Dear Diary,

I haven't asked for much in this life. I'm not a man who is incredibly demanding. But in spite of this, there is one thing I wish for more than anything I have ever wished for. I just want my darling Levi to be okay.

It's been three days since I woke up after the attack, and I'm still sitting by his side in hospital in Reading, waiting hour after hour for him to wake up. My bruising is slowly healing, and I'm feeling less pain each day. The only pain which isn't going away, is the fear for the worst to happen, and the desperation for Levi to open his eyes.

I've not been to work since the attack, I couldn't face it if I tried. Plus, I'm meant to be healing myself. Stephanie comes to visit between her shifts, and my mum brought me my diary so I could vent my emotions... but the rest of the time I sit and wait. There's been plenty of occasions in the last 72 hours where the nurses have found me asleep by his side. They try to take me back to my own room, but I refuse most of the time. I can't bear to leave him.

All I ask, is that he is alright. Even if I have to endure all the suffering in the world, just please let him be alright. I'd do anything.

A very anxious, desperate Yog x

George heaves a sigh as he signs off his latest diary entry; he puts the lid on the pen, before locking the little journal. His eyes move up from the book, to his still-unconscious love; every time he glances at Levi, a fresh wave of heartbreak suffocates him. He sets the diary to one side, slowly moving himself closer to Levi's head; he plants a single kiss upon his temple, letting his lips linger, not wanting to part from him.

"I miss you so much," George murmurs. "It's been four days since I heard your voice and saw your smile. I know you'll wake up eventually, but each second that passes ... it hurts so much." He decides against letting himself cry, instead swallowing harshly to hold himself together. "It's mad, isn't it? So many nasty people in the world who just cruise through life with no issues. And then there's those who are the angels among us, who have to suffer through all this bullshit. Tell me how it's fair, Levi. Tell me how." His gaze moves to his feet, as he thinks of what else to say. "I suppose it doesn't matter what I talk about, seeing as you can't hear me anyway." He lets out the faintest chuckle at this knowledge, trying to make light of such a heavy situation. "I could say that you're a complete tosser, and you'd never know about it. Or I could say that your hair looks really stupid right now." He shakes his head, trying to force himself to find humour in what he's saying; he struggles with this, as a few tears cluster in his eyes. "Or I could also tell you how madly in love with you I am, and that one day — when the world tells us we're allowed to — it would be my dream to marry you. You know, like a man and woman can. But it would be us two, because we matter too." He furrows his brows slightly, thinking hard about the inequality he faces for who he is. "I know a lot of people think we're less important, but can you imagine how cool it would be, to be able to get married like everyone else can? And hey — maybe one day, we could even have our own children through adoption or something." He grins, rolling his eyes, as if he knows what Levi would say to him. "I know, I know — I've always said I don't want children. But ... maybe with you, I can see it. A little family, sat at the table at breakfast; I can see us hurrying them up so they aren't late for school. Helping them with homework when we don't even understand it ourselves. Trying to make them play games with us when they're teenagers, when all they want to do is hang out with their mates. It's years away still. I know we're still young ourselves, but I can see it with you. All of it."

The vivid images of such a wonderful, typical life temporarily transport him to another world; one that's happy, and homely. For a few minutes at least, he forgets where he is; he forgets the situation he's stuck in — and he imagines the life he has dreamed of. It's enough to bring a smile to his face; he holds Levi's hand, rubbing it with his thumb as his mind continues to wander. It's a perfect distraction, but unfortunately one that is only short-lived; all too soon, George remembers where he is in reality, which brings his thoughts crashing down. It shocks him, causing him to look back over at Levi, who is still in the same state as he has been. The smile quickly melts into a frown; he runs his tongue over his upper lip to rid the dryness, before expelling a breath once again.

"Listen to me harping on about things that can't happen," he mocks himself. "In the eyes of the law, we can never be a true family. Not unless something changes, one day. And not unless you wake up for me." He runs the back of his fingers over Levi's designer stubble; the blood stains are gone now, due to George making the effort to clean his face while he's still out of it. The doctors had gotten rid of some of them when he first arrived in the hospital; however, no-one is perfect, and so some staining had remained despite their best attempts. George continues to stare at his partner; each second that ticks by builds up an increasingly-intense feeling of irritation within him, until eventually he loses his composure. "It's been three days, Levi!" he cries desperately. "Why are you making me wait for you? This isn't fair. None of this is fair at all!" He doesn't wish to draw too much attention to his venting, so he tones down his voice a little. "I'm begging you Levi ... just open your eyes, please." He slumps down in his chair, burying his head in his hands. "Open your eyes so that I can feel the purpose in my life again. I can't do this life without you. Please." His voice begins to break, as his pleas become progressively more heart-wrenching. "I'd give my life for you to wake up and be alright again. So that you can get better. I just want you to know how much I love you. How much I'm in love with you; how much of a reason to live you are, for me. So that I know there's a chance my visions can become a reality. Because you're the only person I can see it happening with. But you won't know any of that until you open your eyes."

"And ... you say my ranting is excessive."

The voice causes George to snap his head up faster than he can process; with widened eyes, he sees his lover looking weakly at him. "Oh, my god," he gasps, shock setting in. "L-Levi?" Tears he didn't realise were in his eyes begin to fall uncontrollably with relief, as he leans in to kiss Levi's head again. "I can't believe you finally woke up. Oh my god." All signs of common sense have left the Greek by this point; so much so, that he doesn't think to call for a nurse or doctor. Instead, he takes Levi's hand in his own, kissing the limp fingers over and over. "You have no idea how happy I am that you've woken up."

Levi gestures as best as he can, for his oxygen mask to be removed; George slowly takes it away from his face so he can talk. "What happened to you?" he just manages to groan. "Y-You have scars, George."

"That doesn't matter," George dismisses. "What matters is that you're awake, and you're here." He smiles sadly. "I don't want you getting worked up when you've only just woken up."

"What happened to me?" Levi asks. "I don't know why I'm here."

George's smile fades, as he realises he must tell the truth about what occurred that evening. "Well." He hesitates, trying to find the gentlest way to explain the situation; however, he evaluates there is no easy way to say it. "W-We were in the park in Reading. Some kids started shouting at us, and ... they hurt us both. They ... they attacked us because of us being gay." He starts to become frantic as he recalls the incident. "And I'm so sorry I didn't help more. I should have helped more. But I didn't know what to do, I swear. They chased after me, and they knocked me out like they did to you. But I got off lightly compared to you. I woke up the next morning, and I'm so sorry for not helping you more—"

"Calm down," Levi demands quietly. "It's not either of us to blame. It's the kids that did it."

"They've already arrested some suspects," George informs him. "We're getting justice for you. For us. I promise."

"How long was I out for?" Levi questions.

"Almost four days," George answers. "There's been a lot of development in the last ninety-six hours especially. I've been making sure to keep on track with it all."

"Have you been letting yourself rest and recover?" Levi interrogates. "You need to."

"I'm fine. I couldn't give a shit about myself," George responds. "All I wanted was for you to be okay."

"Well, I'm sure I'll get there." Levi tries to laugh, to dismiss how much pain he's in; the last thing he wants is for George to worry any more than he already is. "So what have you been doing the last four days? Resting, I hope."

"Yeah, that's about it really. Just resting and recovering," George lies; he doesn't wish to take credit for how long he has sat with Levi waiting for him to come around. "Nothing much else to do, really."

"Now come on, George — we know that's a lie." Penny's soft voice chimes in, as she pops her head around the door. "My baby ... thank god you're alright." She enters the room, approaching the bed; she gives her son a brief kiss in greeting. "Never scare me like that again. I thought I'd lost you. Both of you, in fact." She moves around the bed, to give George a hug. "But you need to give this one here some credit, Levi — he's waited for you this entire time. He hasn't left your side."

Levi glances at George, as best as he can. "Really? You waited all that time?"

George admits defeat, knowing he has to admit to what he's done. "Yeah ... I did. I haven't left this room other than for bathroom breaks. I couldn't. I wouldn't dream of it."

"You soppy git," Levi jibes; his eyes tell of the uncomfortableness his entire body is enduring, but he tries to hide this. "Don't think I didn't hear your monologue, too."

George laughs, unsure of whether to feel embarrassed by this, or relieved that Levi got to hear how he truly feels. "Well, I thought you were still unconscious when I was rambling on. How much did you hear?"

"Enough. Trust me." Levi gives a slightly-forced closed-mouth smile, suggesting he's finding it a little difficult to muster the energy to keep talking.

"Has the doctor given you a once-over, sweetheart?" Penny asks him; she's aware he can't speak much, so she turns her attention to George. "Did you call somebody in once he woke up?"

"Shit," George hisses. "I didn't even think. He's only been awake a few minutes. I'm sorry."

"Not to worry. I'll go and grab someone." Penny quickly walks out of the room, leaving the two men alone.

"I can't believe you scared me like that," George comments softly, his way of teasing Levi. "I tell you what — I'm never holding your hand in public in an unfamiliar place again."

Levi maintains the same smile as before. "I just wanted to ... show the world I love you. I can't do it in your city. I thought we'd be safe around complete strangers." His voice is gravelly; he is still adjusting to breathing unaided.

"We'll never truly be safe," George reminds him sadly. "That comes with being who we are."

"It ... shouldn't be like this," Levi states, disappointed.

"I know." George lets out a sigh, trying his hardest to remain positive. "But one day, I can see it. One day things will change. We just have to be patient."

Levi inhales deeply, purely to prepare his lungs for speaking his next sentence. "I hope you're right."

George looks down at his lover, using every atom of energy he has to bring the optimistic smile back; however, deep down, he too hopes that he's right in what he's saying.

•••

Chapter thirty-one! Hope you're still enjoying. xx