A/N:
Y'all, I'm so excited for you to read this... that is all.

|Previous chapter:

"Yeah," I repeated, heading down the hall, not fully aware of what I was doing. "Yeah, I think I'll go take a nap and then shower, then maybe see how Virgil's doing."|

TW: Slight panic attack, feeling guilty, a small argument

Roman's POV:
I stumbled into my room, tears still blurring my vision slightly. Heading over to my bed, I flopped on top of the blankets, not even bothering to take my jacket off. Within seconds of closing my eyes, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

~~~~~~

Blinking my eyes open, I groaned, feeling even more tired than I was when I fell asleep.

Damn you, nap

Sighing, I stretched out my arms and legs, debating falling asleep again. After a few minutes, I decided against it, choosing to get up and head to the bathroom. Glancing in the mirror, I saw that my hair was a mess, and my face was still slightly blotchy from crying.

"Goodness gracious," I mumbled to myself, combing my fingers through my hair in an attempt to tame it.

After a few minutes of being unsuccessful, I sighed and decided to just take a shower.

~~~~~~

Stepping out of the shower, I let out a content sigh. I felt much more awake and alert than I had when I woke up. Wrapping a towel around myself, I stepped in front of the mirror, running a comb through my hair. Once I was satisfied, I stepped into my room and pulled out a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that had my emblem on the chest.

After I was dressed, I left my room, walking down the hall towards the door of the Imagination. As I passed the kitchen, however, my stomach grumbled loudly, and my steps faltered. Should I grab a snack now?

No, you idiot, Virgil's in the hospital!! You can get something there!!

Shaking my head at myself, I bypassed the kitchen and arrived at the door for the Imagination. Walking through the door, I didn't even pause to take in the view of the village, determination to get to the hospital overcoming me.

As I walked through the streets, I caught sight of Camden out of the corner of my eye.

"Roman!" I heard Camden call out as I passed him.

Turning towards him, I sent a tight smile, although I didn't stop walking.

"Hey, hey, where are you off to in such a hurry?" Camden asked, jogging to catch up to me before matching my fast pace.

"Hospital," I breathed out, not particularly in the mood to talk to anyone.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Camden asked. At the same time, another villager noticed me and started asking what I was doing.

All the attention, combined with my desperation to see Virgil, caused my breathing to become incredibly shallow. I could feel myself start to shake as I continued walking. The hospital came into view, and relief broke through some of the panic that I was feeling.

Turning to Camden and the other villagers, I said a quick goodbye before rushing through the doors. Once I was inside, I paused, leaning against a wall as I tried to catch my breath.

"Roman, is that you?" a voice caught my attention, and I looked up to see Valerie standing behind the front desk.

"Valerie!" I exclaimed, surprised to see her at the hospital. "What are you doing here? I thought you worked at Picani's place?"

"I do," Valerie explained, "But I also work at the hospital during Picani's off days."

"Ahh, that makes sense," I responded, walking to the desk.

"Are you here to see Virgil?" Valerie asked after a few seconds of silence.

Upon hearing her ask, my chest tightened, and I felt tendrils of panic creeping through me.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, trying to keep my breathing even.

"His room is on floor 3. Room 319," Valerie said, gesturing towards the elevators.

"Thanks," I whispered, turning and slipping into an elevator just before it closed.

When I reached the third floor, it took everything in me not to sprint to the room. Knocking on the door, I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt as I waited for it to be opened. It was only a few seconds before Patton opened it, but those seconds could very well have been an eternity.

"Roman! You made it!" Patton whispered when he saw me. Opening the door, he ushered me in, where I saw Deceit sitting on a couch that was pushed against the wall of the room while Logan sat in a chair next to Virgil. Virgil was lying on the hospital bed, a thin white sheet pulled over his legs and an IV attached to the back of his hand.

"Is he gonna be okay?" I whispered to Patton, walking into the room and sitting in one of the chairs that were placed next to Virgil's bed as Patton sat in the one next to Logan on the other side of the bed.

"Picani said that Virgil went unconscious due to a lack of oxygen," Logan explained quietly. "He also said that Virgil's Hanahaki is at a point where he won't live much longer if he doesn't get the surgery."

"Then why don't they do the surgery now!" I huffed, falling back in my chair.

"Because it isn't Virgil's decision!!" Deceit exclaimed, standing up and stalking over to where I was sitting. "If Virgil does want to have the surgery, it's his choice to make. It isn't his life, and if he doesn't want to die, you can stop him."

"But what if we don't want him to die?" I retorted, gesturing to Logan, Patton, and I. "What if we need him around because he's famILY? What then?"

"Oh, sure, you don't want him to live," Deceit scoffed, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms. "You just don't want to be able to make fun of him more."

"You don't know that!!!" I shouted, springing out of my chair and facing Deceit. "I apologized to Virgil about that, and I've changed. But you wouldn't know that. You're just a slimy, good-for-nothing liar."

"ROMAN!!!!" Patton shouted at me, clamoring out of his chair and rushing around the foot of the bed to intervene. "You take that back right this instant, kiddo."

"'M sorry, Deceit," I sighed, wiping a hand across my forehead. "I guess I've just gotten a bit on-edge, what with the stress of this and all."

"It's not okay, Roman," Deceit said, offering me a half-smile. "I totally don't understand."

I smiled back at Deceit, glad that he was able to forgive me. From where he stood, Patton nodded, apparently glad to see us getting along.

"Now, Roman," Patton said, turning to me. "I think you should head back home and rest. It's been a super busy day today, and you must be exhausted."

"But Padre," I complained, "I took a nap before I came, I'm fine."

Just as I finished saying that, I felt my knees start to buckle. Patton must have sensed this as well, and he rushed to my side, putting an arm under mine to support me.

Turning to look at Patton, I smirked slightly before slurring, "Ya know, Pat, I think you might be right. I should probably go back and rest."

A/N:

Y'all, you have no clue how good it feels to be able to publish this chapter. Like, I'm just vibrating I'm so excited right now.

Part of that excitement comes from the fact that I entered  Hanahaki into the 2019 Wattys yesterday, so, like, that's got me super hyped.

Also, I'm, like, hyped for the coming chapters because I've got them planned out, and y'all are gonna flip out.

So, yeah, be ready for that, y'all...

Until next time,

Take it easy guys, gals, and non-binary pals!!!

~death_by_fanfic