Blue was phasing in and out of consciousness as the two wolves gingerly placed him into the back of Eivind's truck. The morphine had made Blue hazy, but he could understand enough to know what the two males were doing. He rested his head on the lap provided to him and nodded off once more, listening to the sounds of the wolves chatter back and forth to one another, only catching small bits and pieces of their conversation before sleep took hold of him again and knocked him into the realm of the unknowing.<br/><br/>It was different when they arrived at the hospital and the wolves were forced to shake Blue awake. He mumbled something unintelligible as Eivind carried him inside, realization dawning over his groggy face as the bright white lights of the hospital assaulted his vision. Blue had never been fond of hospitals. He hated the stark white, the overly sanitized environment that bred resistant super bacteria. A few times in his youth he had been taken to the emergency room, one time when he was running a fever of 103°F, another when he had broken his ankle after falling from a tree he had tried to climb as a toddler. Neither experience had been bad, necessarily, but he certainly hadn't enjoyed them, and Blue found himself clutching onto Eivind's arm as the nice woman in periwinkle scrubs gave them a bunch of paperwork to fill out, paperwork that Blue could hardly focus on, so Eivind wrote everything in for him, asking for information he couldn't scribble in himself.<br/><br/>Blue whined when they had to take him away. He was fully awake now, but he didn't like the idea of being separated from Eivind, and he made sure to kiss the wolf before they carted him off. In the too-bright exam room, a man prodded and poked at him, examining the injury, causing Blue to cry out in pain every time his fingers pressed too hard on the injured area. He listened to his lungs, frowned when they didn't sound healthy. They had Blue do an x-ray, and a dark spot was found on the side of the injury; Alaric had been right. Fluid was building up in Blue's chest cavity, causing him to struggle every time he took a breath. They told him the fluid needed to be drained, and that he needed to sign consent forms in order to receive a thoracentesis.<br/><br/>"What the hell is that?" Blue had asked, fear prickling at the back of his neck as the man went on telling Blue precisely what was going to happen to him.<br/><br/>A needle was going to be inserted between his ribs, into the pocket of fluid. It would be drained. A numbing agent would be used, but Blue would be awake for the procedure. They would monitor his breathing and heart rate the entire time, and keep him overnight to ensure that no complications would arise. "It's a fairly simple procedure, and barring any complications, you'll be able to go home in the morning."<br/><br/>"What about Eivind?" Blue spurted out, shifting uncomfortable on the exam table, his fingers tapping nervously against his thigh.<br/><br/>"I'm sorry, who?"<br/><br/>"My . . . my boyfriend. When can I see my boyfriend?"<br/><br/>"You'll be able to see him after the procedure, don't worry." The doctor gave Blue a reassuring smile, but the young man was still terrified. He just wanted to go home. He wanted Eivind.<br/><br/>The hours blurred by. Despite it being a "fairly simple procedure," a lot of prep work had to be completed before they could start anything. When the time came, Blue was violently trembling, and the doctor with the needle had to request multiple times that he stay as still as possible as she slipped the instrument inside of him. Though they had used a numbing agent, Blue could still feel the needle as it pierced his skin. Forced to be alone in a strange environment was causing the boy to tense up. He had a nasal tube providing him with oxygen, and a nurse kept a close eye on his vitals as the fluid was drained from his body. A few times he was asked to breathe in deeply, while other times the doctor instructed him to hold his breath. He did the best he could, listening to every request and acting accordingly.<br/><br/>"You're lucky, Mr. Broussard," the doctor said cheerfully, pulling the needle out of him and pulling away as a nurse began to bandage up the entry point. "There wasn't enough fluid in your chest cavity for us to need to use a catheter. You'd have to stay a bit longer if that was the case. I'm still requiring you stay overnight, just so we can ensure no more fluid builds up, okay?"<br/><br/>Blue nodded solemnly, and it was quite a bit of time between them getting him set up in a bed and them finally allowing Eivind and Sig to visit him. The young man's face lit up when Eivind came rushing through; the wolf's movements were somewhat agitated, and Blue could only imagine how nervous the older male must have been, waiting there for so many hours.<br/><br/>"Vin," he said softly, holding up his arms so he could hug his lover and press a kiss against the man's lips. "I hate this place," Blue laughed, somewhat strained, but much better than how he had sounded back in the cave. "They stuck a needle through my ribs and drained out this fluid. It wasn't the worst thing, I guess, but I still would prefer to never have to repeat that ever again." He turned to Sig, who was situated on the opposite side of the bed as Eivind and smiled up at him. "Thanks for your help, Sig. You didn't have do all that. But I appreciate it."<br/><br/>The doctor who had performed Blue's thoracentesis stepped into the room and came to stand at the end of Blue's bed, nodding quickly at the men. "Feeling better, Mr. Broussard?" she said sweetly. Blue nodded in return, and the doctor continued. "Mr. Ulrich? I commend you for getting your boyfriend here just in time. Rib injuries have a high risk of leading to pneumonia if not cared for properly, and fluid in the chest cavity is typically a concerning sign. His injury still requires a few weeks to heal. I'm referring you to a specialist, Mr. Broussard. I recommend you see her as soon as possible."<br/><br/>Blue had only been half listening to the doctor's spiel; he was more focused on what she had called Eivind. Mr. Ulrich? Was that Eivind's last name? How had he never asked about that before? Blue had thrown a little fit because Eivind hadn't asked<i>him</i>silly questions like that, and here he was, calling Eivind his boyfriend, his mate, and he didn't even know his fucking last name . . . Ulrich.<br/><br/>He liked it.