Hope

Something gripped his hand in the dark abyss of his sleeping mind, jerking him awake. He blinked a few times, his eyes focusing on a blurry spot hovering above him, the cloudy shape sharpening slowly until it revealed a man in a police uniform, wiping away tears from his face while his other hand was wrapped around Matej's fingers. It wasn't just any police man, though.

He moved his head, blinking. "Eric?"

The man standing by his bed looked surprised, his grip tightening.

"Matej, you're awake", a hand wiping across Eric's face again, frantically removing all traces of tears from his cheek. "How do you feel?"

Matej tried to move, but couldn't bring his muscles to comply.

"I don't feel a fucking thing...", he whispered hoarsely. "Where am I?"

Eric pulled a chair closer and sat down.

"You're in hospital. You got stabbed. Do you remember?"

Stabbed? A weird throbbing in his lower abdomen gave Matej an uncomfortable feeling of Déjà vu.

"I remember a guy. He bumped into me. And blood. I survived?" Shit. Too many meds. Dumb question.

"You survived", Eric confirmed and gripped his hand tighter.

Matej watched him closely. His peaked cap resting in his lap, Eric's hair was wild as if he'd run his hands through it several times.

"I'm sorry I scared you. How's Sarah?", he said, stroking his thumb over the back of Eric's hand.

"She's alright. Sitting outside wanting to come in. She found you at school, unconscious, so she's still shaken." Eric shrugged and glanced toward the door.

Matej nodded.

"Bring her in. She shouldn't be scared for me", he said.

Eric reluctantly let go of Matej's hand and went to the door, opening it and gesturing to someone.

"He's awake, hon. Wanna come in?"

Sarah appeared in the door, her cheeks puffy and red, eye lids swollen worse than her dad's. She slowly approached the bed. Matej lifted his hand, surprised to see an IV tube sticking out of his arm.

"Sarah. How are ya, princess? A bit much action for us recently, huh?", he whispered.

The girl came closer and took his hand. "You're alive", she stated, her lips trembling.

"I think so", he smiled.

Eric appeared behind his daughter, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"The doc says you'll need to go slow for a while. No bodybuilding competitions for you anytime soon, young man", he joked.

Matej laughed, the motion sending a jolt of pain through his body. He grimaced.

"If only..", he said eventually. "I'll have to make a call to my family. I don't have anyone in Vienna. I'll probably move back home for a while."

Eric gripped his hand again, squeezing it.

"You have us. You can stay at my place as long as you want." Matej read the message between the lines. He wasn't sure if he was ready to take a leap and trust someone this fast - let alone move in with a boyfriend he only recently met. And as an invalid on top.




"I don't want to be a burden...", he began when Sarah interrupted him.

"Please stay with us, Matt. Please don't go back home." Those huge eyes again. Like in a Disney cartoon. How could he ever deny her anything?

"I..."

"Please don't leave." Eric, spoken with intense urgency, had Matej lift his eyes to meet his. He didn't say anything else, didn't share his daughter's tendency to overemphasize things.

"Okay", he said quietly, feeling a weird tiredness again. Resting his eyes for a moment turned into a dreamless sleep so sound, he never heard the door when Eric shooed his daughter outside to give Matej some peace and quiet. Eric. His last thought before Matej once again drowned in darkness.