Chapter 1

Ilya can't believe he's calling Shane's mother before Shane, but Shane is two hours away and completely unable to help. Yuna picks up on the first ring. Which is not surprising since Ilya rarely calls. (He usually texts) She likely assumes something is wrong, and, unfortunately, she's right. He immediately cuts to the chase, "Appendix, this is useless organ, yes?" Yuna understands immediately. "Ilya, sweetheart, do you think you have appendicitis?" "I...yes. It is like many little knives to the side," Ilya says, wincing at the unrelenting pain of it. He'd gone to bed early the night before after barely eating anything, thinking, maybe, he was coming down with a stomach bug or something like that. He'd woken to the sharp, piercing pain. It's so bad that there's quite nearly tears in his eyes. He lets out a quiet whimper, and Yuna says, "Oh, sweetheart, David and I will be there as soon as we can, and we can take you to the hospital." They live close to him, so he knows it'll only be fifteen minutes or so, but it feels like an eternity. He holds onto his cell phone like a lifeline and debates calling Shane, but he doesn't want to worry him, not yet. Only Shane's parents. The parents that are starting to feel like his second ones. He hadn't even thought twice about calling Yuna. He knew she would answer and take him to the hospital and won't make a big deal out of it it if turns out he really has a truly terrible stomach bug. This itself brings more tears to his eyes because he hasn't had this in so long. A family that truly cares for him and not just what he can do for them. He's wiping furiously at his eyes when Yuna and David come in. David looks away and volunteers to throw together a duffel bag of Ilya's things just in case he's at the hospital overnight. Yuna sits down next to him and asks gently, "Is this all because of the pain?" "No," Ilya says. "It is because you, and David, and Shane. You are all here for me. I am not used to this." Yuna pulls Ilya into a loose hug, mindful of his side. She has tears of her own now. "Well get used to. We're not going anywhere." "Except the hospital," David says as hands the duffel to Yuna and offers a hand up to Ilya. When they're in the car, Yuna asks if he's called Shane and tsks at him when he says "no." "He better find this out from you and not the media," Yuna says. "Ilya Rozanov in the ER is a headline even if you don't have appendicitis." Between the pain and the fear, Ilya had somehow briefly forgotten that that's what his life is. He puts the call on speaker, and Shane is ready to drive to Ottawa or even get on a plane before Ilya says, "Let us make sure it really is appendix that is the problem first." "What if it is though?" Shane asks. Ilya can practically hear his anxiety. "Your parents will take good care of me until you are here."

Chapter 2

Yuna frowns down at Ilya where he's lying half curled in on himself on the hospital bed, trying not to whimper. She doesn't know what she's more upset about: Ilya looking pitiful and in obvious pain or Ilya not truly having a family to look after him for over half his life. She reaches her hand down and squeezes Ilya's to remind him she's there. He looks up with watery eyes and asks, "Shane is coming?" "He's not going to be here before you have surgery. It's snowing, and the roads are bad," Yuna says, squeezing his hand again as she says it. She knows that her son is who Ilya truly wants here, but she's going to keep doing her best as a placeholder. Ilya sighs and says, "Good thing he has practical, boring car." It is a very good thing, Yuna thinks. It's letting her worry more about the boy that's in front of her and less about the one that's driving through less than ideal weather. And if she wasn't worried enough about him, Ilya breaks her whole heart by asking, "You will stay until Shane is here?" "Oh, sweetheart," Yuna says, brushing stray curls from Ilya's forehead, "we'll be right here until you go home, even after Shane is here." "And," David says, looking up from where he's been reading the New Yorker in the chair in the corner, "you're either coming home with us or one of us is staying with you for a few days. You shouldn't be alone after this, and, I'm sorry to say, Shane can't stay. He has a game on Saturday." Yuna smiles at David. She'd already known this, but it's probably good for Ilya to know it too. Ilya who is simply being overwhelmed by what she and David aren't even thinking twice about. "You do not have to do this," Ilya says, his eyes shining with fresh tears. "Yes, we absolutely do," Yuna says forcefully. "We want to." XXX Ilya wakes up after surgery to Shane's iron grip on his hand. He murmurs, "Shane." "Ilya," Shane says, cupping his cheek in his hand, "I'm sorry I couldn't get here faster." "Is okay. Like I said, your parents, they took good care of me," Ilya says before suddenly looking around the hospital room. He doesn't see the Hollanders anymore and his heart sinks. "Hey," Shane says, wiping tears from Ilya's cheek, "my parents wouldn't leave you. My mom's doing PR for us; there's a whole cover story for me being in Ottawa and then coming to visit you when I heard you were in the hospital. My dad's getting something to eat for me and him. They'll both be back soon." "Oh...I...," Ilya tries to think of something snarky to say to this, to hide how much this really means to him, to hide that the tears have nothing to do with pain. But he can't. Instead he kisses Shane's hand before saying, "I love you, Shane Hollander, and I love your family." "Hey," Shane says, "they're your family too."

End Notes

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