spinning…”. Gratefully he accepted the proffered hand and scrambled to his feet. Smiling at the nervous nurse he walked past her and into Orlando’s room.
His heart missed a beat as he saw the young Brit. He was still pale and the medical instruments around him only emphasized the danger he had been in. Shuddering Viggo studied the young man closer. Orlando was beautiful, he noticed once again.
Soft, thick lashes lay against bronzed skin. Viggo smiled as he noticed a few wayward curls which hung into Orlando’s face. A frown furrowed his brows as Orlando turned in his sleep and his left arm was suddenly exposed. Viggo gasped in shock. A series of scars crisscrossed the Brit’s arm, varying in length and width. Some were almost from elbow to wrist, others were only a few centimetres long but what they lacked in length they must have made up for in depth. Some were quite new and one of them looked as though it had been sewn shut no more than a day ago. He shuddered as he imagined the pain Orlando must have gone through.
//Why, Orlando? Why would you do this to yourself?// Gingerly he reached out to touch the scars as if to convince himself that they were indeed real and not only part of his imagination.
His heart ached as he felt the slightly harder skin under his fingertips. “Orlando…” he whispered around the lump in his throat.
“Hmph…” Orlando groaned sleepily as he sensed another presence in his r Sur Surprised Viggo took a step back and waited for the younger man to wake.
He awoke yawning and froze abruptly in his movement as he saw the man next to his bed. “Viggo…”
Viggo smiled nervously. “How are you?” he blurted out, cursing himself for the stupidity of the question the moment he had posed it.
“I’ve felt better.” Orlando tried to joke without looking at Viggo.
“Orlando?” Viggo asked concernedly “Please look at me? Orlando..?”
“No…” the young Brit whispered “I can’t….” “Why Orlando?”
“”Because… the doctor said you found me… why are you still here anyway? You hate me! I don’t care for your company! I don’t want you here! Why do you stay?”
“I don’t hate you.” Viggo said, taken aback by Orlando’s sudden aggressiveness. “I’m your friend, Orlando. I want to help you.” //Friend…// Orlando thought as Viggo’s words seemed to pierce his heart //even if you were… it would never be enough…//
“Why do you lie to me?” he asked instead “How can you claim to be my friend when you hate me?” Orlando squeezed his eyes shut as he felt tears welling up. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“I’ve already said that I don’t hate you, Orlando.” Viggo pointed out, as though speaking to a stubborn child. “Why do you think that I do?”
Orlando bit his lip as he lifted his head and looked at Viggo, thus allowing him to see the hurt and fear in his eyes. “Because you know…” he whispered “you found me… you saw… and you know now what I really am…a lie…and I can’t bear it… I can’t…”
“Can’t bear what, Orlando?” Viggo asked softly as he seated himself on the edge of the mattress. “Can’t bear the way you’ll look at me, now that you know… you must hate me…”
Exasperatedly Viggo shook his head. “I do not hate you, Orlando. I just don’t understand why…” Viggo trailed off as Dr Stein entered the room, Peter Jackson and Ian McKellen right behind him. “You have two more visitors, Mr Bloom!” he announced cheerfully. “How are you? Do you still want to leave?”
“Leave?” Viggo asked shocked “Orlando! You’re not well enough to leave hospital! You almost died yesterday!”
“He is right, Orlando.” Peter added “You should stay in hospital for at least a few days…”
“And what for?” yelled Orlando suddenly “I have no reason to stay here! Fuck, I have no excuse for being at all! Why are you here? To tell me you’re going to recast? Couldn’t you just tell my agent? Why did you come” I never wanted you to!”
“Orlando…” PJ sighed as he finally managed to interrupt the actor’s tirade. “I’m not going to recast.” “See!... what?!? You’re not? You’re going to let me continue playing Legolas?”
“Yes.” “But… but… why?” Tears began to fill Orlando’s eyes once again “You have no reason to! I don’t want your pity! I don’t need it!”
“It’s not pity, Orlando.” Ian interjected “You are a very talented actor and we all would like you to return and be a part of the fellowship.” “You’re lying!” “But…”
“Stop! Enough of that!” Dr Stein interrupted them decisively “We have something else too discuss.” Eight eyes fixed themselves questioningly on the doctor. “Mr Bloom has decided to leave hospital. As much as I would like to keep him for a few more days, I’m not entitled to stop him. However, I would like to know that he won’t be on his own.”
“He won’t!” chorused Ian, Peter and Viggo.
“One of you could perhaps take him in for a few weeks…” continued Dr Stein. “It would be better for him to have some company and…”
“No!” yelled Orlando. “I don’t want to stay with one of them!”
“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” Peter soothed the Brit, ignoring the daggers Ian and Viggo glared at him. “But you still haven’t answered my question.” “Which question?”
“Do you still want to play Legolas?” Once again Orlando averted his eyes. “Yes,” he whispered “I do.” “Good.” Peter nodded with a satisfied grin “I will let you keep the role… if you agree to live with either me and Fran, Ian or Viggo and” he raised his voice as Orlando tried to say something “and you will see a therapist.” “But… but…” Orlando stammered.
“No buts!” Peter decreed “You have heard my terms, do you accept them?”
“I…” Orlando paused and shook his head “I do… but… who of you would want me to live with him?” “I would.” Viggo said at once. “But…” confused Orlando stared at Viggo “Really?” “Yes, really. I already talked about this with Ian and Peter and they agree that it would be the best.”
“Good!” enthused doctor Stein “I wouldn’t have wanted to let out out on his own… and I’d have hated having to lock him into the cellar, to keep him from harm.”
“Lock me into the cellar?” Orlando asked incredulously “You wouldn’t have dared to!”
“I swore to do everything to ensure the well-being of my patients!” the doctor huffed indignantly “Even if it means protecting them from themselves! But you’re right, I wouldn’t have done it. I’ll give you a list of some therapists here in Wellington, who I can recommend. I want you to visit one of them.” The playfulness was gone from the doctor’s voice as he continued. “Soon.” He added with a stern look. Dumbstruck Orlando nodded.
“Good. I will let you pack your things now. Good-bye, Mr Bloom. And I expect you back for a check-up in…let’s say… a week. Alive and unharmed. And don’t you dare put too much strain on the stitches” I don’t want to have to sew you up again!” Once again Orlando simply nodded, knowing that the doctor wouldn’t be denied.

“Well, this is it then…” Viggo rambled nervously and gestured towards the now open door. “Welcome home…”
Orlando smiled shyly and then stepped inside, ,while Viggo went back to the car to get the Brit’s luggage. Neither of them noticed the shadow, who was lurking behind a tree, watching their every move and listening carefully to each and every word spoken.

Tbc…